Welcome to the Self-Love Club

Self-Love

isn’t a magic switch — it’s a practice, a choice, and a daily act of courage that reminds you you are enough.

I'm going to get straight to the brutally honest part…

I struggle with self-love. For years, I didn't think I had it in me. I spent so much time looking outward — seeking worth from other people's opinions, other people's approval — only to realize that no amount of outside validation fills the gap when you don't show up for yourself first. Self-love isn't something you stumble upon. It takes hard work. Heart work.

The world is loud about who we should be, and a lot of that noise sounds like not enough. Not enough time, not enough talent, not enough done. I've believed those lies more than I'd like to admit — and honestly, some days I still do.

A few years ago….

After a long season of burnout, my husband and I moved to Virginia. Suddenly I had space — real space — and I didn't know what to do with it. I had spent so long running that slowing down felt uncomfortable, even suspicious. Slowly, I started learning what showing up for myself actually looked like. Not the Instagram version of self-care, but the quiet, unglamorous kind: choosing a community that genuinely saw me, letting myself rest without earning it first, saying kind things to myself on days I didn't believe them yet.

For me, a huge piece of that was finding Innisfree Village — a place I've now called a second family for almost eight years. I didn't just find community there. I found myself. I found out what it felt like to belong somewhere not because of what I produced, but just because I showed up. That's when I started to understand that self-love isn't a destination you arrive at. It's a direction you keep choosing.

SELF-LOVE

is a journey, not a destination.

Here’s what I’ve Learned…

Self-love is almost always smaller than we think it needs to be. It's not a retreat or a revelation. It's a sticky note on the mirror. It's saying no to something that drains you. It's putting on earrings you love before you feel like you've earned the right to wear them — and letting that small act be enough for today.

My husband has this gift of noticing the victories I skip over. A piece that finally sold after sitting in the shop for two years. A post that connected with someone. A hard day I showed up for anyway. He'll say did you notice that? and I'll realize I already moved on to the next thing I haven't done yet. Celebrating small wins isn't vanity — it's how you build the evidence that you're worth showing up for.

If I’m Honest…

That's a lot of what I'm making jewelry for—not just beautiful objects — but tiny, wearable reminders. When you put on something that feels like you — not the performing version, not the coping version, just you — that's a whole philosophy in miniature. It's choosing yourself, quietly, in the middle of an ordinary day. And those ordinary-day choices are where self-love actually lives.

So here’s your official invitation…

You're already a member of the Self-Love Club. There are no prerequisites, no secret handshakes, no having-it-all-together requirements. The only thing membership asks is that you keep choosing yourself — imperfectly, inconsistently, and on the hard days especially.

You are enough. You have always been enough.

Want to Go Deeper?

I recorded a whole podcast episode on this — and honestly, it was the hardest one I've made yet. Six drafts, three recordings, a lot of feelings. It lives in the Soul Friends newsletter. If you want to hear it, come join us.