Get your Amazon finger at the ready! For 2 days only; Sat 8th and Sunday 9th Dec 2018, you’ll be able to download my book Mend the Gap on Kindle for the bargain price of just 99p/ 99c!
Mary and Amy liked it, I hope you will too! 😉
Keep watching this space, Facebook or Twitter for access…
As Silvia knows only too well, sometimes it takes getting in touch with our anger (power) in order to know where our personal boundaries are; and having boundaries is necessary to self- care, and self -love. This can be a hard lesson to learn, as Silvia recounts from her own life…
And I am an over eater, not too anonymous.
I have a name, a face, a story and a personality.
Few people around me know about my emotional eating. Some people may have no idea.
My relationship with food has always been very complicated. Perhaps it has been the most difficult relationship I ever had in my life. It started when I was 8 years old.
Due a medical condition, I had to use lots of cortisone. As you might be aware, cortisone can cause a big increase in weight. To prevent an excessive gain of weight, my parents put me on a diet – I was already a bit ‘full’. As a result, from the age of 8, I started to develop a complicated relationship with food and my body. Since I was not allowed to eat the “unhealthy food”, I would secretly eat everything I could when I had the chance – and, of course, I would hide the tracks afterwards. When my parents were not home, I would stuff myself with food to compensate my deprivation. I still remember the “treasure hunt” in my house, looking for my precious treasure: chocolate. Or when I was in friends’ house, or outside and I had few spare coins with me, I had no doubt on what to buy: sugar. Any size, shape, taste. Everything was good enough.
Because of my emotional eating, at the age of 21, I reached 105 kg, 40 kg more than I was supposed to be.
It could be easy to blame my parents for my eating disorder, but I know they love me and I know that they put me on a diet for my health, to give me my best chances. They did it in good faith.
Who knows, perhaps if it wasn’t for my first diet at the age of 8 I was not going to be here, to write about my eating disorder. Perhaps, if it wasn’t for this eating disorder, I wouldn’t be who I am today.
Now, of course on good days I like to see my “being powerless in front of food” as a learning opportunity. But in other days I see it in a very different way. I would just blame myself, asking myself ‘what’s wrong with me’ alimenting a negative state of mind.
Teen Silvia is a very different person from adult Silvia. I worked a lot on my self-esteem, I worked a lot on my dreams. I worked to build myself out of love rather than hate. When I was 22 years old, I decided to change my life, my destiny. I decided to define myself for how good I was inside rather than how much I weighed – although if goodness was measured in weights, I was winning!!
When I was 22, my heart was crushed. Into thousands of pieces. I had so much pain that I felt like I was going to die. I am not even exaggerating. At that time, I felt like my heart was not going to handle the pain.
It is about a person, you are right, but it is not about a boyfriend. It is about a friend, a best friend, C. We were friends for 17 years. She was like my sister.
C had lots of personal issues; but you know, we all have problems! She had a strong, dominant character. Most of the time she knew what she wanted, and she would have done anything she could to achieve it. This is something that I admired about her. Perhaps, when I was next to her, I felt strong myself.
But the more we were growing up, the more our lives were taking different paths. We used to argue a lot. But, of course, we overcame those arguments because friends are friends, right? Friends are in the good and in the bad. If you love someone, you find a way to compromise and I loved her so much, I loved her like a sister.
Our friendship arrived at a point when we would argue constantly – like an old couple heading towards a divorce. I’d strongly stand up for my values and she’d strongly stand up for hers. Alongside that, C had the tendency of hurting people when she was feeling hurt. If something bad happened to her she would hurt someone else. Yes, you read it right. She would feel better because in that way she was not the only one suffering.
I cannot forget the day when she had an argument with her boyfriend and, consequentially, she was very horrible to me. It happened many times in our friendship, but in one way or another we always overcame difficulties.
I know what you may be thinking; I am a stupid! Perhaps I am. But let’s shape it in a positive way – you know, just cause this blog is about self-esteem lol – let’s say I am a loyal, caring and committed friend.
But this day I said, “no more”. I remember telling her “Look at this face.. this is the last time you will see it!”. And I meant it. And of course, it wasn’t.
This happened just before I moved to Glasgow. After few months, C came all the way to apologise. At first, I thought she did it for me; but of course, at the end of this experience, it turned out that she did it for herself. C lived in Glasgow for one year. It was a very long year with ups and downs. After one year, C decided to go back to Italy. She was missing her boyfriend and her family.
