Time To Rise...

Women Singing Earth by Mary Southard

Since I was almost as young as I can remember, I took on the role of being the caretaker in my home. Growing up in a drug induced and abusive environment, there was always this inherent need to make sure my mom and my siblings were safe.

Even to my own detriment and even if there was nothing that I could do about any of it, I felt like I always needed to be present and at least witnessing what was going on in my home. I think that was the only way I could feel some sense of control.

When I turned 18 and my mom went to prison, I immediately took on the care of my brother & sister who are 16-17 years younger than me. My ex husband & I ended up raising them until they grew up and moved out. They will always will be our kids, even if not by birth.

Meanwhile we also had our own 3 kids, and for the roughly 15 years that I was married, life was ALL about being a wife and a mom. Nothing else mattered. It was never a question, that was my life's purpose and I was always fulfilled by it. I thought that’s how life would always be.

Then the divorce came. And for the first time ever the kids would go with their dad for half the time and I would be alone. For the first time in my life I had to look in the mirror and question who I was without the husband and the kids.

It’s so engrained in our society to sacrifice everything that we are and wrap our entire identities in being caregivers. Yes, it can be a wonderful honor to be able to give to our loved ones. But it’s not so wonderful to wake up one day and realize we’ve lost ourselves, our health and mental well being in the midst of it all.

While this was a very dark and lonely place for me for a long time, eventually, through a ton of personal work, it became a wonderful journey of self discovery.

Although my role as a mom will always be the most important, and one that I will hold and treasure for my entire life, my purpose and mission in the world are changing.

I am finding a new definition for who I am and what my life is for. I have learned self love and to practice what it means to take care of myself first. I am learning what it looks like to live life on my own terms now, while also continuing to be of service to my family, to women and to the world.

Now I get to branch out beyond my family and make an impact on a different scale. The vision for what I’m creating is still coming into focus, but I’m so excited (and terrified at the same time) because I know without a doubt that it’s time.

Time to come into the next level of my life, but without it being so hard and such a struggle. Without being so hard on myself, and without so much sacrifice.

What if we *can* actually be givers in this world while also being nourished ourselves. I think this is the new way for women and leadership in the world. I think this is how it has to change or else it’s just not sustainable.

This is the force that I’m ready to be part of. One where women have the opportunity to heal and be loved and nourished while also being a contribution to the world around them, however they choose.

This is why I’ve hired my coaches, The Healing Couple. Because I can’t do this alone. We can’t do this alone. We need each other, my friends. We need community to rise community. The world needs us to band together to raise the condition of the planet. For each other, for our children, for humanity.

Come along, rise with me...

xoxoxo
Mimi

Rising Woman~ Mimi Marie

Who are you and what do you do for a living?

If this is your first time here, welcome! My name is Mimi and this is my blog :) Thanks to the encouragement from my dear friend, Faith, who is also one of the Rising Women in this series, I decided to go ahead and participate as well. As a bonus, Faith has interviewed me on her podcast which I have included HERE. What an honor to share with each other and with you all!

...And now I know why some of these questions were so tough for some of my women! ;)

Who am I? This is a tough question and I feel like it's always changing. Currently, it has nothing to do with what I do for a living, which is an interesting and evolving discovery. More on that later. If you would have asked me this a year ago (or even a few months ago), my answer would have been so different. Today, I feel like I love who I am more than I ever have. This has been on of the gifts of being single for the first time and the longest period of my life. This has also made me a woman who knows what I want and is no longer willing to settle. I am a woman who is strong, resilient and always striving to be the best version of myself. While I certainly have my low tides in life, I am a woman you will never find down for very long. I am extremely passionate about my family, personal growth and women's empowerment. While I might put up some resistance at first, I'm always open to looking at my own shit, acknowledging my wrongs and growing from them.

