Sacred Women have been in hiding for lifetimes
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Why great style has no size
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When I was in the airport on my way to Cleveland for Thanksgiving, Danielle, my business manager, sent me an email with the Subject: “You have to see this.” In it was this picture of Live More Weigh Less Alum Crystal Cave. I instantly started sobbing in the airport.
I was so overcome with how powerful, confident, gorgeous and in-her-body Crystal was. This was SO not the case when we started working together (no offense Crystal).
Crystal was emailing me to ask if I would support her new program “Not So Skinny Style School”. I have been saying a lot of “no’s” to promotion these days, but when I saw what she had to offer and how much she was walking her talk, I was falling all over myself to support her and have the opportunity to tell you about her incredible story of transformation…
As leaders and teachers, we often don’t know how our work has impacted someone’s life. So when I get to witness a transformation that’s as inspiring as Crystal’s, I get chills, tears and a little fire inside that reminds me that what I am doing is making a real difference.
I’ve had the chance to watch Crystal step out of the shadows and into the spotlight to not only show off her amazing style, but also to demonstrate to others that it doesn’t matter what your size is – you deserve to have a style, be seen and feel confident – right now, as you are.
But just two years ago, this was not the case for Crystal. Sure, she was able to pull of a super stylish appearance and to everyone on the outside she appeared to be the queen of confidence, but secretly, inside, she felt like she was dying. She couldn’t shake the belief that her life would only be “perfect” when she lost the weight.
Fortunately and unfortunately, Crystal had a sudden and major medical issue. It was unrelated to her weight, but forced her to stop working. (No worries, she’s okay now.) Yet, instead of playing the victim, Crystal came out of that experience with renewed determination and amazing goals in mind.
Crystal’s new goal was to step into the fashion world as a successful, feminine business mogul. But first, she vowed to herself that it was time to lose the weight – and keep it off forever.
Luckily for us both, she found Live More Weigh Less and instantly connected to its message of feeling confident in your skin now, instead of focusing on the weight loss. For Crystal, it became less about losing weight, and more about going after all her dreams now instead of waiting until she looked a certain way, first.
I LOVED learning that the first thing Crystal did to embrace her LMWL journey was book a photoshoot! It had nothing to do with eating and everything to do with owning her power in front of the camera.
Even better, Crystal revealed that the day of her photoshoot she was craving protein to help see her through, and instead of “shoulding” herself into eating a salad, Crystal gave her body the protein it needed by enjoying a fabulous burger. A small act that completely changed the way she approached food. I’m so proud of the fun she had that day. She told me it was such a powerful experience in self-love that Crystal booked two more.
Armed with her beautiful new portfolio, Crystal started to pay closer attention to what was happening at during her styling jobs in LA. First, she realized that even the size zero models were hating on their bodies. Second, she learned that very few stylists knew how to dress a plus-sized woman, as Crystal watched a top stylist struggle to dress a plus-sized actress on the set of a movie.
Business inspiration dawned! Crystal decided that it was time to create a style voice for plus sized women. It started with creating a whole new identity for herself. She threw out the phrase “plus sized” and started a blog for the “not so skinny” woman. She also started working exclusively with double digit women.
Later, in a meditation session at the first Live Free Retreat, which I co-lead with Nisha Moodley, Crystal imagined herself opening a box of her life’s purpose. Inside: a compilation of style knowledge for women, for the masses. The idea was exciting and terrifying, so she tapped into the amazing sisterhood of women from Live Free and Live More Weigh Less. The feedback she received blew her away and helped her release any self-sabotaging beliefs.
Eight months later, after continued inspiration from this community, she decided to create Not So Skinny Style School.
In creating Not So Skinny Style School, Crystal, of course steps in to give the A-Z’s of how to style your Not So Skinny body. As Crystal says, she takes you from gaining clear style inspiration to actually going into a dressing room and NOT having a breakdown. Rather, she teaches you how to walk out of the store with style confidence and poise.
To help women accomplish this virtually, Crystal includes a community of women supporting each other. Because of LMWL she knew that it was integral for transformation in a virtual setting.
Likewise, Crystal also includes LIVE-style coaching (I love this). She knew from her styling background that women could hide in their clothes and that it was too easy to get stuck and slink back into the shadows without live support.
Lastly, (and my fav part) Crystal has integrated the mind-body connection into her Style School program. Having worked in Hollywood and NYC, Crystal knows, “you can have the best outfit ever styled, but if you don’t carry it with confidence, you’ll still allow yourself to blend in and never shine.”
If you’re interested in learning more about Not So Skinny Style School, click here.
I can’t tell you how proud I am of Crystal. It has been such a joy to watch her blossom into the confident, gorgeous, badass entrepreneur she is.
If you dread opening the closet door or have worn out your go-to feel good outfit, then I highly encourage you to check out Not So Skinny Style School.
Love,