We had her leaving party. We got massively drunk. Yep, there was lots of alcohol involved so I am pretty sure you know that this part of the story doesn’t end too well. At some point during that night I was about to go to the toilet. Before going, I noticed a few flirts between her and the guy I liked. I remember approaching her “I am going to the toilet, please do not kiss him” like if a friend needs to tell you this!
Guess what? Yes, you are right. I came out of the toilet and they were kissing. It was like a slow sword piercing my heart.
I could not stop crying, I thought I was going to die for how many tears I have shed.
I did not care much about the guy, it was not about him. It was about her. I would have never thought she was capable of doing something similar to me, to her sister. That was my last wake-up call.
I never felt so hurt in my entire life. And it was the best thing it could have ever happened to me. That day I found the strengths to say goodbye to all those toxic relationships I had in my life, including food. That day, I found the strengths to be become who I was supposed to be: Me.
That day, a new Silvia was born.
See Silvia’s Blog at: ilmeravigliosomondodisilvia.home.blog
#Emerging Proud is a not- for-profit grassroots movement aimed at spreading awareness that emotional distress can be a catalyst for a transformational growth process.
#Emerging Proud day 2019 is about initiating more public conversations about this vital subject, to help reduce the stigma around mental ‘illness’… Will you help?
We need as many of you as possible to host your own events around the world on 12th May next year, using our FREE resources and template from the success of last year…
Want to help raise awareness and join in the celebrations?
The more voices we can include, the louder the message!
#Emerging Proud day 2019 will coincide with the launch of our Kinda Proud pocket book; #Emerging Proud through NOTEs, the first in a 4 – part book series that we hope to be able to disseminate to mental health units and organisations to spread messages of hope and transformation to those in need.
Watch this space for more news on that, coming soon!
In the mean time – it’s never too soon to get planning your event;
Ivy from New Jersey on the US east coast has been a voice of HOPE in this community since she #Emerged Proud in the film last year. When invited to share her story for the Kinda Proud book series, she said; “I feel like I could write for all of them”, and I guess her voice resonates with the majority; we just can’t fit ourselves or our experiences into labels or book titles. Here’s an artistically portrayed snippet of her journey, which will feature in Kelly’s book #Emerging Proud through suicide…
I’ve been killing myself since my first birthday. So I’ve been told, I screamed my head off until everyone who came to greet me left the house, and only my mom was there. Happy birthday Ivy.
Not really suicidal, just shy and deep into my soul, harboring something. I remember sitting at the table as a toddler, learning to write my name. It was like I was re-learning who I was, or learning who I was for the first time.
At some point the good memories were overlapped by all the painful ones. My mind became a labyrinth of dark, sad, lonely memories. But one way or another someone(s) or something(s) within or without helped me get by. So what could be described as manic depression, could also be divine intervention.
Losing people I love… losing the connections that held me… that’s when I became lost. That’s when life seemed ‘un-livable’…
I remember praying and hearing nothing, and crying out for my parents in bed. I remember sharing a bed with my siblings, and the fear… we’d keep the blankets around our whole head and only leave a hole big enough to breathe through and see. I remember all the times I swallowed bottles of tylenol, aspirin and other medication to see if I could stop the suffering. It never killed me, it just poisoned Ivy. Funny how that nickname took on new meaning.
Even my art ‘poisoned’ me, as I touched the solvents with bare hands and held multiple brushes between my teeth. But it also set me free. The chemicals I’ve absorbed, the toxicity, the soup my brain rests in… the antibiotics, the pills, the birth control, the SSRI’s, the Antipsychotics, did I miss any? Yes… the morphine when I lost my first born to miscarriage. I have been separated from my body, almost quite literally “beside myself” for years… quite possibly longer than I know myself.
Have I tried to kill myself? Yes. So many times. Did I want to? No. But I was going through a spiritual process… I was dying of heartache, I was dying to be reborn, and I needed a connection that wasn’t being provided.
Now my body and mind and spirit are a trine. I feel so much and sense so much that I can only hope to slow down enough to remember to breathe. And yet, I am here! I am present. I have not been decapitated. I have not been psychically castrated. I have not had my voice stolen. I have been reborn and I am finding that my family is nearly limitless. Family is a unit and a cluster and extends beyond what I could have ever imagined.
