Above & Beyond Style

In this week's episode, I share some recent small steps I've taken and seeing how they might unlock the "next right thing". As we continue to explore the number 5's change energy, I wondered about how it might feel to take an intentional purchasing pause to look at my wardrobe with a new set of eyes. Could a shopping pause provide a useful respite to reevaluate my own style? Could this be the right next step?

This week, we explore another next step in our style journey...what if we used travel as a mini-exercise to experiment with our style? In this episode, Missy and I provide you with 5 travel hacks to help you pack light and select clothing with more purpose. We guarantee you'll find some key takeaways to try for yourself!

The number 5 has to do with rapid change, and I take a deep dive into its meaning and what it has to do with this season's topic: how can the right next (small) step open the door to bigger style transformation? I give you 5 (of course 5!) examples of style rules we could let go of to take a small next step toward more authentic style.

So good to be back with you all for Season 5, where we get to dig even deeper into conversations around style, change, and life decisions. In this episode, I share my story about why the number 5 has come to mean (for me!) taking the Right Next Step. Influenced and informed by the two books (linked below), I am excited to share how taking the right next step could not only change your style, but might also change your life. *Please note that I misname the title of Emily P. Freeman's book in this episode. It is correctly named and linked below!

To make way for big change, sometimes we have to clear a path for it to arrive. Dr. Melissa Carrick and I talk about "the purge" so we can clear the channel for those Yes + No messages to come in. Missy offers a great practice for us to try, and in turn, we discuss what to bring along going forward. This includes great packing tips!

After a brief break, Dr. Melissa Carrick and I are back with this week's episode about learning the language of Yes and No. We all receive various invitations from the Universe, and we owe ourselves an RSVP! This action step requires that we get clear about those responses that tell us yes & no information, especially when it comes to style! Listen in.

We take a pause from our conversations with Dr. Melissa Carrick to bring you a real-time chat as I embark on a very big wave next week: traveling abroad to Europe! Listen in as I talk through this decision and the importance of trying things on (and I don't just mean clothing!) in the midst of change.

This week, Dr. Melissa Carrick and I are joined by her husband, Zeke Phillips, to dig deep into entrepreneurship. Through their storytelling, we learn more about Missy's recent sabbatical, how to redefine success, and the power of trusting our inner knowing. You won't want to miss this episode!

This week's episode revisits our question around the big/little waves of change and poses the question: how did we know it was time to make a change? Dr. Melissa Carrick and I talk about about reading and interpreting signs and how pain can be a motivator for change. We further discuss the benefit of sharing these kind of stories together and with you.

In this week's episode, Dr. Melissa Carrick and I explore our unique interpretations of how we feel with the "oncoming wave"- ironically, something we didn't see coming! We further discuss bracing vs. embracing a wave as we ask ourselves, is this wave for me? Listen in as we reconnect with a new definition of home as the waves come- both big and small. Ask yourself: what would it feel like to come home to myself through my style choices?

"Would you learn the secret of the sea? Only those who brave its dangers, comprehend its mysteries." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

In this week's episode, Missy and I revisit this quote from episode 3, and we uncover the mystery, the whisper, the pause, the reimagining and the curiosity of change. This process, as we come to learn, is at the heart of what we are doing with our lives and certainly with our style evolution! Listen in as Missy tells the story of announcing her sabbatical to her patients and what it was like to enter into the wardrobe process with me. What would I love? What is charming?

In this week's episode, Dr. Melissa Carrick and I explore the idea "change is my natural state," which leads us into unpacking the world of surfing. By further exploring the metaphor around riding the waves of change, Missy helps us understand core surfing concepts and how those perfectly apply to transitions and change. We also hear the story of Missy's early love of the sea, and how powerlessness actually enables us to access our own power within.

I am joined by Dr. Melissa Carrick to unpack this season's greatest metaphor and lesson: riding the waves of change. Change is at the heart of every style consultation I've ever conducted, and we talk ALL things change: our lives, our stories, and saying YES to the invitation (or soul imperative as Missy describes it) to do something unconventional. And the cherry on top? Our style and wardrobe choices have joined us alongside these major transitions. Listen in as we begin this new style journey together!

Welcome back to Season 4! In this episode, I unpack why Riding the Waves of Change truly captures the conversation I wanted to have. Joined by a stellar conversation partner, Dr. Melissa Carrick (also known as Missy), you learn about her background as a chiropractor, educator, fellow change-maker, former style client of mine, and life-long surfer. Together, Missy and I will discuss our transitions with an eye and ear for style, spirituality, and surfing!

