Today we’d like to introduce you to Terri Britt.
Hi Terri, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My family was the typical American family. Mom and Dad put my sister and me first, believing this would bring us the greatest chance for love, happiness and success. Then they put each other next and, finally, themselves last. My parents loved me a lot. However, it wasn’t what they did for me but rather how they lived their lives that impacted me the most.
My parents lived by the old family paradigm that said, “You have to deny yourself to be loving.” In other words, everyone else’s feelings, needs, desires, dreams and opinions had to matter more than your own. So, I grew up believing that to be good, I had to put myself last.
However, there was one problem: I wanted to feel as if I mattered. I wanted to be seen, heard and valued. So, I decided at a very young age that I would work really hard, believing that if I worked hard enough and was good enough, I would feel loved in return. I went after every achievement and accolade, and I often received them. In fact, I won Miss USA 1982. But even THAT didn’t fill me up. No matter how hard I worked at proving my worth, I never felt loved.
This lack caused me to constantly question myself, always wondering what I “needed to do” or “how I should act,” believing that if I finally “got it right,” I’d feel loved. But I didn’t. Instead, I didn’t feel enough. And that’s when I got mad.
It was when I became a wife and mom that I realized how angry I had become. In my zest to be the best wife and mom I could be, I slipped right back into that old family paradigm of denying myself, trying to prove my worth and show my family how good I was at my job so that I would win their love in return.
Of course, I wanted the best for my family. I was only doing what I had been shown was love. But, at my core, I struggled. I had a battle between who I thought I had to be for my family versus who I truly was.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Lol! My journey was definitely not smooth, especially due to my anger. For years, I had no idea that my “go to” emotion was anger. When I became aware of it, anger became the gift I needed to give me a kick in the rump. Often I would find myself yelling and screaming at my family. I’d wear my happy-face mask and then suddenly be triggered. I was so buried in guilt. I couldn’t stand myself. I knew I was perpetuating a cycle of pain for my family. And I knew I needed a shift to stop this madness. But it was scary.
Everything I had been taught about being a loving wife and mom said that the old family paradigm was right, and I was wrong.
It was then that I began to study meditation and energetic healing. Our mission in that healing school was to release our emotional triggers so that we could read others’ energy clearly. As I let go of my hidden false beliefs that caused these blocks, I began to feel more connected to myself. And, for the first time in my life, I finally felt peaceful and alive. I felt as if I were on fire!
That’s when I committed fully to loving myself unconditionally.
I brought those energetic tools into my home and was then guided to love, nurture and support the little girl within me. I took back the authority of my life and gave “Little Terri” permission to stand in her truth. The more I released the energetic blocks that had me stuck, the more I was able to love her and my family unconditionally.
I finally understood what had caused my pain and suffering all along: The old family paradigm taught me that I had to perform for approval, and it wasn’t really love at all.
With this new awareness, I got grounded in the truth that when I treated myself as if I were worthy of love by nurturing and loving myself, I found the love that I had been seeking my whole life. It was inside of me. And, in this state of worthiness, I opened up to receive more love. And I had more love to give.
But when I performed by denying my true self, I was actually punishing myself. That’s what made me lash out at my family. I thought they were the ones who caused my unhappiness when, in fact, I was the one who did it to myself.
With each step of loving myself, the more love revealed itself in every area of my life. Miracle after miracle appeared. Walls that had been built between my hubby and me fell away, and my kids quit fighting. We found a sense of peace and balance in our home that we had never experienced before.
My hubby actually said to me one day, “I feel better in my skin than I’ve ever felt.”
I asked him why, and he said, “When you quit caretaking me to find yourself, it forced me to find myself. And now I feel better in my skin than I’ve ever felt.”
That’s when I knew that being a Woman Leader of Love and breaking the old family paradigm was my greatest act of service. I knew that my worth wasn’t determined by my family. It was determined by how I treated myself. And now my hubby was telling me that not only had he watched my example, but now he was also loving himself. Woohoo!
I’m so grateful that I was able to give my husband that gift. He died at the very young age of 56 from a massive heart attack.
I’ve been married to my husband Charlie now for over 13 years. Our mission from the beginning was to stand in our truths with each other and to be an “enlightened family.” But it was hard. We blended three teenaged girls with all of them having lost a parent. You can only imagine the emotional angst that often filled our home.
Boy, I wanted to slide right back into the old family paradigm of self-denial and dysfunction. Charlie and I both did. He said it was like tearing the skin off of his arm to break this cycle. It was a constant battle to continue our commitment to loving ourselves unconditionally. But because I was anchored in the truth that true love is when you honor and love the way you were created, I continually encouraged Charlie, and myself, to follow this path.
