What WOMAN Means to Me pt. 7 – with Emily Dell

I met Emily while studying abroad in Florence, Italy my Junior year of college. Emily and I, along with five other fabulous women, were assigned to live with each other at random in a charming, quaint and tiny apartment above a Gelato shop (it was heavenly)! I was drawn to Emily right away, in that her vibrancy, unapologetic demeanor and confidence were contagious! It has now been over five years since we met, and Emily has continued on her own journey in California. Her presence with her friends and family has always stayed strong, and she is truly a unique soul in every way! I am honored to have had Emily author this post on her personal depiction of womanhood! I hope you enjoy! What WOMAN means to me; living a life of grace. Grace with others, but more importantly grace with yourself. I always tell my girlfriends not to be self-conscious. I tell them how beautiful they are and who really cares about the love handles anyway?! Well, I need to be listening to my own advice. Too many times I catch myself hating my body, wishing I were thinner or just wishing I were different all together. What

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What WOMAN Means To Me pt. 6 – with Ireana Nathan

Who is just LOVING this series?! It is truly turning into a safe space for ALL women to illustrate what WOMAN means to them! I first met Ireana at an event for fellow creatives and bloggers here in Charleston, SC, although i had secretly been a fan of her blog  XoXo, I. Joelle for some time! Ireana is a Life and Style blogger, and I highly recommend heading over to her blog, and following her on social media, as she is truly so much fun, and an inspiration in so many ways! Ireana is everything that she embodies within her writing, photos, social media, branding, and blog, in that her voice truly rings through! She is vibrant, genuine, intelligent, hysterical, and beautiful in every way! I feel privileged to have Ireana guest author on this blog, and I hope you all enjoy her depiction of womanhood! I’m going to be honest with you it took me a while to answer that question. When Jayne at RecoveryLoveAndCare reached out to me with this prompt I thought I had it all figured it out. I tried thinking about what so and so would say but then I remembered that everyone has their own definition

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What WOMAN Means to Me – Pt. with Becca Schultz

Becca Shultz is an amazing soul, she is an inspiring presence and I am so very honored that she has written a post for this series! As an empowered WOMAN, Becca has now taken it upon herself to spread the powerful inspirations and ideations that she has been taught by women in her life. I came across Becca’s Instagram page, Becoming_Becca.Again_, and it blew me away, Becca is not only powering through Eating Disorder Recovery like a boss, but she is also busting through the feminist world and making it her own, while advocating for ALL! I hope you enjoy this incredibly depiction of what WOMAN means to Becca.   “Being a woman.” Where do I even begin? I hope I don’t jumble some of my words, I do struggle with self-confidence a lot. For so long I never really thought about or pondered on the fact of what it truly means to be a woman, to encompass the feminine spirit. Growing up in a society that has it’s set standards of what being a woman “really encompasses” has caused me to feel confused throughout the majority of my life, questioning where I stood in society, and if my role

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What WOMAN Means To Me – Pt. 4 with Claire Mattingly

It’s that time again! I am so anxious for everyone to read this post, not just because it was authored by my sister, but also because Claire is a strong, empowering and amazing person. Claire is my younger sister, and she is truly what I hope to be like when I “grow up!” Enjoy! To me, WOMAN does not refer to a single individual, nor simply myself, but a powerful patchwork, a sisterhood. This sisterhood is comprised of women who care for, listen to, and protect each other. My mom, my sisters, my friends, my guardians. I am undoubtedly proud to be a woman, but society weighs on me because of it. I am constantly made aware of the lower position my gender affords me. I’m told, “you’re not like other girls, you’re cool,” and I’m expected to react to this attack on my sisterhood as if it’s a gift. I’m told, “don’t get so emotional,” when I’m simply expressing passion. I’m told, “not everything’s about feminism,” when I try to address blatant misogyny. I’m told. I’m told. I’m told. I don’t wish to tackle the patriarchy in this moment, but instead to honor the sisterhood. Because the best way

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Self-Care Giveaway! Recovery Love and Care & Celadon Massage

CALLING ALL LOCALS!!!! The lovely Joanna Gable, from Celadon Massage, and I have linked up and created an AMAZING give away for anyone who is within the Charleston, SC area! Joanna is a local Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) here in Charleston. She runs her own practice with focus on local and organic products. Joanna believes in the power of the healing touch, the beauty of ALL bodies, as well as, the luxury of having another person take care of you. It is a wonderful thing to take care of others, and also to take care of yourself, but sometimes it is necessary for others to take care of you! Self-care is so incredibly important to live a healthy, happy and successful life, and sometimes that self-care needs to be LUXURIOUS! Therefore, we have come up with an AMAZING give away for all local Charlestonians! Check it out below! The Give Away: A completely complimentary 60 minute massage at Celadon Massage, with your choice of a complimentary add-on (see below)! Add-ons include: -Dry brushing: great for stimulation the lymph system and full-body exfoliation -Hot Stone: heated stones applied during  the session to aid in relaxation and deeper relief, increases circulation -Contrast

