Creating a body you love—
is honoring where you are NOW
As a little girl, I fell in love with dance and spent my developmental years pursuing a career in ballet. I became a professional ballerina in my early twenties. Pursuing this path has been one of the most rewarding and gratifying of my life although not without its challenges.
For years, the pressure to look a certain way and maintain a very low body weight took a toll on every facet of my being—mind, body, spirit. For most of my life, I was at war with my body, struggling to find balance in my relationship to food, exercise, and simply caring for myself day in and day out. I thought hostility towards my body was normal. It was all I knew.
I assumed that struggling and fighting with my body would be a lifelong challenge. That I was cursed with a body that “just wasn’t good enough” and thus needed to be tamed. I tried everything I could to change my body, but nothing really worked…
When I hit 29, life as I knew it came to a screeching halt. I experienced my first major injury that took me off the stage and out of work for over a year and I was forced to evaluate every aspect of my life, starting with my relationship to my body.
What seemed like the worst possible situation at the time, was in fact one of the greatest blessings of my life. I began to learn how to listen to my body in a whole new way and literally everything changed…
Over the years since this initial turning point, I’ve pursued a career in holistic nutrition. Fast forward to today and I now work as a Board-Certified Nutrition & Lifestyle Coach helping women reconnect to the wisdom of their bodies to create beautiful, inspired lives for themselves.
Time and time again, this work blows me away. I’ve seen firsthand that when a woman loves the body she calls home, she can embrace her power to create the life of her dreams.
It was through this work that I was led to Zenziva…
A few years ago, I traveled to Maui for a women’s retreat, specifically for female entrepreneurs. At the time, I was completely stressed out, overwhelmed by all the commitments I’d taken on, and feeling lost within my business, specifically the direction in which to take it.
I felt that my messaging around body wisdom and self-love (with food and nutrition as a powerful entry point) was “too fringe”, “too out there” to attract clients. In other words, I felt unsure that my passionate reverence for the body’s ability to thrive when given a chance, would be lost in the noise of diet culture. That the diet industry’s messaging of disconnecting and mistrusting our bodies was too pervasive for me to make a difference. (Oh, how powerful self-doubt can be!)
Within the first couple of days on Maui, I booked a massage—aptly named “The Chocolate Goddess “using The Chocolate Scrub—and was introduced to Zenziva and Andrea’s messaging about body love.
I was literally floored to hear the massage therapist share about the intention behind Zenziva’s product, how this intention was woven so beautifully into the overall brand, and how Maui residents and retreat goers were really embracing body love with the help of the chocolate body scrub, It was as if the Universe brought this lovely synchronicity my way to let me know I was indeed, on the right path and that I could make a difference with my work, one client at a time.
Since my time in Maui and this gentle nudge from the Universe, I’ve embraced the message I felt compelled to share. As a result, my business is flourishing and I feel even more empowered to let my lifestyle reflect the deep love and care I have for my body. I even include a package of The Chocolate Scrub in every one of my new client’s welcome gifts!
I believe that the first step in creating a body you love is honoring where you are NOW. The Chocolate Scrub is a beautiful, luxurious way to remind ourselves of the ways our bodies support us. To be present with ourselves and to love and care for ourselves as we would any loved one. I’m so grateful for these products and for Andrea’s devotion to spreading love and awareness through her work.
When a woman loves the body she calls home, she embraces her power to create the life she was born to live
Love your body practice
Stephanie’s work has been featured in publications such as ABC News, Colorado Public Radio, Dance Magazine, Mind Body Green, Elephant Journal, Tiny Buddha, and various national and local publications. Stephanie was selected as one of Charleston, SC’s “50 Most Progressive” celebrating the most forward-thinking individuals having an impact on the future of Charleston. To learn more about Stephanie, visit her website: http://www.stephanieburgcoaching.com/