Teri Hofford

12/16/2024

I know that you think
That you are a series of parts
Some you love
Some you struggle with
And some you probably don't think about (until it hurts)
But what if I told you...
We were taught to separate ourselves into parts that need "fixing"
So that we'd be disconnected from ourselves and always seek help externally
But, let me assure you, you aren't a series of parts
You are whole.

A whole body.
A whole soul.
A whole person.

{Body jewellery by & backdrop by edited with - light and ochre - get a free membership with Archipelago and save on your presets at the link in my bio!)

12/15/2024

✨ WEEKLY GLIMMERS ✨

1. Frosty days

2. My beautiful thrift find

3. Another beautiful thrift find!

4. Someone's car with the holiday spirit

5. Walkabouts in melting snow

6. Feeling cutie

7. Snowy kitten walkabouts

8. Zoo lights with mom & Ryan

9. Self portys

10. Client photoshoot setup

✨What were your glimmers this week? ✨

12/14/2024

In order to embrace your body you have to...

LOOK AT IT
With curiosity
Without judgment

TOUCH IT
With love.
Without pain.

LISTEN TO IT
With trust.
Without ignoring.

LEARN FROM IT
With intention.
Without avoiding.

RESPECT IT
With grace.
Without expectation.

TRUST IT
With humility.
Without shame.

NOURISH IT
With care.
Without pressure.

IF YOU DO THESE
With practice.
Without rushing.

BODY ACCEPTANCE WILL BE YOURS
With time.
Without thoughts stopping you.

Xoxo
Teri

12/13/2024

Beauty Standards Have Always Pi**ed Me Off

I remember watching The Princess Diaries and being pi**ed that in order for Anne Hathaway’s character to be acceptable, she had to straighten her curls.

I remember being mad that I was told to “sit like a lady” and to “put your knees together” when I was 6 years old (I couldn’t even if I wanted to)

I remember feeling irritated when my a man told me he preferred “women who were hairless” when I was 22.

I remember feeling confused & a little pi**ed off when a teacher commented “how good” I looked after I had the flu for 3 days. I was in grade 6.

I remember being brought to tears out of sheer frustration because my boss told me my thighs were too big to wear skirts. (I didn’t listen)

Every time a doctor says “Have you considered weightloss?” as the first option to my healing - regardless of the issue - I want to throw a fit.

Over and over and over again, beauty standards made me angry & frustrated and at first, I would take it out on my body - because that’s what beauty standards taught me...
..until I learned that it wasn’t my body that was making me mad, but rather the system that was trying to control it.

Which is why now, I focus on bringing down the system and not myself. By taking that anger and turning it into activism & art I have channelled my energy to fight for my body, instead of against it. And this is why I want to help you do the same.

To learn all the ways I can help, head to: terihofford.com
or comment: FIGHT
and I’ll send you the link to your DMs!

12/11/2024

Back in one of the wildest years of my life, I took a chance and flew to New York to spend a few days creating magic with Stefania Ferrario - I had reached out to her after seeing her on the Embrace documentary and sent her a message on instagram and at the time was in NYC for a wee bit modeling, so I jumped on a plane and a whim and we hung out for a few days.

I'll never forget when I pulled out my gear (my nifty fifty - a $110 lens) and she was like...
"Oh. You don't have any lights?"

And I was like "No, I usually just use ambient light for the most part - trust me." But inside I was like "Uh oh. Do I look like an amateur????" Then I told myself to let my work do the talking and we got to creating some of my favourite images!

I came across them + the video I made on that nifty fifty back then and I forgot how much I loved it

Beauty doesn't exist in a singular form. Come explore your definition of beauty with our team at THP Studios . To book your session or for more details head…

12/11/2024

How Your Body Image Insecurities Are F*ing with Your Business..and What to Do About It

👗Wearing clothes that don’t fit:
When you wear clothes that are too small because you refuse to buy a different size, it keeps your focus on yourself instead of your clients. Fidgeting and discomfort lead to a confidence breakdown on both sides.

FIX: Wear clothes that fit comfortably so you can focus on your people, not your outfit.💃

💸Not charging enough:
If you’ve grown up believing you aren’t enough because of your body, you might undercharge to compensate, feeling like you need to “make up” for how you look.

FIX: Do your cost-of-doing-business (CODB) calculations. Use testimonials to remind yourself of the value you provide. Facts over feelings.🤑

🗓️Not setting boundaries:
Many of us learn early to make ourselves convenient to avoid being seen as a burden. Saying “yes” when we mean “no” or being overly flexible can lead to burnout and resentment.

