Episode 1 - Seeking Freedom with Lis Thomas
By Jessica Garrison
Welcome back to season 5 of the F.E.E.L Podcast! We’re so excited to be here and share the incredible stories we’ve been hearing all summer. Our first guest to kick things off is Lis Thomas, a women’s advocate, writer, and brand strategist. She’s been on an amazing journey over the years, and there is so much to learn from her during this episode.
When Melissa introduced Lis, she shared a quote that Lis wrote about self-love on the platform she founded, Womanhood Unwrapped: “Self-love isn’t about the destination; it’s about starting somewhere and continuing down a path of self-discovery — no destination needed!” She carries this down her road of self-care, and Lis has accepted that there’s no perfect starting place. Everyone is on their own journey and it looks different depending on each person.
Lis made the observation that boundaries haven’t been in many conversations until the last decade or so. They are so important to how we keep everything managed in our lives, and she has to remind herself of the personal rules she set. Lis asks herself questions such as, “is the boundary necessary? Will the boundary make the situation better? How can I set this boundary in a kind way?” I love that she mentioned the kindness aspect of setting boundaries because there’s never enough kindness in the world. When we hear the word boundary, it sounds harsh and even rude. In reality, it’s just a barrier you’re setting up for yourself, so there’s no reason to project negativity towards it.
Along with kindness, Lis makes room for humor in everyday life. Living in the moment and having a good time helps to keep her emotional health and physical health in check. When she was just 23, she was diagnosed with melanoma and it changed her world. Luckily, it was discovered early on, but Lis wanted to make sure it wouldn’t keep affecting her negatively. She goes to the dermatologist on a regular basis to keep her health in check, but she doesn’t let it weigh on her mind constantly. Otherwise, it would impact her emotional health despite her physical health being fine. She didn’t want the diagnosis to take over her life and hide her in fear. She continues to live happily and healthily, with both her physical health as well as her emotional health.
Lis already supports women every day through her platform Womanhood Unwrapped, and she expressed how relevant it is to support women in living unapologetically. Women learn how to say sorry from such a young age and continue to say sorry throughout their lives, even when they didn’t do anything wrong. She says she has to remind her daughter of this and allows her family to live in a world where they don’t have to apologize for everything and they can live as themselves authentically.
In Lis’s mind, there are 3 layers that women tend to have: the overarching blanket of society, a woman’s own upbringing, and a woman’s family and/or partner. No matter how you decide to express yourself or live your life, it’s important that you are in the driver’s seat, just as Lis says in this episode. When she had a dealbreaker, she stuck to it. She knew what she wanted and didn’t settle for less, which I think is such an admirable quality. It can be difficult to not do what other people want you to do or what other people expect, but it’s important to be happy in your own life.
In closing, Lis shared that she allows herself to feel whatever she is feeling and accept that it’s okay. She says, “Don’t minimize yourself—take up some space.” This quote from her is so powerful; women in particular are always making themselves smaller to allow someone else to feel bigger, especially men. However, there is enough room for everyone to feel what they want, and we don’t have to put ourselves in a box for others.
Lis was a perfect first guest for this new season; she leads the way for all of the other wonderful guests we have this Fall. She can live confidently and authentically knowing that she is who she is. Even though we’re all a work in progress, she has come a long way in her journey.
Ways to Engage: If you had to name three layers that women tend to have, what would they be? Societal? Personal? Let us know about your perspective of a woman’s complex layers in the comments down below!