March 6, 2025 • 45 mins
🎙 Host: Carla Reeves
🎙 Guest: Jenny Zook, Founder of Style School
Episode Highlights:
✅ The powerful link between confidence and personal style
✅ How clothes impact not just how we look, but how we feel and show up in life
✅ Jenny’s journey from DIY fashion capsules to building a thriving Style School community
✅ Why so many women struggle with confidence in their wardrobes—and how to fix it
✅ The emotional side of style: why we hold onto certain clothes and how to let go
✅ Practical tips to refresh your wardrobe with intention (not just impulse buys!)
✅ How to choose outfits based on how you want to feel
✅ The secret to finding clothes that truly fit your body
✅ The power of taking outfit photos to see what really works
Links & Resources:
🔗 Join the Free Style School Spirit Week (March 9th!): Spirit Week
🔗 Jenny’s Newsletter for Weekly Style Tips: Newsletter
🔗 Listen to Jenny’s First Appearance on the Podcast (May 2022):   Confidence & Style from the Inside Out with Jenny Zook
🔗 Follow Jenny on Instagram: Jenny Zook's IG
📩 Love this episode? Share it with a friend who needs a confidence boost! Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—it helps others find the podcast.
#StyleConfidence #PersonalStyle #WomenEmpowerment #DifferentlyPodcast
Learn more about Carla:
Website: https:/www.carlareeves.com/
Connect on LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reevescarla/
Connect on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@differentlythepodcast
Go to https://carlareeves.com/freeclass to get The Class schedule, sign up, and/or pass it on to a friend. Each month is a new topic. Come hang out and learn with us for FREE!
Get your copy of 5 Ways to Manage Your Mind
Go to https://www.carlareeves.com/getunstuck.com to download Carla's on demand journaling workshop + exercise to help you stop spinning and start moving forward.
Explore Coaching with Carla: https://bookme.name/carlareeves/lite/explore-coaching
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
I'm Carla Reeves, and this is Differently.
Whether you feel stuck insurvival, navigating a change,
or seeking more for your life,may this podcast be your weekly
nudge to take a risk to build alife that is uniquely bold,
authentic and in alignment withyour deepest values.
What if you worried less aboutthe bumps in the road and
(00:23):
instead got equipped for thejourney?
Get ready to rethink what'spossible.
Hey, differently listener.
Today's episode we're divingdeep into a topic that's near
and dear to so many of usconfidence.
And who better to help usnavigate this than my brilliant
and stylish and amazing friend,jenny Zook?
(00:44):
She's been on the podcastbefore and we'll link to that
episode in the show notes.
Jenny's the founder of StyleSchool, which is a beautiful
space where fashion meetsconfidence and community.
Today, we're peeling back thelayers to explore just how
impactful our clothes can be,not just on how we look, but on
how we feel and show up in oureveryday lives.
(01:05):
Jenny's going to share herjourney insights and practical
tips that will have you lookinginto your closet and into the
mirror in an entirely new way.
This is all about finding joy,freedom and confidence in what
you put on every day.
So get ready for some laughs,some light bulb moments and just
some rich conversation.
(01:26):
Grab your coffee, get cozy andlet's rethink confidence and
style with Jenny.
You're going to love this Makesure you listen all the way to
the end for an invitation tospirit week.
It's the updated adult version.
You're going to love it.
Here we go.
Hey, everyone, welcome back todifferently.
I'm excited to have Jenny Zookback with us from style school
(01:51):
and we're going to just have aconversation about confidence,
which I feel like is such.
It's been such an importanttopic in my life, it's such an
important topic in my client'slife, and what we wear in our
clothes have such an impact.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
So welcome, jenny, hi very excited to be back and be
having a conversation, because,while we, I feel like this
confidence is really at theheart of everything that I do, a
lot has changed since the firsttime I was on and we had a
conversation, so it's going tobe fun to chat.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
That's true, so we'll link it in the show notes.
But Jenny was on I can'tbelieve it in 20 in May of 22.
And it was all about style andinner confidence.
So you're going to want to goback and listen to that too, and
definitely your business haschanged, to go back and listen
to that too, and definitely yourbusiness has changed.
So tell us a little bit aboutwhat is happening and I mean I'm
(02:50):
in there so I can speak to ittoo.
But what's like?
Let's talk about some of thehighlights of what's happening
today in style school and forpeople who may be new to style
school, like, tell us a littlebit about what it is.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Sure.
So I guess I can't really tellyou what it is without telling
you where it started, which wasvery different, and that's we.
You and I had a conversationback when I was first getting
started, because style schoolwill turn two this year, but my
business in helping women feelreally confident in their
(03:23):
clothes started almost fouryears ago.
So I started by building toolsthat were sort of like a
do-it-yourself, a seasonalcapsule.
That was just like a you know,it's your guidebook of how to
feel stylish, season by seasonby season.
And then I was like here you go,I did all the work and you can
(03:46):
take it from here, and what Ilearned was that isn't enough
for most women to be able tofigure out how to put clothes on
their body that make them feelreally good.
So the teacher in me, I have ateaching background and I
started to quickly figure outwomen need more support, women
need more guidance around how toreally figure out this beast
(04:09):
that is personal style, and Iwas trying to figure out well,
how do I do that?
How do I offer that extra layerof support and really build in
a sense of community?
Community, because most womendo better when there is a
(04:32):
community of them who are alsohaving similar challenges and
struggles which, by the way, weall are.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
We all are feeling these things right.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
And looking in the mirror and saying, oh, why
doesn't this look right?
And what's wrong with my body?
And these pants look so greaton her and why don't they look
right?
And what's wrong with my body?
And these pants look so greaton her and why don't they look
good on me?
And so Style School was born,which is really a place where
you can come and ask thosequestions and get the support
you need day to day to day, andit is a beautiful thing.
(05:01):
It is more than I could haveever dreamed of it being in the
sense of like the, the truesense of community that not just
I I mean I, yeah, I created itbut the women that are in there
and the that are willing to bevulnerable and ask the questions
.
It's magical, and I say that allthe time because it it really
(05:21):
does feel like a little piece ofmagic and you're going to get
the answers.
That you're piece of magic andyou're going to get the answers
that you're looking for.
And you're going to get theadvice that, like you, would get
from your most honest friend inthe dressing room.
And then, so that that wascreated, so you still get the
seasonal capsules, which is theplaybook that we sort of let
sort of ground us all Like we'reall going to sort of speak the
(05:43):
same language, based on theseasonal capsules.
And then there is this sort ofback and forth and we have these
additional lessons that I teachevery season to help you tackle
the biggest challenges that theseason throws at you, like
jeans or shorts.
(06:04):
I was floored last year tofigure out how many people in
style school haven't worn shortssince high school and I was
like, wait what is happening?
Swimsuits you know the thingsthat like make us all like get a
little squished.
Yeah and cringe that we have tolike go try on or try to find.
So I do that every month, andthen this year, in 2025, it's
(06:29):
evolving again, which is whichis the beauty of being an
entrepreneur and also the mostchallenging part of being an
entrepreneur right For sure itnever stays the same, but I
wanted to add in another layerbecause, yes, clothes are a huge
part of us feeling confidentand not cringing when we look in
the mirror, and I think thatthey can be a lever to help us
(06:53):
open the door to that biggerconversation, because there is
some heavy lifting when it comesto having the conversation
around.
How do I feel more confident?
And I wanted to find new waysto help support women and I am
not an expert in all things, andso I'm inviting other women to
(07:16):
come in and speak to some of thethings that are still barriers,
and a lot of that has to dowith mindset, but there are
definitely some tangible thingslike figuring out your colors
and figuring out what do you doafter you edit your closet, and
I have this mound of clothing,what can I do with it and, um,
(07:36):
you know those types of thingsthat I'm having that I'm
inviting other women to come inand speak to to help us tackle,
sort of the next level of livingour most confident lives.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
It's so beautiful, jenny, and I love that you
combine I think that's why youand I connected so much in the
beginning Like you combine themindset piece with the style
piece and like the psychology ofall of it.
Like I've been fascinated justlike looking at, like why do I
hang on to certain things in mycloset and why is it hard to get
(08:10):
rid of some things and why,like, there's so much psychology
in what we do in our closetright, and how we get in our
clothes and how we feel in ourclothes.
And I have learned so muchbeing in style school and I feel
like there is there's so muchthat's happening underneath the
(08:31):
surface of what you're doingthat you know because, like you
said, you have all thesebeautiful structures like the.
The capsules are so amazing.
Like just I'm so excitedbecause the spring capsule is
coming.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
It's so amazing.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Like just, I'm so excited because the spring
capsule is coming, oh my gosh,so good.
