Heidi:

This is episode 245 of Teacher Approved.

Heidi:

You're listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping

Heidi:

educators elevate what matters and simplify the rest. I'm

Heidi:

Heidi.

Emily:

And I'm Emily. We're the creators behind Second Story

Emily:

Window, where we give research based and teacher approved

Emily:

strategies that make teaching less stressful and more

Emily:

effective. You can check out the show notes and resources from

Emily:

each episode at secondstorywindow.net.

Heidi:

We're so glad you're tuning in today. Let's get to

Heidi:

the show.

Emily:

Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today's

Emily:

episode, we're joined by our friend Lindsey, the owner and

Emily:

senior stylist at Fashion Fix, to talk about a fresh way for

Emily:

teachers to approach their wardrobes, and we've got a

Emily:

teacher approved tip for looking good on school spirit days.

Heidi:

But first, let's start with try it tomorrow, where we

Heidi:

share a quick win that you can try right away. Emily, what do

Heidi:

we have for this week?

Emily:

This week, give each student a couple of sticky notes

Emily:

and ask them to write down what they'd like to hear on a hard

Emily:

day. Maybe it's, you can do hard things, or I believe in myself.

Emily:

Once they're done, collect all the notes and tuck them away.

Emily:

Then when you notice a student having a rough moment or just

Emily:

needing a boost, you can pull out their own words and hand

Emily:

them back.

Heidi:

I love this because there's just something really

Heidi:

powerful about getting encouragement in your own words.

Heidi:

And if you want to try this, I promise you can eliminate a lot

Heidi:

of blank stares and the I don't know what to write comments, if

Heidi:

you spend a minute having class brainstorm message ideas first.

Heidi:

Maybe you even want to write them on the whiteboard, and that

Heidi:

way you're helping them put some actual thought into what they

Heidi:

write, instead of just writing down whatever.

Emily:

I love when you can find a win that's so powerful but so

Emily:

simple to implement. In about five minutes, you've got a whole

Emily:

stash of personalized pick me ups ready to go whenever you

Emily:

need them. Just double check that everyone remembered to

Emily:

write their name on their notes.

Heidi:

Yeah, the eternal struggle. If you like this idea

Heidi:

or anything else we share here on the podcast, would you take a

Heidi:

second and give us a five star rating? Ratings and reviews are

Heidi:

one way that new listeners find us, so every rating and review

Heidi:

really is a huge help to us.

Emily:

Today, we're so excited because we are joined by our

Emily:

friend Lindsey, who is the owner and senior stylist at Fashion

Emily:

Fix to talk about a fresh way for teachers to approach their

Emily:

wardrobes. And as a mom of three, Lindsey's body, weight,

Emily:

and lifestyle have all changed many times over the years. She

Emily:

knows that style has no size and confidence comes in all shapes.

Heidi:

Lindsey has helped women of every age, stage, shape and

Heidi:

size, build a versatile and functional wardrobe that they

Heidi:

love. You don't need a lot of clothes to have a lot of wear.

Heidi:

You just need the right tools and planning to have a closet

Heidi:

full of clothes that make you feel comfortable and confident.

Emily:

Lindsay, we're so happy to have you with us today.

Emily:

Welcome.

Lindsey:

Yay. I'm so excited that I get to have like, an act

Lindsey:

two after getting to participate in the Teacher Winter Talks. I

Lindsey:

was like, oh my gosh, this is such, like a bonus. Like, I get

Lindsey:

to come back again!

Heidi:

And your session was so powerful and inspiring, like,

Heidi:

it's, I've approached my closet in such a different way in those

Heidi:

two weeks since you taught. Like, it's totally shifted.

Unknown:

I genuinely had, like, takeaways of like, wow, I had

Unknown:

never thought about that before.

Lindsey:

Good, well, you know, I really try, you know, especially

Lindsey:

when I'm presenting, which is just all the time, because I'm

Lindsey:

always talking to people from all over the world, right,

Lindsey:

whether it's on Instagram or we're doing, you know, when I

Lindsey:

talk to your teacher group, you know, nobody is living the same

Lindsey:

life. Nobody's going to have the same wardrobe.

Lindsey:

And so when we're talking about these ideas on how to build a

Lindsey:

wardrobe that feels good, that is fun, that is authentic to

Lindsey:

you, you just, you can't have the advice of everybody should

Lindsey:

have this thing. Everybody should have that thing. Because

Lindsey:

this thing and that thing, like, is, it might not make sense for

Lindsey:

certain people. So really like being able to approach the idea

Lindsey:

of like, what are the practices that you want to put into place

Lindsey:

with your wardrobe, and what is sort of the tools to build a

Lindsey:

wardrobe that is good, specifically for you. So that

Lindsey:

everyone, no matter where you're living, no matter what your

Lindsey:

lifestyle looks like, you walk away with application.

Heidi:

That is such an empowering reframe of how we're

Heidi:

normally taught to consume fashion. Like, I am not a little

Heidi:

black dress person. Like, that's not my lifestyle. But I've

Heidi:

always felt like, well, fashion doesn't apply to my life,

Heidi:

because I'm not that way.

