Self-love and self-care have become increasingly important topics in recent years, particularly among women, and there are many resources available for individuals seeking to improve their self-love practices. From apps to books to self-care days, women nowadays have a wealth of choices. All of which are serving a purpose in helping women value themselves more.
Former Miss USA winner, Terri Britt, understands more than ever just how important self-care and self-love truly are. Terri has been making waves across the globe with her work through Women Leaders Of Love at the Enlightened Family Institute. The institute, which she founded to help women and families heal.
The TedX speaker created the Women Leaders of Love community to really help women see their worth and especially raise what she calls ‘their Worthiness Quotient’. ‘’Many people think they own their worth but then often wonder why they don’t feel seen, heard, valued or loved by others. Then they live in lack and compete against one another. So my mission is to help women own their worth and claim their crown. I help people find out what’s truly at the core of their being. Our worthiness is at the core. When we discover our worth then we have inner freedom and attract outer abundance’’
It started with her own personal journey. Despite achieving success at a young age, Terri struggled with feelings of inadequacy. She felt that she had to constantly strive for perfection in everything she did, from academics to extracurricular activities.
Growing up in Cabot, Arkansas, in a typical American family, she internalized the message of being a “good girl” which meant suppressing her emotions, especially anger. “My dad was like God in our family, he was the authority figure. I watched how everyone responded to Daddy and how they worshiped him and I thought that’s what I want out of my life. So just like my daddy, I worked harder and pushed myself beyond my limits to achieve and basically to seek approval and love,” she says “But I didn’t feel loved. Instead, I got angry.”
Despite all her hard work and achievements, Terri couldn’t seem to find happiness. Even after winning Miss USA, she found herself thinking about the impact it might have on her boyfriend and feeling unworthy of the crown. It wasn’t until her father passed away from lung cancer and her own therapy journey, that she realized how she had been performing all her life for everyone else and looking for their approval without truly listening to what her heart desired. “As I looked at my daddy on his deathbed and I told him – I love you, Daddy, you can’t leave me. His eyes sort of bugged out as though he was shocked that I loved him. I realized there and then how he never felt worthy of love. I no longer wanted that way for me and my family and I was determined to break that cycle. I had a family of my own, and while I may not have been able at the time to do it for me, I was going to do it for them,” she shares.
Through learning about meditation and energetic healing, Terri committed to loving herself unconditionally. She embraced her inner child and became the Divine Parent to it, giving herself permission to feel everything, including her anger, and nurturing herself into abundance. Terri believes that healing our thoughts, beliefs, and energetic blocks that shut us down to receiving unlimited abundance is crucial in shifting from lack and survival to love and prosperity consciousness.
She emphasizes the importance of committing to unconditional love, paying attention to our feelings, seeing our reactions to our outer world as a gift to go within and heal, stopping the performance, and nurturing ourselves into abundance. ‘’During one of my deep meditations, I met with my five-year-old self – little Terri. I asked my younger self what it was I truly wanted out of life, and what was causing me pain and discomfort. There’s something incredibly healing in going back in time to that younger you and connecting with your truth and what caused the change. When you look back, a lot of the time it’s in our past that’s actually affecting our present. We stop being who we are and become what we believe will be more accepting and more suitable for others. However, what happens here is like the little child, they start throwing a tantrum- this can then be displayed as anger, anxiety, depression, and dissatisfaction in our daily lives. You’re on that hamster wheel, you might be making money and performing but you are miserable. The dream within the truth of who you are is suppressed and the little child inside is screaming for attention. But when we listen and truly be still and ask that little child inside what is it ‘you’ want- we wake up. When I recognized my own truth and really understood it by truly loving and practicing self-love, I understood that was the answer. If we love ourselves we are loving our creator- whether that’s GOD to you, the Universe, or the source. When you love yourself you pay more attention to your needs and wants. You send an energetic message that says ‘I am worthy of being loved simply for being me.” And because your outer world always mirrors your inner world, you open up to receive unlimited abundance.’’
Terri started implementing these teachings into her daily life and focusing on herself, which made her a better mom, wife, and overall loving person. She learned that when she stopped performing and treated herself better, she opened herself up to higher vibrations and attracted good things to her life. Terri’s journey led her to write her first book called “Message Sent,” which she gave to a therapist friend who read it and found her own story in it. This experience showed Terri that her story could help others, and she learned that putting herself first wasn’t selfish but necessary. Terri then went on to create her other award-winning book The Enlightened Mom. Through her journey from anger to love, Terri finally understood that when she honored and loved how she was created, she put God first and opened herself up to receive love. She learned that unconditional love brings miracles into your life, and by connecting with the divine mother energy, she took back her power and stepped into her truth.
Terri believes that by taking responsibility for what’s going on in the world and committing to healing, we can all become Women Leaders of Love and create the change we want to see in the world. Terri’s life is full of abundance and blessings, her work helps so many families, especially moms.
‘’I want every woman to become a Woman Leader of Love. Be your own champion. Recognize your divinity, because when you love yourself so deeply, you in turn love everyone else around you. You’ll see the improvement in your relationships, your families, and your career. You’ll be living a life true to you, and be a thriving example for others to own their worth and love themselves, too.
