In her first interview with Manifest Easy, Stephanie discusses how it’s so important to fully feel our emotions and not suppress them, how positive affirmations are changing her life for the better, and how part of remembering our Divinity as women is recognizing that we are multifaceted beings.

Stephanie’s Age: 31 years old

Her Current location: Utah, United States

Stephanie’s Profession: Mental Health Counselor

Instagram Username: @StephieandSage

What makes you feel most connected to your femininity?

“Any time I feel unshakably confident, I feel completely connected with my identity as a woman.

In situations of professional, academic or personal life, when I find myself exuding self-assurance, I feel completely feminine.”

What outfit do you feel most sexy in?

“It absolutely depends on the situation. Most of the time, I feel great in a bikini.

I love a sexy black dress for a night out, with glam makeup.

I feel fabulous in lingerie. I can also feel like a goddess in an oversized sweater and long socks. I like being naked. It’s all relative.”

Has anyone ever judged you for showing your more feminine, emotional side? How did you deal with that?

“That has been a constant for me throughout my life. My immediate family wasn’t particularly sensitive growing up, and I had felt judged for being too emotional, either positive or negative.

My emotions were minimized with phrases like “stop crying, it’s not that bad,” or “that’s not that exciting.”  It was a theme I had carried into my romantic relationships.

My ex husband had even taken to saying “stop crying so loudly,” in moments of extreme, and justifiable turmoil. 

I had never really been able to do anything about it. I have always thought it necessary to feel emotions through, even though it had made me the oddball. I did begin to internalize those feelings. I stopped openly sharing them.”

At what point in your life did you start to really step into your femininity and the divinity that comes with that?

“Honestly, probably a year ago. I had become very closed off and I spent a lot of time hiding myself. I had shut down various parts of myself based on the opinions of others.

I let people make me feel like less for being emotional, sexual, opinionated and vibrant. I spent my whole life trying to “find myself,” and finally realized that I couldn’t do that if I didn’t explore some of those things that I was suppressing.”

What’s your favorite self-care ritual?

“Yoga. Getting lost in a good flow makes me feel so nourished.

I also enjoy setting up a cozy environment for reading as part of self care, either sitting on the beach or lying in bed with a cup of hot tea.”

 What do you love most about being a woman?

“This is such a tough question. I love being a mother and everything that encompasses. I have two daughters, and teaching them to be empowered young women means the world to me. I hope they are able to “find themselves” more quickly than I did. 

I love that women can be soft and firm. I love that we have a force that is only available to women. I love how a confident woman can steal a room. I love that I can be nurturing and powerful. I love that we are tenacious mountain movers. I love how women glow from the inside out.

We can be everything. Strong, intelligent, creative. We are multifaceted. “

What inspires your creativity most?

“How I see my surroundings based on my emotions. I also utilize memories and past experiences.”

How do you express your creative side?

‘I write. I very much enjoy getting my thoughts out in words for me to reflect on later. I fully believe it is necessary to feel everything fully.

I like going back to reference past writings when my mood matches those past works, and reflect.”

Women are intuitive beings by nature. What’s one instance where you’ve felt called to really tap into your intuition and listen to that voice inside of you?

“I feel this so often. I feel that I am particularly emotionally intuitive. I’ve been called a clairsentient in the past.

I have the uncanny ability of just knowing what people are feeling emotionally. I’ve always had an unconscious confidence in that ability.

I have been recently trying to cultivate that skill into other areas of my life.”

Women have an intrinsic trait where we tend to avoid confrontation, and handle issues passively. Because of this, we can often manipulate the situation and get our way without fighting. What’s one time that you’ve seen this trait show through you?

“I feel I’ve probably done that quite a bit in past relationships. I can’t recall specific times, but in relationships I tend to gravitate towards extroverts who have always been quite situationally commanding.

I suppose that’s a nice way of saying that they liked being in control. I’ve learned that to be heard, I have to passively implant ideas.”

When did you really start to feel confident in yourself? Was there a specific moment or event that caused you to embrace yourself with love and step into confidence?

“There were many events. I struggled with my identity for my whole life. I had battled an eating disorder, anxiety, panic and depression, as well as unkind and unfair treatment at points.

About a year and a half ago, I decided that I needed to finally figure out who I am regardless of the opinions of others. I was having a panic attack and I felt so lost.

I started experimenting with different ideas, read a lot about various types of activism, began speaking my mind, stopped being passively myself and apologetic for my existence.”