Lindsey:

Oh my gosh. I wish, I mean, like, I'm gonna have to,

Lindsey:

like, steal that audio clip from you, because I just feel like

Lindsey:

that is 100% one of the biggest, I would say, drivers behind

Lindsey:

Fashion Fix, is there's been so many barriers for women, whether

Lindsey:

they are real or they make up and manifest themselves. Right?

Lindsey:

Or they're the barriers are put upon them by other people,

Lindsey:

right? Like social narratives or, you know, things like that,

Lindsey:

that make women feel that's not for me. I can't be cute. I can't

Lindsey:

dress cute, you know, like, I just don't get it. I must not be

Lindsey:

fashionable.

Lindsey:

And it's because we are looking at and comparing ourselves to a

Lindsey:

standard or to an example that isn't meant for us, that's not,

Lindsey:

you know, that's not relatable for us. And so then we

Lindsey:

automatically just take ourselves out of the

Lindsey:

conversation. And then that goes down the path of women feeling

Lindsey:

invalidated, feeling, you know, they don't, like they should

Lindsey:

just kind of, they don't take care of themselves because they

Lindsey:

don't feel like, well, if I can't fit into this exact

Lindsey:

picture of what it should look like then I'm not gonna do

Lindsey:

anything at all. It just goes into a whole thing. I could go

Lindsey:

on my soapbox forever, just a whole thing of like, you know,

Lindsey:

again, how we value ourselves, how we value what we do, who we

Lindsey:

are. It just, the whole thing, the whole thing.

Heidi:

Yes, we're spending so much money trying to, like, fit

Heidi:

this mold you're taught, and you're like, this doesn't work

Heidi:

with my life, it doesn't work with my body, like, and then now

Heidi:

I have nothing to wear, but I'm also broke.

Lindsey:

Yes, yes, exactly. I mean, we talk, we call it

Lindsey:

overspending and under buying. That's kind of the frame, the

Lindsey:

phrase that I use with clients is like helping you not like,

Lindsey:

when you overspend. So you you've spent so much time and

Lindsey:

money on these things in your wardrobe, but you actually under

Lindsey:

bought, because the things that you purchased aren't adding the

Lindsey:

value to your wardrobe that you hope them to. And so that's what

Lindsey:

we call that. We call it overspending and under buying.

Heidi:

Yeah, I've lived that.

Emily:

I mean, I think all women can can relate to this to an

Emily:

extent, but especially our teacher audience. I feel like

Emily:

this is such a relatable problem to hear about of like, I just

Emily:

don't even know what to wear every day. And you default to

Emily:

whatever's easy, and you and you and you may not feel comfortable

Emily:

in it, but it's just, it's whatever is easy. And that's why

Emily:

I love your approach so much. So do you want to tell us a little

Emily:

bit more about Fashion Fix and how you started?

Lindsey:

Yeah, I know we kind of just jumped into the deep end.

Lindsey:

So for anybody that's unfamiliar with Fashion Fix, we'll try to

Lindsey:

catch you up here, because we, like, already, like went into

Lindsey:

it. But Fashion Fix was started 12, 13 years ago, something like

Lindsey:

that, and it came after a long career that I had working with

Lindsey:

national retail brands. So you know, for about a decade, I

Lindsey:

worked for many different companies and stores as a

Lindsey:

personal shopper or in like management positions teaching

Lindsey:

other people how to work with clients, and how to do personal

Lindsey:

shopping and styling and all of this kind of stuff.

Lindsey:

So I did that for a long time, and I kind of sort of had a

Lindsey:

pinnacle moment where it wasn't fitting for me anymore, like the

Lindsey:

dots weren't connecting, and I was not thriving in the position

Lindsey:

that I had. And I had all of this experience with clients,

Lindsey:

and looking at this idea that, you know, we were working with

Lindsey:

them in the store, and then we were sending them home, but they

Lindsey:

were kind of coming back every time with the same struggles and

Lindsey:

the same, I would say, roadblocks or barriers in the

Lindsey:

wardrobe, and being able to feel like they really had a complete

Lindsey:

wardrobe, or a wardrobe that was functional or versatile for

Lindsey:

them. And it's Like, well, we're sending you home with stuff

Lindsey:

every month, like, what's going on?

Lindsey:

And so just really kind of starting to think about, like,

Lindsey:

what's that disconnect that's happening between women shopping

Lindsey:

in stores or shopping online, then getting home to their

Lindsey:

closet, and what's happening there? Like, in between, where

Lindsey:

is that disconnect? And that is where Fashion Fix was really

Lindsey:

born out of, was that idea of like, okay, let's let's bridge

Lindsey:

that gap. Let's create some tools, some resources, some help

Lindsey:

and support, so that women are more empowered with their

Lindsey:

wardrobe when they go home with it, rather than feeling defeated

Lindsey:

or again, they've overspent, under bought, like they're still

Lindsey:

not hitting the target.

Lindsey:

And that's kind of where Fashion Fix really came out of, right,

Lindsey:

is like, let's give more empowerment in that in between

Lindsey:

space between shopping and getting home with your wardrobe.

