In Week 1, you explored where you may already know the answer, but continue looking outside yourself for permission.

In Week 2, you considered what you may be trying to convince yourself to tolerate, while also noticing where you are already honoring your needs, feelings, and intuition.

In Week 3, you explored your boundaries, where your heart may be asking you to say yes more fully or no more clearly.

In Week 4, you reflected on what truth feels like in your body and the moments when honoring your inner knowing has strengthened your trust in yourself.

The PAUSE helps us become aware.

The PRACTICE helps us build relationship.

Self-trust isn’t about always knowing exactly what to do. It isn’t about never questioning yourself or getting every decision “right.”

Sometimes we already know. We know when something doesn’t feel right. We know when a boundary has been crossed. We know when we want to say yes, or desperately want to say no.

And yet, so often, knowing is followed by negotiating. Maybe I’m overreacting. Maybe I should give it more time. Maybe I’m being selfish. What if I’m wrong? We look outside ourselves for someone to tell us what we already know within.

This practice is an invitation to interrupt that pattern.

Not by forcing certainty, but by creating enough quiet to hear yourself and enough trust to honor what you hear.

Bring the Practice Into Everyday Life: this isn’t only a practice for the big decisions.

Self-trust is often built in the smallest ones.

Come back to this practice whenever:

• You keep asking other people what they think, even though you already sense what you want.

• You hear yourself saying “it’s fine” when something doesn’t feel fine.

• You feel guilty for setting a boundary.

• You notice yourself overriding a need or feeling.

• You’re trying to convince yourself to tolerate something that no longer feels right.

• You simply need a moment to come back to yourself.

Sometimes honoring what you know simply means acknowledging honestly what is there.

The Practice: Inner Knowing Practice

08.30.26

Find a quiet place and get comfortable. Place one hand on your heart and one on your belly. Close your eyes and take three slow breaths.

Bring to mind something that’s been taking up space in your mind. A decision, a relationship, a boundary, or something you’ve been trying to talk yourself into or out of.

Notice what happens in your body. Does something soften? Tighten? Pull you toward something or away from it?

You don’t need to figure it out. Just notice.

Read more

Every time I choose what is true for me, I strengthen my trust in myself.

Let this affirmation be your invitation to PAUSE.

Return to this in the morning, while journaling or brushing your teeth, during movement to embody it, before bed to let it gently settle in, or anytime you need to come back to yourself. Place it somewhere you’ll see it often.

Journal Prompt:

What does it feel like in your body when something is truly right for you?

Reflect on a time you honored your inner knowing. How did it change the way you felt about yourself?

Learn more about my ‘Dear Body’ 1:1 coaching program to strengthen

your connection with your body

Learn More

AUGUST THEME

Trusting Your Inner Wisdom: I trust myself to honor what I know.

There is a quiet voice within you that has always known.

It speaks before fear.
Before other people’s opinions.
Before the pressure to be who you’re expected to be.

But over time, many of us learn to doubt it.

We ask everyone else what they think.
We search for permission.
We second-guess our instincts.
We ignore the feeling in our gut.
We convince ourselves we don’t know enough.

Little by little, we stop trusting the wisdom that has been with us all along.

This month is an invitation to remember.

To reconnect with the truth that’s already within you.

Trust isn’t built by always being certain.

It’s built by listening, honoring, and responding to what you know, even in small ways.

Every Pause this month is an opportunity to quiet the noise, turn inward, and strengthen the relationship you have with your own inner wisdom.

PHOTOGRAPHY: GABBY MORTON JONES / Interviewed by Beyond Beauty Project

“I wasn’t willing to be a fake version of myself just to maintain an idea of beauty that was never me.”

I’m Sophia Ha, founder of The Holistic Facelift Method™ and host of The Mirror Podcast.

I created the Holistic Facelift Method™ almost a decade ago with a mission to free women from the insecurities surrounding beauty and aging. Last year I launched The Mirror Podcast with the intention of having deeper conversations about dismantling our conditioning, traumas, self-deception, self-ownership, and providing insights on bridging the body-brain connection.

My work was initially instigated by my own body dysmorphia and deep self-disgust. When I spotted my first wrinkles at 28, and flew into a flurry of fear about aging, is when things really took off and landed me where I am today.

My feelings of self-hate started early. Growing up, my mother was very emotionally and physically abusive. My father was mostly absent, and when he was around he’d criticize my appearance, telling me to remove my freckles and moles, constantly comment on my weight and rate my looks in comparison to Marilyn Monroe.

From the age of 12, I ended up in foster care, constantly being moved from one home to another.

The summer before high school I decided I was going to change my appearance. I became anorexic and bulimic, lost a ton of weight, dyed my hair and started wearing loads of heavy MAC makeup. That September, for the first time, I became instantly popular at my high school. Boys started to like me, and the girls either wanted to be my friend, or bullied me.

Still I hated my appearance. I would cry every night as I wiped the makeup off my face thinking I was hideous without it.

At 16/17 I moved out on my own.

Being a pretty introspective and deep-thinking kid, I was acutely aware of my relationship with external validation. I knew it was a major problem, and that my appearance wasn’t actually important. Still it took up most of my mind’s space. Around this time a therapist told me this obsession was actually body dysmorphia and was rooted in my trauma.

Fast forward to today, through a lot of self work, therapy, holistic face care, and time, I’m finally able to like my reflection — on most days anyway! I still struggle in moments, but for the most part I am free from being consumed by these insecurities. My greatest passion is having conversations that help us think more critically about our relationship with self, and guiding people (especially women) to break free of these illusory ideas of identity.