I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up! I have a lot of experience with office management in several different fields. I also have some experience in women's health and lifestyle coaching. However this has been an evolving topic for me for many years. Just recently I made the choice to leave the job I had been at for almost 3 years to pursue something new and the entire plan fell through. Queue quote: "If plan A doesn't work, remember there are 25 more letters in the alphabet!" My big risk quickly turned into what could be perceived as an epic fail, but I chose to see it as time to create something new and fast. Within days, I had probably close to 50 people reaching out to inquire about my services. I could hardly believe I was suddenly in a position to choose who I wanted to work for and how much I wanted to charge, all while working from home and being able to tend to my family more. I now have a handful of virtual assisting projects that I'm working on while at the same time trying to figure out what's next on my path. As a single mom, finding my career path has presented a totally different challenge. I'm super committed and motivated to figure out what it's going to take to create financial freedom for myself. I'm working with my coach to create a plan and while things are really uncertain right now, I'm completely surrendered and trusting the process of my actions. Sometimes it's really scary, but it's also super exciting to be in the world of the unknown.

Tell me about your family, if applicable.

I have 5 kids! 3 of them I gave birth to who are 12, 14 & 15. The other 2 are my biological brother and sister that I raised from the time that they were 2 & 4 until they were grown. Even though I didn't give birth to them, they are my kids and I love them the same. They are now 22 & 24 and one of them now has my beautiful grand baby girl. Their spouses are also my kids who I love dearly. Another special part of my family is my ex husband and his fiancee. We have created such a special family dynamic and unique friendship. I'm so proud of how far we've all come and love that we work together as a family unit. It is for this reason that I believe anything is possible for families when you take full responsibility for your relationships and for your role as a parent. Sometimes love ends up looking different than we think it should, but our commitment to our children and our stand for families is always at the forefront.      

What is your story?

For most of the memory of my childhood, I grew up in a drug and alcohol induced, and very tumultuous environment. I was mostly raised by mother, and my father was in and out of the picture a lot, I believe because his relationship with my mom was so difficult. I witnessed a lot of abuse around me, and was sexually abused by a family "friend" for a number of years. Nearly the moment I turned 18, I moved out to be on my own. The hardest part about that was leaving my siblings who were 16-17 years younger than me. Things were only getting worse at home and I feared for what they would have to endure.

Shortly after moving out to be on my own, my now ex husband and I began raising my brother and sister. In our early 20's we got married, and in our late 30's we had our 3 children. We created the family that we wanted by the time we were 30 and while there was plenty of turbulence, I think we did an amazing job with what we had and what we knew at the time.

Into our 30's we got serious about our paths of personal growth. This ultimately led to the realization that it was time for our marriage to come to an end. This was a turn I hadn't expected much long before and meant my future was now unwritten.

Going through a divorce is never easy for anyone and I certainly had my moments of darkness and uncertainty about life. I allowed the process of grieving to play out in my life and when I was ready, I saddled up and began my own journey of self discovery and healing.

What have you overcome to get where you are today?

My first reaction to this question is, well, I'm not there yet! It's so easy for me to see all the work there is still to do. But I can also acknowledge how far I've come. My childhood is the biggest thing that I've had to overcome. I carried the weight and the shame of being sexually abused with me for a long time. I also carried a lot of sadness about the relationship that I never got to have with my parents. I always wished they had made different choices and made me and my siblings more of a priority. Now I can see that if it wasn't for all of those things then I wouldn't be who I am today. All of those things drove me to be a better, stronger woman.

The other more recent thing that I've overcome was the end of my 17 year marriage. I experienced so much shame, regret and failure around that. I could hardly look at myself in the mirror and face the woman I had been. The months following my separation were some of the darkest of my life. There were days I didn't know how I would get through and nights that I drowned it all in alcohol. The feelings of emptiness were sometimes unbearable and I looked for things to fill the void. I thought I was trying to be tough, strong and brave on the outside, but on the inside I was deeply depressed. I let myself wallow for a while until I got sick of it, and then I decided it was time to start pulling myself together again.

Before my divorce was even final, I found myself in a new relationship, smitten in new love and I dove all in with both feet. I closed my eyes to the red flags and held strong to the fantasy that love could endure all. In some ways, this new relationship showed me love in a whole new light. It taught me some beautiful things about what's possible in romance and a relationship. In a lot of ways we were a mirror and a catalyst for each other's growth. It was fun to live on cloud 9 for a time, but it wasn't realistic. We tried to fit into each other's molds and it didn't work. I dare say that this relationship was one of my greatest ventures in learning about myself. I value honesty, loyalty and integrity more than ever now. What I've had to overcome is the guilt around the choices that I made, the shame around the things that I let break me that weren't mine to own, and the ways that I let all of those things impact my relationship with my family. Even now, almost a year later, I can say that I'm still learning and discovering from that relationship and I'm thankful for the clarity it has given me since stepping away.