I do think it's my favorite.
It's my favorite child.
I do love spring and I don'tknow if it's because I live in
Colorado Now.
I grew up in Arizona, whereCarla is, and there's something
about being able to like shipfrom winter wardrobe to like
spring.
And it is, it is, it's, it's agood one.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Yes, and for people listening, like getting a
capsule to then go shopping like, Jenny's done all the work,
she's chosen pieces for all ofour different that work for our
different body types.
She's put them together inoutfits and she picks up the
most amazing cute pieces.
And it made me realize like howmuch also I would go shopping
(09:30):
and just buy things but didn'treally have a plan for how to
incorporate them in my wardrobeand then I don't end up not
wearing them.
And then you have regret andlike there's just so many layers
to all of it.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Yes, yes, there sure are.
And I do think that, um, uh,you know, as as we're moving
into spring and spirit week iscoming up, like that's one of
the things.
That's one of the hot topicsthat I want to tackle in spirit
week.
This go round, which is what alot of women do, is they're like
okay, it's a new season and Iwant some new stuff for my
(10:03):
wardrobe, I want to like give ita little bit of a zhuzh, I want
to refresh it.
And we go and we just likerandomly throw stuff in our
carts online or in our bags andwe come home with it and it's
like what do I do?
What do I do with this and howdoes it?
How does it work?
(10:24):
Or why isn't it working?
And my goal is to sort of takethat guesswork out of the
equation and show you what to goget based on what you already
have.
But you're right, You'reabsolutely right.
And what is in there?
And why is it in there?
And uh, uh, it can behyper-emotional uh, to actually
(10:56):
like go through and and havethose conversations, and I think
, having somebody hold you one,hold you accountable, because it
can easily end up at the bottomof our to-do list.
Um, I, I heard somebody call ita to-da list, the other day and
I was like you've heard that.
(11:17):
I'm like, oh my gosh, I lovethat Like I did it.
I did it.
Yes, yes, I'm like that's sogenius.
But cleaning out our closetsends up at the bottom of that
list.
A lot for a lot of women,because it feels like it's so
big and it's too much.
It's overwhelming, and I reallyhave these emotions tied to
(11:41):
some of these pieces and to beable to move past those I think
requires oftentimes an outsideinfluence.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Yeah, so speak a little bit to just this
confidence piece, like from yourperspective, um, as leaders in
our lives and moms and businessowners, like what is the
confidence piece that ties soclosely to our closets and what
we put on and how we look in themirror and how we present
(12:14):
ourselves right in ourbusinesses?
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Totally, so I think that I would love to know if
there were statistics aroundthis and I have.
I've looked for them and it'sit's upwards of like between 80
and 90% of women don't like whatis what their reflection looks
like when they look in themirror.
There's always something right.
(12:40):
I mean, we are experts andunfortunately, we've been
trained to be really good atpicking ourselves apart and
finding every flaw and tellingourselves that something is
wrong with our bodies, with ourclothes, with anything, with our
hair, with our makeup, you nameit.
(13:01):
We are just very, very good andwe've become that way of just
completely shredding ourselveswhen we look in the mirror.
And I know for a fact a lot ofthe problem are the clothes that
you're putting on your body andthey're not the right clothes.
(13:22):
And listen, like we werementioning earlier, there is
more to this confidence equationthan just the clothes.
However, when we can look in themirror and not cringe and say
oh, oh, hey, like, wait a second.
I actually kind of like the waythat this pair of jeans fits my
(13:46):
curves, or what it's doing formy backside, or how it is
locking and loading our favoritepart of our bodies, especially
if you've had babies thismidsection that is sort of just
like squishy and hanging out,when you can embrace and maybe
(14:06):
even smile when you look in themirror.
It does something for how youshow up in the rest of your day,
in your business, for yourfamily, for your friends, for
your colleagues, whatever it is.
Because you can take thatfeeling and it ripples out.
And that is what I am chasingfor every single woman that I
(14:32):
come in contact with, frankly,not just the women in style
school Because if you can, ifyou can do that for yourself
more often than not, imagine theimpact it's going to have in
every aspect of your life.
And I do believe that when youget the ball rolling in that
direction on the confidencefront, it allows you to think,
(14:56):
gives you some headspace to say,okay, I can tackle this.
Where that actual story thatI've been telling myself since I
was gosh?
When did these stories startfor girls?
Seven eight nine years old andit gets reinforced right From a
(15:21):
lot of different places.
But, like, to go to that level,I think you have to start by
like opening opening the door tolike get get down in there and
I just think, like, the morethat you can um take action to
(15:41):
change your belief, the easierit is to do some of the heavier
lifting.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
So true, not too long ago, like I caught myself like
seeing myself in the mirror andsaying negative things in my
head, you know, and I toldmyself, like no more, like now
when I want like I kind ofchallenged myself like every
time you look in the mirror,find something you like instead
of something you don't like, andthat has really helped a lot.
(16:09):
But it's like we are, we're sotrained to just rip it apart,
and when we look at other women,like when I see other women in,
even in style school, I noticedwhat's great, I noticed what
looks good, like it's not thedefault to look for what's wrong
only with me.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Right, yeah, yeah, I mean yeah, when it comes to our
own image, it is like we arejust we're our own worst critics
, like you know.
How many times have you heardthat said?
And I it's interesting, I think.
I think when you are a part ofa community like Style School or
any group of women that hascome together to really lift
(16:48):
each other up, you learn how tolook for the good.
But I also think a lot of womendo this to other women.
We can be hyper judgmentalbecause it's like we we've been
so conditioned to like bejudgmental and and it.
(17:14):
So when you're doing it toyourself, it's easy to do it to
other people too.
And you know, I think that,like that whole dynamic needs to
shift and and be reshaped, andyou know I mean it.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
It's got to start with yourself well, and I think
in style school, like you justeverybody is so different, right
, their styles are so differentbody shapes are so different,
like it's just been, it's beenso enlightening and so like what
you were saying, like sometimeswe just have the wrong clothes
on.
Like how true that is.
(17:50):
And like I've seen sometransformation in style school
just because they changed kindof how they're wearing things
and it like completely changestheir body shape the way they
look in the mirror.
Like there are a few women thatrecently have just they're just
sparkling, like because theyfeel confident in their clothes.
(18:13):
It shines out of their facebecause they feel better and it
reminds me like when I was ateenager I was obsessing in the
mirror and my mom would sayforget yourself and go have a
good time, and like it stillmakes me cry my mom's not here
anymore, but like it used tomake me so mad when she would
(18:34):
say that because I knew.
I knew I was spending too muchtime fussing over my hair or
whatever.
And those were such wise wordsand I feel like, jenny, what you
teach us in style school, andlike the confidence we get from
each other and saying, oh mygosh, you look amazing.
And then we learned to likewear something that we thought
maybe we couldn't wear, thatlike we actually can wear and
(18:57):
feel good in.
And then we can go forgetourselves and like be of service
in the world and the ways thatwe're here to do.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
Yes, yes, it's almost like how many times have you
had an experience in your lifewhere you're like in a meeting,
or you're at an event, or you'reeven like sitting at lunch with
a group of friends and like youcan't stop thinking about the
(19:25):
way something fits, or likeyou're squirming, or you're like
constantly?
Adjusting your waistband orlike and you can't.
It's like you can't even enjoyor be present because you're so
obsessed.
By the way, nobody is paying asmuch attention as you are, but
it is a barrier to like livingyour life outside of like what's
(19:50):
going on here and how.
What a gift to be able to likeset it and forget it.
Like I know, I like what I looklike when I left the house
today and I don't need to likeworry about it.
And I don't need to beconstantly right and it actually
feels good on my body on top ofit, right?
It's not just like you know,it's not just about how it looks
(20:16):
in the mirror, it's also abouthow it feels on your body, so
that you don't like squirm allday in these, like clothes that
just that there's somethingwrong with I say it all the time
but like there's nothing wrongwith your body, there's
something wrong with the clothesand like let me help you find
(20:39):
what's wrong with the clothes sothat we can just take it out of
the equation.
And out of this like not justtime suck in the morning when
you're going to get dressed, butlike the the amount of space of
taking up in your head all daylong.
Oh my gosh, the freedom thatcomes when you can take that out
(21:01):
of the equation, I think ismassively underrated.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Well, and I think the other thing you've taught me is
like just the taking a pictureof your outfit.
Like how different sometimes Ican like look in the mirror at
my outfit and then take a photoof the outfit and be like wait a
minute, that looks good, but inthe mirror it doesn't what.
What is that, jenny?
Speaker 2 (21:22):
I don't know, I don't , it is different.
