Self-Love. Háblate bonito.

One of the most beautiful things Sean ever taught me was how to love myself.

He loved me so deeply, so loudly, so proudly. He spoiled me, cheered me on, lifted me up in ways that felt unreal. For him, I was like a Victoria’s Secret supermodel. He would look at me and say, “I can’t believe you’re my wife… you look like the girls I saw in magazines.” Through his eyes, I was perfect. Just like he was through mine.

I used to joke with him, “If YOU are my husband, then I must be pretty awesome.” And he would laugh, but it was true—we chose each other. And in that choice, we reflected back the very best of who we were.

Sean was my biggest cheerleader. Every single day he told me I was beautiful, amazing, strong, loved. He said it with that certainty only he had. And now, living without that voice… it’s hard. SO hard.

It’s strange how quiet the world feels without him—without his constant cheering, without his eyes seeing me and then him saying, “You’re incredible.” You start wondering: Where is the love now? Who notices me? Who sees how much I do, how much I carry, how much strength it takes to wake up and keep going?

And the truth is… no one does it the way he did.

So that’s where self-love comes in.
Treating myself with kindness.
Being gentle.
Háblate bonito. Quiérete. Talk to yourself with love.

It’s not easy—I catch myself being so hard on me, demanding more, expecting more, forgetting that everything that gets done… gets done because I do it. No one else.

Now, his voice lives inside me.
A whisper I hear:
Get up.
Work out.
Take your vitamins.
You’re raising three beautiful kids on your own.
You are absolutely amazing.
You’re killing it.
You’re beautiful.
You got this.

Research shows that the way we speak to ourselves shapes everything: our confidence, our resilience, our ability to cope, our energy, even how our brain responds to stress. Psychologists say that self-talk can literally rewire the brain, strengthening the areas responsible for emotional regulation and inner calm.

Positive self-talk lowers anxiety.
It increases motivation.
It builds self-worth.
It makes you braver.
It makes you softer with yourself.

I was so lucky to have had Sean telling me all those things every single day. His words didn’t just compliment me—they built me. They held me. They shaped the way I saw myself.

Now, that job is mine.

Now I’m learning to say to myself the same things he used to say to me—to become my own cheerleader, my own safe place, my own reminder that I am crushing it, that I am doing more than enough, that I am exactly the mom my kids need, and that no one could do it better than me… because I am me. Beautifully me.

And maybe that’s what self-love really is—continuing the love story he started. Honoring it by loving myself the way he loved me.