Free tools
Self compassion is the key to releasing ourselves from the internal pressure and negativity of the Beauty Load and to helping us find kindness, confidence and acceptance for our bodies so that we can get on with living our best and most confident lives.
This is for you if:
- You want to love your body, and you have tried but you can’t seem to truly get there
- You are sick of the negative thoughts and self criticism you have about the way you look
- Body angst and insecurity is holding you back from taking opportunities and living and loving as your most free and confident self
The Beauty Load podcast
With this podcast I interview a diverse range of humans with different experiences of the Beauty Load.
My hope, specificially, is that by hearing other people's struggles we feel a little bit less alone and we can minimise the load that we carry, so that we can just get on with living our lives and being our beautiful, radiant selves.
Listen in and you can hear my interviews with;
-disability activist Lisa Cox
-anthropologist who studies bodies Dr Mair Underwood
-Matrescence activist Amy Taylor-Kabbaz
-Inclusivity and diversity coach Louise O'Reilly
-body image coach Dr Kirsty Seward
and so many more.
Books
The Beauty Load (of course!) - by Nicole Mathieson (2022)
Everything I Know about Love — by Dolly Alderton (2020)
The State of Affairs: Rethinking infidelity — by Esther Perel (2019)
The Way We Never Were — by Stephanie Coontz (1993)
The Beauty Suit — by Lauren Shields (2018)
The Beauty Myth — by Naomi Wolf (1990)
IFS - Introduction to the Internal Family Systems Model — by Richard C Schwartz (2001)
Intimate Communion: Awakening Your Sexual Essence — by David Deida (1995)
The Gifts of Imperfection — by Brené Brown (2010)
The MindBody Code: How to change the beliefs that limit your health, longevity, and success by — Dr Mario Martinez (2014)
Your body is not an apology — by Sonya Renee Taylor (2018)
Not mentioned in The Beauty Load but well worth a read:
Women don’t owe you pretty — Florence Given (2020)
Getting the Love You Want — Harville Hendrix (1988)
Come as you are — Emily Nagoski (2015)
Good Selfie, Tips and tools for teens to nail life — Turia Pitt (2019)
Podcasts
Ladies we need to talk — with Yumi Stynes, 'The gender beauty gap' (2020)
We can do hard things — with Glennon Doyle, 'How to know ourselves and be known by our people' (2021)
Unlocking us — with Brene Brown
I Weigh — with Jameela Jamil
The Beauty Load podcast - with Nicole Mathieson
TV Shows
What does Australia really think about obesity? — by SBS (2021)
The Sunny Side Of Sex — by Sunny Bergman
Under the Knife — by Louis Theroux
Tribal Wives — 2008 BBC TV series
Inspiring people to follow
Kate Winslet now refuses to be touched up in her photos.
Taryn Brumfitt is the Australian author and speaker behind the Body Image Movement. Her film Embrace is truly inspiring.
Sonya Renee Taylor is a leader, poet, activist and author of the aforementioned book Your Body is Not an Apology.
Emily Nagoski is a sex educator and author of the brilliant and empowering Come As You Are, a book that explains that your sexuality is normal.
Turia Pitt is the queen of self-confidence, teaching self-esteem and positivity to thousands. Turia had to learn how to walk, talk and live life again after suffering severe burns to sixty-five per cent of her body.
Jameela Jamil is a body neutrality activist and host of the podcast I Weigh.
Thelma Plum, Australian Indigenous singer/songwriter has the songs ‘Homecoming Queen’ and ‘Better in Blak’, anthems that acknowledge the difficulty of being seen and respected as an Aboriginal woman growing up in Australia.
Casey Donovan, an Australian Indigenous singer who recently hosted the SBS documentary What does Australia really think about obesity?
Nakkiah Lui (@nakkiah), an Australian First Nations actress and screenwriter.
April Hélène-Horton (@thebodzilla) is an Australian plus sized model and body love activist who refuses to let anyone tell her what to do, eat or think about herself.
And hey, are we friends on socials. Come follow me @nicole.mathieson.
"Without the influence of the culture and the media telling you that you should be something else, and without a mirror to provoke your own judgemental parts, you can sit in the peaceful understanding that there is nothing ‘not enough’ about you."