Happy mid-September to all of you walking this Reclaiming Beauty path with me. Today I am celebrating my 50th birthday. I feel both grateful and thrilled to be entering this next stage of life.

In the midst of the heartbreak, turmoil and violence of the world, I carry a growing clarity about my role in what Frances Weller calls The Long Dark. He describes this as a collective season of unraveling—a time when systems are breaking down, grief is surfacing, and we are asked to find ways of sustaining one another through uncertainty. The Long Dark isn’t meant to be endured in isolation; it calls us to root into meaning, connection, and care.

For me, turning 50 marks a threshold. The first half of my life I have tended to my nervous system which allows me to be less focused on my own suffering, be more responsive rather than reactive, lead from my heart rather than from the intensity of my emotions, and grow into my role as a guide for others on their healing path. These years of healing work have prepared me for what feels like the deeper calling of my second half of life: to be of assistance in The Long Dark. I feel called to show up not only for my own becoming, but also as a Caregiver, Healer, Storyteller and Disruptor for the communities I am part of.

Finding Our Roles in the Work of Change

During my studies with the Center for Body Trust, I was introduced to a framework that has deeply supported this clarity: the Social Change Ecosystem Map, created by Deepa Iyer. This map names ten roles that people often inhabit in movements for healing and social transformation:

Weavers – bringing people, ideas, and movements together
Experimenters – creating, testing, and innovating new ideas and strategies
Frontline Responders – meeting immediate needs and crises with care
Visionaries – imagining bold, transformative futures
Builders – developing structures, institutions, and practices for change
Healers – mending bodies, minds, spirits, and communities
Storytellers – shaping narratives and helping us make meaning
Caregivers – nurturing and sustaining others in times of struggle
Disruptors – challenging norms, systems, and power through bold action
Guides – teaching, mentoring, and offering wisdom to others

*Attribution: Deepa Iyer, Building Movement Project. SM, © 2020 Deepa Iyer. All rights reserved. All prior licenses revoked.*

What I love about this map is that it reminds us that no one has to do everything. Our collective strength comes from each of us leaning into the roles that align with our gifts, values, and resources. Exploring this framework helped me name where I feel most aligned—and I highly recommend spending time with it for your own reflection. You may find it gives language to the quiet work you already do, or clarity on where your energy longs to flow in The Long Dark.

Reflection: As you explore the Social Change map, which roles in creating change feel most aligned with your Original Beauty gifts and strengths?

Reclaiming Our Gifts from the Grip of Self-Objectification

Even as we long to share our gifts, body image struggles and self-objectification can entangle us in patterns that sap our power and hold us back from fully stepping into our roles. Recently, while sitting in a Zoom meeting, I caught my reflection in the little video square and was struck by a sense of recognition. What I saw reminded me of the Tarot archetype of The Empress—my Soul card. The Empress embodies love infused with wisdom, compassion, fertility, the nurturing of Mother Earth, and the archetype of the Great Mother. Younger versions of me, stuck in patterns of self-objectification, might have looked at my curves and rounded shapes with judgment. But today, I see the beauty of my Empress energy reflected back to me and can access her gifts in service of the world - the Empress who embodies Caregiver, Healer, Storyteller, Disruptor and Guide.

*Image from the Universal Waite Tarot Deck*

This past year has also been powerful in another way: I finally accepted some health diagnoses I had long resisted, in part because of my own internalized fatphobia. Once I could dismantle these systems of oppression inside myself, I was able to open to treatment for three conditions that are often mislabeled as merely “lifestyle diseases.” Receiving care for these has brought me increased awakeness, more balanced energy, and steadier stress levels. What a gift to have my life force freed from the endless project of trying to change my body—and instead devoted to accepting it, honoring all that it carries, and turning my attention outward to service. I am in celebration for weight inclusive health care and continue to adovcate for access for all.

Reflection: In what ways might body image struggles or self-objectification be holding you back from stepping into your power and sharing your unique contributions with the world? What is one loving action you can take to begin shifting this stuck place?

Healing Opens the Way to Greater Service

As I step into this next season of life, my intention is to continue the work of Reclaiming Beauty not only as a personal practice, but as a form of collective care—supporting others in finding their roles, voices, and medicine for these times. Together, may we meet The Long Dark with creativity, courage, and care.

Thank you for taking the time to read my reflections. My birthday wish this year is for us all - May we find our role in the ecosystem of care, and may it sustain us as we sustain others through these turbulent times.

About the Author

Heidi Andersen, LCMHC-S, Certified Body Trust Provider and Certified Safe and Sound Protocol Provider is a Somatic Therapist, group facilitator, founder of Reclaiming Beauty, co-founder of The Resonance Circle and creator of the Reclaiming Beauty Journal & Wisdom Deck. She blends Somatic Internal Family Systems, polyvagal informed approaches, and embodiment exploration to help people reconnect with their body, voice, and wild beauty. Heidi specializes in midlife transformation, nervous system healing, and body image recovery, offering a grounded, soulful approach to deep personal reclamation.

Ways to Work With Heidi

Body-Centered Psychotherapy – compassionate support for sensitive, creative women navigating life transitions
Reclaiming Beauty Therapy Intensives – immersive healing experiences for deep transformation
1:1 Safe and Sound Protocol Journeys – a nervous system-based approach to ease, resilience, and connection
The Resonance Circle – a group experience of the Safe and Sound Protocol, rooted in community and belonging