"I'M FINE" - Sometimes these two words become your biggest shield! When you say, "I'm fine," it might really mean: - "I don't know how to explain what I'm feeling." - "I'm afraid I'll be too much if I tell the truth." - "I don't want to burden anyone." - "I need someone to notice I'm not okay without me having to ask." - "I'm trying to convince myself I'll be okay." - "I don't feel safe enough to be honest." - "I'm exhausted, but I don't have the energy to talk about it." - "I need someone to stay with me, not fix me." - - 🦋Today, I want to ask, "What do you really want"? - I remember saying this many times when life was dark and I felt no one really wanted to know! Many times my eyes were bursting behind my facade, and I knew if anyone would be brave enough to ask and willingly held space, there would only be an avalanche of tears. And mostly, I didn't believe anyone truly cared enough to sit with me and I was afraid I would drown in my own ocean of tears. Healing begins when you experience a connection with an individual who is not afraid of big feelings and tears -- someone who has the capacity to hold space for you and simply BE WITH you is one of the biggest gifts you can give yourself. And creating space to be with yourself is also very important. 🌻Reflection🌻 "What does 'I'm fine' protect me from, and what might become possible if I chose authenticity instead?" 🌻Authenticity isn't saying everything to everyone. It's being honest with yourself first. That's where healing takes root.

Over the past few weeks, you've learned to: 🌻 Become aware of what's happening inside. 🦋 Get curious about your thoughts, emotions, and story. 🌻 Respond to yourself with compassion instead of shame This week we learn to importance of taking action - 1 small intentional step at a time! Healing happens slowly - in the quiet! Often unnoticed and unhurried. It happens when you choose one small, intentional action that aligns with who you are becoming. Aligned action isn't about striving harder or adding more to your to-do list. It's asking yourself: "What would the woman I'm becoming choose today?" Maybe she would... - Rest without feeling guilty. - Speak kindly to herself after making a mistake. - Set a boundary with love. - Say "yes" to something that brings her joy. - Ask for help instead of carrying everything alone. - Spend 10 quiet minutes journaling before the day begins. Those may seem like small choices, but don't underestimate them. Small, aligned actions repeated consistently have the power to transform your life. You don't have to have the entire path mapped out. You only need enough courage to take the next faithful step. "Healing isn't about becoming someone new. It's about making choices that reflect who you've always been created to be." 🌻 This Week's Reflection Complete this sentence: The woman I'm becoming would... Then choose one action you'll take this week to honor the woman you are becoming! Share it in the comments so we can celebrate and encourage one another. Every step forward matters, and you don't have to walk this journey alone. 🦋💛

Too often, women think that softening their story means pushing it down where you refuse to think about it. This creates so much contention inside and results in avoidance and harsh judgement of ourselves and others. Most often the harshness and judgement is directed outward but the deeper underlying fear is a refusal to look at your own story... the unprocessed feelings and emotions... the fear that it will be too much to carry! What if, the softening actually happens when you decide to hold your story with gentle compassion!! When you stop avoiding the real and hard things and sit with the tenderness of your pain. Healing doesn't begin by changing your story -- healing happens by changing the way you hold it! Softening isn't pretending the pain didn't happen. It's choosing compassion over criticism. It's replacing judgment with curiosity. It's allowing your heart to whisper, "There was a reason I became this way—and now I get to learn a new way." When you soften your story, you create space for healing. When you soften your story, you reconnect with the woman beneath the survival. When you soften your story, you begin to bloom where shame once lived. 🌻 You don't have to fight your story anymore. 🦋 You can learn to hold it with gentle hands. Journal Prompt: Where in your story have you been the hardest on yourself? What might change if you responded to that part of yourself with compassion instead of criticism? You Were Made For More! xoxo, Verna

It's not your job to manage other people's emotions! Taking ownership is a choice you have to make. That comes to finances, health, your thoughts, your habits, your words, your actions, etc. Typically it's not hard to take ownership of one aspect of your life. In fact, you're really good at that one thing. But then there are those things we make excuses for... If they would, I would... I got into this situation because of ... I'm late because... Did you ever stop and listen to your excuses... Taking ownership means noticing when you're making excuses and asking yourself "Do I you want to give my power away"? Everytime you give your power away, you are choosing to make someone else responsible for what only you can change. You don't have to engage with someone who says mean things or makes excuses for their behavior. When you are seeking a "fix" or are avoiding a feeling or emotion you may keep reaching for the cookies, the snacks, the credit card... Anything to bring relief and help you feel good for a moment and then what.... When you refuse to take ownership and process through those uncomfortable feelings and emotions, that's when you keep going back for the "quick fix" which then leaves you with more self-loathing and shame. You are not meant to give your power away... You are not meant to manage other people's feelings and emotions... You are meant to live a life fully engaged with your experiences... Present ... Noticing... At Rest.. And when you learn how to be present with all your feelings and emotions, you can process through them and decide your intentional action.

Every one of us has a story. That story is not only based on what happened to you, but also the meanings you assigned to it! These stories can sound like: • I have to be strong all the time.• My needs don't matter.• It's my job to keep everyone happy.• Rest is selfish. * I don't have what it takes. * I'm not good with_______ *My words hold no value. *If I don't do it, no one else will. The truth is, YOU HAVE A STORY!! The question is - IS THE STORY SERVING YOU? Your story shaped you... but it's what you keep repeating and what you allow it to say about you that can determine your future. Your story matters... it deserves a voice... and often those stories need to be heard and validated in safe spaces with gentle compassion and curiosity. Getting curious is hard, especially if you grew up in environments where curiosity was discouraged and asking questions was considered rebellion. But curiosity encourages you to interact with your beliefs, your patterns, and your habits. It is where breakthrough comes and than allows you to create habits and beliefs that align with truth. ✨ Which belief have you carried for years that you're beginning to question?