How Different Are You Willing To Be?

What I wore to the Royal Ascot in London this past weekend: Zimmermann skirt (also here, similar, similar) | Top | Hat | Heels (another option) | Sunglasses

I’m living the life I’m living right here, right now, because I was willing to do things differently. From day one I’ve been willing to put myself out there, try new things, risk looking stupid, sticking out, and going against the grain. My dream life came out of consistently listening to my intuition and following it. Not following someone else’s lead, not taking someone else’s advice, and not quietly conforming to the mainstream.

I was always a very headstrong child, which on one hand was great because my parents never had to worry about me taking care of myself, but on the other hand frustrating for them because well, headstrong toddlers are no fun haha! In an effort to comfort my mom, my preschool teacher told her I would eventually use all of that energy and determination to become one of the movers and shakers of the world. Today, I have the privilege of connecting with millions of women across the globe. It has been an honor to share my life, my story and my decisions on the internet for the last 15+ years. I absolutely love channeling my energy into inspiring others and creating connection.

What I appreciate about that teacher and my parents, is that, despite my intensely driven nature, they LET ME be me. They never tried to make me be something I wasn’t. They never told me I had to become X,Y, or Z. They never had set expectations of me - except of course, to be a good person.

I started my blog at age 22 and turned it into a full time business at 23. Believe it or not the majority of people laughed and made fun of bloggers back in 2011. They didn’t understand what the heck we were doing. Editors looked down on us (think The Devil Wears Prada type of behavior) and in the beginning we were shunned by high fashion brands.

We were the weirdos and the misfits of the NYC fashion world. And then in 2015 everything seemed to change. All of a sudden bloggers aka influencers were the hottest people in the fashion industry. Everyone wanted to work with us and we were sitting front row at every fashion week. Magazines were closing down left and right, losing relevancy and readers, while influencers were gaining popularity like nothing you’ve ever seen before. It was an exciting time to be an influencer say the least!

If I hadn’t been brave enough to keep writing and keep putting myself out there despite the naysayers, the attitude and the doubt - I wouldn’t have the career I have today! The moral of the story?

A question I get asked time and time again is…

And for some reason, I am always shocked by this question because it shows how much people truly care about what other people think.