Thanks for stopping by for a deeper meeting. A kindred spirit of mine whispered to me the other night when I was feeling sad, "You're making flowers – that's part sunshine and part rain." It was a good reminder, and is in many ways what I have been doing all along.

I went through some serious mental health challenges when I was in high school. As I struggled through an eating disorder following winning the Ontario provincial gold as an 800 metre runner in grade ten, I looked around and realized that so many of my friends were fighting a similar battle. These weren't friends I felt safe and close with, but they were the ones I walked beside in the school hallways and sat with at lunch. I often felt lonely when I wasn't alone. Little did I then realize how the hard times I went through could lead me somewhere really beautiful – where I am today being a light that reflects back to young women what they too can discover within them.

Over the last decade I’ve reached 130 000 youth. Some of my favourite moments include girls dancing flash-mob style during my closing hip-hop song, middle schoolers reflecting solemnly and rushing the front of the room for selfies, and teachers gushing. One student made an Instagram channel featuring the love notes girls have written after Love the Skin You’re In. From New Zealand to Europe, it has been an incredible ride.

My biggest discovery along this journey? The power of connection to nourish and sustain us. I found connection within when I discovered mindfulness practice. Returning to breath and body is a practice I have embraced as a touchstone for life. When I practice in the mornings, my days are happier. I love the girls I have the privilege of standing before. I love the conversations we have in my talks about paradigms of femininity, the private Instagram messages they send me, and the dialogue we have about what really matters. When girls feel connected with one another, anything is possible. I am inspired to continue this campaign because never has it been more important to remind youth that the most important part of a person’s body is their heart.

Warm light,

Brie, Founder and Creative Director

Nick Cholmsky, Intern and Boys Presenter

Hey Everyone,

My name is Nick. I’m a 2nd-year psychology student at McGill University. I attended Brie’s talk at Brentwood College School in May 2023 and it led to a spark: I saw how powerful it could be to address young men of my age group and realized my own potential as a young leader in the space. Inspired to do some work of my own, I reached out to Brie to share my reflections and ideas, and to inquire about how I could lead a similar talk for boys. Brie supported me through my debut TedX talk at McGill (which you can check out here) and in the summer of 2024 I interned with The Love the Skin You’re In Youth Resiliency Project. Together, we combed through Brie’s talk content about paradigms of masculinity, social media influencers, and mental health. I brought my personal experience and insights into the challenges of growing up as a young man, including my own mental health battle. I am excited to bring a strengths-based approach to discussions about multi-track masculinity and to inspire young men beyond the dominance-based scripts they inherit, scripts that are lifted up online by figures like Andrew Tate and normalize controlling women as an expression of masculine power. I think deep down, most guys know that we are so much better than that. I’m on a mission to remind them.

Best,

Nick Cholmsky

Love the Skin You’re In Youth Resiliency Project Intern