Lindsey:

So it's gone through many iterations over the years. You

Lindsey:

know, just even as like, the landscape of shopping and

Lindsey:

fashion and and influencing and you know, all like, things going

Lindsey:

virtual and digital, and the way that we can connect with

Lindsey:

customers from all over the, you know, world now, rather than

Lindsey:

just like local, which is really where it started. I only worked

Lindsey:

in person with people, and now it's quite the opposite. Like we

Lindsey:

pretty much only virtually work with clients. And rarely am I,

Lindsey:

you know, working with somebody in person.

Lindsey:

I live, like, I can look out my window and I can see the Mall of

Lindsey:

America out my window, and so I used to do personal shopping

Lindsey:

appointments at the Mall of America. And like, you know,

Lindsey:

that's just like such a thing in the past, because we're

Lindsey:

servicing people literally from all over the world.

Lindsey:

So it's taken a lot of different iterations, but the one thing

Lindsey:

that has maintained and stayed the same since day. One is the

Lindsey:

mission I remember sitting on my couch in my cute little

Lindsey:

bachelorette apartment in the Twin Cities where I live, and

Lindsey:

like, you know, pen and paper and writing it out, and I wrote

Lindsey:

down this mission statement, and not a single word of it has

Lindsey:

changed since day one, which is to empower women and build

Lindsey:

confidence through a productive and style wardrobe.

Lindsey:

And so even though we've gone through a lot of iterations of

Lindsey:

services, we offer, products, we offer, how we work with clients,

Lindsey:

everything has continued to be filtered through that mission

Lindsey:

statement, so that we know that we're still aligning what we're

Lindsey:

doing with what we believe in. And that goes from everything

Lindsey:

from, again, what we offer, how we price things, the language we

Lindsey:

use inside of our products and on our website, and, you know,

Lindsey:

on our different social media platforms. Like, how is that

Lindsey:

mission being accomplished through this? And that's

Lindsey:

something that has just stayed strong this whole time.

Lindsey:

So, you know, that's kind of how we got to where we are, and now

Lindsey:

we're even going on like another segment of the journey. You

Lindsey:

know, this year, we're really focusing a lot on not only

Lindsey:

helping women with, you know, what's in their closet, but

Lindsey:

their relationship with what's in their closet too, and really

Lindsey:

taking, you know, even more of that holistic approach to how

Lindsey:

we're helping women with their wardrobes.

Emily:

Well, and I imagine that was informed by your personal

Emily:

journey with your body and your wardrobe, which is what really

Emily:

drew me to you, what you've shared about that, because I

Emily:

find it so relatable. Do you want to tell us a little bit

Emily:

about that?

Lindsey:

Yeah. So, like I said, I had this really long, you

Lindsey:

know, this career working in retail, which means I had access

Lindsey:

to a lot of fashion and shopping and at a discount, which was

Lindsey:

great. So, you know, I loved to shop. I loved to have fun with

Lindsey:

my wardrobe. Also, at this time in my life, I was single, you

Lindsey:

know, hadn't had any kids yet at this point. So it's like, your

Lindsey:

girl was like, living the dream, right, living the dream.

Lindsey:

And my life has taken so many different turns, and I've been

Lindsey:

put into so many different positions over, you know, the

Lindsey:

past 12, 15 years, from going to being, you know, single, no

Lindsey:

kids, working in retail, having access to a lot of things, to

Lindsey:

getting married and getting pregnant and not working full

Lindsey:

time anymore, and having my budget change and having my

Lindsey:

access change, and having my body change and having my

Lindsey:

lifestyle change. You know, my wardrobe looked one way, and it

Lindsey:

was so fun and it was so whimsical, because I was going

Lindsey:

out to work every day, and I was doing all these things and that.

Lindsey:

And then my life changed to staying home every day, full

Lindsey:

time. And then it kind of went to, you know, like 50/50, and

Lindsey:

that, you know, like it just sort of has taken so many

Lindsey:

different turns.

Lindsey:

And not only in the past 10 or 15 years, all the different

Lindsey:

turns my life has taken, there was also that life beforehand,

Lindsey:

of navigating, you know, messaging about what my body

Lindsey:

should look like versus what it does look like, and messaging

Lindsey:

about what I should be wearing because it's trendy or because

Lindsey:

it's this, or because of whatever, versus like what I

Lindsey:

could afford to wear or want to wear, or what I had access to

Lindsey:

wear. So it was like there was also that whole pre-experience.

Lindsey:

And so looking at that full scope of what I've gone through,

Lindsey:

you know, even from a teenager to a 45 year old woman, is part

Lindsey:

of what has helped me shape Fashion Fix, my experiences,

Lindsey:

what I've gone through. And what also has been really neat about

Lindsey:

that is we've created this sort of niche space that is a nice

Lindsey:

soft landing space for women that find themselves struggling

Lindsey:

with their wardrobe, struggling with their clothes, or their

Lindsey:

body because of difficult things like body dysmorphia or

Lindsey:

disordered eating or medical experience that has changed

Lindsey:

their bodies, all of those different things.

