Blog : realtalk

My life has been consumed with painting, scrubbing grout, cleaning door jams, pulling weeds, solo parenting & often feeling like I’m barely keeping my head above water long. This is a gentle reminder to myself that although life is (complete chaos) slightly out of the norm right now, I am the same me. The same hard working, bust-A girl boss, energetic & diligent mom, fun loving wife & adventurous friend. Tough seasons can take a toll while walking through them but we often don’t realize what we are actually learning with each step along the way. We grow, we accept challenges & fight to over come them, we get sharpened & refined if we choose to keep on going believing that we are worth it & that we are more than conquerors. I suppose this isn’t just a reminder to me, but to you too! Your tough seasons don’t define you, they build you. Keep on truckin’ girl, silence the chaos and take a big, deep breath and remember who you are! You’re a conqueror! .
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#realtalk #deepbreath #girlboss #mompreneur #strongwoman #grmichigan #sandiego #fightlikeagirl #mompreneur #personalstylist #personalshopper #mom #womeninbusiness #womenoftheword #dreamer #worthit #wardrobestylist

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Yeah, I get stuck in (effing, cuz these kinds of ruts deserve a swear word) clothing ruts too. Sometimes I try something new, look at myself in the mirror & OLIVIA!! All the bad thoughts come flooding in like a freight train. Walking out of the house feeling uninspired & self conscious sets a real positive tone for the day, doesn’t it? No thanks! But this is what I’ve come to understand about clothes, they’re just like every other relationship we have. We search for security, comfort, safety, inspiration & identity in them. They help to shape us into who we want to become & what we believe about ourselves. I want my clothing to offer security in areas I might not always feel good about. And all relationships need to be kept in check right?! I mean if home girl is stirring up some trouble you walk away! You (ideally, I know that’s not always easy) set boundaries to protect your heart. Typically we are drawn to people who make us feel inspired, understood, free & alive – people we feel proud to be seen with! Insert your wardrobe here… if you start your every day off feeling depleted, uninspired & self conscious then your relationship needs to change for your own well being. People and clothing should not becoming a hinderance to your potential or your overall health & beliefs about yourself. I am not a stylist just for the glamor (but let’s be real I def drool over the fancy things), I am a stylist because I believe in your potential and that your clothing is a major way of unlocking it! Set a boundary with your clothing like you would with someone who’s stealing your joy, get rid of them. They’re not worth keeping close if all they do is hurt you. ? @kaleighdsimmonsphoto

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The beauty of a new year isn’t that it means I’ll be a new me, it’s the fact that I have a fresh start to becoming a healthier, more intentional me! Goals for the new year shouldn’t simply be ways to fix our current problems, they should be decisions we make intentionally to pursue health where we need it. Because a healthier you means growth, it means an increased capacity & greater sense of self worth, it means motivation and commitment that can’t stop, won’t stop. Imagine what you could accomplish if you were the healthiest version of yourself! You would be a fire so bright that no insecurity, no self doubt, no comparison could squelch it! My dreams are huge, massive, scary big… my goals are small, attainable steps toward achieving them! My goals for 2019 are to grow in self love, to become healthier spiritually so I can’t be shaken & so I can pour out into my business & my family. Healthier mentally so I’m aware & calculated, healthier physically so I’m peaceful & full of energy to chase after those big dreams. Cheers to 2019, I’m so ready for this!
PC: @kelseyhettinga

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Photo taken at: Ada, Michigan

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Ya want real life? There she is! A photo of me working the week before Christmas, blurry from tiny greasy hands on my phone. My 4 year old spontaneously took this picture 🙂 So many jobs are over glamorized and feel untouchable or elite. My job can sometimes fall into that category – like it’s not attainable to have a personal stylist. Do you get your nails done so you feel pampered? Because they last a lot longer and look beautiful? Probably! Even though you could buy cheap polish & paint them yourself just to have them chip that night… there are reasons services like mine exists, to offer quality and expertise where you need it. You don’t have to have it but it could change your life – as I hear from 100% of my clients! WHY I do this job is because every woman deals with insecurity & busyness, clothes should not add to the frustration or chaos. They should empower you & give you confidence! Yes I love fashion! I love trends & style! But I love to help lift burdens that get too heavy for women to carry, style is something we can control when other areas of our lives feel disheveled. I do what I do not because it’s glamorous (although I love me some designer shopping & sparkly everything!), I do it because for so many women it’s a problem that I have the solution to & I’m passionate about it. ❤️

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I swore I’d never post a bathroom pic but ya know what, I’m not too good for a bathroom pic! That & 50% of my time is spent at home with kids so photo ops for a killer outfit just don’t happen often. I wonder what your behind-the-scenes looks like and if it resembles mine at all… A (mostly) happy, (sometimes lonely) mingling of motherhood & boss. I’m reminded today that although dates with my husband are far too infrequent, my kids consume my energy & my business is still a one woman show – I am living & breathing the unraveling of a dream… I get to date the man of my dreams forever, I have 3 beautiful, kind kids to pour my energy into & my business continues to grow & flourish! I am grateful for this season, I embrace it & I’ll choose to be present and invested in my life through every season!
Ps. Thanks to @thesovengard for having the cutest bathroom for this rare bathroom pic sighting!

