This show is dedicated to woman everywhere who have ever been told to sit down, shut up, or back off. Whether you feel that you are too much, not enough, or your voice has been unfairly silenced, Gina’s stories, grit, and wisdom will empower you to shine in all your bright, beautiful, glory!
The untold story of the Too Much Woman, by Gina Hatzis, founder of the #TooMuchWoman movement
Too intense. Too sensitive. Too emotional. Too passionate. Too driven. Too smart. Too sensual. Too needy. Too ambitious. Too fat. Too plain. Too bitchy. Too honest. Too pretty. Too wild. Too successful. Too intimidating. Too sexy.
She is dangerous.
The Too Much Woman is forced to cram the Bigness of who she is into a tight box of predictability and stability.
Her bright sparkle must be dimmed.
Her radiance must be kept in check.
The Too Much Woman is not safe in a world that is afraid of her power. She is shunned, misunderstood, ignored, rejected, abused, threatened, objectified. Anything, anything, anything that will keep her tucked in her smallness and not threaten the status quo.
As women, many of us straddle these two debilitating paradigms: subduing our Too Muchness and ruminating in our Not Enough-ness –they are in fact opposite sides of the same coin after all.
EPISODE SUMMARY:
Which side of the coin are you on? In this episode Lora and her guest Gina Hatzis explore the many ways in which women constantly battle the feeling that they are either too much – or not enough. A sought-after motivational speaker and founder of the #Too Much Woman movement, Gina explains why having a truly fulfilling life requires a lot more than the power of positive thinking. The journey at times requires guts. Friends and loved ones may not know what to do or how to behave when you make the decision – and dare – to step fully into your sparkle or “too muchness.”
Are you tucking your shine away? Lora and Gina unpack what it means to establish not only strong, honest friendships and relationships but the first ingredient required: an unwavering sense of self. As Gina notes, “In the general curriculum of life, no one ever tells us how to love ourselves, how to be intimate with ourselves and accept ourselves – how to like ourselves!” That’s why this conversation is so important. The women get down to the nuts and bolts, the deep-rooted work to be done and the identities that need to be untangled in order fully to embrace one’s self. And even when you make those unflinchingly brave strides, the journey to wholeness is never completely done. “The truth is, we ebb and flow. We expand and we shrink,” says Gina. “We take a few steps forward and a few steps back. Life is a Cha-Cha.”
It’s all part of the process. Join Lora and Gina in celebrating the community of women who are challenging themselves, raising their voices, embracing whatever it takes to be their best selves in ways big and small. It’s how change gets made. The ripple effect is endless. And, as Lora says, “We can be ALL the things!”
TOPICS COVERED:
- A little about Gina and growing up with “too muchness” and a mandate to please.
- When and how Gina came to locate her authenticity. It wasn’t a lightning bolt.
- Why meeting societal expectations leaves women empty at the end of the day.
- Connecting the dots: Coming to discover the conversations that we’re missing.
- There is no arriving. “Getting it” doesn’t mean you don’t still have bad days.
- Positivity can be great a great tool, unless it blots out the full range of emotions.
- When all the parts of ourselves aren’t welcomed, they have to go underground.
- Learning to sit with difficult emotions ultimately normalizes and integrates them.
- Gina had a dark passage, despite what appeared to be a charmed life.
- Truth: Stepping into your “sparkle” or “too muchness” can be lonely and scary.
- Are women shaped by a false, divisive narrative? Yes, and here’s how and why.
- Wholeness requires gently disassembling the mosaic – and embracing all our individual parts without shame.
- Lora shares the ways in which burlesque sparks reality and self-acceptance.
- Making the case for being seen: Challenge false narratives and stoke change.
- Your “too muchness” is unique. Dare to come into your own individual style.
- Why it’s important to feel safe in your body – whether you’re wearing a turtleneck or a bikini.
- You don’t have to pick a box. You can be everything.
- Both globally and personally, progress requires looking at the dark corners of ourselves, friends and loved ones, our politics, society and planet.
ABOUT GINA:
The woman behind the #Too Much Woman movement, Gina has spent the past 20+ years as a corporate speaker and facilitator, woman’s empowerment advocate, Facebook blogger at Project Passion and global host of her show Ignite a Life You Love and her new podcast, Spiritual G Spot. You can find her book, “Celebrating the TOO Much Woman” here here.
Gina has two viral videos amassing over 40 million views, and is currently on a global tour as the Spearhead and Visionary for the Too Much Woman Movement, a platform for women shine fully in their glory. She recently shared the stage with Elizabeth Gilbert, Lisa Nichols, Glennon Doyle Dr. Christiane Northrup, Cheryl Strayed and Laverne Cox at the International Women’s Summit, proudly celebrating the Rise of the Feminine! Her first book, Celebrating the Too Much Woman is hot off the press!You can connect with her on social media at Gina Hatzis or at www.ginahatzis.com
FOLLOW GINA:
Website: http://ginahatzis.com
KEY QUOTES:
“What happened to me and what has happened to thousands of women that I speak to all the time is we get to the point where fitting into the mold becomes uncomfortable, unbearable.”
“There’s only so much you can tuck it in before whatever you suppress wants to be expressed.”
“There was an emptiness in me because I knew I wasn’t being seen, loved or appreciated for who I really was.”
“There’s an idea that we’re supposed to be happy all the time … but what we’re really doing is numbing, suppressing, pushing through all the feelings we naturally have as human beings and creating another façade.”
“Fullness means coming together. Becoming intimate with all the parts of yourself.”
“Everything slowly started to disintegrate – my marriage, my closest relationships. When I started to achieve success … the closest people who I thought would be championing and supporting me became very silent.”
“From the beginning women are groomed to be pitted against each other and the root of that comes from scarcity; the idea that there is not enough. Not enough attention, not enough good men, not enough good jobs for women, not enough opportunities.”
“We’re groomed from a very early age to be in competition and compare with one another in a way that men simply aren’t.”
“We need to get to a place where we have some roots firmly in the ground about who we are, celebrating who we are, being clear about what we want and our desires.”
“It’s all a story. I’m about debunking the myths and challenging the narratives. This is how we change things.”
“Whatever you’re resisting, lean a little bit more into that. It doesn’t matter what it is. It’s whatever feels more true to you.”
“What I’m daring people to say is this: A woman can be sexy and brilliant and spiritual and have self-respect and be classy and be a mother and care about others and have a conscience and be ethically responsible. She can be ALL the things!”
ABOUT LORA:
Lora Cheadle is a former corporate attorney turned female-empowerment coach, speaker, radio personality, and the world’s first Life Choreographer. She is the creator of FLAUNT! and Find Your Sparkle coaching programs, workshops, and destination retreats and has performed burlesque widely as Chakra Tease. You can find her book, “FLAUNT! Drop Your Cover and Reveal Your Smart, Sexy, & Spiritual Self” here.
FOLLOW LORA:
Website: www.loracheadle.com