Lindsey:

There is nothing any fashion fix client could come to us and

Lindsey:

share with us about what they have or our experience that

Lindsey:

would, you know, make us be like, Oh, I don't know. Can we,

Lindsey:

you know, I don't know how to approach this or handle this, or

Lindsey:

kind of feel taken off, off guard by it, or taken aback by

Lindsey:

it. Like, we have seen it all. We've worked with so many women

Lindsey:

with different walks of life, and it's, it is something that

Lindsey:

I'm really proud of. Because of my experience, I've been able to

Lindsey:

train and coach my team on that, and then we are able to work

Lindsey:

with clients really well in that space, too.

Emily:

And I think teachers have gone through a lot of those

Emily:

different, those same body changes you were talking about.

Emily:

But also I know in my experience, and then the

Emily:

teachers that I know, a lot of them, go through those body

Emily:

changes because of teaching, because you're stressed out,

Emily:

you're at school, you're not able to eat as healthy. And, you

Emily:

know, just all these things.

Heidi:

And you're so tired that like going to the gym.

Emily:

Yes, yes, all these ways that impact your body. So I know

Emily:

our teacher audience will relate to those experiences that you've

Emily:

had.

Lindsey:

Yeah.

Heidi:

So I one thing I really like about your approach is that

Heidi:

you, the first step with you is not to jump in and buy more.

Heidi:

Like you're not pushing people to suddenly buy a lot of new

Heidi:

stuff, but you're also like helping them figure out what

Heidi:

they do need to get that's like a counter cultural messaging.

Heidi:

Can you tell us more about that approach?

Lindsey:

Yes. Okay, so oftentimes, when there is an

Lindsey:

approach to revamping your wardrobe, make you know, New

Lindsey:

Year, New You, better wardrobe. It always starts with like,

Lindsey:

let's get out your closet and get rid of all these things and

Lindsey:

buy all these new things. We're actually like, editing at your

Lindsey:

closet and shopping in our process does not come till step

Lindsey:

like, three or four, like it is way down the line. We don't even

Lindsey:

start there. Because my hope is not just to put a band aid over

Lindsey:

something or give you like a quick fix with your wardrobe,

Lindsey:

but really help you feel educated and empowered with what

Lindsey:

is going to be best in your wardrobe. Because this is

Lindsey:

really, like, the counter, like, cultural thing with fashion and

Lindsey:

styling that I say, and that's there are better things to spend

Lindsey:

your time and money on than clothes.

Heidi:

Yes.

Emily:

Yeah.

Lindsey:

How can you say that as a stylist and, like, all this

Lindsey:

stuff? And I was like, Well, let me explain this. This is kind of

Lindsey:

the goal. So we actually start in the process with a body shape

Lindsey:

analysis, and then after that, step two would be a style

Lindsey:

analysis. Because I don't want a client or anyone listening to be

Lindsey:

like, Okay, I'm going to start dressing better. I'm going to

Lindsey:

start, like, wearing clothes that are more fun and feel more

Lindsey:

trendy, so that I'm not frumpy. So then you just, you know, look

Lindsey:

at whatever's on the mannequin, or what people are wearing on

Lindsey:

Instagram or on Pinterest, and you go and, like, buy all that

Lindsey:

stuff, right? You think, like, yes, this is gonna be, I'm gonna

Lindsey:

do this, so this is gonna be so great.

Lindsey:

And then you bring that stuff home, and it does not fit you

Lindsey:

the same way that it fit that person on social media.

Emily:

Oh, yeah.

Lindsey:

Or that outfit that you saw completely put together on a

Lindsey:

mannequin, when you put it on, it feels like a costume, like it

Lindsey:

feels like you're dressing up as somebody else. So that's why

Lindsey:

going out and just buying a bunch of stuff that feels fun

Lindsey:

and new and trendy, and you're gonna, you're gonna just, you

Lindsey:

know, start dressing that way, that is not going to get you to

Lindsey:

a place of feeling comfortable and confident in your clothes.

Lindsey:

So we start with, Okay, now this piece that you see, the shirt

Lindsey:

that you see on that person on Instagram, right? It fits them

Lindsey:

well, because this is their body shape, and this is the way that

Lindsey:

that shirt is cut. Your body shape is not that. Your body

Lindsey:

shape is this, so you want to wear shirts that are cut this

Lindsey:

way instead.

Lindsey:

So we teach women, okay, you know, you're seeing these things

Lindsey:

on social media, on mannequins, you know, in stores or wherever

Lindsey:

it might be, in magazines, and giving them the tool to say,

Lindsey:

okay, that's not going to work for me. So I'm, I'm not going to

Lindsey:

chase that one, right? I'm not going to go after buying that

Lindsey:

shirt. We start to teach them, these are the cuts, these are

Lindsey:

the fits that are going to be the most complimentary on your

Lindsey:

body shape and feel the most comfortable to wear. So we start

Lindsey:

with that education piece.

Lindsey:

Then the second education piece is the style. So understanding

Lindsey:

what each individual's personal style profile is, and really

Lindsey:

helping them navigate and understand that. Like, you know,

Lindsey:

these are words we would use to describe your style, and these

Lindsey:

are examples of what those words mean, like picture examples of

Lindsey:

that, giving them different ideas. Because that's what

Lindsey:

happened, we want you to feel really empowered with that,

Lindsey:

because it's when you buy that whole outfit as it's put

Lindsey:

together on a you know, mannequin, and you wear it, it

Lindsey:

feels like a costume, right? Instead of something that's

Lindsey:

like, that's because it's not your style. Maybe that pattern,

Lindsey:

that print, that way of mixing and matching things together,

Lindsey:

isn't authentic for your style so it just feels like you're

Lindsey:

playing dress up.

