Feature Friday: Lainie Love Dalby

Each Friday we highlight an empowered participant from our campaign.

This week’s feature is so full of LIFE! I always love seeing and experiencing people who are so comfortable and willing to be themselves. Lainie Love Dalby is a spectacular example.

Her light shines bright. See for yourself.

Meet Lainie below.

Laine Love Dalby, Entrepreneur & Artist, NY

I AM IN BIG GORGEOUS LOVE WITH MY HANDS!

“I am in big gorgeous love with my hands!” @LainieLoveDalby #bodyheartcampaign – Click to Tweet

Being an insatiably creative individual, I use my hands for everything…from making art, to writing my book, to touching your beautiful face, to making fire, to holding hands with a loved one, to lovin’ up on myself, to typing this message to all of you, to feeling the energy in space around me, to constructing my life one day at a time.

Best of all, they allow me to be of service to you, dear reader, and the world!

Finding compassion for my body has been a lifelong struggle. I am now embodying my body as a gift!

You can learn more about Lainie at www.teemgorgeous.com.

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By: Amber Krzys

Feature Friday: Heather + Jenny of Spork Foods

Each Friday we highlight an empowered participant from our campaign.

This week at bodyheart is devoted to food. Check out our jam-packed BIT that offers tips + a special appearance by celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver!

Speaking of real, whole + healthy food – that tastes delicious! I couldn’t imagine a better choice than to highlight this lovely duo.

Meet Heather + Jenny of Spork Foods. These sisters will inspire you, make you laugh and educate you on healthier eating. I’m so honored to share them.

Heather + Jenny, CA. Culinary Instructors/Authors.

We highlighted our tiny hands!

“We love our hands!” @SporkFoods #bodyheartcampaign – Click to Tweet

 
Our hands are an integral part of our work everyday as chefs- and because of that, we put our hands through a lot!  We appreciate the rare moments that we can get a manicure, or give our hands some attention, so we thought they would enjoy being our featured, favorite part.

We love being a part of a community that loves and supports women. The whole bodyheart experience was awesome. We loved it!

You can learn more about Heather + Jenny at www.sporkfoods.com.

Want to help spread our message?
Click the buttons below to share with your friends + community. Feel free to leave a comment as well!

Want to be a part of the bodyheart campaign?
Join us at our upcoming LA event!

By: Amber Krzys

Feature Friday: Alexis Wolfer

Each Friday we highlight one empowered participant from our campaign.

Today I’m through the moon happy to share this woman. She gets real and knows what this project is all about. Nothing like someone who walks to the walk, right?

Meet Alexis Wolfer.

Alexis Wolfer, NY. Founder, The Beauty Bean Magazine.

I chose my stomach in an effort to make my most hated body part – one which, no matter how thin I was in the throws of an eating disorder, was never thin “enough” – into a body part I choose to love. Wow. It was a process!

My instinct was to choose my shoulders/arms because it’s what I usually choose to highlight when getting dressed. But this project was about so much more than “”just”" picking a body part. For me, this was the first photo-shoot (un-retouched, no less) since launching TheBeautyBean.com and choosing a path of body acceptance. It was the photo-shoot where I didn’t even think about (let alone act on the idea of) crash dieting or obsessively exercising to prep. And I struggled! I tried to come up with a reason each day for loving a different body part (harder than it sounds!) in the hopes that one would stand out. It didn’t. I found some I disliked less than others, but finding one I “loved” and would literally put heart to was hard.

It wasn’t until just days before the shoot – at dinner with fitness trainer and fellow Real Beauty activist Kit Rich – that I really got to the root of it all. That I really “”got”" it. In struggling to pick a “favorite” body part, I mentioned how easy it was for me to rattle off a list of ones I disliked. So, Kit asked, “What’s you’re least favorite body part?” My immediate – no need to think this answer through answer: my stomach.

The fact is, no matter how thin I’ve been, I’ve always hated my stomach. It’s never been skinny enough, toned enough, flat enough… (enough for what or for whom I’ll never know, but for all of you for whom your bodies are or have been your enemy, you’ll know what I’m talking about.) But then Kit said something to me that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about: she said, something to the effect of, “but your stomach is your core.” Literally.

Your stomach/core supports your body and houses your reproductive organs but more than that, in being called “core” carries even more weight than that measured by a scale – and what does it mean to “hate your core”? What does it means to “hate” your center? To “hate” that which holds you up. To “hate” that which allows you to reproduce? Does hating your physical (stomach) core mean that you also hate your essence (soul) core?

Heavy (pun intended), I know… but it shook me (to the core, if you will) about how I think about my body and how I relate to it, care for it, love it and treat it. I’ve come a long way in the actions I take towards my body. I treat my body (yes, even my stomach) with a high level of respect. But do I always treat it with love?

In choosing my stomach for this project. In choosing to put heart on it. In choosing to love my core I am making a commitment to love it. 

