Thirty Flirty And Thriving Letter
THIRTY, FLIRTY AND THRIVING - A LETTER TO MY 13 YEAR OLD SELF FROM 30 YEAR OLD ME
10 / JULY / 2024
SHEREE'S HEALTH DIARIES
Dear Little One,
Right now, you don’t feel so little. So much is changing, your skin is breaking out, your hormones are going haywire, all you want is attention from the cute boy a couple years older than you at school and your parents just separted.
Life is f*cken tough. Yet, you also feel invincible.
I look at you through my eyes now and see the strength you had, the resilience you showed and the confidence you shared with the world even all those years ago.
It’s funny how I am actually in awe of you. I remember how loud, outgoing and extroverted you were, unafriad to be seen, heard and lead. You’ve always been this way, even as a 5 year old. And I absolutely adore you for it.
Somewhere along the way I lost that part of you… I let the judgement of others, the disappointments, missed opportunities, the fear take over and get the better of us, and for that I am so sorry.
I let others dim your light, knock your confidence and taught you to hide in the shadows instead of owning your worth.
It has taken almost a decade of healing, opening old wounds, reliving old memories, acknowledging all parts of ourself even the ugly ones to really step back into a space where we know that we are truly loved and enough simply because we exist, regardless of any kind of external validation or expectations.
You are a diamond… FUCKEN PRICELESS and anyone who tells you otherwise isn’t worth a second thought. I am so sorry that I didn’t always have your back on this, but thank you for being the example I needed in my life to see that it has always been there.
I often think of the song ‘Little Me’ by Little Mix…
“I'd tell her to speak up, tell her to shout out, talk a bit louder, be a bit prouder
Tell her she's beautiful, wonderful, everything she doesn't see
You gotta speak up, you gotta shout out, and know that right here, right now
You can be beautiful, wonderful, anything you wanna be… Little me”
And think to myself - we all need to offer a little more kindness to ourselves, show more self-compassion and talk to ourselves like you’d talk to your younger self, the beautiful, innocent, sweet little one that sees the world through heart-centred lenses. What advice would you give yourself even if it was only going back a few years?
The funny thing is… My little one actually spoke her mind, showed up authentically and was happy to be a bright light for others to see. It was the later teen years, the bullying, the rejection, the eating disorder, the attempt to control my life through food, the heartbreak, the absent father that slowly made me recoil into my shell, but I am grateful as anything that she didn’t stay tucked away.
So on my 30th birthday, I celebrate you little one. I celebrate the fact that you were the only gift I needed and I am so happy that over the years I have reclaimed those parts of me that you always knew how to shine, piece by piece. With the help of family, friends, mentors and coaches.
Here is to showing up as our best selves, in every sense of the word. I see women every single day, every single age battling this sense of self worth. This need to be enough and believing it is something that comes from outside of them, when in reality the truth is, she’s always been there, you just needed to witness her.
So be brave, take the leap, become thirty, flirty and thriving or maybe its sixty, sexy and strong. Whatever your authentic self looks like, you owe it to her no matter what age or stage of life you are in to let your light shine bright. I know it can be scary, but you don’t have to do it alone.
I will leave you with some words of wisdom…
“You are loved just for being who you are, just for existing. You don’t have to do anything to earn it. Your shortcomings, your lack of self-esteem, physical perfection, or social and economic success—none of that matters. No one can take this love away from you, and it will always be here… We’re all just walking each other home.” - Ram Dass
With Love Always,
Sheree xo
SHEREE BEAUMONT
Holistic Nutritionist, Personal Trainer & Wellness Coach I empower women like you to transform their lives, understand their bodies and feel their best from the inside out!
POPULAR
The Mineral You Need To Optimise Your Sleep
THE MINERAL YOU NEED TO OPTIMISE YOUR SLEEP
03 / APRIL / 2024
SHEREE'S HEALTH DIARIES
Studies have shown low levels of serum magnesium (magnesium in your blood) are associated with low quality sleep and insomnia
I’ve been saying this for years, and this article expands on the role magnesium plays in regulating our circadian rhythm.
If you’re struggling with your sleep, chances are your circadian rhythm is out of alignment and your cortisol and melatonin are out of sync. There’s a lot we can do to reset this, like sunshine exposure, adjusting caffeine timing, balancing blood sugar levels, blue light blocking glasses, dimming the lights at night etc…
But these things take time, it doesn't take just a week to throw your circadian rhythm off, so it can be a few weeks before things start to settle and regulate. Which we both know, when it comes to sleep, lying awake at night is not fun, you just want to sleep now. This is where magnesium comes in.
HOW MAGNESIUM SUPPORTS YOUR SLEEP
All in all, magnesium (especially when combined with B6), can be really supportive in supporting falling asleep, regular sleep patterns and calming the nervous system.