By stepping inward to care for ourselves first- physically, mentally, and emotionally, we can finally see the beautiful beings we are—beyond, and including, the way we look.

Subscribe now

The Beyond Beauty Project is for Every Body.

BBP: How did you discover the Beyond Beauty Project, and what initially drew you to it?

Sophia Ha: I found Bridgett on IG. I immediately fell in love with her and her content because her message mirrors so much of what I talk about and believe in. It was obvious she was sincere and speaking her truth, not just trying to gain followers. In today’s world of social media, many people grab onto themes that have gained traction, but they do it for superficial reasons instead of actually caring about the well-being of people. Her message around body appreciation and ownership is something we need more of in this world - especially women.

At some point, many of us realize that living by societal expectations doesn’t feel like our truth.

BBP: Did you experience a turning point when you decided to define your own path? What was that moment like for you?

Sophia: I’ve experienced many turning points, but my earliest memory and one of my most poignant was when I was 16 or 17. I had been wearing loads of MAC makeup to cover my freckles and moles, and I’d been dyeing my hair with blonde highlights in order to keep up with “staying pretty”. My friend Liz, who I spent a lot of time with, was a typically pretty girl. She rarely wore makeup, mostly wore jogging pants, and was the most confident person I’d ever met. I remember feeling envious of her natural beauty, and the attention she got. I desperately wanted to feel the way she seemed to feel - at ease in her own skin. I knew nothing I did to change my appearance was going to change how I actually felt about myself. So I started with attempting to dye my hair back to its natural colour and eventually, sometime within that year, I decided that I was going to stop wearing makeup too. The first few days were frightening, but within a few weeks I felt more liberated - and attractive - than I’d ever felt. I stepped into a confidence, or a self-acceptance I’d never had. I was still insecure, but far less than when I had to put makeup on just to leave the house. I wasn’t willing to be a fake version of myself just to maintain an idea of beauty that was never me. I felt like I’d taken off the mask I’d been hiding behind - and I was showing myself to the world for the first time.

Looking back often brings clarity and compassion.

BBP: If you could speak to your younger self, what would you say about perfectionism and comparing yourself to others?

Sophia: I’d tell her:

Your ideas of perfection stem from comparison. And these ideas are your perception, not reality. Striving to be perfect keeps you trapped in the feeling that you’re not good enough, and stops you from showing up.

What makes someone beautiful, talented, or smart does not take away from your beauty, intelligence, or ability. If you can use comparison for inspiration, to learn about yourself, it becomes a tool for growth. But comparison to validate your insecurities keeps you in a loop of self-hate and self-destruction. Be mindful of how you’re using comparison. Is it stopping you from doing something (or halting your growth), or inspiring you to be your best self? Never forget, perception is everything. You have choice in how you see yourself and the world.

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It’s easy to feel like we’re “behind” in life or not moving fast enough.

BBP: How do you remind yourself that your pace is the right pace for you? Or is this something you’re still learning to navigate?

Sophia: I still struggle with feeling behind in life sometimes. I wasted a lot of time hiding, living in fear and self-hate. But for the most part, I see that era as a great teacher because it’s inspired so much of who I am today. I also recognize that “being behind” is just another conditioned idea—particularly in the Western world. It keeps us in the loop of comparison, perpetuating the idea that we haven’t done enough, or that we should be in a different place in life. Ultimately, I don’t believe there’s such a thing as being behind. We can acknowledge regret and navigate from where we are. It’s never too late until we’re not here.

Our understanding of beauty shifts as we grow.

BBP: How has your perception of beauty changed over the years?

Sophia: I used to see beauty as something that people were blessed with or weren’t. However, I also used to see how my perception of someone’s beauty changed as I got to know them, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. What has become clear is that beauty is a constant evolution of who you are, not what you’re born with. Who someone is through their life, their behaviour towards themselves and others, and how they take care of themselves is reflected in their appearance. We either become more or less beautiful with time and essence.

Authenticity can be a daily practice.

BBP: What helps you stay true to yourself in a world full of expectations?

Sophia: Remembering how much time I spent not creating due to my insecurities, is enough to keep me authentic to myself. It’s not even a conscious thought at this point. It’s become a way of being.

Self-love looks different for everyone.

BBP: How do you practice self-love in your daily life?

Sophia: Self-love looks different each day depending on how I’m feeling. Sometimes it’s journaling in bed, or taking walks in nature. Other days it’s allowing myself to have a good cry and having a lot of honest self-talk.

Subscribe now

Caring for the body is both physical and emotional.

BBP: What are some ways you honor your body—physically, mentally, or emotionally?

Sophia: On a typical day, my morning starts with a quiet meditative walk to help me feel grounded before I see my clients. In the evening, before bed, I stretch and practice some kind of face care—whether it be lymphatic drainage, face yoga, or fascia work. This helps me release tension and gets me to bed feeling calm and relaxed.

BBP: Is there a story, lesson, or mantra that has guided you along the way that you’d like to share with others?

Sophia: Taking care of your body and your mind is the greatest act of radical self-love and ownership you will ever take. It will serve you for as long as you live.

Sophia’s Socials:

IG: @theholisticfacelift

Facebook: The Holistic Facelift

Website:

https://www.theholisticfacelift.com

Listen to Sofia and I’s conversation on her Podcast, ‘The Mirror’

Subscribe to Beyond Beauty Project’s Newsletter to receive exclusive updates on all things BBP!

