Hello Wonderful Woman!
I’m Mary Lou Roe – founder of The Wonderful Women’s Club.
I believe that, beneath all the things you think you SHOULD be, is the wonderful woman you ARE.
I didn’t always feel this way.
In fact, I spent a lifetime pouring all of my energy into being the person I thought I was supposed to be.
I was always on my best behaviour, meeting the needs of others, measuring myself against impossible standards of perfection, and putting my own health and well-being last.
I was constantly basing my personal value on what others thought of me so that I felt accepted and fit in.
I was trying to make everything look ideal on the outside. But on the inside, I felt like I was drowning.
Until One Day…
…I pushed myself beyond reasonable limits and fell very ill. Warning signs that I had been ignoring for years – physical exhaustion, anxiety, vertigo, and weight loss – had finally caught up with me. I no longer had the energy I needed to keep up with my frantic pace of perfectionist living. I was burnt out.
That’s when I realized, that trying to be who I thought I was supposed to be was destroying the real me. I saw that I was silencing my voice, sacrificing my health, disregarding my values, and overlooking my needs, in order to earn the approval of others.
I wasn’t being the authentic woman, mother, friend, or partner I could be. I was hiding who I really was. And I knew I had to make a change.
I decided in that moment that it was time to let go of my exhausting patterns of perfectionism and pleasing, striving, and proving. And instead, unearth and embrace the woman I really am, in order to create a wonderful life where I could simply be myself.
Guiding Principles
Unearthing my true self has been a long journey of self-discovery, where I’ve learned that there is no finish line. Instead, for me, it is a continuous practice of self-acceptance, strengthened by three Guiding Principles that I established, and live by, each day.
Honour your wisdom
The first thing I’ve learned is that I have to know and trust myself. In order to live authentically, I have to live from the inside out: believing in my own wisdom, self-worth, and abilities. I’ve come to realize that, after a lifetime of trauma, drama, successes, and failures, I’ve learned key life lessons from each experience that guide me every day. Truly, I’ve realized something amazing. I already have all the wisdom, creativity, and ability to live life on my own terms.
And so do you.
Share the journey
The second thing I’ve learned is that I feel most like my real self when I gather with authentic women: welcoming, supportive, encouraging women who accept me for who I am, no matter what mistakes I’ve made or where I come from; women who have their own struggles and doubts; women who teach me through the examples of their own experience.
I’ve discovered where I truly belong – in community with wonderful women.
You belong here too.
Be who you really are
Every day, trusting in myself, surrounded by remarkable, supportive women, I am being who I really am. I’m drawing on the wonderful woman I know myself to be deep inside. I’m challenging my old patterns of perfectionism and pleasing. I’m prioritizing my own health and well-being. I’m using my voice and speaking my truth. I am living life on my terms.
And I finally feel like I can breathe.
So can you.
Life is Wonderful
Living each day from the core of who I really am is an exhilarating, challenging, continuous journey. There are struggles, realizations, beginnings, and endings. And every moment is worth it, even the tough ones. Because now I am living a wonderful, imperfect life. One that is authentic, joyful, and free.
You can too.
You are a Wonderful Woman
My mission is to help you embrace the wonderful woman you really are.
Join me and a vibrant community of women as we share our personal stories, insights, and experiences that remind us all that we are wonderful women.
A wonderful life is waiting for you.
This is a journey you can share. You don’t have to do it alone.
There is a whole community waiting for you. Join us, today!
My Background:
- 2014 – Present / Writer, Speaker, and Wonderful Woman Ambassador, Enthusiast and Champion
- 2016 / Transformational Teambuilding Training Program, Lehtonen Management Consulting
- 2014 / Owner, Wonderful Women Inc
- 2009 / Founder, The Wonderful Women’s Club
- 2008 / Women’s Studies Diploma, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON
- 2007 – Present / Freelance Writer