5 Takeaways from the Unapologetically Her Show (and my brush with the Birds Papaya)
By chance I got to meet her!
Positive Energy is Contagious
Put a whole bunch of supportive and like-minded women together and the energy is so incredibly contagious. So many women spoke on stage and shared their stories of heartbreak and strength, and when we hear women share their struggles it empowers others to share theirs too. There was dancing, clapping, cheering, laughing, crying and all the feels. I felt like I could have shared my story right then and there and been supported and held by these women I don’t even know…and that’s pretty rare!
we need a VILLAGE
Shayla Stonechild was the first speaker of the day. She’s a bold, beautiful and inspirational indigenous woman and my biggest takeaway from her workshop was how we can have an impact not only on our own lives but on our support systems, community and environment. It really does take a village. It made me think about how in Western culture women and mothers often feel so isolated! I remember having days on maternity leave where I literally did not speak to another adult until after 8 pm when my husband came home from work. I’m not sure exactly how to create more of a sense of community among women but it’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about.
She also spoke about the law of creation (or attraction) and how we attract what we put out. Emotions create energetic vibrations that attract more of that same feeling. If you’ve been following my blog you know how I feel about journaling and expressing gratitude when trying to get out of a funk so I could totally relate to this.
Choose a bad moment, not a bad day
When something unfortunate happens to us, we have a choice. Will this become a bad day? Will this sucky event have an impact on the rest of the day? Will we dwell on it? Or will we consider it a bad moment and move on? I know this one sounds simple but it’s pretty hard in real life and something I am working on.
The ladies from Love Powered Co. spoke about this. I also love that they create affirmation cards not only for women but for kids as well. I believe it’s so important to teach our kids how to speak positively to themselves and be compassionate towards themselves and this is a great place to start.
Show my kids that they are people of worth by showing them that I am a person of worth
These words pretty much say it all. By treating ourselves with respect, we can hopefully show our kids how to treat themselves with respect. Something I am always conscious of is how I speak about my body to my kids. How do you model self-respect and self-worth to your kids? I’d love to hear it in the comments.
Not Asking Permission - The Birds Papaya
The Birds Freaking Papaya was the keynote speaker and I was living for it! I got a selfie with her and was seriously fangirling. There were SO MANY amazing nuggets from her workshop and her talk. Here are some of my faves:
Fear and excitement are both activated in the same part of the brain. What scares and also excites you?
This one (inspired by Finding Nemo): “If nothing ever happens to me then nothing will ever happen to me.” Bam. This one makes me want to take all the risks.
We are not competition. There is enough room for us all. Teach each other.
So many motivational speakers tell us that if we can believe it we can do it. That is true to a certain extent but what about privilege? Being in a place of privilege DOES make a difference in how easy or hard it is to do something and this needs to be acknowledged.
We are capable of doing everything but it doesn’t mean we should be. Let’s stop glamorizing the hustle.
This was the first time I have attended an event like this and I would absolutely recommend it. A big thank you to the Unapologetically Her Show. I hope to see you again next year!