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Melissa Wood-Tepperberg’s Inspiring Message on Fully Embracing Self-Love

The 2023 SI Swimsuit rookie admitted she’s often struggled with accepting herself.

Cara O’Bleness

Melissa Wood-Tepperberg

Melissa Wood-Tepperberg.

Certified health and wellness coach Melissa Wood-Tepperberg is all about balancing physical and mental well-being. The 2023 SI Swimsuit rookie shared some sage wisdom on Instagram earlier this week when it comes to self-love.

The 40-year-old provided a collection of adorable photos with her daughter, Elanor, over the years. Wood-Tepperberg offered up several snapshots holding her baby girl as an infant, pics of Elanor as a toddler and a few present-day photos with her now 4-year-old daughter.

Wood-Tepperberg opened up about struggling with self-acceptance in her caption.

“It took me many years to learn to love myself. When I used to look in the mirror, I only saw the things I needed to ‘fix’,” she wrote. “Now I when I look at myself…I see a kind, loving, courageous, hard working and resilient as hell of a woman who is giving life her all.”

The MWH founder continued by stating she’s proud of the woman and mother she’s become and she hopes all women—particularly her daughter—will learn to “fully embrace” themselves just as they are.

“We all have something so special and unique to give and owning our strengths and lifting each other up along the way is what will continue to make this world a damn better place for us all and our babies to live,” she wrote.

Plenty of the model’s fans and followers were uplifted by Wood-Tepperberg’s messaging.

“I’ve followed you for five years...” a fan commented. “Loved your growth, vulnerability- but more over your manifestation of your present being with conviction. May we all have a Melissa in our life xx.”

“Your soul is just lovely, and so is Eleanor’s,” another person added. “Each photo beautifully captures both spirits - the strength you carry individually and the lift you give one another💞.”

Meet Melissa Wood-Tepperberg—read the 2023 SI Swimsuit rookie’s full feature profile here.

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Cara O’Bleness
CARA O’BLENESS

Cara is a trending news writer/editor for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. A passionate writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience in print and online media, she loves storytelling and believes that words have the power to change the world. Prior to joining the team, Cara worked as a writer and editor across a number of content verticals, including food, lifestyle, health and wellness, and small business and entrepreneurship. In her free time, Cara loves reading, spending time with her family and making her way through Michigan’s many microbreweries. She is a graduate of Michigan State University's School of Journalism.

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