Masculine and Feminine Energies
My themes of equilibrium continue this week as I discuss the ultra-complicated topic of the masculine and feminine. There are so many dualities in our lives that often times we tend to only acknowledge their complexities when we slip too far into one part of ourselves. On my Instagram live yesterday, I spoke about some of the common themes that kept recurring over the weekend - one of which was the balance of both masculine and feminine energy. Within the last week, I have come to recognize that I haven’t been tapping into my divine Virgo feminine energy as much as I probably need to in order to feel a balance in my whole self. Ever since I left my previous business partnership and have done a lot of work with Free + Native’s unblock workshops, I have noticed that my masculine energy has been at the forefront of my consciousness. My decisions, daily actions, movements, and overall appeal reflect my masculine Sagittarius energy so much that I felt so worn out throughout the month of April. A lot of my inner conflict with the balance of the two seem to explain why I have felt so inadequate when the ebb and flow of running a business came to an exhaustingly, slow month. I want to shed a little light on a proper explanation of these two energies and how they represent themselves on the skin. Using this guide can help you not only improve a potentially exhausted complexion but help you get to the root of a potential energetic imbalance.
Inside the TSC online skin series
Whenever I find myself in a predicament there are a few things that happen. I get upset, I feel helpless, and then I get to work. Today, I'm going to go through the roadblock that motivated me to create the TSC program. I'm also going to walk you through exactly the who, what, when, where, and why of this program so you can feel supported while you achieve your best skin and your best self. This program helps turn your skincare into your self-care plus so much more.
Finding your voice
This Monday I did my first Instagram live and was surprised by how I felt afterward. Or perhaps more so what I didn’t do afterward. I didn’t immediately criticize myself for how I spoke, how I looked, and I also didn’t think that I wasted other people’s time. Those three things have plagued me since I was a young girl and the majority of my career as an esthetician. After entering the new year with full autonomy I felt the creativity to explore new forms of content, education, and self-expression. It dawned on me that I have the capability of getting an audience’s attention but if I don’t find my own voice and believe in what I’m saying wholeheartedly than I won’t acquire the growth I so desperately longed for.
Let's talk about the Oscars
There is nothing more important to write about today that none other than my favorite night of the year, THE OSCARS!!!! As you can tell by some of my previous posts, I’m a bit of a movie fan. Movies have been such a wonderful part of my life since I was a kid. I grew up connected to the stories portrayed on film so much that as a young French Canadian girl, I attribute my development of understanding the English language mostly to not having every VHS available in French translation growing up. I watched movies for much more than their scripts. It wasn’t until this past Sunday’s Oscars that I heard the perfect quote about why movies have had such an incredible impact on me. This quote, by Roger Ebert, goes a little something like this;
Taking accountability
Maybe it's because I am 30, maybe it's the start of a new year, or maybe it's an unknown universal shift but I have recently felt empowered to own up to a lot of my mistakes and start taking some accountability. I am the type of person who can admit when I'm wrong but often time it comes after a fit of defensiveness and a little bit of self-victimizing. Lately, I have recalled a couple of instances in which I needed to take accountability and didn't have the emotional intelligence to do so. It's difficult to look back and think "I should have done this better" but having grown up in this field I have to give myself a little credit for doing my best and learning along the way. As much as I can't help but cringe at some of my reactions in the past, I want to share a few of them with you. Hopefully, this can help shed some light on where we can oftentimes fall short as people, but recognize that there is always room to grow and get better.
When one door closes...
I think that it’s safe to say that all of us are aware of how social media can be a tricky platform to navigate, right? I remember in our pre-instagram world when a couple could break up without the whole world finding out at the same time and feeling entitled to share their opinions about it. So I find that I often don't know what to share and when if I'm going through a major transition. I am sure that many of you are aware of a few changes that have been going on with me and, after an unexpected miscommunication with an event announced last week, I think it’s finally time for me to address the elephant in the room. Don’t worry, James and I are not breaking up and the puppy is still a beautiful angel that we’re so excited to call our own fur baby.
Why are we afraid of aging?
The conversation on aging is one that I’ve exhausted in my time as an esthetician. If you have recently had a consultation with me you may have read the following: “I’d like to mention that I use the term aging very literally. I don’t believe in the shameful labeling of “anti-aging” and have been advocating for the removal of that oxymoron of a marketing term for a decade now. So if by any means that word is triggering for you please let me know.” I make my point pretty clear right away that I don’t want to waste my time with someone who wants a quick fix and shame themselves into thinking they need to turn back the clock. But regardless of how much I advocate for self-acceptance and self-love, I still feel the pressures to keep up with it all. How can I expect you to move past this if I get sucked into the bullshit too?
An ode to my dark circles...
When I wake up in the morning I don't often get to go and meditate, set an intention, and journal for 20 minutes. I would love to continue the facade that my industry has created and have you think that I'm as well-balanced as some other bloggers seem, but I'm not. Most mornings I'm up by 6:15/6:30, I throw my hair up into a messy bun, grab my glasses and start my list of to-dos. Lately, this has included training my new puppy, Josie. Josie is a dream come true for my husband and I but this little babe has definitely thrown a wrench into my little Virgo controlling lifestyle. My sleep is all off, I'm having to run out the door to potty train, I'm trying to clean up all her toys, all just in time to me to take on my first client of the day. I couldn't be more grateful for her but it's been rough. When I finally do get a chance to catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror I notice the subtle changes that this new life has brought. My face is a little less radiant than usual and my eyes are puffy, dark and extra tired. But the truth is I like my dark circles. There, I said it! I am a skin therapist and I am admitting to liking something about myself that isn't perfect.