Currently I am embracing the single life. My relationship with myself is now at the top of my list. I am finally in a place of discovering and creating my life for me. Learning to be alone and loving myself deeper is a beautiful path that I've never truly been able to appreciate until now. Sure, sometimes I get sad and lonely. Sometimes I miss having a companion and all of the things that come with that, but I've got plenty of work to do in the meantime. For now, I'm dating myself - and my kids!

What has been your greatest struggle in life?

My greatest struggle has been learning to love myself and making choices that align with that. Don't get me wrong, there are things that I've loved about myself throughout the years, like my resiliency and my ability to love. But really loving myself outside of the love of anyone else or any external circumstances has been a different game. When you really love and value yourself, making healthy choices and creating a healthy lifestyle becomes easier. It's getting easier for me now... :)

Did you ever feel like giving up? When you felt like giving up, what did you do?

Yes! I feel like giving up quite often, actually. I think there are certain times and situations when we should give up. The thing is, I never give up for good. It's usually just a pause, or an end to something, and it means it's time for a change. Giving up can look a lot of ways. It can mean taking some time to wallow in my sadness for a little while, ending a job or a relationship. But I don't think that giving up for me is ever a permanent thing. Giving up is a time to assess a situation and see what's not working so that I can find another way.

What are some of the tools and resources you have used to work through and overcome those struggles? (books, counselors, workshops, programs, coaches, etc.)

~The most awesome and profound tool that I've ever had has been the work that I've done with Landmark. For the past 6 years I have consistently participated in their programs and I have continually made progress on my path of personal growth. It has been THE thing that has helped me to let the past go and to always have a say in who I get to be in my life.

~For the past year I have been working in depth with a coach/mentor, Char Spirtos, who I treasure beyond measure. This has given me the greatest leaps in my life in the shortest amount of time.  

~Books!

Untame Yourself by Liz Dialto

Open Your Heart by Tanya Paluso

The Universe Has Your Back by Gabby Bernstein

The Way of the Superior Man by David Deida

The Queen's Code by Alison Armstrong

The Single Woman by Mandy Hale

Motherhood's Not For Punks by Patrina Wisdom

Money, A Love Story by Kate Northrup

You Have 4 Minutes by Rebekah Borucki

This list is always growing...

What are your gifts and how did you discover them?

I think I have a lot of gifts that I haven't really delved into yet. I know that my intuition is an incredibly strong gift that I'm learning to listen and tune into more. I believe my ability to love and my compassion are also gifts. It is often all of these things that lead me in life.  

Tell us about your tribe and the importance of having one.

I think we all feel alone sometimes and the importance of identifying who your tribe is so important. It doesn't have to look a certain way and it doesn't have to be one group of people that all know each other. Your tribe can include all sorts of people that you're connected to. I have so many special people that I am so thankful to call my tribe. They include many of my family members, as well as many women that I have grown friendships with over the years. The women in my life who are on their own paths of self growth and discovery, and the ones who are committed to making a difference in the world, are the ones who always lift me up and keep me on my own path of greatness.

What do you want other women to know who are feeling lost, and/or experiencing their own tragedy and/or struggles?

It's okay to be where ever you're at. It's okay to have bad days. Don't beat yourself up for the struggle and the darkness. Know that the time will pass and it will get better. It's okay to be and feel alone sometimes, but remember that you're not alone. Be sure to reach out to the ones who remind you of your greatness. Reach out, get the help, the love and the support that you need. Take yourself to places and people that lift you up. Eventually the strength will become greater than the struggle.  

 

This project has been such a joy for me to facilitate and I'm so thankful to all of the ladies who join and share their stories. I hope that everyone who follows along finds some strength and inspiration to move forward and to rise above their own struggles and shine as the amazing women they were born to be.

