As topics around weight and body image become overwhelmingly apparent in our culture, it’s apparent that many women feel the need to perfect who they are in order to be happy, successful, beautiful, and worthy.
In a survey done earlier this year by Good Housekeeping, researchers gathered that of their 4,250 surveyees, 87% of respondents had been on a diet with the purpose, at least in part, to change their weight or shape.
The dissolution we have created by confusing thin body types with a standard of wellness and curvy body types with shame and with poor health, is something that must be challenged. Thankfully, brands such as Flourish, are working to lift the veil of pressure and the unspoken suffering women experience collectively.
After being put on weight watchers at the age of 13 and years of struggling with her weight, Flourish founder, Claire Siegel romanticized the day where she would find peace with her body.
As Claire began coaching women as a registered dietician, she reflected, “I thought I was going to be teaching women how to eat more vegetables and less ice cream. I very quickly learned that the psychology component, the body image component, was much more important than what was actually on these women’s plates.”
Clarie noticed that many of women’s experiences mirrored her own. Finding out that she was not alone and that so many women had a complicated relationship with food & body image helped her realize that this was an issue much bigger than anyone originally thought. Marrying her vision to help women let go of food and body drama, Clarie began familiarizing herself with new technology so that she could scale her coaching to solve these problems for millions of women.
Flourish, let go of food and body drama
Flourish is an online platform that connects you with a nutrition and mindset coach who is specifically catered to meet your needs. Coaches will help you dig deeper into your goals and create a balance in your health habits. Without shame, you will begin by developing a sustainable strategy for your health as a whole, far beyond food and fitness.
With a belief that you are worthy of a flourishing life, you will be connected to a safe community of women. Flourish is entirely inclusive and emphasizes that how you feel matters more than what you weigh.
Offering a 7-day free trial that requires absolutely no credit card, Flourish encourages women to take advantage of their Initial Strategy Session, a private call with a coach that begins by going over your history and developing a plan to find balance. During this trial you will also be able to join live community meetings.
We asked Claire- What do you see women struggling with most often diet culture?
Claire- “We have created what I call black and white thinking. The idea of being all on or all off of this cycle.” Claire explained that many women have a mindset of “I’ll be good Monday through Thursday” in terms of eating. They will then “fall off the wagon” on the weekend, and because they did that they need to “restart” the cycle again on Monday. Claire explained, “The problem is that women thinking bad eating on the weekend is the problem, but actually the restricting and “good eating” during the week is what is causing the binge.”
Recognizing this black and white approach, helps unveil that there is so much more in the middle, what Flourish refers to as the “Gray.” “When you learn to live in the gray, your approach becomes much more sustainable, your healthy habits become much more sustainable, you are able to free yourself of all of the physical, mental, and emotional drama that takes so much energy,” Claire expressed.
Tuning back into our internal wisdom and escaping dark patterns, Claire wants to create a space where women can find empathy. Claire expressed, “With flourish I hope every woman can find unlimited empathy. We are all swimming in the same water, the water that tells us we can be better and we must meet a standard of beauty. But that is actually what we should be getting mad at, not ourselves and each other for not living up to it.”
Claire’s wisdom and commitment in helping women find tangible solutions, compassion, empathy, and freeing their mind of limiting beliefs around their body is groundbreaking.
To round out, we asked Claire for a piece of advice: “taking care of yourself is productive. It’s one of those things that I hate to have to frame it that way. I should just take care of myself because I’m worthy, but sometimes it’s really hard to do. So, the reminder that I give myself is to prioritize sleep, eat nourishing foods, and to move my body. I get coached once a week with my executive coach. When I am taking care of myself, everything else gets taken care of, so it’s worth investing that time even though it may not always feel productive.”
Flourish is an incredible resource for all women. Check it out for yourself or share the magic with a loved one. This free-trial offer is truly special, and we could not be more inspired by Claire. Let us know your thoughts @StarterNoise.
Morgan is a student at the University of San Diego majoring in Business Administration and minoring in Entrepreneurship. Not afraid to run a 10k or test out a new product for review, Morgan is our go-to for all things spirituality, health, wellness, and the hottest spots to check out in Denver and San Diego. Also a podcast junkie, Morgan can always recommend a killer listen ranging from the newest data on MDMA research to ways we can begin understanding the microbiome.