Here’s why this is something you need to know...
The more stressed you are, the more magnesium you use, and with your day to day stress you're burning through a lot more magnesium than you can get with food
Which is a contributing factor to not getting good quality sleep. If you’re stressed, you start to throw out your cortisol levels, reducing your melatonin production in the evening and this is what can often result in that ‘wired but tired’ feeling!
So you struggle to fall asleep, wind up waking up tired, feeling unrested and dragging your feet to get through the day, relying on caffeine for energy (which also depletes your magnesium). Not the best cocktail for us to feel optimal right?!
Magnesium helps you calm your nervous system, bringing down the cortisol and helps you shift into your parasympathetic state which then supports you in falling asleep.
It also helps prevent and soothe cramps, reduce sugar cravings and speed up recovery from training. All of which are even more beneficial at night time, am I right? Waking up to a calf cramp at 3am is excruciating. Not to mention when you sleep you are repairing and the magnesium helps optimise that.
Magnesium is responsible for over 300 different functions in the body, so getting enough daily will make a huge difference to not only your sleep, but energy as well.
MY DOSAGE RECOMMENDATION
Weekly wellness prescription: add ~300mg of magnesium (bis)glycinate to your evening routine. If you want a great quality brand, just DM me here and I can share with you the ones I love that are available in your country and watch your sleep improve tenfold!
With love,
Sheree xo
SHEREE BEAUMONT
Holistic Nutritionist, Personal Trainer & Wellness Coach I empower women like you to transform their lives, understand their bodies and feel their best from the inside out!
POPULAR
Top 5 Takeaways From NZ Spirit Festival
TOP 5 LESSONS IN SPIRITUAL WELLNESS FROM ATTENDING NZ SPIRIT FEST - and why they matter to your spiritual well-being
20 / MARCH / 2024
SHEREE'S HEALTH DIARIES
Camping, cacao, dance parties, ceremonies, immersed in nature, drug and alcohol free - a festival where Wellness meets ‘Woo’ as I would call it. NZ Spirit Fest was an incredible experience and one I will never forget. I am grateful I was able to fully immerse myself in the entirety of the 3 nights and 3 full days I spent there, and these are the top 5 lessons I wanted to share with you 😀
MY TOP 5 LESSONS
1. Dance… more
Ironically in the past week I have not been the only one to notice this, in fact numerous scientific studies have been brought to my attention (hello universe), that support what I am about to say. So before you skim over this one… I encourage you to look at the evidence here.
Dance was shown in one study by the BMJ to be the top form of exercise in reducing depression.
Another was linked to significant improvements in body composition in people who were overweight or obese.
Another found it was just as effective at improving the quality of life in people with Parkinson’s as any other form of exercise, also reducing anxiety, and improving depression symptoms.
Further research supports that dance was superior to other forms of exercise in relation to improvements in motivation, memory and social cognition.
But that’s not the best part, sure the science is there, which is amazing, but the personal reason this was one of the biggest lessons for me, was it was a form of true expression. It helps me become super present, tap into my feminine and move energy somatically (we actually did a 2 hour somatic dance workshop at NZ Spirit that was incredibly empowering).
Dance has always been part of my life, there have been chapters when there has been more than others, however dance, especially somatic which is a form I am really loving leaning into (both after a workshop in the US and here), to see the benefits mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.
In both instances I had amazing downloads, creative ideas, and insights about myself. I notice when I attend my Monday night Hip Hop class I get bursts of creativity, and clarity as well as the incredible endorphin high.
Dance is so much more than movement, or exercise, in fact I don’t even see it as part of my training routine for my body, it is for my heart, soul and spirit and to feel connected to my essence and self.
So… will you try a dance class or even blast your favourite song and have a little dance party in your living room?
2. Gratitude for my Mother
This one deserves a blog of its own, but it is also super personal so I am going to keep it short and sweet.
One of the biggest inner workings we can do in our life is to heal the mother and father wounding that we have been exposed to. This is present in everyone, because there is wounding either from an unmet need (often done unconsciously by our parents or because of their own wounding), or from trauma.
This is not to blame our parents in any way, it is my core belief that they did the best they knew how to at the time, and it is our job to undo the conditioning that is holding us back from leading the life we wish to lead.
That being said, it was overwhelming to hear and witness stories from all different workshops and people of how under nurturing their mother was during their childhood. Again, there is no judgement or shame, it just really brought awareness to the fact that I was so deeply blessed to have a mother that nurtured me so deeply in a way I could feel and receive her love. Despite not receiving the same from my father, it was a beautiful reminder and awareness of what an incredible upbringing I had.
There was always a lot of affection, praise and connection as well as fun in my household with my mum around and whilst at times I would consider this nurturing a little over-nurturing I am eternally grateful that I experienced it, because it has shaped me into the nurturing, empathetic and caring person I am today.