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I’ll love you forever. Tomorrow I’m 32 years old & 8 days later we cheers to ELEVEN years as Mr. & Mrs. ✨
When I reflect on my life so far I’m humbled that I’ve been so fortunate. Life is messy, it’s hard & full of exhausting battles BUT battles can be won, messes can be cleaned up and hard things take work but get easier with time, understanding and patience. I’m so loved, I’ve never doubted that for a moment in my life – that’s something I have never taken for granted. As I get older I really understand that love offers a safe place – for you, for the refugee, for the abused & broken. A place where we are reminded that we are worthy of being loved. We get broken in relationship but we can also heal in relationship where love is pure. I have learned that love DOES – love isn’t silent, it doesn’t see a hurting person & turn away. Love believes the best, it makes a way for broken people, it offers hope. Pure love has the power to rebuild our brokenness. The way Scott loves me is something he chose to do, he chose to be intuitive & aware of my heart and love me in a way that I’m grateful for every single day.

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Photo taken at: A.K. RIKK’S

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•”In life we can dread the sacrifice or we can anticipate the reward.”• Ya know when you hear something that seems to bust through your chest and grab ahold of your heart? Those little truths are the stepping stones through seasons of my life. They’re the pefect bite sized but profound truths that shift my perspective just enough to keep me moving forward & my heart in check. That quote from @christybwright got me!! How many times are we so focused on the sacrifices we have to make that the reward is hardly visible? Dang girl, if there’s anything I’ve learned through starting a business it is that the reward MUST stay front and center, when it gets cloudy there’s suddenly all this space for doubt and fear to completely hinder momentum. Of course there are areas where certain sacrifices must be balanced with wisdom – for me, my kids top the charts. Sacrificing the year I have left before West starts school is front and center, I won’t sacrifice that time with him… but I WILL balance it because both he & my growing business hold reward! I can’t get that year with him back but it also doesn’t become my excuse not to DO what is in my heart to do. When I choose to work away from home it doesn’t mean that I’m a bad mom or that I’m sacrificing all my mama responsibilities; it mean that I’m equally valuing myself as a woman and business owner and making money to help support my family is good both for them and for me! And can I just say mamas, I’ve heard the ‘shoulds’ about being a full time stay at home mom… it’s hard to ignore them and stay confident that what you’re doing is right for you & your family. For those of you called to the full time at home role, BLESS YOU! Flourish there, your sacrifice will be honored! And for those of you like me, don’t let anyone squelch your fire for being mama and boss, you are graced to do it! Find your balance, weigh your sacrifices, be mama when your babes need you & boss when there’s peace in your home! I believe in you, sincerely. Keep doing what you are called to do and be fierce at it! ? @kaleighdsimmonsphoto

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Photo taken at: Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Today has been one of those days, ya know the kind where you’re left asking, “what the eff is happening?” Yeah, they blow big time! It’s so like us humans to sit and wallow or invest all of our worries into rough situations; but let me just say that is not how I’m going to live my life! If we spent as much time believing we CAN, we ARE good enough, we DO have what it takes and actually DOING something to change our circumstances and a whole lot less time being crippled by fear of what might never even happen, then my God we would be much healthier people. So, here’s to staring a tricky situation in the face and throwing a solid knee jab straight to its undercarriage! You are worth the fight to make your life what you’ve always wanted! Go get em girl!

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Photo taken at: Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Last night I heard a random beeping in our house around 3am. I raised my head, wide eyed & assumed someone was lurking in the hall, naturally. They silently cracked open a very locked window, I know it!! (I can’t be the only one who jumps to these extremes, tell me I’m right & put my mind at ease!) I rested my arm on my husband and before I could say, “I hear a beep!” he was feeling my arm up & down as if searching for an ailment and instantly asked me if I was ok. In the moment I shook him off & said, “a beep!!” It wasn’t until my heart stopped racing and he identified the culprit (a dying microphone, thanks kids. Glad you slept though it ?) that I thought about his reaction to laying my arm on him in his sleep.
His innate, immediate & sincere concern for my well being had my head reeling with gratitude for him. I’m Olivia & I suffer from being a really deep thinker – the kinda gal that has a single eye opening moment that sends me into the depths of exploring Gods existence in my life. He was there in that moment, wrapped up in the man I love who instantly showed me my value to him without having to express it in mushy words.
I’ve felt this strange feeling of isolation and misunderstanding recently & what I realized in that brief beeping (no, do not insert a swear word there!) moment, was that Scott sees me & feels for me even in his most groggy form. That his heart has made room for me that holds me so closely I couldn’t be alone even if I tried. Marriage is a beast of frustrations, mountains to climb & the deepest, truest place of acceptance that I have ever known. Cheers to my husband, today & everyday for being my closest, most dearest & most loyal companion. ? @kaleighdsimmonsphoto

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Photo taken at: Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Fresh hair feels runnin’ deep over here! I’m loving my new hair and I had no idea how desperately I needed a change! @rachel_anythinghair at Launch salon is what’s up, we talked about everything humanly possible in the 2 hours we were together, I love those kinds of people – straight to the heart & fast friends! But also you should know that Delaney took this photo because she wanted to, she thought I looked pretty! {She has an actual gift for making people feel seen & valued!} You have to see a few other poses she caught because they’re hilarious & dang, she knows how to capture real life! Check my story to take a peek! And now I’m off to let my Spoonlickers digest & not wash my face because I’m too tired. Wild Saturday night over here!

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Photo taken at: Grand Rapids, Michigan

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