FIX: Schedule personal time first and mark it as non-negotiable. Your clients deserve the best version of you—and that requires taking care of yourself first.✋

🫢Not showing up:
Fear of judgment often keeps us hiding, but business success requires visibility—whether at events, online, or in your community. Hiding robs the world of the magic you have to offer.

FIX: Focus on who you are for, not who you’re not for. What you see as Kryptonite could actually be your Superpower. Let your insecurities fuel your authenticity.✨

When low self-esteem and body image insecurities take hold, it’s easy to believe setbacks in your business are because of how you look. But it’s impossible to focus on strategy when you’re caught up in self-doubt.

There are people out there who need to see someone like you being comfortable in your skin, showing up, charging what you’re worth, setting boundaries, and living authentically.

✨The world needs your magic, just as you are.✨

If any of this resonates, hit me up for 1:1 coaching—slide into my DMs, and let’s work through it together.

12/09/2024

hot take:
body acceptance means letting bodies change

I’ve talked about this in the past, but I fear my body losing weight.

We have become so attached to other people’s bodies and I know people are attached to mine staying a certain way.

But... BODIES CHANGE.

As we change, our bodies change. While it’s still the same body, it looked very different at 15, 25, 35, and will at 45, 55, 65, and so on.

As I listen to my body to move more, eat different things, have different kinds of (hopefully less) stress, experience hormonal changes, maybe end up taking medication for ailments as I get older... MY BODY WILL CHANGE.

It may become bigger or it may become smaller but I know both will make other people frustrated because they are not accepting of their bodies changing in either direction.

And this is why I love the concept of body acceptance & body neutrality. It’s about embracing the body in all of its humanity, science & nature - and humanity, science & nature change...all the time.

By prioritizing body neutrality and acceptance, we can cultivate a relationship with our bodies that feels authentic, manageable, and empowering—without becoming attached to anyone’s body size/shape/etc....including our own.

While I am not chasing weight loss, weight gain, or any sort of drastic body change, I want to set the expectation that my body will change - and so will yours. And my hope is that with the work that I teach, together we can have grace for others as their bodies change - because if we can have grace for others, then we can offer it to ourselves.

After all, bodies will do what bodies will do.
Whether we want them to or not.

12/09/2024

FB seems to be on a rampage of removing and reporting OLD photos which were deemed okay back in the day. BUT as a result, this page is one removal away from being discontinued so my recommendation is that if you like the content I talk about/write about/etc. then you may want to get up on my instagram, pinterest and newsletter.

I've been getting less and less joy from FB anyway, so maybe I should leave before I get evicted lol!

In any event, check the comments for where you can find me 99% of the time

12/08/2024

✨ WEEKLY GLIMMERS ✨

1. Light on the carpets in the studio

2. New coffee mug from

3. Falling in love with my wardrobe colors

4. Feeling cute to go get my mama

5. Beautiful blue tea from

6. Matching the sky

7. Someone's supervising my self portraits

8. My loves

9. Picking up from the airport

10. Showing the beautiful views

✨What were your glimmers/highlights this past week? ✨

12/07/2024

We've all been there - panicking to get out of the too-small jumpsuit/romper, squeezing a dress down over your b***s only for it to get stuck on your ribcage, and yanking on a pair of jeans, sucking it in in an effort to do them up to no avail.

What we think in that moment can make or break us -

Here’s my process for not breaking down in the fitting room when the clothes don’t fit.

Let’s face it: Fluorescent lights. A coffin’s worth of space. Wobbly mirrors. Non-existent sizing standards. Fitting rooms are not conducive to body image on a good day...never mind when the clothes don’t fit and the negative soundtrack comes roaring in.

But it doesn’t mean you have to let it win. Here are a few tips that I use to navigate bad body image days in fitting rooms:

Take 4-5 deep breaths. I’m talking inhale for a count of 5, hold for 7, exhale for 8. Repeat. This will help your body physiologically regulate.

Close your eyes and tap your heart space and repeat: I am safe. I am supported. I am loved.

Argue back against your thoughts: “I can’t believe you need a bigger size.” “What does it matter if I need a bigger size?” “I look hideous in this. My body doesn’t fit anything.” “Who said you had to fit the clothes? Last time I checked, clothes were meant to fit you!”

Touching your thumb to each finger, list the names of the people who love you unconditionally/don’t care what pant size you wear. (Feel free to include your pets and deceased people)

Touching your thumb to each finger, list the names of the people who love you unconditionally/don’t care what pant size you wear. (Feel free to include your pets and deceased people)

And as a last resort, ask yourself: What would Teri do?

Navigating body image from the safety of your home is one thing, but when those thoughts pop up when you are out and about, especially with friends, it can catch you off guard.