What do I mean by “family?” I mean that consciousness has changed and I love humanity. I would sacrifice myself for the all, but the lesson learned was I am loved and this sacrifice is neither necessary nor possible.
We are strong together.
I hear we are louder together, yes?
We are not alone.
We will not be broken.
I love you.
And now I love me too ❤
Connect with Ivy here: Ivy’s Facebook Art Page
Ivy
I’m excited to announce that for 2 days only; Sat 8th and Sunday 9th Dec 2018, you’ll be able to download my book Mend the Gap on Kindle for the bargain price of just 99p/ 99c!
– Perfect for some cosy Christmas reading 🙂
Mark it in your diary so you don’t forget!
Here’s some testimonials to help you decide if it’s worth it…
Owning our stories can be the bravest thing we do, and also the most liberating… Many proud #Emergees have reported how scary and rewarding it has been to speak out about their personal experiences. It creates a kinda ‘positve domino’ effect; letting others know that they are not alone in their struggles, and that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Are you feeling the urge to speak out?*
About Kinda Proud:
Innovative book series: Personal stories aimed at providing hope and encouraging us to ‘re-think mental distress as a potential catalyst for positive change’
One of the main mantras of the #Emerging Proud campaign is that by working together we can change the world; that we need to BE the change we wish to see in the world. This project aims to create a series of ‘Pocket Books of Hope and Transformation’ for people experiencing different themes of mental distress, under the umbrella of the anti- stigma social movement ‘#Emerging Proud’.
KindaProud empowers passionate Peers to tell their stories and be validated in doing so by a growing community that values authenticity, vulnerability and reduces stigma and shame. This helps build confidence and connection. Our project is empowering Peers to bravely speak out, proudly owning their story, and letting their voices be heard, in many case for the first time.
FIND OUT HOW TO SHARE YOUR STORY HERE
(*Please make sure you have support if you are sharing your story for the first time. Resources can be found HERE)
The main aim of our Kinda Proud book series is to decrease stigma, improve wellbeing and influence the saving of lives through providing a more compassionate and positive conceptual framework for emotional distress.
This project is unique because each Pocket Book of hope has its own KindaProud Rep; a Peer who has personal experience of the theme of that specific book in which they tell their own story and encourage others to join them in doing the same. Our first 4 books currently being created are;
#Emerging Proud through Suicide
#Emerging Proud through NOTES (Non- Ordinary Transcendent Experiences)
# Emerging Proud through disordered eating, body image and low-self-esteem
#Emerging Proud through trauma and abuse
FIND OUT HOW TO SHARE YOUR STORY HERE
(*Please make sure you have support if you are sharing your story for the first time. Resources can be found HERE)
Our Kinda Proud Reps…
(*Please make sure you have support if you are sharing your story for the first time. Resources can be found HERE)
#StrongerTogether ❤
When seeking acceptance through making herself thinner didn’t work, it was facing death that became Spela’s saving grace to self- acceptance. Here Spela shares some of her 9 year battle with her body in order to give others who might be struggling HOPE…
YOU HAVE A PIECE OF CAKE AND FEEL AWESOME – PRICELESS!
I used to love food. I looked forward to all social events because I knew there would be food. I enjoyed food so much that I was a sight to behold. And I wasn’t at all concerned what others thought about me or my behind getting bigger because I ate so much of all this excellent food. I admit, I was a bit overweight, but I was confident, I knew how to stand up for myself, and I laughed almost every day.
And then something, somewhere, went wrong. I became a teenager. I grew up and those extra pounds on my behind were gone. Everyone noticed! All of a sudden, I was ‘beautiful’! Unfortunately, I lost my confidence and the simple, carefree life. It’s true that I was more attractive, but I was really useless. No one could see me as a person that longs for spending time with friends and going to parties, as there was nothing left of me but sadness. Nothing. Emptiness!
And from this emptiness came a lie. I became convinced that I was not beautiful enough. I obviously did not meet the criteria of my peers, since I kept being pushed away. I had to change that somehow. I had to somehow fit it, as the isolation was too painful! So I started aiming for ‘perfection’. “Somewhere on this path to perfection I’ll certainly become good enough, and that’s when I’ll stop. That’s when I’ll start enjoying life.” In this misguided belief I doomed myself to several horrible years…
Others only needed to look at me briefly to see that horror. All they could see what a pile of bones, moving about the world without expression. Even though I was not aware of it at the time, I kept moving further and further away from being accepted by my peers. And despite needing nine years to really come to terms with it, I actually had anorexia.