Plus, as my mother always said growing up, “hate isn’t the opposite of love, indifference is” – so maybe there is more love in there than I ever imagined… we’ll see!

Click to tweet this feature here.

You can learn more about Alexis at www.TheBeautyBean.com.

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By: Amber Krzys

Feature Friday: Elizabeth Cassidy

Each Friday we highlight one empowered participant from our campaign.

Elizabeth Cassidy doesn’t hold back. She shares her voice with gusto regularly. I’m thrilled to share her with you this week.

Meet Elizabeth.

Elizabeth Cassidy, NY. Blogger + Creative Coach.

I chose my hands.

I look at my hands as the keeper of my imagination. From my hands comes my words that make people think, cry or laugh. They also were patient and relieved when I discovered drawing again. They like to exercise and stretch. Unlike me.

My hands also protected my head in a near fatal accident. The scar on my hand was proof that they cradled my head so that I could still be here.

I am still at work in progress, but I do think I am getting closer to treating my body better and finding in me more acceptance about how I look.

You can learn more about Elizabeth at www.myviewsfromtheedge.com.

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By: Amber Krzys

Feature Friday: Kristen Domingue

Each Friday we highlight one empowered participant from our campaign.

This week you get to meet Kristen – a woman with an edge who is willing to share her story. I think you are gonna like her.

Meet Kristen Domingue.

Kristen Domingue, 32. Spotlight Maker in Brooklyn, NY.

I chose my legs. It was the next edge I had in loving them.

As a kid I hated my legs because they earned me the nickname sticks. Even after they developed muscle tone when I ran track in highschool, I always wore pants to hide them – I thought they were too skinny and I didn’t love them.

A few years back, a bestie said to me: “”How come you always wear pants? You have GREAT legs. I always wish you would show them off more.”" 2 years later (this summer and fall) I’ve actually worn more skirts and shorts than I have in the last several combined!

Next edge: photographing them like I love ‘em.

My favorite part of my bodyheart photo shoot was having a new way to find a part of my body and see it as lovable. And being able to do that in a way that doesn’t just inspire and heal me, but also makes that available to other women. We all have edges in the way we love ourselves…I love being able to love myself more and get other women in on that ride.

You can learn more about Kristen at www.KristenDomingue.com.

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By: Amber Krzys

Feature Friday: Hillary Rubin

Each Friday we highlight one empowered participant from our campaign.

This feature is a catalyst for change. She helps people breakthrough their fears + pain so they can live a healthier + happier life.

Meet Hillary Rubin.

Hillary Rubin. Spiritual Life Designer. Los Angeles, CA.

I love my left bicep.

I have a scar there that reminds me that my imperfections make me even more beautiful.  It reminds me that my body has its own healing wisdom and it’s my duty to take care of it.

I was  a skinny girl, a bit of a tomboy and not comfortable with my body. Once I got that I only have one body that is my vehicle to enjoy life then all I could do it love it as it is. When I use my body I tap into my intuitive power so I gotta love it.

You can learn more about Hillary at www.hillaryrubin.com.

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ps – Don’t miss your opportunity to join in our new breakthrough coaching series. Exclusive to 8 people. ONLY 1 SPOT LEFT. Hop on-board right here.

By: Amber Krzys

Feature Friday: Kaeli Lynam

Each Friday we highlight one empowered participant from our campaign.

This week I get to share a beautiful young woman with a big smile and even bigger heart.

Meet Kaeli Lynam.

Kaeli, 18. Student.

I love my legs!

I chose to highlight my legs because they make me unique. I have always been very tall and as a little girl, I was teased and I always wished that I weren’t so different from my petite best friends. Now I own my long legs! I rock the heels even when boys are around because hey, I’m looking for a tall boy anyways!

It has really been a lifelong process for me. Growing up in the dance world forced me to face my insecurities. Staring at yourself in a leotard in the mirror and comparing yourself to all the other girls day after day can take its toll. It’s hard not to pick out problem areas and to feel discouraged for not having the “perfect dancer body”.

Between fifth and sixth grade I grew six inches in one summer. I lost all my baby fat and stretched right out into a bean pole. I ate very healthily but remained extremely thin and was often teased. As I began to grow into my body I grew more and more confident. Sure I didn’t look like every other dancer on the floor, but maybe that was a good thing. Only I could rock my long legs and arms and my giant smile.

For the past five years, I led a “love your body” week at my dance studio. Where my friends and I went into every class in the studio, ages 3-18 and led various activities that helped the girls celebrate who they are and what makes them different. Last year, I wrote up a “Body Peace Treaty” based on one Seventeen magazine does but made it more for all ages. We put up a giant poster of all the parts of the treaty, and all week girls came and signed it. This was extremely rewarding for me knowing that I was able to make an impression on these girls, many of whom I’m sure are feeling the insecurities that I certainly felt.

Love your body week is something that has really meant something to me in my life so I’m glad I get to continue to celebrate it! Thanks bodyheart!