Lindsey:

So we want you to be able to say, oh, okay, oh, I'm seeing

Lindsey:

this outfit on here, and oh, those patterns really work for

Lindsey:

my style profile, or those details really work for my style

Lindsey:

profile. That is great. Now we're getting more value driven

Lindsey:

purchases for your wardrobe. So we start with a body shape, we

Lindsey:

start with a personal style, because we want you to show up

Lindsey:

as your authentic self. We want to make sure that what you're

Lindsey:

wearing feels like a true reflection of who you are on the

Lindsey:

inside, on the outside. And we don't want you to change your

Lindsey:

body to fit into certain clothes. We want to change your

Lindsey:

clothes so that they fit your body.

Lindsey:

So we really want to start with those two things, and then after

Lindsey:

we do that, we're still not shopping. Still not, we're still

Lindsey:

not. There's two more things we got to do, because again, I

Lindsey:

don't want you buying stuff you don't need. I don't want clients

Lindsey:

buying more of what they already have in their wardrobe. So we

Lindsey:

are still not shopping.

Lindsey:

So actually, the next step then is to edit and audit your

Lindsey:

wardrobe. So we have a methodology that we use at

Lindsey:

Fashion Fix where it walks women through the different steps of

Lindsey:

editing, auditing and organizing their wardrobe so they can have

Lindsey:

a really good, full, complete understanding of what it is they

Lindsey:

already have in their closet, what they need to get rid of

Lindsey:

that now does not reflect their style or fit well for their body

Lindsey:

shape. Right? And then identifying, okay, where do I

Lindsey:

need to make some additions, where do I need to make some

Lindsey:

swaps for my wardrobe? So we really need to do that stuff

Lindsey:

before we shop.

Lindsey:

So after you know your body shape, after you know your

Lindsey:

style, then when you've done the closet clean out, now we can

Lindsey:

shop. So we've got a few things we want to go through, because I

Lindsey:

want you to, I want you to spend your time and money wisely,

Lindsey:

because there's other things that I'm sure you'd rather spend

Lindsey:

it on, then on clothes that you don't like and never wear, and

Lindsey:

that aren't going to get you any further to your goal of having a

Lindsey:

really value driven wardrobe. So then we shop.

Lindsey:

But even then, I have parameters for clients when they shop. So

Lindsey:

this is too where it gets a little of that counterculture

Lindsey:

when we talk about fashion and styling, you know, I'm not just

Lindsey:

saying, Oh yeah, go buy all this and go buy all of that. You

Lindsey:

know, we really look at a strong method of what do you need to

Lindsey:

add, update or replace? So coaching clients through, what

Lindsey:

are the gaps and holes in your wardrobe? What are some of the

Lindsey:

updates we want to make that better reflect you know, your

Lindsey:

style, fit your shape better? And then what do we want to

Lindsey:

replace of like, your ride or die essential pieces?

Lindsey:

So we walk them through, like a coaching strategy of, here is a

Lindsey:

great way to shop. And we really, you know, the shopping

Lindsey:

strategy was really born out of one of the biggest things we

Lindsey:

hear all the time from clients, is shopping feels so paralyzing.

Lindsey:

I'm sure you can relate to that.

Heidi:

Been there!

Lindsey:

Right, right. Like, where you walk into a store, and

Lindsey:

you're just like, I don't even know where to turn, like, what

Lindsey:

department do I look at? What am I looking for? You go to a

Lindsey:

website and you're just doom scrolling, like, like, what,

Lindsey:

what category should I be shopping in? What should I be

Lindsey:

looking for? So it really helps, again, where you feel paralyzed,

Lindsey:

you don't know what decisions to make, you don't you should be

Lindsey:

looking for. And when you have the strategy of add, update,

Lindsey:

replace, it gives you focus when you go shopping, so it feels a

Lindsey:

less intimidating and less overwhelming. So, yeah, we don't

Lindsey:

shop till quite a bit further down, and even then, you know, I

Lindsey:

really try to coach people on having some good boundaries on

Lindsey:

what it is that they're shopping for.

Emily:

And this process is actually going to save you a lot

Emily:

of money and time because you're not wasting time hunting because

Emily:

you don't know what you're looking for, but it's also going

Emily:

to save your money because you're going to stop buying

Emily:

things that aren't right for you, that you're never going to

Emily:

wear. Because you talked about that, having things in your

Emily:

closet that then you never want to wear because they don't feel

Emily:

like you. I have half a closet full of things like that because

Emily:

I don't want to wear things that don't feel comfortable, that I

Emily:

don't feel comfortable in.