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What WOMAN Means To Me Series – Pt. 3 With Gissell Reyes

Gissell Reyes is another dear friend of mine, fellow woman warrior, future colleague and fellow sister! I am overwhelmed by her beautiful depiction of WOMAN….go ahead and indulge yourself in this amazing illustration of What WOMAN means to Gissell…. Defining your womanhood is unique to yourself. This is one woman’s perspective on what it means to be a woman. Using this word to define the manner in which we keep our relationships with your loved ones and friends, what you give of yourself to those relationships, and how you maintain your balance with both. Being a WOMAN in today’s society means many things but these definitions belong to society.   My definition is my own, just as your definition is wholly your own. When I think of my womanhood, I think of the relationships I maintain and my role in these relationships. Beyond my biology, I am a woman because I am a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a partner to my boyfriend. All of these relationships have a specific meaning that makes it unique to my idea of a woman. I am a daughter, different than a son because women are closer to their families. Traditionally, we stay

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What WOMAN Means to Me Series pt. 2 – With Asia Vianna Mack

My good friend, fellow peer, and future colleague Asia Vianna Mack has gloriously put into words what WOMAN means to her in the form of poem. I am honored to know such a strong and vulnerable woman, I hope you enjoy! Pieces Just like a Mr. Potato Head. Rip off the arms, mouth, mustache and legs. All you’re left with is a big brown lump! I’ve often felt this way as I’ve physically matured from a girl to a woman. The objectification and sexualization of my body impacted my self-esteem, self-image and spirit. So many times, when I look in the mirror I mentally detach my body parts. Starting with my face and then my breasts. Stomach. Thighs. Buttocks. Back and then around to my arms. Scrutinizing. Criticizing. Assessing. Disapproving. Finding flaws with my body. This fault seeking behavior impacted the self-love I showed my body. As I have become more educated on sexism, misogyny, objectification, and stereotypes I have been able to recognize my internalization of these perceptions. Yet, for a long time, even after I recognized that I internalized these ideas I wasn’t sure what to do with it or how to correct it. To really shift your

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What WOMAN Means to Me – Series Kickoff!

This is a start to an extensive and beautiful collaborative series about what WOMAN means, as the concept of female and woman is unique to each and every individual. We will be hearing from women and men from all walks of life, all shapes and sizes, all colors, all cultures and backgrounds. So read on, and stay tuned! Self-Awareness is such a crucial part of self-care, and self-love, as we can only truly find our self worth and state of happiness once we look at ourselves. We must ask ourselves questions that force us to delve deeper and peel back the layers to find awareness of our true beings; self-awareness helps us understand why and how we are important to the world…. because we are ALL so important, and so incredibly worthy! Self-awareness can start with some simple questions…. Who am I? What makes me happy? What do I appreciate about myself? What do others appreciate about me? What do I appreciate about others? How do I perceive myself? How do I perceive others? What truly makes me happy? What truly makes me proud? So much of my identity is being a woman. My Mom and Dad raised three strong, independent,

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Bay State to Broad Collaboration – A New Take on More Than Just a Number

Bay State to Broad’s original post…. More Than Just a Number I’m so excited to feature one of my sweetest friends on Bay State to Broad today! Jayne grew up just outside of Chicago. I grew up just outside of Boston. Jayne transferred schools after her freshman year to The College of Charleston. I transferred schools after my freshman year to The University of South Carolina. Jayne and I both decided to study abroad in Florence, Italy. We were paired in an apartment together more than 4,000 miles from home. After college, Jayne and I went in opposite directions. I went back to Massachusetts, while she made a cross-country journey to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Five years later, Jayne and I live just a few miles down the road from each other in charming Charleston, South Carolina. Week three of friendship! Wine tasting excursion through the hills of Tuscany. (Hashtag babies.) Jayne blogs over at Recovery Love and Care, a blog, website, and brand that helps those with Eating Disorders and their loved ones move through the journey of self-care, self-love, and recovery. She is working towards obtaining her graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at The Chicago School of

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Feel Good Look Good Series – A New Take on Dressing for Success – Collaboration with East Coast Gypsy and Recovery Love and Care!

Life is all about change, transition, and growth, and without discomfort we cannot truly grow as human beings. Therefore in a world filled with many moments of discomfort it is best to avoid it when unnecessary! For instance, feeling uncomfortable in your clothes is something that no one should endure, in that it can truly lower your self esteem, and drive for the rest of the day. We follow so many rules, regulations, challenges, and standards within our day-to-day lives, therefore why not think outside the box when it comes to what you wear? Why not give yourself a little bit of self-love, and self-care within your wardrobe? I know that throughout my entire life, I have felt the need to dress a certain way, and look a certain way in order to “fit in”, in order to gain acceptance from others. Simple things like wearing skinny jeans, high heels, or crop tops, but in reality I HATE wearing skinny jeans, in that I physically do not feel comfortable in them. It is not a matter of self-loathing, it is a matter of me just not feeling comfortable, and with that discomfort comes lack of self love and self care

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