You're Welcome with Hilary Rushford

ICYMI my recent announcement on Instagram, we’ve been on a fertility journey for the last 6 years. From my first appointment about egg freezing when single, through multiple rounds of (failed) embryo freezing, to moving forward with a surrogate (gestational carrier), and our first embryo transfer last week! Today I’m answering Q’s you submitted about the process, thoughts, feelings, and decisions along the way.   Links mentioned in this episode: Instagram account for my doctor + friend Lucky Sekhon Ep 112: Motherhood: Yes, no, maybe Ep 113: Motherhood, the things I was afraid to say in the last one Announcement video (image of my face breakout/rash) Fertility story photos  Data in adoption section: Washington Post, NPR, Brookings Institute, John Hopkins Univ My publishing story HilaryRushford.com/BookStory   Would love to hear your thoughts after on Instagram @HilaryRushford. If you think this would help someone you know, please share and tag me so I can see and chime in! P.S. Reviews m

What if you’ve worked so hard the last year, only to feel so far from where you hoped you’d be?   You’re still in debt, or the business still isn’t working; still waiting on the adoption or walking through infertility; still haven’t met your person, or aren’t over the relationship you lost.   Or in my case, I’m not as healed, as undefined from grief a year ago as I thought just a few months ago I might feel passing the anniversary.   If you feel far from your peak, you’re not alone, and I’m on the journey with you. Would love to hear from you on Instagram @hilaryrushford after the episode, and if you think this could make someone else feel less alone, share it and tag me so I can see what spoke to you!  

I’m struggling today. You? I had another episode planned.    Yet for reasons I’ll explain, it was feeling heavy. And I’m burned out.   So I asked myself:   What would feel easier today?   I hope my enough will be enough for you today, and that you’ll give yourself the same grace. ❤️   Your weariness is welcome here, in an honest chat about how to continue when you’re using all your tools and still feel far from really good.   Would love to hear from you on Instagram @hilaryrushford after the episode, and if you think this could make someone else feel less alone, share it and tag me so I can see what spoke to you!

When you say you feel “good” in an area, it’s compared to how you used to feel. You feel better. But if this is the best you’ve felt, can you really know it’s good? What if how you feel today is only 40% of what’s possible?  You don’t even know what great feels like!   Ten-ish years ago I was feeling so much better in my body and beauty. But something in me knew there was more–more peace, more ease, more acceptance, more confidence. In today’s personal episode I’m sharing small moments of healing over the years and what I realize caused the shift You can feel better. You simply have to listen to that knowing inside of you that says: this isn’t the peak yet. Let me show you how to get there…   Links mentioned in this episode: What Makes Women Feel Beautiful closes Thursday, June 29th! Visit HilaryRushford.com/Beautiful to join us today   Would love to hear your thoughts after on Instagram @HilaryRushford. If you think this would help someone you know please share and tag me so I can see + chime in!  

I want to introduce you to a new aspiration, belief system, way of living:   Beauty Positive.   My goal is not Body Positive, because you don’t need to feel positive about your body to live this way. Importantly, other people don’t need to feel positive about their body to join you here. Think about that sentence for a second… __________ “How to Finally Feel Confident and at Peace in Your Body Plus Save Time, Energy, and $2k/Year” LIVE Keynote Speech June 21 + 22! HilaryRushford.com/BodyPeace   __________   OPENING DAY: What Makes Women Feel Beautiful Enrollment opens for the first time ever June 21 HilaryRushford.com/BeautifulWaitlist   Would love to hear your thoughts after on Instagram @HilaryRushford. If you think this would help someone you know please share and tag me so I can see + chime in! Bonus: Leaving a review makes all the difference in the world! One minute of your time can lead many others to listen to a needed message like this. Thank you, in advance!  

There’s no affirmation I use more in my life. And this one actually isn’t even about your body. Yet it leaves you feeling better, kinder, more hopeful. And, better about your body. Then inspires you to take the next step to healing. If every woman used this, we could change our culture. Let’s start with us.   Links mentioned in this episode: Ep 60: The Wand NEW get a VIP ticket to watch my keynote speech online for free at HilaryRushford.com/bodypeace _____________________________________   Get your free VIP ticket to hear my keynote speech live!  My talk is titled:  “How to finally feel confident and at peace in your body”   (plus save time, energy, and $2k/year)   You get access to the Q&A with me right after, and I’ll stay until I’ve answered every Q so I can connect with you personally! _____________________________________   Would love to hear your thoughts after on Instagram @HilaryRushford. If you think this would help someone you know please share and tag me so I can see + chime in!  

You sent so many messages when I started this convo on Stories a few months ago. Then I had an appointment I wanted to tell you about (yegads) and the two came full circle.   What we get riled up about on social media distracts us from what we should really care about. From false advertising ignoring the biggest factors making women look younger and pretending it’s something else. Then we spend the money we do have unwisely, and are disappointed with the results.   I want to help you spend less. I want to help you heal from the inside. I want to help you feel more joy, more easily, on the outside.   Links mentioned in this episode: What Makes Women Feel Beautiful is coming this June! Don’t miss the window when you enter your email now at HilaryRushford.com/BeautifulWaitlist   Would love to hear your thoughts after on Instagram @HilaryRushford. If you think this would help someone you know please share and tag me so I can see + chime in!

