Compared to Who? Body Image for Christian Women

My guest today is my friend Shawna Sullivan. We have a wildly fun conversation about how to start seeing your life differently--through, what Shawna calls, the lens of investment. Now, before you think this is about money or finance--let me encourage you. Today's show is all about how you live in light of the Gospel. Shawna lived in Manhattan for more than a decade and learned some invaluable less...

Today's show is a must listen. It features a conversation with two of my coaching clients--Angela and Kim. You're going to be blessed by their stories! They're real women who had real body image struggles and are now walking in new freedom! Angela is a married, working mom in her late 30s who has struggled with dieting, compulsion to follow all the food "rules," and other food, body, and exercise...

Well, you did it! You completed all 25 days of the Spring Break Free: Body Image Freedom Course! (I hope, if you cheated and watched this one first, I still love you. Just go back and catch up on what you missed when you have some time.) Today I really hope you'll catch the truth of what FREEDOM truly looks like. Catch up on any episodes or questions you missed here: https://comparedtowho.me/categ...

Only 1 day left in the Spring Break Free Series. Today, we're going to talk about some practical ways you can prepare your heart for swimsuit season. Everywhere you look you'll find tips this month on how to get your BODY ready for summer. But, how do you prepare your heart for swimsuit season? If you are a woman who struggles with her body image and has a hard time not comparing herself with all...

Community. What is that anyway? It's a bit of a modern Christian "buzz word" but what does it really mean? Let me break it down for you. Community requires you to be a part of a group of people who know your name. People who care about you. People who know you and about your stuff (even the stuff you aren't proud of.). It requires you having friends and being a friend. Community is hard. It can be...

Are you guilty of comparison? Don't feel bad. Most of us are. It's hard, in our culture, not to compare ourselves to others. I mean, gracious, we see their lives in front of us all day long. It used to be you could only compare yourself to those folks you ran into during the week. Now, we can see all of our friends' lives, around the world, all.day.long. What makes matters worse is that most of us...

Food. I'd rather not talk about food. Okay, I guess that's not true. I talk about everything--maybe a little too honestly. But, I just wrote this post confessing my affection for Bark Thins and how quickly they seem to disappear in my house (although I won't let anyone else touch the bag!). In that post I also shared with you some information on the book I mention in today's video. It's called "Fu...

I taught fitness classes for over a decade and I saw it every week. One night though, it really scared me. That was the night when we got off the spin bikes to stretch and she fell over. She got off the bike and next thing I knew, she was on the ground. She had a friend with her. For this I was glad, because the friend was the only one able to give me any information. "Are you okay? What happened?...

Ahh . . . clothes. I love clothes. Well, sometimes I love them. Other days, I hate them. I look at my closet and search through my drawers and physically feel like there's no possible way anything will fit. Clothes have this funky connection to my body image. Sometimes they help me feel "better" (or so I think . . .) other days, they "make me" feel worse (or so I blame. . .). I spent decades shopp...

In today's episode of the Spring Break Free - we talk about sex and body image. If you've ever thought someone wanting you, physically, would solve your body image issues--this episode is a much watch or listen. Is there a connection between sex and body image? Whether you are single or married, you may be surprised to learn how intertwined they can be in the lives of some women. Listen or visit t...

Is there one habit that's potentially worse than all others for your body image? I think so . This habit will destroy your body image. Even if you make progress . . .if you slip back into doing this, you'll likely find yourself right back in the pit of despair over your looks and size. What am I talking about? Catch up on what you missed or get your daily discussion questions here: https://compare...

There's one habit that you need to do, every day, if you really want to experience lasting freedom and change in the arena of your body image. Want to stop comparing yourself to others? Want to feel truly free to love and be loved? Want to get out of the pit of despairing of your size, shape, cellulite or other body woes? Then you need to do this one thing. I'm serious. It works. Most women (even...

We've all heard the over-used definition of insanity. "Trying the same thing, over and again, and expecting different results." No one really knows who said it, but we all know it's true. If you're like me, you've tried all the diets, the fitness gimmicks and maybe even the weight loss pills. You've tried convincing yourself that your true value is found on the inside and that you are more than yo...