A new kind of resolution
You know that feeling you have when the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve and you feel like you can start anew? That feeling can be awfully intimidating and exhilarating at the same time. To feel the pressure to shed old habits overnight can oftentimes set us up for failure which can eventually lead to shame. This year, I set a new intention. One without the shackling feeling that a resolution may previously have had. The intention was inspired by my last client of the year, Cassie of Candid Health, which is to take things one day at a time. We all have different ways of working through patterns and releasing what needs to be let go and in the past when I would find myself backtracking more than anything if I set a strict resolution up for myself. Like a lot of entrepreneurs, I march to the beat of my own drum and regardless of my work ethic where I could go about a busy schedule with no problem, it was never fulfilling and I would fall back hard to old patterns and escapism. The intention to take things one day at a time for a workaholic like me is the most freeing and self-loving act I can think of at this point in my life.
2018; the year of finally loving the skin you're in
I honestly can’t believe we are in our last week of 2017. I know that when 2017 started I was sitting high with expectations but was also riddled with anxiety with what was to come. The shifts that have occurred were not always what I expected. Some have been what I have feared, but others have truly changed me for the better. Now I feel grounded in what I anticipate may be the first ever year I finally feel comfortable in my skin. It’s easy to look like you have it all together but when certain things finally do click in your life it can shift your entire perspective. I try my very best to educate all of my clients that when they finally surrender to let this shift happen they actually start to love the reflection in the mirror. So today I want to talk about why 2018 is the year of finally loving the skin you’re in…
Holding space and letting go...
I’ve been so excited to come to back to this very spot and write to all of you for this week’s post. As much as I want to jump on the bandwagon of writing a gift guide or a holiday how-to, it’s a little overplayed and I’m a little late in the game. My intention behind this post is to talk about space. Whether it’s holding it, giving it, receiving it or simply understanding your need for it - it is an essential part of growth and healing. Space is something I have often not allowed myself the time to have for many reasons that at the end of the day are all fear based. I don’t give myself time to relax, be alone, or just not busy often because I’ve been nervous about what will come up for me. While on my honeymoon I finally got it, that space I was seeking and so much came up for me.
I'm about to get real honest here...
If you know me, you know that one of my best and worst qualities is that I’m a workaholic. I get a lot done in a day but it’s often at the expense of having a social life or taking a vacation. Being in a service based industry I rely on my clients to pay my bills and regardless of manifesting major abundance over the last several years, I still think that I can't stop taking the work. It never dawns on me until I realize how little I was able to see my parents when they visited for 3 weeks, how I’m booked in every day my husband has off, and how I am hardly available to attend the events of my community members. It’s really vulnerable for me to admit this to myself because I often get the response of “you’re probably too busy, I’ll just book with you next month” and my answer will always be “I’m never too busy for you”. I’m so honored that people reach out to me for facials and rarely will I ever say no because I genuinely love the work. So when my wonderful mother-in-law offered to assist my husband and me with a trip for our honeymoon last Christmas, I knew this was my opportunity to take an unapologetic vaca. However, as the last few weeks went by and we were slowly approaching the honeymoon of my dreams, I started to panic. That’s when I realized that Mercury was going into retrograde and if I know anything about this weird shift in the universe, it’s that it is an opportunity to test your faith in a higher power and my ability to handle anything with grace. So here it goes...
Express gratitude and embrace change...
When I was in beauty school I remember how a lesson in acne led into one of the most powerful life-changing discussions. We were exploring the root causes of acne and how that can be related to stress on all accounts (physical, emotional, etc.). The simple solution our guest teacher had for stress management was to express gratitude and embrace change. At 18, this had me totally shook! It was so simple but it was something I never really sat down to think about how the combination of those two seemingly simple action could turn your entire life, and health, around. My expression of gratitude is a daily practice, however, I do like to take the opportunity to sit deeply on this topic whenever I can. So with Thanksgiving around the corner, I wanted to share my gratitude for the year with all of you. 2017 was not at all what I expected, especially since 2016 felt like we all were hit by a bus. I sort of expected it to be a little easier but with so many life changes it’s easy to think back on it now and realize that this year was going to be a big one. Emotionally, financially, physically, all the things just grew towards a new level I never thought was possible. Without my gratitude practice, I don’t think I could see this year as positively as I do but the old saying still runs true: what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. That’s where the embracing change part creeps in. It’s one thing to express gratitude but when life is throwing you all sorts of curve balls, it’s how you embrace the journey that truly transforms you.
What I've had done...
Yes, I mean exactly what it sounds like. Today I want to talk about what I've had "done" as an esthetician as well as what I haven't and why. People ask me this all the time because they want to know if I have a big secret to my skin's success. I've been taking care of my skin for a long time and given the perks of being in the industry I've been able to try a lot of things. There are things I also haven't tried but performed on others. It's sort of a mixed bag but I'm very excited to share this once and for all.