Show #108: The Art of Self Love with author Kim Morrison

Do you love yourself? Really, really love yourself? That’s what we’re unpacking this week as I speak to the beautiful Kim Morrison about her new book on the subject. While we discuss her personal story and realisations over the years, we’ll also be talking about some the deep work we can do to love ourselves, in a world that sell product based on us not being good enough to love in our current state, SO much of the time.  

Kim was born in New Zealand and raised in Auckland. She proudly set the auspicious world record to be the youngest woman to run 100miles in under 24hours and holds 8 Australian indoor records. She’s a business woman, an aromatherapist and personal trainer and has completed studies in nutrition, reflexology and counselling. She’s married to former international NZ Cricketer Danny Morrison and we have two two teens Tayla and Jakob and they have been living on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland since 2006 - proud Aussies these days!  

Here are the questions I asked Kim (and there were some juicy tangents as usual) 

Why another book? Why now?   Very early in the book you talk about a rather massive unravelling in your life. A rock bottom of sorts. Could you share a little piece of that with us now?   And then you talk about your son’s saving words, which I have to admit, I was reading and thinking “sounds like something out of Minecraft” hehe so I was laughing big time when I then saw the video game reference… BUT he still know they were the perfect words to offer at the time, right? How have you garnered compassion in your kids over the years? I think as parents it’s something we all hope for / try our best to instil - what does teaching your kids compassion look like for you?   Did you experience an element of what your husband experienced when his cricketing career ended? Ie, you’re the youngest and fasted 100mile runner in 1983: Where the heck does one GO from there? Did you need to recalibrate / find renewed sense of purpose?   You reference Don Miguels 4 non negotiables. I want to discuss 2 there because I think they’re particularly juicy. No specific questions on these / just want to talk them out for a bit… 1. Don’t take anything personally - gosh that’s a big challenge as we’ve become SUCH a reactive society, right?  / 2. Never make assumptions and be brave enough to ask questions / make clear what you really want. No 2 is HUGE isn’t it? I think I might make it the challenge of the week: List all your assumptions from “this is too spicy for my child” to “my husband won’t have any interest in moving to France” (did I say that out loud? hehe) and everything in between.   You talk about an experience your son had as a 16 year old and instead of “how the F could you do such a think” type predictable parent to teen talk in a crisis, you explained calmly while stroking his head that he’d fallen out of love with himself… Just WOW. Did you need an element of strength to act that way do you think? Did it come naturally? What can parents of teens do to navigate that stormy era where the S can hit the fan and use them as resilience building blocks instead of massive road blocks, which it sure seems you were able to do with Jakob!  Now let’s hook into this Art of Self Love more deeply - How did you arrive at the 6 steps of self love?   How does it manifest if we’re not loving ourselves?   6 basic steps and you say 3 are about DOING the work and 3 are about BEING the work - can you talk about what you mean there?   Can one dip into any of the steps as you see fit for the situation - ie needing one more than another at a certain time in life or do you find a sequent.   You talk about self sabotage as a driver that takes us OFF our self love and goal setting course… Self sabotage being defined as “wanting something” yet deliberately sabotaging yourself through decisions that give you the opposite of what desire. Can you share an instance of self sabotage in your life?  Oils for self sabotage?   Guilt: Useful or another part of the self sabotage picture?  Oils for guilt ?  Now, we don’t possibly have time for going this in dept into all of the things holding us back, so you have the book for that. Kim, If there were three small daily practices that you value above all others to keep our self love alive, what would they be?  

I hope you enjoy the show and as always, you can check out the show notes and sponsor offer over at lowtoxlife.com/podcast and see how to come join the low tox club. Alexx x