As a coach, my deepest passion is to reach out and touch women who struggle with negative body images, offering them the practical tools they need to change their lives in very real way. Last year I decided to combine my newfound appreciation of fashion, my curvy confidence creation know-how with my coaching skills to teach women to love the skin they’re in. To put my skills to the test, I took a part time job working at Avenue, the plus size women’s retail clothing store. For almost a year I worked there and loved every minute of it.
http://thejuicywoman.blogs.com/my_weblog/2014/12/reflections-on-the-avenue-my-peaceful-warrior-path-to-helping-women-love-their-bodies.html
Lady_mirror_sp As a coach, my deepest passion is to reach out and touch women who struggle with negative body images, offering them the practical tools they need to change their lives in very real concrete ways.
Yet during the course of editing my book, “Lovin’ the Skin You’re In,” I went through a series of personal challenges and losses that caused me to do a lot of growing up, and soul searching.
Out of my tragedies, came my triumph, bringing me enormous amounts of self acceptance and compassion for my body. But somewhere along the way I forgot what it was like to hate my body and to refuse to accept my imperfections. Don’t get me wrong I still have my ups and downs, but I just found a place in my heart where it didn’t feel okay anymore to beat up on myself.
I began to notice that I was talking a different language and disconnecting from the women who I wanted to help so much. After searching for awhile looking for a way to reconnect and better understand the kinds of challenges that plus size women face surrounding their relationship with food and their bodies, I found new inspiration that quickly moved my coaching to a new level.
A couple years ago I decided to combine my newfound appreciation of fashion, my curvy confidence creation know-how with my coaching skills to teach women to love the skin they’re in.
To put my skills to the test, I took a part time job working at Avenue, the plus size women’s retail clothing store. For nearly a year I worked there and loved every minute of it. The camerarderie with the women was just like having a second family. I’ll always remember that time fondly because not only did I love the work and the people, but the sense of appreciation I received from my colleagues was priceless.
Beyond that, the experience of talking to women every day and listening to them talk about how they felt about their bodies has given me an endless fountain of knowledge from which to draw upon in my coaching. It feels so good to know that I’m back in tune with what women need and know exactly what makes a real difference.
But the privilege of becoming an insider came with a price. Perhaps the saddest part of my work was recognizing just how many women really do hate their bodies. I watched and I listened to so many of their personal struggles as they engaged in a war with themselves, trying desperately to squeeze into smaller sizes, refusing to consider that it was the clothing that was the problem, not their bodies.
It was such a common occurrence for me to console a woman standing in the fitting room in her underwear, telling me all the reasons why she hated her body and just had to recommit back to her diet. Sometimes they cried, sometimes they were just angry, not with the clothes, but with themselves.
How ’bout you? Can you relate to this fitting room frustration? Are you sick and tired of apologizing for yourself and giving up your power because your body is bigger than you want it to be? Please share your story and know that you’re not alone. I’m here to help you if you’re ready.
Feeling like you need a hand getting started? I’d like to invite you to join my Lovin’ the Skin You’re In Group on Facebook. It’s a great place to feel and know that you’re supported and appreciated, surrounded by the company of other juicy women just like you. Here’s the link to join:
Lovin’ the Skin You’re In FB group
Andrea Amador, The Juicy Woman, Avenue, The Avenue, body acceptance, self esteem, Lovin’ the Skin You’re In,