It's Spring Break Free Day 14! Today we'll wrap up our talk about idolatry with a discussion about what questions you need to ask to see that those idols are ousted from your life. Listen above or watch Heather talk about body image idolatry in today's video: Question for reflection: Use the two questions in the video as your questions for today. They are: What does beauty mean to me? (What would...

Once you've identified that your heart tends to make and worship idols, what do you do? How do you get rid of the idols of the heart? Should it be encouraging or discouraging to find and uproot these idols? Listen above or watch today's video from 2017 to learn more:   Questions for reflection: Do I believe that salvation comes from Christ alone or do I believe that "things" or "people" or "happin...

God surprised me a few years ago with a concept I never learned about in church. Okay, that's not entirely true. Of course I had heard about idolatry in church. But, I knew I didn't have to worry about breaking that commandment. We didn't have a single statue in our home! When I learned what modern day idolatry actually looked like . . .Boy! Was I surprised.  Here's how to recognize an idol in tod...

In today's video I tell you about a girl from Orange County, California who went to a Tony Robbins' event. She tells Tony that she's unable to control her eating habits and she wants to do better. That's why she's at his meeting. (For context, let me assure you that a size four dress would have hung loosely on her petite figure.) In today's video I talk about what it is we all long for. Why beauty...

Have you watched the Biggest Loser ? If not, it's still likely you know the premise. Contestants participate in a weight loss competition. The "weigh ins" combined with team voting determine who stays with the program and who gets the boot. I was a success story JUNKIE. I loved before and after photos and journaled accounts of how women changed their bodies. Did they cut down on carbs or add more...

There's a wonderful song by Big Daddy Weave called, "Story" watch it first before viewing today's video! For years and years, I believed that I didn't have a story. I was a "good girl." I didn't have a dramatic testimony of salvation from the depths of drug abuse or alcoholism. I wasn't a hardened criminal who saw the light and softened my heart. It seemed my testimony was as bland as bland could...

During the last few days you've heard me share about the things I tried and thought would fix my body image issues . . .and how each of them failed. Today, I share how brokenness and the revelation of body image idolatry transformed my story. Watch it here: Question for Reflection Do you believe that God's will for our lives is not for us to stay stressed over our physical appearance? How can you...

Marriage didn't fix my body image issues. In some ways, it may have made them worse! But, there was still something I hadn't tried. I knew if I could just get pregnant, then, somehow, I'd feel better about my body. After all, in my mind, pregnant women didn't need to worry about how they looked. They had a baby growing in them! What an awesome job and responsibility. How could anyone nurturing a b...

Yesterday, I shared one way I (ineffectively) tried to fix my body image. Truth is, after I tried and it failed, I wasn't all that surprised. Why? Because I knew the real reason I wasn't happy with my body had to be because I was single. Deep down I was sure if I just had a man, all these body image issues would evaporate without a trace. Boy was I wrong. Hear all about it and read about it on the...

It's Day Five of our Spring Break Free! Today, I share what I thought would fix my body image. It's almost embarrassing now . . . I can't believe how naive I was to think this would ACTUALLY work. But, I tried it.  Some of you will think it was extreme  . . . All I can tell you is: It didn't work. Watch today's video for more: Question for reflection Did you ever believe that people who were in gr...

Do you know how to spot a woman with body image issues? Do you know what she looks like? Is she thin? Overweight? Is she wearing make-up? Or has she never set foot in a Sephora? Does she spend lots on her hair and nails or are those salons places she'd never visit. Is she in her thirties, forties, or as young as middle or high school? My answer: Yes. Women with body image issues don't meet a parti...

In today's installment of the Spring Break Free we will take a look at why body image issues are so hard to fix! There are seemingly so many "solutions" out there as to how to stop stressing over your body. Body love, body pride, body transformation--each of these "solutions" is sold to us as an effective cure. But what if the real problem with our body image has nothing to do with our actual bodi...