We were done.
The lifestyle shoot was wrapped. In my head the cameras were off, and I was just being me. Spraying my body mist, laughing, throwing my fist in the air for no reason at all.
My photographer never stops. She kept rolling.
When she sent me the footage, I had to sit with it for a minute. That woman in the robe, smiling by the window, wasn't posing for anybody. That was just me on a regular day. And that is the whole reason One Body Collection exists.
"You always look so put together"
I hear it all the time. "How do you always look so put together?" "You make it look easy."
Here's the truth. I have the same issues you have. The same tired days, the same changing skin, the same to-do list, the same people depending on me. I don't do this because life is easy. I do it because I decided a long time ago that I count too.
Confidence didn't show up one day and decide to stay. I choose it. Every single day.
Everyday confidence takes about 30 minutes
People tell me, "I don't have time for all that." I get it. I've been working since I was 15. I know what it's like to pour into everybody else before you ever get to yourself.
But let me be real with you. I get dressed, get myself together and get lotioned up in about 30 minutes. That's it.
You already take time to shower. You already get dressed. The difference is whether you rush through it like a chore, or claim those few minutes as yours. Warm water. A cream that actually leaves your skin soft. A scent you chose for you. One minute in the mirror where you actually see yourself.
It's not about adding more to your plate. It's about how you show up for what's already on it.
Our kids are watching how we treat ourselves
Even when I had my child, I still chose to put energy and effort into myself. Not because I had it all together, but because I knew I was being watched.
Our kids learn what self-worth looks like by watching us. If they only ever see us last on our own list, that's what they learn to expect for themselves. When they see us take care of ourselves, they learn that it's normal. That it's healthy. That it's love.
Taking time for yourself isn't selfish. It's an example.
Finding your way back to yourself
So many women I talk to have lost themselves a little. Not all at once. Slowly. Somewhere between raising kids, caring for parents, building careers and holding families together. One day you look up and barely recognize the woman you've become. Or you feel like you have to fix her: the fine lines, the softness, the changes.
I want to say this clearly. There is nothing wrong with her.
That's why I created OBC. Not to turn you into somebody else, but to help you feel at home in the woman you are today. Hydrated, comfortable, and smelling like something you picked for yourself.
What surprises me most is how many women don't realize how simple this is. You don't need a ten-step anything. You need a few minutes, a little intention and permission to put yourself back on the list.
What confidence really looks like
Confidence isn't loud, and it isn't perfect. Sometimes it looks like a woman in her robe, smelling good, laughing at nothing, with her fist in the air because she feels like herself.
My photographer caught that by accident. I hope you catch it on purpose.
Take your 30 minutes today. You deserve them.
You're still her.
— Jessica
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