Since my retreat in Italy, I’ve been sitting blissfully in a kind of quiet awe.
I wrote in a post the other day (one of my faves from the trip) that I felt lucky. And I do. Not just because these women trusted me and this experience, but because of who they are.
The hearts they brought. The wisdom. The intelligence (truly, some of the smartest women I know). The openness. The curiosity. To be trusted with that, especially on an inaugural trip, means more than I can fully put into words.
On that post was a comment from a fellow stylist, Katie Kabel. She wrote, “That’s not luck. That’s hard work and passion 😍.” And that, too, meant more than I can fully put into words.
I’m in my 11th year of business, and there are things unfolding right now that I’ve only ever dreamt of.
I say that as someone who has always had a lot of confidence.
Honestly, probably more than most people I know. Sometimes, it’s even (possibly) a little overblown 😅
But with that confidence came with tenacity. A willingness to keep saying yes to what felt right and show up as my most authentic self, even when failure knocked on the door.
So it’s more than luck. It’s 150% built on the privileges I’ve been afforded, paired with a willingness to show up even when it felt risky. Even when standing out in a crowd wasn’t the safe move.
I risked being made fun of, questioned, judged, and embarrassed. (One day, I’ll tell you about the time I sang “Hero” by Mariah Carey in the middle school cafeteria at the request of the popular girls.
I’m still grateful I had too much confidence to realize I was being punked 😆. Cue me singing, proudly and soulfully, at the top of my lungs).
Last year, Adam made a casual comment while we were in Spain and suggested I lead a group on an international shopping trip. And with that hella confidence, I was like, “Oh, definitely. October 2026. Done.”
Okayyyyy, mama. Slowwww down.
I’m so grateful that instead of trying to build a retreat from scratch and hold that kind of space on my own, I was connected to Life Beyond the Room.
They hadn’t hosted a shopping-focused retreat before. Their work is rooted in luxury outdoor and wellness travel. But the alignment was undeniable! They felt my vision, trusted me to lead it, and planned the entire retreat in two days. TWO DAYS.
From the beginning, I was intentional about who joined us. Not in a restrictive way, but in an energetic way.
Open hearts. Open minds. A willingness to explore.
Yes, we’re in Milan and Florence, immersed in Milanese style, Florentine beauty, incredible craftsmanship, and a little bit of “shop till you drop” energy to keep it light and fun 🛍️😁.
But the connections these women made with each other, and back to themselves, was so much deeper.
It’s why I do this! Truly, deeply, why I do what I do. Not just the clothes and the travel. But the way style becomes a doorway back to self.
As I sit here in all of this, I keep coming back to that feeling of awe.
Because this was once just an idea my younger self would have given anything for. Stapling together pieces of leather (that hung wide open at the back, because if you can’t see it, what does it matter 😆), and dancing in the living room, dreaming of taking my love of style out into the world.
This is the kind of courage I stand for. The courage to take the risk and show up authentically, inside and out.
And this, I believe, plays a MAJOR role in making your dreams come true.