Unveiling Self-Worth and Healing with Maelu: Embracing Imperfection & Belonging

💖In today’s heart-centered episode, we dive deep into the topic of worthiness—how we show up for others and embrace our own imperfections. I reflect on a transformative moment with my fellow creative, Scarlet, who was a silent witness to the behind-the-scenes process of creating a podcast episode. Her unexpected support led to a powerful conversation on worthiness and self-acceptance.

I’m honored to be joined by Maelu, a spiritual guide and earth energy that embodies the meadow—where flowers bloom, belonging is nurtured, and every part of us can find a place to heal. Maelu’s gentle presence invites us to remember that our worth is not defined by perfection but by the courage to show up, embrace our authentic selves, and heal from within.

In this episode, we also explore the stories behind personal photos and the wisdom they hold about self-worth—including moments of vulnerability, like a photo I almost deleted and a 5K race that didn’t go as planned. But these moments remind us that worthiness is not about flawless perfection; it’s about growth, self-love, and showing up for ourselves even in the messiness of life.

As a special gift, I’m sharing Maelu’s Golden Meadow Bread Recipe—a simple and nourishing recipe that embodies Maelu’s essence. 🌿🍞

Join me as we reflect on your own journey of worthiness, and discover how even the messy, imperfect moments hold profound meaning. Remember, you are worthy—just as you are. See you next time!

New day - marking the 2500 download milestone it was time for a fresh evergreen intro

a refresh! 

