Now more than ever, young girls are growing up in a world where they are finally being encouraged to be both seen and heard. It is a vital move for the female gender, who have walked a long journey from petticoats and parasols to getting down and dirty with the boys or going head-to-head with a fellow CEO. Melody Pourmoradi has made championing the female race a passion of hers for as long as she could remember.
A life and wellness coach for the past 10 years, Pourmoradi’s first book, titled XOXO, From A Girl Who Gets It is an extension of the Girl Life Empowerment series, a curriculum for women who want to incorporate empowerment workshops into their own communities. Pourmoradi says she feels deeply connected to the core principle of the workshops that a book was a natural next step.
“Young girls will understand this language and it’s really for women as a whole. The messages are messages I wish I had access to growing up—a lot of empowering messages that teach us to love ourselves, be kind to ourselves and to go after our passion,” she said of her book, which is laid out in the form of a beautifully illustrated diary. “Each message comes in the form of a note, like ‘dear brilliant girl,’ and talks about superpowers. Each note is signed ‘xoxo, from a girl who gets it.’”
The author created the book in a way where it is not read cover to cover. Instead, Pourmoradi encourages people to take their time, turn to a page and let the message on the page sink in. When it comes to drawing inspiration from everyday life, Pourmoradi will never find herself without a core group of women. She is surrounded by two sisters, two 12-year-old daughters and six nieces, a strong group of females that help spread her message.
“I get it because I had my own struggles as a child with anxiety and not fitting in,” said Pourmoradi, who moved to Canada from Iran when she was 3 years old. “I was visibly different and I had to find my own way of navigating that for myself. I want this book to allow girls to be able to step into their own power, be their own form of beautiful and not allow others to define what that is for her.”
Pourmoradi considers XOXO, From A Girl Who Gets It a gift for herself because she gets to share it with other young girls, especially during an era where women as a whole are “on the cusp of something amazing in the world of female empowerment.”
“We’ve come so far, but there’s so much I see that is disheartening. There’s so much focus on outer beauty and I want to do my part to assure young girls that there is no definition of beauty, you get to define it on your own terms,” she said. “You’re not alone in your struggles and you’ve got a team of sisters behind you who have been through these challenges and can seek some form of support.”
Building a close-knit team of trusted friends, family members, mentors and older, more experienced women (like a coach or therapist) is key in helping to release any stigmas associated with asking for support. Pourmoradi encourages reaching out and notes that in her personal experience, it is unbelievable the amount of people who reach back, wanting to help. She also sees the future in her twin daughters, saying that they are everything she wishes she could have been at their age.
“My girls really allow their hearts to lead them in everything they do,” said Pourmoradi. “I was taught to be a good girl and I hate that phrase today because what is a ‘good girl?’ I want to debunk a lot of myths and my girls are helping me further this movement of empowerment.”
Pourmoradi hopes that whoever picks up her book does so with the desire to flex her intuitive muscle. Her book encourages both girls and women to listen to their inner voice. More than anything, Pourmoradi wants every young girl to be able to know the magnitude and power of her own personal wisdom.
“I want to get them in touch with the voice in their own head and get them to know themselves on a whole new level,” she said.
XOXO, From A Girl Who Gets It is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble as well as the author’s website, www.lifeevolutionscoaching.com.
