What does this picture have to do with the body—especially body image? I'll tell you, but first... I want to acknowledge something about the body image struggle. 

So many people I speak with share their own version of this struggle. 

It’s tough. It runs deep. 

And if you’re in it, I want you to know, I see you. I hear you. 

I know this struggle because I’ve lived it, too. 

For years, my relationship with my body was complicated... painful, even.  

I felt like it was something to control, something to fix, with harsh measures often. 

At times, I wanted to ignore it completely. 

My worth felt tangled up in how I looked, how others saw me, and whether or not my body met the standards that seemed to define who was “good enough.” 

And if I’m being honest, it was exhausting. 

Maybe you know what I mean. 

Maybe you have days when a number on the scale could decide if you felt okay or if everything felt wrong. 

Maybe you’ve looked in the mirror and felt like your body wasn’t yours, like it had betrayed you somehow. 

Perhaps you’ve felt the weight of societal ideals—beauty, youth, thinness, pressing down on you, whispering that your worth is tied to how others see you. 

And maybe, like me, you’ve internalized those messages so deeply that it feels like second nature to critique yourself, to try to shrink, to make yourself more acceptable. 

But what if that was never true? 

For so many of us, the body has been a lifelong battleground. We carry years—sometimes decades—of shaming, fatphobia, and impossible beauty standards deep in our bones. These messages don’t just sit at the surface; they carve grooves into our psyche, teaching us that love, comfort, and care must be earned. 

What if you haven’t failed? 

What if your body, this body, right now, has been on your side all along? 

Because the truth is, your body is not a mistake. It has carried you through everything! Through storms, through loss, through change, through joy. It has been your protector and ally, even when the world told you it wasn’t good enough. 

And here’s something important: Your weight, your scars, your cellulite, your stretch marks—none of it is a reflection of your worth. 

Your body, exactly as it is, does not diminish your value. It never has. 

You do not need to be smaller, bigger, smoother, tighter, or younger to be worthy of love, connection, or care. 

I know,  this is easier said than done. 

But what if, just for a moment, you stopped trying to fix your body and instead started to listen to it? 

What if you honoured it? 

What if you worked with it instead of against it? 

So, back to the image above!  

I love old, historic buildings. The picture above is the street where I grew up, in Sittard, The Netherlands—old, imperfect buildings. 

I cherish it. 

Especially when bricks are cracked, maybe its paint is peeling. 

 Those imperfections, those cracks, are beautiful and tell a story! 

They are proof of endurance, of life, of resilience. 

They’re not something we merely tolerate. They’re something we appreciate. 

What if we could see our bodies in the same way? 

What if cellulite wasn’t an “imperfection” but just a part of being human, like the way old bricks show their history? What if scars weren’t something to hide, but a testament to the life you’ve lived? What if your size—your softness, your curves, your presence—wasn’t something to shrink but something to own? 

Your body is so much more than you realize 

And here’s something incredible: even scientists are still uncovering the magic that exists within our bodies. 

 Did you know your body remembers in ways that go beyond your conscious mind? Trauma, emotions, and even healing are stored within you, influencing how you move, breathe, and experience the world. 

 Your gut has an entire nervous system of its own—often called the “second brain”—that shapes your emotions, decisions, and cravings. 

 Your heart has a brain and sends more signals to your brain than the brain sends to your heart. It feels in ways we don’t fully understand yet. 

 Your fascia—connective tissue that we once thought was just there to hold things together—is actually alive, responding to movement, touch, and even emotion. 

Your body is not just a shell. It’s a deeply intelligent, adaptive, alive part of you. 

It holds wisdom that no mirror, no number on a scale, no outside judgment could ever measure. 

So, what if instead of judging your body, you got curious about it? 

What if, instead of fighting it, you started to understand it? 

What if you learned to listen—really listen—to what it needs? 

Because underneath all the conditioning, beyond all the shame, lies something wild and wise—your body animal. 

This part of you is instinctive, powerful, deeply attuned to life itself. It is always communicating, guiding, recalibrating. But when we judge and suppress our bodies, we sever that connection. We keep ourselves stuck in toxic cycles of restriction, self-punishment, and disconnection. 

The shift I’m inviting you into isn’t just about self-acceptance—it’s about rewilding yourself. It’s about reclaiming the raw, natural intelligence of your body so you can release toxic patterns and finally smoothen the inner biology that shapes your entire experience of life. 

Because when your nervous system is no longer locked in battle with itself, when you are no longer suppressing and overriding your body’s signals, something incredible happens: 

You expand.
You rise.
You step into your power. 

Not the power that comes from control or deprivation!!c 

but the power that comes from deep, embodied alignment. 

From working with your body, not against it. 

This isn’t about “giving up” or pretending everything is fine when it doesn’t feel that way.  

It’s about finding a different way forward—one that doesn’t keep you trapped in the same painful cycles of shame and self-criticism. 

Because you deserve to feel at home in your body. Not when you lose the weight. Not when you look younger. Not when you finally meet some impossible standard. 

But now. As you are. 

This is an invitation. A whisper. A reminder. 

Everything step by step.  

I will be hosting a workshop on this and how to break free from emotional and binge eating. It's free, and you can register Here 

The key first step is to get to know your body animal gently, let's be curious and get started. 

You don’t have to fight your body anymore. 

You can come home.