Meet Ashley . . .

. . . the star of a new book I'm illustrating for author Haley Hatch Freeman.

Haley is an anorexia survivor with a message for girls and women:

She wants them to gain the peace and freedom that comes from knowing

the truth about food, media messages, body image, self-worth, and real beauty.

Real beauty.

The kind that radiates from within when we as women

realize our value is much more than the sum total

of how we do our hair or makeup, or what we wear.

That it's more--much more--than our body size or social media status.

Or how many shoes we have--or don't have--in the closet.

Or if boys and men pay attention to our bodies or tell us that we're beautiful.

Real beauty is something we know and embrace for ourselves;

it's loving ourselves for who we are--right now.

I've never suffered from anorexia--

but I have numerous friends and relatives who have.

Many women dear to me have taken their own lives

because they didn't think they measured up to what

they saw on television, in magazines, or in photos

plastered on social media sites.

I've navigated my own share of debilitating self-doubt.

Fueled by those who, when I was a child, should have supported

and loved me, I've frequently walked a tightrope across

a chasm of depression mingled with deep feelings of inferiority.

Haley has navigated her own hardships, 

including a near brush with death.

Yet she's determined to share her strength and courage with others. 

She wants to help girls and women make

life-saving changes so they can embrace the peace, joy, and happiness they deserve.

I'm grateful to have the opportunity to play a role in her efforts.

Look for Haley's book, From Head to Tummy: The Simple Truth

About Food, Media Messages, Self-Worth, and Real Beauty 

on shelves later this year.