This week marks the 10-year anniversary celebration of Bright Line Eating. The conception of BLE was on January 26, 2014. That’s the day the universe told me to write a book called Bright Line Eating. After that, there was a gestation period where I learned that for the book to be successful, I needed to grow a following.
So I spent some time writing a report called, “The 3 Huge Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes When They Try To Lose Weight.” I promised to send out emails explaining the psychology and neuroscience of sustainable weight loss. Around 75 of you downloaded the report on August 5, 2014—the day the “me” became a “we.” That’s the Bright Line Eating birthday.
This past Sunday we had a celebratory luncheon followed by a book signing at Barnes & Noble. The feeling of community was vibrant. We had groups with printed t-shirts celebrating the anniversary; we had people from out of town sleeping on air mattresses on the floors of other Bright Lifers.
There was so much camaraderie.
The line for the book signing went out of the store and down to the nearby Starbucks. The manager said he’d never seen such connection and fellowship. One person went out and got a case of bottled water for everyone in line. Others were encouraging those in the back. People had flown in from all over the East Coast, mid-Atlantic, and Midwest, from Florida, California, and Oregon.
The most profound thing I personally experienced was that two of my three kids were there—Robbie and Zoe. Maya is at summer camp. But this was a first. None of my kids had ever witnessed first-hand what their mom does for a living.
I gave an informal address, and the first thing I did was thank my kids. I told them I know how much they’ve sacrificed because of Bright Line Eating (and they nodded in agreement). I showed pictures of our family in 2014 and 2015.
I told them that I hope to bear witness to how a person can commit to an idea and do a lot of good in this world. I was nervous about having them up there with me, but we had fun. They were surprised by how many people knew them!
The theme of history was present, too. I’m wearing a BLE pendant that was given to me by the BLE Team in 2017. Now we’ve come full circle. Arianna, who runs our BLE Emporium, has sourced a jewelry maker who is creating beautiful BLE-logo pendants in different metals and designs.
There was someone there who was in our first Boot Camp. And, at the book signing, a couple came up to me and said that a vlog I shot four years ago about talking to your partner about BLE was about them. I shot it right after coaching her on a coaching call. Her spouse was with her, and proclaimed that now BLE is no longer a source of tension between them. Amazing!
The theme of embracing imperfection was also evident. We commit to maintaining Bright Lines, but we know some of us will falter. We’re not actually striving for perfection; we’re striving to be unstoppable.
A funny anecdote: at one point, Chris Davis, our chief of staff, whispered to me that they had no cooked vegetables at the luncheon. I was absolutely horrified! We had worked with the caterer very closely to make sure there would be PLENTY of both raw and cooked vegetables for everyone. NO COOKED VEGGIES? How could that be?? I shared the situation with the handful of Bright Lifers within earshot. And you know what they told me? “It’s not about the food, Susan. We’re just here connecting and having fun! There’s plenty of raw veg at the salad bar. We’re fine!”
All I could think was: oh my gosh, I’ve trained them well!
Embracing imperfection came up again later when I signed a book that had clearly been chewed by a dog. The Bright Lifer took the chewed-up part and used some colored pens to create a small corner of artwork. Other people had dog-eared books that they’d been cooking meals from for years.
I’m excited to see what the next ten years hold. We’re doing good work. Over the next year I’ll be talking more about our big-picture goal to get ultra-processed food addiction acknowledged as a legitimate disorder, and the impact that will have on medicine and the world in general.
The best is yet to come. I have no doubt.
