There is shame in admitting you've messed up, and it is indeed scary to be opening your wounded self to the rest of the world.  It is never easy to bare yourself in front of everyone. People have so many opinions about you, solicited or not. Judgment, ridicule, and what have you. Those are inevitable but still hurtful. But who doesn't have bad days? Even the best and the most successful of us are dealing with our stuff. Yes, showing one's vulnerability takes courage. But how much harder it must be if you remain in the false world of perfectionism? That's why we've got this diet mentality that leads us to the belief in restriction, control, and that feeling of scarcity. But there's a more sustainable way of dealing with all our imperfections. And the first step is asking for help.  Rachel Brooks is a fitness lifestyle entrepreneur, author, podcaster and speaker with a mission to empower women to become their best selves through the practice of creating a positive mindset, a healthy body and a soul filled with love and gratitude.  Erin Klein is the founder of Moms just Want to Have Son where her mission is to help women maintain their badass-goal-crushing self that can take on motherhood. Together, Rachel and Erin host the competent woman podcast where they show up as their true authentic, transparent and vulnerable selves and talk about everything including confidence, body image, relationships, business, finances, fitness, freedom, travel, and fun all rolled into one.  In this episode, Rachel Brooks and Erin Klein share their journey of overcoming imperfection, being hard on themselves, and getting comfortable showing that side of their vulnerability.  Their personal experiences led them to partner up, produce a show, and create a community where women find a safe space to be themselves. Not perfect but encouraging and empowering each other to become better and, most of all, confident even amidst troubles and weaknesses.   "It's a beautiful thing. Because when you could come full circle and stop that chase and stop feeling like you have to have that pressure nonstop, to be enough, to do enough, to have enough, and just lean into the current, this present, being you, then you feel like this ignition of confidence and self-worth and value." - Rachel Brooks   What you will learn from this episode: 02:09 - What Rachel does and how she helps women become holistically confident  05:55 - Erin talking about learning and growing with each other instead of doing it all on your own 08:28 - A funny story of how Rachel and Erin met and partnered up as hosts of the Confident Woman podcast 15:42 - Defining 'Confidence'  17:00 - Encouraging a revolution of more vulnerability and relatability 28:26 - Ourselves being the solution and the problem 32:25 - Reclaiming your life and reframing those beliefs 36:43 - How hard it is to be dealing with perfectionism 43:03 - Embracing freedom and flexibility 47:10 - The purpose of a confident woman collective    Connect with Rachel Brooks and Erin Klein: theconfidentwomanpodcast.com https://www.instagram.com/theconfidentwomancollective/ https://www.instagram.com/theconfidentwomanpodcast/   Connect With Leslie Thornton: weightlossalbany.com E: Leslie@LeslieMThornton.com Facebook Twitter LinkedIn