Not Broken…Becoming

A space for slowing down, softening, and rebuilding in small, intentional ways

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  • Beauty in the Mending

    I was recently reminded of the concept of Kintsugi: the Japanese process of repairing broken pottery using lacquer dusted with powdered gold. Instead of hiding the cracks, they’re highlighted. Instead of returning to what it was before, it becomes something new.

    Something more…intentional.

    This repair technique stuck with me; not just the beauty of it, but the meaning behind it. Something that’s broken doesn’t have to be discarded, disguised, or hidden…It can be repaired in a way that shows the scars and flaws. Highlights them, even.

    How often do we try to cover up the parts of ourselves that feel cracked or worn down? All of the ways that we’ve learned to move through life in survival mode, not knowing how to soften the hardened parts of ourselves.

    I’ve noticed a shift. Nothing dramatic or complete. Small changes, happening over time.

    Replacing the lighting in my space with tones and colors that are softer, calmer, and more relaxing. Sprinkling more Shenise into my room. Giving myself permission to enjoy simple things again: colors, soft textures, peace.

    Does this fix everything? I wish, but no. All the same, it IS starting to feel like I am doing some mending.

    It feels like I am learning how to take the pieces of myself that have been through some things and care for them in a way I wish they had been cared for from the beginning. I’m not trying to go back to who I was before; I am becoming something new in the process.

    My own form of Kintsugi.

    Reminding myself often that I am not broken…

    I am becoming.

  • S.M.A.R.T and Sustainable

    I’m sure we’re all familiar with goal setting and how we should ensure that those goals are S.M.A.R.T. If you are not familiar with this term, here is an explanation!!

    SMART goals are a way for us to set and achieve goals effectively. The SMART acronym stands for:

    1. **Specific**: Your goal should be clear and precise. It should answer the questions of “What,” “Who,” “Where,” and “Why.” Avoid vague or overly broad goals. Specificity helps you focus your efforts and provides a clear direction.

       An example of a non-specific goal: “I want to get in better shape.”

       An example of a specific goal is “I want to lose 10 pounds by running three times a week and reducing my daily calorie intake by 500 calories.”

    2. **Measurable**: You should be able to track your progress and determine when you have achieved your goal. Include specific criteria or metrics that quantify your progress.

       An example of a non-measurable goal is “I want to be more productive at work.”

       An example of a measurable goal is “I want to increase my daily productivity by completing at least five tasks from my to-do list each day.”

    3. **Achievable**: Given your current resources and constraints, your goal should be realistic and attainable. While it’s good to challenge yourself, setting unattainable goals can lead to frustration and failure.

       Example of an unachievable goal: “I want to become a professional athlete within a year, even though I’ve never played the sport before.”

       An example of an achievable goal is “I want to complete a 5K race in six months by following a training plan and gradually building my running skills.”

    4. **Relevant**: Your goal should align with your broader objectives and be relevant to your life or work. Ensure that it matters to you and supports your overall mission.

       Example of an irrelevant goal: “I want to learn to play the guitar, even though I have no interest in music.”

       An example of a relevant goal is “I want to improve my public speaking skills because it will help me advance in my career and communicate more effectively.”

    5. **Time-bound**: Set a specific timeframe or deadline for achieving your goal. This adds urgency and helps you stay on track. Without a deadline, there’s less motivation to work consistently toward your goal.

       Example of a goal without a timeframe: “I want to read more books.”

       Example of a time-bound goal: “I want to read 20 books by the end of this year, averaging about 1.5 books per month.”

    However, I would like to add another letter to this acronym, particularly when it comes to setting goals related to health and fitness:

    6. **Sustainable**: Not only should your goal be Achievable, but it should also be a goal you can reasonably maintain, even after achieving it.

    An example of a sustainable goal: “I want to eat less junk food. Instead of cutting myself off cold turkey, I will pick one day a week where I won’t eat any junk food, or eat one less junk food item a day.”

    An example of an unsustainable goal: “I want to lose 20 pounds by incorporating going to the gym. Even though I’ve never gone to a gym, I will go 7 days a week for 1.5 hours.”

    Consider this infographic as an example of creating goals that are realistically sustainable:

    https://www.precisionnutrition.com/cost-of-getting-lean-infographic

    This content is used under license from Precision Nutrition Inc. and may not be reproduced, transmitted, or otherwise used or reused in any way without the express written permission of the owner. Copyright © [2023] Precision Nutrition Inc. For more information about Precision Nutrition, visit http://www.precisionnutrition.com.