Transcript

0:38

Welcome to Picture Love. Friends, I'm so happy you're here. Today is I'm going to have an interview with a special guest, but it's gonna be more of a reminiscence and I'll set the scene by sharing, something that happened to me while preparing for last week's episode that just. It sets the stage. So I host a Zoom room for me and some fellow creatives and. Not everybody always comes. And this time I knew folks were gonna be late and I was busy in my workflow and when Scarlet pops into the waiting room and I, I welcomed her in, I was already full flow. So we really didn't have the usual meet and greet and I did not realize that the sound setting in my Zoom room was sharing the audio. And Scarlet being who she is, the sparkly soul. Held space for me, and I didn't even know that's what was happening. I thought I was holding space for her to work in a loving environment, and she turned it on me this time. So shout out to Scarlet. So she got to hear the back end, the, the editing, the compiling, the weaving of all the many parts that come together to create an episode for you. And she got to hear the messy, she got to be the fly on the wall in my studio, so to speak, and was actually listening to the content instead of noticing the hot mess. Like that best friend who shows up when your house is just a disaster and they don't care. They're there to see you. They're not there to judge the mess. So thank you, Scarlet, for being that friend. And what came out of that discussion was the subject of worthiness and, and I could have been embarrassed. I could have been absolutely beat red in the face with embarrassment, and yet she met me with encouragement and validation. And spoke to my worthiness in her own amazing sparkly way. So that sets the stage for our spirit guest today. Maelu and Maelu is not just a being. She's a place. She's the meadow where flowers come to bloom, the soft soil of belonging, the womb at birth in gentle form, and she's right there in each of us. She sees us in the spaces where we feel unseen or we feel on the outside or we feel less. The trees are her elders. The birds are her choir. They, sing more fully and more noticeably in her presence. The wind, think of it as her breath. The bees are like her little messengers. You could describe her as a child or a spirit of the earth, a place where even the wounded can come and root again. And those who feel forgotten are remembered in her light. That is how I would describe Maelu. You can think of linen robes if you want to. You can think of flour, dusted fingers from the bread that she makes. The scent of rosemary and freshly baked bread in a kitchen. That's that's what Maelu is. Now then sweetheart, you've brought a basket of photos. You've always had such a generous heart, even when you weren't sure what it was worth. Go on now. Show me the first one. Hold it up like a prayer or a pile you almost didn't share. What do you remember about her? The one in this picture, where was she in the story of her worth? Okay. I almost deleted it because it's so retouched. I never thought it looked like me. So I went to an event run by a very successful business woman friend of mine who I got my makeup done there and I paid for this professional headshot. And many weeks later I was emailed this image. One frame. My initial thought was it was sent to the wrong person. It didn't look like me, and then I looked closer and I realized it was me. It was just so retouched I looked plastic, and then I was immediately reminded of like the whole photo session. I felt so uncomfortable. I kept leaning and turning and leaning and turning and trying to follow the photographer's directions and in the end, I didn't end up using this photo for anything. I'm surprised I still have it. I honestly thought I had deleted it because I'm usually good about cleaning out the unwanted. So what do you have to say about that one? Hmm. Yes. The smile on command smile. That's a hard one to wear, isn't it? It feels like trying to hug someone while holding your breath. You know what I see through it though. You know what I see though? Not plastic, not pose. I see a woman trying to belong in a place that told her worth how to template. You bent yourself into their shape, but you never fit love. And the part of you that didn't want to use the image that was your truth, tugging at your sleeve, not rejection recognition. You kept this photo not because you liked it, but because somewhere deep down you were saving it for a day to be ready to say that wasn't me, and that's okay. What would you tell her now if you could whisper that into the moment? Not to fix it, but just to sit beside her in that turned tilted posture. Hmm. I guess I would say you were a great friend for supporting that event and you don't have to keep this photo if it's not helping you. You showed up for your friend and perhaps that was more important than getting the headshot. Hmm. Yes. That's the heart of it, isn't it? You showed up. Not for the camera, not for the perfect posture, but for her, for friendship, for support and love that matters more than a thousand flawless frames. You know, sometimes we keep photos as proof of beauty, but sometimes we keep them as reminders of misalignment. A little breadcrumb that says, I felt out of place here. I can choose differently now. So whether you keep it or let it go, know this, showing up for someone else was never a betrayal of your worth. It was not. It was an act of quiet love, and now you're showing up for yourself too. Now then sweetheart, what's next in the basket? Wow. My years of, uh, coaching clients on their pictures- this is pretty amazing to be on the receiving end of it. This is wonderful. Okay. This is actually a grainy selfie, but I just realized it's proof that this friend I just mentioned always showed up for me. It was reciprocal, so I'm just, I'm honoring that friendship. Thank you, Lisa. I was asked to be in a news segment to represent a company I was working with. At the time, it was a big deal to be on local news, and now that journalist is actually a very successful news anchor. Anyway, I don't love how I appear in this picture, but I love that it's a reminder of this experience that it happened, and now I'm realizing it's proof that my friend showed up to support my business. She's still a great"pick up where we left off" kind of friend, even if it's been a while. And I honestly wasn't sure I deserved being on tv. I let myself instead focus on the excitement of the experience, but I, I'm also reminded of feelings of guilt. I felt a little guilty that I was chosen to be on this and not the other consultants in the business and that I didn't think I had a face for tv. So yeah, that's still attached to that image. now that, that is a rich slice of the loaf, isn't it? Grainy, unposed, and full of truth. You see child, this photo isn't proof of appearance. It's proof of your presence. Your presence on a platform you didn't think you were worthy of, and her presence behind the scenes reminding you without words that you belong to There. Hmm. Isn't it funny how we can be on TV on the loudest thing we hear is still that old whisper? Should it have been someone else? Do I even deserve this