Have you ever wondered what it might look and feel like to live soooo close to your why? Meaning: going about a daily routine and being part of a movement that is inextricably linked with your lived experience and vision of the world.
I certainly have.
During our most recent live conversation with Nicole Garfunkel, a personal stylist for individuals in eating disorder recovery, my entire body was reawakened to the possibility of living a life energized with a clear purpose. As Nicole shared anecdotes from her early relationship with fashion, her upbringing, health challenges, career transitions, and life’s “aha” moments, it became apparent how vital expanding her comfort zone and going deep on self-exploration has been to building her business Styling Confidential, and (more importantly) a life of passion, creativity, and alignment.
There’s a version of Nicole’s story that almost sounds too niche: a personal stylist whose entire practice is built around the moment someone’s body changes when recovering from an eating disorder. But, the beauty of Nicole’s approach is that she refuses to separate the clothes from the person wearing them, or treat style as a purely aesthetic activity. Rather, she recognizes and guides clients through a life-changing experience that recognizes the complex physical and mental health journey embedded in individual’s lived experiences. And, in my opinion, she is building one of the coolest, most creative and purpose-driven ventures.
Truly, I have been waiting a long time to have this conversation with Nicole. And, the energy from it is still catalyzing me into this new week.
Quick reminder to join us…
August 14 - Creative Lunch Club x Adobe SF, a creative lunch gathering we’re co-hosting in San Francisco. Enter the lottery to attend here.
August 20 - Live Conversation with Nicky Weldy, a visual designer who left her career in tech and entertainment to start her cosmetic tattoo studio Featherhaus. Add it to your calendar here.
August 26 - Tiny Lessons From Obituaries: Stories That Could Change Your Life, a co-hosted event with Mary McGreevy at Local Economy that will involve reading real obituaries as a way to reflect us back to ourselves. Get your tickets here.
August 31 - 4-Step Creative Flow for Inspiration Hoarders, a Creative Mornings Field Trip we’re leading that will make space for your latest dreams. RSVP link coming soon.
5 Takeaways from Our Conversation
If you’re a paid subscriber, feel free to go straight to our full conversation by clicking the video above. Or, you can read below for the topics that stayed with me the most.
1. The best business plans come from your own lived experience.
Nicole loved fashion since she was a toddler. She would raid her mom’s closet, and insist on dressing herself (even at age 3). At a young age, she had her sights set on pursuing a career in fashion.
Then, in high school, she was diagnosed with Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (previously, PCOS), and the rapid weight gain that came with it turned a lifelong love into a source of shame: she started hiding herself beneath black, baggy clothes even when her heart gravitated towards colorful pieces.
The “treatment” she was handed was birth control and a no-carb mandate, which kicked off a binge-restrict cycle that made everything worse. It wasn’t until a dietitian friend introduced her to intuitive eating that things started to turn around. She started trusting herself more, and started taking back fashion as a means of creative self-expression.
So, Styling Confidential as a business didn’t come from spotting a market gap. It came from living the exact problem she now helps others navigate.
2. The real unlock happened with a tiny habit shift.
Nicole was working backend e-commerce for the department store Bloomingdale’s when COVID hit and everyone went full sweatpants mode.
