Celebrate National Confidence Day With Meredith Shaw (Win!)

In honour of National Confidence Day (today!), Canada’s inclusive style expert Meredith Shaw has partnered with Joyful Hearts Co. to launch limited-edition Confident & Crushing It affirmation cards ($32), that aim to help us find joy and positivity within ourselves and spread it to those in need with reminders that we are worthy, lovable and enough. We chatted with Meredith about this confidence-boosting collab, and are giving you a chance to win! —Vita Daily

Hi Meredith! Please tell us a bit about yourself to start.

I realize this should be an easy question but it always stumps me because I never like to present myself as a list or a resume. That being said, because you asked, here’s my attempt! I’m a former singer/songwriter; current radio and television host, inclusive style expert and model. I love to create and advocate, using my voice to move the needle forward for women everywhere who feel abandoned by the fashion industry and therefore left out of a lot of conversations.

How did this collab with Joyful Hearts Co. come about? Why was now the perfect time to team up on a set of Confident & Crushing It Affirmation Cards?

It came about because I called them up and asked if they wanted to do it. I was given a set of Joyful Hearts Co. kids affirmation cards and had been using them with my family to much success. it dawned on me one morning after responding to a lot of similarly themed DMs, that I should make these for women about confidence. So we did! And it’s the perfect time because this past year has knocked a lot of us down and I’ve found that when times get tough women tend to focus on their bodies because it’s an area that is seen as something we can control. These affirmations and actions are a daily reminder to women that we are more than our bodies, we are in fact playing on the same team as our bodies and the way forward is to leave that body obsession behind. We are here for so much more.

How do the cards work, and why do you call it a “confidence practice”?

They work in whatever way works for you. I made them with the specific intention that we are all different and therefore our needs will be different. How I use them is I choose one out of the deck each morning—I keep them face down and pick blindly with the notion that the card I need that day will find me. I say the affirmation aloud and then start to tackle the action. Each action is very doable and practical—designed as small shifts that add up over time. I call it confidence practise because confidence is a muscle, and like any other muscle, to build it we need to work it out. People may be familiar with a yoga or mindfulness practice, this deck very much fits into that ethos—an open heart and a willing spirit is all you need.

Tell us about Maybelline’s special feature card within the deck.

Oh, I’m SO thrilled to have their vote of confidence—pun intended—with this project. When you create something, especially something designed to connect with and help other women, and a huge brand that has proven time and time again to be a real champion of women LIKES it, well, you do a happy dance!! Their #BraveTogether initiative is inspiring and it was so fun to design a feature card for them that allows women to get a boost of brave anytime they need it (yes that’s tease lol)!

How can these cards inspire and motivate all women to embrace their power, confidence, and be fabulous in their own skin?

I have found that the biggest changes in my life come from a BIG decision and LITTLE steps. If you are a woman who has decided to seek a more whole hearted path in life these cards will act as your little steps. I created each one from my own personal experience and consultation with experts. There is nothing in this deck I haven’t done over and over again and I am living proof that you can go from being so wrapped up in a struggle with your own body that you can’t leave your house to being a leader in conversations about body positivity on National television. Where focus goes energy flows and I can’t wait to see how these cards switch up the energy in women’s lives.

What other practices do you personally employ to give your confidence a beautiful boost?!

I get MOVING. And I’m not talking about an extreme fitness regime I just mean, every morning I get up and go on something I call a WALK + POD. I aim to get my 10,000 steps in before 8 a.m. and the daily podcast listen fills up my brain with other people’s thoughts so I can turn down my own. Some of my fave pods are: Smartless (SO FUNNY) Ten Percent Happier (SO INSIGHTFUL) i Weigh (SO RELATABLE).

joyfulheartsco.com

Win! A Set Of Confident & Crushing It Affirmation Cards!

Congrats Carol M. of Thornhill, Ontario, who will receive a set of Confident & Crushing It affirmation cards valued at $32! Please note: if you are the winner, you will receive a DM (direct message) in Instagram directly from @vitadaily.ca. Please be wary of fake accounts, which often use similar handles with an extra or missing letter, number or symbol. We will never ask for a payment or for your credit card number, and we will never ask you to click through a link. If you are unsure whether you have been contacted, via Instagram, by us or a fake account, email us before responding.