My business and work with clients is always heart-centred, and it is reflected to me often. I know I still have a lot of work to do on the mother and father wounds, because heck, we aren’t raised perfectly. But I share this to encourage you to reflect on not only the inner work that needs to be done, but on the gifts you were given during your childhood - there are gifts in the trauma too.
3. Community is everything
We are all craving for a sense of love and belonging, it is one of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (see image below). And I can honestly say that there’s only been a few times and places I have truly felt that deep sense of belonging and acceptance.
The first being when I had my work family at Les Mills Howick, the second was my trip to the USA last year and connecting with the women who I’d come to love as sisters over the years, and finally the weekend just had at NZ Spirit.
I have evolved in my beliefs and as a human in this time, and so has my friendship groups and circles, but nothing compared to being in a room full of people at midnight, sober, dancing to some epic beats after having done a sound journey, somatic dance, talked about microdosing and having an abundance of energy from ceremonial cacao… and it all being normal.
There was no judgement, just acceptance and good vibes from everyone. My soul was lit up from this, I walked away from the 3 days with my heart full and feeling like I belonged.
Now this sort of vibe may not be your cup of tea, but I share this because I finally felt like part of a community (and a local one at that). And that feeling was profound. It’s also exactly why community is such a huge part of the programs I run, being able to connect with and share your journey, support, insights, and receive from other like-minded individuals actually fast-tracks our growth, healing and results because we feel safe enough to be ourselves.
4. Healing to Bliss
In every workshop I attended there were tears of some sort, you could either hear it, see it, or feel it coming from those around you. This is because energy was moving through people, they felt safe to be seen and for the trauma to come up and out. Whether this was in sound baths, breathwork, cacao ceremonies, somatic dance, or talks. The festival created a safe space for healing, and for the inner work to be normalised.
As someone who has been on this journey - doing inner child healing, deep somatic work, unconscious reprogramming and resetting limiting beliefs, I was fully prepared for a lot of emotion to come up. However, what happened truly surprised me.
In every workshop I felt grateful, elevated and hit a state of bliss. This was most prominent in the breathwork where I was laughing, deep belly laughing for over half an hour (or what seemed like that), driven from my subconscious. I had no control over it, but what I had tapped into was this pure state of bliss. In sound journeys I felt nothing but warmth wash over me as we were guided and smiles would just appear on my face. In the somatic dance or even when we were dancing late into the night I was tapped into this high vibration that made me feel the most alive and happiest I have ever been. Pure bliss.
And whilst I know that I have so many layers to go on my healing journey still, the inner work is a life journey, it was healing in itself to see that the work I had done, had enabled me to reach a new state of embodiment, a new set point, a new level of wisdom. Which is why I am so grateful for the deep inner work that we are now as a society leaning into more, and that I am able to support my clients through.
5. Let go of control
Living from that state of bliss was remarkable, to be able to hold it for so long in my body felt empowering. However, there were still deep moments of reflection and internalisation that happened that gave me great insight as to where I can improve moving forward.
This particular reflection was super powerful as it was delivered to me through the somatic dance and again through my friend Michelle who I was with when we were in discussion during a workshop.
“You are not responsible for anyone else’s experience” was the voice I heard. Another way this was expressed was “You need to let go of control”.
Even though I have never thought of myself as a controlling individual, especially when it comes to others, I have always needed to have control to feel safe in my life. Control of my food (cue eating disorder), control of my schedule (hello entrepreneur), control of my emotions (deep inner work), the list goes on.
What I hadn’t realised is that my deeply nurturing self, the one that just wants to help and care for others all the time, was actually (in a loving way), a need for control in some respects. It became my identity. I was always labelled as ‘the mother’ or ‘the nana’ of the group. Caring for everyone else, going into ‘saviour mode’ or ‘care mode’ the second anyone needed support of any kind… and there is nothing wrong with this. However, it meant I was unable to relax a lot of the time. It was a need to be needed that I was self-fulfilling and highlighted to me what I need to work on moving forward. That it is safe and okay for me to have the full experience too, and not feel responsible for those around me. The recovering people pleaser within me struggles with this, but it is a huge lesson for me to learn and integrate into my life.
FINAL THOUGHTS
So…. there you have it. My insights and learnings from one of the most powerful 3 days of my life. I hope that some of this resonated with you, and inspires you to self-reflect. Our level of emotional intelligence and self-awareness I truly believe determines how far we will go in life. Thank you for being her and on this journey with me and please feel free to reach out if any of this sparked questions, curiosity or a need for support.
Much love,
Sheree xo
Resources:
https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-075847
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0296089
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38270792/
SHEREE BEAUMONT
Holistic Nutritionist, Personal Trainer & Wellness Coach I empower women like you to transform their lives, understand their bodies and feel their best from the inside out!