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By: Amber Krzys

Feature Friday: Monica & Olivia Park

Each Friday we highlight one empowered participant from our campaign.

This week’s feature is in honor of springtime and all the new life it provides. It’s our first mother + daughter highlight.

So many women struggle with their bodies after childbirth. How they’ve changed and how they may never get what they had back. My hope is this feature will remind and inspire us all of the miracle and majesty of birth and how much deeper real beauty truly is. There is something so precious about children and the bond between mother and child.

Meet Monica and Olivia.

Monica, 29. Olivia, 6 months.

I love our feet!

My feet have a HUGE arch and my toes stick up. Everybody always thinks I am flexing my feet because they look flexed even when they are relaxed. To some, they are insanely weird and they look “wrong”. To me, they are elegant, beautiful and cute.

The main reason I chose our feet was because they take me places. Literally + Spiritually. They allow me to walk, run, dance, jump and then plant them firmly on the ground and connect on a deep + energetic level. I always imagine when I am “connecting” that there are roots coming from the bottom of my feet and I feel the energy go all the way up my spine. My feet take me places.

Olivia’s feet are just edible. I call them little empanadas because they are just so squishy + delicious. I can kiss them all day long.

Olivia has taught me how to fully love myself, because if she is a part of me – then how can i NOT? She is my teacher and I am her mentor in this life. I hope that her big beautiful eyes always light up and she smiles like she does now when she looks in the mirror always – with pure love, joy and peace.

I loved my photo shoot with my Ollie. It was magical and hilarious. I will remember it always. I love that I will be able to tell her that our first professional photos were for an incredible cause/movement about self-love and embracing true beauty and that she was a part of that!!!

You can learn more about Monica at www.healreal.com.

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By: Amber Krzys

Feature Friday: Kristin Firestone

Each Friday we highlight one empowered participant from our campaign.

This week’s feature is gettin’ real! I super appreciate her honesty and courage.

Check out how Kristin Firestone chose to honor her body and her bodyheart experience. If you are touched by her sharing, please let her know in the comments below.

As always, I invite you to expand your definition of beauty.

Meet Kristin.

Kristin Firestone, 32. Young Adult Music Minister.

I highlighted my thigh(s).

My thighs are usually parts that I either try to ignore, want to change or despise. (“Don’t despise your thighs!” Pretty good campaign slogan, eh?

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been really hard on myself for carrying more of my weight in my lower half (I’m a pear shape). Seeing pictures of Marilyn Monroe and other pinup girls from back in the day, and being compared to the women in old Italian paintings, I realize that it’s only relatively recently that we’ve admired toned, athletic thighs in our culture. Mine are voluptuous and voluminous, and I want to start celebrating them! Besides my legs ARE athletic, even if they don’t look it; they’ve completed TWO marathons and carry me through LIFE!

Also, I wanted to highlight a part of myself that I don’t normally admire, and definitely have never before said that I “loved.” So, for my photo, I’m giving my thighs some love by putting them on display and holding them close. I’m not afraid of my “”thunder thighs”" and am ready to let the world know that.”

Amber’s recommendation to love our bodies as they are today is so key. I know that I can improve my body, and I’m working toward that continually by eating well, getting more exercise and dressing more appropriately (and with much more sass!) for my figure. But to really love and accept my body AS IT IS TODAY, and not withhold love from myself just because I don’t look and feel exactly the way I want to – that is such an important step in transfiguring myself (inwardly and outwardly) into the woman that I know I am and am becoming.

I realize that I still have a ways to go in gaining confidence in myself, relaxing into my essence and letting my true light shine. I really appreciated this chance to step out in courage.

My favorite part of the campaign was preparing for my appointment. I spent a lot of time looking at my body and contemplating my relationship with it. At one point, I reached the awareness that I loved TOO MANY parts of my body to choose! What a problem, huh? So, it was good to discover that I do, in fact, have a beautiful body that deserves to be celebrated.

You can learn more about Kristin at www.kristinfirestone.com.

In the meantime, if you’ve been inspired, share this feature by clicking the FB + Twitter buttons below and don’t forget to let us know what you think by leaving a comment!

By: Amber Krzys

Feature Friday: Anonymous

Each Friday we highlight one empowered participant from our campaign.

I am absolutely in love with today’s Feature Friday Gal. She radiates pure beauty, joy and strength.

Unfortunately, I do not know her name or her story, as she joined us at Gabrielle Bernstein and Christine Arylo’s ILOVEME! live event in Los Angeles. We set up a photo booth there and she graced us with her presence.

She represents the wisdom and beauty I speak of in today’s blog. I invite you to expand your definition of beauty.

Meet Ms. X.

Beauty really does come in all shapes, sizes,
colors and ages!

Share this feature by clicking the buttons below and don’t forget to let us know what you think by leaving a comment!

And, if you know this lovely example of femininity, please send her our way and have her contact us.

By: Amber Krzys