Build Your Confidence, Find Your Voice

I turned 50 yesterday. When people talk about a milestone birthday like this, they usually say one of two things: “I still feel the same on the inside” and “I can’t believe I’m XX.” Well, I don’t feel the same on the inside — and that’s a good thing. And I can believe that I’m…

I love to watch my little girls play. They are utterly un-self-conscious. They are fully in all their moments and have yet to become hyper-focused on their looks. The last thing they’re doing when they’re running, playing, or simply standing still is worrying about what they look like. They haven’t developed the habit of sucking…

My kids love to take pictures of me when I’m not looking. And it’s horrible. They sometimes go the extra mile and apply some sort of hideous filter to them that makes me look like my face is melting off, and if I’m not careful they’ll post them to their Instagram. But before you accuse…

This past fall was an extremely difficult time in my life. It was the start of what would ultimately end in divorce, and it was rough. The fighting, the anger, and the chaos triggered my emotional eating, and it came back full force. I hate to say it, but I binge ate, binge drank, and…

Do you remember that Jim Carrey movie The Truman Show? It was about a man whose whole life was a television show, created by a company that supplies actors who conspire to keep the fabricated existence going and keep him oblivious to reality. The poor guy has no idea what’s happening, because everyone’s in on…

I consider myself to be a strong, confident woman . . . I do now, at least. But it took a lot of work to get here. And one of the most destructive habits that I had to get rid of to become this new person was the habit of always saying “I’m sorry.” I…

“Ugh, I am so fat. What is the matter with me? Why can’t I just lose weight?” Sound familiar? It does to me. This is how I used to talk to myself, and not only did it make me feel like crap about myself but it also kept me from losing weight. What you say…

Several years ago, I was on a date with a former boyfriend, and I had my really heavy purse slung over my shoulder. My arm was pressed up against my side, and the skin on the top of my arm had gotten pinched up between my inner arm and the strap of my purse. I…

Today I want to talk about something that enrages me. And I apologize in advance if some of the language in this post offends you. If you’re not a fan of the F word, please close this now. What I want to talk about is body acceptance and body confidence. When I think back to…