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Penny Phang | Founder, Self Empower

@wellnesswithpenny

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Helping you tune into a deeper intelligence within to elevate your human experience ✨
Stress → Clarity → Fulfillment
🌿 Empowered From Within

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What if I told you the discomfort you’re feeling could be a sign that life is working things out for you?

What if life is expanding your capacity to receive experiences that will enrich and fulfill you in ways you haven’t even imagined yet?

You may not know what those experiences are.
You may not even know exactly what you want.

But somewhere within, there’s a yearning for more. More joy, more meaning, more fulfillment.
And perhaps that yearning is already setting something in motion.

Sometimes, discomfort is part of the stretching. Life inviting us to expand our perspective, feel what we’re feeling, and become still enough to hear the guidance of a deeper intelligence within.

It can feel frustrating. Uncertain. As though nothing is happening.

But what if something is happening, just not in the way you expected?

I’ve come to see the unknown not as an empty space, but as a space of possibilities.
And when we stop trying to force every outcome, we create room for those possibilities to unfold.

We don’t need to figure out every who, what, when, where, and how.
We can want what we want, take the steps that feel right, and release the need to control every detail.

——-
🌿 Learn to say, and genuinely mean:

“If it doesn’t work out exactly the way I imagined, that’s okay. I’m open to something just as satisfying, or even better.”

Because when you think about it, what are we ultimately seeking?
Peace. Joy. Enrichment. Fulfillment.

And there may be countless ways for those experiences to come into our lives.

🌿 Release to receive.
Not because you’ve stopped wanting, but because you’ve made space for life to surprise and delight you. by @wellnesswithpenny

What happened yesterday cannot be changed, but your relationship with it can.

What happens within you today can change everything about how you experience tomorrow.

The past is a place to learn from, not a place to live.
And yet, how often do we revisit old experiences, replay conversations, or carry emotions from moments that no longer exist?

Without realizing it, we allow something that happened yesterday to shape how we feel, think, and experience today.

But here’s something worth remembering:
The past stays put while the present keeps unfolding.

You can remember without reliving.
You can learn without carrying.
You can acknowledge what happened without allowing it to define what happens next.

And most importantly, you can choose to be present to what’s unfolding now.

Because every moment offers something the past no longer can:
The possibility of something different.

And the more present you become, the more available you are to recognize and receive those possibilities.

——
🌿 Self Empower
The past holds your experiences. The present holds your possibilities.

Release to receive.

——
Try this practice:
As you move about your day—being, doing, and saying—let your breath be your primary focus. Breathe out slower than you breathe in.

Each deliberate exhale represents a release of the past - what no longer serves.

With every exhale, you release resistance and make room for new and better possibilities.

You do not need to know what those possibilities are. That part is not your job.

Your job is to:
Release to receive. by @wellnesswithpenny

I tried hard to fit in. But I never really could. After high school, the expectation was familiar: become a doctor, lawyer, accountant… something respectable.

So I tried. Somehow, I made it into UBC.

I was miserable. I skipped classes to play cards at Sedgwick cafeteria (yes, for money 😉), failed most courses, and retook enough to scrape through.

Eventually, I left to pursue graphic design. Then I got laid off. With no other formal training, I had no idea what to do next.

But I did something I didn’t fully understand at the time. I turned inward and asked for guidance.

Not to be rich or famous. Just:
“Show me what I can be good at—and have fun doing.”

The photo on the right is from a 2003 newspaper feature about my jewelry line. By then, life had taken turns I never could have planned.

I’d become Playboy’s first and only producer in Canada, founded PersuAsian Models, and organized exclusive events for both.

In 2008, I co-founded imagine1day, with the then-owners of Lululemon investing $10 million to help launch our nonprofit!

And the story didn’t end there.

I later went through depression and bankruptcy (when stress brought unresolved childhood trauma back to the surface)
—then found my way into personal training, group fitness, coaching, and eventually founded Self Empower.

Looking back, I notice a pattern. Whenever I tried to fit into someone else’s idea of success, something felt off.

When I got quiet enough to ask what felt right for me, I began attracting possibilities I hadn’t considered.