Last week, I posed the question: What are your style pitfalls? What gets you off track from authentic style? And you came back with some seriously good intel. In this week's episode, I recap your feedback and offer a few solutions along the way. This season gave us an opportunity to look at a variety of obstacles or challenges that can get in the way of our authentic style, and hopefully, you've found the encouragement, validation, and inner strength to take a step toward a style that is authentically yours! And when you need help, I'm just a message away.

Back again with another update on my style resolution with vibrancy as I visited coastal Connecticut! Then, I take another look at these style pitfalls with a bit more focus on the psychology of authentic style. Maybe you've never really been on track with your style? Maybe there's not even been an opportunity to focus on authentic style?

Sometimes when we look at the extremes of style behavior, we can find clarity in the middle, which I argue is where authentic style lives. This week's episode looks at the Minimalist, the Maximilist, and the Moderate, and offers tips for how to orient ourselves toward a more moderate, authentic style.

This week's check-in on "vibrancy" comes after a VERY big shift I made last week (spoiler alert: I moved!). And it all got me thinking: While I am looking at settling into a new community or neighborhood, I'm curious about whether the pressure to belong is impacting how we get dressed. Does your neighborhood have a look? A uniform of sorts? Do you find yourself feeling the pressure to belong by wearing what's "acceptable" vs. what may be more authentically you? Listen in to see if this may be getting you off track from your authentic style.

In this week's episode, let's think about those items in your wardrobe that are just too hard to handle or care for, i.e., may require dry cleaning or ironing. These can be reasons why we don't reach for certain items, and then they sit in our closets collecting dust! Consider how garment care may be a reason you get off track with your authentic style, and if there are any steps you're willing to take to get that item back into rotation.

I referenced these specific items in the episode (if you shop from these links, I do make a small commission, so thank you!)

After a check-in on this year's style resolution with "vibrancy," we dig into yet another style pitfall I coin as the "reserved only" section of our wardrobes. It often feels similar to why we don't use the fine china or burn our best candles. It's as if we are reserving these items for special occasions, and yet, we aren't always guaranteed that future opportunity. What would happen if we actually wore the specialty items? Tune in for this week's dose of style inspiration!

Are you someone who is a repeat buyer of the same item? The "multiples shopper" can leave us with more than what we need and can even keep track of! Listen in this week to find out why we buy in multiples and how to this behavior may get us off track from our authentic style.

After a style resolution check in on "vibrancy," we tackle this week's pitfall: The "What If" Scenario. Do you have a disproportionate number of clothes in your wardrobe that are being reserved for the "what if" scenario? Listen in for a closer look at your wardrobe and explore why you're hanging onto clothes for the one-shot-wonder scenario that may or may not even happen!

Authentic style starts with YOU. And sometimes we (including me!) can get too heavily influenced by trustworthy outside voices to purchase items that maybe shouldn't have been in our wardrobe to begin with. With social media influencers and targeted ads on the rise, we can place too much emphasis on external suggestions vs. listening to our own knowing. This week, try to hone your own intuition and get clearer about the best choices for your wardrobe and style.

In this episode, we check-in about this year's style resolution with the word "vibrancy" and share how it has shown up personally and professionally over the last few weeks (which has been really fun!). Then, I continue our conversation around what gets us off track from a wardrobe we really love by addressing the shopping itch. It's a behavior many of us lean heavily into and can sometimes result in a closet full of clothes we don't want or need. Listen in for how to help scratch the itch more effectively!

The allure of a sale can be quite tricky when we are trying to build a wardrobe we love. In this episode, I talk about the common pitfall of buying for a sale, and how we can create mental strategies to help us from succumbing to it and avoid having a closet of clothes we don't like or wear! Love to hear if you have any strategies you use to create some space between you and the urge to buy sale items.

I have a firm belief that our clothing choices are an extension of who we are, but sometimes we look in the mirror and feel unrecognizable in our clothes. You're not alone if this sounds familiar! In this new season, we are going to unpack those pitfalls and things that distract us, and shine the light on what gets in the way of building a closet we love. So let's orient ourselves toward a style resolution, which promises to keep you- and me- on track.

Shame has a complicated hold on us, especially when we look in the mirror or get dressed each day. As a wardrobe consultant, I bear witness to many people's shame for themselves and for their bodies. I wrote an article in August 2022 about releasing shame and reclaiming self-love, and this episode is dedicated to 4 major wardrobe scenarios that have a spiritual opportunity for healing and transformation.

Women's apparel follows no standardization of sizing, which has left millions of women feeling confused, frustrated, and at times shameful about the size they have to buy. In this episode, I discuss the psychological game of women's sizing and how it's impacted our feelings of self-worth and value. I challenge us to be conscious of the more important factors when selecting clothes, rather than fixating on sizes that no one else can see!