When does our rage feel compelling, not repelling? After Part 3 of the podcast series went live II received messages like this: “Hearing this unlocked something in me…” “You awoke an anger inside of me I’ve been swallowing, and made it feel okay to let it out…” “This was a holy rage and it was exciting, inviting even, to witness, thank you…”   I had been nervous to release that episode, but it turns out the lack of filter was deeply needed.  Today we’ll break down 6 elements to consider that increase our chances of being heard and honored when we speak up with passion. And what I realize in hindsight was the recipe to why the Part 3 episode felt so raw yet so safe for you to hear   Links mentioned in this episode: What Makes Women Feel Beautiful is coming this June!

You requested this episode, submitting follow-up Q’s you had after listening to parts 1-3.   Today I’m answering your Q’s including: How do you move on after that level of betrayal? How many books are ghostwritten? Have you heard from anyone involved since it went live? I also talk about how to: Know when it’s better to fight, or walk away (even if you know you’re right) Get closure Honor yourself/others who’ve been through something hard, without defining them as victims, but their whole selves  Links mentioned in this episode: Share the series this series to help someone else at HilaryRushford.com/BookStory Read a free excerpt of the book at that link too What Makes Women Feel Beautiful is coming this June! Get on the waitlist to hear first at HilaryRushford.com/BeautifulWaitlist Instagram reels on 05/22: I feel bad I don’t have a happy encouraging ending for you   If you’re an author or in the publishing industry and want to share your experience after listening, write to me privately at books@deanst

You’ve known gaslighting, rage at disorganization or disrespect, or a traumatic work/community experience.   Today I’ll share 7 action ideas to help us protect ourselves in the present or future, those in our inner circle, and more broadly our culture. Use this cheat sheet to journal, discuss, and reflect what you’ll do in this season to grow 10% better, leaving you more empowered + confident:   Identify what you loathe in the situation. Anything else you can try to make this better, or accept it’s to get out or worth it to stay Pour into your self-aware confidence Heal your burnout (new resources coming this summer at HilaryRushford.com/burnout) Share your story Be a safe person Join a movement   Links mentioned in this episode:   *** JOIN THE WAITLIST: hear when What Makes Women Feel Beautiful is coming this June at HilaryRushford.com/BeautifulWaitlist *** Brightlings BookCamp for Girls (what I gifted my niece) Instagram post on wishing I had a happy ending to encourage you   Would

I want to say it gets better.  In life I’ve really found that to be true. In romantic relationships, homes, friends, employees. But sometimes it gets worse first. How do you know when it’s time to walk away from a dream? From everything you’ve invested, with nothing–less than nothing, far far less than what you started with? You know it when it happens. The final straw.  HEADS UP: This is a very raw, salty, cursing, no holding back episode.   Links mentioned in this episode: Read the Introduction Chapter of “What Makes Women Feel Beautiful” that you heard the editor’s feedback on in the episode at HilaryRushford.com/Chapter. Want to hear what’s coming in June? Enter your email for the book download and you’ll be invited to the garden, blooming soon. Share this series and read an exclusive chapter of What Makes Women Feel Beautiful at HilaryRushford.com/BookStory.   If you do so on Instagram tag me @HilaryRushford so I can thank you for doing what I wish someone had done for me, and/or hear what parts spoke

In 2011 I started a business as a stylist. I’d moved to New York City for my career in theater after a Broadway tour, Radio City Rockettes, and all that jazz.   [The below timeline is not covered in the episode and included here for backstory.]   In 2014 a friend who worked at a top publisher told me that my style course, “had to be a book.” She’d told everyone in her office my principles and they were using them daily–women needed this. I told her that sounded like a lot of work for very little money. We were both right.   In 2016 I began writing the book in fits and starts, always “let’s just get through one more launch, just a little more income so we aren’t burned out and *then* I’ll write the book.”   By 2020 I decided *then* was never going to come. I had to take the leap. I hired a book coach and in 2021 they introduced me to a top agent. My book went to auction and my dream was coming true.   For a year I absolutely adored the writing process (which most authors bemoan) yet was traumatized by the publ

The long + layered stories we’re all living in.That’s what this chat is about--you, us.You’ve asked for updates on my brother-in-law which I’m sharing here in the most respectful way possible.Yet really, this is about far more than one person’s physical healing + rather how we navigate the mental complexities of hope amidst hard things.You can catch up on Aaron’s story here: My Instagram post Go Fund Me Ep 155: For the caregivers Aaron’s Instagram hopefully going forward from now on If you think this episode would help someone else I’d be grateful if you’d pass it on and if you share on Instagram tag me @HilaryRushford or come DM me to chat more.

