EP 222: What Self-Care is Decades Into Your Life with author Jennifer Louden

When was the first time you went in search of a way to feel better about your life?

For me, it was September of 1989. My first childhood friend had been killed by a drunk driver, my dog died from being hit by a car, my grandfather died unexpectedly while on a vacation of a lifetime. I was in college full time and working as a nanny and had broken up with my (terrible) boyfriend for the first time. I was 19 years old.

Since the internet had yet to be invented, I headed to the place that held all the answers: the library.

Imagine me slowly walking through the stacks; my head tilted so I could read the book spines. Louise Hay’s You Can Heal Your Life caught my eye on the shelf. I pulled it off the shelf, sat down on the floor, and dove in.

I didn’t yet know what healing your life looked like, but I definitely felt broken at the time so healing sounded good.

Have you read You Can Heal Your Life? I only understood about every third word, but one big takeaway is: change is possible and you have the power to make it happen.

I was sold on the concept, but I needed something a bit more practical to help me in my everyday life.

Then I found this book, and everything changed. It set me on the path I am on today.

 The Women’s Comfort Book: A Self-Nurturing Guide for Restoring  Balance in Your Life  by Jennifer Louden.

Fast-forward a few decades, and I had a major epiphany: authors are people, and people are on social media.

✨poof✨

I found Jen on Twitter and sent her a message telling her how her book had changed my life. She responded (🤗🤩🥳)

And now we are BFFS!!!

Just kidding! (Sort of)….

In case you haven't met yet. JENNIFER LOUDEN wanted to be Harriet the Spy when she was eight, an enlightened master when she was twelve, and a brilliant comedy writer when she was twenty-two.

She penned her bestseller, The Woman’s Comfort Book, after her first why bother time. She’s the author of five additional books, including The Woman’s Retreat Book and The Life Organizer. She has inspired millions of women through her books, her retreats, and her newsletter, but probably not through her cooking or her typos.

I hope you’ll give this week’s episode with Jennifer Louden a listen. I tried really hard not to fangirl too much. I loved hearing how self-care has evolved over the decades since Jen first wrote her self-care best seller.