When will our bodies be enough?

Hello hello, Soulies.

We’re so close to spring here in Bendigo, that almost-there warmth is starting to ride in on the breeze. And with it, the familiar hum of seasonal pressure starts creeping in.

You know the one. The quiet little voice that says: “Time to get into shape for summer.”

I always seem to be late to that party. It hits me in small moments trying on a dress that feels a bit snugger than last year, or realising the bra straps need adjusting. I catch myself thinking, “Maybe I should’ve stuck with that sit-up routine I promised myself… eight years ago.” My youngest is nearly nine. So… let’s just say that post-baby belly isn’t going anywhere in a hurry. 😅

But something shifted for me recently, not from a workout or a diet or a Pinterest quote, but from a talk that left me speechless.

The Naked Truth at TEDx Maldon

I was at the TEDx “Uncomfortable Conversations” event in Maldon. One speaker in particular stole the room. She walked onto the stage wearing nothing but a red silk robe and you could tell, even from the back row, that there wasn’t a thing under it.

She stepped to the mic… and then let the robe slip off her shoulders, pooling at her feet.

She stood there. Completely naked.
Completely unashamed.
Completely present.

You could hear the crowd exhale all at once. But I leaned in. Because anyone bold enough to make that kind of statement with their body? I needed to hear her story.

She’s an artist and a live model for other artists. Think sketch classes, life drawing, sculpture. The first time she was invited to pose, she said she was terrified. Her mind raced with body shame: “What will they see?” “What will they judge?” “Will they see what I hate about myself?”

She sweated through the session, terrified of the marks she might leave behind more worried about sweat than the body she lived in every day.

And then, the magic happened.

At the end of the class, the artists turned their work around. Fifteen completely different renderings of her body. One had focused on her eyes. Another on her shoulder. One saw the line of her jaw. Another captured the curve of her hip, the softness of her belly, the way her legs crossed.

She expected judgment.
What she saw was beauty.

Real, raw, sincere beauty.

She cried.

Because somehow, these strangers had seen her not through the lens of criticism, but through the eyes of presence. Through appreciation. Through artistry.

They weren’t burdened by her inner critic. They didn’t carry the cultural stories or the body shaming monologue she’d repeated to herself for decades. They just saw… her.

The Artist’s Lens: A New Way to See Yourself

That story shook something loose in me. Because isn’t that what so many women carry? The quiet burden of never being “enough” in our own skin, not small enough, tight enough, toned enough, “together” enough.

But what if we could learn to see ourselves the way the artist sees?
To witness our bodies without shame, without comparison just as living, breathing works of art?

She invited us, double dared us, in fact to stand in front of the mirror. Naked. Not sucking in. Not criticising. Not pulling or hiding or bracing. Just looking. With love. With reverence. With curiosity.

To see your body through the eyes of an artist.
To admire the lines, the curves, the space you take up.
To thank the body that carries you, holds you, moves you through this messy life.

Body Image Healing at Soul Care Healing

At Soul Care Healing, we believe true wellbeing doesn’t begin with punishing routines or aesthetics. It begins with self-compassion. With the ability to slow down and notice your body not as a problem to fix, but as a home to return to.

The Soul Care Healing Method is built on this very idea:
That your healing starts when you stop trying to be who you think you “should” be and start embracing who you already are.

Whether it’s through our group programs, one-on-one sessions, or guided meditations, we help high-functioning women (like you) unpack old beliefs, heal body shame, and reconnect with the part of themselves that’s always been worthy.

You don’t have to earn rest.
You don’t have to earn softness.
And you definitely don’t have to earn love from your own body.

You’re already a masterpiece.

Your Next Step? Try This.

Here’s your gentle dare:
Go stand in front of the mirror tonight.
Let the robe fall (real or metaphorical).
Take a deep breath.
And try to see what the artists saw.

No judgment. Just grace.

You are not a problem to fix.
You are a piece of living, waking art.
And your body? It’s already home.

🎧 Want to explore this theme even deeper?

In Episode 9 of the Soul Care Healing Podcast, I reflect on the quiet power of reconnection, the emotional residue we carry from unspoken goodbyes, and what it really means to “walk each other home.” If today’s post sparked something in you, I’d love for you to take a quiet moment, pop in your headphones, and listen along. It’s a gentle reminder that even the smallest check-in can ripple outward in beautiful ways.

Soul Care Healing support is never far away…

Gayle xx