Top Knot Branding

If you would have told me that I would model clothing for a clothing line, I would have laughed. 

My 5ft 2in tall,  thunder thighs, broad shoulders and big-butt body have never quite fit perfectly in clothing so why would someone want me to model for them? Shopping is a nightmare, why would someone want me to show off their clothes in a way that would entice someone to buy them?

Insert Brass.

Brass is a start up clothing brand out of Waltham, MA and is the brain child of Jay Adams and Katie Doyle. They set out to make high quality chic clothing that can be dressed up or down, and be part of a capsule wardrobe. Learn more about them on their site. 

So they put out this announcement that they were looking for “Real Women” models to showcase their clothing. I don't know what came over me, but I decided to put my hat in the ring. In my mind, there was no way they would pick me, because everyone who has “real women” models seem to have a combo of Tall/Short/Ethnic-with-the-sameish-body-type. 

I wasn’t expecting a yes. But about 3 weeks later, I got an email from Jay saying I was selected.

Cue panic.

“What if I look stupid? What if I make the clothes look horrible? What if they don’t fit? Should I even go?” Those questions raced through my head and out of my mouth even as I stepped out of the car to walk up to their offices on a Sunday afternoon.

My experience was the compete opposite of the panic that my mind induced. 

I met Jay and Katie, the two #GirlBosses behind Brass, along with Ali (you can read her recap of being a “real woman” model here)  who was in the time slot before me. Instantly, it was like I was hanging out with old friends. They quickly set me up with some awesome outfits and in a whirlwind of lipstick and hairspray - I was climbing up stairs to the studio.

The moment I stepped into Lara Woolfsen’s studio it was just straight fun. She totally knows how to make someone feel comfortable and in what seemed like a blink of an eye - the shoot was done.

As I was packing up my new goodies (I left with Ponte pants, Boatneck shirt, Chambray shirt dress and black swing dress), and saying my good byes, it hit me. I had literally smashed my comfort zone.

I’ve never quite felt comfortable in my skin. Let alone in front of a camera. My butt has always been big, my thighs have always been in charge and the comments about my shoulders have been happening since I can remember. I’m short, but I’m anything but petite. I’ve done some extreme exercise regimes and had some pretty unhealthy habits, and have been down to a size 2 and up to a size 12. I’ve worked for years to try to find a slimming angle for a photo, and then I end up looking like some weird twisted pretzel. 

I smashed my comfort zone to smithereens.  And that’s kinda been what 2016 has been about. I was laid off in late 2015, rehired in 2016, I recently got engaged, starting to think about buying a house and all of my comfort zones are starting to be pushed. Getting out of my comfort zone and showing my honest self in the camera frame was just one stop.

I remember as a teenager looking through magazines and never seeing someone who looked like me. I looked through photos of dresses, shorts, skirts and thought “I don’t look like that, so I can’t buy that”. If one of my photos on Brass can help stop that thinking - I consider that a success.  If we can start celebrating out true differences, and that a dress in a Medium could look different *and just as awesome* on a 5ft 8in woman and a 5ft 2in woman, we can start to really promote body positivity. 

Thank you Brass for this awesome opportunity, and I look forward to rocking my new pieces for a long time. Thank you for allowing me to discover a part of myself, while working with you. I look forward to supporting your brand for a long time. 

I’ve been invited to speak at the upcoming Boston Women in Media & Entertainment networking event!

Mark your calendars - I’ll be at Davios in Chestnut Hill on February 16th, from 6PM - 8PM, and I’ll be speaking about how to harness the power of social media to tell your story and build your personal brand, in order to make 2016 your best year yet!

The last couple months of unemployment have been a whirlwind of emotions, interviews and trips to coffee shops around the Greater Boston Area.

Things were chaotic. I found myself in a situation that I hadn't experienced in almost 10 years - jobless.

While people were quick to call it "funemployment", I had a hard time coming to terms with not taking the train at 8:06AM to get to work. Sure, sitting at home in sweatpants is fun... but how fun is it when that can easily become your norm?

What was I going to do with my time? Where did I want to work? How do I gain my confidence back? How long can I support myself in this position?

Those were a couple biggest questions that I had looming over me. I had never had to really answer those questions before, and having them staring me right in the face was an experience that was terrifying and liberating at the same time.

Between November 5th and January 12th, I had a lot of time to really turn inwards. Have you ever had an honest conversation with yourself..0ne where you have to honestly say to yourself what exactly it is you want, how exactly you feel, and then how you are going to make it happen?

It wasn't fun, it was downright scary.

So what did I learn?

1. "Choose To Be Happy": You may recognize this from an earlier previous blog post... but this became my rallying cry. My motto. My barometer. When I was applying, interviewing, following up, and networking, I would also come back to the idea that "I need to find what makes me happy."

2. Being Mindful Is Not Easy: Mindfulness is a new hot term, but it is the practice of trying to be present. It's difficult to be present in the present... especially when the present is uncomfortable. I tried to practice some mindful meditation for at least 10 minutes every day - sometimes it was a welcome release, sometimes it was downright awful.

3. My People Are The Best: Jim Rohn once said, "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." I would say that you are the sum of all the people you choose to surround yourself with. My network. My people. I realized that without them, I wouldn't be who I was today. In my darkest days, these people lifted me up, challenged me, pushed me to get back into the ring and fight for my right to live my dream. I couldn't have done it without each and every single one of you.

