Imperfect. Kind. Strong.

Deidre Schill

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At 54, Deidre Schill is embracing a chapter shaped by wisdom, self-acceptance and a deeper appreciation for a life intertwined with both extraordinary joy and profound heartache.

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A writer, mother, partner, sister and friend, Deidre’s story has taken her from Mansfield in Victoria to Mackay and Ilbilbie in Queensland – but home, she says, has always been more than a place.

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“I’m from a loving home. I’m from my parents. I’m from God. All of those places and people are part of where I come from.”

Deidre welcomed her daughter Kahli at 44, the same year her brother died, experiencing “incredible joy alongside heartache and crushing change.”

“What surprised me most is that life gets better with each passing year,” she said.

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Through those experiences, Deidre gained a new perspective and began letting go of the need to please everyone.

Looking inward and stepping beyond a victim mindset has been one of her greatest achievements. She’s learnt to ask, “What part of this is mine to own?” – not because everything was her fault, but because owning her part gave her the power to change it.

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“I own who I am today.”

“My body isn’t just something to look at anymore. It’s where I get to experience my life.”

It’s a perspective that extends to her understanding of beauty, too.

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“You can wash glamour off. You can’t wash beauty off.”

Deidre says taking part in the Women Over 40 project was an opportunity to capture herself exactly as she is, not because she needed to be reminded of her worth, but because she wanted something tangible to remember this chapter by.

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“I’ll remember this woman, this chapter of my life, and how amazing I always was.”

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Advice to other women / your younger self?

“Honestly, forgive yourself. Be kind to yourself – make that relationship a loving one.”

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mybeautifulself.com.au
@mybeautifulself

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