106 Scales SMASHed 150+ Scale Tombstones (Sometimes you need more than one) 148 Smash Ambassadors 500+ Let It Geaux Tags Released 500+ Dare to Love Yourself cards given away 2,496 Social Media Followers 365 SMASHing Days But who’s counting? Numbers do NOT define us and they certainly do not define our success. It is impossible to quantify lives touched and seeds of hope that have been planted. I set out on this wild ride to pay it forward, to hopefully…
Gorgeous autumn shades lined the two lane road leading to 176 Lassiter Homestead. As I pulled down the windy entrance road to the Carolina House, my heart skipped a beat. Yes, I was finally returning home, if only for an afternoon. It was a picture perfect day of clear blue skies, much like my first day back in December 2010. I parked my car and sat for a moment, allowing myself a minute to take it all in. It might…
As I sit in the airport and reflect on this extraordinary trip, my heart is filled with gratitude and inspiration. I plan to recap the entire trip in blog form soon, but I need more time to process the intense feelings that came along with such an experience. However, there is something urging my fingers to type away in this moment. Throughout the duration of my trip there was a constant: Christy, my former therapist at the Carolina House. I…
I spent majority of my life trying to be who I thought others wanted me to be: the scholar, the popular girl, the sorority girl, the successful marketer and the list goes on. My years spent in my eating disorder were years of lonely confusion, never understanding why I wasn’t ‘normal’. On the outside, I had it all, but behind closed doors I was killing myself to find perfection and ultimately trying to be someone I was not. Today, I…
What started yesterday as a typical sarcastic Facebook post of mine, ended with a much deeper meaning: “Preparing for my first radio interview tomorrow. Having trouble deciding on what I should wear ;P” Within seconds, my equally sarcastic Facebook friends responded with suggestions like, “Pony tail,” “Jammies,” “Nude,” and the list goes on. Then a very wise woman posted the sound and simple advice to dress how I wanted to ‘sound’. This seemingly simple advice really got me thinking about…
It is a soggy morning at SMASH HQ. I love these grey mornings, especially in my new office with its amazing 12-foot window overlooking our front porch. The house is quiet (except for my bulldog, Lilly, snoring under my desk). I find myself unable to be ‘productive’. I hate that word anyway. What does it really mean? Who is to say blogging or meditating or journaling isn’t productive? I grew up in a go-go-go household, where praise was given to…
I have this extraordinary friend. Like really amazing. She is unlike any other person that has entered my life and I know God placed her on my path just when I needed her most. She has been a guiding light of the person I want to be. To say her heart is made of gold is a gross understatement. She is a giver and humble beyond words. Her weakness lies in her inability to see what courageous strength she has…
My heart is in my throat and beating out of control. “Am I really going to do this tomorrow?” “Have I completely lost my mind?” That inner critic/eating disorder voice is yelling in my head, as the ‘should’s’ whirl around in a tornadic frenzy. “You should run some more. You should not eat. You shouldn’t have had eating steak and ice cream last night. You can’t do this tomorrow. You are gross and huge and have done nothing to prepare.”…
Every Tuesday at 10:45am you can find me sitting quietly in the therapy waiting room. There is an unspoken glance and head nod as the patient before you exits the door. Usually, it is the same person that comes out of the door every week at 11:00am, but yesterday it was someone I had never seen before. I noticed the white therapy receipt in her hand and kept to myself as she walked by. Then the young woman suddenly…
In continuing my body freedom beach week, I decided to go on a beach run without a shirt. (I know, I even shocked myself with this one. I mean, who is this body loving girl?) My toes sunk into the soft sand as I made my way to the water’s edge. I popped my earbuds in and awkwardly began to run. The angle and softness of the sand on my bare feet made running difficult. (How did those Baywatch lifeguards make it look…