Join the community

I honor my boundaries without guilt or apology.

Let this affirmation be your invitation to PAUSE.

Return to this in the morning, while journaling or brushing your teeth, during movement to embody it, before bed to let it gently settle in, or anytime you need to come back to yourself. Place it somewhere you’ll see it often.

Journal Prompt:

Where is my heart asking me to say yes more fully—or no more clearly?

How can I allow myself to feel the discomfort of guilt without abandoning my own needs?

Keep your affirmations with you wherever you go with my Dear Body Affirmation Stickers

Browse Here

AUGUST THEME

Trusting Your Inner Wisdom: I trust myself to honor what I know.

There is a quiet voice within you that has always known.

It speaks before fear.
Before other people’s opinions.
Before the pressure to be who you’re expected to be.

But over time, many of us learn to doubt it.

We ask everyone else what they think.
We search for permission.
We second-guess our instincts.
We ignore the feeling in our gut.
We convince ourselves we don’t know enough.

Little by little, we stop trusting the wisdom that has been with us all along.

This month is an invitation to remember.

To reconnect with the truth that’s already within you.

Trust isn’t built by always being certain.

It’s built by listening, honoring, and responding to what you know, even in small ways.

Every Pause this month is an opportunity to quiet the noise, turn inward, and strengthen the relationship you have with your own inner wisdom.

My agency told me I needed to lose weight. I was a size 6 and still postpartum after losing my identical twin girls in my second trimester. In that moment, I took a leap of faith and decided to leave the industry for good.

Being asked to lose weight after everything my body had been through brought into focus something much bigger: so many of us have been taught to believe our bodies need fixing, changing, or shrinking in order to be worthy.

Since launching the Beyond Beauty Project, I’ve continued to deepen my education by learning from incredible teachers in the body image and wellness space, earning certifications in Body Image, Eating Disorders, and Intuitive Eating. Building on my foundation as a Holistic Health Coach, I now help women return home to the bodies they’ve spent years disconnected from.

Beyond Beauty Project is

a modern wellness and body-image platform rooted in embodiment, self-trust, and body respect. Founded on the belief that the body is not a project to fix but a wise home to live inside, BBP helps women move away from pressure, perfection, and control—and toward presence, agency, and sustainable care that supports their real life.

Through coaching, workshops, keynotes, writing, and other curated offerings, Beyond Beauty Project creates space to reconnect with body, mind, and intuition. This work honors bio-individuality, changing bodies, and the truth that wellness begins when pressure ends—inviting people to live well inside themselves, exactly as they are, both individually and collectively.

What Does BBP Offer?

Dear Body Coaching

An intimate, 1:1 experience supporting body confidence and embodied wellbeing, rooted in bio-individual care and a return to your body’s wisdom. We focus on creating sustainable habits that help you feel grounded, supported, and at home in your body.

There are two options to fit your individual needs: a 3-month journey with me, or one-off sessions whenever you feel you could benefit from support.

BBP Collections:

Dear Body Collection

A collection of journals and empowering affirmation stickers designed to turn everyday moments into rituals of presence, gratitude, and self-celebration—reminding you that your body isn’t something to fix, but a being to honor.

Care Collection

Journal prompts, reflections, and practices created to support your body, mind, and life at your pace. A place to begin, return, and deepen your relationship with yourself.

Wellness Collection (ShopMy)

A curated selection of wellness, beauty, and lifestyle products vetted by me through personal experience, research, and values, chosen to support a more embodied, intentional way of living and caring for myself.

Workshops & Events

Workshops and keynotes that help women, young adults, teens, and preteen girls release perfectionism, rebuild self-worth, and reconnect with their bodies, creating space for confidence, clarity, and authentic self-acceptance.

BBP: The Podcast

A library of conversations and reflections that challenge perfectionism and beauty standards through honest storytelling, lived experience, and meaningful dialogue with solo episodes and special guests.

Available on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple

My goal is to help women feel at home in their bodies

Together, we will guide you back to your body’s natural rhythm so you understand how to truly take care of yourself, embracing your worth beyond appearance.

My needs, feelings, and intuition are worthy of my attention.

Let this affirmation be your invitation to PAUSE.

Return to this in the morning, while journaling or brushing your teeth, during movement to embody it, before bed to let it gently settle in, or anytime you need to come back to yourself. Place it somewhere you’ll see it often.

Journal Prompt:

What have I been trying to convince myself to tolerate that no longer feels aligned?

Where in my life am I already honoring my needs, feelings, or intuition?

Keep your affirmations with you wherever you go with my Dear Body Affirmation Stickers

Browse Here

AUGUST THEME

Trusting Your Inner Wisdom: I trust myself to honor what I know.

There is a quiet voice within you that has always known.

It speaks before fear.
Before other people’s opinions.
Before the pressure to be who you’re expected to be.

But over time, many of us learn to doubt it.

We ask everyone else what they think.
We search for permission.
We second-guess our instincts.
We ignore the feeling in our gut.
We convince ourselves we don’t know enough.

Little by little, we stop trusting the wisdom that has been with us all along.

This month is an invitation to remember.

To reconnect with the truth that’s already within you.

Trust isn’t built by always being certain.

It’s built by listening, honoring, and responding to what you know, even in small ways.

Every Pause this month is an opportunity to quiet the noise, turn inward, and strengthen the relationship you have with your own inner wisdom.