It is different and like, and somany women, because of those I
have, I keep pointing at themirror because it's in my office
and I'm like, look there it isso many women have such a
negative relationship with thatdang mirror.
They're terrified of takingpictures of themselves.
(21:46):
I mean terrified to the pointof like.
I have had women participate inevery single spirit week and
will not take a single pictureof themselves because they hate
it.
They are worried how, like thethere is such a major hangup and
(22:06):
I'm telling you, when you takepictures of your outfits,
especially if you are like whichjeans look better, which shoes
look right here, and you putthem side by side, it's so
obvious.
Once you start learning some ofthe skills that I teach inside
of style school, you canliterally see it.
And I don't know like, thepictures just are different than
(22:29):
the mirror and I do think it'sbecause of this lifelong
relationship that we have withmirrors as women.
It is um, it's it, it's sad, um, it's it, it's sad and I think
(22:50):
it's dangerous.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
You talk a lot about, um, you know, I I feel like you
sent out a newsletter and yournewsletter is so good, so we'll
make sure to put a link to thesign up for that and in the show
notes too.
But, um, you did somethingwhere it was like you'd had a
heck of a week or a day.
I can't remember being a mom.
(23:11):
All the things, Um, but youtalked about, like putting on
your outfit for the day, couldbe like a game changer for you.
And so when you've had like ahard morning or whatever, like
what does that look like for youand how do you approach your
closet in a way that that couldshift the rest of your day?
Speaker 2 (23:51):
of needs and quirks and things that make parenting
far more challenging than I everanticipated.
I'm sure most parents canresonate with that, but it can
easily change the trajectory ofmy day based on how they slept
or what's happening in themorning and what challenges are
being thrown my way.
And I I'm a morning person, somy mornings I try to um, get
(24:17):
ahead of that, because if I letthem determine how the rest of
my day is going to go, it wouldnot, more often than not it
would probably go sideways.
So I try to get dressed beforethey're out of bed in the
morning, which means I get upvery early, but I use clothes to
(24:40):
set myself up for the type ofday I want to have.
So I choose of day I want tohave.
So I choose, I choose thecolors, I choose some item that
I'm like how, what, what wouldgive me joy today?
Is it something in theathleisure category, and I, for
(25:03):
those of you that don't know me,I love myself some athleisure,
and I don't mean leggings, okay,I don't mean sweatshirts and
you know, sweatpants.
I mean athleisure that lookslike I'm wearing a suit, kind of
, and I like to use those typesof pieces a lot in my wardrobe
(25:25):
because I work from home and Icomfort is very, very important
to me.
But I also like to look thepart.
So I am recording this podcastwith Carla today and I wanted to
look professional.
So I'm wearing jeans, but I'mwearing a graphic t-shirt and a
blazer that's made out ofsweatshirt material, but the
colors are bright and funbecause I wanted to show up high
(25:48):
energy.
So I choose based on how I wantto feel that day, how I want to
show up for my day andsometimes you know, our days,
especially as entrepreneurs,look wildly different depending
on your day.
But I go in with that mindset oflike, what am I, what feeling
(26:10):
am I after today and what'sgoing to bring me joy.
Sometimes it's a pair of shoes,sometimes it's a graphic
t-shirt, sometimes it's a reallybright color because I'm like
dragging and I need something tolike brighten my day.
But if I can do that for myself, you know, I can then have a
(26:32):
different kind of energy when Igo to face the challenges that I
know the day is going to throwat me.
It's always.
It's always something as anentrepreneur, as a mom, as a mom
to children, that I swear I'mlike this can't be normal.
What is happening?
I ask myself that pretty muchevery day.
(26:53):
Things that I can control areso powerful, and your clothes
are one of them and, believe itor not, they are sending
messages to yourself.
The end of the day, you shouldbe getting dressed because of
what it does for you, not whatit says or does for anybody else
(27:13):
.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
I love that.
I just want to highlight whatyou said because it's so
parallel to what I teach ineverything.
All the work that I do, too, islike like instead of going
after things in our life inorder to feel better, like
achieving things so that we feelbetter lead with the feeling.
(27:36):
What's the feeling you want tofeel?
First Like, is it joy, is itpeace?
Whatever it is?
And then ask yourself, like howcan I create that right here,
today?
So you're not living your lifefor someday when something
happens, because if you don'tknow how to cultivate those
feelings in your life now,you're not going to know how to
do it when you achieve thatthing.
(27:56):
And so, plus, you waste allthis time trying to get
somewhere that may never happen,right?
So this is just another way wecan cultivate those feelings in
our life right here.
And I love what you said, likedon't let the circumstances of
your day lead your life like youget to lead your life, and
there are choices and thingsthat we can always control to
(28:19):
make such a difference there.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
Yes, yeah, I 100% agree with you.
Yes, yeah, I, I 100% agree withyou.
But I also think that comesback to what we have been
trained to believe is how youget there.
How do you get, how do I createhappiness?
How do I?
You chase it, you work hard forit, you you know, and actually
it's in here already.
You can find it.
(28:44):
But I do think you have to betaught a new way of thinking
about it, of how to find itright.
It isn't out, it isn't outthere.
Those things are nice.
I mean don't get me wrong Ilike when people say, oh my gosh
, I love your outfit today.
You can keep, you can keep thecompliments coming, because that
definitely, I think all of uslike external validation, but at
(29:07):
the end of the day, I should beable to have that with inside
me.
And it takes work and it takespractice and it takes learning.
That skillset that you teach,that I teach, but I don't know
that there's any other.
I think both of those things incombination.
I mean, if I had, I don't knowthat there's any other.
I think both of those things incombination.
(29:28):
I mean, if I had, I don't knowif I had to pick one what Carla
teaches or what I teach like.
What would I pick?
What would?
Speaker 1 (29:34):
I pick.
I don't know If you had to pickone we don't oh, that's a hard
one I would well.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
I probably, but I think I probably would pick what
Carla does.
First, because there's just somuch power in knowing yourself
that self-awareness, I think, iskey and actually the more you
know yourself, the easier it isto find your personal style
right.
When you understand thingsabout yourself, you can look and
(30:02):
say, oh, I'm drawn to that andthat like lights me up, because
I know myself well enough toknow what lights me up.
So, but like I don't know thatthere's any other more worthy
investment in in knowing thosethings about yourself and how to
really cultivate happinesswithin, versus chasing all of
(30:27):
the things, especially for allthose type A-ers.
I'm a type A, I'm a workhorse,I'm an achiever, and that is a
really hard thing to unwind.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
It is, but not impossible.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
No, not impossible, it's a practice right Like me
too.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
I relate to all those things too, and it's been like
just a practice of unwinding andunlearning, right, so you can
create new experiences.
Is there something that wouldbe simple to teach, like someone
who's listening, who wants toshift their approach around this
, like, let's just say like, isthere something you could kind
(31:13):
of teach that would give themsomething to start with?
And then, of course, we'llinvite them into what's
happening soon.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
But I would say the number one thing if you want
your clothes to feel better onyour body is to understand your
shape.
And again, while I never tellwomen, you know, there are these
shapes like you could be anapple, you can be a pear, you
(31:41):
can be a rectangle Nobody fitsperfectly into any of those
buckets, right, but it gives youa place to start because when
you know those things about yourbody maybe you carry weight in
your midsection, maybe you havea really small waist and big
hips Okay, there are clothesdesigned and cut for your, for
(32:07):
your particular shape.
And that's why when you, whenyou know those things about
yourself, you can grab thingsthat are a curvy, fit.
You can grab things that arepetite, you can grab things that
have a neckline that is goingto make you look taller and
leaner, and then you will startto recognize that your body
(32:33):
isn't the problem.
And I think that is like thefoundational understanding of
when you know those things,because once you start to learn,
like these are the types ofpants that really work well on
my body, you know what to lookfor, and then you're going to
also start to find where you canfind them, that you have
(32:54):
regular success that you haveregular success.
So it's less of a guessing gameIf you know that like, oh, I
found this particular brand ofjean and Nordstrom sells them,
and I don't know Ever Eve sellsthem, and or Old Navy and Gap, I
can go back to that place andfind another color or another,
(33:20):
this season's version of thatsame pant, and I'm going to be
able to get the size I knowworks and the cut and the shape
that I know work, so that I feellike I am not spinning my
wheels over and over and overagain.
I think that is like thefoundational knowledge that you
need to have to be able to find,to be able to, like, move the
(33:44):
needle in the right direction.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
Yeah, that totally makes sense.
Well, and I think one of theother things I remind myself all
the time that you have taughtus is don't worry so much about
the label and the size, becauseclothes like sizes vary.
Even my husband was navigatingthat the other day.
