Body Appreciation Techniques for Camera Confidence

Body Appreciation Techniques for Camera Confidence

Learn how embracing body appreciation can revolutionize your coaching practice, personal life, and boost your on-camera confidence. 

Dive into the importance of self-appreciation, listen to a personal journey of overcoming body image struggles, and discover the top 5 off-camera body-appreciation techniques. 

This episode is a must-listen for life coaches looking to transform their mindset and make a lasting impact.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• The definition of body appreciation and how it's connected to self-appreciation
• My personal journey of overcoming body image struggles and embracing body appreciation
• The transformational benefits of body appreciation for you, your clients, and the little girl inside
• My Top 5 Off-Camera Body-Appreciation Techniques to boost your on-camera confidence

Listen to the full episode HERE

Transcript:

Intro:

Welcome to SELF-Guided season two, episode 8 “Body Appreciation Techniques for Camera Confidence”. Today, we're going to discuss the importance of body appreciation. I’ll be looking at from the point of view of a life coach wanting to serve their clients, make an impact, and increase their bank accounts because that’s what I know best. What I also know, is that this work and how I approach it can benefit any person with a body, so if you want support in that area, I invite you to join us and listen to this episode. 

I’m taking a slightly different approach today, I’ll actually bring you along my personal journey of how everything changed once I started to appreciate my body, in hopes that you’ll see that one, you are not alone as a life coach struggling with body challenges, and two, that you can see what’s possible for you and I’ll give you my Top 5 Off-Camera Techniques to Boost Your On-Camera Body Confidence at the end, so stay tuned.

Before embracing body-appreciation, doubts about my appearance held me back from confidently showing up on camera before, during and after coaching calls. I worried about my greying hair and my face turning red, not having the right jewelry, or enough makeup to cover all my blemishes, and the overall redness. Each time I would figure out what part of the equation, say I figured out decent lighting, I’d notice something else I needed to fix to look like a real coach. 

These types of thoughts can easily distract us coaches from fulfilling our purpose in the world, because it leads to us hiding in all sorts of ways such as not promoting our services, keeping ourselves away from cameras, not going after opportunities that require us to send in a 5 minute clip of us explaining a concept, etc. 

Going back to my own intrusive body thoughts, it really shouldn’t have been a surprise, really; I've felt insecure about my body since I could think. Every moment was spent wondering if I was pretty enough to be accepted by the kids I wanted to play with. I was literally always fixing my clothes to hide the parts I didn't like. I was 4 years old wearing a large t-shirt over my bathing suit because I was so scared anyone would see my rolls that I wasn’t supposed to have. 

Becoming a life coach, I knew it was possible to heal my body image struggles but instead, I ignored that it was still a problem until negative body thoughts started to creep into my head while I was trying to build my coaching business. I couldn’t let that get in the way of building a business, of serving my clients. So I knew it was time to do something about it so that I could confidently market my business with my face on the front cover so to speak.

First, I had to admit that I was using the self-coaching tools to bypass what I was experiencing. I’d tell myself it was just a thought and that I didn’t really believe it and shooed it away. Turns out, I did still believe I didn’t meet the mark. 

So I turned to somatic work to explore what my body wanted from me. Yup, I started paying attention to it, talking to it, work with it and eventually, I was able to hear it back and it wanted to be appreciated. Appreciated for always having been there for me and for what it was doing now FOR me. So I listened, I let it take the lead and I learned to appreciate and speak kindly to my body, allowing me to show up confidently.

It wasn’t overnight, but I stopped having negative body thoughts before getting in front of a camera (even in my personal life!). I realized that I could not only be an impactful coach but also a professional coach just as I am, and no one could ever tell me again that I needed to change my appearance to fit the "coach mold". The beautiful bonus? Healing the little girl inside, remember, the one who started to hide her body at 4.

Now, the reason I wanted to discuss body appreciation today is because it is the second pillar of my coaching program. It's all about fostering a positive connection with your body and all that it entails; its appearance, how it moves, how you feel in it, all of it, it’s also about establishing and maintaining self-care routines, such as somatic practices and nervous system regulation and movement that feels joyous and lovely to your body, and of course, encouraging body-love, body-acceptance, and recognizing one's unique wonders.

When we combine what we talked about last week, self-awareness, with body-appreciation, you have a winning formula for creating an improved body image, it’s how we build an unshakable relationship our body.

That's why body-appreciation is a cornerstone of my coaching program, transforming your body into a source of support and empowerment for you, your clients, and the little girl inside.

I know many of you are holding back from marketing your coaching business and going after the opportunities you really desire because of how you feel about your bodies so let me offer you my Top 5 Off-Camera Body-Appreciation Techniques to help you boost your on-camera body confidence. Doing these practices before getting on camera will increase your capacity to be front and center, help make it easier for you.

Top 5 Off-Camera Body-Appreciation Techniques to help you boost your on-camera body confidence

Enjoyable Mindful Movement: Do a feel-good activity beforehand for camera-ready confidence! Choose activities that bring joy and help you connect with your body. Dancing, yoga, or even a brisk walk can do wonders for your confidence. For example, you could try a Zumba class to get your blood pumping or practice a gentle yoga flow to center yourself before appearing on camera.

Soothing Stretches: Release tension and feel relaxed on screen. Stretching helps release tension and improves posture. Try shoulder rolls, neck stretches, and gentle twists to feel more relaxed on screen. For instance, you can do a seated forward fold to release tension in your back or a simple cat-cow stretch to loosen up your spine.

Kind Mirror Talk: Speak kindly to your reflection for self-love on camera. Stand in front of a mirror and speak words of encouragement to yourself. Focus on your strengths and remind yourself of your unique qualities. You could say things like, "I am strong and capable," or "My smile lights up the room," to boost your self-esteem.

Body Image Reset: Breathe calmly and reframe body thoughts for screen presence. Take a moment to close your eyes, breathe deeply, and let go of negative thoughts. Visualize yourself confidently sharing your message on camera. Imagine standing tall, speaking with conviction, and connecting with your audience.

Body Appreciation Moments: Honor your journey and commit to shining on camera! Dedicate time each week to celebrate your body, write a gratitude list, or practice self-care activities that make you feel good. You can create a closing ritual to your day or week that has a quick nod to your improved body image.

By incorporating these techniques into your routine, you'll be well on your way to boosting your on-camera confidence and embracing your inner brilliance.

Thank you for joining me today. I hope you found value in today's episode and that you feel inspired to practice body appreciation in your life and coaching practice. 

Remember, it’s possible to go on camera just as you are, nothing needs to change. If you’d like a small dose of inspiration, you can actually go check out my instagram where I went and did a REEL, no makeup, no filter and hit publish. If I can do it, you can too, and body-appreciation is how you can support yourself to get to that point too. Until next time!