#lafemmeforte

“I’ll love myself when __________.” 〰️ Oh darling, ✨LOVE YOURSELF NOW✨ Because as fast as we’re learning to accept ourselves, society will always continue to invent new things to hate. #relentlesslybeautiful #lafemmeforte #selflove 〰️ 📸 by @tonhyakae for #lafemmeforte mua: @gaylinyet (at Oakland, California)

Don't invest your time in the opinions of others, good or bad. You are here on this earth not to please anyone. You are here to live the most honest, raw, authentic life you can and to vibrate at your highest frequency. Not for you. For us. #youareenough - pc 📷: @tonhyakae #lafemmeforte mua: @gaylinyet (at Oakland, California)

"Her courage was her crown and she wore it like a queen." - Atticus ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Attention MOTHERS: It is okay to put your health and fitness first. It is okay to love yourself enough to care about how you look like. It is okay to work hard for a body you feel confident in. It is okay to feel sexy after having kids. It is okay to love your stretch marks. It is okay to put your self happiness first! Because in doing so, you become a strong example of a happy, strong, beautiful, healthy, courageous and confident woman. And that is an example worth sharing to your sons and daughters! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Happy Mother's Day to my fellow queens, don't forget to celebrate you today! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ pc 📷: @tonhyakae #lafemmeforte mua: @gaylinyet jacket: @spirithoods (at Oakland, California)

In 2015 a little photo project called #lafemmeforte was created by one of my best friends @tonhyakae as a way to celebrate the truth that all women are beautiful no matter their color, shape, size, “flaws”. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ La Femme Forte encourages ALL WOMEN to live a life full of confidence, worth, power, and damn straight sexiness. Tonhya’s boudoir series is one that recognizes that feeling good in your own skin is not about vanity, its about confidence, happiness, and that joie de verve that is today’s day and age you have worked for. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ When we first talked about this collaboration, our mission was to encourage and empower women to feel beautiful, confident, and strong. We wanted to be able to stand up together and tell society to suck it, we women define our own meanings of beauty and we will continue to be ourselves in the most authentic ways possible. Often times when people hear about boudoir photo-shoots you instantly think to paint a picture of “sex” all over it. Women become a provocative sex symbol for men to gawk at. La Femme Forte was launched to redefine that. Today, with all that has been said about women by the leader of US, it's even more important that we find a way to amplify the message that women are a force to be reckoned with. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ @tonhyakae is making her way back to #SF with @gaylinyet by her side. 62 days and counting and I can't wait! For details on how to book your session check out @tonhyakae's profile. I'm ramping up some of my training and moderating my "moderation" 😂. Time to get #lafemmefit, who's with me? (at San Francisco, California)

My heart flutters every time I hear about someone talking about self-care and self-love. These two things have been such a cornerstone to my fitness journey because without coming to see and understand the value of these day things in my life, I wouldn’t have been able to commit to a healthy and active lifestyle. When I was in my early 20s (I really cannot believe that was over a decade ago) I would turn to exercise for short term goals such as getting into my wedding dress or to look good in a bikini. At the time I didn’t connect that being healthy and fit was more of a feeling rather than a physical representation of a body type. On the blog I talk about how important it is to create a self-care practice and the 3 that I always make time for. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This blog post was written in collaboration with some incredible women and thought leaders in the creative industry. For more inspiration on creating your own self-care practice make sure to check out the following ladies as they share their definitions of self-care: @therefinedwoman, @missdbennett, @nikiaphoenix, @chelseykorus, @laurenscruggs, @tuttidelmonte #therefinedcollective ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ pc 📷: @tonhyakae #lafemmeforte (at San Francisco, California)

Freedom means being you without anyone else's permission. - One of the most frustrating things about being a woman is the balancing act of self-confidence and self-love. - When you’re a woman, no one wants you to be the woman who is constantly self-deprecating, making offhanded comments on the various ways in which she doesn’t measure up to the standards society sets for her. But at the same time, only a certain amount of confidence is truly permitted, after which you’re going to be swiftly labeled “conceited” or “a stuck-up bitch” and dismissed. ⚡️ LOVING YOURSELF IS NOT CONCEITED ⚡️ It is as much about self-care and fulfillment as taking a long bath, or treating yourself to a purchase you have earned with your own hard work. It is simply a moment of happiness you bring to yourself, confidence you draw from within by whichever means you deem necessary. It took me years to figure this one out, my dear friends don't waste the time searching for self love in all the wrong places, it's right there in your heart and your eyes. - 📷 by: @tonhyakae #lafemmeforte MUA: @gaylinyet (at San Francisco, California)

A year ago I took my very first boudoir photos with @tonhyakae, but even more than that it was the first time in a long time that I was able to finally see what others see when they tell you you're beautiful. It's not that you've worked so hard to achieve your dream body, it's not because of the hair, the make up, or the clothes. It's because you've finally reached this state of mind where what you feel on the inside can resonate so vibrantly to outside. - I never connected this word of beauty to who I was until a little over a year ago. There's a certain sense of belonging that I feel about myself that I haven't felt for years and it's an overwhelming and powerful feeling to know that you've finally taken control of your self image issues and started to learn to forgive and love your self for your imperfections. It's a feeling that no one can take away from you even if they tried. It's one that embodies this fighting spirit that can stand up to any of life's toughest challenges because it fought the biggest battle yet. The battle that you had with yourself. #selflove - Not every day is perfect, my mind isn’t always as strong as I need it to be. But I try my best to be intentional about loving myself and all the imperfections rather than forcing negativity on the ways I can still improve. #lafemmeforte — the strong woman. A woman’s voice is bold, #relentlesslybeautiful and powerful. It's time to become that fierce, beautiful, and strong woman that's been inside you waiting to show the world how bright you shine. - I think I’ll have to hire Tonhya yearly to celebrate the strong woman and beautiful woman that I am so that I have photos to look back on my personal growth year after year. Photo by @tonhyakae makeup by @gaylinyet #makeupbygaylin

Oh Monday...I know you're calling me, but I don't want to answer. Can I just get one more day to lay in bed and think about all the reasons why I'm grateful for the choice I made 3 years ago to take control of my health and life 🙏🏾? Had anyone told me that my world would be filled with so many whole heartedly moments, friendships to last a lifetime, and experiences that will change my life forever I would've probably laughed in their face. . Fitness will always be more than just to perfect body. It's about health, it's about getting your life together, it's about redefining everything you've ever known to be true about yourself. Fitness is about building a foundation for healthy living: mind, body, and soul. Fitness is about empowering and encouraging those around you to see the greatness within them. #feelingsoblessed - pc📸 to one of the many empowering women in my world: @tonhyakae #lafemmeforte // make up by @gaylinyet