light? Oh, darling, that voice wasn't truth. That was the echo of someone else's story trying to stick to yours. You didn't take anyone's seat. You answered a call. And let's be clear. Your face isn't right or wrong for tv. It's the face of someone who said yes when it counted. That's what made you visible. You didn't get light because you were perfect. You got it because you were present and because some part of you trusted joy more than guilt. And Lisa, that kind of friend's worth her weight in sourdough, sent her some love when this airs, Will ya? Now, what do you say? We reach for one more, something radiant or something ridiculous or, or maybe both. Okay. How about a sweaty one? This girl here me thought it was a great idea to run a 5K just to see if she could, and it went sideways. In many ways I thought I'd get a ribbon. I did. I really thought I would. I'd never run a day in my life before training for this, but I was honestly lucky. I crossed the finish line. I was a tiny ant among butterflies, flitting around. Practically not even touching the pavement. And when the police barricades were moved, I ended up running about a 6.5 k. I had crossed the finish line, but really I never unpacked my expectations for myself and reconciled it after. And yet my husband and another beautiful friend showed up to cheer me and clapped me across the finish line. I was so supported, and I think I missed the full experience with all of that noise in my head. It's not a great photo. It's not newspaper material. However, it's mine and I'm grateful I did it and I learned. I definitely don't wanna do it again. Oh sweetheart, a sweaty victory and a surprise. 6.5 K. Now that's the kind of glorious mess I wish we could frame in gold leaf and hang above every mantle in the meadow. You thought you'd earn a ribbon, but you earned something far rarer- clarity. And possibly a dramatic limp. You were surrounded by butterflies, feather light fast, maybe even smug. But you were the ant, the one who carried more than she needed, ran farther than she expected, and still crossed the line with a foot that whispered"noted". You weren't late. You weren't lost. You were just on your own route to knowing, and the finish line. It wasn't the ribbon, it was the moment you realized, I get to decide what's worth doing again. Oh, and that moment you mentioned your husband clapping, your friend cheering. Do you know how sacred that is? You were received not for your pace or your polish, but for your presence, even with sweat in your eyes and the finish line. Three detours late. You were met with joy. That's what worthiness looks like. Sometimes soggy, sore, blistered, but still loving out loud and knowing when to say, I did it and I don't need to do it again. That my dear is sovereignty. I think this one stays not for its beauty, but because it proves you showed up even when it wasn't beautiful, and that is where your worth shines. Now, should we break bread or do you have one more surprise in that basket of goodies? Okay, I got one more. It's a moment when I really did feel my worth and I didn't know it was being captured. Honestly, I think that's why it's so precious to me. So I'm sitting on the beach here in South Carolina, so this is recent. I'm sitting alone. I'm meditating on the edge of the shore, and I remember this moment because this is when I said to the ocean:" I heard you call and now I'm home." It's one of the moments when I felt my worth just being connected in peace. Ah, now there she is not posing, not performing, not pushing, just being and knowing she belongs. You told the ocean, I heard you call, and now I'm home. Darling, that wasn't a whisper to the waves. That was a proclamation, a soul's homecoming. And the water heard you. You weren't trying to prove anything that day. You weren't chasing a ribbon or retouching your light. You were sitting, breathing, and listening and that that is the moment worth memorializing. This photo is not a snapshot. It's a seal, a sacred reminder that you don't have to earn belonging, you already returned to it. Worth isn't built. It's remembered. And in that moment you remembered you've carried so many stories today. Some sweaty, some sacred, some you almost threw away. But here you are still here. Still blooming in the meadow, still letting the wind bring back parts of you that you thought were lost. Let's leave this one at the top. Let the ocean keep singing it back to you. And if you ever forget your worth again, be reminded. The universe saw you and captured this image to remind you. I hope you enjoyed hearing this reminiscing with Maelu, and I thought I was gonna end this show on that beach meditation photo. But then there was one more. There's just one more, and I couldn't resist because I like to leave things on a higher note. And, I found this photo actually, it's a a sequence of photos in this sacred moment. Okay, here it is. I am on vacation with my family and, had an unfortunate experience. I did not know my breakfast was laced with butter. And it's in the middle of the ocean when the pain reaches a peak. And yes, I purged my breakfast in the ocean. Yes, that was really glorious. Fortunately, if the photographers on that excursion captured it, I was protected from that knowledge, but I felt immediately better and nothing like the ocean to help you detox. And, a few minutes later, found myself conquering a paddleboard. Yeah, I'd never done it before. My daughters were doing it. They're popping on. Come on mom, come on. Try it, try it. So I hopped on and I was doing really well, and then all of a sudden I made the mistake of turning back and looking at my husband to see if he was watching me, and I lost my balance. And this is a picture of me about 0.4 seconds from being fully dunked in the ocean. So the photographers did not miss a chance. I kept this photo because I felt like it was funny and to illustrate that not all the photos that are pretty, tell the best stories. But this was, I was so grateful to feel better, uh, before leaving this excursion. We did get to go snorkeling and, and paddle boarding, and I was so glad that the sickness just got it over with. But, here's me living messy, making a splash, and, this is my takeaway about worthiness today. Worthiness is not just beach, serenity and perfect angles. It's the version of you that eats the wrong thing, gets salty in all the wrong places, and still climbs back up. Like,"let's do this". And when I looked at this photo, I didn't cringe with the, with the reminders of Maelu. I laughed. I loved her. I think she's ridiculous me). I think she's real, me. And, the girl in this picture reminds me that sacred and silly belong in the same album. I thought it was only fitting if I paid forward the recipe that Maelu gave me. It is, it is titled Maelu's Golden Meadow Bread. It is delicious. I had a slice of it with my morning coffee today, and I'm gonna share it with you with Mayo's blessing. So check the show notes if you'd like a copy of this. And this bread recipe is so easy. Anybody can do it. And I'll get you next time. I hope this conversation encourages you to take a look at a photo and find worthiness in yourself because it's in all of us, and I love you. See you next time.