Jason Harris
Felicity Nicole, a celebrated mentor for midlife women and the accomplished author behind the best-selling “Pieces of Me,” is a leading voice in ongoing conversations about mental health. As the visionary founder of the empowering, She Is You brand, she offers invaluable guidance on a range of wellness topics currently in the spotlight. From addressing issues of sexuality, navigating midlife dating and relationships, and managing menopause to advocating for holistic well-being, fitness, and body mindfulness, Felicity covers a diverse array of subjects. Her expertise, which goes beyond the realm of diets and supplements, is underscored by her remarkable personal journey of shedding over 100 pounds, making her a beacon for fearlessly navigating the complexities of womanhood.
In her latest book, “Pieces of Me,” Felicity champions the empowering message that life and healing are within our control and positive transformation can happen at any moment. This memoir not only secured Amazon’s #1 Best Seller status but also achieved International Best Seller recognition across ten categories in the U.S., UK, and Australia, with four #1 ranks in the U.S. and UK. “Pieces of Me” is available for order on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Excitingly, Felicity is gearing up for her second book, offering a sneak peek into the title, “The Higher Consciousness Approach to Forgiveness.”
StarCentral Magazine recently caught up with Felicity to delve more into her journey – here’s the inside scoop:
Your brand, She Is You, focuses on empowering midlife women. What inspired you to create this platform, and how do you envision it making a positive impact on the lives of women navigating midlife challenges?
She Is You was born out of my journey of self-improvement and growth. I was once married to a highly abusive alcoholic, and it took me ten years to finally escape that marriage with a seven-year-old and forty-five dollars to my name. While rebuilding myself and rediscovering who I am, I noticed more midlife women coming to me for the same reason: support along the journey. The season of midlife can be very challenging for a variety of reasons. I believe we need a more realistic and positive viewpoint on the term midlife women.
The primary focus of the She Is You brand is the four pillars of a meaningful life: health/wellness, spirituality, relationship, and career/finance. The long-term significant impact is to open the eyes and hearts of women worldwide. We aim to help them lean into the understanding that we all need a God or source to rely on and lean into when life becomes challenging, then build a solid foundation from there. I am teaching women to embrace the diversity that we all bring to the community and embrace each other’s journey together; this is why we are a sisterhood of midlife warriors. We rise together to support one another on our healing journeys.
Your expertise covers a wide range of wellness topics, including mental health, sexuality, relationships, and fitness. How do you approach providing guidance on such diverse subjects, and what common thread ties these aspects together in the context of women’s Well-being?
The four pillars of the She Is You community are significant and attainable for any midlife woman. Let’s say I wish to improve myself physically, such as by losing weight. This will also improve my mental health and self-image, and it becomes a domino effect. My personal weight loss has boosted my self-esteem; I am learning about more self-care and taking the initiative to desire further change.
Now, what we do in the community is change the why behind women’s desire to seek improvement in health/wellness, spirituality, relationships, and careers/finance. Our WHY needs to be centered on a positive relationship with ourselves. For example, if I desire to improve my relationship with money. I would not begin by saying, “It’s because I suck when it comes to my finances.” This is a self-sabotaging statement. I would help reframe the “why” with a positive reason, such as “I am improving my relationship with money so I can generate more wealth.”
The common denominator in the four pillars is that when we execute a change in one, we will see a significant change in the other pillars since they go hand in hand. This is especially true with spirituality, and my focus is often on this pillar first. I believe that a strong foundation rooted in faith builds a more fulfilled life by leaning into our heart center with a more intimate relationship with our God.
Having personally shed over 100 pounds, your journey surpasses the conventional focus on diets and supplements. How has this transformation influenced your perspective on holistic well-being, and what role does body mindfulness play in your approach to fitness and Health?
Yes, the cat’s out of the bag on my major transformation! Back in the day, when I was at my heaviest, I weighed 220 pounds. I have picture proof. When I speak about my weight journey, I focus on the spiritual aspect of weight gain and loss. Being in an abusive marriage, I gave up on taking care of myself, especially as a new mom. I did lose the baby weight, but reality set in on me flying solo, raising my son, and being married to an alcoholic. I packed the pounds on fast, and why?
Spiritually, it was a form of protection; mentally, I was eating my emotions, and physically, he made me feel unworthy. I would try here or there throughout my marriage to lose weight, but I had no significant loss. It wasn’t until I moved out that real change happened. My sister gasped when she saw me two weeks later, and I was down 15 to 20 pounds. I no longer needed to live in flight mode; the fear was gone.
The remainder of my health and wellness journey became fascinating when I met my concierge doctor, who worked with the doctor for the singer Adele. From here, I discovered that I was a hormonal mess; I had polycystic ovarian syndrome and metabolic disease, aka American diet. She put me on hormones and introduced me to the world of intermittent fasting, which has changed my life. Her precision medicine practice focuses on the little details specific to my body. Due to my heritage, my body simply wants to be fat. It’s literally in my DNA, so carbs are a huge no-no.
I mastered the art of a week-long fast while still cooking dinner for my family. What this health journey has taught me and what I preach about is breaking bad habits and turning these into a lifestyle change. I am off blood pressure medicine, I am no longer pre-diabetic, and I eat once a day. I don’t feel we speak about the importance of not needing as much food as we did when we were younger.
