I’ve been invited to do speak about Body Acceptance for a Unitarian Church!
It happened a few months ago, in the Summer. I’d just finished teaching a Yoga class at Bare Oaks and a gentleman approached me with the question. Would I like to speak to his congregation on the topic? It felt like a dream come true, the cards falling into place. A thousand times yes! What an opportunity!
A few weeks later I set a date with him, all the way in November. That’d be oodles of time to get up the nerve and write something to say for 20-25 minutes.
Well… Summer went by and I’d put the talk on the back burner of my brain. Every week in October I tasked myself with focusing on the talk and taking steps forward. Every week I had the best of intentions as I wrote that into my weekly to-do’s and every week it didn’t get crossed off. And every week I became more anxious due to my inaction. I was so anxious I seriously considered contacting the gentleman and asking if I could get out of it. But the thought of that made me very sad. I love the idea of speaking to a group about body acceptance, of shifting minds towards self-love, of maybe being booked for another talk somewhere else until it becomes a regular part of what I do. How on earth would I ever get there if I cancelled?
I dared myself to send in my bio and headshot for their newsletter, that way I would be fully committed.
Body Acceptance has been in the forefront of my brain for many years; I have plenty to say. I’ve learned so much over the years. How to start? What do I include? I just had pages of ideas at first, notes, and memories. I didn’t know how I’d find a focus through the jungle of my thoughts. Then a very kind friend who’s been doing talks on End-of Life-Care for many years asked me: what 3 things do you want people to walk away with?
I decided on:
1) the body is an amazing vessel
2) there’s messaging everywhere telling us that a) our body ought to be a primary focus, b) it’s not good enough the way it is
3) it’s liberating to quiet that noise and take our power back with awareness
As I write this blog it’s a Thursday and my speaking engagement is on Sunday morning. I’m still having difficulty disciplining myself to focus (hence me writing this instead!) But I know I’ll get there. My history has shown me that I’m a last-minute brilliant entertainer. Give me a ton of time to work on a presentation and I’ll widdle it away with every other task under the sun. Then I’ll become excellent the day before. I care about presenting well very much, and this is still my method.
The countdown is on! Wish me luck! I think this is the humble beginning of something special.
You will give an awesome talk! I only wish I was there to hear it. Post the content if you get the chance.
Thanks John! I hadn’t considered posting the recording. Good idea!
How did it go?
Hi John! Thank you for asking 🙂 It was well received and there was a beautiful discussion afterwards. I was moved by the openness of their sharing.
Since that engagement I’ve decided to lead my career with it, calling myself a Body Acceptance Mentor. I’m going to host a free webinar on the topic between Christmas and New Years. Right when people often feel icky from sitting and eating so much and then get bombarded by ads for dieting and gyms. My next blog, which I intend to have out next week, will carry more details.