Episode 93: Courtney Westlake | A Different Beautiful

Courtney Westlake joins me for Episode 93. Courtney lives in Illinois with her husband, Evan, and their two children, Connor and Brenna. She is a writer and photographer with a bachelor's degree in journalism and a passion for storytelling. Her storytelling took on a new life when she began blogging in 2011 after Brenna was born with a rare and severe skin disorder. I asked her to join me on the show to talk about life with Brenna and her book, A Different Beautiful. We talk about how God prepared her for the role of mother to Brenna, how the definition of beauty has changed for her and how she's learned to see people for who they really are.  Takeaways From Our Conversation: I loved her advice on what to do when you see someone who looks different than you. She said to "choose connection over curiosity." Connect with them the same way you would connect with anyone. Start with hello. And remember that they are made in the image of God—just like you. We have to retrain our minds to learn to see people for who they really are. We can see people's heart rather than comparing what we look like to what someone else looks like. We can be more focused more on people's stories. "My differences are God's art." There's no such thing as normal. Our frame of reference is our tiny world. Show your kids different cultures and races and sizes and abilities. Everywhere there is different. Everywhere there is uniqueness. And that should be celebrated.  What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation  on Instagram or Twitter or you can send me an email here.  Thank you for following along life with me. I love being apart of your day. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.