    For the longest time, I wanted to have defined abs and a slim build (essentially what I looked like back when I was younger and before I had my daughter). I had a general idea of what it took to get there and while I was deployed I dare say I got pretty close (I was under 200lbs, and was what I considered “skinny”)! However, the steps I took to get there, and considering what I would need to do in order to keep that build (essentially live like I was deployed all the time) would NOT have been sustainable given life back home is different from deployed life, and if I’m being honest with myself, I didn’t enjoy it all that much! I had to REALLY consider if it was sustainable or even desirable for me to do what was needed to maintain that goal I desired (which, according to the infographic would’ve been the first “healthy” image on the bottom), or would I be okay doing something that fit my lifestyle back home better (which is more between the top two “healthy” images on the top row)?

    This isn’t to say that the goals on the bottom are not sustainable or attainable; they are! I share this because I believe people make those goals without considering how much it would take to sustain them. This can lead to the yo-yo/back and forth that happens often on various health and fitness journeys. I share this as a guide for you for future goal setting; hopefully it will provide greater insight and give you a good and realistic path to achieving your goals!

  • Weekly Meal Prep (with links!) 13-19 August 2023

    Weekly Meal Prep (with links!) 13-19 August 2023

    Hello everyone, I’m back! This time I’m sharing with y’all what I prepped for breakfast, lunch, and dinner this week. It’s not often that I have the energy to prep to this extent, but I’ve found that once I’ve started (if the energy is there) it’s best to just keep going! Plus, those 1.5-2 hours it took to make everything (which was really just spent waiting for the timers to run their course, not so much prepping) now means that I don’t have to worry about my main meals for the week and as someone who goes to the gym in the mornings and then to work right after, having these meals prepped makes for a less stressful day/week.

    This week’s meals include breakfast sandwiches, a deconstructed sloppy joe recipe that I found on Pinterest, stir fry bowls, crockpot shredded chicken, and overnight oats. There is one more recipe that I want to make this week, but I gotta let the meat for it thaw entirely first. Because I still had meat and a few veggies from my last Sam’s order and a prior commissary run (2lbs ground turkey, ground beef (both 93/7) and the pineapple bacon chicken sausage), I spent around $70 for the rest of the ingredients (my wallet is grateful!).

    So without further ado, here is a breakdown (and a look-see!) at what’s in my fridge for the week! Starting with breakfast: overnight oats and sausage/egg/cheese biscuits…

    • 1/2 cup frozen berries mix
    • 1/2 cup rolled oats
    • 1 cup Fairlife Fat Free Milk
    • 3 second pour of maple syrup
    • scramble 6 eggs w/seasonings of choice (I used Pink Himalayan Salt and pepper)
    • follow the “Air Fryer” Instructions for these biscuits

    Here’s how I assembled the biscuits:

    • bottom biscuit half
    • cheddar cheese square
    • sausage patty
    • eggs on the top half
    • put the bottom half with sausage and cheese onto top half and flip over so eggs are on top

    When it comes to lunch and dinner, I don’t specify which meals are for which time of day because I like to switch it up. That being said, these are the meals I made for my lunch/diner this week: Deconstructed Sloppy Joes (inspo came from HERE, I made a few changes to mine); Pineapple Bacon Chicken Sausage Stir Fry (over instant pot rice!); and Protein Taco Pasta Salad (inspo came from HERE, I made a few changes to this one as well).

    For my version of the Sloppy Joes recipe, I used two cans of Thick and Chunky Manwich instead of making my own mix. I also had a bag of sweet potato fries leftover from a prior recipe I tried, so I used those instead of buying sweet potatoes.

    I didn’t follow a recipe for the stir fry; all I did there was add toasted sesame oil and low sodium soy sauce to the vegetables while they were cooking and added the sausage once the veggies were cooked through. While I haven’t made the taco pasta salad yet, I knew I wanted increase the amount of protein in the dish so I’m using Protein+ pasta instead of regular pasta; to cut down on prep time (and also because the texture of grape/cherry tomatoes doesn’t sit well with me), I’m using canned diced tomatoes.

    The last thing I prepped for this week is crockpot shredded chicken. For seasonings, I used Goya’s Complete Seasoning and Creole seasoning; covered the chicken with just enough water, and then set the crockpot to cook on HIGH for 4 hours. Once it’s done I’m going to shred them and store it in the fridge for quick snacks/meals for myself and my daughter.