December 1, 2022 marks my one-year anniversary of leaving traditional employment to run MFD Style full-time. Entrepreneurism is a choice, and while not everyone's cup of tea, it opened up possibilities and a lifestyle that I have wanted a long time. Listen in to this episode where I look back at my decision-making process and choosing a mindset that ultimately would sustain me as an entrepreneur.  

Lindsay Morlock is a gifted intuitive, breathwork facilitator, hand analyst, and Spiritual coach. Her approach to healing is grounded in helping others to bridge the gap between the spiritual and practical realms. Through her work, Lindsay empowers her clients to understand that they already have all the answers they are searching for within themselves; they simply need to learn how to access it. She loves helping her clients connect with their own Spiritual Support Teams and ultimately to develop the most important relationship they will ever have in their lives – the one they have with their SELF.

Kate Hammer is a business coach and consultant who lives in upstate New York with a family of four. She says, "Building a business takes courage, and you deserve to feel empowered in it. If you’re feeling lost, unorganized, or maybe just plain overwhelmed, 1:1 consulting from someone who cares about you and your success just as much as you do, can be a valuable investment." She will work with you to develop short and long-term strategy, brand confidence, and creative solutions to sticky problems. Kate comes to work with a tool box packed with over a decade of experience, an advanced degree in Information Management, Data Science certification, and a long list of happy 1:1 clients. She is also the host of her own podcast, “You Know How to Live,” and Season 2 will be out soon.

Christina Ferguson is a writer, a speaker, and the Founder of Parable. From her work across the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, Christina blends together best practices in strategy, communications, organizational change, and sales to paint new images of what is possible for mission-driven organizations and compel the action to get there.

Christina holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Villanova University and a Master of Public Policy from Georgetown University. She is a graduate of the Leading Organizational Change program through Wharton Executive Education at the University of Pennsylvania.

Christina not only helped me craft authentic messages and language for my own website, but also she shares her virtual experience as a style client of mine. Make sure you listen for a special offer at the end of the episode!

Janika (Jan) LeMaitre is a certified consultant specializing in personal brand strategy, business etiquette, and reputation self-management. She owns and operates the brand, The Better Professional. She guides her clients on how to build confidence when presenting themselves in their professional world online and in person. Additionally, Jan offers hourly advice and short & long-term project consulting services. Her clients are entrepreneurs, executives, and go-getters who understand that their brand is valuable. Like a rough diamond, her mission is to help her clients polish every facet; Her goal is to help you define the business of being you.

Rebecca Reid is the owner, creative, and Certified Personal Color Analyst at Colorpolitan. She grew up near the California coast and had a fascination with beauty in nature and the colors that surrounded her. She has worked with many women who've been impacted by color analysis - professional women, students, teachers, entrepreneurs, leaders, actors, and moms who are all utilizing their color analysis knowledge and personal color palettes to enhance their natural beauty, feel more confident, and simplify their lives. When she is not at the Colorpolitan studio, you can find her enjoying time with her husband and 4 boys (yes... 4 boys (twins first), you read that correctly!). They love the Dallas metropolitan area and connecting with others in their community.

Season 1 culminates in this final episode all about the key strategies, beliefs, and approaches you can take to curate a closet you love. Over the course of these last 12 episodes, you have been exposed to a variety of practical techniques coupled with how to frame your mindset to achieve a wardrobe that both serves you and makes you feel great about yourself. I'll be back later this summer with more in Season 2. 

To learn more about MFD Style and my services (both virtual and in-person):

Are you feeling like you've been in a style rut, especially after the last few years? Does your wardrobe feel a bit lackluster? This week's episode offers some strategies and ideas to help you pull yourself out of a rut and re-engage with your clothes in new ways, without actually having to buy anything new. 

To learn more about MFD Style and my services (both virtual and in-person):

I've always loved the word "re-entry." It's helped me countless times frame an experience as I move from one circumstance to another. And within those changing circumstances, I've seen how our wardrobe can come along with us for the ride! In this week's episode, I talk about examples of significant change and how our wardrobe adapts and evolves with us through it all. 

To learn more about MFD Style and my services (both virtual and in-person):

There is no question that the fashion industry impacts both people and planet on a significant level. This week's episode brings awareness to our own consumer behaviors, especially in the United States, and how we can embrace better sustainable practices and behaviors going forward.

Perhaps you consider:

I reference the term "authentic style" a lot on this podcast. This episode breaks down that phrase to understand the core components of authentic style and how at its essence, it's all about YOU. 

To learn more about MFD Style and my services (both virtual and in-person):

We would likely never speak to others in the same way we criticize ourselves. That negative self-talk often impacts how we feel about our bodies and likewise how we feel in our clothes. This episode offers several techniques to shift that self-talk narrative and learn to be kinder to ourselves.  

To learn more about MFD Style and my services (both virtual and in-person):