LOVE Yourself: Lisa Owen
My dear sweet Lisa Owen! Lisa and I have known each other for around 20 years! From the first time I met Lisa, I knew she was extra special…we seemed to always dive into deep conversations over anything and everything. She is incredibly soulful, SHARP as a whip, gracious, and wise beyond her years. Lisa is one of the reasons I even started my business over 10 years ago. She encouraged me so much through our many conversations about the needs of consumers like herself. I adore this dear soul and could go on and on about Lisa, but I must share with you the goodness she is offering the world right now.
After taking a break from her C level corporate career, she has started her new project with Love Lisa Owen where she offers mentorship, courses and community while helping individuals find their purpose. She has been doing this unofficially for years and she has definitely been called to offer this goodness to the world. I’m SO very proud of Lisa and this next journey she is on. During our last conversation (definitely a deep one!), I knew I had to share Lisa with you all and her LOVEyourself philosophy!
1. What does LOVEyourself mean to you?
It means that I choose to BELIEVE and KNOW that I am more than enough - I do not need to be prettier, thinner, smarter, more acceptable to others or any other way of being to be my perfect self. From this starting point - I'm also worthy of whatever my heart desires. If feeling my best includes exercising and eating well, that's what I get to do. If feeling more confident includes buying amazing, high quality clothes, that's what I get to do. The list goes on and I - I love and care for myself by locking in ways I can feel my best. From this place, I can serve my family, friends and the world. Well.
2. Did you have a someone that exuded a positive body image for you growing up? A family member, friend, mentor, etc.
In thinking back, I don't know that I had a particularly positive or negative role model - rather an extremely negative association by way of the 90's media where "heroin chic" was all the rage. As an adult and a parent, looking back on just these words is horrifying. How was this a thing? It was a look of extreme thinness - fueled by cigarettes and coffee. I wanted THAT look...I give myself grace, because that's what our society responded to at the time. I remember hearing of the "lollipop" bodies where girls' heads were proportionally larger than their bodies because there was little weight on their frame...Ugh. I spent a lot of time and energy - energy that was not available when you're not eating properly and making unhealthy life choices - consumed with attaining this figure.
3. Do you tear your body apart vocally? Do you praise your body vocally?
Fast forward...now I praise my body - it does AMAZING things for me. I love discovering what my body can learn via athletic training. I can run 14 miles without stopping. And I'm 45. I couldn't do that the day I started training, but eventually, one day, I could - because I chose to do the things I needed to, to get there. I changed my body - I created an outcome that wasn't there before. How miraculous is that? Do I love every single aspect of my figure - no. I would love everything to be perky and tight - it is not. Would I run around naked in public? Not a chance. Do I spend any energy worrying about these aspects of my figure or making unhealthy choices to change them? Not one single breath. I choose to know and believe that my body will respond to positive energy - by way of exercise and healthy foods - and I will FEEL good in the process. I have vowed not to waste any more energy on hating my body - that is a fast track to finding reasons to feel bad about myself - not my vibe.
4. Are you working to improve your mindset around body image or is it a neutral mindset for you?
I'm always working to improve my mindset - my latest is, I get better and better looking every day. I am happier and more comfortable in my skin every day. I get stronger and more capable in my workouts every day.
5. Do you have anyone that you are trying to set a healthy example for?
YES! My daughters are 15 and 13. They are the age I was when "heroin chic" was a thing - prime time for body image issues. I hate that they are exposed to so much comparison on social media. I spend intentional energy helping them to know their worth. They are good and worthy because they are. We don't talk about gaining or losing weight - we talk about how we feel. Feeling sluggish? Make sure you're eating lots of green stuff and good protein. Have you been moving your body? How much time have you spent outside? Have to find a dress? How does it make you feel? On top of the world or will you be tugging at it all night? Find one that makes you feel your best. There are tons of options. I also don't bash my body in front of them (or even to myself) - that wouldn't serve any of us to FEEL good. I remind them about how different their experiences can be, how much better, if they aren't negatively consumed by how they look...It is always a work in progress, but my hope is they feel their best a majority of the time.