    As much as I enjoy cooking, I’m not a big fan of prep so yes, I use frozen/canned veggies! The only vegetables I’ll buy fresh for recipes are bell peppers and cucumbers- I particularly enjoy chopping and dicing those. I’d also like to add that the recipes I make are enough for myself and my daughter; I portion mine out and then the rest is for her to eat as she chooses!

    Hopefully, these recipes gave y’all some ideas, and if you use these, let me know your thoughts in the comments!! Have a great week!!

  • ✨What do you call a goal without an action plan?✨

    Earlier this week I set a spontaneous goal of getting up in the morning and going for a 15-20 minute walk. I hit this goal every day this week except for Wednesday, because that is usually my rest day from the gym.

    If I had just set that goal and not done anything about it what does that make it? How do I come up with an action plan to actually accomplish this goal?

    ✨A REALLY IMPORTANT thing to remember to do is to come up with a “WHY” or a meaningful reason that will continue to push you to work towards your goal when you don’t feel motivated and when you don’t feel like doing it.✨

    At first, the reason for doing this goal was just to see how it would go. I had a random thought on Monday because my parents were in town and I wanted to see how it would fit into my morning routine as well as seeing just how I feel overall.

    I went on the first walk, and when I came back I actually felt energized; I was a little bit more awake and was able to really focus on the rest of my morning routine. I noticed that I also had more energy throughout the day and I wasn’t as tired because I didn’t just get up and go sit in my chair and try to force my half-asleep brain to focus on reading my Bible and spending time with God. Going on my walk in the morning and also listening to a book at the same time give myself a chance to:

    ⁃ get out in nature to really allow my brain to wake up

    ⁃ wake up and get focused

    ⁃ get healthy movement

    Secondly, I decided the length, or deadline for my goal. The length of my goal of walking for 15 to 20 minutes is just during the week, so Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday I was going to get in a walk.

    Now that I have my why for taking my morning walks (step 1), the FINAL step is for me to set up an action plan to turn my goal into a habit. Your action plan is basically the steps you’ll take to accomplish your goal. Ask yourself, “what do I need to do to reach this goal” for each step until you get to a good starting point!

    ⁃ I set my alarm to wake up at 0430

    ⁃ Brushed my teeth/washed my face

    ⁃ Put on clothes to walk in

    ⁃ Get all my walking things together

    ⁃ Go for my walk!

    As I shared above, going for these morning walks has been nothing but beneficial for my day, and this will be a habit that I’ll continue to do, weather permitting!!

    If you’d like more personalized help in getting clarity on setting a healthy lifestyle goal for yourself and coming up with the action plan to accomplish it, leave your email in the comment section, and we can schedule a FREE consultation call to talk more about it 💜

  • ✨ I am grateful to God for His enduring patience as He put up with me constantly hiding the gift of purpose He gave me! ✨

    “No one lights a lamp and then hides it, covering it over or putting it where no one sees its light. No, he places the lamp on a lamp stand so others benefit from its brightness.”

    ⁃ Luke 8:16 (TPT)

    I’ve been a health coach in some form or fashion for almost 4 years. Over these years, I’ve motivated and encouraged y’all who have followed my journey and shared healthy lifestyle tips. Last January, I became a FULLY CERTIFIED Integrative Nutrition Health Coach!

    I used to be intimidated by the gym and people that went to the gym. Thanks to my gym family at Aesthetics1st, I gained strength and confidence in my abilities to help others. Halfway through the year I started teaching a fitness class that’s now known as SAE What Sundays; and helped run two Boot Camp events as one of the coaches with this gym!!

    ✨I’M EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE that I am OFFICIALLY launching my online 1-on-1 Health and Wellness Coaching services!!✨

    My calendar is NOW OPEN for scheduling FREE 30-minute Consultation Calls!

    It’s my goal and desire to help y’all live a healthy life that is SUSTAINABLE and FULFILLING for YOU!

    I WANT TO HELP YOU:

    -incorporate healthy habits into your day

    -create accountability for the health goals you’ve set for yourself

    -discover and define what YOUR healthy lifestyle looks like

    I’m currently accepting NEW clients for next month and then I will open a wait-list. If you are interested in scheduling a FREE call with me, leave your email in the comments below and I’ll send you the link to schedule your call!! Don’t forget to save this post and share it with your friends/family as well!