Was there a time you ever doubted yourself? And how did you overcome your doubt?

“Constantly, even still. Doubt will always be there.

I notice that I have two voices, two ways I talk to myself. Those voices are my confidence and my doubt. My doubt has always been louder than my confidence.

My work has been to make confidence louder, so loud doubt quiets quickly.”

As women, we are too often told we need to change the way we look, and the media and beauty industries can pick on our insecurities. How do you like to honor your body and remind yourself how beautiful and perfect you are? 

“I honor my body by staying active and living a vegan lifestyle. My insecurities have been my master for much of my adult life. I often followed far too closely to beauty standards of the media and it took over my day to day.

The best thing I could do for myself now, so I don’t fall subject to that again,  is to make sure I am doing all of the things that make me feel grounded.

I don’t deprive myself of food, good or bad, like I used to. I exercise on a schedule that isn’t overwhelming, in ways that make me happy. I care for my skin in daily rituals. I apply makeup when I want to, as it is something I enjoy doing for myself, though I don’t find it an obligation.

I try to look at myself in the mirror and really see myself. I give myself the time to notice where I am with my mood, what I need.

Also, when I look in the mirror, I try to always acknowledge something I like about myself. Positive affirmation and action are my best tools.”

What advice would you give to a young girl who isn’t confident in her body and femininity yet?

“I would say this: You will find yourself. You do not have to be anything for anyone other than you.

Find your voice. Use it. Do not be afraid of it or where it will take you.

Whatever doors close because of it, are not doors you are meant to walk through. Be kind to yourself while you are learning. You are precious and deserve all of the grace in the universe.

You have power that you haven’t found yet. You are a fire that deserves to be fed, not contained or managed. Burn brightly and kindly, allowing your light to lead others. You will be okay. Keep learning.” 

Women are naturally highly sensitive beings, and we deeply feel our emotions. How do you honor your emotions and give yourself space to feel?

“I do simply that. When feelings arise, I feel them. I cry if I must. I allow myself the time to do so, however long it takes.

I let it become the experience that it is. I am very intentional with my emotions. Each deep feeling is a learning opportunity to better understand myself. “

As women, and divine feminine beings, we’re given the precious ability to create life. In our society, we’re told we need to be mothers and raise a family. While having the incredible ability to create life and give birth, not every woman decides to become a mom, and that’s okay. What are your thoughts on this topic? How do you feel about being able to create the most precious thing on earth – life itself?

“Though women are born with the gift to create life, a woman is not less if she can’t or chooses not to. Many factors come together when considering motherhood. It doesn’t end after life is created and birthed, that life must be maintained.

Our bodies are ours to be used how we see purposeful, and our lives are our own to cultivate. 

I am a mother to two daughters. I was 20, quite young, through my first pregnancy and had not quite learned myself yet or how to be intentional. I was overjoyed journeying into motherhood, though a bit naive.

My second pregnancy was 4 years ago and I was much more aware of myself. I truly felt that I had embraced the divine goddess in that period, though I did struggle with doubt in my abilities.

I had not felt more beautiful or powerful at any other point in my life. I found myself so connected to my children, both the unborn and with new eyes for my oldest. It was a magical experience.

Through breastfeeding, I found myself with different respect for my body. These were surely large stepping stones in my journey and in honoring my feminine power.”

The divine feminine energy within you is inherently strongly connected to nature – Mother Earth. What is your favorite way to spend time in nature and honor Mother Earth?

“I enjoy hiking trails of all intensity. I also spend a lot of time at the beach observing the ocean.

I am personally a vegan and environmental activist. I have been to a number of rallies and events for both, and it is my largest immediate goal to live as sustainable as possible.

I support animal and environmental initiatives and work towards educating others on veganism and sustainability. I am not quiet about our need to respect our Mother and have compassion for all of her children.”

As women, we are the embodiment of Divine Feminine energy, but we also have Divine Masculine energy within us. Do you often feel like you have more feminine energy than masculine, or vice versa? How does the energy that you think is most dominant within you often express itself through you? 

“I am positive I embody more of the divine feminine, though I am stepping more into masculine energy as my confidence grows. The two really go hand in hand, and previously, I had been very concerned with not appearing as one or the other.

I know that before I had begun practicing self awareness, I had a tendency to be aggressive and emotionally reactive. I am constantly now working to balance feminine vs. masculine.”