SEX Part II

A few month's back I did a poll on Instagram to see if people wanted me to share on the subject of Sex or How to Fight for Joy! I knew when I saw Sarah Sinclair's emphatic response "SEX! SEX! SEX!" that I had to interview her for Part II of this conversation. I met this super sweet & spunky Texan in Montreal where she temporarily migrated to be an Au Pair. At the time she was both single and a self-proclaimed prude. Now she is happily married to Andrew and the mother of darling baby girl Stevie Rose. I had to interview her to hear more about how she went from prude to super passionate. So without further ado.... meet Sarah. A beautiful women with a heart of gold, 

who loves people like it's her full time job.

How To Fight for Joy

Photo Credit:  Roberto Nickson

Is it just me or is there a full blown attack on joy? Sometimes it's blatant and obvious like a looming cloud there to greet you first thing in the morning, and other times it's more of a chipping away. Almost like a series of events that chip away at joy:

• Scrolling through a series of happy highlights and exciting events on social media at a time when you're feeling lonely, bored or stuck!
• Looking in the mirror and feeling less than excited with who is looking back at you
• Disappointments and Unmet desires
• Hormones (it's a real thing...)

I want you to know that you're not alone. It can most definitely feel that way when you're in the middle of this 'fight' but you are NOT alone. Also, you're not a victim; you don't have to throw up a white flag and allow these feelings to colour your whole day. I want to share my Top Tips in Fighting for Joy (these are not nice-sounding theories they are proven strategies that I use whenever my joy is being shaken...and honey they work! ).

SEX

So 8 years ago you could not convince me that Sex and God went together. For me, it was like peanut butter and salad, or like adding chicken to your smoothie. The thought alone weirded me out. The thing is so much has changed since then (mostly internally) and I want to share things I've learnt along the way that have allowed me to embrace and navigate my sexuality (as a single christian woman) without any shame or fear!

Excited?! Me too.

 

For the Girl Who's Tired of Getting Burned

With Love,
Sherina Shantelle
xx

" I Want Her Life"

Photo Credit: Atikh Bana 

Paris, France
We know Instagram is not real, we've heard the quote about comparing our behind the scenes with everyones highlight reel, but every now and then you may see something that makes you think "Nope, I'm pretty convince that her life is better than mine. And frankly I wish I was her". No? Just me?  [nervous laugh]

Freedom from Fear of Failure

I heard about this social experiment they did where they divided an art class in two. They told half the class that they would be graded on the quantity of pots that they could make and they told the second group that they would be graded on the quality of the pots they made. Funny thing is the most beautiful high quality pots came from the first group because they weren't concerned about meeting the 'quality standards' they were free to create, make mistakes and improve with every pot they made. This group quickly learnt new ways of how they could improve. Meanwhile, the second group worked tirelessly to make their first pot perfect and didn't get nearly as great results!

Isn't that wild? It makes sense though right? The fear of failure and the need for perfection will literally paralyze you.

How to Be Single

PHOTOG: BROOKE CAGLE

How to be single…
I promise this won't be a condescending post where I'm teaching you how to be single because I'm so good at it (HA!). No, it's more of a rallying of the troops, sharing some wisdom I found on the journey and encouraging you wherever you're at. Wether you're single and loving it, single and frustrated or in a dead-end relationship…I have you in mind.

When it comes to the subject of singleness or specifically single women there is a long and colourful spectrum. On one end there are days, moments or groups of people who feel like this...

and on the other end there are days, moments or groups of people who feel like this...

And if you're anything like me no part of this spectrum is foreign to you!

So here are a few nuggets I have on the subject of How to Be Single….

The Number #1 Lie I Believed about God

Flat out, the number one lie that I believed about God was that "He was witholding  good from me". In other words, I didn't trust that God really  had my back. The longer I live my life the more I realize that the root issue always links back to a lack of trust. I've come along way...but my idea of God use to be so distorted. I honestly believed that life with him would be stifling, that I would feel so confined and restricted that His rules would both frustrate and limit me from experiencing all there was to life! Man I was sooo wrong, I was deceived.

Q&A with Les Boys

           

"New Year…Same Old, Same Old!"

It's about this time of year, when the confetti has settled, the lines at the gym are winding down and it  could begin to feel...well...a lot like last year.  I believe we have the best of intentions at the start of the year! We  genuinely want to be the best version of ourselves, we want to experience our best year yet, we are tired of the 'same old, same old'. It's so easy to fall in to the trap of desiring external change while ignoring where the real change is actually needed: our mindset.

Minimalist Natural Hair Care

F E A R

*Sigh* Fear…
Fear is not foreign to any of us. For some it's a constant companion and for others it's a friend from the past who visits at the most inconvenient of times. There's a good fear that tells you..you're standing too close to the edge and you need to back up, and then there's the other fear, the one that tells you that you'll fail before you even get started.

I think we can both agree that FEAR is not your friend. It often holds you back and paralyzes you and it can often leave you feeling stuck. It's like a giant wall that reads "You Can't Do It. Don't Even Try". The crazy thing is fear is really 'self protection'. The tall walls of fear that keep you confined actually make you feel safe. It's comfortable; that's why they call it a 'comfort zone' and the second you try to step beyond the boundaries of what's comfortable fear will be there to greet you.

I want to share with you how I make fear work for me and how I keep fear in check so it's not ruling my life.

S I N G L E N E S S - Don't live on pause

My Natural Hair Journey is now LIVE on Youtube!

My First Year in AUSTRALIA!

Seriously, I cannot believe I am even writing this post! Even after one year (…technically 11 months) it still feels really surreal to me. I am SO SO grateful for this past year. I have learnt, grown, and experienced so much here, it blows my mind just thinking about it. Sometimes I think to myself…what if I hadn't, what if I ignored the little (random) whisper that I should go to Australia? What if I let fear keep me back? And trust me I had a lot of reasons to be afraid:
-no money
-no job
-didn't know anyone
-Aussie is home to all the deadliest animals in the world (HA! …I had this told to me quite a bit)

Perfectionism = Procrastination

In Case You Didn't Know

Get Up!

Being Present & Stepping Out

Hello Beautiful people!

 There is so much I want to say about what I've been learning in and out of the 'classroom'. The decision to come to Australia is definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made...then again coming here wasn't exactly my idea. Here's what I'm learning and being challenged with in a nutshell:

  Being Present

Being fully present wherever I am. Not worrying about tomorrow, not being so focus on the "next thing" that I completely miss the now. There is so much joy and thanksgiving that comes out of being fully engaged in the moment.

Runaway Bride!

Check out this beautiful message from the inspiring Heather Lindsey!