    ✨I’m excited to help you change your life!✨

  • What do You do when God Speaks to You?

    Last week I was on a walk as part of a cardio requirement for the challenge I’m currently participating in at my gym. Normally I listen to music to pass the time and to help me stay motivated, but this time I decided to go into Audible and download a book to listen to from my library. The book I chose to read is called “Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts” by Jennie Allen; and I’m so glad that I was led to start this one because it’s been really good so far, it’s an easy book to listen to (this book is read by the author, and I find her voice pleasant to listen to), and there are a few parts that I can relate to already (and I’m only on Chapter 9)!

    In the first few chapters, Jennie talks about the scripture Psalm 139, and how God used it as a reminder that no matter where we are or what we’ve done, He will be there for us. I went to my own Bible and read this passage for myself, and received a few much needed affirmations about God and how He feels about me.

    Have you ever had those moments where the Spirit is trying to tell you something, and you’re only kind of listening so He continues to impress onto your mind to LISTEN to what He has to say, and also write it down so you can go back and read it over as a reminder when needed? I had a moment like that a day or so after I started reading this book.

    I was finishing up reading my devotional for the morning, when I thought back to Psalm 139 and the verse that says, “Where shall I go from your spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?”. A thought occurred to me that I tried to push away, thinking it was a distraction. However as the thought revealed itself more, I realized that God was trying to tell me something and so I listened. Then He told me to write it down, to which I said no at first (I know, I know…). When you hear “No, you NEED to write this down” in your head…You write that thought down no questions asked!

    Here is what God had to tell me, which further affirmed that He IS here for me, NO MATTER WHAT, WHERE, or WHO I try to use as an “escape” because I didn’t believe that I was enough or deserved anything good:

    I’m sharing this because we all have dark parts of ourselves that we believe can’t be reached or healed by God. We’ve done things we’re ashamed of and don’t believe that God will love us because of them. I’m especially sharing because of the last few phrases; let these serve as reminders and affirmations for you whenever you because they ARE true!!

    I AM WORTHY

    I AM LOVED

    I AM WANTED

    If you can, read Psalm 139 and allow God to speak to the broken parts you keep hidden from Him. HE IS THERE FOR YOU!


    I hope this message blesses and encourages you 💜 Feel free to comment and share with someone else who needs to hear a few words of affirmation and encouragement!

  • Happy New Year! My 2021 Intentions

    Can you believe we survived the disaster that was 2020 and made it into 2021?! Whew, talk about a whirlwind year! I hope this New Year is finding you guys okay, and that despite all the negative that seemed to be prominent everywhere, there were some positive things that happened for you last year even more so.

    Last year I bought my first house! I can’t even believe that I did that; I used to always believe that I couldn’t buy a house until I was married, but here I am a single mom with a house! Next month marks our first full year living here as well (another BIG shocker)!!! I have no idea what we’re gonna do to celebrate that yet…

    Another exciting thing I did last year was start a Holistic Health Coach Training Program through IIN (Institute of Integrative Nutrition). Our graduation date is in a few days, and I have started this program before but stopped, but I’m proud of myself for sticking through it this entire year! I fell behind and so I still have a few modules to catch up on, but aside from that I’ve met all the other graduation requirements so pretty soon I will be a full on Certified Holistic Health Coach!!!

    I also started (more like voluntold to start, heh) a group exercise class at the gym where I workout with another awesome girl. It’s been pretty good for the month or so we’ve been running it! It’s something that’s totally out of my comfort zone, but so far, the reviews have been really good so I’m excited to see how it goes this year! Oh, and I also helped train in our gym’s Burn the Bird event by leading some exercises of my own- that was a TON of fun (and also wore me out hahaha).

    The last MAJOR thing that I did for 2020 would have to be one of the LAST things I ever expected myself to do and will completely take me out of my comfort zone- I applied to be a Tech School instructor in my field AND GOT SELECTED!!! Next year we’ll be in Texas, and I’ll be doing something else I didn’t think I’d ever do, and that is teach others!

    So those are a few of my 2020 Highlights, and I’m pretty excited to see what highlights I’ll have for 2021!

    There is a woman I follow on Instagram and her name is Alexandra Elle (@alex_elle). She’s written an AMAZING book called “After the Rain”, and today I was reading her email newsletter about journaling our intentions for 2021. A friend of hers shared a question- How do I want/intend to feel in 2021- and she shared her list in her email. I took some time this morning (after the gym and taking care of my morning devotional) to journal my own response to this question, and I wanted to share my list with y’all below:

    How Do I want/intend to Feel in 2021?

