When Tweaks are not Enough, it's time for Transformation.

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I'm going to say it again...

"When tweaks are not enough, it's time for TRANSFORMATION."
Saul Kaplan, Business Innovation Factory

Communities. Government. Business. Education.

Yea, of course. But what about STYLE?

I know a lot of you are stuck in tweak-phase. Making little adjustments here and there. Trying to shop, but getting frustrated because you're not sure WHAT in heck to buy.

Another pair of earrings? A new shade of red lipstick? A denim jacket?

You've done tons of tweaking, but you STILL feel like your clothes don't represent your YOU-NESS.

You're still not happy with your body. You're focusing on your growing belly, your mama-stretch-marks and the cellulite on your thighs.

BRAVE... that is something you know is INSIDE you, but right now, you're feeling kind of like a whimpy-pants.

There comes a point when you've got to STOP TWEAKING & START TRANSFORMING.

As far as I see it, you need at least THREE THINGS in your pocket:

Inside-Out Congruency, Body Confidence, Bravery

Unless you have all three of those things, tweaks aren't gonna do you diddly.

Tweaks happen on the outside. Transformation happens on the INSIDE!

Let me show you what I mean...

 
 

Ack!

Right before my husband and I left left for the Peace Corps, we did a photo shoot with a local photographer, and THIS IS WHAT I WORE.

ON A PHOTO SHOOT!!!

I didn't have a CLUE about Inside-Out Congruency at the time, and this outfit is testament to that. It in NO WAY reflected my SOUL-FIRE!

That thing that I was doing there... trying to hide my hips and thighs because I was ashamed of my body - NOT WORKING!!

And you see those curved-in, lacking-confidence shoulders? Though I was doing something BRAVE (joining the Peace Corps) I wasn't feeling the POWER of my decision. I approached big change with a little bit of grit... and HUGE amount of trepidation.

STYLE is something I LEARNED.

I spent years tweaking, trying on different kinds of oversized drawstring pants and hippy pendants. And like a true science-gal (my background is in Ecology) I realized a new methodology was needed.

So I invented one, and things changed.

 
 
 
 

Seeing my own BEFORE + AFTER pictures still blows my mind. The "before" feelings, when I remember them, hit me hard right in the gut. I remember...

  • the frustration and disappointment when I looked at my body in the mirror

  • the sadness and defeat that would overwhelm me when I HAD to go shopping

  • the blow-down fights I'd have with my closet each morning

  • the feeling that I was a freakin' style disaster, no matter how many tweaks I made

  • and constantly feeling misunderstood

Here's a side-by-side, to bring it all home.

Believe it or not... I was around 15 pounds lighter in the BEFORE picture.

HIDING DOES NOT WORK!!

THIS is why I started Stasia's Style School.

And this is PRECISELY WHY Style School is not about TWEAKS... it's about TRANSFORMATION.

And it works.

During the last round of SSS, TRANSFORMATION was the name of the game.

One of our #stylesisters, Michelle, transformed into a mighty force right before our very eyes, and it was A-W-E-S-O-M-E.

 
 

Though the pictures of Michelle speak for themselves, I think you need to hear from her directly:

"If I’m really being honest, when I look at these photos, I just see the before side. And I cringe. Seriously. The hair. It’s all I see. Realistically I know you’re looking at both photos... and I’m pretty much hoping you’re looking at the after side far more. So, I’m sitting here trying to get over myself and not dwell on the fact that I’m letting the whole world see something completely unflattering. Nothing like testing my capacity to be real!

What you see when you look at the photos is clothing changes and a new haircut. But the transformation is much bigger than that. You might see it in my eyes and smile. It was soul deep. It’s lessons learned about who I am. About what I was and what I no longer choose to be. It’s about bravery and laughter in the deepest parts. And it’s about community, confidence and caring – both about others and myself.

Wait, you didn’t think Style School could do all that? Well, neither did I. It was the best investment I've made in myself in a long, long time. I’m not sure I could say Style School changed my life. But it did transform me. And I’m the author of that life."

So let me ask you... are YOU ready for TRANSFORMATION?

xo Stasia