I’m learning that the unknown isn’t necessarily something to fear.

Sometimes, it’s where possibilities we haven’t imagined yet begin.

Maybe we don’t always need to know how everything will unfold.

Maybe we just need to tune inward, trust something greater, and allow life to surprise us. 🌿 by @wellnesswithpenny

These two pictures tell a story I’ve never really shared. I was 13 when I moved to Canada.

I was quiet, timid, didn’t know how to stand up for myself, and spent years being bullied.

The funny thing is, I’d earned my black belt in karate just before moving here. But everything I’d learned was within the rules of competition. I’d never been in a real fight, and honestly, I was afraid of getting into trouble.

So I kept quiet and put up with it.

The picture on the right was taken a few years later, around the time three girls who had bullied me for years decided to pick a fight with me.

Well, let’s just say they picked the wrong day. 😅When things got physical, something in me finally came out.

I fought back. They ran. And all three were suspended. The principal knew what I’d been going through.

But here’s the funny part…

Today, those same three girls are my Facebook friends!

Life has a funny way of coming full circle.
Looking back, though, the biggest battle wasn’t with those girls.

It was learning how to stop feeling powerless, to go inward and find my own strength, and to keep moving forward regardless of what was happening around me.

It took me years to learn that being physically strong and feeling strong within yourself are two very different things. 🌿 by @wellnesswithpenny

Self-awareness is important.
But awareness alone doesn’t always set us free.

Many of us are aware we’re stressed.
We know we’re overthinking.
We know we’re carrying old hurts, fears, worries, and pressures.

We’re aware of them.

Yet they still feel heavy.

Self Empower begins where awareness leaves off.

When we learn how to become still enough to reconnect with ourselves beneath all the mental noise, something shifts.

The things that once felt overwhelming no longer carry the same weight.

We gain clarity.
We trust ourselves more.
We respond differently to life.

Not because life became easier.

But because our relationship with ourselves became stronger.

And from that place comes greater calm, resilience, fulfillment, and freedom.

This is what I teach through Self Empower: Empowered From Within.

A practical and experiential approach that helps people move beyond self-awareness and into a deeper connection with themselves.

Because when we strengthen that relationship within, we navigate life with greater clarity, emotional resilience, inner stability, self-trust, and fulfillment.

—-
Self-awareness is knowing you’re overwhelmed. Self-empowerment is no longer being ruled by it. 🌿

#SelfEmpower #EmpoweredFromWithin by @wellnesswithpenny

Now in my 50s, I understand my body has changed. Things may not function exactly the same as they once did.

And because of that, I honor my vitality even more.

Instead of resentment, I feel curious… to see what else the body is capable of.

It’s simply at a different stage. Which means it needs a different strategy to function optimally.

#1 thing to remember: Muscle is the organ of longevity + vitality. Preserving it is non-negotiable.

Here’s what I do — and coach my clients to do as well.

The best way to get what you want from your body is to love it.

Honor it the way you would someone you deeply care about. So…

I don’t punish my body by eating less. I nourish it with the right foods (nutrients).

Protein, carbs, and healthy fats — strategically balanced depending on my activity level.

But three servings of protein a day (30–40g each) is non-negotiable. Protein is the building block of the body.

This allows me to keep lifting heavy a few times a week — not from ego, but with care and military precision in every movement.

Because the goal is not punishment.
The goal is integrity of the body over time.

I focus on quality over quantity.

Workouts are shorter but more intentional — so intensity and execution stay high for optimal results.

Rest days are essential.
They regulate the nervous system and help keep cortisol stable, preventing unnecessary fat accumulation over time — especially around the midsection.

I don’t overdo things.
I work out maybe 3–4 days a week.

No endless cardio. No grinding through repetition, volume and frequency without a long-term strategy for body integrity.

Instead, I focus on smart movement:

Strength training (progressive loading + functional movements). A little plyometrics (to keep fast-twitch muscle fibers alive). Cardio-type activities. And body-flow exercises to support mobility/flexibility (movements that combine stretching + strengthening).