I trust the wisdom within me, even when the path isn't fully clear.

Let this affirmation be your invitation to PAUSE.

Return to this in the morning, while journaling or brushing your teeth, during movement to embody it, before bed to let it gently settle in, or anytime you need to come back to yourself. Place it somewhere you’ll see it often.

Journal Prompt:

Where in my life do I already know the answer, but keep looking outside myself for permission?

What does my inner wisdom sound like, and how is it different from fear or self-doubt?

Learn more about my ‘Dear Body’ 1:1 coaching program to strengthen

your connection with your body

Learn More

AUGUST THEME

Trusting Your Inner Wisdom: I trust myself to honor what I know.

There is a quiet voice within you that has always known.

It speaks before fear.
Before other people’s opinions.
Before the pressure to be who you’re expected to be.

But over time, many of us learn to doubt it.

We ask everyone else what they think.
We search for permission.
We second-guess our instincts.
We ignore the feeling in our gut.
We convince ourselves we don’t know enough.

Little by little, we stop trusting the wisdom that has been with us all along.

This month is an invitation to remember.

To reconnect with the truth that’s already within you.

Trust isn’t built by always being certain.

It’s built by listening, honoring, and responding to what you know, even in small ways.

Every Pause this month is an opportunity to quiet the noise, turn inward, and strengthen the relationship you have with your own inner wisdom.

In Week 1, you reflected on the relationship you currently have with your body—and the relationship you hope to build moving forward.

In Week 2, you began noticing the ways your body has been communicating with you through sensations, needs, and signals that are so often overlooked.

In Week 3, you explored what it might look like to honor your body's wisdom one small choice at a time, rather than constantly looking outside yourself for the answers.

The PAUSE helps us become aware.

The PRACTICE helps us build relationship.

Just like any meaningful relationship, trust isn’t created through one conversation. It’s built through consistent moments of listening, responding, and showing up with compassion.

This week is an invitation to do exactly that.

To spend a few quiet moments with one of the longest relationships you’ll ever have.

The relationship with your body.

Bring the Practice Into Everyday Life

This practice isn’t just for quiet mornings or time with your journal.

Return to it whenever you notice yourself slipping back into old patterns of criticism, control, or disconnection.

Come back to this conversation whenever:

• You find yourself criticizing your reflection.

• You ignore hunger, exhaustion, or your need for rest.

• You’re making a decision and aren’t sure what feels aligned.

• You feel disconnected from yourself.

• You catch yourself trying to control your body instead of caring for it.

Each time you pause and listen, you strengthen self-trust.

Read more

I honor my body’s wisdom, one choice at a time.

Let this affirmation be your invitation to PAUSE.

Return to this in the morning, while journaling or brushing your teeth, during movement to embody it, before bed to let it gently settle in, or anytime you need to come back to yourself. Place it somewhere you’ll see it often.

Journal Prompt:

What has my body been asking of me lately?

What’s one small way I can honor that today?

How might my life change if I trusted my body more than outside expectations?

Learn more about my ‘Dear Body’ 1:1 coaching program to strengthen your connection with your body

Learn More

JULY THEME

Returning Home to Your Body: I choose to build a relationship with my body rooted in trust, compassion, and curiosity.

So much of our lives has been spent trying to manage our bodies.

We count calories.
We criticize.
We compare.
We push through exhaustion.
We ignore hunger.
We silence discomfort.
We treat our bodies like projects to perfect instead of partners to know.

Over time, many of us stop having a relationship with our bodies altogether.

This month is an invitation to come home.

Not to change your body.

Not to fix it.

But to begin rebuilding trust with it.

Relationships aren’t built through control.
They’re built through listening.

Every Pause this month is simply another conversation with your body.

Your body begins responding in ways you don’t recognize, and suddenly it feels unfamiliar.

It’s confusing.

And it’s fucking hard.

And if you’re anything like me, you head straight to trying to figure out how to get back to where you were.

You ask yourself:

What am I doing wrong?

How do I fix this?

What am I forgetting?

How do I get my body back?

Am I actually just going crazy?

But what if we’re asking the wrong questions?

What if perimenopause isn’t asking you to get your old body back?

What if it’s an invitation?

An invitation to come home to the woman within you –the one who has been quietly waiting all along.

Waiting for you to slow down.

Waiting for you to ask questions.

Waiting for you to listen.

Waiting for you to honor her.

A wise woman once told me that every relationship is simply one long conversation. So when the communication stops, the relationship stops.

I think one of the most important conversations we’ll ever have is the one we have with our own bodies. But most of us were never taught how to have a relationship with it. Some of us once innately knew, as little girls. But somewhere along the way, and often when we were way too young, we stopped listening.

Instead, we became really good at detaching from our bodies, judging them, and giving instructions. We were taught how to manage them –how to shrink them, how to improve them, and control them. We were never taught how to become curious about them and to honor what our bodies were trying to communicate.

I’ve spent much of my life learning (and unlearning) what it means to be in a relationship with my body, and like every relationship, it has changed and grown over time.

By the time I was five years old, my mom was in a wheelchair due to multiple sclerosis. I grew up competitively dancing and vividly remember thinking around ten years old, I get to leap and jump, and my mom can’t walk. It gave me this deep appreciation for my body and what it could do.

But I also watched my mom’s confidence change as her illness changed her body, and it made me realize how closely women can tie their identity and self-worth to their bodies.

