Journal
Lessons I Learned From the First Year of Lionesse
Lionesse turns one year old this week! And wow, what a year it's been. So I thought I’d take a moment to both celebrate that we made it through the last year (!!!!!!!) and also to share some of the biggest things I learned from the first year of running Lionesse:
Setting Boundaries & Listening to the Wisdom of Your Body with Phuong Thao Nguyen Macleod
This week’s interview is with embodiment coach and boundaries expert, Phuong Thao Nguyen Macleod.
Phuong Thao helps women of color reconnect with themselves, set healthy boundaries and honor the wisdom of their bodies.
She uses a mind-body approach to help women who have experienced personal or systemic trauma reconnect with their worthiness, wholeness and aliveness.
5 Things You Can Do Today to Stop Asian Hate
If you’re reading this and part of the Lionesse community, I’m going to go ahead and assume you’re the kind of person who wants to take action to end racism and make the world a better place.
So here’s a list of 5 things you can do right now to be an ally to the AAPI community:
Body Neutrality & Reclaiming Fitness with Bethany C. Meyers
People! This interview was SO. MUCH. FUN. I got to sit down with Bethany C. Meyers, to talk about their journey from fitness instructor struggling with their body image and disordered eating to CEO and founder of the be.come project, a modern fitness app focused on inclusivity and joyful movement.
We got into so many compelling topics, including:
What body neutrality is and how it can help you get peace with your body
How terrifying it can be to throw out your scale
Ways to stop looking at exercise as punishment and instead use it as a way to heal and a source of pleasure
How and why the wellness industry needs to consider the experience of BIPOC and other underrepresented communities
The relationship between gender identity, body dysmorphia and body image
The fact that we’re all on a journey and even the “experts” are still growing and learning and don’t have it all figured out
Fresh Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day
Here’s a reminder for anyone who needs it: there are many ways to celebrate love. Call the people that you love most and tell them. Do a Valentine’s Day craft project with your kids. Spend some extra time cuddling your pets. FaceTime your best friend and feel how grateful you are to have them in your life.
And of course, don’t forget to show yourself love! This form of love can be the hardest to lean into, and devoting part (or all) of the day to self-love rituals might feel kind of awkward at first. So here are a few ideas to get you started:
Body Image Resilience with Lexie Kite of Beauty Redefined
We are so excited to be launching our video interview series with women who inspire us! To kick things off, we sat down with Lexie Kite of Beauty Redefined and talked all things body image—how to be resilient in the face of unrealistic beauty norms, how to detox your social media and how to transform body shame into power.
We’re Doing a Free Online Workshop to Help You Live Big!
What’s up, Lionesse Babes! We’ve got big news for you this week: We’re doing an online workshop!
The Live Fierce series will be a 4-week workshop focused on giving you the tools you need to live big. Each week you’ll join a video call focused on a different topic designed to help you:
Uplevel your self-care game (we’re going WAY beyond pedicures and bubble baths) to help you build a solid foundation for being your best self out in the world
Deal with the negative self talk that takes up space in your head like a troop of angry baboons
Take actual steps to go after that job/partner/raise/new apartment/book deal you’ve been dreaming of
Glow with self-confidence
Fall in love with your beautiful-ass self
Overcoming Internalized Racism & Celebrating Yourself
Hello! I hope you’re well and having a joyful Juneteenth!
I am taking the day today to celebrate simply being Black. Which is something I was never taught to celebrate. As a biracial kid growing up in a white family in a rural midwestern town in the 80s, having brown skin was a constant cause of confusion and sadness. My mom is blond with pale white skin. I was forever longing for her long, straight hair and blue eyes.
There were zero kids of color at my school. Think about that for a minute. No Asian kids. No Latinx kids. No Black kids. Just me.
With my curls that my mom didn’t know how to tame. And my “weird” Nigerian name. And my brown skin.