He's like why, why am I thissize and it feels small and I'm
like, don't pay attention tothat.
(34:07):
Jenny says not to pay attentionto that Like, and that's just
like, so much freedom in that.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
Even with swimsuits.
That's a great one.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
Yes, swimsuits, yeah, swimsuits are like a whole
other conversation.
It's literally like another,like another planet.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
Unfortunately and like the sizing, sizing on
swimsuits.
I'm like yeah that it's anightmare, but I do feel like.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
I have getting what feels good.
Yes, you don't make it meananything.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
No, because, honest to God, it is so bananas how
retailers do their sizes.
You can literally be threedifferent sizes in the same
store on the same day and likeyou're one size in this kind of
(34:56):
pants and you're another size inthis kind of pant and you're a
totally different size in thisdress and the tops you just have
to.
You just have to be willing togo up a size and not let it tell
you your worth all.
Yes, you and just go for feelinggood in it and and and it
(35:21):
fitting right and it notcreating extra lumps and bumps,
because you're bound anddetermined to zip those pants up
stop or lose weight, so you canwear it or or I will get these.
I will go back and get thosewhen I've lost 10 pounds.
And that story has just got tostop, because all we do is
(35:43):
continue to put ourselves rightback in the narrative where we
have been taught to stay ourwhole lives.
It's not worth it.
Speaker 1 (35:52):
You do such a good job of reminding us about like
goal close.
Like and I think Sasha likereally reinforced your message.
I loved what she said Likedon't have goal clothes.
Like I need to lose this amountof weight and then I can wear
that, but have goal clothes.
Like I'm going to wear thiswhen we go to Costa Rica and I
can't freaking wait.
I love that.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
Yes, I love that too.
That was one of the things Iwanted to carry over into style
school and then my family gotsick and I didn't get on top of
it as I want to.
But that stuff, it should beLike.
I can't wait to wear thatbecause it makes me feel those
are the kind of clothes you wantto have, goal clothes you want
(36:32):
to have in your closet.
Not, I hope to get back intothat someday, or I'm going to
wear that when I.
You know, I've done boot campfor six weeks and, by the way,
you might do boot camp for sixweeks and your body looks
exactly the same or looks worsebecause of your hormones or you
name it whatever's going on inour crazy bodies that we call
(36:55):
being a woman, crazy bodies thatwe call being a woman.
Goodness gracious, it is tough,it is tough.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
And the last thing we need to be is harder on
ourselves.
It is tough, but I feel likeall the things you teach lighten
that, lighten the places we canlighten.
So tell us about what'shappening March 9th and how
people can be a part of it.
Speaker 2 (37:22):
So I have created an adult spirit week and I don't
know about you, I have little.
My boys are nine, and so spiritweeks make me sort of want to
like pull my hair out a littlebit, but this is an adult spirit
week because I'm a teacher.
Spirit weeks make me sort ofwant to like pull my hair out a
little bit, but this is an adultspirit week because I'm a
(37:43):
teacher.
I have created a space everyseason where I invite women to
come in.
It's free and I teach you a lotover the course of the week.
And I have I give you outfitformulas for that season that
are giving you a preview of someof the things that are in the
spring capsule that I havecreated.
But I'm showing you how to takethe cuts and shapes and sort of
(38:07):
overall silhouettes of anoutfit and how to leverage it
for your body and why it works,to sort of build in some of the
knowledge that I share inside ofstyle school.
It's super fun If you'relooking for ways to refresh your
wardrobe.
I also give you ideas on how tofind these pieces for yourself.
(38:30):
If you're just looking for somequick wins's.
It's a lot of fun and I'm alsogoing to be teaching within
spirit week this year of if Iwere building my wardrobe from
scratch, what pieces would Iabsolutely want to have in my
wardrobe, so that when you startto get that piece under control
(38:56):
, you can say, oh gosh, like I'mreally attracted to I don't
know Jennifer Aniston style orKristen Bell style, or I like to
use celebrities, because theyusually have pretty specific
style so that you know what tosprinkle on top.
(39:19):
Specific style so that you knowwhat to sprinkle on top.
I call trends and like thingsthat like really sort of set you
apart from like a white t-shirtand jeans, right, what kinds of
things are you drawn to?
So you know, okay, I have thefoundation.
What would I sprinkle in andand and why am I going and
getting these items?
Because I know what I'm drawnto.
So I'm going to teach you how todo both of those things to sort
(39:42):
of kick off our week together.
And the energy is just, it'spalpable, it's so much fun and
we learn a lot from one anotherand we learn a lot based on all
the different body types and allthe different ages.
And oh, you took that formulaand did like this spin on it and
like that's so cool and I wantto remember that I'm going to
(40:03):
take some screenshots and I'mgoing to like save this so that
I can, you know, feeldifferently this season, and
that's what I'm after.
And so spirit week does it kick, kicks off on March 9th, where
I'm going to be teaching, andthen we spend the week, the
whole week, together, learningand encouraging and inspiring
(40:26):
one another to just feel reallygood and put some intentionality
into what we're putting on ourbodies every day.
Speaker 1 (40:34):
So fun and you know it's like seeing well one.
The outfit formulas are greatbecause it's like oh, I don't
know what I'm gonna wear today.
And during spirit week it'slike she already has an idea.
So you can always go with thatwhich is so fun and then, like
you said, see everyone'svariations.
But even just on an ordinaryday, sometimes, like last Friday
when I did my class, i'm'm likewhat do I want to wear today?
(40:58):
And sometimes I'll just pop inboxer and see what everyone else
is wearing today.
Yes, inspire an idea.
And I saw somebody's outfit andI literally was like, oh,
that's what I'm going to do, andit just takes all the
overthinking out of the picture.
Yes, the analysis, paralysis.
Speaker 2 (41:13):
It's like, oh okay, I can do that and I probably
don't have all those pieces.
That's the other thing.
Like I don't teach you how tojust go shop and buy a brand new
wardrobe every season.
I want to teach you how to usewhat you already have and then
add some sprinkles on top togive it a little bit of a new
life each season, because Ithink we all deserve to have
(41:33):
some new things that aren'tyou're not buying your kids and
you're not spending on thefamily and you're not like give
yourself, you know, some littlefun, little fresh things, cause
we all deserve that.
But yeah, it's not about goingand buying new.
It's like how can I createsomething similar using the
stuff that I already have in mycloset?
Speaker 1 (41:55):
Yeah, and Jenny, you're so generous in there.
I mean you're so generous inhelping us.
I mean, whatever you have andneed support around, like Jenny
is so incredibly helpful.
Like, if you have a speakingevent coming up and you want an
outfit which I do, by the wayI've got to post it because I
need your help with a livespeaking event, yeah, but she'll
(42:16):
give you ideas or you have aformal event to go to, or that
stuff is so incredibly helpfuland and the way in which you
share your feedback is so greattoo.
Like you just have such abeautiful way of telling us,
like, try, you know, like wealready know.
(42:36):
We usually already know when anoutfit isn't working.
And then Jenny will just saywhat if you tried this Like just
the other day?
You're like put a belt on tosomebody and she put the belt on
.
I'm like, oh my gosh, gamechanger.
The outfit was perfect and thebelt just like took it up a
whole different notch.
Speaker 2 (42:52):
Yes, yeah, it can be tricky and I will tell you like
total transparency.
It is hard sometimes to givefeedback to women when their
outfits aren't working, so Iappreciate that very much.
I try really hard, and I meanas a teacher.
Speaker 1 (43:09):
You, get a lot of feedback.
Speaker 2 (43:11):
You get a lot of feedback from people coming in
literally watching you in realtime and and saying like, whoa,
you get a lot of bad feedback.
You get a lot of good feedback.
So that is something that Ihave tried really hard to master
, because we're not in there tobreak each other down, Right,
but I am going to tell you whensomething's not working Well
(43:32):
that's what we want.
Speaker 1 (43:33):
We don't want you to just be like, oh, that looks
great.
Like we're there to learn.
Speaker 2 (43:36):
And so you.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
You balance that so incredibly well.
Um so, come check out style umspirit week, style school spirit
week um.
Links are in the show notes.
I highly encourage it.
Um, I'll be there too, and it'sso much fun.
It's so much fun.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
I like, I love it is one of my most favorite every
season.
I can't wait to do it, and it'sa.
It's a lot of work, but, um,those light bulbs that go off
for women like you just can't.
It's so worth it.
So please come join us.
It is a blast.
Speaker 1 (44:11):
It is a blast, Jenny.
One last question before we go,and I probably asked you this
last time you were on, but itmight.
Your answer might've changed.
What does differently mean toyou?
Speaker 2 (44:25):
Oh, I think my answer has probably changed.
