the Celine Dion docu & my biggest revelations

Last week, my best friend flew to New Hampshire so we could watch the Celine Dion documentary, I AM.

Rach and I have gone to Vegas twice over the last few years to sit in the front row and experience Celine's magic.

To say that those concerts were memorable would be the understatement of the century for these two artist, coach, creative mamas...

(Had to share a few snapshots from our time with Celine)

You could only imagine our excitement when we saw the news of the docu!

We snuggled in (with our journals, of course) and went on the journey and I wanted to share some of the biggest takeaways with you:

If you aren't aware, Celine was diagnosed with a super rare disease called Stiff Person's Syndrome recently - though, she has been physically dealing with the symptoms for over a decade. 

I need to start by saying, this, alone, absolutely leveled me when I thought about what she has had to persevere through in order to sing on stage and perform at the level she has.

In the documentary, we see the raw behind the scenes experience she is going through living in a body with SPS as her ability to sing has dramatically diminished.

Celine swung open the doors so we could see what's true and real for her...and I took notes on the revelations that felt important to share with you. 

Here are a few of those reflections from her own words: 

1. "My voice was the conductor of my life," >> In Celine's case, her voice IS the gift she expresses herself with. In our work as entrepreneurs, when we let our gifts serve as the conductor, the inspiration, the direction - things feel and move differently. Most of all - they CONNECT differently. This part matters so much as a creative and someone who is magnetizing from being yourself. 

2. "Do you like yourself? When you like yourself, you walk better...(you have to) show your instrument." She was talking about her band and the members of her team on how she wants to encourage people to show themselves...to fully embody and BE themselves. The art is always more honest this way. Mirror moment: Do you like yourself? How does your art and your life feel different when you do?

3. "I didn't invent myself. I didn't create myself. I Am." >> There is a popular school of thought out there (cue Sasha Fierce/Alter Ego Ideology) that we must create ourselves, that there is something other than who we are to become. I go back and forth on this often, because I like the idea of it - but what I loved even more about this sentiment was what I've come to understand as a mother and a mentor.

I've discovered over and over again that the most beautiful connections happen when we peel back the veils and embrace ourselves more fully - who we are, what lights us up, what we dream about - I'm not interested in the "representative" version of a person or even the shields we put up in order to present ourselves in a more likable/desirable way. I want the whole you...the raw, honest, unpolished, curious, wild, emotional, truth of you. That, in and of itself, gives me permission to emerge whole, too.

4. "I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to sing again, but I can't live in doubt." >> The scene when she is recording the song "Love Again" was the whole story. Watching her struggle with her voice, hearing her team work equally hard to support her and encourage her when she was down...their words, "Celine, it feels like music to us."   The vulnerability and the devotion...the trying and trying and trying...this is what love feels like. 

The last thing, and probably the most important thing, was the lack of vanity/polish/glam in this piece.

Celine isn't wearing makeup for a large portion of the movie. 

She allows us to witness one of her episodes and what it looks like on the other side as her team supports her through it.

She shares the behind the scenes of her life with her 3 sons and support team.

She shares videos of herself pregnant, which I don't believe I had ever seen before.

You might be thinking, why does all of this matter?

It matters because we live in a world that is hyper-edited.

AI images are now becoming the norm.

All of these things, by themselves, leads us to subconsciously program ourselves to believe that what is real and unpolished is wrong - that it should be hidden away.

I disagree.

I believe that imperfect is the truth humanity is deeply craving in order to enter a deeper sense of self-acceptance and peace. 

I believe it is what will heal us from the inside out. 

This documentary doesn't end with a bow. 

It was a difficult watch in moments and what makes that so exquisite is that it's real life. 

We live in temporary bodies in a world that can no longer look away from the values conflicts that we are being forced to see with our eyes wide open.

The glitz and the glamour and the show is a wonderful thing, except the lights have to go out and we all have to go home and wash our faces to reveal the versions of us that we often don't want the world to see.

This documentary made me love Celine even more, it helped me see new dimensions of her humanity and that has made me a bigger fan. 

I encourage you to watch it, even if you're not a Celine Dion super fan like me. 

It will reveal insights about story telling, the business of being you and how you choose to share what you do and don't. 

There are dimensions here for all of us. 

Wishing you a beautiful week in your world, friend. 

xo

Amber