Hi! It’s me, Natalie. The woman behind this blog, social media, the weekly recipes, and most of all behind it all. Here I am, totally and completely at my most natural state. No makeup, no blow dryer, no fancy clothes. Just me. On a sunday. With my dog. On my yoga matt. At peace. At home.

I have felt such a connection to the world around me every since I started to open myself up and become “vulnerable Natalie.” Slowing moving away from my super controlled self has opened me up to so much magic. That is why I am writing this blog post today. To remind women to wake up and fall in love with themselves, everyday.

Fall in love with your life, whatever it may be. Stand tall and be proud of who you are and what you’ve done. Smile often. Don’t be afraid to open up, tell your story and connect with the person standing next to you in yoga, at work, at the gym, at the grocery store, or on a blog. Allow people to come into your life who were never there before. Move away from your super controlled self that never seems to be truly happy. Let go of whatever it is you cannot change and begin to listen to the positive thoughts and feelings more than the negative ones that always seem to get in the way.

I guess you could say I have alot to say on the topic of self-love, mostly because of what I have been through the past 4 years of my life. The gradual yet impactful steps I have taken to get where I am on my matt, in my mind and in my life. Allowing people to follow along on my journey with the hopes of aspiring others to open up and follow there dreams, just the same.

I started this blog almost a year ago. Not to preach, or write about the ups and downs, twists and turns of my life. But to share all of the happy sides of me. The beautiful, delicious recipes, the smiles of myself and Jordan as we continue down this thing called life together and of course adding in a few, very necessary photos of my gorgeous pooch who is 100 percent photogenic among many other things.

Until one day, something came over me to do more. To say more. To show more. To really tell you who I am and why I’m here. This blog became much more than I ever anticipated and by following my heart and opening up to the world about my struggles and battles with an eating disorder and that fear of not being perfect, I have met countless women who are now some of my absolute best friends and angels in my life.

I will admit, I am a very happy person and ultimately I strive to be a positive, radiating spirit to myself and the people around me. This happiness and energy I have balled up inside of me is because of the decisions and sacrifices I have made to become the woman I always dreamed of being. I was able to really focus in on “self-discovery” and what that truly means. Once I started to discover myself, that anxiety that I made myself believe would never disappear suddenly started to dissipate. I slowly started to open my eyes and see life differently. That was when I discovered that healthy living is much more than what you eat. It’s about living a life that isn’t measured by calories, dollars, followers and productivity. It’s about realizing that you are unique and you have your own passions. You have your pace, your own values, beliefs, relationships and most of all you have your own heart. The one that tells you whats right and whats wrong.

If I can narrow down on what you should ultimately take away from this blog post today it would be quite simple.

Don’t feel like you ever have to do what other people are doing in order to be happy or successful. Trust in your passion, build your own self-confidence and take pride in what you do. I truly believe that everyone is able to be successful as long as your passionate and willing to work hard. With that said, don’t ever settle for anything. Live your life with intention and realize that as your life changes so do your passions. Focus on what makes you the happiest version of yourself and I promise you, you will get to the top of that mountain. It definitely won’t be easy and you may or may not want to take a few short cuts but hunny, don’t run. The top of the mountain will always be there and when your ready you will take those risks and you will battle those damn demons to get where you need to be. Just make sure you choose to connect with the people who support you and love you and most of all connect with yourself. Make every step have a purpose, a meaning and a memory.

Don’t ever forget this is your journey and no one else’s.

Happy Wednesday!