OUTRO MINI-SERIES : Discussion about the book 'Accept, value and empower yourself' by David B Carter

 Hello wonderful butterflies of this world 🦋,

It’s Ash here, your book-loving, boundary-learning, self-esteem-reclaiming podcast host from Butterfly Shots Photography!

We’re officially wrapping up our mini-series discussing the book Accept, Value and Empower Yourself by David Bonham-Carter! This book did emotional CPR on our soul.

From self-doubt to quiet confidence buiding, this book walked us through some healing and also understanding roots, in five powerful chapters. In case you missed the episode (or just want a written version), here is the blog recap.

🎧 Listen to this episode on Spotify here 🎧: 

We started this book in a state of burnout, overfunctioning, and “wait… did we overshare again?” panic. We were deep in anxiety and self-doubt mode, a rough combo. But page by page, David’s VALUE plan started pulling us out of that spiral.

VALUE = Value yourself. Accept yourself. Look after yourself. Understand yourself. Empower yourself.

We didn’t just read the book. We tried it. Lived it. And here’s what each chapter gave us:

🖌️ Chapter 1 – Value Yourself

We channeled our inner Van Gogh (minus the ear thing) and dared to do things just because they bring us joy.

Photography. Reading. Outside time. Yoga. Saying “no.”

Choosing joy not for productivity, but for peace.

Turns out self-esteem grows not when we fake confidence… but when we act in alignment with who we are.

💛 Chapter 2 – Accept Yourself

The journal quote that stuck with us:

“We’re worthy, whether or not we succeed at fulfilling a certain goal.”

This chapter taught us to be our own best friend. To stop raging at our own reflection every time we made a mistake. We now see failure as part of the process, not proof that we’re unworthy.

Result? More inner calm. Less self-criticism. A tiny bit more grace every day.

🧼 Chapter 3 – Look After Yourself

Self-care = Self-worth.

This hit hard. Before, we didn’t see how not taking care of ourselves fed the belief that we didn’t deserve to be cared for. But now? Rest is scheduled. Nourishing food and regular sleep? Prioritized. Movement? For strength and sanity, not aesthetics. One “Ash Day” a week. No plans. Just joy.

The big lesson: Saying no isn’t selfish. It’s sacred.

🎧 Listen to this episode on Youtube here 🎧 :  

🧠 Chapter 4 – Understand Yourself

This chapter helped us trace the roots of low self-esteem, back to bullying, cultural shame, and messages that made us feel “too much” for this world.

But also: we recognized the quiet support of our parents. The seeds of self-worth they planted long before we knew they were growing.

We’re now rewriting our story, taking risks, exploring new spaces, and slowly proving to ourselves that being different doesn’t mean being wrong.

🎤 Chapter 5 – Empower Yourself

Assertive communication was the final challenge: and we’re still practising.

We learned:

• That saying “I need” is not a burden.
• That assertiveness isn’t aggression. It’s clarity and kindness, hand-in-hand.
• That passive behavior lowers self-worth, and honesty doesn’t make us “mean.”
• Every time we speak our truth with calm and respect, we build our confidence. Bit by bit.

 

🎙️ Final thoughts: Be on your own side

If there’s one sentence that sums up this whole journey, it’s this:

“You don’t need to become someone else to be enough, you just need to see, accept, and value yourself clearly.”

We didn’t need to add anything. We just needed to stop believing the lie that we weren’t already enough.

💭 Join the Conversation 

We’d love to hear from you. In the comments (or on Instagram, or wherever you hang out), let us know:

• What part of the VALUE journey spoke to you most?
• What’s one small thing you’ll try differently this week?

And if you loved this series, it would mean the world if you shared it with someone who needs a little self-esteem CPR too.

Don’t forget to subscribe so you won’t miss any of our episodes, on Spotify and YouTube.

Thank you for fluttering by the pod and the blog, beautiful butterflies.

We can't wait to unmask more of this life journey with y'alls. 

Take care of yourselves. Be gentle. And speak your truth, softly and fiercely.

Until next time,

Ash 💛