When I look back now, I am truly shocked that the human mind can become so motivated to achieve a certain goal that it is willing to give up its own life. Because, at that time, I really didn’t care about my own life. I didn’t care whether I lived or died. All that mattered was that I look beautiful. Even if I had to give up all food that I used to love so much, abusing laxatives behind closed doors, and having nightmares about my intestines failing. I didn’t care about the pain I felt while doing jumping jacks, spinning the hula hoop, and doing crunches over and over, even though the room was spinning and my lips were completely dry and longing for a sip of water. All the tears I shed in secret, yearning for a hug, didn’t really matter. I truly did not care if I lived or died, the only thing I cared about was losing weight. Or rather, I longed for the acceptance I thought I would finally achieve once I lost enough weight. I kept wondering why I was different from others and why I can’t be like all the ‘normal’ people. Why couldn’t I walk up to someone, start talking to him , dance at a party like no one was watching, and to be attracted to some hunk and act like a schoolgirl!?
After a few months of this self-inflicted torture, when I was truly nothing but skin and bones, and my body could hardly keep me conscious, I was driving somewhere and for the first time asked myself if there was any point to all this. I tried, I really did, but there were no results. I was still alone, and I did not want to live another day with this feeling of loneliness. I couldn’t do it anymore. And because of this question I almost gave up that day.
Or rather, I did. I was ready to end it all.
But something stopped me. Despite all this horror I lived in, my body still wouldn’t let me finish it. It wanted to fight. Even today, I don’t know where it found this strength – where I found this strength whilst hugging my blanket that day, yelling through tears that I can’t do it anymore. I literally starved myself to my limits. That day was a turning point. I only had two options. There was no middle ground. It was beyond obvious that my life can not remain the same. And I was either going to die or regain some weight.
As I wasn’t able to die, it became obvious: all the pain I made myself suffer through would soon become meaningless, as it will take me just a few short months to become what I was years ago, when I still knew that feeling of happiness, eating with enjoyment and having something to smile about during the day. Accepting this fact at that time was hard. Very hard. It required that I change my behavior and personality, which meant a lot of soul-searching, visits to physicians, and talks with psychiatrists.
It was hard. But it was worth it! Can you even imagine how insanely good it feels that I can have a slice of delicious cake and not feel bad about it?! I’m laughing once again and in the evening I fall asleep in the arms of someone I love dearly. The world is beautiful once again and I feel like I can have it all!
So I can say with absolute certainty that it was all worth it. Of course, the entire experience demanded a lot from me, but I believe it has made me who I am today – and I am proud of who I am.
With this feeling of pride, I wrote a book – Notice Me: My 9-Year Struggle against Anorexia – and I hope my story will inspire many others.
Everyone can do it! ❤
Finding the strength to talk about his struggles and go on to tell his story has enabled Colin, not only to help himself, but set him on his mission to help others through the creation of his very own App; DEpressON
Here’s Colin’s story in his own words…
It was the 21st of June 2016, around 12pm, I had been struggling with depression and anxiety badly for the last few months, and had begun to lose hope, each day was getting harder and harder, I was losing control, and everything seemed like it was falling apart around me. Then, one day on my lunch break at work I had to cross a motorway bridge to get my lunch, halfway across that bridge I stopped, and decided to end all of the pain,
As I stood and looked down on the motorway below me, I started to watch all of the cars passing under the bridge I was stood on. For some reason, as I was crossing the motorway bridge, I’d suddenly stopped, just over half way to look over, I’d now been stood there for a good few minutes, as I watched the traffic go by, I’d started to think of the people in those cars, I’d started to think about how their lives probably had meaning, they were happy and they were enjoying their lives, they were going somewhere today and were looking forward to getting to their destination, wherever that was. I started to think about my life, or what had become of it at least. I tried to think about; where was I going? Where was my destination? Where had my happiness gone? Why did I no longer feel like I had a purpose? I thought about my family and friends trying to convince me I did have a reason to live, but that suddenly turned into the thought of how much I’d let them down, how much of a failure I was. They had offered support when I’d first been diagnosed with my depression, and even though I’d chosen to fight this battle on my own, I remembered the words I’d used to tell my wife I’d be ok when she offered her support. “It’s in my head and I am the strongest person I know. I will sort it out”. I thought I’d coped quite well but the last few weeks I’d felt myself falling, and I didn’t want to tell people I needed help, that would just make me look weak. I continued to watch the traffic as people walked past me on the bridge. My head at this point felt like it couldn’t cope with processing all the thoughts that were overloading it, and I remember looking up to the sky which was cloudy today but you could still see the sun shining though. As I looked up I just wanted my head to clear, I wanted to stop my hands from shaking, I wanted to not feel like a failure, but most of all I wanted to protect my family from being affected by all the pain I was feeling. As I drew my eyes back to the motorway I noticed my shaking hands were no longer shaking but instead had taken a tight grip of the railing on the bridge, my left foot was now placed on the bottom of the railing and suddenly maybe I found a solution, I could make all the noise from my head go away, I could protect my family from my pain by simply taking the problem away. I felt myself leaning towards the motorway. Maybe I’d just found my destination.