Lindsey:

100%. And that's when we, you know, what I say is like

Lindsey:

women, you know, if you find yourself standing in front of

Lindsey:

closet full of clothes, there is plenty hanging in there, but you

Lindsey:

look in your closet and it's full of clothes, and you say to

Lindsey:

yourself, I don't have anything to wear it, you know, it's

Lindsey:

because we don't have the right pieces for you. Whether it's

Lindsey:

pieces that fit you well or pieces that even like work

Lindsey:

together.

Lindsey:

Because part of the idea, also of understanding your personal

Lindsey:

style and having a value driven wardrobe, is being able to mix

Lindsey:

and match your pieces together really easily and really

Lindsey:

effortlessly, because they all complement each other, and they

Lindsey:

all go together. And if you have things in your closet that are,

Lindsey:

you know, multiple different styles or not, in the same color

Lindsey:

palette for you, then again, you're going to be looking at a

Lindsey:

lot of stuff in your closet but struggling to wear a lot of it

Lindsey:

together. So that's also something we really coach our

Lindsey:

clients on is building your best wardrobe. Also it's giving you

Lindsey:

value, but also versatility in your wardrobe.

Lindsey:

And going back to the idea of like, where it's going to save

Lindsey:

you money in the long run, is the other thing we coach clients

Lindsey:

on is you don't need to have a lot of clothes in order to have

Lindsey:

a lot to wear, right? So it's not like a badge of honor if you

Lindsey:

have a closet bursting at the seams, or never enough hangers

Lindsey:

to hang your stuff up on, right? Because we say you don't need a

Lindsey:

lot of clothes in order to have a lot to wear. So when we really

Lindsey:

focus, you know, on these steps of building your best wardrobe,

Lindsey:

it gets you to a place too, where you're not really having

Lindsey:

to buy a lot on all the time, and that's saving you a lot of,

Lindsey:

you know, energy and money as well.

Heidi:

I loved your outfit formulas in your Teacher Winter

Heidi:

Talk session. It was such a fun reframe. It made me think of the

Heidi:

real life version of, okay, Clueless.

Emily:

Yes!

Heidi:

You know, she like mixed and matched all her outfits, and

Heidi:

as a 90s girl, that was like a seamless dream. But this is like

Heidi:

a real life way to make that work with you know, the things

Heidi:

that I have, I don't have a cute little plaid mini, but being

Heidi:

able to look at my clothes and feeling like I have power over

Heidi:

them instead of them controlling me.

Lindsey:

Oh my gosh. I wish people could see my face right

Lindsey:

now, when you said that. I love that. They don't have clothes,

Lindsey:

I'm gonna steal that, another audio clip I'm stealing from

Lindsey:

you. Yeah, where you're like, the clothes don't have power

Lindsey:

over you. You have power over them and how they're used. Oh my

Lindsey:

gosh, I have goosebumps. That's so good.

Lindsey:

You know, and when one of the other things that happens when

Lindsey:

we walk clients through the build your best wardrobe system,

Lindsey:

these steps that I'm laying out here, is they actually find that

Lindsey:

they have a lot more to work with in their closet than they

Lindsey:

thought they did. You have no idea how many times I've heard

Lindsey:

women say, oh girl, you're gonna just like laugh when I show you

Lindsey:

my closet, because I barely have anything in there. I don't

Lindsey:

really have a lot. And when I teach them that the outfit

Lindsey:

building blocks and the outfit formulas that you're talking

Lindsey:

about, they actually start to see that there's a lot more for

Lindsey:

them to work with in their closet than they thought. They

Lindsey:

just never looked at it that way.

Lindsey:

A lot of the pieces in their closet were really like siloed,

Lindsey:

or really like structured. I only wear it this way, or only

Lindsey:

wear it that way, or save this piece for that. And when I

Lindsey:

introduced them to that outfit building blocks and the style

Lindsey:

formulas, it is just like, you know, mind blown. Wow, I can do

Lindsey:

a lot more with what I have than I thought I did.

Lindsey:

And that's the final step, and build your best wardrobe. So we

Lindsey:

talked about body shape analysis, style analysis, the

Lindsey:

closet clean out, then strategic shopping. The final step is

Lindsey:

styling, and that's where we play and have fun and do dress

Lindsey:

up. And we do like mixing and matching pieces together. And

Lindsey:

when all of it comes together, when all five of those steps

Lindsey:

come together, you just really get to this place where, like,

Lindsey:

your shoulders are like, they relax, because you're like,

Lindsey:

Okay, I get this now I see how this all works together.

Lindsey:

Because in that styling piece, then when you start to learn how

Lindsey:

many different ways you can wear the items in your closet, or how

Lindsey:

to use them differently, it also relieves that stress or that

Lindsey:

pressure where you feel like you need more. Well, I need more. I

Lindsey:

need more to be able to wear more. I need more to be able to

Lindsey:

do more. I need more to have more variety.

Lindsey:

You know, one of the things that I say, is a volume does not

Lindsey:

equal variety. Just because you have a lot of clothes in your

Lindsey:

closet doesn't mean you have a lot of variety of clothes in

Lindsey:

your closet, because often it can end up being a lot of just

Lindsey:

the same thing. And that's why you feel like you're wearing the

Lindsey:

same thing all the time. Because you know, my perfect example

Lindsey:

that I've been using for 100 years is, you might have 50

Lindsey:

cardigans in your closet, but if, you know, 35 of them are

Lindsey:

gray and five of them are black, and then 10 of them don't fit

Lindsey:

you, you have like two.

