Imagine having your own personal cheerleader who enthusiastically reminds you that you are gorgeous, worthy, creative, brilliant and loveable. Would you believe her? Would you say “Who are you kidding? I’m overweight, under-paid, over worked and under-played.”

Jenny G. Perry is a Renaissance Woman, like many who are reading this article. She is a writer, speaker, coach, embracer of a fit, healthy lifestyle, married since age 19 to her sweetheart Brian, who is an Executive chef, as well as the mother of five incredibly active and diverse children, ranging in age from 17 to one year old. Her confidence level is off the charts, this woman who in her self doubting youth, was immersed in the addiction of bulimia and now calls herself the ‘silly, sassy, spiritual sexpot’. She is also a blogger for Beliefnet and  Huffington Post.

Perry is a fierce supporter of women perceiving themselves as beautiful and powerful, despite societal messages, particularly around the area of body image. At a compact 5 feet tall, she has weighed as much as 200 lbs. and as little as 110 lbs. She had a roller coaster ride of a love-hate relationship with her body at every weight in between. These days, it’s all about the love, as the photo on the cover of her new book, entitled Sexpot With Stretch Marks will attest.

From the outset, the reader will see page after page of pep talk beginning with the proclamation:  Stretch Marks are the New Black.  The encouragement is to “wear them with pride.” She earned each love stripe on her belly, since they reflect her five pregnancies. Despite, or perhaps, because of them, she gave herself permission to wear a bikini. Good thing her Jersey shore home gives her easy access to the beach on which she gets to rock it!

Throughout this enthusiastic self love romp, Perry’s intention is clear; that what we focus on, we call into our lives. She unabashedly welcomes success, adventures, abundance, juice and joy and insists that they are all attainable. She laughs in the face of those nagging perfectionistic voices that lament that we will never do enough, be enough or have enough. The chapter on that topic is called ‘Perfect is a Crap Trap’.

Perry invites readers to “own your fierce flavor,” as well as our quirks which could be messy and obnoxious at times,  but also unique to each of us. Resilience in the face of life challenges allows us to rise above what might have dragged us down. Seeing our own value in the face of the naysaying voices, gives us power. Using our own  unique and dynamic voice to speak our truth is part of her credo.

Other chapter titles:

Validate Your Own Worth

The Eye of the Beholder

Duh …I’m Good Enough

Desire Is A Gift

Dear Oprah

She also encourages women to be cooperative, rather than competitive with each other. A big win-win for us all.

Because I am blessed to know this powerhouse personally, I can literally hear her voice in every word I read.

Celebrate your own stretch marks; not just the ones on your body, but those that will appear in your mind and heart after reading this book.