KELLI YOUNGLOVE

When I was a kid, I used to get teased. A LOT. I walked down back alleyways, trying to avoid the town kids who made fun of me. Looking back, it’s easy to see why they did. I went to school at a Bible Institute. I wore homemade clothes. And ugly glasses. My mom cut my hair. How could they resist? One of the boys named me Smelly Carcass and it stuck. Smelly Carcass! Smelly Carcass! Smelly Carcass! When they laughed at my lunchbox, I tried to break it so my mother would give me

Friends and clients often ask me, "What’s the best technique or tool to use when you’re hit with self-loathing and shame?” And while I do have some powerful favourites, sometimes the shame spiral is so strong, you can't even access the will to get out of it. That’s when you’ve got to bring out the heavy artillery. Not just one tool, but EVERYTHING you’ve got in the arsenal. Here’s an interesting example: My sister suffers from migraines—the real kind that swells up from her

My friend Jacky is one of those women who has it all—beauty, intelligence, talent, humour, and a kind, open heart. Since we hadn’t seen each other in months, we made a date to connect before Christmas. “If I’m not home when you get there, just go inside,” she texted. “I’ll leave the door unlocked.” But when I tried the handle, I couldn’t get in. I set my baskets of goodies down on the porch and made my way around the house. (Let me just pause here to say, that at the time of