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About MeMy name is Heather Symone and I teach English to adults from various countries. No matter the culture or the native language, students from all over the world have expressed that one their biggest challenges when learning a new language is not the grammar or pronunciation. It's not even listening to the different American accents. Many of them express that they lack the feeling of confidence. Over time, I've found confidence to be a recurring theme in not only how much a student learns, but how much they enjoy the learning process. Connecting these insights beyond the classroom, I've found that confidence (and the lack of) has been a critical component in whether or not we all accomplish the things we really want in life - whether that is learning a new language, leaving a relationship, starting a relationship, traveling to a new place, asking for more money from work, to asking for your worth and more. And I've observed that the need for a stronger self-esteem and feeling of self-value is stronger in desire for expression - in women.
This site is devoted to exploring and cultivating inner confidence and nurturing that essential ingredient that boosts it, Self-Love. Here I will present writings on the subject of Pleasure (knowing and uncovering yours) and how it is vital to stoking your inner fire. I will write on Relationships and Intimacy. Why? Because it's so much fun and we need a sisterhood of sharing when it comes to men! Also, our relationship in how we treat ourselves and ask for our own worth is directly related to how we are treated in our romantic partnerships. And, finally, I will share with you Self-Love Rituals (Goddess Care, as I call it) that will help bring added romance and pleasure to your daily life to enhance your well-being. All these things and more will be offered. The more we treat ourselves as treasures, the more we are able to take risks and know that we will not only attain our cherished desires, but we can BE our cherished desire. |
Adolescence
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Being painfully shy socially to the point of having to spend nearly my entire high school years being home schooled, I found myself to be an introverted late bloomer. I was told that I would never be able to go to college, live a normal life, and would likely never leave home. My family was surprised when, in college, I declared a major in Performing Arts. There, I found my "tribe" of artists and social misfits, all embracing and welcoming. Being "someone else" and immersing myself in the arts and learning what spoke to me, I began to find my expression.
I needed experiences on the road that would help me develop my own voice and confidence, including years of being a caregiver to children and a chronically ill mother. Years of taking care of my mother (psoriasis and immune compromised) and watching her suffer ignited a rage in me so strong that I know can see- it was, too, an essential component in me finding my voice. Being a teenage health advocate for my mother pushed me to stand up to doctors and people "above my place" in the best interest of my mom's care. And, we do that. We fight so vigorously for the ones we love, often more so, than for our own selves. Rage forced needed expression and would be what I would later find out - a needed emotion to honor when giving rise to your own voice. |
New York |
Surprising everyone again, after college I moved 'sight unseen' to New York. Thought that move was a huge step in my boldness development, my lack of confidence in myself still played a big role in my choices. I auditioned only once my entire time here. But, fortunately (and blessedly) we are all on the path we need to be on regardless of where we might think we need to be. Always having a love of self-help books and the spirituality of different cultures, I found myself reading volumes and volumes of books dedicated to
inner workings of our minds and thought patterns, connecting deeper to our own sense of spirituality, ancient goddess and mystical practices, and relationship dynamics between men and women (definitely needed in my New York experiences). I spent over a year working for a company that's mission was to empower women about intimacy through entertaining them through parties that educated them about their own sensuality. These special parties included selling pleasure products (beauty, bath, and bedroom) in the safe haven of a woman's home amongst her friends. I came from being so awkwardly shy (no prom, no kisses in high school) to standing in front of women in the Bronx talking to them about our anatomy and pleasure! Not only was that an exciting experience for me, but an education, as well. I found that through the glitter, laughter and games, privately women would confide all kinds of matters related to sex and relationships- and the more comfortable and safe a woman felt, the more she shared. And the more women shared, the more I became amazed to the depths of our fire and the need to express them more freely. Becoming certified to teach English was a growth opportunity for me, as well. Here I am (yes, still very much an introvert) being called upon to present myself in a very public way. And, it is here teaching that I'm learning about the process in which we learn and we achieve a goal. I'm blessed to be able to experience different cultures of students and their perceptions on relating and communication. I'm learning that in some cultures (South Korea, for example) it is not socially polite to brag about yourself professionally (think resume enhancement). I'm connecting that, though we Americans are better in that department, we women are not comfortable with rejoicing in our significant triumphs, as well. And, rejoicing and sharing in our triumphs (from small to great) is ESSENTIAL to boosting confidence. Teaching is teaching me so much and I'm grateful to be able to share any and all insights with you. Joseph Campbell said "follow your bliss". I find myself naturally drawn to any and everything that calls upon a woman to remember her radiance.Through many self-help books, tragic experiences, dark nights of questioning, constant trying to "be better", I've finally come to a greater understanding in trying to find myself - You can't find something that isn't lost. It was never a finding, but a remembering. A being rather than a doing. Now, when I read about improving, its more an exercise in remembering. I read and learn to be reminded of what is already present. I research to share, to use the language of Goddess culture, to remind other gorgeous Goddesses of their innate wonder.. Nothing needs to be fixed. Wholeness is here. And, that is the chief ingredient in the self-confidence and self-esteem soup, Self-Love. Wondrous, radiant, welcoming and honoring - Love of All that is You. Join me? I'd love you to. Let's remember our worth together. |