As I got older and found myself modeling full time, I learned quickly what agencies wanted and what clients preferred. I knew exactly how my body looked –but I knew very little about how it felt, how I felt.

Looking back, I realize I wasn’t really in a relationship with my body.

I had a relationship with managing my body.

Somewhere along the way, my measurements quietly became my measure of worth, and every day became another attempt to become just a little bit better. But you don’t have to spend twenty years in the modeling industry to know this feeling.

I see it in women everywhere.

Maybe your body wasn’t your career. Maybe it was the years spent pinching your waist in the mirror. The diets that always started on Monday. The jeans you promised yourself you’d fit back into. The vacation photos you quietly/discreetly sat out of.

Different stories. Same relationship.

There are many seasons that change our bodies. Pregnancy. Motherhood. Illness. Grief. Aging.

But there is one that almost all of us will eventually walk through: Perimenopause.

There is something profoundly different about this season.

Unlike so many of the body changes we’ve experienced before, perimenopause doesn’t simply ask us to adapt to a changing body. The body that once tolerated being ignored no longer does. She asks to be heard. It asks us to reimagine the relationship we’ve been having with it all along. Maybe that’s why it feels so disorienting. Because perhaps this isn’t simply a hormonal transition.

Perhaps it’s an invitation.

An invitation to stop fighting our bodies and begin listening to them. To become curious instead of critical. To ask different questions. To honor needs we’ve spent years dismissing. To set boundaries we’ve been afraid to set.

To come home to the woman you’ve always been beneath the expectations, the performance, and all the versions of yourself you thought you had to become in order to be enough.

Maybe that’s why so many women begin asking deeper questions during this season.

Who am I now?

What do I actually want?

What matters most?

Subscribe now

Somewhere along the way, many of us become experts at abandoning ourselves. We say yes when we mean no. We answer one more email. We volunteer one more time. We care for everyone else before we care for ourselves. We push through exhaustion because that’s what we’ve always done. We become so busy caring for everyone else that we slowly lose the conversation happening inside ourselves.

Then something fascinating begins to happen.

Our bodies and souls (very loudly) begin asking for what it has needed all along: rest, nourishment, space, stillness, honesty.

It asks you to notice what you’ve been overriding. To pay attention to the conversation you’ve been missing. To finally listen.

So perhaps your body isn’t betraying you. Maybe she’s finally telling you the truth. And maybe, for the first time in a long time, she’s asking you to trust her. That’s what makes this season so powerful. Not because it’s easy. Not because it isn’t disruptive. But because it asks us to stop living against ourselves.

To stop seeing our bodies as projects to perfect, and start experiencing them as partners to understand by being in a supportive, compassionate and understanding relationship with them.

The word no begins to come a little easier. The things that once felt like obligations begin to feel like choices. Things that once felt urgent quietly fall away. People-pleasing becomes more exhausting than disappointing someone. Boundaries begin to feel less like selfishness and more like self-respect.

I’ve watched so many women apologize for who they’re becoming during this season.

“I’m just not the same person anymore.”

“I’m more emotional.”

“I don’t have the patience I used to.”

“I don’t have the energy I used to.”

But what if that’s only part of the story?

What if you’re not becoming less yourself? What if you’re becoming less willing to abandon yourself? To self-sacrifice yourself?

Maybe that’s the invitation.

Not to become someone new.

But to finally come home to yourself.

My body deserves to be heard, and I am learning to listen.

Let this affirmation be your invitation to PAUSE.

Return to this in the morning, while journaling or brushing your teeth, during movement to embody it, before bed to let it gently settle in, or anytime you need to come back to yourself. Place it somewhere you’ll see it often.

Journal Prompt:

Where in my life have I been overriding my body’s signals?

When does my body feel the safest?

What sensations tell me “yes”?

What sensations tell me “not right now”?

Download my free ‘7-days to reclaim your beauty & self-worth’ guided journal to deepen your journalling practice this week!

Download Here

JULY THEME

Returning Home to Your Body: I choose to build a relationship with my body rooted in trust, compassion, and curiosity.

So much of our lives has been spent trying to manage our bodies.

We count calories.
We criticize.
We compare.
We push through exhaustion.
We ignore hunger.
We silence discomfort.
We treat our bodies like projects to perfect instead of partners to know.

Over time, many of us stop having a relationship with our bodies altogether.

This month is an invitation to come home.

Not to change your body.

Not to fix it.

But to begin rebuilding trust with it.

Relationships aren’t built through control.
They’re built through listening.

Every Pause this month is simply another conversation with your body.

I choose curiosity over criticism as I reconnect with my body.

Let this affirmation be your invitation to PAUSE.

Return to this in the morning, while journaling or brushing your teeth, during movement to embody it, before bed to let it gently settle in, or anytime you need to come back to yourself. Place it somewhere you’ll see it often.

Journal Prompt:

If my relationship with my body had a name, what would I call it?

How do I usually respond when my body asks for something?

What kind of relationship do I want to have with my body moving forward?

JULY THEME

Returning Home to Your Body: I choose to build a relationship with my body rooted in trust, compassion, and curiosity.

So much of our lives has been spent trying to manage our bodies.

We count calories.
We criticize.
We compare.
We push through exhaustion.
We ignore hunger.
We silence discomfort.
We treat our bodies like projects to perfect instead of partners to know.

Over time, many of us stop having a relationship with our bodies altogether.

This month is an invitation to come home.

Not to change your body.

Not to fix it.

But to begin rebuilding trust with it.

