Girls Night #296: What Happened When I Stopped Trying to Have the Perfect Body — with Stephanie May Wilson

Hey friend! Welcome to Girls Night!

It's hot here in Granada, Spain - my family and I moved here last summer - which means I'm instantly desperate for a pool. I cannot wait to go swimming this summer, and as we speak, I'm trying to wiggle one last weekend getaway out of our hotel points before we head back to the US for the summer.

But naturally, just like summer means swimming, swimming means swimsuits, which means we're all going to be dealing with our feelings about our bodies in a way we don't have to quite as directly when we're covered in spring dresses or winter coats.

Today I wanted to get a little candid - okay, a LOT candid - and share with you what I've been sharing with my in-person friends at my real-life girls' nights lately. And that's how I'm feeling about my body these days, especially considering me and everybody else is about to see a lot more of it.

If you're someone who dreads swimsuit season, who starts panicking about "getting beach body ready," or who has ever felt like your worth is tied to the number on the scale or the size of your jeans, this episode is for you. We're going to talk about what it really means to get your body image ready for summer - and spoiler alert, it has nothing to do with losing weight.

Before we dive in, I want to acknowledge that everyone's experience with their body is different — and that for a lot of us, the one we have with our body is by FAR our hardest relationship. For some of us, talking about body is tender, for some of us, it’s THE MOST TENDER THING. And my hope for this episode is that I’ve been able to create a safe space for you to process, no matter your experience. And if you find a place where I inevitably fell short, please forgive me in advance.

If you've struggled with your weight your whole life, if you've been in a bigger body and faced discrimination because of it, if you've dealt with health issues - your experience is valid, and your feelings are valid.

This conversation isn't meant to dismiss the real challenges that some people face, including the very real ways that society treats different bodies differently. What I am saying is that regardless of your starting point, regardless of your body size or shape, you deserve to feel at home in your body.

You deserve to define what health means for you. And while mindset work can't erase societal discrimination, it can help you reclaim some power in how you relate to your own body.

We’ll chat more about this in the episode. Let’s dive in!

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