http://www.radicalselfacceptancecoaching.com/

Spark the Phoenix Within, San Rafael, CA (2026)

10/22/2024

Over the past 6 years, October 22nd has become the most impactful day of the year for me.

10/22/18 is when I quit alcohol for good.

10/22/19 is when my mentor & friend, Lynn Knudson, lost her years-long battle w/cancer.

10/22/22 was the celebration of life for my dear friend, Natahne Arrowsmith, on what would’ve been her 48th birthday - another life ended much too soon. F**k cancer.

10/22/23 was the day we brought Macha aka Little Girl into our family

October 22nd is a day full of emotions for me - some empowering & some heartbreaking, some happy & some filled w/grief. It has come to symbolize my journey out of the darkness & into the light. Reading my FB memories this morning was a beautiful glimpse into the past. To see what I felt compelled to write about each year. It was really validating to read my post from 3 years ago about embracing radical self-acceptance - a concept that is so near & dear to my heart that I literally created my new radical self-acceptance coaching business around it! In that same post, I talked about leaning into the feelings tsunami - a topic that is so important to me that my course has an entire module on it. I don’t always have a great concept of time so it’s awesome to get that confirmation that I have been working towards my present for years - it’s not just something I came up on a whim & ran with it. I really have been walking the walk for quite some time now.

October 22nd has become a day of reflection for me. Even more so than my birthday or New Year’s Day. Probably because there’s a lot of pressure (both external & internal) to “start the new year off right.” And I fully admit that I have never done well w/pressure. 😃 So, instead of continuing to try to force myself to reflect on the coming year on those traditional “1st day of the new year” days, 10/22 has become that day for me in a truly organic & authentic way. Which is quite poetic really because the only way things truly slip into place for me is in an organic, authentic way, usually on a subconscious level.

So on this day of reflection, I want to thank everyone who has supported me throughout the years. I have been able to show my true self to the world - the good, the bad & the ugly - because I know I have such an amazing support system in place. One that will not let me fail. One that will not judge me or reject me for speaking my truth. One that will help me up when I falter. I have the privilege of being able to speak about difficult topics & experiences in my life in an unfiltered, no-holds-barred way because of you. And I take that privilege VERY seriously. I use my voice to speak for those who, for whatever reason, cannot.

I am happy to light the way for others in hopes that by witnessing my journey, they will find the confidence to do the same. I know that what I do matters as I’ve seen it happen. This is exactly why I chose to begin a totally new career at the tail end of my 40s. To take a chance & invest in myself. So that I may use my platform to teach other women on a bigger scale how to love & accept themselves just as they are, right in this moment, warts, scars & all.

💛🧡❤️