The Esther Collective podcast The Esther Collective Podcast

The culture that surrounds us often lacks authenticity. That’s why we need to cultivate vulnerability as an antidote to it. But what is vulnerability, why is it important and how we can practice it ourselves? Basically, vulnerability is daring to show up and let ourselves be seen regardless of success or failure. In other words as Brene Brown shares, it is having the courage to show up and do something even if you fail. When did you last have the courage to show up and let yourself be seen? There are many barriers to vulnerability. But one of the main ways that we can practice vulnerability is sharing our story. Our stories are powerful. In our latest episode, Claire shares her story of being a recovering perfectionist and how pursuing perfection led to a mental breakdown. Her experience taught her many things including seeing the power of God at work in the darkness and how often we need to be with God rather than only do for God. We discuss how we can all take small brave steps to share our stories with others today. Enjoy listening to the final episode of our ‘Speaking honestly about… wholehearted living’ series’.
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What is belonging? Why is it important? Has technology impacted our sense of belonging? How can we build a sense of belonging in our lives? As you know, we’re big fans of Brene Brown and she defines belonging as ‘the innate human desire to be part of something larger than us’. Having a sense of belonging is a human need, just like the need for food and shelter. Some find belonging in a church, some with friends, some with family, and some on Twitter or other social media. Because this yearning is so primal, we often try to acquire it by fitting in and by seeking approval, which are not only hollow substitutes for belonging, but often barriers to it. Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance. We discuss our experience of belonging and the random places that we’ve found it as well as share some practical advice about how you can build a deeper sense of belonging in your life. Enjoy listening to the third episode of our ‘Speaking honestly about… wholehearted living’ series’. 
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We dive into discussing values in the second episode of our ‘Speaking Honestly about… Wholehearted Living series.’ What are values? Why are they important? How can you live a life that aligns to your own personal values? Values are important as they help guide our beliefs, attitudes and behaviours, aid us to make decisions, keep us focussed on our purpose and enable us to live a life of integrity. We share the values that help us live our lives well and navigate tough times as well as our top tips to define the values that shape your thoughts and actions. Enjoy listening to the second episode of our ‘Speaking honestly about… wholehearted living’ series’.
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Welcome to our new series on wholehearted living. Brene Brown (a big inspiration to us) describes wholehearted living as engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. An important part of wholehearted living is knowing your identity. If someone asked you ‘who are you’ or ‘what is your identity’ what would you instinctively say? We discuss some challenges that we face in defining different aspects of our identity as well as some of the ways as women of faith, that the Bible can help us to understand who we are. How can we be confident in our identity as powerful and beautiful children of God? Enjoy listening to the first episode of our ‘Speaking honestly about… wholehearted living’ series’ on identity. 
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Body positivity is about accepting your own body as it is, and also challenging how society views people based upon their physical size and shape. And so in a world where the overwhelming message is that we should be ashamed of our bodies, particularly if our bodies are outside of the norm in any way, the body positivity message is powerful: your body isn’t just acceptable but is actually quite wonderful. But are there any downsides to body positivity? And can we really embrace and accept our bodies? We discuss these questions with honesty and hope as well as share our own wisdom about how we’re learning to be more body positive in practical ways.
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Approximately 1.25 million people in the UK are affected by an eating disorder and 75% are female. During this third episode of our 'Speaking honestly about.... our bodies' series, the team which includes a mental health professional, explores the basics of eating disorders, how to help recovery and how to support a friend or family member. Jessie also bravely shares her own experience of recovering from an eating disorder and what she has learned. This podcast episode is for everyone – and might aid you in helping someone in the future.
If you’re personally affected by this issue and would like more support, please contact Beat, the UK’s leading charity for eating disorder recovery - www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk. You can also phone the Beat Helpline on 0808 801 0677.​
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