Emily:

Yeah.

Heidi:

I feel called out.

Lindsey:

So that's like, you know, when we, that styling

Lindsey:

piece, when you learn those style formulas, outfit building

Lindsey:

blocks, that's where you really start to learn, you know, you

Lindsey:

don't need a lot of clothes in order to have a lot to wear. And

Lindsey:

that's why the styling pieces last too.

Lindsey:

So going back to the idea of how it's kind of counterculture, or

Lindsey:

counterintuitive, how we coach clients through. It doesn't just

Lindsey:

jump in right away to, okay, wear these colors this way, or

Lindsey:

mix these patterns this way, or, you know, wear your cardigan

Lindsey:

three different ways, this way. Because if the patterns you have

Lindsey:

in your closet are not your style, you're not going to wear

Lindsey:

them. If the cardigans aren't cut right for you, or the shirts

Lindsey:

are cut, you're not going to wear them. So, so doing outfit

Lindsey:

formulas, you know, doing the style formulas, doing the

Lindsey:

building blocks, you're not going to be able to do that

Lindsey:

unless your clothes fit you well. If your clothes do not fit

Lindsey:

you comfortably and fit you well, if your clothes are not

Lindsey:

your style, nothing else is going to work.

Lindsey:

So that's why that even, like that kind of, quote, unquote,

Lindsey:

fun part of doing all the different outfits, that doesn't

Lindsey:

even come till last, because I want to make sure that your

Lindsey:

clothes fit you well, that you're comfortable in them, that

Lindsey:

you're confident wearing them, because then we can do all these

Lindsey:

different outfits with them. So that's why that really comes

Lindsey:

last in the process.

Emily:

Oh, I love that, and it makes so much sense. It's such a

Emily:

carefully thought out process, you can tell that you have

Emily:

perfected this over the years. But tell us, what is your hope

Emily:

for Fashion Fix in 2026, and how can our teacher audience be a

Emily:

part of it?

Lindsey:

Well, I would say that our big hope now and for the

Lindsey:

future is just to introduce more people to the idea of building

Lindsey:

their best wardrobe in the method and using the process

Lindsey:

that Fashion Fix has, because we have really found that it has,

Lindsey:

like, really freed a lot of women from some of the toxic or

Lindsey:

negative thoughts or pressure or ideas or constructs or all of

Lindsey:

that stuff that, again, has been put on them from social

Lindsey:

narratives, from inner thoughts. It is really providing them with

Lindsey:

a way to free themselves from that and have fun with their

Lindsey:

wardrobe and feel good in their clothes.

Lindsey:

And so we really, this year, just want more people to get

Lindsey:

introduced to fashion fix and that this place exists, that

Lindsey:

this is a soft landing spot for women that maybe previously have

Lindsey:

really struggled to find a place that can help them with their

Lindsey:

wardrobe in a way that feels, that feels good, that feels

Lindsey:

supportive, that feels empowering, and is giving them

Lindsey:

real life, practical, tactical tools and actions.

Lindsey:

I think a lot too, in like the styling and fashion world, it

Lindsey:

can be a lot of these big ideas, big like aspirations, but not

Lindsey:

actualizations. And I will give you like, no, literally do this,

Lindsey:

like do step A, B, C, D, this is how you're going to do it, so

Lindsey:

that the math adds up in the end, and you're, you know, not

Lindsey:

left feeling more confused, or did you even get anything done.

Lindsey:

And so the more people that we can bring into Fashion Fix, we

Lindsey:

just feel, the more women are going to be empowered, you know,

Lindsey:

the more women that are going to be healed and helped, and that's

Lindsey:

really what we want to be here to do. So spreading the word of

Lindsey:

Fashion Fix is just a really big dream of ours for this year.

Heidi:

That is such a beautiful mission, and we're so excited

Heidi:

that you've been here to share it with us today.

Emily:

And do you have a special offer for our listeners?

Lindsey:

Yes, of course. Okay, so we have, if you want to get

Lindsey:

started, if you listen to all of this and you're just like,

Lindsey:

chomping at the bit, you're like, Okay, ladies, would you

Lindsey:

quit talking so I can just go to fashion fix and get started? Let

Lindsey:

me tell you where you're going to go. You are going to go to

Lindsey:

fashionfixmn.com/secondstorywindow. And we have a page there for

Lindsey:

your audience, for your listeners, that will tap them in

Lindsey:

to a exclusive promo pricing on packaging together the body

Lindsey:

shape analysis and the style quiz, because you have to start

Lindsey:

there. You know, I know that sometimes it's hard and you want

Lindsey:

to just like, race to the finish line or do the fun stuff first,

Lindsey:

but starting with the body shape analysis and this style

Lindsey:

analysis.

