Back and Better than Ever...

Today marks my jump back into a world I've been away from for quite some time, a world I loved but that got muddled and clouded over due to business partnerships turned sour. We had a really good thing going but it was too entangled in unrelated messes, and when those other 'unrelated messes' came crumbling down around us so did our operation. Or at least our collective will to move forward amidst complete uncertainty and confusion.

I was the youngest of the group, a girl who had linked arms with women in an effort to help other girls and women reach inside themselves and find the courage to let themselves shine. I grieved for the loss of this incredible community and am currently indescribably nervous, excited, and all around emotional about it's resurgence.

Did I mention I'm nervous???

Just a few short hours from now I will be packing up myself and the boy and taking him on over to Grandma's house where he will help her greet Auntie Lindsay upon her arrival home for spring break... I will miss out on being part of the welcome home commitee, already on my way up to our neighbor state to the North. The drive is always an invigorating one. Come 7:30 we will be officially back up and running, our community, our shared endeavor.

Image c/o twotoneatl

I won't be making any formal presentations this time around, thank God... I'm so out of practice and unprepared. Not that I ever felt like a seasoned expert to begin with. There is something so intimidating about being vulnerable in front of a group of other women, especially when those women tend to be older than you for the most part and you are offered up as someone to listen to. Someone who will supposedly be able to help them with body issues and self image struggles they may have had longer than I have been alive. Sincerity and authenticity is often the only thing I feel I have going for me in winning over the trust of women whom I've never met but of whom I am asking a great deal of intimate sharing of themselves... their stories as women.

Again... nervous.

I teamed up with the women of Image101 the year after I graduated from High School and spent quite a good deal of time simply observing and participating in events as a guest, there for the same reason a all of the other attendees. To learn about myself and how my image affected me inside and out, how to work through these issues I had from coming of age in these media-drenched times where girls are bombarded left and right with conflicting messages about every aspect of their being.... specifically their bodies and personal style.

Eventually I began my apprenticeship journey, helping presenters with their materials, serving as a live example at times during the educational seminar portions of the events, and eventually my test came... I had to use my newly learned skills and work as a personal shopper for several women then the very next day run a fashion show all on my own. It was utterly terrifying. It was also a defining moment... one of the moments of my life I can look back on and pinpoint exactly what a freeing experience it is to step out of your comfort zone and surprise yourself.

Image c/o John McNab

The potential for another chance to surprise myself is probably what I'm most excited about. That and our message of course, the possibility of making an impact. I'm excited to see how we will move forward together as a team, without ties to a particular product or service other than improved lives...

Nervousness... in the best possible way, that really excited, edge of your seat kind of way...

Here I go... wish me luck!

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