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Good Bye and Good Riddance to 2020! As we welcome 2021, I’m throwing down a New Year’s Style Challenge.
But first, I’m sharing what’s new at Everyday Style. Hopefully you’ve checked out our new blog posts, and taken the body shape quiz! Everyday Style is always on a mission to serve you best, and I’m so grateful for your input and feedback over the last few weeks.
One thing I noticed in my conversations with listeners, subscribers, and social media followers over the last month was that a lot of your style and wardrobe “challenges” weren’t really style and wardrobe challenges. They’re mindset challenges, and I talk a little in the episode about how what’s in your head is more important than what’s in your closet.
Finally, I throw down a New Year’s Style Challenge. Don’t worry, it’s not difficult or complicated, but I think it will have big results! Are you up for the challenge?
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Read the Full Transcript below:
Hello Gorgeous and Happy New Year! Welcome to the Everyday Style School podcast. I’m your host, Jennifer Mackey Mary. You know, I don’t know whether to burst into 2021 with confetti and fanfare, or just to slink in, like “Don’t make eye contact with it”. But I do know this–whatever is coming, we’ll handle it with grace and style, just like we’ve been doing. Are you with me?
Today we’re going to talk about what’s new around here, and some things you can look forward to, and then we’re going to talk about why what’s in your head is more important than what’s in your closet. I’m also going to throw out a New Year’s Style Challenge–we’re not going to call it a resolution–just a challenge.
But first, what’s new? Well, lots! Over the last couple of months, I’ve been talking with lots of you, and sending out tons of surveys–thank you to everyone who participated, I promise I’m done for a while. But I’ve been asking what you want from Everyday Style–what you’re struggling with, what your challenges are, what kinds of things you find valuable about what we do now, and what else you’d like to see. The changes to the podcast, and Everyday Style in General, are a direct result of your feedback, as we’re always trying to serve you best. More on that in a bit.
You may have noticed the art for our podcast looks a little different. When I started this show, I put that together in like 10 minutes, on Canva, because frankly, I just needed SOMETHING. But, what I’ve noticed is that in podcast directories, the text was really hard to read–so it got a little facelift, just so people can know what the show is all about. I think it’s fun, and I hope you do too.
The biggest change though, is to our website. If you haven’t been over there lately, go check it out! I told you last month that we were adding a blog, and we’ve got a bunch of articles up, on things like body shape, makeup for winter…even making your home cozy this winter.
We’ve added the blog for a couple of reasons–the first being that there are some topics that need more visuals or links than I can really do on a podcast. If I want to do a roundup of cute winter coats, or Instagrammers I follow for inspiration, for example, that isn’t fun to listen to. You need to see them, and get a link–so we needed a place to put them.
The second reason is, and this is a result of your feedback is that, over the course of 2020, your relationship with clothes, and your style, changed a bit, and maybe took a bit of a backseat. Which, Same girl, same. There are still so many shows that were on my list last spring that aren’t timely right now…I know they’ll make it back on the calendar, I’m just not sure when.
But what I did learn is that you’ve been focusing some of your efforts on other aspects of style–like skincare, hair, and your home. Our new blog gives us a place to add that other content. I can promise you now, I am NOT going to become one of those lifestyle experts, who is going to give you advice on all areas of your life. I specialize. Big time. But what I CAN do, is find really great resources to expand our view of style, and help make style simple in all areas
Which brings me to the last reason we’re adding other voices and other content. There are so many talented bloggers and creators out there, and I want to use my space, and my platform to elevate them and get their messages out there. I don’t want you to come to my site for the Jen Mary show. I want you to come to our website for the best resources for helping real women achieve real style. I want it to be a space that is focused as much, more actually on you, and them, as it is me. So I’m going to keep doling out style advice, but I’m also working on curating great advice from lots of voices. I hope you’ll check back often to the site, so you don’t miss a thing.
The last change I want to share with you, for right now,–there are others coming later, is the podcast format. The last survey I sent out was about the podcast…When I talk to people, and they comment on my show, it feels like half the people say “I love all the different segments”, while the other half says “I love the short and sweet episodes’..
I wanted to get real data to see what you all liked best, and literally, when the survey closed, it was 52% longer episodes, 48% shorter episodes. Not helpful people! So going forward, what we’re going to do is two segments per episode. I feel like that’s a good compromise for everyone.
