I’m constantly getting requests for before and after segments and I usually hold back because I tend to think my clients start off in a pretty good place and I take them to a pretty great place with their style. I make it that much more effortless and clearly defined. Also, I’d rather it be their request to be profiled.
Elaine wanted to share her story of thinking (and acting!) differently in terms of her style to inspire YOU to take action.
I first discussed working with Elaine in November of 2010. She felt she had to get her business in a certain place before working on her wardrobe. Then, almost exactly a year later, she was at a place where she HAD to act on upleveling her wardrobe or image. She was practically bursting out of her current look and ready to completely transform.
And transform she did!
Here she is before (on stage at an event sharing her business success because she is a pretty smart lady):
I asked Elaine to share a bit about this experience of completely upleveling her wardrobe and look so you could get it directly from her, unedited.
What was the tipping point that made you hire a stylist?
I felt tired with my look and it felt incongruent with who I was becoming on the inside. I always seemed to buy the same style because it felt safe. I didn’t feel that I had anything beautiful to wear when I was in public.
Can you share a bit about the process/experience itself? How you felt going through it?
I remember the excitement of going through my closet and letting go of all the crap that was in there! It’s amazing what you cling on to and how it holds you back. I gave away 95%. It was like being given a new blank canvas to paint on. Having someone to guide and support me through my choices, as I reinvented my look. I was learning new things about myself every session.
I remembered being nervous to open the first online boxes when they arrived because I’d never really enjoyed clothes shopping before. This turned to excitement and joy as Catherine helped me to see a totally different person in the mirror! She was confident and beautiful. For the first time in ages people noticed and commented on how I looked when I was in public. It was amazing!
What is the most valuable benefit you’ve gotten out of the experience?
I feel lighter, relaxed, confident and more comfortable in my skin. I feel like I’m standing in my natural power, as a woman and I feel congruent with who I really am.
How about the second most valuable benefit? 😉
I open my closet and smile every day as I see my clothes hanging there waiting to be chosen. There’s nothing in my closet that I don’t like or won’t wear. I LOVE my clothes and I feel great wearing them.
What do you do differently now that you have this knowledge?
I walk taller and confidently in my day-to-day life. I have learned to match and accessorize to create different looks for different occasions.
How do you feel getting dressed every day and for those VIP events?
I feel more aligned and congruent with who I really am from the inside-out. My outside now reflects my inside! I feel confident, relaxed and authentic and have a totally different energy. I get to be the real me!
Tell me a bit about your business and how your new branding/upgraded style has impacted it.
I’m the President and Founder of Elaine Bailey International Ltd, a company devoted to coaching people into their best lives. I mentor busy successful people to move away from the chaos and overwhelm of settling and surviving. I offer them a whole new approach to productivity, business and lifestyle based my own self-leadership principles that I live every day!
Your success is strongly influenced by your ability to change and grow. You are what you think and this is reflected in how you present yourself to the outside world. My upgraded styling has enabled me to reflect my true authentic self from the inside out. Recent pictures from a photoshoot has generated lots of comments and interest in what I do.
Oh, about that ‘After’ pic …