To listen to my Rising Woman interview with Faith Shevlin, go HERE.

If you are interested in working with me to receive the support you need to become your own Rising Woman, please email me here: mimi@mimimarie.com

Much love and light to you all.

Always love,

Mimi

xoxo

Back-to-Love Lifestyle Makeover

This is a 12-week program for women who are seeking to improve their health from the inside-out. This is not a quick fix or weight loss program. This is a time to get back to making yourself a priority in order to have a lasting healthy & balanced lifestyle.  

Is this program for you?

• Are you a woman who has given much of yourself and your time to your family, spouse, children, education and/or career?
• Have you put yourself on the back burner for a number of years?
• Has your lack of attention to your own needs taken a toll on your health?
• Do you feel that you need the accountability with another person to be successful?
• Do you feel you're lacking the tools on your own to reach the goals you desire?

What will you gain?

• A new relationship to healthy living
• A new wealth of knowledge, tools and resources that will empower your belief and ability to lead an empowered lifestyle
• A new sense of confidence in yourself and your ability to make healthy choices
• A new sense of vitality that will be the driving force in maintaining a healthy lifestyle
• A new relationship with, and love for, yourself in all of your unique beauty

How does it work?

• We will have sessions via Skype and/or telephone which will provide the education, accountability, resources, structures, tools and coaching to support you on your path to better health and happiness. 
• I will provide homework, activities and exercises for you to do in between our sessions together which will contribute to your goals and lifestyle transformation. 
• I will be here to support you between sessions via email.

How to get started:

• Email me to schedule an initial telephone consult to determine the structure that will work best for you.

***One-on-one and group program options

***Group discounts and payment options available

Contact me for your free initial consultation or to book your first session!

mimi@mimimarie.com

Or send me a personal message on Facebook!

Bonding Beauties Mother~Daughter Workshop

I'm so excited to share my latest creation with you...

Personalized Cooking Session

When people embark on a new journey to health, learning how to prepare and cook food in a new way can be one of the biggest challenges. Women express to me time and time again how helpful it is when I come to their home and show them how it's done and that it doesn't have to be complicated. 

***Special offer for the month of July ONLY...
Check this out -- I am offering this to you as a gift! Anyone who signs up for my 12-week program before July 31st, pays for the first month, and books their first appointment with me will receive their FREE personalized cooking session ($249 value)!

Personalized Cooking Session
1 evening, approx. 2 hours, in your home!
In-home cooking session customized to your dietary and lifestyle needs. We show you the importance and ease of incorporating healthy cooking into your lifestyle ~ and have fun doing it! :)

*Can also be purchased a la cart for $249! Contact me to book!

Contact me for questions or to sign up!

Breaking out of Prison...

"Just by speaking I can break out of my own self-made prison..."

Lately I have become increasingly aware of a sort of prison that I have put myself in. Since my divorce I have been dancing in & out of my perceived ability to become the woman that I believe I am on this planet to be. I've realized that in my own struggle to survive, I have created a self-protective mechanism of not sharing myself and my journey with others. In all of the fear of doing it wrong, messing things up, and being viewed as a failure, I've put myself in a box. And it is this very thing that has come to slap me in the face with not being able to reach the next level of my life. 

This supposed protection and isolation has been keeping me from my true purpose of being in this life and on this planet for others. I'm now seeing that I'm going to have to get really rigorous with myself, my life and the choices that I make in order to break free. So over the past few months I've become committed to tackling my self, my identity, my ego, etc. and figuring out how to get out of my own way. 

I've reopened myself to all of the coaching from my mentors that I can possibly get. I'm directly and indirectly inviting people to call me out on my sh*t as much as possible. I'm also letting in what people see as great about me. Sometimes that is more uncomfortable than being called out on the hard stuff! Let me have it all! The good, the bad and the ugly. Because it isn't until I'm open to ALL of it for myself that I can be about any of it for others.

I participated in the Nourish detox twice over the past 3 months. Partly because I wanted to experience what I was going to be facilitating as a nutritionist. But really it was about SO much more than physically removing the toxins from my body. It was just as much, if not more, about cleansing on a mental, emotional and spiritual level. It was time to shake myself up!

