Are you hard on yourself? Same. Read this.

I’ve been chatting with a lot of my clients lately about self-love.

And honestly, it seems to be a conversation that keeps coming up over and over again.

So many women spend their days taking care of everyone else—their kids, their spouse, their job, their home—that they forget they deserve the same care, compassion, and grace they so freely give to others.

Somewhere along the way, many of us learned that loving ourselves means we're settling. That if we're happy with ourselves now, we won't keep growing.

But self-love and self-improvement can exist at the same time.

You can love your body while still working to get stronger.You can appreciate where you are while still striving for better health.You can be proud of yourself and still have goals.

In fact, I've found that growth is much more sustainable when it comes from a place of self-respect rather than self-criticism.

One of my clients reminded me of this during her check-in at 37 weeks pregnant and shared this:

"Relaxing can be sitting and reading or taking a walk. It can be both."

Such a simple statement, but such an important reminder.

We often create rigid rules for ourselves:

✔️ Rest has to look a certain way.

✔️ Exercise has to be intense to count.

✔️ Productivity determines our worth.

But life isn't that black and white.

Sometimes self-care is sitting on the couch with a book.

Sometimes it's getting outside for a gentle walk.

Sometimes it's saying no.Sometimes it's asking for help.

Sometimes it's choosing movement because it makes you feel good, not because you're trying to "earn" your food.

This summer, I want to encourage you to stop waiting until you reach a certain weight, size, fitness level, or milestone before you decide you're worthy of love.

You don't have to earn it.

You are allowed to love yourself today.

You are allowed to take care of yourself today.

You are allowed to celebrate how far you've come while still working toward where you want to go.

We could all use a little more self-love.

So go on—love yourself this summer. It's okay. 💜