Since that day, things in my life have totally changed. Since I found the strength to speak out and admit the I needed help, that alone I was struggling to deal with these feelings. I walked from that bridge straight into my office at work and picked up the phone, I was lucky in the fact that I had medical insurance with work, I’d been given the leaflets and numbers to call many weeks ago, but had chosen not to use them, but now in that office I’d decided I had to make use of whatever help was available to me. After a conversation with the very nice lady on the other end of the phone I was referred to a shrink. At first I was against the idea, as in my mind seeing a shrink was all about being crazy and would involve me lying on a couch identifying ink blots, but despite this, I knew I needed to try anything in the form of help. I needed to accept the advice given to me.
On my first visit with the shrink, after I’d spoken about my feelings and my childhood etc, I remember a look on his face as he looked down on his notes from the session then looked up at me, the look said it all, he was looking at me as if to say; How have you made it to 42 without seeking help before?!!!!!. At the end of the session I was diagnosed with clinical depression and acute anxiety; I’d been promoted! He recommended I attend group therapy, and I will always remember what he said to me that day about this form of therapy; “ You will meet some great new friends and will really enjoy these sessions” I remember thinking; How’s that going to work, your going to stick 10 or 12 miserable people in a room and expect them to make friends with each other?!!!!!. I imagined how the phone calls to each other would go. “ Hi, what’re you up-to today?’ “ I’m avoiding bridges, what about you?” I really didn’t believe these sessions would help, or that I’d make any kind of new friends, but I had to try them.
Unbeknownst to me, those group sessions were about to change my life in so many ways. Meeting that group of people on that first day I would never have imagined how it would help turn my journey with depression and anxiety into such an amazing adventure. Those sessions where really the beginning of something amazing. Whilst in these sessions I soon realised that although the therapist leading the sessions was needed, it was in fact the group that began to really support each other, we found strength and support in each other, we found using humour about our situations helped, because we were all on this journey together. We found an openness when talking about ourselves, an openness to be honest I don’t really think I’d had for a very long time. That room quickly became where we could be ourselves, without fear of judgment or ridicule, once we entered that room we left the stigma attached to these ‘conditions’ behind, and without that weight on our shoulders and each others’ support we began to find it easier to move forward.
It was that support and how we began to work together that gave me the idea of DEpressON, an app that would embrace our experiences and learnings. We had been advised to download several different forms of apps that could possibly help us, but both myself and others in the group found these apps clinical and sterile in their approach and look. We tried them but each one felt too detached from our real needs, they lacked something and we all quickly stopped using them. I suggested in one of the groups my idea for DEpressON and was taken aback if I’m being honest by the enthusiasm and excitement towards the idea, not just by the group but also by the professionals leading the sessions. The last few sessions of our CBT almost turned into a workshop around the app, with everyone adding ideas and suggestions, and the idea began to grow from there.
This is where my journey really became an adventure. Who would have thought that day on the bridge would of ended up with me having my own business, being invited all around the country to talk publicly about this Journey? I wouldn’t, but the darkness actually helped me find the brightest light. My story, because I found the strength to tell it, has not only changed my life but many others so far, and I know it will change many more. At the beginning of this journey me and wife were getting divorced. We are now still happily married, and now have a new addition to our family, Poppy. Her middle name is for a reason; it’s Hope. Because together we make a difference, together we make this journey an adventure.
If we have hope, we have tomorrow, let’s make tomorrow Amazing.