    • Inspired
    • Led by God
    • Fearless
    • My version of healthy and happy
    • Truly alive
    • Whole emotionally
    • Present
    • Imaginative/creative
    • Free from my negative thinking
    • Uplifted
    • Glorious
    • Connected wo what matters/is important to me
    • Brave
    • Loved unconditionally
    • Warm
    • Peaceful
    • Intentional
    • Purposeful
    • Meaningfully productive
    • Open
    • Grateful
    • Aligned with God and my purpose
    • Closeness
    • Community
    • Free flowing

    There were other questions as well in the newsletter, but I wanted to share this question with y’all because I suppose these would be considered my intentions for this year. I encourage everyone who reads this post to take some time out of your day (whenever that may be) to sit down with a notebook or a piece of paper and answer this question for yourself: “How do I want/intend to feel in 2021?”

  • Netflix and TEA, not Netflix and EAT

    Whenever I would sit on the couch and turn on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime, I would always find myself craving a snack while watching a favorite show or a new show that I’ve discovered or was recommended by a friend. And of course, it wasn’t a healthy snack, it was usually chips, ice cream, cheese toast, or some other random concoction that tasted good but wasn’t overall good for me. In the end, this habit became automatic, and eventually, I didn’t even have to be watching anything on my computer! Sitting in my favorite spot on the couch almost ALWAYS led to me snacking on something, whether I was hungry or not.

    I came to this realization the other day, that my brain had reprogrammed itself to correlate sitting on the couch with eating, and a result of me doing this while watching a show led to me being unproductive, I wasn’t reaching my goals (personal, professional, and health wise), and on the weekends I was often sleeping my entire day away!

    Is this something you can relate to? Is there an unhealthy habit that you have that you might not have noticed is triggered by a certain action? Let’s take some time to really think about it…

    What is an unhealthy habit that you want to break? What activities are linked to this habit? Are these activities good or bad for you? For example, me sitting on the couch isn’t necessarily bad, but my sitting on the couch and watching binging shows for hours knowing that it will lead to a habit I’m trying to break is bad (for me, anyway).

    Now that I noticed how these two activities are linked, I’ve been more mindful of it and started to come up with ideas of how I can reprogram my brain to correlate sitting on my couch with doing something that I both enjoy doing AND is good for me! Some ways that I’ve started reprogramming my mind include:

    • Sitting in my favorite spot with a book instead of my laptop
    • Watching a show, but when that craving for food hit, get up and make a cup of tea or drink some water
    • Just getting up and doing something else around the house
    • Creating and keeping a routine that keeps me off my couch (because when I sit on this thing, 9 times out of 10 I wasn’t just “relaxing”, I was procrastinating!) until it’s time to take a break
    • Reminding myself that I’d either just eaten and can wait a few hours, OR if it is time for me to eat, grab something HEALTHY instead of junky

    Now, let’s look at the unhealthy habit you want to break, and the activities that you find yourself doing that automatically end with the habit you want to change. What are some things that you can do or tell yourself to help reprogram your brain and associate those activities with the healthy habit you desire to create? Spend some time with a pen and paper and write it out! I think you’ll be impressed by what you can come up with J

    If this post spoke to you, please leave a comment below and share with a friend (or a few)!!

    Until next time!!!

  • On Accepting Me the way God Created Me

    Growing up being “unnaturally tall” (something I would jokingly tell myself and others sometimes), it was hard to accept my body and my height. It was bad enough that I started wearing glasses in the 1st grade, but add to that my long legs? Cue ALL the “how’s the air up there” and “hey 4 eyes” jokes and comments you can think of. It wasn’t fun being the tallest person (and girl) in school all the time… When I got to high school, I was STOKED to see people taller than me- there was a WHOLE BOY who was 6ft10 and towered over EV-ER-Y-ONE! I finally felt okay with being tall, despite still being awkward with my long limbs (I fell a lot when I first started playing basketball, ha-ha).

