I was babysitting the kids of a close friend. I had my 3 and her 2 and they were little, all under five if I remember correctly. We were at her house and the kids were playing with each other and having a great time. They were all oblivious to the fact that my mind was focused on my friend. She and her husband were at a doctor appointment. She had found a lump in her breast. So while the kids were playing, I was praying.
The moment they walked through the door, my heart sank. She had a smile on her face for the kids' sake, but I could see what was behind that smile.
It was the start of a long and not-fun journey for her. Gratefully, she's still here all these years later and although she and I haven't stayed very connected because of the seasons of our lives and the different directions we've taken, I often think of her and am so thankful she's alive and cancer-free. While she pursued conventional treatment she also was very active in changing her diet, taking better care of herself and pursuing alternative treatments. I remember her having lots of supplements on her counter from her integrative medicine doctor and how she'd always be juicing and making smoothies.
One time we were chatting about it all and she said something that really had an impact on me personally and for my work with women. She said something like, "Angelle, women think that they don't have time and the money and the energy to eat healthy, take supplements and spend more time on self-care, but they need to know how expensive and time-consuming cancer is and how much it costs the whole family."
Despite how strong that message felt to me, it was still a twisty road for me to focus on my own self-care. Our lifestyles and culture don't make it easy for us to feed ourselves well, get enough sleep, move in ways we love and engage in other life-giving practices.
Recently I've found myself being triggered when I hear someone say about a woman, "She's so selfless. She's always putting other people's needs in front of her own." I see loving husbands and well-meaning friends posting some version of this on Facebook all the time about a woman. I was at a funeral not too long ago for a woman who died way too young and that was the theme, how selfless she was and how she always took care of everyone else before herself. While I admired her generous and loving spirit, I also felt sad that we perpetuate this idea that it's good and admirable for a woman to put everyone else's needs before her own.
I am in awe of us as women, the way we rise up when another woman in our circle gets sick or has a family emergency. We make meals, drive kids, clean houses, go shopping and do whatever is needed to show up for our sister, our friend, our mom, our co-worker. I know that was the case for the woman whose funeral I attended. It's pretty amazing.
I often think and say to women though, what if we take that that same powerful loving feminine energy and use it to meet our own needs for nourishment and self-care right alongside helping others, maybe even first some days? And what if we encouraged other women to do the same thing? What if we supported each other in this way before the emergency? Imagine how much healthier and happier we could be and how that would have a ripple effect in our own circles of influence?
I know what it feels like when I show up for myself and nourish my body and my spirit. I have so much more to offer when I am filled up in the best possible ways. I've come to a place in my life that I understand that when I am putting everyone else's needs before my own, I end up depleted, depressed and sick and ultimately more of a burden than a blessing to those around me. I don't do this perfectly or without any struggle but it's an intentional decision I've made. It's a promise to myself.
Jill and I know from coaching nearly 1000 women through our 14-Day Reset, that the women who embrace their own self-care, not only feel better, but they are truly healthier and less anxious and more patient and overall happier. They are more productive and less stressed and the ripple effects of this are often beyond what they could have imagined.
We also know it's not easy to take care of yourself every day. Let's face it, there are lots of real demands on us all the time. Which is why trying to get healthier and happier is way easier and more effective when you do it within a loving and supportive community. This is why we created The Nourish to Flourish Society and it's why women tell us over and over and over that our private Reset community is one of the most incredible aspects of that program.
We love that we're already receiving questions about our Winter Reset. We've had women emailing us about it and telling us they are bringing along friends and co-workers this time around and we are so excited about this because the idea I mentioned above, about us showing up for ourselves and each other BEFORE the emergency, is coming to life here and it's a beautiful thing for sure.
So we've decided to do something we haven't done before. We are opening the doors for our 14-Day Winter Reset EARLY. Like TODAY.
We want you to be prepared to start out 2018 in a different way. Not with a New Year's Resolution, but with a promise to yourself that you are going to hold your own well-being sacred. To learn how, when and what to eat in order to look and feel your best; how to incorporate daily self-care practices into your very full life; how to be in community with other women who are doing this very same thing. We want you to drop the New Year's resolutions, because they're proven to not work anyway, and instead make a decision to meet your own needs for nourishment and self-care so that you can be filled up in the most beautiful ways every day and then watch how everyone around you benefits.
Listen to what a few of our recent Reset ladies shared with us after they said yes to holding their own self-care sacred by joining our 14-Day Reset:
"As a full-time working mother of two and a very full calendar of commitments I thought my "fog" was just because of my stage in life. However, by day 4 of this Reset I realized so quickly it was because my body wasn't being properly fueled. My mind was so clear and I wasn't nearly as tired (however still getting the same amount sleep, I just think it was more restful). I also wasn't sure when I read the e-guide how I’d be able to make all of the food, but I was quickly proven wrong with that as well. While my time in the kitchen was more than normal, I found it to be therapeutic rather than stressful because I had "a plan". I also really appreciated the support of Angelle, Jill, and all the women participating in the program. It was a special group of women focused on empowering each other!" --- Jenna
"During the reset my head felt so much calm. Before the reset I felt jittery & almost constant spinning/thinking. The reset was so calming for me. My cravings for foods or drinks diminished. I felt full & content. It was perfect & what my body needed!" -- Lisa
Start 2018 with a plan in place and a community that will support you and hold you accountable. Head over to our 14-Day Winter Reset page and join us now, before you do anything else. Just by making this commitment to yourself, things within you will start to shift in the most beautiful ways. Promise.