Relationships aren’t built through control.
They’re built through listening.

Every Pause this month is simply another conversation with your body.

Browse my ‘Dear Body’ affirmation stickers to carry with you everywhere you go!

Browse All Stickers

In Week 1, you reflected on your inner world and whether it feels like a safe place to land.

In Week 2, you explored the boundaries that support your peace, energy, and alignment.

In Week 3, you considered the energy you want to carry with you and how the safety you cultivate within can influence the spaces around you.

The Pause brings us Awareness.

But while awareness is powerful, awareness alone isn’t enough.

We strengthen self-trust by practicing what we’ve learned.

So this week, we move from the PAUSE to the PRACTICE.

We are conditioned to look outside of ourselves for answers. Rather than continuing to seek answers externally, we can begin listening to the wisdom already within us.

Our bodies are constantly communicating to us through sensations, emotions, tension, ease, expansion, and contraction. The more we practice listening, the more connected we become to our needs, boundaries, and intuition.

Bring the Practice Into Everyday Life

This Practice isn’t just for quiet moments with your journal. You can carry it with you into everyday life. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, uncertain, fearful, disconnected, or confused around a person or situation, take a moment to check in with yourself.

Return to this practice whenever:
• You feel pressure to say yes before checking in.
• You start comparing yourself to others.
• Guilt shows up when you imagine choosing yourself.
• You feel overwhelmed, uncertain, disconnected, or out of alignment.

PRACTICE staying with yourself long enough to hear what you need.

Continue reading to receive the practice.

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The safety I build within me radiates outward and transforms the rooms I enter.

Let this affirmation be your invitation to PAUSE.

Return to this in the morning, while journaling or brushing your teeth, during movement to embody it, before bed to let it gently settle in, or anytime you need to come back to yourself. Place it somewhere you’ll see it often.

Journal Prompt:

What kind of energy do I want to carry with me, into every interaction and room I walk into?

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​I’m full of gratitude to celebrate Taryn and share her wisdom with you all.

PHOTOGRAPHY: MEG HANSON / Interviewed by Beyond Beauty Project

“Staying true to yourself sometimes means disappointing people or challenging expectations.”

I’m Taryn Brumfitt — 2023 Australian of the Year, founder of the Body Image Movement, filmmaker, author, and global speaker who’s passionate about helping people feel more at home in their bodies. My journey began after years of trying to change my body in pursuit of “perfection.” Even after achieving what I thought was the “ideal” body through bodybuilding, I realised I was still unhappy. That wake-up call made me question why so many of us spend our lives at war with our bodies. What makes me me is my relentless curiosity, my honesty, and my belief that life becomes so much richer when we stop obsessing over how we look and start focusing on how we feel and who we are.

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The Beyond Beauty Project is for Every Body.

BBP: How did you discover the Beyond Beauty Project, and what initially drew you to it?

Taryn Brumfitt: What drew me to the Beyond Beauty Project was the heart behind it. Any platform that encourages people to see their worth beyond appearance immediately resonates with me. We’re living in a time where so many people — especially women and girls — are exhausted by impossible standards and constant comparison. Projects like this create space for honesty, representation and connection, and that’s incredibly powerful.

At some point, many of us realize that living by societal expectations doesn’t feel like our truth.

BBP: Did you experience a turning point when you decided to define your own path? What was that moment like for you?

Taryn: Absolutely. My turning point came after a “before and after” transformation photo I posted online went viral. The shocking part was that my “after” photo — where my body was larger and softer — was actually when I was happiest. In the “before,” I was leaner but consumed by restriction, pressure and self-criticism. That moment forced me to confront the truth: I’d spent years chasing a body I thought would make me worthy and happy. Once I realised shrinking myself wasn’t bringing me joy, I wanted a different story — not just for me, but for my children and others trapped in the same cycle. That post led to more than 7,000 emails from people around the world sharing their own body image struggles. In that moment, I realized this was so much bigger than me — and that I wasn’t alone.

Looking back often brings clarity and compassion.

BBP: If you could speak to your younger self, what would you say about perfectionism and comparing yourself to others?

Taryn: I would tell her that perfection is an illusion, and comparison steals joy. Nobody wins by hating themselves into someone else’s idea of beauty. I spent years believing I needed to fix myself before I could fully live my life. I wish I’d known confidence isn’t something you earn by looking a certain way — it’s something you practise by showing up as yourself.

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It’s easy to feel like we’re “behind” in life or not moving fast enough.

BBP: How do you remind yourself that your pace is the right pace for you? Or is this something you’re still learning to navigate?

Taryn: I think many of us are still learning that. We live in a world where success is measured publicly and busyness is glamorized. But I’ve learned life isn’t a race. Some seasons are about growth, some about rest, some about survival — all of them matter. When I focus on impact, connection and purpose, I stop worrying about keeping up. I’m in a winning phase right now, and it feels good. But my body remembers the grit, setbacks and years of unseen growth. I’ve spent far more time in the struggle than in the success. So if you’re in the thick of it right now, doing the hard work no one sees — I see you. Growth is quiet before it’s visible. Stay the course.

Our understanding of beauty shifts as we grow.

BBP: How has your perception of beauty changed over the years?

Taryn: Beauty used to mean appearance to me — thinness, perfection, Now, it feels deeper. It’s authenticity, kindness, confidence, laughter, resilience, energy and the way you make others feel. Some of the most beautiful people I know are comfortable in their own skin, and make others feel safe to be, too.