4. It's OK To Be Selfish: Say what? Yes. It's OK. It took me a LONG time to come to terms with this one. This doesn't mean you need to go out and just "take take take", but it means that you need to really act in a way that is best for you. For me? It meant turning down some opportunities, because they simply weren't perfect for me. I learned to trust myself, and when something didn't feel right, I let the opportunity go. Being able to fill in the "I want ____" statement was something that I had never really practiced or done before.

5. It's OK To Have Emotions: Emotional roller coaster would be an understatement. However, when I became honest with myself and started to listen to why I was feeling a certain way I was able to start healing. Being laid off is a very raw and emotional experience, and anyone who is telling you otherwise is flat out lying. Telling my story to people, and listening to their stories was very cathartic. I had to attend three seminars at the CareerCenter in downtown Boston, where I had the chance to interact with other people who were in the same situation that I was. Realizing that I wasn't the only one feeling a certain way, really allowed me to feel OK with saying "I'm angry because" or "I'm sad because" or "I'm confused because". Emotions are part of humanity, and we shouldn't keep them in a separate box from reality.

Did you attend the Massachusetts Conference for Women yesterday?

Did you attend my “Making LinkedIn Work For YOU” session, but were not able to snag a hand out?

Well, here you go!

Thank you so much for visiting me, and please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, or want any advice.

That’s right!

I’m so excited to see everyone at the Massachusetts Conference for Women, tonight and all day tomorrow! I’ll be the featured speaker at the Cisco Networking Lounge and will be leading a workshop called “Making LinkedIn Work for YOU!” (https://www.maconferenceforwomen.org/conference/cisco-networking-lounge/)

Are you attending? Stop by and introduce yourself!

Big things are thing the works for this site...

Here’s a clue.

Let’s just say - I’m going to be taking matters (read: employment) into my own hands.

(This post originally appeared on my LinkedIn profile. Feel free to connect with me there, too!) 

On 11/5/2015 - I was laid off.

*gasp*

I posted the picture above, across all my social media channels, along with a short note about curve balls and happiness.

You may have seen it, you may have ignored it, it may have even made you feel uncomfortable.

Since Thursday, I've been told countless times that "being laid off is just a part of life" and that "it happens to everyone." Well, if it happens to everyone, why does no one talk about it?

Why is there a sense of shame in talking about being laid off?

The moment I posted my status across my social channels (I'm a social media professional - I get the message out there fast :), I received two different types of messages. First, I received messages from friends and former colleagues saying "You'll bounce back," and "When one door closes another one will open" - full of support. On the other hand, I received messages suggesting I pull the post down, and that admitting to being laid off was admitting to failure, and that I shouldn't broadcast when things like that happen.

That I should be ashamed.

That I should make up reasons as to why I wouldn't be on the 8:06AM train from Wakefield to Boston any more. Or that I should hunker down and try to put the pieces back together again quickly and haphazardly, in an attempt to get the first job that comes my way.

They are wrong.

I'm talking about being laid off, because according to the LA Times, in 2014, one fifth of American workers had been laid off in the past 5 years, and 22% of them still have not found employment.  I'm speaking out about being laid off, because chances are you, or someone you know, has been laid off recently.

I want you to know you aren't alone. I also want you to know it isn't your fault. Call it, an inopportune moment.

When I headed back to the train station, with my backpack full of work belongings, I felt lost. It was 9:45am on a Thursday, and I was waiting for a train to take me back to Wakefield? I was confused. I was upset.

Then I looked down and noticed what my Blogilates water bottle said:

"Choose To Be Happy."

Let me tell you, in that moment, I was everything but happy. I actually snapped the photo, because it seemed like such an oxymoron in the situation.

But here I am, on #Day4 of my #LaidOffLife, finding things to smile about. Like, the fact that I have an amazing group of people that support me, through thick and thin. I spent the weekend supporting two of my friends at their new distillery, and then managed to get my boyfriend to run a Spartan Race at Fenway Park with me. It was a weekend full of support, love and making my way over, around and through obstacles.

I'm not taking being laid off as a death sentence. I'm taking it like I took the 10ft wall at Spartan Race yesterday - I couldn't do it by myself, but with the help of a couple extra hands, I made it up and over the obstacle.

And you will to.

That's why I'm talking about being laid off... to let you know, you aren't the only one.

I've had this question posed to me at least 50 times in the past 10 days. When I made my announcement that I was leaving a 2 billion dollar company, for a start up that was focused on bringing more Millennials to the golf world, people looked at me like I was nuts.

"Why golf?"

My answer?

Why not?!

As a marketer, I thrive on finding a challenge, and the opportunity to help build a marketing program (from the ground up) for NextGenGolf was just too enticing. At one of my first jobs, my boss used to tell us, "with high risk, comes high reward," and that's something that I truly have taken to heart.

We all have to get out of our comfort zones in order to grow.

It's terrifying. I'm not going to lie.

It's also super duper exciting.

So after five intense days of learning about the ins and outs of the Millennial golf world, I'm, confident that I made the right decision.

As someone who grew up playing sports, and played varsity sports through high school - the opportunity to give college students the chance to play a sport that they love without having to play Varsity, is very near and dear to my heart.

It doesn't matter what sport it is.

Everyone should have the opportunity to do what they are passionate about. Whether it's marketing, sales, soccer or golf.

So there. That's "why golf".

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Interested in learning more? Check out NextGenGolf to learn more about theNCCGA (for college students) and CityTour (for young professionals)! [shameless plug]