Today on the podcast we have the incredible Michelle Elman! Michelle is a five board accredited body confidence coach and an award-winning body positive activist. She went viral after posting a bikini picture on Instagram with the hashtag, #ScarredNotScared, starting a global conversation about surgery, illness, chronic pain and ultimately scars. Michelle has since been featured in multiple media sources, given a TedX talk, wrote a book, and was awarded the Body Positive Activist of the Year by Yours Awards. Today we talk about what brought Michelle to the place of loving her body and helping others love theirs, the multiple surgeries she has endured, and what that felt like for Michelle. She also shares with us about dying and coming back to life at the young age of 11, and the day that she decided to start her campaign and wear a bikini. Michelle even explains to us just what the new-age therapy technique, havening, is and how it helped her confront and heal through past traumas. This conversation is a beautiful reminder of just how amazing our bodies are, and how we should embrace our scars, inside and out.

We also talk about…

How her illnesses affected the relationship between her and her family
The moment she realized she was being viewed differently
Her journey with her weight mindset
Learning to be confident in an unexpected way
Being diagnosed with PTSD
Deciding to become a life coach
Body shaming and other forms of shame
Tips to feel better with your body
Fears surrounding sex
Michelle’s book, Am I Ugly?

Find more to love at almost30podcast.com!

Resources:

Learn more: michelleelman.com
Instagram: @scarrednotscared
Youtube: youtube.com/michelleelman
Watch: Michelle’s TedX Talk
Read: Am I Ugly?
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Ep. 178 - Scarred Not Scared: Body Confidence in The Wake of Surgery + Illness with Michelle Elman