From on the fringe to starring in the Fringe, Salmon Arm含羞草研究社檚 Karen Wilson has taken her story full circle.

The author, professional speaker and founder of Creative Life in Motion is bringing her collection of deeply personal stories to the Kelowna Fringe Festival as one of 13 talented acts.

My Body is My Home, written, produced and directed by Wilson, shares her experiences as being labelled 含羞草研究社渢he fat girl含羞草研究社� and the challenges she faced, and explores the themes of 含羞草研究社渂ody acceptance, self-love and the quest for happiness.含羞草研究社�

What started as a keynote speech for her book Be Weightless, morphed into something more after she collaborated with her musician niece Megan Abel for Shuswap Theatre含羞草研究社檚 Annual TotE Festival.

含羞草研究社淚 shared stories from the book and she just kept saying, 含羞草研究社業 have a song for that含羞草研究社�,含羞草研究社� Wilson recalled, which shaped the original performance format of music accompanying her anecdotal experiences that go from 含羞草研究社渂attling bullies to finding love.含羞草研究社�

For the Fringe, however, it含羞草研究社檚 evolved into more of a spoken word show as she含羞草研究社檚 not the singer of the family and 含羞草研究社渃an含羞草研究社檛 carry my niece in my back pocket.含羞草研究社� There have been other changes developed over the course of performances and audience interaction, though the main story and message remains constant.

含羞草研究社淢y Body is My Home isn含羞草研究社檛 just a weight loss story 含羞草研究社� it含羞草研究社檚 a tribute to anyone who含羞草研究社檚 ever felt pressured to meet external expectations at the expense of their own well-being,含羞草研究社� Wilson explained. 含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 about reclaiming identity.含羞草研究社�

That stems from her own experience of losing weight and being seen, getting flattering attention but being afraid that she含羞草研究社檇 just regain it and go back to 含羞草研究社渂eing worthless again.含羞草研究社� She said she couldn含羞草研究社檛 keep it up and needed to find balance, coming to the realization that there含羞草研究社檚 only one home, the body she含羞草研究社檚 in, so she含羞草研究社檇 better start listening to it.

含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檓 very passionate about this subject. I含羞草研究社檓 hoping this makes people look internally, because that含羞草研究社檚 the only place answers will be,含羞草研究社� Wilson said, adding that despite the sensitive subject matter, there is humour as well. 含羞草研究社淭he topics are not always light, but you know when someone is so ridiculously honest that it含羞草研究社檚 funny?含羞草研究社�

Wilson hopes to eventually take the show into schools, saying that it has been categorized as 含羞草研究社渆dutainment含羞草研究社� in the past. In the meantime, she含羞草研究社檒l be doing three Fringe performances at the Rotary Centre for the Arts in Kelowna on Sunday, Jan. 28 and Wednesday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m., as well as Sunday, Feb. 4 at 4:30 p.m.

For more information on Wilson含羞草研究社檚 story and her performances, visit .

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