    One other thing that I struggled with while growing up tall was finding clothes that fit me right. Pants were almost always not long enough, despite having the word “long” in the sizing; shorts and dresses had to be bought in larger sizes to accommodate my long legs; regular sized shorts and dresses were WAY too short on my tall frame. Shirts also had to be bought in larger sizes so that I’d have extra length in the sleeve and midsection area. Over the years, I’ve gotten used to buying clothes in larger sizes, that for a while I didn’t know what my ACTUAL sizes were in jeans, shorts, skirts, dresses, and shirts (my hoodies will ALWAYS be larger, but that’s for comfort reasons)!! Once I was old enough to buy my own clothes and wear whatever I wanted, it was ingrained in my head that shorts, dresses, and skirts had to be knee-length; if it wasn’t I couldn’t wear it because it would show too much of my legs and I couldn’t show too much skin. There were a few times when I went out with friends that I’d wear these items in shorter lengths, but my anxiety about feeling too exposed was on high alert. Eventually I would just stick with jeans, leggings, and yoga pants for daily and workout wear, with the occasional pair of basketball shorts thrown in.

    Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE long skirts and dresses, when they’re actually LONG on me and not stopping just above my ankles (I mean, how can I call that a MAXI skirt/dress if it doesn’t touch the floor??). I would always see cute shorts and dresses, and even rompers; but I would immediately disqualify myself from getting them because “they’d be way too short” and convinced myself that I couldn’t possibly show that much leg in public.

    I don’t know exactly when it happened as I grew from pre-teen to teen to now an adult, but somewhere in those younger years my mind was convinced that showing too much leg was inappropriate, and therefore I had to hide them as best as I could. So that’s what I did. Even though my legs are hands down my favorite physical part of myself that I like, I felt ashamed and embarrassed to show them off too much outside of wearing a swimsuit. You’re probably wondering how I could be okay with wearing a swimsuit, but not be okay with wearing regular clothes that show a good amount of leg. Honestly… I couldn’t really tell you aside from that’s just how my brain saw it. Wearing a swimsuit = okay. Wearing short shorts, dresses, and skirts that came above the knee? No ma’am!

    I wear shorter shorts in my house, because it’s my house. For the longest time, I didn’t feel comfortable wearing them outside the house, because I felt like EVERYONE would be staring and judging me for daring to wear something that exposed too much. I was super self-conscious about it. It’s taken me up to the last few years or so to be comfortable wearing shorter shorts both in public AND to the gym! More recently, the gym that I go to now has really been instrumental in helping me feel less self-conscious about my body and my legs.

    I wear the shorter shorts to work out in, not just because my legs get extremely hot and I want them to be able to breathe, but also because I WANT to! And every now and then I allow myself to believe that they look GOOD on me; I feel that much more CONFIDENT when I wear them, and I’ll admit that there are times where I do like to show off the progress and muscle definition as well (something else that’s taken quite a few years to feel okay doing, showing off progress)! I wear the shorter shorts in public because I WANT to, and the outfit I chose to wear looks better with shorts! I haven’t worn this combo often because lately I’ve been going from work uniform to gym clothes to PJ’s, and on the weekends I’m in comfy clothes, but I LOVE pairing a cute pair of shorts with my gray low top Converse sneakers J

    Sitting here thinking about it, it’s baffling to me how, despite the compliments and encouraging words I receive from family and friends about how pretty and beautiful my legs are and hearing how some people even wished they had my legs, I’ve spent YEARS subconsciously shaming myself for having long legs and wanting to wear items of clothing that showed them off. Something that God has BLESSED me with. A basic body part, and I conditioned myself to be ashamed of them based on something that seems so simple but isn’t when you think about it- CLOTHING!

    Although I’m not 100% liberated from that uncomfortable feeling, I know that the more I use that feeling as a reminder to step further into what makes me ME (clothing included), the more that embarrassed feeling will go away until it’s replaced by COMPLETE CONFIDENCE in myself and my body. Every time I wear the shorts or the dress and maybe even one day a cute jumpsuit and that small but dominating part of my brain goes “but your legs-!” I will side-eye that part of my brain into submission and go about my day rocking whatever I feel like wearing because I HAVE NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF!

    “One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.”

    • Abraham Maslow

    Pictured wearing a pair of shorts in XS (yes, EXTRA SMALL)! I was convinced that I couldn’t wear them because of their size; I was worried about showing too much leg, but Misha enthusiastically encouraged me to at least try them on…It took a few jumps to get them over my thighs (LOL!) but once they were on I actually liked how they fit (and I was shocked that I was actually wearing an EXTRA SMALL. I honestly didn’t believe that would be possible)!!! I now have another pair that’s in a Small, and I like how those fit as well!!