Beyond Blank Pages:

A Transformative Approach to Teen Journaling (Episode 86)

In this powerful episode of the MindShift Power Podcast, host Fatima Bey interviews Kristina Hardy, who shares her remarkable personal transformation journey and introduces her innovative guided journal specifically designed for teen girls. The conversation explores the importance of positive self-talk, self-respect, and the transformative power of writing.

A Journey of Personal Transformation

Kristina Hardy opens up about her profound personal transformation, sharing that she lost 170 pounds and completely changed her outlook on life. Her journey wasn't just physical—it required deep soul-searching, self-reflection, and learning to speak kindly to herself. Kristina explains how using daily mantras like "I am worthy" and "I deserve to be happy" initially felt like mere soundbites but eventually became powerful truths that helped reshape her self-perception.

The Power of Words We Speak to Ourselves

One of the most impactful moments in the interview comes when Kristina reads her poem "Words we Weave," which explores how our self-talk shapes our reality:

"She laughed it off. A casual phrase, a joke, she thought would fade like haze. Yet words take root, they start to bloom and what you speak, your soul consumes..."

Fatima reinforces this message by sharing personal experiences of how friends confronted her about her own negative self-talk, highlighting how we often don't realize we're hurting ourselves with our words. As Kristina points out, "Your brain doesn't know that you're being sarcastic... it hears every word."

A Different Kind of Journal

What sets Kristina's journal apart is its structured approach. Unlike traditional blank-page journals, it contains poems followed by thoughtful questions designed to guide self-reflection. The journal is meant to be completed four times over a period of time (ideally a year, though it can be done faster), allowing users to compare their answers and track their personal growth.

This approach creates an opportunity to see progress that might otherwise go unnoticed—similar to watching a plant grow, where daily observation shows little change but checking back after time reveals significant development.

Why Writing Works

The conversation explores why physically writing our thoughts is more powerful than digital recording. Kristina explains, "When you write something, you are committing those words to a piece of paper and you can't just hit a button and take it away." Fatima adds that writing can help express difficult emotions that we struggle to verbalize, organize jumbled thoughts, and create space for honest self-reflection.

A Call to Self-Respect

Kristina's message to young women worldwide emphasizes self-respect: "Treating yourself with the respect that you treat others with is probably the biggest thing that you can do to open everything else up around you." This advice particularly resonates for teens who are often kind to everyone except themselves.



In her closing "Mind Shifting Moment," Fatima challenges listeners to examine their inner dialogue: "How you talk to yourself is very, very important... It is building you up or tearing you down... What you believe about yourself is the ultimate driver of the opportunities you do or don't take or make in every single area of life."

For teen girls seeking to develop healthier self-perception and grow into their best selves, Kristina's journal offers a guided pathway to self-discovery and positive change—proving that with the right tools, meaningful transformation is possible at any age.