This is how you can celebrate yourself this Valentine's Day

Shoshanna Raven is an eight-figure life coach and founder of Living Brave, a global platform helping women redefine joy, leadership, and wealth on their own terms. Known for guiding women to break through limiting beliefs, build emotional resilience, and live with deeper self-trust and alignment, Shoshanna empowers women to lead their lives with confidence, pleasure, and authenticity. Here, she shares how Valentine’s Day can become a powerful practice in self-love and self-celebration

Glamour: Valentine’s Day often focuses on romantic love—how can women redefine it as a celebration of self?

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Valentine's Day gift ideas to surprise your special someone

This is how you can celebrate yourself this Valentine's Day

Shoshanna: Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be just about romantic love—it can be a full-hearted celebration of yourself, your desires, and your worth. Women can redefine it by honoring their own hearts: setting intentions for what nourishes them, indulging in what brings joy without guilt, and reflecting on the love they already carry for themselves. It’s a day to show up fully in your own life, celebrate your growth, and treat yourself with the attention, kindness, and reverence that sets the standard for every other love you receive. When you love yourself first, the world simply mirrors it back.

Glamour: What are meaningful ways women can honor themselves on Valentine’s Day?

Shoshanna: Meaningful ways women can honor themselves on Valentine’s Day start with tuning into what truly nourishes their mind, body, and soul—whether that’s carving out sacred alone time, journaling, moving their body in ways that feel joyful, or indulging in experiences that spark delight. It can mean saying no to anything that drains energy, gifting themselves something that affirms their worth, or creating rituals that celebrate their growth and resilience. Ultimately, it’s about showing up fully for yourself, noticing and appreciating your own presence, and treating yourself with the same care, playfulness, and devotion you give to others.

Glamour: How can creating personal rituals help shift emotions around this holiday?

Shoshanna: Creating personal rituals around Valentine’s Day shifts your emotions by turning attention inward and reclaiming the narrative of love for yourself. When you intentionally mark the day with practices that honor your body, mind, and spirit—like lighting a candle, journaling your wins, moving in ways that feel joyful, or simply savoring a favorite meal—you anchor yourself in presence, gratitude, and self-appreciation. These rituals rewire old patterns of longing, comparison, or loneliness, and replace them with celebration, alignment, and embodied self-love, making the day a reflection of your own worth rather than someone else’s attention.

Glamour: What role do pleasure and joy play in self-celebration?

Shoshanna: Pleasure and joy are the heartbeat of self-celebration—they’re how you physically and emotionally show yourself that you matter. When you allow yourself to feel delight, savor experiences, and lean into what lights you up, you’re affirming your worth in real, tangible ways. Joy isn’t superficial; it’s a form of self-recognition and a signal to your nervous system that you are safe, seen, and deserving. By prioritizing pleasure, you create a feedback loop of love, confidence, and vitality that radiates into every part of your life, making self-celebration not just an idea, but a lived, embodied experience. .

Glamour: How can women give themselves permission to celebrate without guilt?

Shoshanna: Women give themselves permission to celebrate without guilt by reclaiming the truth that honoring themselves is not selfish—it’s necessary. It starts with noticing the internal voices that say they “shouldn’t” take up space, spend time, or indulge in joy, and gently choosing to challenge them with self-trust and self-compassion. Celebration becomes an act of alignment, not indulgence: setting boundaries, prioritizing what nourishes them, and fully embracing their own worth. When they internalize that their joy matters just as much as anyone else’s, guilt naturally dissolves, and self-celebration becomes a powerful, unapologetic expression of love for themselves.

Glamour: Are there experiences you recommend over material gifts for self-love?

Shoshanna: Absolutely—experiences often nourish self-love far deeper than material gifts because they engage your body, mind, and heart in ways that create lasting memory and alignment. This could be anything that reconnects you to your vitality and joy: a retreat that feeds your soul, a class that sparks curiosity or creativity, a movement or dance session that lets you inhabit your body fully, or even a solo adventure that gives you space to reflect and reset. Experiences honor your presence, your growth, and your desires in a way a physical gift rarely can—they’re an investment in your own aliveness, worth, and self-connection.

Glamour: How can women turn Valentine’s Day into a reset moment for the year ahead?

Shoshanna: Women can turn Valentine’s Day into a reset for the year ahead by using it as a conscious pause to reconnect with themselves, their intentions, and their hearts. Instead of leaning on external validation, they can reflect on what truly nourishes them, set clear boundaries, celebrate wins, and choose practices that cultivate joy, pleasure, and presence. By honoring themselves first, they create a foundation of clarity, confidence, and self-trust that carries into every relationship and decision for the year ahead—turning a day often focused on others into a powerful launchpad for personal alignment and growth.

Glamour: What practices help women feel truly seen and appreciated by themselves?

Shoshanna: Practices that help women feel truly seen and appreciated by themselves are those that invite presence, reflection, and intentional celebration. Journaling their wins and lessons, speaking affirmations that honor their worth, moving their bodies in ways that feel joyful, or creating small rituals that mark their growth all reinforce that they matter. Taking time to pause, notice their needs, and give themselves the love and recognition they often seek from others creates a deep sense of validation, grounding, and self-respect—reminding them that they are fully enough exactly as they are.

Glamour: How can celebrating yourself on Valentine’s Day change how you show up in relationships?

Shoshanna: Celebrating yourself on Valentine’s Day shifts how you show up in relationships because it roots you in self-worth, clarity, and presence before seeking love externally. When you intentionally honor your own needs, desires, and joy, you stop over-giving, people-pleasing, or seeking validation from others. Boundaries become natural, communication becomes clear, and intimacy becomes a choice rather than a survival strategy. By showing yourself love first, you model the standard for how you want to be treated, creating relationships that are mutual, conscious, and deeply aligned.

Glamour: What would your ideal self-love Valentine’s Day look like?

Shoshanna: My ideal self-love Valentine’s Day would be completely tuned into what nourishes my mind, body, and spirit, unapologetically celebrating myself without distraction or obligation. It might start with a slow morning—journaling, movement, and reflection—followed by indulgence in experiences that spark joy, creativity, and connection to my own heart. It’s a day of presence, pleasure, and gratitude, honoring my growth, my boundaries, and my worth, so that I feel fully seen, fully held by myself, and radiantly aligned with the love I carry into the rest of my life.