Also, all this becomes much easier to embody through stillness.

I practice my Self Empower Method meditation — 20 minutes a day.

Get still.
Stillness is power.

It brings clarity to what truly matters —
From a place of love. Not desperation.

This is Self Empower. 🌿 by @wellnesswithpenny

Your mind won’t stop racing. Your body won’t relax. And you’re trying to THINK your way out of both.

But what if the relief you’re looking for doesn’t begin with another thought?

Sometimes, it begins with a breath.

Try this.

When we’re stressed, we often find ourselves slouching, shoulders rounded, chest contracted, and breathing shallowly.

Our physiology can influence how we feel.

So sit or stand tall. Roll your shoulders back, gently open your chest, and give yourself room to breathe.

Now, breathe in fully and comfortably, then exhale a little longer and slower than you inhale.

As you exhale, imagine releasing resistance, letting go of tension, and allowing your body to soften.

As resistance fades, you create space to tune into a deeper intelligence within.

A slow, comfortable exhale can help your nervous system shift toward a calmer state.

Notice how something so simple can begin to change how you feel.

You don’t always have to think your way into feeling better. Sometimes, you can breathe your way there.

Pause. Breathe. Tune in. 🌿

#SelfEmpower #EmpoweredFromWithin by @wellnesswithpenny

We give strangers our best energy. Then come home and give our loved ones the leftovers.

Think about it.

We bring our patience, kindness, enthusiasm, and attention to our work, colleagues, and even complete strangers.

Then we walk through our front door exhausted, distracted, and emotionally drained.

Not because we love our family any less, but because we’ve spent so much of our energy throughout the day.

But here’s what we often forget.

We can choose the energy we bring into a room.

Before walking through that door, pause.

Breathe. Tune in.

Choose a little more patience. A little more warmth. A little more presence.

Because the people we love deserve more than what’s left of us.

And so do we 🌿

—-
Happy Thanksgiving friends & fam! 🍁 by @wellnesswithpenny

If we want more goodness in this world, let’s give less of our energy to what’s wrong and more to the goodness we can offer each day. 🌿

Goodness begins with us.

Thank you for all the thoughtful birthday wishes 🙏🏼😘 by @wellnesswithpenny

A little screen time with Rakuten Kobo! ⭐️🎬Thanks for having me — such a fun commercial to be part of! 🩷

#BehindTheScenes #RakutenKobo by @wellnesswithpenny

You can be strong, capable, and successful—and still be carrying more than anyone can see.

I know what it feels like to function on the outside while struggling on the inside.

My own journey through depression, PTSD, healing, and self-discovery taught me something that has deeply shaped both my life and my work:

Growth doesn’t always come from pushing harder.
Sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do is get still long enough to reconnect with the deeper intelligence within us.

I had the honour of joining the incredible Mo Hagan—COO of canfitpro and a globally recognized fitness leader—on A Mo’ment with Mo for an honest conversation about leadership, emotional resilience, and the hidden pressures so many of us carry.

We explored why stillness is not weakness—it is strength.

Because when we move out of reaction and return to presence, we reconnect with our clarity, purpose, and trust from within.

Stillness leads to presence.
Presence leads to clarity.
Clarity leads to empowered action.

If you’ve been holding everything together, pushing through, or feeling disconnected from yourself beneath everything you manage, I hope this conversation reminds you:

You don’t always need to do more.
Sometimes, you need the space to reconnect with who you are.

🎧 Listen to my conversation with Mo:
link in bio 👆🏼

And if someone came to mind as you read this, please share it with them.
It may be the reminder they need today. 🌿

@mo_hagan - thank you!

#SelfEmpower #EmpoweredFromWithin by @wellnesswithpenny

60 seconds. Then swipe. ➡️

Not everything that asks for your attention deserves your energy.

We can notice what’s wrong without living there.

We can acknowledge what’s difficult without allowing it to become everything.

Where you place your attention matters.

Directing your attention is a muscle you can strengthen.

60 seconds. Then swipe. 💪🏼

Focus more on what’s working 🌿

#SelfEmpower by @wellnesswithpenny