020 - Body as Friend with Ashmae Hoiland

"I said to my body softly, ‘I want to be your friend.’ It took a long breath and replied ‘I have been waiting my whole life for this."— Nayyirah Waheed

Do you struggle to love your physical body, without condition of any kind? As you heal your relationship with your physical self, you may be surprised to find that every aspect of your life also begins to change.

In today's episode Natalie and author Ashley Mae Hoiland discuss:

the notion of "body as friend"

how our lives can change "in the flick of an instant," including our experience with our physical self

Ashley's recent MS diagnosis (following what she thought was a simple visit to the optometrist), and how that diagnosis has served to magnify her deep love for her body

how what we say and do, every day, is writing the script for our children (and for anyone within the reach and impact of our influence) as it relates to the relationship they build with their own bodies

the fact that so many of us have carried a flawed paradigm about what's "normal," "perfect," "desirable"—a paradigm that is not our own, but that was handed to us by a distorted and damaging societal agenda/"norm"—and how it's time to set that sh*t down and step bravely into love and truth

This discussion is a tiny drop in the bucket of a much larger conversation (and REVOLUTION). The experience of navigating the journey to genuine body love is broad and multidimensional, and one woman's experience may vary greatly from the next but there is a common thread that has emerged. Through each story, we see further evidence that as a woman learns to truly love her body, her entire life begins to shift in remarkably beautiful and powerful ways!

About Today's Guest: 

Ashley Mae Hoiland has a BFA in studio arts and an MFA in creative writing.  She has written and illustrated several children's books, did the We Brave Women project through Kickstarter, which produced a set of 60 cards with the stories and painted portraits of women from history.  She's written two memoirs, One Hundred Birds Taught me to Fly, which was a finalist for a national award, and her newest book, A New Constellation.  

She teaches writing classes at MineToTell.com, which Ashely describes as "a dream fulfilled."  She currently lives in Santa Cruz with her three children and her husband.  

Link to upcoming course: https://ashmae.teachable.com/p/mine-to-tell-session-3-summer-2019/

See more of Ashley's courses at www.MineToTell.com 

Use Code SHOWUP for $25 off

Follow Ashley on Instagram: @birdsofashmae

Natalie's Links:

Instagram: @natalienorton

Website: www.letsshowup.com

Email: [email protected]

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