New Style Journey

Personal style is felt in a new dress that makes you stand taller. Or, an outfit that just feels just right on you. Beyond that, style is how you live your life. Everything about how you live says something about your sense of style. Your home, your work, your social life, your hobbies, and yes- your closet.

But what happens when the journey you are on doesn’t seem to fit anymore? Doesn’t light you up the way that new dress once did. The outfit that made you feel so right now feels, well, tired and worn out. Have you ever gone through a period like that in your life? When what you were doing, starts to feel different. Maybe it’s at work, at school, in a relationship, or maybe it’s because you recently went through a big transition in your life. I get it.

That’s what happened to me. I lived my professional dream for so many years while flourishing in a career I loved. And then, after more than two decades, something on the inside, felt different. I felt a nudge to move on- to try other things and have new, invigorating experiences. After all, I was about 25 years older than I was when I began my previous career in professional sports and entertainment. And my role had changed- a lot. And as the months went on in 2023, I realized, so had I.

That’s when I began to hear a small voice in my heart telling me it was time to move on. How could that be? That voice was highly inconvenient. After all, I was secure in a successful career that I worked towards my whole adult life and by anyone’s standards, I had “made it”. But still, the inner voice got louder- “It’s time to move on. Your work here is done.”

I thought a lot about what I would do next. A large part of my identity felt wrapped up in what I did instead of who I was. Can you relate? So, the inside work began. And I realized, what I loved the most about what I did in my former NFL career was empowering women. Build them up, give them opportunities, and mentor them towards becoming the best version of themselves. In fact, I had done that for hundreds of women. And each time I saw a woman I had worked with thrive and attain their own version of success, I felt fulfilled. Like that new dress or perfect outfit, it just felt right and as a result, I stood taller.

I grew up in a home where my mom instilled a confidence in me that I grew to take great pleasure in sharing with others. Style, I had learned from my first style mentor, my mom, was an inside job. How you feel on the inside always shows up on the outside. So, if your thoughts are styled carefully, the outfit you choose to wear becomes the outer expression of your inner statement. And without ever needing to say a word.

My new style journey is about sharing that with as many women as I can. Who you can be when you show up for yourself and live with style- your style. Not mine, not your moms, not others.  To me, style is such a powerful personal development tool. It has been in my tool kit since I was a little girl. It influences how other people see you but ultimately, it influences how you see yourself. That’s powerful.

The Image and Style Connection is combination of using the power of personal style along with your own positive self-image to project and live the life you want to create for yourself. All while feeling supported along the way. I’ll dress up and cheers to that!

So happy that you are here with me.  Welcome to the journey. I hope to meet you and be a resource to you as you continue to live your life with style- inside and out.  Let’s get started.