LOVE Yourself: Hannah Nokes
Hannah and I have been friends for about 7 years. She and I served on a Junior League committee together and I knew we had to be friends instantly. I’m pretty sure we bonded over event planning, fashion and interior design topics in the beginning. However, the more I got to know Hannah I learned she was one SHARP lady that has served the Austin community for years through her philanthropic work personally and professionally. In fact, she took her years of experience in this industry and created a Corporate Social Responsibility Firm.
Hannah’s balance of persistent hard work & drive with such grace constantly INSPIRES me. In the midst of a very full life, she lives it with a positive mindset and demonstrates kindness to herself. I wanted to share her brilliance with you guys through my LOVE Yourself series.
1.What does LOVEyourself mean to you?
To me it means seeing myself the way God sees me, knowing that I was created the way I am for a reason, and treating myself in a way that allows me to live into my full potential.
2.Did you have a someone that exuded a positive body image for you growing up? A family member, friend, mentor, etc.
I think weight was a pretty frequent topic of conversation among the women in my family growing up. None of them were terribly overweight but they worked hard to maintain that and discussed it quite a bit. I definitely got the picture that a higher number on a scale was a bad thing. It really wasn’t until the last few years that, through my own education, I learned to start disassociating a number on the scale with self-worth.
3.Do you tear your body apart vocally?
Not anymore! But it’s quite a recent thing I’ve learned. I have been working through an amazing course called Self Care Initiative that is teaching me to take better care of myself, starting with changing my negative thoughts. I catch myself immediately now when I say something negative about body and it’s so freeing! I no longer go down a rabbit trail of frustration, but instead keep moving forward and taking the best possible care of myself I can that day.
4.Are you working to improve your mindset around body image or is it a neutral mindset for you?
Yes, I am actively working on this in 2 ways:
Increasing my belief in the fact that I am already awesome, and therefore I deserve to treat myself with love and respect, rather than my old belief that if I changed myself, I’d finally become someone worthy.
Shifting my focus from extrinsic to intrinsic motivations. In other words, rather than focusing on losing weight, shifting my focus to overall health. This is a much broader goal that encompasses how I speak to myself, how I rest and recover (very important for me as an entrepreneur and mom), exercise, mental health (also critical), and how I fuel my body.
5.Do you have anyone that you are trying to set a healthy example for?
I have 3 little girls (ages 12, 8 and 4) so, definitely! I want them to see me as someone who cares for myself. I can’t be a good business owner, wife, or mama without treating myself well first and foremost. That’s my big focus in 2020!
with LOVE and grace,
Elizabeth