I think differently means doing, pushing yourself to do things
that you like, undoing thetraining, undoing the
conditioning, and showing updifferently in your life, based
on the life that you want to beliving so beautiful.
Speaker 1 (44:50):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (44:51):
Thank you so much for joining me.
Speaker 1 (44:53):
Yeah, and I can't wait to see you in style school.
Um spirit week and um, yeah,thank you so much, jenny, love
that we're, our paths areconnected and um, we'll do this
again.
Yes, thanks, carla, have anamazing day.
Thank you for tuning in to thisepisode of Differently.
(45:15):
It's been an honor to sharethis conversation with you.
You know, one of the keys toliving fully is to take action
when you're inspired to do so.
I hope you found that spark ofinspiration today and would you
help us spread the word.
Did someone you know come tomind while you were listening?
If this episode could impactsomeone you know, please share
(45:38):
it and pass it along.
New episodes drop weekly, sotap that subscribe button and
join us next time as we continueto challenge the status quo and
get equipped to live lifedifferently.
I'm Carla Reeves, and this is Differently.
Whether you feel stuck insurvival, navigating a change,
or seeking more for your life,may this podcast be your weekly
nudge to take a risk to build alife that is uniquely bold,
authentic and in alignment withyour deepest values.
What if you worried less aboutthe bumps in the road and
(00:23):
instead got equipped for thejourney?
Get ready to rethink what'spossible.
Hey, differently listener.
Today's episode we're divingdeep into a topic that's near
and dear to so many of usconfidence.
And who better to help usnavigate this than my brilliant
and stylish and amazing friend,jenny Zook?
(00:44):
She's been on the podcastbefore and we'll link to that
episode in the show notes.
Jenny's the founder of StyleSchool, which is a beautiful
space where fashion meetsconfidence and community.
Today, we're peeling back thelayers to explore just how
impactful our clothes can be,not just on how we look, but on
how we feel and show up in oureveryday lives.
(01:05):
Jenny's going to share herjourney insights and practical
tips that will have you lookinginto your closet and into the
mirror in an entirely new way.
This is all about finding joy,freedom and confidence in what
you put on every day.
So get ready for some laughs,some light bulb moments and just
some rich conversation.
(01:26):
Grab your coffee, get cozy andlet's rethink confidence and
style with Jenny.
You're going to love this Makesure you listen all the way to
the end for an invitation tospirit week.
It's the updated adult version.
You're going to love it.
Here we go.
Hey, everyone, welcome back todifferently.
I'm excited to have Jenny Zookback with us from style school
(01:51):
and we're going to just have aconversation about confidence,
which I feel like is such.
It's been such an importanttopic in my life, it's such an
important topic in my client'slife, and what we wear in our
clothes have such an impact.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
So welcome, jenny, hi very excited to be back and be
having a conversation, because,while we, I feel like this
confidence is really at theheart of everything that I do, a
lot has changed since the firsttime I was on and we had a
conversation, so it's going tobe fun to chat.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
That's true, so we'll link it in the show notes.
But Jenny was on I can'tbelieve it in 20 in May of 22.
And it was all about style andinner confidence.
So you're going to want to goback and listen to that too, and
definitely your business haschanged, to go back and listen
to that too, and definitely yourbusiness has changed.
So tell us a little bit aboutwhat is happening and I mean I'm
(02:50):
in there so I can speak to ittoo.
But what's like?
Let's talk about some of thehighlights of what's happening
today in style school and forpeople who may be new to style
school, like, tell us a littlebit about what it is.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Sure.
So I guess I can't really tellyou what it is without telling
you where it started, which wasvery different, and that's we.
You and I had a conversationback when I was first getting
started, because style schoolwill turn two this year, but my
business in helping women feelreally confident in their
(03:23):
clothes started almost fouryears ago.
So I started by building toolsthat were sort of like a
do-it-yourself, a seasonalcapsule.
That was just like a you know,it's your guidebook of how to
feel stylish, season by seasonby season.
And then I was like here you go,I did all the work and you can
(03:46):
take it from here, and what Ilearned was that isn't enough
for most women to be able tofigure out how to put clothes on
their body that make them feelreally good.
So the teacher in me, I have ateaching background and I
started to quickly figure outwomen need more support, women
need more guidance around how toreally figure out this beast
(04:09):
that is personal style, and Iwas trying to figure out well,
how do I do that?
How do I offer that extra layerof support and really build in
a sense of community?
Community, because most womendo better when there is a
(04:32):
community of them who are alsohaving similar challenges and
struggles which, by the way, weall are.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
We all are feeling these things right.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
And looking in the mirror and saying, oh, why
doesn't this look right?
And what's wrong with my body?
And these pants look so greaton her and why don't they look
right?
And what's wrong with my body?
And these pants look so greaton her and why don't they look
good on me?
And so Style School was born,which is really a place where
you can come and ask thosequestions and get the support
you need day to day to day, andit is a beautiful thing.
(05:01):
It is more than I could haveever dreamed of it being in the
sense of like the, the truesense of community that not just
I I mean I, yeah, I created itbut the women that are in there
and the that are willing to bevulnerable and ask the questions
.
It's magical, and I say that allthe time because it it really
(05:21):
does feel like a little piece ofmagic and you're going to get
the answers.
That you're piece of magic andyou're going to get the answers
that you're looking for.
And you're going to get theadvice that, like you, would get
from your most honest friend inthe dressing room.
And then, so that that wascreated, so you still get the
seasonal capsules, which is theplaybook that we sort of let
sort of ground us all Like we'reall going to sort of speak the
(05:43):
same language, based on theseasonal capsules.
And then there is this sort ofback and forth and we have these
additional lessons that I teachevery season to help you tackle
the biggest challenges that theseason throws at you, like
jeans or shorts.
(06:04):
I was floored last year tofigure out how many people in
style school haven't worn shortssince high school and I was
like, wait what is happening?
Swimsuits you know the thingsthat like make us all like get a
little squished.
Yeah and cringe that we have tolike go try on or try to find.
So I do that every month, andthen this year, in 2025, it's
(06:29):
evolving again, which is whichis the beauty of being an
entrepreneur and also the mostchallenging part of being an
entrepreneur right For sure itnever stays the same, but I
wanted to add in another layerbecause, yes, clothes are a huge
part of us feeling confidentand not cringing when we look in
the mirror, and I think thatthey can be a lever to help us
(06:53):
open the door to that biggerconversation, because there is
some heavy lifting when it comesto having the conversation
around.
How do I feel more confident?
And I wanted to find new waysto help support women and I am
not an expert in all things, andso I'm inviting other women to
(07:16):
come in and speak to some of thethings that are still barriers,
and a lot of that has to dowith mindset, but there are
definitely some tangible thingslike figuring out your colors
and figuring out what do you doafter you edit your closet, and
I have this mound of clothing,what can I do with it and, um,
(07:36):
you know those types of thingsthat I'm having that I'm
inviting other women to come inand speak to to help us tackle,
sort of the next level of livingour most confident lives.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
It's so beautiful, jenny, and I love that you
combine I think that's why youand I connected so much in the
beginning Like you combine themindset piece with the style
piece and like the psychology ofall of it.
Like I've been fascinated justlike looking at, like why do I
hang on to certain things in mycloset and why is it hard to get
(08:10):
rid of some things and why,like, there's so much psychology
in what we do in our closetright, and how we get in our
clothes and how we feel in ourclothes.
And I have learned so muchbeing in style school and I feel
like there is there's so muchthat's happening underneath the
(08:31):
surface of what you're doingthat you know because, like you
said, you have all thesebeautiful structures like the.
The capsules are so amazing.
Like just I'm so excitedbecause the spring capsule is
coming.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
It's so amazing.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Like just, I'm so excited because the spring
capsule is coming, oh my gosh,so good.
I do think it's my favorite.
It's my favorite child.
I do love spring and I don'tknow if it's because I live in
Colorado Now.
I grew up in Arizona, whereCarla is, and there's something
about being able to like shipfrom winter wardrobe to like
spring.
And it is, it is, it's, it's agood one.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Yes, and for people listening, like getting a
capsule to then go shopping like, Jenny's done all the work,
she's chosen pieces for all ofour different that work for our
different body types.
She's put them together inoutfits and she picks up the
most amazing cute pieces.
And it made me realize like howmuch also I would go shopping
(09:30):
and just buy things but didn'treally have a plan for how to
incorporate them in my wardrobeand then I don't end up not
wearing them.
And then you have regret andlike there's just so many layers
to all of it.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Yes, yes, there sure are.
And I do think that, um, uh,you know, as as we're moving
into spring and spirit week iscoming up, like that's one of
the things.