I’m thrilled to say that Charlie and I have an incredibly passionate, playful and intimate relationship. We support each other in our dreams and desires, and we know without a doubt that our greatest act of service to our marriage, and to our family, is when we love ourselves. And in this prosperous mindset, we’ve both become quite good at leading lives we love.
What’s really exciting is that Charlie’s dreams have come true as he’s stood in his truth. While on our honeymoon in Colorado, we saw a little coffee house in the mountains, and he shared that this was his dream, to create a destination where people could come and have a unique experience. As he’s followed the guidance of his heart and loved himself unconditionally, that’s exactly what he’s created. We own a thriving company called JumpinGoat Coffee Roasters in the Helen area, plus JumpinGoat Coffee Roasters and Tasting Room in Cleveland, just five miles down the road, and that sits on seven-and-a-half acres at the base of the majestic Mt. Yonah. For three years in a row, JumpinGoat has been named the best coffee house in White County. It truly is a destination! Plus, we have a thriving internet and wholesale business.
With this new family paradigm, Charlie and I are not only thriving, but our kids are, too. They are all grown now and I’m a nana. I see our kids working daily to stand in their truths. And I see them loving life in so many ways. It’s so inspiring! And during the times that are hard, I see them taking responsibility for their own happiness. They know that to create a life they love, they have to find the love within.
A few years ago, Charlie told me, “I always knew you loved me. But until you taught me to love myself, I couldn’t RECEIVE your love. And now I do.”
The old family paradigm in which I grew up creates lack and feelings of unworthiness. It shuts us down to receiving love and life’s rewards.
What I know for sure is that if I want my family to thrive, I need to thrive. It’s not what we do for our families but how we live our lives that impacts them the most.
That’s the beauty of loving yourself and creating a new family paradigm. You finally feel worthy of love. In this state of worthiness, you open up to receive the love, nurturing and support you deserve. And, as you receive more, you have more to give. You become a leader of love for others to watch you and learn.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I believe that loving yourself is your greatest act of service. For over two decades, I’ve been guiding people to break the old family paradigm of self-denial and to find the love within.
I’m an inspirational speaker, author and spiritual coach. I’m the founder of Women Leaders of Love, a global community of women who are taking a stand for pioneering change for their families and the world. And I’m the award-winning author of “The Enlightened Mom.” My mission is to help people from all walks of life commit to loving themselves and raising their Worthiness Quotients.
Your Worthiness Quotient is how open you are to receiving the love, support, nurturing and guidance you deserve…simply for being who you were created to be. That means no more trying to win love by proving your worth.
Most people think they’ve owned their worth and are open to receive, but they aren’t, especially if they were raised in the old family paradigm like I was. This is why we see so much stress and struggle in our world. It’s why anxiety and depression are rampant in our society. And it’s why we compete. People are driving themselves into the ground because they are in lack and have low Worthiness Quotients, and they don’t even know it.
Your outer world is a mirror to your inner world. It is only by committing to loving yourself unconditionally that you create inner abundance and then feel seen, heard and valued by the world around you.
Committing to loving yourself unconditionally is the key to manifesting a life you love.
That’s my mission now with my Worthiness Quotient Quiz, masterclass and digital course. I am helping people from all walks of life commit to loving themselves unconditionally so they release the hidden beliefs that sabotage their peace and happiness, and ultimately their family’s ability to thrive.
Any big plans?
My intention is to further expand this message of loving yourself and RAISING YOUR WORTHINESS QUOTIENT through my speaking, books and courses, and through the Women Leaders of Love Movement. I truly believe that as we each commit to finding the love within and raising our Worthiness Quotients, we not only create more peace, balance, passion, joy and love in our lives, but we also set the tone for our families and the world to heal.
Have you claimed your crown and owned your worth? Take the Worthiness Quotient quiz and find out now! www.terribritt.com/quiz
Grab my FREE Worthiness Quotient Breakthrough Bundle and join the Women Leaders of Love Movement at www.terribritt.com/leaders
Want to hear how I raised my Worthiness Quotient? Take the FREE WQ Masterclass at www.terribritt.com/webinar
Ready to love YOURSELF unconditionally? And break the generational cycle of lack? My powerful digital series, “The Worthiness Quotient: Claim Your Crown…Lead a Life You Love,” takes you step-by-step to your heart so you stop the performance, release the hidden beliefs that sabotage your peace and happiness, and guides you into your greatest act of service as a leader of love. To learn more, go to www.terribritt.com/worthy.
Pricing:
- WQ Digital Program $297. Input coupon code CROWN to save.
Contact Info:
- Email: terri@terribritt.com
- Website: www.terribritt.com
- Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/terri_britt/ - Facebook: https://facebook.
com/womenleadersoflove - Twitter: https://twitter.com/
terrileabritt - Youtube: https://www.youtube.
com/user/terriamosbritt
Image Credits:
My headshot by my daughter, Kolbi Amos.
