I’m very honored that Anne O’Connell, publisher of Rachel Boehm’s new memoir, I Am Not!, asked Choices to participate in this first virtual book tour. Plus Rachel has generously written a guest post for us about her mantra – “Whatever happens, I’ll handle it.”
Here’s Rachel:
Whatever happens, I’ll handle it.
by Rachel Boehm, Author of I Am NOT!
The affirmation has been my mantra for about 13 years; said now with ease and conviction, a confidence that would surprise the person I was when I first learned it.
Thirteen years ago, I began my journey of healing and reclamation after years of verbal and emotional abuse from school and workplace bullies; gender bias; perfectionism; and disordered eating as I sought to achieve societal and industry norms (I was an actor and singer).
Thirteen years ago, when I walked into a therapist’s office, I could not have envisioned the vibrancy of my life today.
As if my life and vision then were lived through the Inkwell filter on Instagram, instead of the Clarendon filter. Today, life is Clarendon.
It took thirteen years to adjust the exposure and saturation and white balance and contrast. It took thirteen years of work; thirteen years of heart breaks and heart builds to reach this moment where I can sit and say without hesitancy: Whatever happens, I’ll handle it.
I’m lucky. Not everyone who walks the path I walked comes out the other side. Not everyone comes out to see the Clarendon of life or realize their full capacity to handle what life brings them (the joys and the struggles).
My memoir, I Am NOT!, seeks to change that. I hope through sharing my story, I can reach those who are on or about to start on a path similar to mine. I hope to reach them and show them: “Hey, you can handle it. And it’s worth handling, it’s worth healing, it’s worth hanging on, because life is beautiful on the other side.”
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Susan Jeffers, a psychologist and author, included the affirmation in her book Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway.
Connect with Rachel on social media:
www.facebook.com/RachelRBoehm/
https://twitter.com/RachelBoehm
https://www.instagram.com/rachelrboehm/
About I Am Not!
When enough of the world comes at you, telling you you’re nothing, you believe. You become what you believe. You become until the pain of becoming is too great to bear. You constantly ask yourself: What if I don’t know the answer? What if I’m wrong? What if they know I’m wrong? What if they laugh? What if fearing failure makes you fail? You’re faced with a choice. To stay. Or to change. Or to end. If you’re lucky, enough love begins seeping through, lighting a path to change.
This is the story of I Am NOT!, a memoir of triumph over verbal and emotional abuse, bullying, disordered eating, and societal norms. A journey of self-deprecation and the promise of continued growth. An anecdotal warning of the challenges kids, teens, and adults still face today.
Some praise for I Am Not!
“Brutally honest, beautifully empowering, and haunting in how many of our own lives’ bits and pieces we can see in Rachel’s journey. A flawlessly written memoir about the flaws that shape us into our authentic selves, this is a must-read for teen girls, moms of daughters, and any woman who knows the trials and tribulations of becoming her own hero.” ~ Kristen Caldwell, High School Library Media Specialist
“With each vignette, we feel the impact of the heartbreaking reality of a society that unapologetically tells us that we are ‘not good enough’. Yet through Rachel Boehm’s deeply human and emotionally vulnerable story, we are reminded of the beauty in resilience, and are inspired to begin our own journey toward unconditional self-love.” ~ Alison Morogiello, National Certified Counselor
About the author
Rachel Boehm is an award-winning journalist, turned workplace wellness organizer and advocate. Her experiences with school and workplace bullying, fat shaming, disordered eating, perfectionism, and verbal and emotional abuse began at a young age and continued into her late-twenties.
Embracing a survivor’s mindset, Boehm now views her journey as a calling to transform the way individuals and organizations view well-being, the beauty of the human body, metrics of success, and the fragility of time.
Boehm was raised in Austin, Texas. A love for the fine arts, film, and television took her to Southern California for undergraduate studies and to pursue a career in the industry.
A quarter-life crisis fueled by the tumultuous nature of the industry and a realization of society’s flawed definitions of beauty and success, sent her on a multi-year soul-searching quest. She traveled back to Austin, then on to the UAE, Syria, Jordan, Europe, and New York City, before accepting a graduate studies scholarship with American University in Journalism and Public Affairs. Following commencement, she moved to Northern Virginia.
This journey is detailed in her memoir I Am NOT!, which in many ways provides the backstory for her 2018 self-published collection of quips and lessons learned, Tripping in Public.
Today, Boehm works at an individual and organizational level to change the dialogue around the workplace well-being experience. She shares her story and works to help others: redefine success and beauty; develop mindfulness and self-compassion; and embrace the art of the “always something” mindset.
Through her many endeavors (day job, side hustle, and private practice), Boehm seeks to help everyone bring their best selves to work and life, and to truly love the skin they’re in.
You can learn more about Boehm and her work at YesYou.Co, or join the author on social media at: https://twitter.com/RachelBoehm,
www.instagram.com/rachelrboehm/ and www.linkedin.com/in/rachelboehm
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Thank you Rachel and Anne. I hope all of our readers will read this “brutally honest” book!
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