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Join Brooke Snow in the journey of co creating a life from a place of unconditional love.
Hello my friend. Welcome to the One Heart Podcast. I'm your host Brooke Snow, and I'm so grateful you're here. In this introductory episode we're going to talk about the difference between self improvement and self love. But first, I invite you to join me in a three breath meditation to settle into your own heart.
Breathing in, come back into awareness of your body and descend to your heart.
Breathing in, opening your heart.
Breathing in, access the love that is always inside you.
Say to yourself, I love and accept you.
Thank you, friends for joining me in this inaugural episode of the One Heart podcast.
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Allow me to introduce myself to you. My name is Brooke Snow. I love nature, I love spirituality, I love learning, I love chocolate, and truly I love to teach and share insights of what I'm currently learning in my own journey of life in hopes that something I've learned may be a benefit to you on your journey as well.
Professionally, I am a meditation and spirituality teacher and I am the founder of the Co Create app, which is a yoga and meditation app. I'm also the founder of the Creation Coach School where we certify coaches in the Law of Creation and the fundamentals of how to be a better creator in your life.
Even though this is episode one of this podcast, I'm actually a seasoned podcaster and have been podcasting for nearly ten years. I chose to start a new podcast to allow me to broaden my audience as well as give focus to the message I feel calling in my soul, which is to teach unconditional love.
Almost five years ago when my daughter was in kindergarten, I visited her school to volunteer in her class. There was a moment when I noticed one of her classmates studying me closely. Eventually this little girl got the courage to approach me and what she said was so unexpected. She said,
"You're the 'I love and accept you girl'. "
I was really taken aback by her words, but my soul understood her. I simply smiled to her and said, "Yes I am."
The only explanation I have been able to come to is that her mom must have been in my meditation class, where I invite every person to meditate on the mantra, "I love and accept you" as part of our 40 day meditation challenge. Perhaps her mom taught her this mantra as well, or she recognized me from the course videos. Regardless, being seen by a young child as the "I love and accept you, girl" is probably the most meaningful thing I have ever been called by anyone, ever.
I have thought of this moment so many times since then. After completing my previous podcast several months ago, I chose to take a break from podcasting for a season to allow the energy of this new podcast to be born. Of all the things I could focus on in my life, I keep being called back to love. The words of this little girl have echoed in my mind again and again.
"You're the 'I love and accept you, girl'".
You're the "I love and accept you, girl".
And thus my friends, I welcome you to the intention of the One Heart Podcast. This little place in the world is where I hope to share many lessons I am learning in how to love better. Love more deeply. Love more fully and unconditionally.
The I love and accept you mantra is my #1 favorite mantra in all the world. I've meditated on this mantra nearly everyday for the past eight years and it has the power to change your life. Even still, I will be the first to tell you I am very much still a student in the realm of love. But of all the subjects I could study forever and grow in for forever, it would be love. I believe love has the power to change our life more than any other principle or life hack.
I have spent years of my life studying self improvement. Books, courses, coaching certifications, programs, galore. All in search for how I could improve myself. I have had an insatiable hunger, that if I could just fix myself and improve myself, then it would magically solve all my problems and I'd find success, whatever success was.
I have since discovered that what I was really chasing was love. I believed that if I could just be better than I was, or just be someone else, then I would find the love I was looking for. God would love me more, I would love me more, and other people in my life would love me more. And so I pursued the path of self improvement.
Self improvement has a place. I have most definitely seen progress in my life through studying and applying self improvement. And yet, as I have confronted some of the most heart breaking challenges the past few years, I find myself less and less focused on self improvement and more and more drawn to self love and acceptance.
Ironically, I am discovering that if you focus on self love and acceptance, you actually DO IMPROVE. Like dramatically! I've been putting the cart before the horse for years. But the reason to love and accept yourself more fully, is not about what you can achieve because of it, the reason to love and accept yourself more fully, is for what it does for your entire experience of life in the present moment. It is for what it does for your personal happiness, and for your relationships. For what it does for the paradigm in which you see the world. For what it does for your heart.
My focus on self improvement always left me hungry. It left me wanting. It left me feeling like there was always more I needed to change or fix within myself.
My focus on self love has done the opposite. It has left me filled. It has left me feeling like I am okay and loveable and acceptable right now. Just as I am.
I'm not saying one way is right and the other wrong. I do however, believe that there is an order that is far more helpful.
Instead of improving myself in order to finally love and accept myself or in hopes that others will love and accept me, I'm focusing on loving myself right now. Accepting myself right now.
It's interesting, because having taught more than 10,000 people how to meditate with the mantra "I love and accept you," I can tell you that a lot of people struggle saying these words. Most people actually have a harder time saying the acceptance portion than the love portion.
On a zoom call I did years ago with my meditation students, one student reported back that she was dutifully doing her "I love and accept you mantra," and hten she proudly proclaimed "But I make sure that I clarify that I don't accept all the parts of me that need to change."
She is not the only one that I have seen do this, where she in effect negates the entire mantra by coming in the back door with judgement.
People can be afraid to say they accept themselves in fear that it will make them lazy and crazy. They fear they will self indulge and have no reason to live a wholesome life.
I can assure you, that this is 100% through and through fear speaking. This is not love speaking.
When you love and accept yourself, all of yourself without judgement, it will not make you lazy and crazy. It will make you more forgiving, caring, happy, optimistic, and even humorous. You can laugh at yourself with kindness instead of judging yourself with shame, because you know that you are human and it's okay to be human. You love and accept yourself. And the other magical fruit that comes from loving and accepting every part of yourself? You symbiotically gain the ability to do the same for others. They're connected.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
They're tied together.
Even though I've said this mantra daily for years, I confess that my intention has usually been to use these words to fix myself, rather than truly loving and accepting who I am right now. I didn't know I was doing that, but I can see it now. That's okay. I love and accept myself for doing the best I could with what I understood at the time. Now I can practice this on an even deeper level.
So dear listener, Do you have need for more love in your life?
Do you desire to love and accept yourself and others more as well?
Do you long to experience fulfilment that comes with being okay with who you are right now. Exactly as you are?
Welcome. Come along with me in our lessons on love.
I've decided I'm ready to live into the title of "the I love and accept you girl". I can think of no better legacy I could dedicate my life to than growing in love and acceptance. I'd love for you to join me on this journey.
You are love.
Namaste.
Hello friend, If you enjoy this podcast, I know you would love my app, Co Create by Brooke Snow. It's available in the apple and google app stores. The Co Create App gives you access to over 100+ Guided Meditations, new Yoga Classes, Inspirational Audio Courses, and community Challenges to support you in living into your true identity as the creator of your life. In the free section you'll also find my signature "I love and accept you" meditation which I would love for you to try. To learn more visit brookesnow.com/app.