Before I started to make self-love practices a priority in my life, I struggled to meet my goals and feel good about how I was showing up for myself and others. I was a shell of my true self.

I was sick and tired of always feeling like I wasn’t doing enough, trying enough or being enough and my mind would loop on self-limiting beliefs.

I was teaching others how to love themselves, but was I practicing what I preached??

Did you know that the lotus flower returns to mud every night before it blooms anew every single day?

The lotus symbolizes rising from a dark place into new light- a rebirth, if you will.

The lotus teaches us that we have to go through these trying times to emerge as our most confident, authentic self. It’s part of our evolution. So whatever you are going through right now, understand that it is happening FOR you not TO you.

As I get more clarity around my intentions for this next chapter, I have landed on 4 words that resonate with me right now, or my ‘authentic code’, so that I can manifest from a place of authenticity and truth. Read on to see the 4 words I chose for my authentic code and why I chose them!

When you hear self-love, what are you thinking?
Oh, I should book a massage or facial. I should go to the gym. I should journal more. We have made self-love and self-care out to be these unattainable tasks when in actuality sometimes we just need 10 minutes to check in with ourselves and tune into what it is we really need. Here are some tips to get you started on your self-love journey.

This month I was fortunate to go on a manifestation retreat alongside eight other women with big dreams, committed to their self-development. It was a breath of fresh air to be surrounded by such supportive, accepting and badass entrepreneurs that are leveling up in their lives. I decided to go on a retreat instead of a vacation because I knew I needed the space to learn some new skills and step into a new chapter of my life with intention. Here are some of the highlights!

When I first set out to be a teacher I was young with a very limited outlook on what kinds of careers could exist for me. I always wanted to be a teacher, but being in the classroom for the last few years has changed so much that it became less creative and more monotonous, for me at least. What I love about teaching is the relationships I form with my students. So why not cultivate that in a different environment?
Could I?

Life is fleeting. Time is our greatest gift and yet we fall short of living in the present moment while looking forward to the next thing or distracting ourselves with something other than what is happening right now. The beautiful present moment is the only real thing we have…

A lotus flower grows out of mud. Symbolically I’ve always interpreted this as ‘we can’t grow without the pain’. This sentiment has helped to make challenging situations a bit easier to get through. It is certain that life will bring us all kinds of trials, but it is from these experiences that we build our strength and blossom into our authentic selves…