so the name of my talk is words that get
in the way but it is all about becoming
your us.you so I used to eat out of the
trash can
true story we’ll get to that in a little
bit what I’m here to speak to you about
today is the power of words and not just
the words that I’m speaking here on the
stage but the words that have
accumulated over your lifetime all of
those words so my world used to be about
dance from age 4 to 17 you could find me
in a tacky leotard two to three times a
week at some dance studio I fell in love
with moving and leaping and feeling free
in my body I loved dancing and yes
that’s me in that tacky costume and I
had a closet full of tacky costumes I
used to watch solid bull dancers and
imagine myself shimmying and shaking to
all that music and just enjoying the
moment of being free in my body all of
that came to a screeching halt it was
one chilly evening in May in the Boston
area where I’m from of 17 at the time I
was in a two-hour dance class had been
working my butt off and my teacher Miss
Patricia
pulled me aside and she said Julie I can
tell you’re trying really hard but
you’re too big
you’re not shaped like a dancer I’d
recommend that you stop in that moment
my whole world felt like it had crashed
my heart was in my throat I was fighting
back hot tears and what I heard her say
was not just that I was too big too fat
not meant to be a dancer I
heard I was to everything wrong and then
I was not good enough it was one of the
saddest moments of my life and what
occurred after that is that I stopped
dancing for 20 years I’d go to events to
weddings parties oh yeah okay maybe if I
had a drink or two I might be in the
dance floor but in the end I always came
off thinking I’m so embarrassed and
shamed and not good enough I shouldn’t
be out there I’ll just pause for a
minute you can sink that in and see if
maybe that’s happened to you so the
thing that I love most moving and
dancing and feeling free in my body I
had allowed one person’s words to rob me
of my joy and then I took those words
and I applied them to all areas of my
life I didn’t just hear I was too big to
be a dancer I heard I was too big in
life and I was not good in everything
that I did and the way that I dealt with
that was to use and abuse food and I’m
guessing there might be some of you in
the audience who’ve dealt with this as
well and I use food I Dinge I would
steal food from my office fridge from
friends some convenience stores I would
have stolen your food I hid it I hid it
in my car I hid it in my room
I hid food in the bathroom and yes I let
her words those words affect me so much
that I ate out of a trash can often you
see I digested those words literally and
figuratively I believed them I made them
my own and as I was decaying inside I
allowed those words that she said after
dance class I allowed them to dance in
my mind in my body for 20 years and it
wasn’t until 30 grand of therapy and a
personal development program that I
finally saw that
story I held it up to the light and I
was working with a really wise mentor
and I was sharing my story and all the
sudden he said to me Julie are those
words true I thought of course they’re
true what are you talking about that’s
what she said they are true and then
then I paused pondered I thought and it
was like I’d been viewing my life
through this filthy dirty window that
did not serve me and did not serve you
or anyone else and for one of the first
moments in my life I realized that the
words that one person out of seven
billion people words one person but I
believe those words that I had made
those words be my gospel I was living
them like that was the truth
lack of confidence self-loathing shame
[Music]
all of that was digested and I took that
as the truth I realized that I’d given
power to those words I had chosen to do
that I had given her power well after
the realization then a very next morning
I’ll have you know that I signed my butt
up for every single dance class known to
humankind
I took modern contemporary bar ballet
jazz Broadway jazz with jazz hands
I took Zumba I took African dance
Kupwara I took hip hop which I loved and
I took ballroom dance and it was like
reigniting a part of my being my sole
part of the reason I love to be human is
to move to music I found that joy again
and my Joshi’s and I realized where I
just thought to myself where else am i
living like these words are true where
else is that happening and I started to
look at all areas of my life my health
my marriage my career my family my
spirituality my relationship with myself
most importantly with myself and I
started to look at those words and
those words and they were not very kind
they were not but it was the beginning
of realizing that I had the power to
create words that were gonna serve and
make a difference
so one of the miracles for me is that
after doing all of this research and
work and looking at what was I believing
and what words that I made my own for
fun on the side I became certified to
teach Bar and ballet and dance and guess
what I get to do I get to teach women
and men of all sizes of all shapes how
to be free in their body how to move how
to dance but most importantly as I teach
them I use empowering uplifting and
loving words and I’ve had more people
come to me and say Julie thank you for
reigniting that sense of freedom in my
body they’re sacred birthright and it’s
something that I do now on the side for
the joy of it I’ll have you know that I
left my cushy job corporate job and I
recreated my entire career and what I do
today is I help people to find joy and
to create words they’re gonna help them
to live their best life so as I close I
want to share with you and remind you
that words have meaning they define us
they’ve the power to shape how we live
our life I believe all of us here all of
us on the planet of sacred yes
skills talents and passions and that
we’re meant to use them we’re meant to
express them where are you letting your
words get in the way I’ll leave you with
this call to action you have the power
to make meaning of words and I’d invite
you to ask this of yourself
where am i letting words get in the way
of me living my most extraordinary life
this is the one powerful question that
when I ask that to myself my whole life
changed
and I suspect yours will too your words
can get in the way or your words can be
the way your choice thank you [Applause]
