Journey To Dawning Confidence With Catherine | Interview

I am always so excited to introduce you to women who are matching their inner greatness with their outer presentation so they can be exactly who they are meant to be and share it with the world.

In this Confidence Shift Conversation, I am introducing you to my client, Catherine R.

I can't wait for you to meet her. Let us know your favorite part of her story in the comments below! ~ 𝕄ℂ𝔾 

Let's Meet Catherine!

MCG: What do you do to serve others with your business & passion?

Catherine: Such a great question! I provide space and I do this for clients by freeing up their time to focus on opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t necessarily have the chance to look at. I provide space to learn for my employees, certainly those who would benefit most from a collaborative professional environment. And I hope that with this constant goal I enable others to feel empowered. My business is Lathered - Okotoks/High River.

The Beginning Of A Different Kind of Style Journey

MCG: Often, people don’t fully believe that your current mindset shows up in how you present yourself and get dressed every day. Before H&S, what were you feeling in and about yourself that was affecting your confidence every day?

Catherine: I picture being a student walking into the wrong classroom the first day of school because that’s how I was showing up. Oh, I was showing up, but I was in the wrong room and I needed, and am still working on, confidently being present in the right room.

MCG: Where was this keeping you from expressing yourself or achieving new success - in your work, business, career or relationships?

Catherine: I didn’t trust myself to believe in myself. I didn't believe that I was actually entitled to my experiences and my knowledge/expertise and that those things are valuable.

MCG: How was your dressing - style, polish and presence - reflecting this mindset and keeping you from showing up?

Catherine: I was playing dress-up, I was wearing things I thought would be appropriate for what I was doing. In hindsight, I probably looked exactly like I was playing dress-up because I certainly was not comfortable with how I looked!

MCG: What mainstream, generic DIY tips and tricks did you try to improve but could never get to work for you as an individual?

Catherine: Trying to copy someone else's style, celebrities for example. Even when another person has a similar complexion or maybe a similar outlook on life as you, they’re not you!

MCG: What turning point made it urgent for you to commit and fix these feelings and your image-confidence once and for all?

Catherine: Starting a business, knowing I was going to be out there as a leader and as the face of my business, I really needed to sort my image out - stat!!

MCG: What caught your attention first about Hue and Style®?

Catherine: The holistic approach, not just talking about the clothes but about the whole person and the direction and future as well instead of just a season or two.

Dressing In New Confidence

MCG: What was the first change you noticed? When did you experience it?

Catherine: My confidence in choosing what was right for me and quickly letting go of what wasn’t.

MCG: What was the biggest dressing myth you happily released after joining and learning Hue and Style®?

Catherine: Apparently, bodies change over time, who knew? I don’t think I really believed any myths per se, but I didn’t know how to put anything together that felt right in part because I was still dressing a different version of myself.

MCG: Why did that change what you thought about yourself?

Catherine: I was able to see myself through a different lens, I was far more present and not constantly worrying about how I was going to appear.

MCG: I share that H&S Women are 10x more visible and memorable to the world and those we help; how fast did you notice the outside world start noticing and responding differently to you?

Catherine: That’s a tough one because I haven’t been in the outside world very much in the last year and a half, but I have noticed that the more I work on these processes, the faster I see results, even when it’s more focused on social media presence.

MCG: So many women share that they don't want to learn all the "confidence stuff" about themselves before they learn how to dress - they want new clothes or a new style to update their look for the season. What are they missing in this kind of thinking?

Catherine: You won’t have a real style that is true to you without doing the work on yourself. Working on yourself and growing as a person goes hand in hand with how you appear in the world.

MCG: Why was it more valuable for you to learn about self-acceptance, self-love, and self-expression, along with learning to present yourself and crafting a complete personal brand?

Catherine: It continues to allow me to let go of beliefs I have been holding onto about myself that are not true. Learning self-acceptance and self-love is never-ending, it’s really about incorporating these things in how you speak to yourself and how you treat yourself. These lessons are invaluable.