That's one of the hot topicsthat I want to tackle in spirit
week.
This go round, which is what alot of women do, is they're like
okay, it's a new season and Iwant some new stuff for my
(10:03):
wardrobe, I want to like give ita little bit of a zhuzh, I want
to refresh it.
And we go and we just likerandomly throw stuff in our
carts online or in our bags andwe come home with it and it's
like what do I do?
What do I do with this and howdoes it?
How does it work?
(10:24):
Or why isn't it working?
And my goal is to sort of takethat guesswork out of the
equation and show you what to goget based on what you already
have.
But you're right, You'reabsolutely right.
And what is in there?
And why is it in there?
And uh, uh, it can behyper-emotional uh, to actually
(10:56):
like go through and and havethose conversations, and I think
, having somebody hold you one,hold you accountable, because it
can easily end up at the bottomof our to-do list.
Um, I, I heard somebody call ita to-da list, the other day and
I was like you've heard that.
(11:17):
I'm like, oh my gosh, I lovethat Like I did it.
I did it.
Yes, yes, I'm like that's sogenius.
But cleaning out our closetsends up at the bottom of that
list.
A lot for a lot of women,because it feels like it's so
big and it's too much.
It's overwhelming, and I reallyhave these emotions tied to
(11:41):
some of these pieces and to beable to move past those I think
requires oftentimes an outsideinfluence.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Yeah, so speak a little bit to just this
confidence piece, like from yourperspective, um, as leaders in
our lives and moms and businessowners, like what is the
confidence piece that ties soclosely to our closets and what
we put on and how we look in themirror and how we present
(12:14):
ourselves right in ourbusinesses?
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Totally, so I think that I would love to know if
there were statistics aroundthis and I have.
I've looked for them and it'sit's upwards of like between 80
and 90% of women don't like whatis what their reflection looks
like when they look in themirror.
There's always something right.
(12:40):
I mean, we are experts andunfortunately, we've been
trained to be really good atpicking ourselves apart and
finding every flaw and tellingourselves that something is
wrong with our bodies, with ourclothes, with anything, with our
hair, with our makeup, you nameit.
(13:01):
We are just very, very good andwe've become that way of just
completely shredding ourselveswhen we look in the mirror.
And I know for a fact a lot ofthe problem are the clothes that
you're putting on your body andthey're not the right clothes.
(13:22):
And listen, like we werementioning earlier, there is
more to this confidence equationthan just the clothes.
However, when we can look in themirror and not cringe and say
oh, oh, hey, like, wait a second.
I actually kind of like the waythat this pair of jeans fits my
(13:46):
curves, or what it's doing formy backside, or how it is
locking and loading our favoritepart of our bodies, especially
if you've had babies thismidsection that is sort of just
like squishy and hanging out,when you can embrace and maybe
(14:06):
even smile when you look in themirror.
It does something for how youshow up in the rest of your day,
in your business, for yourfamily, for your friends, for
your colleagues, whatever it is.
Because you can take thatfeeling and it ripples out.
And that is what I am chasingfor every single woman that I
(14:32):
come in contact with, frankly,not just the women in style
school Because if you can, ifyou can do that for yourself
more often than not, imagine theimpact it's going to have in
every aspect of your life.
And I do believe that when youget the ball rolling in that
direction on the confidencefront, it allows you to think,
(14:56):
gives you some headspace to say,okay, I can tackle this.
Where that actual story thatI've been telling myself since I
was gosh?
When did these stories startfor girls?
Seven eight nine years old andit gets reinforced right From a
(15:21):
lot of different places.
But, like, to go to that level,I think you have to start by
like opening opening the door tolike get get down in there and
I just think, like, the morethat you can um take action to
(15:41):
change your belief, the easierit is to do some of the heavier
lifting.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
So true, not too long ago, like I caught myself like
seeing myself in the mirror andsaying negative things in my
head, you know, and I toldmyself, like no more, like now
when I want like I kind ofchallenged myself like every
time you look in the mirror,find something you like instead
of something you don't like, andthat has really helped a lot.
(16:09):
But it's like we are, we're sotrained to just rip it apart,
and when we look at other women,like when I see other women in,
even in style school, I noticedwhat's great, I noticed what
looks good, like it's not thedefault to look for what's wrong
only with me.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Right, yeah, yeah, I mean yeah, when it comes to our
own image, it is like we arejust we're our own worst critics
, like you know.
How many times have you heardthat said?
And I it's interesting, I think.
I think when you are a part ofa community like Style School or
any group of women that hascome together to really lift
(16:48):
each other up, you learn how tolook for the good.
But I also think a lot of womendo this to other women.
We can be hyper judgmentalbecause it's like we we've been
so conditioned to like bejudgmental and and it.
(17:14):
So when you're doing it toyourself, it's easy to do it to
other people too.
And you know, I think that,like that whole dynamic needs to
shift and and be reshaped, andyou know I mean it.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
It's got to start with yourself well, and I think
in style school, like you justeverybody is so different, right
, their styles are so differentbody shapes are so different,
like it's just been, it's beenso enlightening and so like what
you were saying, like sometimeswe just have the wrong clothes
on.
Like how true that is.
(17:50):
And like I've seen sometransformation in style school
just because they changed kindof how they're wearing things
and it like completely changestheir body shape the way they
look in the mirror.
Like there are a few women thatrecently have just they're just
sparkling, like because theyfeel confident in their clothes.
(18:13):
It shines out of their facebecause they feel better and it
reminds me like when I was ateenager I was obsessing in the
mirror and my mom would sayforget yourself and go have a
good time, and like it stillmakes me cry my mom's not here
anymore, but like it used tomake me so mad when she would
(18:34):
say that because I knew.
I knew I was spending too muchtime fussing over my hair or
whatever.
And those were such wise wordsand I feel like, jenny, what you
teach us in style school, andlike the confidence we get from
each other and saying, oh mygosh, you look amazing.
And then we learned to likewear something that we thought
maybe we couldn't wear, thatlike we actually can wear and
(18:57):
feel good in.
And then we can go forgetourselves and like be of service
in the world and the ways thatwe're here to do.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
Yes, yes, it's almost like how many times have you
had an experience in your lifewhere you're like in a meeting,
or you're at an event, or you'reeven like sitting at lunch with
a group of friends and like youcan't stop thinking about the
(19:25):
way something fits, or likeyou're squirming, or you're like
constantly?
Adjusting your waistband orlike and you can't.
It's like you can't even enjoyor be present because you're so
obsessed.
By the way, nobody is paying asmuch attention as you are, but
it is a barrier to like livingyour life outside of like what's
(19:50):
going on here and how.
What a gift to be able to likeset it and forget it.
Like I know, I like what I looklike when I left the house
today and I don't need to likeworry about it.
And I don't need to beconstantly right and it actually
feels good on my body on top ofit, right?
It's not just like you know,it's not just about how it looks
(20:16):
in the mirror, it's also abouthow it feels on your body, so
that you don't like squirm allday in these, like clothes that
just that there's somethingwrong with I say it all the time
but like there's nothing wrongwith your body, there's
something wrong with the clothesand like let me help you find
(20:39):
what's wrong with the clothes sothat we can just take it out of
the equation.
And out of this like not justtime suck in the morning when
you're going to get dressed, butlike the the amount of space of
taking up in your head all daylong.
Oh my gosh, the freedom thatcomes when you can take that out
(21:01):
of the equation, I think ismassively underrated.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Well, and I think the other thing you've taught me is
like just the taking a pictureof your outfit.
Like how different sometimes Ican like look in the mirror at
my outfit and then take a photoof the outfit and be like wait a
minute, that looks good, but inthe mirror it doesn't what.
What is that, jenny?
Speaker 2 (21:22):
I don't know, I don't , it is different.
It is different and like, and somany women, because of those I
have, I keep pointing at themirror because it's in my office
and I'm like, look there it isso many women have such a
negative relationship with thatdang mirror.
They're terrified of takingpictures of themselves.
(21:46):
I mean terrified to the pointof like.
I have had women participate inevery single spirit week and
will not take a single pictureof themselves because they hate
it.
They are worried how, like thethere is such a major hangup and
(22:06):
I'm telling you, when you takepictures of your outfits,
especially if you are like whichjeans look better, which shoes
look right here, and you putthem side by side, it's so
obvious.
Once you start learning some ofthe skills that I teach inside
of style school, you canliterally see it.
And I don't know like, thepictures just are different than
(22:29):
the mirror and I do think it'sbecause of this lifelong
relationship that we have withmirrors as women.