The fasting world has taught me to make better choices for my body and health and even helped my husband, who has lost 200 pounds. With the proper support and supplements, we can feel better. How do we accomplish all of the above? It’s all about mindset, discipline, and self-care. I do this because I love myself enough to know I want to feel better.
Your book, Pieces of Me, delivers a powerful message about taking control of one’s life and healing. Can you share more about the inspiration behind the book and the impact you hope it has on readers, particularly women navigating their own journeys of self-Discovery?
Have you all had a chance to read it? It’s most definitely an impactful message of digging deep into our psyche, breaking the cycle of generational trauma, and no longer allowing others to define who you are. My journey has been arduous; in the book, you follow Wease, the little girl who watched her father attempt to kill her mother, grow into a young lady who has no direction or clue who she is — only duped into believing that she is “the one going nowhere.” What’s beautiful is that the story is about self-discovery, healing, finding God, and trusting in work. Finally, it’s about learning to accept the many failures and obstacles as teaching lessons that would eventually make me unstoppable as hell.
I hope readers learn to embrace the little girl and the lost woman. I hope readers follow her life with anticipation as it unfolds, rallying for a win, gasping at her setbacks, and, ultimately, cheering on this brilliant, strong woman to follow her dreams and never let anything stop her from obtaining them. In my eyes, Pieces of Me is ultimately a hero’s journey. My main hope for all my female readers is that they receive the strong message that we have the power to become the women we desire to be rather than the ones we are groomed into being.
I focus on a few main tips with anyone on a journey of self-discovery. I always remind them that it’s possible, it will be challenging, and sometimes you will want to give up. Relying on your faith during these dark moments is fundamental, as is celebrating the mini-milestones. Most importantly, do not let anyone tell you, “You can not accomplish your dream.” If you hear that, use it to fuel your fire!
Pieces of Me has achieved significant success, becoming an Amazon #1 Best Seller and achieving International Best Seller Status. How has the response to your book shaped your work and the conversations you engage in within the She Is You community?
Well, I love that I am a best-selling international author, but I am very humble. How has this impacted my authority or expertise in transformational mentoring, inner child work, and trauma healing with my community? I have more speaking engagements inquiring about what diving into inner child work is like and how you do not allow your past to dictate your future.
Overall, I am such an approachable person, and I am transparent about continuing to heal.
The reality is that we are never done with the work; there is always room to improve. I am real, honest, and relatable to my followers and the community. In the sisterhood of the midlife warrior community, we offer a variety of tools and resources to support the members in their self-discovery. We also host a monthly sisterhood happy hour via Zoom, where we come together and do group coaching, breakout rooms, or simply connect to help a sister out. To me, women must have a safe space to go and find like-minded women to build a tribe of support.
You’ve hinted at a second book, The Higher Consciousness Approach to Forgiveness. Can you provide a sneak peek into the themes and messages that readers can expect from this upcoming release, and how it builds upon the narrative established in Pieces of Me?
Yes, a second book is expected to be released this fall of 2024. It’s a quick airplane read, and the title, “A Higher Consciousness Approach to Forgiveness,” reflects on the deep digging I had to do that helped me connect forgiveness with love. I reference real-time personal life scenarios, as my followers are aware of the transparency and truths of my life. This transparent approach makes me relatable. I never pretend to be the expert on anything. I am just gutsy enough to air my dirty laundry (laughs)! On a serious note, this book will ultimately be medicine for relationships.
In today’s fast-paced world, what advice do you have for women who may be struggling to prioritize their mental and emotional well-being amidst various life demands?
The best advice I can give any woman struggling to prioritize their health and wellbeing is to get bossy and say NO! We have been conditioned to do it all with a smile. Seriously, be that career woman, raise a family, be that awesome wife — and don’t forget the house, hunny; it needs to be cleaned. We are wiped out and over it all! Boundaries are your best friend.
Scheduling self-care days or moments is a must. I get up an hour earlier to pray, meditate, and reexamine my day. I also will schedule a 20-minute downtime daily to curl up in my chair where the sun hits my face and listen to a podcast or soft music. If you can afford it, hire yourself a helper. I love my helper, Sara; she’s the bomb! Sara is my son’s second mom and does the afternoon driving from tutoring to baseball and the gym. This gives me a break, and I can make dinner for my family. I consider this an investment.
With my busy schedule, I am also honest about not having the total capacity to hit the gym every day, so I have one in my basement; this is great to break up my day. I typically get a 30-minute workout during the afternoon, and if I need more steps, I have a walking treadmill in my master bedroom that I hop on at night and binge-watch one of my favorite shows.
Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for the She Is You brand, and how do you see your role evolving as a mentor and influencer in the realm of women’s wellness and Empowerment?
The future is bright, significant, and substantial. My long-term goal with She Is You is to have the magazine on every shelf across the country and Europe. As for myself, I have such a hard time considering myself an influencer as a mentor. However, I would love to travel, speak, and hold conventions specifically for empowering women.
I can see it now: “She Is You — the Be Bold, Be Brave, and Harness Your Inner Strength Tour.” Ladies are piling through the doors, purchasing all the fun swag, anticipating the lineup of speakers ending with me and a live gospel group singing “Oh Happy Day.” I have not always dreamed about this day coming, and what’s even more magical is that I give myself two years before these huge speaking events happen. I pray that women walk away with the message that we can live a joyful life.
Jason Harris
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