For the last few weeks, I’ve been talking about self-love and self-worth, and of course, you’ve heard me talk before about self-discovery, finding Purely You, and continuing to grow and evolve. This is my bread and butter, one could say. Without people who continue to want to be better versions of themselves, I’d be out of a job. 

Despite all of that, there is one thing I haven’t really talked about before, that I think is important for you to understand. 

Self-Acceptance does not hinder self-growth. 

Sometimes on this self-growth journey, we begin to judge ourselves for where we are at now. Or get impatient with where we want to be. This is one of those times, we have to take a lesson from our toddlers. 

At that age, your little one is not shy about their feelings, the good, the bad, and the ugly. They do not care what people think of them. And they are not in any hurry to be something other than exactly who...

Did you ever watch the show Suits? It was a lawyer show running from 2011 to 2019. One of the lead characters, Harvey Spector, often had some great advice. He was a tough-love kind of man, and maybe even a little selfish once in a while, but man did he share some wisdom. I ran across a quote from him the other day and thought about you. 

As a kind-hearted human, you are so quick to share your love with others. To pour your energy into someone else in their hour of need, or just to put a smile on their face. 

You work so hard to put good into the world. 

You would move Heaven and Earth to ease the pain of someone you love or prevent that heartache altogether. 

You sacrifice your time and energy to lend a helping hand. 

And you do all of this without thinking twice. Because, why wouldn’t you? 

If someone has ever asked you why you do the things you do or told you you were crazy for putting in that much...

What desires, goals, or dreams have been placed on your heart? I’m not just talking about sleeping in every day or your favorite drink from the coffee shop. Let’s get a little deeper than that… What are the things that you keep coming back to? Those dreams that just never go away? 

Maybe it’s having all your family together for a meal. 

Maybe it’s selling your paintings. 

Maybe it’s teaching kiddos how to work through their emotions on the back of a horse. 

Maybe it’s having an exceptional relationship with your partner. 

Maybe it’s running an animal sanctuary where you rescue pets from being euthanized. 

Maybe it’s finding peace and joy in your life again.

Maybe it’s something else entirely… 

These goals have been placed on your heart for a reason. Not just to daydream about it while you’re stuck in your 9 to 5. Not just to be that thing you never quite...

Let’s Celebrate! This is the 100th Purely You Blog! 

I remember in 6th grade we had to write one paragraph, at least 5 sentences, for homework every night. While I didn’t mind writing, that seemed exhausting. Here I am now choosing to write every week for the last 100 weeks! And every week for a few hundred more… Today we’ll take a beat to reflect on the most popular posts in the first 100. One dozen of them to be exact. So here we go…

Starting at the 12th most popular post

#12 Protect Your Space. This one is all about preventing people from sucking the life out of you and knowing how to protect your good mood even when you’re around a bunch of negative Nancy’s! “Listen, someone else's rain doesn't have to fall on your parade.”

#11 Hard Conversations. This chat is a reminder that we are the examples for our daughters and our daughters will have opportunities to make big changes in our world....

I, like you, have experienced many different kinds of leaders in my life. From our principals to coaches, instructors to bosses, everyone does something a little different and still manages to lead people. We all have a little bit of leadership built into us, although some people develop their skills while others are comfortable following the leader. There’s no judgment here, it takes all kinds of kinds. I was very involved in extracurricular in high school and began my own leadership development then. It was accelerated when I attended nursing school at the University of Mary (tag line: America’s Leadership University)  and was invited into the Emerging Leaders Academy. Again, I was exposed to many different leadership styles, despite us all having the same leadership training. Some of my classmates have gone on to fulfill leadership roles in their careers and communities, others use that knowledge to be better employees/parents/humans. 

No matter the...

Have you ever heard it said that kids grow better with love? Research has shown us that our children’s brains actually grow bigger when they are loved. There’s also research stating children grow up to be happier, more resilient adults if they are shown love in their childhood. How cool is that? Something as simple as asking about their day, hugging them before they leave for school and after they come home, and taking an interest in the things they are interested in, helps them become less anxious and more resilient. I do firmly believe in doing our best to raise our babies in such a way that they don’t need to heal from their childhood when they’re grown, but that is not why I bring this up with you today. 

We talk about love and growth because you never really stop growing. Just like we talked about in this post for as long as you are here on Earth, you are growing and evolving. I pray that the person you are today is not the same person...

Transition is hard! Change is hard. It’s not impossible, but it is hard. My family just moved to a new home about 5 miles out of town. As I’m coming back to my roots and making adjustments to how I’ve been living for the last 10+ years (the grocery store is no longer 5 blocks away, turns out I had become a bit accustomed to that), I’m having to work hard to stay grounded and continue my practices of self-care.  It’s been beautiful, but it is a challenge. Deciding where to keep the plates, which drawer the silverware should go in, and deciding where the linen cupboard should be are just some of the struggles that come with moving into a new place. It’s a transition, and the transition is never easy, but it is so worth it. Sitting on my back porch with my dog, the cats that came with the place, and watching the sunrise as I write this make it oh so worth the challenges.

With this transition in my personal life, also comes a transition in...

She said to me, “I’m broken.”

“I was abused, I’m broken. “

“I was cheated on, I’m broken. “

“I have a diagnosis, I’m broken.”

“I cannot keep a man, I’m broken. “

“I got fired, I’m broken. “

“I lost someone I love, I’m broken. “

I stared into her eyes and said, “You, my dear are not broken. Something broke your heart, but it did not break you.” 

Every time we experience pain, discomfort, heartache, we are given a choice. Allow this to define our lives and be the story of brokenness we tell, the excuse for nothing going right in our lives… OR… we let this pain be a driving force to become better. 

Your past doesn’t have to define you, it can empower you. 

To the one who was abused, you now know to never give your power away. 

To the one who was cheated on, you now know how to find...