It is um, it's it, it's sad, um, it's it, it's sad and I think
(22:50):
it's dangerous.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
You talk a lot about, um, you know, I I feel like you
sent out a newsletter and yournewsletter is so good, so we'll
make sure to put a link to thesign up for that and in the show
notes too.
But, um, you did somethingwhere it was like you'd had a
heck of a week or a day.
I can't remember being a mom.
(23:11):
All the things, Um, but youtalked about, like putting on
your outfit for the day, couldbe like a game changer for you.
And so when you've had like ahard morning or whatever, like
what does that look like for youand how do you approach your
closet in a way that that couldshift the rest of your day?
Speaker 2 (23:51):
of needs and quirks and things that make parenting
far more challenging than I everanticipated.
I'm sure most parents canresonate with that, but it can
easily change the trajectory ofmy day based on how they slept
or what's happening in themorning and what challenges are
being thrown my way.
And I I'm a morning person, somy mornings I try to um, get
(24:17):
ahead of that, because if I letthem determine how the rest of
my day is going to go, it wouldnot, more often than not it
would probably go sideways.
So I try to get dressed beforethey're out of bed in the
morning, which means I get upvery early, but I use clothes to
(24:40):
set myself up for the type ofday I want to have.
So I choose of day I want tohave.
So I choose, I choose thecolors, I choose some item that
I'm like how, what, what wouldgive me joy today?
Is it something in theathleisure category, and I, for
(25:03):
those of you that don't know me,I love myself some athleisure,
and I don't mean leggings, okay,I don't mean sweatshirts and
you know, sweatpants.
I mean athleisure that lookslike I'm wearing a suit, kind of
, and I like to use those typesof pieces a lot in my wardrobe
(25:25):
because I work from home and Icomfort is very, very important
to me.
But I also like to look thepart.
So I am recording this podcastwith Carla today and I wanted to
look professional.
So I'm wearing jeans, but I'mwearing a graphic t-shirt and a
blazer that's made out ofsweatshirt material, but the
colors are bright and funbecause I wanted to show up high
(25:48):
energy.
So I choose based on how I wantto feel that day, how I want to
show up for my day andsometimes you know, our days,
especially as entrepreneurs,look wildly different depending
on your day.
But I go in with that mindset oflike, what am I, what feeling
(26:10):
am I after today and what'sgoing to bring me joy.
Sometimes it's a pair of shoes,sometimes it's a graphic
t-shirt, sometimes it's a reallybright color because I'm like
dragging and I need something tolike brighten my day.
But if I can do that for myself, you know, I can then have a
(26:32):
different kind of energy when Igo to face the challenges that I
know the day is going to throwat me.
It's always.
It's always something as anentrepreneur, as a mom, as a mom
to children, that I swear I'mlike this can't be normal.
What is happening?
I ask myself that pretty muchevery day.
(26:53):
Things that I can control areso powerful, and your clothes
are one of them and, believe itor not, they are sending
messages to yourself.
The end of the day, you shouldbe getting dressed because of
what it does for you, not whatit says or does for anybody else
(27:13):
.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
I love that.
I just want to highlight whatyou said because it's so
parallel to what I teach ineverything.
All the work that I do, too, islike like instead of going
after things in our life inorder to feel better, like
achieving things so that we feelbetter lead with the feeling.
(27:36):
What's the feeling you want tofeel?
First Like, is it joy, is itpeace?
Whatever it is?
And then ask yourself, like howcan I create that right here,
today?
So you're not living your lifefor someday when something
happens, because if you don'tknow how to cultivate those
feelings in your life now,you're not going to know how to
do it when you achieve thatthing.
(27:56):
And so, plus, you waste allthis time trying to get
somewhere that may never happen,right?
So this is just another way wecan cultivate those feelings in
our life right here.
And I love what you said, likedon't let the circumstances of
your day lead your life like youget to lead your life, and
there are choices and thingsthat we can always control to
(28:19):
make such a difference there.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
Yes, yeah, I 100% agree with you.
Yes, yeah, I, I 100% agree withyou.
But I also think that comesback to what we have been
trained to believe is how youget there.
How do you get, how do I createhappiness?
How do I?
You chase it, you work hard forit, you you know, and actually
it's in here already.
You can find it.
(28:44):
But I do think you have to betaught a new way of thinking
about it, of how to find itright.
It isn't out, it isn't outthere.
Those things are nice.
I mean don't get me wrong Ilike when people say, oh my gosh
, I love your outfit today.
You can keep, you can keep thecompliments coming, because that
definitely, I think all of uslike external validation, but at
(29:07):
the end of the day, I should beable to have that with inside
me.
And it takes work and it takespractice and it takes learning.
That skillset that you teach,that I teach, but I don't know
that there's any other.
I think both of those things incombination.
I mean, if I had, I don't knowthat there's any other.
I think both of those things incombination.
(29:28):
I mean, if I had, I don't knowif I had to pick one what Carla
teaches or what I teach like.
What would I pick?
What would?
Speaker 1 (29:34):
I pick.
I don't know If you had to pickone we don't oh, that's a hard
one I would well.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
I probably, but I think I probably would pick what
Carla does.
First, because there's just somuch power in knowing yourself
that self-awareness, I think, iskey and actually the more you
know yourself, the easier it isto find your personal style
right.
When you understand thingsabout yourself, you can look and
(30:02):
say, oh, I'm drawn to that andthat like lights me up, because
I know myself well enough toknow what lights me up.
So, but like I don't know thatthere's any other more worthy
investment in in knowing thosethings about yourself and how to
really cultivate happinesswithin, versus chasing all of
(30:27):
the things, especially for allthose type A-ers.
I'm a type A, I'm a workhorse,I'm an achiever, and that is a
really hard thing to unwind.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
It is, but not impossible.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
No, not impossible, it's a practice right Like me
too.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
I relate to all those things too, and it's been like
just a practice of unwinding andunlearning, right, so you can
create new experiences.
Is there something that wouldbe simple to teach, like someone
who's listening, who wants toshift their approach around this
, like, let's just say like, isthere something you could kind
(31:13):
of teach that would give themsomething to start with?
And then, of course, we'llinvite them into what's
happening soon.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
But I would say the number one thing if you want
your clothes to feel better onyour body is to understand your
shape.
And again, while I never tellwomen, you know, there are these
shapes like you could be anapple, you can be a pear, you
(31:41):
can be a rectangle Nobody fitsperfectly into any of those
buckets, right, but it gives youa place to start because when
you know those things about yourbody maybe you carry weight in
your midsection, maybe you havea really small waist and big
hips Okay, there are clothesdesigned and cut for your, for
(32:07):
your particular shape.
And that's why when you, whenyou know those things about
yourself, you can grab thingsthat are a curvy, fit.
You can grab things that arepetite, you can grab things that
have a neckline that is goingto make you look taller and
leaner, and then you will startto recognize that your body
(32:33):
isn't the problem.
And I think that is like thefoundational understanding of
when you know those things,because once you start to learn,
like these are the types ofpants that really work well on
my body, you know what to lookfor, and then you're going to
also start to find where you canfind them, that you have
(32:54):
regular success that you haveregular success.
So it's less of a guessing gameIf you know that like, oh, I
found this particular brand ofjean and Nordstrom sells them,
and I don't know Ever Eve sellsthem, and or Old Navy and Gap, I
can go back to that place andfind another color or another,
(33:20):
this season's version of thatsame pant, and I'm going to be
able to get the size I knowworks and the cut and the shape
that I know work, so that I feellike I am not spinning my
wheels over and over and overagain.
I think that is like thefoundational knowledge that you
need to have to be able to find,to be able to, like, move the
(33:44):
needle in the right direction.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
Yeah, that totally makes sense.
Well, and I think one of theother things I remind myself all
the time that you have taughtus is don't worry so much about
the label and the size, becauseclothes like sizes vary.
Even my husband was navigatingthat the other day.
He's like why, why am I thissize and it feels small and I'm
like, don't pay attention tothat.
(34:07):
Jenny says not to pay attentionto that Like, and that's just
like, so much freedom in that.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
Even with swimsuits.
That's a great one.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
Yes, swimsuits, yeah, swimsuits are like a whole
other conversation.
It's literally like another,like another planet.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
Unfortunately and like the sizing, sizing on
swimsuits.
I'm like yeah that it's anightmare, but I do feel like.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
I have getting what feels good.
Yes, you don't make it meananything.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
No, because, honest to God, it is so bananas how
retailers do their sizes.
You can literally be threedifferent sizes in the same
store on the same day and likeyou're one size in this kind of
(34:56):
pants and you're another size inthis kind of pant and you're a
totally different size in thisdress and the tops you just have
to.
You just have to be willing togo up a size and not let it tell
you your worth all.
