The Team proudly announces the imminent launching of our social network. That's right... out with the old, in with the new. We will be moving to new and improved digs. The current forum and group blog will be scrapped. This change has been a long time coming. A lot of what has held us back has been financing. Well, the Team has decided it is now or never. We are going to take a leap, trusting that the abundance needed to keep this community growing and evolving well into the future will manifest. Sometimes, you have to dig deep, summon your courage, take a risk and just go for it already! In a big way, we are following our hearts. We will no longer let fear hold us back. The current format has not been working for the full scope of our vision for quite some time. In essence, it has limited us. We have become affiliated with "Intuitive Eating" and promoting the visions of others, when really we have our own message to share. We have dreams and we dream big.
We've known for a long time that no one overcomes food and body obsession by putting more focus on the particulars of what, when, or how to eat. Nor does fixating on body size serve any meaningful purpose. We heal by reconnecting with our heart's desires. In doing so, we reclaim ourselves and find inspiration beyond the obsession. This bold act of defiance against all the 'shoulds' we've been sold launches us into the potential of limitless possibility. Through exploring what we find personally meaningful we discover the hidden treasure of fulfillment. The need to disconnect from our experience falls away, along with the eating disorder mentality. This allows us to become who we were born to be... strong, capable, empowered, brilliant women who are a force to be reckoned with.
We will not insult your intelligence. You do not need to be told what to do. You can determine what suits you best. You do not need a set of guidelines to direct your course. The compass is found in your heart. Life is an open book full of limitless possibility. You write the script.
Our dream is to empower women to be the change they wish to see in the world. We hope to inspire you to reclaim your lives, your dreams, your hopes, your passions, your purpose... Your Self. We want to see empowered women passing on the message of selfhood to young girls. Through mentorship our girls can grow up with the knowledge that they are more than a body size or some narrow definition of beauty. They are a spark that can grow into a flame that will set the world ablaze. United, reminded of our sisterhood, we can be that fire of transformation. It is time.
Now, don't get us wrong. We love men, but feel called to focus our energy on lifting up women. Women need this so desperately. We need a place of our own where we can remember our bond... where we can connect, network, encourage, and support one another in sharing our unique gifts with the world. Men who love women will be more than welcome to participate in our community. No one seeking genuine support and connection will ever be turned away.
One thing that is often missed when the topic of beauty comes up is the way these ideals have driven a wedge between women, creating an air of competition and division amongst us. When we are divided, we are disempowered. Wouldn't it be amazing if women stopped playing into media's hands? What if we stopped comparing ourselves to each other to determine how we measure up? What if we looked into our hearts to discover our self-worth instead of turning to the doctored images in fashion magazines for validation? What if rather than body-bashing and judging one another on the superficial basis of homogenized beauty ideals, age, ethnicity, or social background, we instead united as women, celebrating the perfection of diversity? Can you imagine what it would be like to truly support each and every woman in being the amazing being she was born to be? How incredible it would feel to truly honor each other's unique gifts and encourage one another to share our meaningful contributions with the world! Let's stop playing into the hands of those who would like to keep us down. Let's remember our sisterhood.
Our community is going to go to the next level. Of course, we will continue to support you in taking the very best care of yourself physically. We will cover topics that have drawn you to this community like body image and leaving the misery of restriction behind. We will also go beyond this limited scope. You are more than a body. You are more than a pretty face. You are a multi-dimensional woman. Many of you have forgotten this truth. We are going to help you remember just how magnificent and powerful you truly are.
It was important to us to mark this next chapter in our evolution by christening our community with a new name. While the idea behind "Through Thick & Thin" has served us well, it is time to release this old image and redefine ourselves. Our community has always been about coming together to share our experience with one another. It is through sharing our stories that we grow and heal. One thing that each of us has in common is a story. Every woman has one. We also have the power to rewrite the story of our lives to more accurately reflect who we are coming to be as we reconnect with our authentic selves. We choose the plot, the cast of characters, the next chapter to be written. For this reason, we are marking the transition to the new social network by renaming our community...
HerStory
We all grew up learning about history in school. What about herstory? We feel it's time for women's voices to be heard.
The new network will become a hub that connects women from all over the world. Each member will have their own page where we encourage you to share what is meaningful to you. We hope you will take this opportunity to highlight the work you are doing in the world. What causes are near and dear to your heart? What dreams are you brewing? How do you wish to share yourself creatively? This is your space to introduce yourself and your unique contribution. It is also a place for you to intimately connect with your sisters all over the globe, fostering a true sense of communal spirit.
Additionally, the new network has the ability for members to form groups so you can connect with other women who share your passions and interests. We will have a forum that is more streamlined and user friendly than our current format. The new network will also feature a blog, website, the ability to chat live, send messages, and many more features that are going to enhance your experience.
I'm also going to be going through an evolution of my own. As many of you know, I am an intuitive eating counselor listed on the National Directory. I was trained by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, the authors of "Intuitive Eating" and went through their certification program. It is time for me to begin offering my services in a professional capacity. This is something I will be launching with the new network. I am going to create a program that offers one on one direct counseling support that is accessible for everyone. I'm really excited to be moving in this new direction with my career. The Team also has some cool things in the works... workshops, video seminars, an e-store, even a subscription e-zine. We are very excited to be able to expand our offerings in order to enrich the time you spend with the community.
In keeping with our unconditional promise, there will be no membership fee to participate in the HerStory network. This is our gift to you. We will gladly continue to accept donations from those of you who feel moved to pay it forward. Donations will be put back into the community to cover the costs of hosting the network.
So, when will this move take place? Soon... very soon. Right now our target launch date is to be up and running no later than May 1st, 2011. We will leave the forum and group blog up for a few months after the transition, but they will be inactive. With funds being diverted into the social network, the ads will begin to pop up on the forum. Eventually, both the forum and blog will be deleted. We encourage you to begin saving journal entries and posts that you want to keep as there is not the ability for us to import these files to the new network. Our members will be given ample notice prior to the forum and blog being shut down. You will have time to prepare for this shift.
To all of you who have believed in our vision and supported this community "Through Thick & Thin", we offer a deep bow of respect to you. We are excited to open this new chapter with you and look forward to making HerStory!
