That night, I ended a long-term relationship that was way off the rails, and started to understand the art of authentic self-care.
My life started to transform from there. Beautiful, fulfilling friendships emerged. My career evolved. I moved into a new apartment, got into better shape, and learned to stand stronger than ever before. Just a few years later, I married a longtime friend. We now have two amazing kids, Leia and Zachary.
Everything changed from there.
Professionally, my background is in journalism. I was a TV news anchor and reporter in the northeast and Houston for a decade but ultimately grew apathetic and desensitized. I noticed my anchor voice wasn’t my real voice, and the relentless beat of bad news felt hollow and unhelpful.
So, I pivoted toward health and wellness, launching TV segments about healthy eating and overall well-being while, on the side, teaching yoga, fitness, and meditation classes. Eventually, I published a mindful eating cookbook and began writing a weekly column in the Houston Chronicle.
My work initially focused on diet and exercise, but then I noticed a deeper throughline: self-love is required for genuine wellness and lasting positive change.
Ever since that fateful yoga class, I’ve been helping others on similar journeys. I teach classes, lead group programs, and offer individual coaching. I work with moms, dads, students, and retirees to increase self-awareness, cultivate self-acceptance and compassion, craft visions for positive change, establish empowered habits, and build solid foundations.
Especially since becoming a special needs mom, it’s clearer to me than ever that we can only be as strong for others as we are within ourselves.
I’m still inclined to override or ignore my feelings, yearn for approval, and feel self-doubt. But now I catch myself, and I have tools.
My path continues, and it keeps getting brighter. Come, walk with me!
Inspiring quotes, words of encouragement, and occasional mini-mindfulness practices in your inbox on Tuesdays.
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Self-love is a way of living. It involves treating yourself with the same kindness and care you would offer a child or friend.
It’s a profound alternative to what most of us know: beating ourselves up, brushing our feelings under the rug, perpetually seeking external validation, and having low self-esteem.
Self-love is characterized by self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-compassion. It’s demonstrated by healthy boundaries, taking action instead of complaining, having control over our reactions, a willingness to forgive, and allowing others the space and respect to be fully themselves.
Other markers include confidence, generosity, honesty, accountability, clear-headedness, and open-heartedness. There’s nothing woo-woo or indulgent about it. When we learn the art and balance of self-love, we remove barriers and forge a foundation that propels future growth and well-being. We pave the way for possibilities.
It takes some awareness and practice.
Mindfulness is a critical skill. The essential first step is learning to catch ourselves in old, destructive patterns. Meditation and other awareness practices can help build this ability.
From there, we dabble, to see what works best for you. We’ll try things like affirmations, gratitude practices, journal prompts, and lots of gentle, encouraging reminders.🙂
My monthly membership program, The Self-Love Society, contains short meditations and other exercises, practices, and sources of inspiration.
If you’re apprehensive about meditation, you are not alone.
“I don’t have time.” “I can’t focus.” “My mind won’t stop.” “I fall asleep.” “I don’t do it right.”
I’ve heard it all, and I can relate.
The good news is that I’ll guide you, and meditations can be very short but still effective.
You could skip all the meditations and still get inspired and build your self-love chops, but I ask that you try. Every second of mindfulness has value!
Ha. Very fair question.
There’s a marked distinction between self-love and narcissism.
Self-love is about cultivating a healthy relationship with yourself. It’s rooted in compassion and genuine care. It fosters stability, personal growth, and functional, high-quality relationships. By contrast, narcissism is driven by a need for admiration, a sense of superiority, and a lack of empathy or concern for others.
The purpose of self-love is to establish a positive, solid foundation for continuous growth and development. It will help you to grow into a better person, not a worse one.
Totally get it. This doesn’t take a lot of time and effort.
You can start building your self-love chops simply by setting the intention. If you’re just looking for early momentum, sign up for Self-Love Letters to get inspiration in your inbox.
Want a little more than that? My monthly program will give you meditations, somatic practices (like yoga, for example), journal prompts, healthy recipes, and more. Use however much of that you like. Any little bit can make a difference!
Also, remember that if you want some one-on-one support, I offer individual coaching sessions as well. Bottom line: you choose how much you want to do.