Geesh, that sounds so awful. To be fair, I was relatively content, but far too often I felt like a victim and I was obsessed with food and my body image. All the while, thankfully, I had a deep inner nudging, letting me know that I could be a whole lot happier than I was. Also, I read countless self-help books over the last 40-plus years that made this promise. Now, despite resonating with the authors’ teachings, my life didn’t change dramatically—until I encountered a few painful bumps on my path, which propelled me to actually apply the wisdom in those books. I could no longer ignore the fact that these bumps were a result of destructive patterns that I continued to perpetuate. Speaking of bumps, one of those events was a cancer scare. I wrote about it in a book I titled, Something Showed Up On my Mammogram and How I Kept My Sanity While Waiting. It not only chronicles my journey through a very scary and difficult time, but it also offers soothing and comforting strategies to get you through some dark nights of the soul. You can download it here for free:                    

Unwilling to suffer any longer, I shut down my business and took a 9-month spiritual sabbatical to figure out who I was and how I wanted to be in this world. After taking a long, hard look at my life—the life that I created—I slowly started to claim my personal power and started to live more deliberately, with more conscious intention.

And, amazingly, I made the most wonderful discovery: when I allowed myself to Love and accept myself exactly as I was, I was virtually unhurtable—all was truly well with me—inside and out. IT WAS THE BEST FEELING EVER! What I experienced, albeit short glimpses at time, was unconditional Love and it was

ULTIMATE FREEDOM!

Naturally (and I believe that Loving ourselves is our natural way of being) I wanted to experience more unconditional Love and personal freedom. Thus, the idea of creating a community of people committed to Self-Love was born, a safe space where we can learn and share how to nourish our mind, body, and soul with Loving thoughts, words, and behaviours. Further, to help keep me on a Loving track—and to help others in the process—I designed a series of workshops that evoke transformational insights and offer strategies and practices designed to empower us to create a life we’re excited about. And, hey, when embarked upon with the support and encouragement from other like-minded Self-Love dieters, it just makes everything easier—and a whole lot more fun!

With a cornucopia of Love,

~ Sue Vaughan