Authenticity can be a daily practice.

BBP: What helps you stay true to yourself in a world full of expectations?

Taryn: I constantly come back to my values and why I started this work. The world will always have opinions, trends and expectations, but I’ve learned peace comes from living in a way that feels true to you. Not everyone is going to like you or what you stand for — and that’s okay. You can’t build a meaningful life trying to make everybody comfortable. Staying true to yourself sometimes means disappointing people or challenging expectations. I surround myself with people who value honesty over perfection, and that makes a huge difference.

Self-love looks different for everyone.

BBP: How do you practice self-love in your daily life?

Taryn: For me, self-love is less about bubble baths and affirmations, and more about self-respect and compassion. It’s speaking kindly to myself, setting boundaries, resting when needed, nourishing my body, moving in ways that feel joyful, and allowing myself to take up space without apology. I practise it daily by moving my body, listening to what it needs, and making time for simple rituals — sitting quietly for a few minutes, nourishing myself with foods that give me energy, meditating, and spending time outdoors. Hiking and walking are a big part of my life. If I need to reset, I head to nature — it’s where I feel most grounded. Some days, self-love looks strong and confident. Other days, it’s simply giving myself grace.

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Caring for the body is both physical and emotional.

BBP: What are some ways you honor your body—physically, mentally, or emotionally?

Taryn: I honor my body by listening to it more and fighting it less. I move in ways that feel intuitive and supportive, not as punishment. I prioritize sleep, connection, laughter and time with people I love. Mentally, I make space for peace through meditation and time outdoors. Emotionally, I try to notice when old narratives creep in and gently challenge them. I also honor my body by resting instead of always pushing through, and saying no instead of people-pleasing.

BBP: Is there a story, lesson, or mantra that has guided you along the way that you’d like to share with others?

Taryn: One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is this: your body is not an ornament — it’s the vehicle to your dreams. We get 28,000 days if we’re lucky. That’s not a lot of time, and I deeply respect mine by not wasting it, or sitting on the sidelines of my own life. So many people postpone joy, opportunities and experiences until they change the way they look. But life is happening now. Your worth is not waiting on the other side of weight loss, perfection or approval. We’re constantly bombarded with unrealistic beauty standards, and it’s so important not to internalise them or let them define how we see ourselves. The mantra that holds true for me is: “Your appearance is the least interesting thing about you.” I truly hope more people can experience the freedom that comes with believing that.

Taryn’s Socials:

IG: @bodyimagemovement

LinkedIn: @Taryn Brumfitt

Website:

bodyimagemovement.com

tarynbrumfitt.com

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I set boundaries to protect my energy and my peace.

Let this affirmation be your invitation to PAUSE.

Return to this in the morning, while journaling or brushing your teeth, during movement to embody it, before bed to let it gently settle in, or anytime you need to come back to yourself. Place it somewhere you’ll see it often.

Journal Prompt:

What boundary would create more peace, space, or alignment in my life right now? What fears, feelings, or resistance come up when I think about setting it? How can I communicate this boundary in a way that honors both my needs and my self-worth?

Browse my free Care Collection for more affirmations and journal prompts!

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Long before I had language for it, my body knew when something was a yes… and when it wasn’t.

Even as a kid, I had a hard time ignoring that feeling. My dad used to call me a little pitbull, half-joking, half-proud. If I needed something, I went after it. And if something felt off, I didn’t… I just couldn’t… I couldn’t move on easily. I either pushed it away or stayed with it until it made sense — surely driving my family and friends a little nuts :)

I didn’t have words for it then, but I understand now that my body was always trying to guide me. My intuition didn’t just live in my mind — I felt it in my body.

Somewhere along the way, though, perfection found me. And after years of being critiqued, measured, styled, and learning that even when you nailed it, there was always something left to refine –my intuition slowly started to quiet, and I learned to override my body without even realizing it.

Perfectionism feels a lot like success. Like wellness. Like structure. Like discipline.

And you think you’re in control.

Until one day, you can no longer hear what your body is saying, or what it needs, or what you need.

And life doesn’t always ask. Sometimes it interrupts, and when it does, everything changes.

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For me, that interruption came through loss—miscarriages that left me in a body I no longer understood or trusted. My final loss was losing identical twin girls at five and a half months. My body began asking me, relentlessly begging me, to stop trying to control it and start listening.

Loss doesn’t leave room for perfection or performance, especially the kind that comes from losing your babies, or the kind that comes from losing trust in your own body.

I couldn’t push through. I couldn’t fix it. All I could do was stand where I was — raw, exhausted, undone, and unmistakably myself.

It was absolutely terrifying.

And strangely, I think it might have been the first time in my life that I was completely honest with myself.

That moment cracked me wide open.

And before I could fully process that loss, my body began shifting again in ways I didn’t yet understand. What immediately followed was a season my body entered long before my mind could catch up. I had never felt more confused in my body.

It was the beginning of menopause. I had just turned 42.

Having no idea at the time, but I had my last period on Christmas Eve 2020, and it was intense. I felt like I was hemorrhaging pools of trauma. It felt like my body was releasing something I didn’t understand yet.

It seemed as if everything shifted overnight. Night sweats. Brain fog. Workouts I could no longer keep up with. A body that no longer responded the way I wanted it to.—one that felt unfamiliar, and at times, hard to trust. A body I could no longer control.

I was confused, depressed, and vulnerable.