Save this post or screenshot these reminders and put as your homescreen to come back to in the moment.

12/05/2024

Let’s do a quick catch up about where this all started...

As a sensitive kid, I already knew I was different and by kindergarten I was getting left out because of who I was + the size of my body.

I became an athlete because I decided that my body would always be big - so why not use it to become a strong competitor?

While living in South Korea I lost over 100lbs due to extreme dieting and exercising...but , right? (that was sarcasm) I hated myself more than when I was heavier because I feared weight gain.

I lost my father in 2007 and that really shook me. I learned how important our bodies are & how little time we have, so I started working on body and self acceptance.

2008-2014 Worked for a weightloss company which made me sell my soul, but I learned just how toxic the diet industry is & quit, started taking photos of families and weddings part time.

In 2014 I did a project to show there isn’t just one body type and the response made me start my bo***ir biz until 2018 when I hit burnout. I started educating photogs in 2016 on how to be more inclusive and created Body Image Bootcamp.

Went back to school for Applied Positive Psychology, realized I was a body image educator 1st, photographer 2nd, continued speaking and teaching at some of the biggest photography conferences and hosting workshops & retreats and wrote The Geode Theory: Chipping Away at Body Image in 2020, 2200 Characters in 2022, and Homecoming in 2024 when I also did my first book tour.

I’ve had some really cool experiences like being in a documentary, putting up a billboard, being part of some diversity funds, doing my TedX talk, and traveling the world to share my wisdom about body & self acceptance!

None of this was linear. None of this was planned. Little me never could have predicted I’d be talking on stages around the world or prancing around in my un**es leading people through a Confidence Catwalk as I use my passions to teach people how to embrace their bodies & rewire their brains. It was all intuition, self awareness, and taking action when things got squidgy.

Hope this inspires you to keep going.
Even when it doesn’t make sense, if it feels right...it will.

12/04/2024

How looking at my body in photographs changed my relationship to it...

When I first started taking photos of myself, I tried to make sure the poses were “flattering” - minimizing my waist, emphasizing my b***s, hiding my chin...and these photos were good because it let me know that I could exist in photos with this body.

Once I was comfortable with that, I started to push the boundaries a bit more - asking myself:

“What am I afraid of seeing?”

and then photographing that.

When I would get frustrated or feel myself getting overwhelmed I would tiptoe back and forth between the comfortable poses and the ones that challenged me.

Once I was able to acknowledge that sometimes my body just looks a certain way in some frames and realize it had nothing to do with me as a person, I was free to start exploring more creatively.

I was able to try dancing, jumping, and stepping into characters. Accepting my body in photos, made room for me to then start challenging myself with how I felt about certain emotions I was exhibiting.

When I would look at a photo of myself and feel the squidge rising up, I was now able to expand beyond:

“I look horrible”

I was able to ask questions like:

How was I being portrayed?
Did I like that outfit?
Did the vision for the shoot not go as expected?
What was I expecting?
What is making me squidgy?
What have I learned about that?
Who taught me that?
etc.

This context allowed me shift from shame to curiosity and realize that’s just what I looked like in that moment.

Nothing more nothing less - but what if I could use the squidge that was coming up from seeing myself in photos to help me improve how I saw/felt about my body?

This is why I am so passionate about helping people get in front of a camera - whether it’s their own or someone else’s. Whether you love the photos or not, there is so much for you to learn to undo your body image insecurity and years from now, you'll appreciate the documentation of your body.

I've got a 2025 course coming up that combines photography + body acceptance - I will teach you how to use your camera AND how to embrace your body 😍 to get on the waitlist for details click this link: https://terihofford.myflodesk.com/wqidvln168

12/03/2024

💪 Your arms look big... 💪

🫂 When you push them up against your body
📸When they are photographed with a 16mm lens
And sometimes

💪Because they are big.

But
What does it matter??
And why can't big things be photographed?

Why is one pose "better" than another when these are the same arms that let you hug your babies, that have held friends as they cried, that have stretched to help you reach for things on the top shelf, that pushed furniture to settle into your first apartment, that lifted suitcases as you explored the world and lifted toddlers and cradled cuddly puppies & kittens?

For these reasons and more your arms deserve to be photographed - regardless of how big or small they look.

12/02/2024

What happened when I started dressing for my Venus sign as a plus size woman:

First, my Venus sign is Virgo♍ (even though I'm a Libra) and that style says:

Romantic, but practical

And this explained why I love wearing sneakers or boots with dresses or sweaters with skirts.