For a year I’ve been asked, “What happened to you? What exactly are you grieving about?”   Each time I would reply, “Unfortunately I’m not legally allowed to share right now, but hope to be able to soon.”   Now I’m able to, and as I’ve known I would be all along, I feel terrified.    So we’re starting with that: The difference between being silent and silenced The holiness of this season I’m sad to see come to an end even though I never would have chosen it The trauma responses I’m seeing in myself that I’ve never previously experienced   As is always my hope: may you feel seen in your story, or better understand others as they share theirs.    Links mentioned in this episode: August 2022 IG post “this summer was hard” September 2022 IG post “the club of the quietly disappointed” March 2023 IG post “the longevity of grief”   Share this series and read an exclusive chapter of What Makes Women Feel Beautiful in Part 3 at HilaryRushford.com/BookStory. Would love to hear your thoughts after on Instagram @Hila

How do you train your body to be more calm in stress?    Today I’m sharing an anchoring phrase that helps me every time I remember to use it, in hopes this conversation will help us all do so more often.   Recorded from a car outside the hospital visiting my brother-in-law, we’ll talk not only big picture gratitude and presence, but practically how we make our lives easier when we build the habit of small mental shifts.   Links in today’s episode:   Order your Elegant Excellence Journal today Join our crew! We discuss the week’s podcast episode, IG Stories, daily life, how we’re using any of the Dean St products or programs inside the Elegant Excellence Community and you’re invited to join us!    Would love to hear your thoughts after on Instagram @HilaryRushford. If you think this would help someone you know please share and tag me so I can see + chime in!

When you’re waiting for news, for an answer, for closure… how are you patient, how do you get through the day, what do you occupy your mind with? This wonderful question came from a member of our Elegant Excellence Community. I shared the spontaneous teaching you’ll hear in this episode, and am following it up with thoughts through the lens of my brother-in-law’s accident that hadn’t yet happened when I shared this original teaching. Links in this episode: Ep 149: How to live well Would love to hear your thoughts after on Instagram @HilaryRushford. If you think this would help someone you know please share and tag me so I can see + chime in!  

Four weeks ago I’d have told you I’m deeply empathetic.   I still am! But I’ve been humbled as to how much I can declare that in scenarios in which I truly have never walked a similar path.   It’s rare we have “overnight change” moments. When they happen we get a clear vision of a before and after of ourselves.   Today we’ll chat about:   The difference between sympathy, empathy, and being an empath. Why pity feels gross and how we shift to a much better feeling. (Whether they’re feeling it towards you, or you to them.) The 4 H’s to know your role in supporting someone. (I love an easy to remember hack!) And the #1 thing I implore you to start doing when people ask how you’re doing.

If you love someone who’s walked through illness + injury, this “pour a cup” or “let’s go on a walk” chat is for you. My 26-year-old brother-in-law (outdoorsy, active, military veteran) was in an accident 2.5 weeks ago, fracturing his C5 vertebrae and paralyzing him from the neck down. He’s been given a 1-2% chance of getting out of a wheelchair, and our family is rocked, devastated, fighting, believing, and learning a whole new world.   When I shared the news on Instagram Monday comments and DMs were flooded by the caregivers. I saw a whole demographic that had been there all along, you just hadn’t had a reason to share your story with me.   Today’s episode is for you. Or for your friends who may not understand what you went through or are going through, because it takes this long to explain it, and these aren’t even any of the personal details, just 8 of the different emotions and experiences I’ve found myself or my family in over the last couple weeks.   I’m sharing from what I call the First-and-a-half

Whether ending a relationship, letting go of a home or a side gig, it can be so challenging to know when a long story has run its course.   And it matters BIG TIME! When we’re leaking energy on the wrong thing, we can be missing out on passion and purpose meant for us, in our career or simply in how we live our daily life.   In this episode I guide us back to how we got here, and how we get out with lots of grace, empowerment, and hope.   This is an important episode for any entrepreneur, yet it’s about so much more than business or work.   Links in this episode: Choose your Elegant Excellence Journal + join the Community today! A lil dance party for the nervous system advice Start our Healing Burnout Course today with this free workshop! Ep 136: Decision making: when you choose wrong + fate vs planning (part 1) Ep 137: Decision making: when you just cannot decide (part 2) Ep 138: Decision making: do you go with your gut or the data? (part 3)    Come let me know your thoughts on today’s episo

Calming nervous system dates, the simplest path to feeling beautiful + more in today’s post-Florida download.    94% of us are in a waiting season. #HandRaised This week I stumbled upon a few ways to support myself in what feels like a Groundhogs Day chapter + broke down why/how they helped so I can look for more.   Join me in a seasonal reset inside our Elegant Excellence Community for April! We’ll be Choosing Lightness (hope, ease, releasing, faith) daily together in a special format this month.   Come let me know your thoughts on today’s episode inside the group and on Instagram @HilaryRushford!   © 2019 - 2023 Hilary Rushford