Yes, you and just go for feelinggood in it and and and it
(35:21):
fitting right and it notcreating extra lumps and bumps,
because you're bound anddetermined to zip those pants up
stop or lose weight, so you canwear it or or I will get these.
I will go back and get thosewhen I've lost 10 pounds.
And that story has just got tostop, because all we do is
(35:43):
continue to put ourselves rightback in the narrative where we
have been taught to stay ourwhole lives.
It's not worth it.
Speaker 1 (35:52):
You do such a good job of reminding us about like
goal close.
Like and I think Sasha likereally reinforced your message.
I loved what she said Likedon't have goal clothes.
Like I need to lose this amountof weight and then I can wear
that, but have goal clothes.
Like I'm going to wear thiswhen we go to Costa Rica and I
can't freaking wait.
I love that.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
Yes, I love that too.
That was one of the things Iwanted to carry over into style
school and then my family gotsick and I didn't get on top of
it as I want to.
But that stuff, it should beLike.
I can't wait to wear thatbecause it makes me feel those
are the kind of clothes you wantto have, goal clothes you want
(36:32):
to have in your closet.
Not, I hope to get back intothat someday, or I'm going to
wear that when I.
You know, I've done boot campfor six weeks and, by the way,
you might do boot camp for sixweeks and your body looks
exactly the same or looks worsebecause of your hormones or you
name it whatever's going on inour crazy bodies that we call
(36:55):
being a woman, crazy bodies thatwe call being a woman.
Goodness gracious, it is tough,it is tough.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
And the last thing we need to be is harder on
ourselves.
It is tough, but I feel likeall the things you teach lighten
that, lighten the places we canlighten.
So tell us about what'shappening March 9th and how
people can be a part of it.
Speaker 2 (37:22):
So I have created an adult spirit week and I don't
know about you, I have little.
My boys are nine, and so spiritweeks make me sort of want to
like pull my hair out a littlebit, but this is an adult spirit
week because I'm a teacher.
Spirit weeks make me sort ofwant to like pull my hair out a
little bit, but this is an adultspirit week because I'm a
(37:43):
teacher.
I have created a space everyseason where I invite women to
come in.
It's free and I teach you a lotover the course of the week.
And I have I give you outfitformulas for that season that
are giving you a preview of someof the things that are in the
spring capsule that I havecreated.
But I'm showing you how to takethe cuts and shapes and sort of
(38:07):
overall silhouettes of anoutfit and how to leverage it
for your body and why it works,to sort of build in some of the
knowledge that I share inside ofstyle school.
It's super fun If you'relooking for ways to refresh your
wardrobe.
I also give you ideas on how tofind these pieces for yourself.
(38:30):
If you're just looking for somequick wins's.
It's a lot of fun and I'm alsogoing to be teaching within
spirit week this year of if Iwere building my wardrobe from
scratch, what pieces would Iabsolutely want to have in my
wardrobe, so that when you startto get that piece under control
(38:56):
, you can say, oh gosh, like I'mreally attracted to I don't
know Jennifer Aniston style orKristen Bell style, or I like to
use celebrities, because theyusually have pretty specific
style so that you know what tosprinkle on top.
(39:19):
Specific style so that you knowwhat to sprinkle on top.
I call trends and like thingsthat like really sort of set you
apart from like a white t-shirtand jeans, right, what kinds of
things are you drawn to?
So you know, okay, I have thefoundation.
What would I sprinkle in andand and why am I going and
getting these items?
Because I know what I'm drawnto.
So I'm going to teach you how todo both of those things to sort
(39:42):
of kick off our week together.
And the energy is just, it'spalpable, it's so much fun and
we learn a lot from one anotherand we learn a lot based on all
the different body types and allthe different ages.
And oh, you took that formulaand did like this spin on it and
like that's so cool and I wantto remember that I'm going to
(40:03):
take some screenshots and I'mgoing to like save this so that
I can, you know, feeldifferently this season, and
that's what I'm after.
And so spirit week does it kick, kicks off on March 9th, where
I'm going to be teaching, andthen we spend the week, the
whole week, together, learningand encouraging and inspiring
(40:26):
one another to just feel reallygood and put some intentionality
into what we're putting on ourbodies every day.
Speaker 1 (40:34):
So fun and you know it's like seeing well one.
The outfit formulas are greatbecause it's like oh, I don't
know what I'm gonna wear today.
And during spirit week it'slike she already has an idea.
So you can always go with thatwhich is so fun and then, like
you said, see everyone'svariations.
But even just on an ordinaryday, sometimes, like last Friday
when I did my class, i'm'm likewhat do I want to wear today?
(40:58):
And sometimes I'll just pop inboxer and see what everyone else
is wearing today.
Yes, inspire an idea.
And I saw somebody's outfit andI literally was like, oh,
that's what I'm going to do, andit just takes all the
overthinking out of the picture.
Yes, the analysis, paralysis.
Speaker 2 (41:13):
It's like, oh okay, I can do that and I probably
don't have all those pieces.
That's the other thing.
Like I don't teach you how tojust go shop and buy a brand new
wardrobe every season.
I want to teach you how to usewhat you already have and then
add some sprinkles on top togive it a little bit of a new
life each season, because Ithink we all deserve to have
(41:33):
some new things that aren'tyou're not buying your kids and
you're not spending on thefamily and you're not like give
yourself, you know, some littlefun, little fresh things, cause
we all deserve that.
But yeah, it's not about goingand buying new.
It's like how can I createsomething similar using the
stuff that I already have in mycloset?
Speaker 1 (41:55):
Yeah, and Jenny, you're so generous in there.
I mean you're so generous inhelping us.
I mean, whatever you have andneed support around, like Jenny
is so incredibly helpful.
Like, if you have a speakingevent coming up and you want an
outfit which I do, by the wayI've got to post it because I
need your help with a livespeaking event, yeah, but she'll
(42:16):
give you ideas or you have aformal event to go to, or that
stuff is so incredibly helpfuland and the way in which you
share your feedback is so greattoo.
Like you just have such abeautiful way of telling us,
like, try, you know, like wealready know.
(42:36):
We usually already know when anoutfit isn't working.
And then Jenny will just saywhat if you tried this Like just
the other day?
You're like put a belt on tosomebody and she put the belt on
.
I'm like, oh my gosh, gamechanger.
The outfit was perfect and thebelt just like took it up a
whole different notch.
Speaker 2 (42:52):
Yes, yeah, it can be tricky and I will tell you like
total transparency.
It is hard sometimes to givefeedback to women when their
outfits aren't working, so Iappreciate that very much.
I try really hard, and I meanas a teacher.
Speaker 1 (43:09):
You, get a lot of feedback.
Speaker 2 (43:11):
You get a lot of feedback from people coming in
literally watching you in realtime and and saying like, whoa,
you get a lot of bad feedback.
You get a lot of good feedback.
So that is something that Ihave tried really hard to master
, because we're not in there tobreak each other down, Right,
but I am going to tell you whensomething's not working Well
(43:32):
that's what we want.
Speaker 1 (43:33):
We don't want you to just be like, oh, that looks
great.
Like we're there to learn.
Speaker 2 (43:36):
And so you.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
You balance that so incredibly well.
Um so, come check out style umspirit week, style school spirit
week um.
Links are in the show notes.
I highly encourage it.
Um, I'll be there too, and it'sso much fun.
It's so much fun.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
I like, I love it is one of my most favorite every
season.
I can't wait to do it, and it'sa.
It's a lot of work, but, um,those light bulbs that go off
for women like you just can't.
It's so worth it.
So please come join us.
It is a blast.
Speaker 1 (44:11):
It is a blast, Jenny.
One last question before we go,and I probably asked you this
last time you were on, but itmight.
Your answer might've changed.
What does differently mean toyou?
Speaker 2 (44:25):
Oh, I think my answer has probably changed.
I think differently means doing, pushing yourself to do things
that you like, undoing thetraining, undoing the
conditioning, and showing updifferently in your life, based
on the life that you want to beliving so beautiful.
Speaker 1 (44:50):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (44:51):
Thank you so much for joining me.
Speaker 1 (44:53):
Yeah, and I can't wait to see you in style school.
Um spirit week and um, yeah,thank you so much, jenny, love
that we're, our paths areconnected and um, we'll do this
again.
Yes, thanks, carla, have anamazing day.
Thank you for tuning in to thisepisode of Differently.
(45:15):
It's been an honor to sharethis conversation with you.
You know, one of the keys toliving fully is to take action
when you're inspired to do so.
I hope you found that spark ofinspiration today and would you
help us spread the word.
Did someone you know come tomind while you were listening?
If this episode could impactsomeone you know, please share
(45:38):
it and pass it along.
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