♍I was able to rewrite narratives like:

“I’m just not ‘put-together’”
or
“I could never pull that off”

♍There were more options available to me than I previously thought (I say this knowing I have privilege that I can fit into a m-4xl on top and a 1x-4x on the bottom)

♍I receive more compliments on my outfits dressing in my Venus in Virgo style than when I dress in anything else

♍I'm saving money when shopping because I'm no longer buying stuff just because it fits

♍Fashion is fun when you start to play!

♍It made me start thinking about other places I've resigned myself from or where I've held myself back because it wasn't for "people like me" in "bodies like mine"

♍I WAS more confident - because I stepped out of my comfort zone with clothing and it made me aware of fears I had around being seen, being seen a certain way, etc.

So have you done this or would you try? The instructions to figuring out your Venus sign are up on the blog and if you want to go a bit more in depth into what I've learned I can send you the goods to your DMs, just comment

BLOG

And I'll send you the blog AND my Pinterest moodboard!

Happy fashioning!!

Also props to for introducing this idea to me!! She's the best ✨ go follow her!

12/01/2024

✨ WEEKLY GLIMMERS ✨

1. Shadows and sunlight in the morning

2. Kitten got a new play thing (and tore it apart in a day 😂)

3. Winter vibes

4. My seashell plate thrift find

5. Made a shelf/lamp next to the couch to hold bevvies

6. On the way to the farmers market with the Lovee

7. Frosty willows

8. The most stunning sunlight pouting through the house

9. Journal mornings

10. My one little golden curl

✨What small things made you smile this week? ✨

11/30/2024

small moments
that led to
BIG
shifts in my body image

🩱 Seeing a girl with a body like mine wearing a bathing suit in a magazine for the first time when I was 12

💄 Being the only one in my grade 9 class that got put into Women’s Studies at mini University and getting to make my first “body image” collage as we broke down beauty standards.

😬 Hearing an offhanded comment by the manager at the weightloss company I worked for say: “Our profits rely on the 80% of our clients that fail”

📸 Having a photoshoot where all I got back were headshots despite my whole body having been present for the session.

🚗 Driving to the studio one day and having the awareness that the best way for me to teach was to role model, not just talk.

👟 Hearing my inner voice say “YOU NEED TO MOVE YOUR BODY” to realize that while I had moved out of diet culture, I had shifted into hustle culture and was still treating my body with disrespect.

🧠 Every time my brain said “Yikes, don’t share/do that - people won’t understand/will make fun of you & your body”, I chose to do it anyway proving that it was never my body stopping me - but rather my thoughts about my body.

🪞 Looking at myself in the mirror and saying out loud: “I love you, Teri” or “What do you need from me, Teri?”

Little moments add up to big outcomes and if I am being honest, it was the series of small choices over and over again that helped me get to self & body acceptance.

While the world is still behind on how they accept & treat people with bodies like mine, these small choices I made and continue to make, ensure that I am not one of the ones contributing to making me feel less than.

I encourage you to consider the small choices you’ve made that have led to some grand outcomes for you and feel free to share in the comments!

11/29/2024

🎁 PEACE, JOY, & BODY ACCEPTANCE part 5:
Your body acceptance gift guide 🎁

In the final post for the holiday series I wanted to give you the Body Acceptance Gift Guide - a few ideas of what to get your friends and family who are on that self love/body acceptance journey! I'll be sharing 2 from each category for this post, but the blog has a lot more!

Experiential Ideas:

Plan a self care day, massage, float or facial with a body inclusive provider and then send your persona. Gift basket full of home DIY spa goods (I recommend .creek for body oils and candles!) to help them continue connecting with their body!

Of course a body embrace session with a trusted photographer (ahem!) - just make sure A) you do your research and don't just choose the cheapest photog you can find and B)make sure it's something they've expressed interest in. If you are NOT in Calgary please feel free to msg me for suggestions because I know a lot for incredible humans doing the Lord's work.

Book ideas:

Definitely The Geode Theory: Chipping Away at Body Image should be the top of the list because it's good for anyone regardless of where they are in their body acceptance journey. The link is on the blog to grab a copy or audio version!

Loving What Is by .katie helped me make sense of a lot of the places I was setting unhelpful expectations and causing my own stress. 10/10 recommend.

Shop ideas:

Body inclusive jewellery makers are high on my list this year. Check out , , and

Check out the various body acceptance merch on my site at terihofford.com/shop for totes, hats, clothing, etc.

Most places will allow you to get gift cards so they can pick their preferred sizing on things!

Bonus gift idea:

Write your friendly a letter letting them knowing what you love about them (beyond their body). Remind them of the way they light up a room, make you laugh until your tum hurts or how they inspire you. If you need some non-body compliments I have a post linked in the blog for ideas!

Whatever you get your people this holiday, they are lucky to have you in their lives.

Xoxo, Teri