Guest Posting at Espresso and Cream Today

Today I'm guest posting over at Espresso and Cream, my friend Madison's  blog. Madison is a food editor at a large publishing company in Iowa and she and I met in college. Madison has an incredibly impressive resume (I've always wondered why she'd hang with someone as "uncool" as me), but more impressive is her heart for other women. In addition to posting simple, healthy and delicious recipes, Madision has taken a stance against fat talk (the negative lies we tell ourselves about our bodies), through instituting a "No Fat Talk Pledge" for 2012, and every Tuesday she dedicates a post to the topic. 

When Madison agreed to allow me to guest post, my stomach started doing back flips and I got that shaky, weak feeling that comes with being nervous - and I'm feeling something pretty similar today. You see, the post I wrote for Espresso and Cream isn't something I have ever, ever talked about. Not even to Mike. It's raw, real and something that I think people who know me will be surprised to hear. 

Before I submitted the post, I showed it to Mike, prefacing it with asking him to not judge me, think I'm exaggerating, and to know that I don't struggle with it as much any more. I had shared other insecurities with him before, but I had never told him about this. I knew he would be shocked, but I wasn't prepared for the sadness he reacted with. That night, we had a great conversation, (I cried a lot) and I feel even more freedom in my looks than I ever have before. 

Everything written in the post is true, and at times, I still worry that I'm the only one that has ever felt this strongly and I'm making a fool of myself by laying it all out on the table. But then I remember how alone I felt when I was dealing with my insecurities. I didn't have the courage to speak up and tell someone, and maybe that's where you're at today. I know the pain, the fear, the anxiety, and deep down, I know I'm not the only one. So I hope you read my story and find encouragement, feel identified with, and at the very least, feel less alone. 

Read the post here.