This week I turned 51, and here’s what I know…

This week I turned 51, and here’s what I know - it is a gift to be alive and well! And my life is full of many gifts and blessings for which I am grateful. Therefore I always welcome and celebrate my birthday in some fashion, although every year that looks different. But the constant in each is that it is always an expression of myself, my truth, and where I am in my life. Last week I made a decision about this year‘s birthday that felt courageous. However, I will get to that in a second.

Last year I welcomed my 50th bday with a bang! As some of you may remember, I had an epic bash, wore a gold dress, celebrated every single thing about it. I also did a photo shoot the month before to celebrate where I was in my life. I was feeling empowered, beautiful, successful, and full of joy, purpose, and possibility. But it’s a very different year.

Often this is a hard subject for me to discuss. Not because I don’t believe in being completely transparent and authentic (you know I do). But rather because I believe the world may perceive me - and my body - in a certain way, and therefore I am careful around it. But it doesn’t mean I don’t have my insecurities, struggles, and challenges just like everybody else. So here it goes.

Like so many people, I have struggled with body dysmorphia and eating disorders on and off for most of my life. For years I believed I needed to be perfect in every single way, which only added fuel to the fire.

I one thousand percent believe that as we age, we have the opportunity to live more joyful and powerful lives. And we must celebrate ourselves! This belief and philosophy is in my messaging, my work, and deeply in the core of my being. I believe that we can create a new cultural conversation around aging - especially for women. As we get older we can (and we must) accept, embrace, and reclaim our well-being, our bodies, our beauty, our power, our voices - more and more and more.  Hence we become more beautiful, more empowered, and more joyful.

Believing this and having insecurities about my body are not mutually exclusive. The two can coexist. I believe in this philosophy so deeply, and I know I need to put it into action as my way of practicing this very important message that I offer, coach, teach.

So my brave decision –  I welcomed my 51st birthday with a last-minute photo shoot for the cover of my book (which I’m currently writing). Although, this photoshoot is much different from countless others.

This shoot, on my birthday, with zero prep, zero trying to get my body in the “perfect photo shoot shape!” was a celebration. And it is a practice of my own philosophy that I am in the perfect shape no matter what I look like - as I too have been challenged by the changing, aging body. I knew in my struggles that the best thing for me to do was practice my own belief and message and just do the shoot - feel free in my body, go to the beach, move, love every single thing about myself and my experience, and know that it’s all perfect. I have chosen to ACCEPT, EMBRACE, AND LOVE myself, my truth, my body, my life - at any age, weight, stage in life.

And so… I celebrate. I celebrate the process, and I celebrate the truth. I encourage you to celebrate your whole selves regardless of the cultural mindset that exists around aging. I encourage you to take action around this new mindset - whatever that may look like for you. Let’s embrace, accept, and remind each other how beautiful and powerful we all are.