All this time, I have been afraid of what you would think of me.. That I was selfish or doing what I'm doing... for me. Inadvertently I was doing exactly what I was trying to avoid. I let myself become crippled by my fear of what others would think --and that's when it became about ME! Yuck!

I'd like you to know that I'm sharing this with you to step outside of my own fears with the intention of helping you do the same. God knows.. I know.. and if you know me then you know, that I don't do what I do for me. My path is important to me because I care about you. We all face similar battles in life, just with different contexts. I'm declaring to you now that I'm breaking out of these self-made chains and I'm setting myself free so that I can help other women do the same. 

I'm here to help you see and believe that you are enough... now...

If any of this resonates with you, please share.
If you think I can help you on your journey to health and vitality, please contact me.
Wherever you are on your path, please reach out. 
I love hearing from you!

Always love,
~Mimi~

The School of Inner Beauty

Have you ever had any of these thoughts? (I know I have...)

• I wish I could love what I see in the mirror every day, regardless of my weight or outer "flaws."
• I wish I could feel beautiful, and even sexy!
• I wish I really loved myself.
• I wish I could feel comfortable, radiant and free everywhere I go and with everyone I meet.
• I wish I could stop judging myself.
• I wish I could be healthy without beating myself up if I make a mistake.

I'm so thrilled and honored to be participating and assisting in the launch of this amazing program with my great friend, Camille from Paleo Living. We're working together to expand our entrepreneurial lives and unleashing our inner goddesses!! Rawr!! ;) 

This program is unlike anything I've ever seen! You will be supported and coached by 15 amazing leaders in the world of health and womanhood to create a life of self-love where anything is possible. Unleash your inner beauty!! There are a few select spots left and the program starts on 9/30, so if you think one of those spots might be for you, check it out and apply! 

Unveiling ~ Part One!

You may or may not have noticed a shift in gears around here lately. I'm sure your news feeds and inboxes are just as swamped as mine, so either way it can be hard to keep up! Definitely though, my articles has been more sporadic and my posts have broadened in topic from self-love to fitness to food. Over the past 2 years I have taken myself on a personal growth and development journey of a lifetime! A personal overhaul, if you will. I have gone through various workshops, seminars, leadership programs; and I have really stepped outside of my comfort zone to shed my past, develop a life that I love, and become a person that I love and that my family and friends can love more. 

*In Part Two of my Unveiling, I will share more of my recent journey with you all. In the meantime, feel free to get to know me by checking out my 35th Birthday post or my About Me page.*

What I'm here to unveil now is what I've been doing more recently. I have been working toward fine-tuning my goals and figuring out how to take my own journey and turn it into something that I can give back to others. I have discovered my mission and my passion in life.. And I've realized that I am here on this planet to make a difference in the lives, in the health, and in the happiness of others. So, I'd like to share with you how I will be starting to bring this all into reality and how I will begin to be available to help YOU create a life of happiness and vitality!

Here are some of the things I'm working on in 2013:

*Open NOW: 
Launched my health empowerment program for women in January (Mimi's Health Camp). Healthy living can have a different meaning for everyone. In my program, we start with the inside and then work our way into developing a lifestyle that works for YOU. This means developing self-love, healthy eating and exercise habits that are sustainable and unique to each individual. 

*Cooking classes and personal training to help women create a healthy lifestyle that works for them. This isn't about following a strict diet or workout regimen. This is about developing new habits that work for YOU.

*Sweaty Betty Ambassadorship: supporting and empowering as many women as possible in their journeys to health in this amazing community of women.

*Working to offer Mimi's Health Camp online by summer 2013 - stay tuned!

*Heavenly Healthy cookbook in the works - to be published by the end of the year!?

To stay in the loop, sign up for my Heavenly Healthy newsletter here:
NEWSLETTER

As always, thank you for reading, following and supporting my journey and please let me know how I can support YOU! 

~Mimi~

PS. One of the greatest quotes and tools that has been of amazing value to me lately: 
Collaboration, NOT competition~
When we can work together as a team, we can truly create miracles!