Christmas came a little early for me this year. I was scrolling through Facebook one night when I came across this ring... I fell in love with the meaning behind it and, as someone who struggles daily to see her own worth, it was perfect. Forget the years I spent hating myself.Forget the people who MADE me hate myself. The people who changed me, broke me, and left me.Forget the idea that someone has to make me feel like enough. Every day I'll look down at this beautiful ring and remember the pain but have it all mean something now....
Each week, our Friday Feature will celebrate powerful women from our sisterhood who share their magic with the world in unique and inspiring ways. This week, we chatted with Emily Cretella, the founder of MotherHustle, an online publication + community featuring unpolished personal essays, inspiration-fueling advice and no-nonsense resources for creative mompreneurs, from creative mompreneurs. When you were a child, what made you the happiest? I was one of those kids who lived mostly in my imagination. I was happiest when I was curled up in this worn, upholstered chair that we had in our house -- it spun around; so I...
"The past ten years have not exactly been a walk through a park. Sometimes it felt like walking through the seventh circle of hell, but nonetheless, I kept going. I made it through obstacles I thought would break me. I made it through all the madness and the sorrow and the heartbreak. Somehow, I made it to today. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this is where I would be. I realize, I have been selling myself short. I am where I am because of all my hard work, dedication, and resilience. So to mark this new chapter...
"My dad sent my mom a text to separate after 27 years of marriage and so I’ve been helping her through this whole process of learning to love herself and see her value. I’m leaving soon and won't be with her for 3 months, so her Self Love Pinky Ring will be a nice reminder for her to love herself, and also to remember how much I love her!" Laura, gifted her mom Carito, to celebrate the next phase of her life. You can still see the indentation of the wedding band she wore for 27 years. So proud to call this...
I am a newly 23-year-old me. Me. How do I describe that? How do I describe me? Well, I am a suicide attempt survivor. I am a rape victim who is finally coming to terms with the idea of having PTSD. I am an individual living with several mental illnesses and a chronic physical illness. I am a disaster. Let's try this again. I am an amateur entrepreneur, Founder, and CEO of a soon-to-launch small business named Reciprocitea. A business that was inspired by the fact that I chose life and continue to choose it each day, so that I...
"I grew up with a loving family and loving friends. I was always one of the happiest people in the room. I played sports all my life, was involved in tons of clubs and groups, and loved people! Life was just wonderfully normal for me, up until I graduated high school. The transition to college threw me for a whirl, and brought on tons of anxiety. Before I knew it I didn’t have sports to fall back on, all my friends were at different schools, and it was time for me to grow up and take on some responsibility. All...
"I vowed the moment I survived that horrific ordeal on May 13th I would never wear jewelry again. Soon after that awful night a package arrived for me. In the chaos of all that was going on I had forgotten I interviewed a very special women, the founder of Fred and Far. We spoke about how powerful her movement is, how the simple ritual of putting on a piece of jewelry every morning reminds you of something so important. Yes an engagement ring reminds you of the love you have for another but where's the ring reminding you to love...
Am I even normal? Why am I different? What are these scars? What does the word "beautiful" even mean anymore? These are the questions what ran through my mind as a thirteen-year-old cystic fibrosis patient, standing in a two piece at a pool. This was the first time I experienced the word "different." I covered my body. I covered what I thought at the time as shameful things. Covering the lines and marks showing my struggle, I ran to the bathroom crying. I noticed everyone's stares and talking amongst themselves about me. As I was in the bathroom, I looked...
"When life turns out differently then expected you learn the important things in life. You learn who you can trust, what you can handle, and how to be better through and after the crisis. No one plans for a failed marriage, let alone to be abandoned and never spoken to again. It’s through the deep pits where you figure out what you are made of and the person you truly are. A year after my husband walked out of our home, I made the choice to choose myself and to choose joy.I had decided to be re-baptized in my church...
As you can tell my picture is not typical. It's the only time I had to ever take a picture. Or even had a brief second to think about it. I have literally been eyeing this ring for 6 months before I purchased it. A gift for my 30th birthday. I became a young mom at 19 and a wife shortly after. I lost myself in the many sacrifices it took to be a SAHM and maintain a "picture perfect marriage." My (ex) husband left me for another woman in 2014 - just shy of our 10 year anniversary of...
"I'm tired of being judged for not being married or having kids."I once saw an interview with Shonda Rhimes discussing her opinion about wanting to be married and having children. She stated she could never see herself being married and never had a desire for it. She continued to state that society often shames women for this because we’re supposed to “want it” and if not; “there must be something wrong”."Whenever I tell people I don’t have kids, I get one of two responses; either the person is “proud” of me (and possibly impressed), or they appear to be confused...
This is the first time I’ve bought a ring for myself, and this means a lot to me because it reminds me to love myself more. My journey to loving myself more and choosing to be with myself started when I got so much hurt by the people that I loved. That consecutive pain from the people I chose to love, who chose to hurt me instead, left me with nothing but just myself, and so I realized, "f I can love someone so much that I'll do anything for them, why not love myself and do anything for myself...