At the same time, we moved to a neighborhood that felt very different from the life I’d known for 25 years in New York City. Suddenly, I found myself in a rhythm I couldn’t quite keep up with — routines, appearances, and social calendars that moved faster than I could.

The version of me who once kept up quietly started to step aside.​

Completely confused by my new body and foggy brain, I did what I always do when something matters —my pitbull persistence showed up, and I stayed with it.

Doctor appointments. Late-night Google searches. Questions. Prayers. Tears. Researching over and over, trying to understand what my body was asking for — what it needed.

A new version of me began to emerge, and I was rediscovering her like an old friend. I had to be kind and accepting of her. I had to listen to her. And in many ways, I was meeting her for the first time.

I was getting there.

And then Lyme disease dropped me to my knees.

Last summer slowed me in ways I couldn’t negotiate with. My energy completely disappeared. My body demanded rest — not the kind you think you’ve earned, but the kind that arrives without permission. Another interruption.

For the first time, I didn’t even try to keep up. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I couldn’t.

My body needed sleep.

It needed quiet.

It needed to heal.

It needed me.

Lyme stripped away whatever illusion of control I had left. There was no pushing through it, no bargaining my way back to who I had been.

At one point, I thought I might be dying. “Is this the end?”

I spent the summer in pain and out of it, hooked up to IVs, on malaria medications, sleeping 16 hours a day.

My body felt like it was starting to shut down. I had lost feeling in my feet, my balance was so bad I had to hold on to things, I couldn’t pick up a water bottle with my right arm, I couldn’t remember anything, and my speech would slur if I was tired.

I kept asking myself, What is happening? How did this happen?

And I cried. I cried more last summer than I had in my entire life.

I would encourage my husband and daughter out of the house, and I would just sob. I needed to let something out.

And then somewhere through all the tears, I began to realize — I hadn’t been listening. And when you don’t listen in a relationship, it breaks down. As my therapist taught me years ago, relationships are one long conversation.

I had been ignoring the relationship with my own body.

My body hadn’t failed me; it had been communicating all along.

I began to see that while I hadn’t caused what my body was going through, I had lost connection with it, missing the quieter signals asking for care.

There was grief too—grief for the ease I once had, for the version of me who always did what she wanted without thinking twice about the consequences.

But I started to feel a strange, unknowing relief, too, as I let go.

I had stopped even trying to keep up.

And my body finally exhaled.

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That season didn’t just change my body. It changed the way I live inside it.

And maybe, quietly, there’s a knowing that this version of me, the one who listens, who pays attention, might be the healthiest I’ve ever been because beneath all the unraveling, something steady remained. A stronger foundation. A clearer sense of who I am and what I want — a knowing that felt familiar, like something I had trusted as a child.

And if I’m being honest, I don’t know that I would have found my way back any other way but being brought to my knees last summer. I was so used to managing and controlling my body that I likely would have kept returning to that.

But as the layers fell away, like peeling an onion, everything unnecessary disappeared. It wasn’t something I created, but something I am returning to as I consciously listen to what I need.

I don’t move faster than my body allows anymore.

I don’t chase wellness or success as proof of worth.

I don’t confuse exhaustion with achievement.

I don’t say yes when my body is telling me no.

I don’t abandon myself.

And while I wouldn’t choose to go through it again, I can say this: standing fully in who I was — exactly where I was — changed everything.

Not because it was graceful

But because it was real.

It was super messy and really hard, but it was mine.

Slowly, things have begun to settle.

I’m moving again, but it’s different this time. I’m more aware and more honest.

I go to a workout class every Monday and Friday that humbles me. I laugh at myself and my balance, something that used to come so easily growing up as a dancer. And the strength I once took for granted is something I’m rebuilding, little by little, but this time, with a different kind of respect.

From the outside, no one would notice. But I do. Because my relationship with my body is stronger now, it’s more in tune, more aware, and more balanced.

And for the first time, I feel really proud of the relationship I have built with myself and my body, not because of how I perform or how I look, but because of how I listen to myself.​

I’ve spent years studying bodies, talking about bodies — helping others feel more at home in their body.

But this changed something. Everything really.

It deepened the way I listen. The way I understand. The way I show up.

Because when you’ve lived it, when your body has brought you to your knees and back again, you don’t just teach it or share it with others.

You carry it deep within.

With love,

Bridgett

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My inner world is a place I choose to protect and nurture.

Let this affirmation be your invitation to PAUSE.

Return to this in the morning, while journaling or brushing your teeth, during movement to embody it, before bed to let it gently settle in, or anytime you need to come back to yourself. Place it somewhere you’ll see it often.

Journal Prompt:

What does my inner world feel like right now? Is it a place I feel safe in?

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I am perfectly imperfect.

Let this affirmation be your invitation to PAUSE.

Return to this in the morning, while journaling or brushing your teeth, during movement to embody it, before bed to let it gently settle in, or anytime you need to come back to yourself. Place it somewhere you’ll see it often.

Journal Prompt:

What makes me irreplaceable in the way I love, show up, and move through the world?

Browse my free Care Collection for more affirmations and journal prompts!

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I am human, and I am perfect just the way I am.

Let this affirmation be your invitation to PAUSE.

Return to this in the morning, while journaling or brushing your teeth, during movement to embody it, before bed to let it gently settle in, or anytime you need to come back to yourself. Place it somewhere you’ll see it often.

Journal Prompts:

Where do I still seek validation instead of trusting my own voice?

What parts of myself deserve appreciation, even if I’ve struggled to see them as beautiful?

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