MCG: What was your favorite Hue and Style® skill to learn and now to use?

Catherine: The color palette is amazing! I definitely use the makeup lesson quite a bit too. And the different styles and combinations...and the style psychology...and I clearly use it all...

The second was journaling. I’ve always heard of the importance of this practice, but I had not understood its real value until Hue and Style®.

MCG: How did they snowball into the way you dress and ALL of your self-care (wellness goals, assertiveness, believing in yourself, asking for what you want)?

Catherine: I am a work in progress! I have incorporated way more self-care in my day, I make decisions a lot faster as well. I still struggle with a few things but feel like the importance at this point in my life should be focusing on “getting there” rather than just “being there”.

The Power To Show Up In Uncertain Times

MCG: We live in different times, with the idea of dressing taking on a pandemic-casual tone with more people thinking it's fine to wear sweats and yoga pants to work from home. What do you think about this idea?

Catherine: I love my yoga pants and I love dressing casually but you run the risk of “letting yourself go” when you stop getting dressed in anything but those things. Switch it up and change the energy in your home office by getting dressed!

MCG: Why is mastering one's image-confidence more important now more than ever?

Catherine: Now is the time! When we work on ourselves as individuals, we strengthen the team.

"We have an amazing opportunity, as women, right now, to take the reins in industries that have either never really been seen or have historically not included many women, and show this world our power."

 

Permanently Evolving Success Through Mentorship

MCG: Since becoming a Hue and Style® Woman, what are some of your biggest wins you've had now that your image-confidence is a superpower?

Catherine: Always with the tough questions! I have trudged through some really rough times these last couple of months. I have continued to grow my business despite hiring setbacks. I have committed to growing an amazing team members position within my company. I have persisted and learned and continue to learn. I have been a guest on a web show. I have updated processes and efficiencies within my company, and I have been vulnerable in moments where ordinarily I would have hidden myself away.

MCG: I’ve been mentoring women for almost 25 years, and I say this: "No one changes permanently without being surrounded by women changing in the same way." Why did you choose a mentorship relationship and program instead of a typical style course or program?

Catherine: In this type of scenario, I felt as though I would learn a lot more by hearing other women’s experiences and challenges and not just focusing on my own. It’s not about comparison, it’s more about perspective.

MCG: How valuable did you find being surrounded with women changing the same way growing together inside the H&S Sisterhood?

Catherine: My cohort was exactly who I needed to do this with even without having known them prior to starting the program.

Continued Growth With Leading Others To Blossom 

MCG: You are a true H&S WOMEN. A FEARLESS, MAGNETIC, LEADER, READY to serve and a WALKING COMMERCIAL for who you are and what you do!

Tell us why your H&S experience was Journey to DAWNING Confidence?

Catherine: I think my biggest revelation through this initial process with you, Michele, is in the story we present the world in our appearance and how when I was trying to blend or disappear (which is way harder for me than showing up, by the way) I was doing myself a disservice. Your style and your story isn't a uniform, it changes, it's fluid, and that's a beautiful thing! A lot of peace comes out of accepting and loving yourself!

"My experience really led to accepting myself a lot more and no longer feeling like I need to apologize or dumb myself down at all."

MCG: Women sometimes have trouble giving value and permission to themselves to invest in a transformational personal growth process.

What advice would you give to a woman who thinks it's not the right time to pay attention to her image + confidence or doesn't feel she's worth the time, energy or finances it takes to make a change?

Catherine: I think the first step is knowing that you have value and the next step is investing in yourself to learn how to present yourself in a way that others will see that value in you - right way. 

"When you believe you have value, and you can see that the investment is worth it."

MCG: You make me so proud, My Dear, continuing to grow in yourself, matching that power with how the world sees you.  You are offering more than a service to your clients and team, you are offering the best of yourself in service for a big and important purpose. You are truly a brilliant star and a beacon inspiring and empowering others! #proudmentor

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If Catherine's story sparked hope to trust more in yourself so you can show up in your most powerful way - permanently, click here to discover more about my Hue and Style® mentorship.