Natasha’s self-love declaration is lovely, inspirational, and to-the-point. And we, of course, appreciate this awesome poet for taking time to share how she loves who she is without apology!

“I love and honor myself by enjoying my nude body. Each day I take out time to enjoy loving on myself. It sounds simple but I try to never rush the body preparation part of my day. It is the highest form of gratitude,” Natasha says. She is also learning more and more each week about healthy food choices and enjoys preparing healthy meals. “I love to hear my friends say, wow this is healthy, but it tastes so good!”

Natasha loves spending quality time with her sister-friends too, because as she puts it, “it is time that I cannot match anywhere else.” She relishes in being with her sisters as it is in these moments that she reconnects with them, and “I reconnect to my strength,” she says.

Natasha is a true Phoenix, and we appreciate her self-love affirmations and gratitude. To learn more about this beautiful poet, writer, and spoken word artist who says, “I’m so honest, sometimes I hurt myself, heal myself, reveal myself and the same for someone else,” visit her website: www.natasharia.com.

Love Yourself First! Friday is a weekly self-love series created by the Phoenix Rising Collective. Beautiful, diverse women of color tell their stories of triumph, share their personal affirmations, and declare their love for their own lives! The series is meant to inspire and empower women to fiercely demonstrate self-love in action in order to build and sustain healthy, positive self-esteem.

This collage represents Danielle expressing self-love by choosing to engage in activities she enjoys!

After more than 25 years of hair frustration, Danielle says, “I have finally come to a point where I accept myself ‘as is’ - hair (or no hair, in this case!) and all.” In 2010, Danielle made the choice to cut off all her hair. About the decision she says, “I cut my hair off before, but this was the first time I did it because I wanted to, not due to circumstances. It was such a liberating experience!” To further promote love of self, she spends some of her time modeling, proving that beauty is limitless.

Another way Danielle demonstrates self-love in action is by celebrating her life experiences and sharing them with others. Having been involved in several bad relationships including a divorce that left her a single mother, she wanted other women to avoid the mistakes she made. Danielle chose to share her dating experiences through her book, Warning Signs: What every woman should know – A dating guide. This inspiring author says that she has learned more about herself in the process and hopes others will benefit from the stories she shares.

Danielle also likes exercising and devotes time to staying fit and feeling well by working out five days a week, using the weekends to recharge. She maintains a healthy, protein-packed diet and drinks plenty of water so she has lots of energy throughout her busy days.

Thank you for sharing your self-love story with us, Danielle. Keep rising, Phoenix! If you’d like more info on her book visit: (www.facebook.com/warningsignsbook)

Love Yourself First! Friday is a weekly self-love series created by the Phoenix Rising Collective. Beautiful, diverse women of color tell their stories of triumph, share their personal affirmations, and declare their love for their own lives! The series is meant to inspire and empower women to fiercely demonstrate self-love in action in order to build and sustain healthy, positive self-esteem.

Dolores’ inspirational story is one of self-discovery and healing, a lesson in courage and the power of believing in what you want for your life – and knowing that with patience in (and with) the process you can have it.

Dolores decided to divorce her husband the winter of 2009; she knew in the beginning of their relationship that their values and goals for life were different. She is a very spiritual person. He is not. She wanted a family. He did not. But she wanted it to work. “When we first met and married we were in love and had the best intentions to be good for each other,” she says. Unfortunately, those intentions weren’t enough to keep them together, so with a lot of soul-searching – knowing this step would be the healthiest for both of them – Dolores made the very hard decision to let go after five years of marriage.

“My divorce has been the most painful experience of my life. Being by myself was not easy. Nonetheless, it only took a couple of years for my life to become much better than I ever expected. I made it by praying,” she exclaims. Having to redefine herself after years of ‘building as a couple’ was tough, but with spiritual guidance she realized the importance of self-love. So that’s where she started! She went on a journey of self-discovery by practicing yoga and meditation and attending silent retreats to get more in tune with her life. The more she honored herself, the more she blossomed. Dolores took risks and began doing things she always wanted (solo)! She explored her growing interests: got a bike (and went on long rides), joined cooking and Latino clubs, went zip lining, volunteered at her local library helping students with math, continued her spiritual development, strengthened her friendships with her girlfriends, and even joined Match.com (Yeah, you heard us the first time!). She was open to new and different experiences and didn’t judge them as they presented themselves.

It’s been two years since her divorce, and many positive things have happened because of Dolores’s courage to let go – a new promotion, a new home, a new perspective, and even a new love, but the best of all these things is the newfound love she has for herself.

Thank you for sharing your LYF story with us, Dolores. You’re definitely a Phoenix rising!

Happy Friday.

Love Yourself First! Friday is a weekly self-love series created by the Phoenix Rising Collective. Beautiful, diverse women of color tell their stories of triumph, share their personal affirmations, and declare their love for their own lives! The series is meant to inspire and empower women to fiercely demonstrate self-love in action in order to build and sustain healthy, positive self-esteem.