Colin, Founder
My own experience with depression and its potentially life-ending consequences took me on a journey that I can now only call a journey to self-discovery.
The importance of support is essential to healing and that’s the plan. It’s all I have been concentrating on for the last year; talking, meeting and connecting with people and industry experts. We want to help people with DEpressOn – PRESSon. Let’s walk together and make a difference.
depresson.co.uk / info@depresson.co.uk /colin-radcliffe/ @DEpressON2
We are KindaProud of Photographer Rachel from Norwich, UK, for sharing her experience of coming through breast cancer and bravely getting in front of the camera.
“I soon realised that the main fear I had – that everyone else is totally confident in their perfect bodies – was completely unfounded”…
When Amy of SoulShine asked me to take photos at the first Wild Woman Photoshoot, my initial reaction was ‘yes!’, followed by a small amount of apprehension. I thought it was an absolutely brilliant thing – empowering women to represent themselves as they want to be represented, promoting body positivity, celebrating ourselves and our bodies as they are, encouraging self-acceptance and boosting self esteem. But as someone who has my own particular body confidence issues, I wasn’t sure how it was going to make me feel.
I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, at the age of 31. Since then I have had a mastectomy (and opted not to have reconstruction), and have gained over 2 stone in weight due to ongoing medication. So whilst I was fully on board with what Amy and Soulshine were doing, and very happy to take the photos, there was a small part of me that thought it might make me feel a bit sad, that here were all these women with their beautiful, whole, perfect bodies, and I’d never have the confidence to be so free and comfortable in my own skin, and get in front of the camera like they were.
But.
Within a very short time of arriving at the first photo shoot, I realised the reality was so far from those doubts and fears that I’d had. Amy and the Soulshine team held the space so beautifully, and I quickly felt very much at ease. I soon realised that the main fear I had – that everyone else is totally confident in their perfect bodies – was completely unfounded. As I photographed women of different shapes, sizes and ages, I started to really see the truth – everybody’s body is different, unique – and beautiful. There is no such thing as the ‘perfect’ body. It’s a myth created by society, the media, whoever. Seeing these women gradually increase in confidence and become more comfortable in themselves throughout the day was really empowering, so much so that by the end of the shoot I was starting to think ‘I could do that – I could get in front of the camera next time!’
The next time came around, and again Amy asked me to be the photographer for the day. I had at the back of my mind that maybe I’d ask someone to take some photos of me at some point, but I wasn’t sure. It was a bigger group than before, and I didn’t know everyone… but I shared a little of my experience at the start of the day, and immediately felt heard and accepted. And again, as the day went on and the Soulshine team skilfully led us through exercises to help us connect to our true selves, to let go of the things that are holding us back, the ‘shame gremlins’ that stop us from achieving all we’re capable of by telling us we’re not good enough/pretty enough/thin enough/etc… I felt it again. That feeling that ‘I could do that’.
And so when I tentatively suggested that maybe I could be in some of the photos, it was welcomed with open arms (literally – I’ve never known a group hug like it!) Before I knew it I was wearing just a sarong, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a group of friends, some of whom had been complete strangers just hours before, with a camera pointing at us – and I didn’t feel self conscious at all. All that shame about how my body looks now just dropped away, with that realisation resounding in my heart – our bodies are all different, all unique – and all beautiful. ❤
Some of Rachel’s shots from the Wild Woman shoot…
The Wild Woman photo shoot is an opportunity for anyone who identifies as a woman to celebrate themselves and their body.
What we offer is a safe, supportive and compassionate space for women to express, embrace and celebrate their truest selves.
It is a day of empowerment and re-wilding in beautiful surroundings with sisters.
In ceremony and through meditation, singing, dancing, drumming and of course eating. With playful souls and open hearts, we offer you a non-judgemental, compassionate, loving and supportive space to embrace your body, celebrate who you are and awaken the Wild Woman within.
Whether you wish to show your Warrior, Wild Woman, your inner Goddess or your inner pixie, we will support you every step of the way to feel confident and proud of who you are.
We want to prove that it doesn’t matter what shape or size you are, moments of deep empowerment and true beauty are able to shine when we are able to drop all our limiting beliefs and the shame we carry around with us all the time. This is a time to say goodbye to that little voice that says: “you’re not x enough, you’re too x, you can’t possibly have your photo taken!”
Reframing Mental distress as a potential catalyst for positive change 