in the way but it is all about becoming
your us.you so I used to eat out of the
trash can
true story we’ll get to that in a little
bit what I’m here to speak to you about
today is the power of words and not just
the words that I’m speaking here on the
stage but the words that have
accumulated over your lifetime all of
those words so my world used to be about
dance from age 4 to 17 you could find me
in a tacky leotard two to three times a
week at some dance studio I fell in love
with moving and leaping and feeling free
in my body I loved dancing and yes
that’s me in that tacky costume and I
had a closet full of tacky costumes I
used to watch solid bull dancers and
imagine myself shimmying and shaking to
all that music and just enjoying the
moment of being free in my body all of
that came to a screeching halt it was
one chilly evening in May in the Boston
area where I’m from of 17 at the time I
was in a two-hour dance class had been
working my butt off and my teacher Miss
Patricia
pulled me aside and she said Julie I can
tell you’re trying really hard but
you’re too big
you’re not shaped like a dancer I’d
recommend that you stop in that moment
my whole world felt like it had crashed
my heart was in my throat I was fighting
back hot tears and what I heard her say
was not just that I was too big too fat
not meant to be a dancer I
heard I was to everything wrong and then
I was not good enough it was one of the
saddest moments of my life and what
occurred after that is that I stopped
dancing for 20 years I’d go to events to
weddings parties oh yeah okay maybe if I
had a drink or two I might be in the
dance floor but in the end I always came
off thinking I’m so embarrassed and
shamed and not good enough I shouldn’t
be out there I’ll just pause for a
minute you can sink that in and see if
maybe that’s happened to you so the
thing that I love most moving and
dancing and feeling free in my body I
had allowed one person’s words to rob me
of my joy and then I took those words
and I applied them to all areas of my
life I didn’t just hear I was too big to
be a dancer I heard I was too big in
life and I was not good in everything
that I did and the way that I dealt with
that was to use and abuse food and I’m
guessing there might be some of you in
the audience who’ve dealt with this as
well and I use food I Dinge I would
steal food from my office fridge from
friends some convenience stores I would
have stolen your food I hid it I hid it
in my car I hid it in my room
I hid food in the bathroom and yes I let
her words those words affect me so much
that I ate out of a trash can often you
see I digested those words literally and
figuratively I believed them I made them
my own and as I was decaying inside I
allowed those words that she said after
dance class I allowed them to dance in
my mind in my body for 20 years and it
wasn’t until 30 grand of therapy and a
personal development program that I
finally saw that
story I held it up to the light and I
was working with a really wise mentor
and I was sharing my story and all the
sudden he said to me Julie are those
words true I thought of course they’re
true what are you talking about that’s
what she said they are true and then
then I paused pondered I thought and it
was like I’d been viewing my life
through this filthy dirty window that
did not serve me and did not serve you
or anyone else and for one of the first
moments in my life I realized that the
words that one person out of seven
billion people words one person but I
believe those words that I had made
those words be my gospel I was living
them like that was the truth
lack of confidence self-loathing shame
[Music]
all of that was digested and I took that
as the truth I realized that I’d given
power to those words I had chosen to do
that I had given her power well after
the realization then a very next morning
I’ll have you know that I signed my butt
up for every single dance class known to
humankind
I took modern contemporary bar ballet
jazz Broadway jazz with jazz hands
I took Zumba I took African dance
Kupwara I took hip hop which I loved and
I took ballroom dance and it was like
reigniting a part of my being my sole
part of the reason I love to be human is
to move to music I found that joy again
and my Joshi’s and I realized where I
just thought to myself where else am i
living like these words are true where
else is that happening and I started to
look at all areas of my life my health
my marriage my career my family my
spirituality my relationship with myself
most importantly with myself and I
started to look at those words and
those words and they were not very kind
they were not but it was the beginning
of realizing that I had the power to
create words that were gonna serve and
make a difference
so one of the miracles for me is that
after doing all of this research and
work and looking at what was I believing
and what words that I made my own for
fun on the side I became certified to
teach Bar and ballet and dance and guess
what I get to do I get to teach women
and men of all sizes of all shapes how
to be free in their body how to move how
to dance but most importantly as I teach
them I use empowering uplifting and
loving words and I’ve had more people
come to me and say Julie thank you for
reigniting that sense of freedom in my
body they’re sacred birthright and it’s
something that I do now on the side for
the joy of it I’ll have you know that I
left my cushy job corporate job and I
recreated my entire career and what I do
today is I help people to find joy and
to create words they’re gonna help them
to live their best life so as I close I
want to share with you and remind you
that words have meaning they define us
they’ve the power to shape how we live
our life I believe all of us here all of
us on the planet of sacred yes
skills talents and passions and that
we’re meant to use them we’re meant to
express them where are you letting your
words get in the way I’ll leave you with
this call to action you have the power
to make meaning of words and I’d invite
you to ask this of yourself
where am i letting words get in the way
of me living my most extraordinary life
this is the one powerful question that
when I ask that to myself my whole life
changed
and I suspect yours will too your words
can get in the way or your words can be
the way your choice thank you [Applause]
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