I also wanted to see if my listeners preferred my solo episodes, interview episodes, or a mixture of both. Overwhelmingly–like 85%–you like a mixture of both, so we’re going to keep doing interviews. You might even see more of them in the coming months, as we look to include more voices, and expand our style horizons.
I hope you love what’s new at Everyday Style. Like I said, we’re always on a mission to serve women better, and I think these changes are going to help us get there!. In just a second, I’m going to share a super powerful realization I got from talking to you ladies…we’ll be right back.
One of the questions I asked on one of the surveys I sent out was “What’s your biggest style or wardrobe challenge”. I heard the usual, dressing my body shape, my closet is a mess,I never have anything cute to wear, all I wear is altheisure, my body is always changing…honestly, there were no standouts or surprises.
I also spent some time chatting via zoom with a bunch of you individually, to really understand how to serve you best, and again, I asked what’s your biggest style challenge. The answers were the same. My follow up question to those ladies was, “what have you done to try and solve that challenge”–and that wasn’t meant to be a jerk, but it’s helpful to know if someone has worked with a professional stylist, or taken my courses, and they’re still struggling–or if they haven’t done anything. Their answers ranged from “nothing” to “I worked with a professional stylist”..but obviously, they were still struggling. I dug a little deeper, and asked a few other questions, and then I asked “What’s keeping you from solving this challenge once and for all?” Most of them needed a minute to answer, but when they did, that’s when things got interesting.
A few women told me they were overwhelmed by their closets–and one had even done my Closet Edit Challenge–but when it came down to it, they couldn’t part with clothes they didn’t wear. A couple had been hanging on to pants that didn’t fit for years.
Another woman shared that she never had anything to wear, and when I really dug into why, she told me she had put on weight, and simply didn’t want to buy clothes in her new size.
I asked a woman who told me she felt frumpy in her yoga pants if she’d purchased some cute athleisure things. She told me she hadn’t, and when I asked why, she said “it doesn’t make a difference, I don’t really go anywhere”.
I could give you a dozen more examples, but I think you get the point.
Friends, there is no podcast episode I can do, no class I can create, no checklist I can give you to help you solve these wardrobe challenges. You wanna know why? Because these aren’t wardrobe challenges. These are mindset challenges. As a matter of fact, I’ve done podcast episodes on all of their challenges, I’ve got classes to solve them, I’ve created multiple athleisure capsule guides. But until you believe that you deserve to love the way you look right now, without your lifestyle or body or budget changing, you’ll continue to struggle.
Years ago, when I was working one on one with clients, I found myself saying, It starts in your head, not in your closet, an awful lot, and I realized that I don’t think I’ve said those words, quite like that on this show–I’ve said it in other ways, but maybe not enough, because the truth is, you’ll never make lasting changes, or solve your challenges, until you believe you’re a person who deserves to feel good about herself, just because you’re a person. When you think about style as something you do for other people, it’s easy to stay in frumpy clothes when you don’t see people. But when you think of it as an expression of how you feel about yourself, it’s a whole lot easier to make that little bit of extra effort. Style, and even change, starts in your head, not in your closet.
I told you at the beginning of the show that I was going to throw down a new year’s challenge–don’t call it a resolution. In my chats, a lot of women told me they felt frustrated by their current situations–they miss getting dressed, they’re tired of having nothing to get dressed for, they just don’t see the point, and I get it. I do. I feel it somedays too. But I also know that putting on clothes that make you feel good causes a powerful, and completely free, mindset shift, that sets the tone for your whole day. So I want to give you this challenge. Make extra effort one day a week. Just one. Pick one day , make it the same each week, and commit to dressing well that day. Don’t look at your calendar and say, I might dress up Wednesday because I have somewhere to go. Commit to Wednesday regardless if you’re going anywhere or not. Recreate a pinterest athleisure outfit out of what you have in your closet. Wear a dress and leggings. Go crazy and put on real jeans. While you’re at it, put on makeup–do your hair. It doesn’t matter what you do, just do it for yourself–no one else. Once you get in the habit of doing it one day a week, and it feels good–add another day. Remember, dressing well does NOT have to mean dressing up, it just means making a little bit of effort to love the way you look. I promise you its worth it.
That’s all I’ve got for you today. Don’t forget to head to the website for any links, downloads or resources we talked about during the show. Go to youreverydaystyle.com/podcast and find the episode you’re looking for. While you’re there, make sure you sign up for our email list. You’ll get a weekly style tip, as well as links to my favorite product of the week to help make style even easier. Its an email you’ll actually look forward to getting each week, so don’t miss out.
See you next time!