Lindsey:

And then we're doing a gift with purchase, because, like, I want

Lindsey:

you to also be able to get some traction, so we're including the

Lindsey:

closet clean out when you purchase that bundle. So

Lindsey:

typically, that's like a standalone, you know, workbook

Lindsey:

that you have to purchase and download. But we're going to

Lindsey:

give your audience a gift with purchase of a copy of that

Lindsey:

closet clean out. So when they get their body shape results and

Lindsey:

they get their style analysis results, they can kind of hit

Lindsey:

the ground running with the next step without having to wait. So

Lindsey:

they'll have access to that.

Lindsey:

So fashionfixmn.com/secondstorywindow

Lindsey:

is where you're going to find access to that exclusive deal.

Lindsey:

And I'm sure you ladies will put it in the show notes and email

Lindsey:

it out, because it's a very secret deal, because you won't

Lindsey:

be able to find that page. You won't be able to find it

Lindsey:

anywhere else on the website. So you want to make sure that you

Lindsey:

save that link that that you get, because this is just for

Lindsey:

your listeners.

Emily:

Insiders only. And our team member Melanie went through

Emily:

these exercises with you a couple weeks ago, and she had

Emily:

such a good experience. She said that she was surprised at the

Emily:

results. She thought she knew what her body shape was, and she

Emily:

was surprised at what she got. And our she already found it so

Emily:

enlightening. And I just am excited for our audience to get

Emily:

to have that experience with you as well.

Lindsey:

Yes, and you'll have to have Melanie share with the

Lindsey:

audience that it's not scary.

Heidi:

Yes.

Lindsey:

Because that's, you know, which I get. That's

Lindsey:

another thing I, you know, my entire team, we are all very

Lindsey:

sensitive to. You know, especially when I was doing

Lindsey:

in-person personal shopping appointments, I was like, okay,

Lindsey:

these women are meeting a stranger at the Mall of America,

Lindsey:

inviting that stranger to go into a fitting room with them,

Lindsey:

to look at clothes that they're trying on and tell them what's

Lindsey:

wrong with the clothes. Like that is a super intimate and

Lindsey:

intimidating experience, and it is not lost on me. So you know,

Lindsey:

just the idea that you're going to be sending in full body

Lindsey:

pictures of yourself, like in leggings and a tank top. It's

Lindsey:

not lost on us that that can feel like a little bit

Lindsey:

intimidating. So I want you to know, like anybody out there,

Lindsey:

like, it's not as scary as you think it's gonna be, and we are

Lindsey:

so sensitive with what you're sending to us.

Emily:

Yes, yes. That's pretty much what Melanie said. At

Emily:

first, she was like, she said she wanted to do it, we asked if

Emily:

she wanted to. And then she was like, wait, I have to send

Emily:

pictures? But then she said, like, no, it was fine. It was no

Emily:

big deal. And like, it was like, it was totally comfortable. She

Emily:

wasn't even worried about it.

Emily:

Yeah.

Emily:

And Lindsey, we like to end our episodes with a Teacher Approved

Emily:

tip. So do you have a quick, actionable tip that you could

Emily:

share with our audience?

Lindsey:

Oh, I sure do. Because do you know what I get from

Lindsey:

teachers all the time? School spirit days and having to wear

Lindsey:

school logoed apparel, and it may or may not be apparel that

Lindsey:

is like unisex cut, so the t-shirts are super long, or the

Lindsey:

sleeves are really long and boxy. Or the colors maybe aren't

Lindsey:

ones that we love to wear for ourselves the most. So many

Lindsey:

times I've helped teachers navigate this, and let me give

Lindsey:

you my Teacher Approved tip for wearing your school spirit wear.

Lindsey:

Number one, do not be afraid to cut or alter some of those

Lindsey:

t-shirts or sweatshirts, whether it's cutting open the neckline

Lindsey:

or cutting a t-shirt shorter, you know, something like that.

Lindsey:

Because even if it has like a raw, that ends up having like an

Lindsey:

exposed or raw edge when you cut the shirt, you could do like a

Lindsey:

cute little front tuck in or something like that to make, you

Lindsey:

know, make it look different.

Lindsey:

And then as far as colors, if your school offers, you know,

Lindsey:

obviously you have like your school colors, but if they offer

Lindsey:

any of the spirit apparel in like a neutral option, so

Lindsey:

sometimes they'll do like a black and white or gray and

Lindsey:

white, or, you know, something kind of in a neutral option,

Lindsey:

like whatever that third neutral color is sometimes, for your

Lindsey:

your school, you know, opt into that. And then get, like, a fun

Lindsey:

pair of sneakers in one of the bolder colors, or like a fun

Lindsey:

pair of shorts or jeans. So that's not like up against your

Lindsey:

face, but you're still feeling very spirit-filled by wearing

Lindsey:

the team colors. Or do it in like a headband or hair

Lindsey:

accessory, like tie like a bandana around your ponytail, or

Lindsey:

a top knot, or something like that.

Lindsey:

But if that's not an option, and you still got to wear, like that

Lindsey:

royal blue t-shirt that isn't quite great for your complexion,

Lindsey:

do a neutral layer over it that will tame it down, like a denim

Lindsey:

jacket, or any of your dark, like a dark neutral in your

Lindsey:

color palette that might work with that, like, I'm thinking

Lindsey:

royal blue. So if you do, like a gray or a black, or, you know,

Lindsey:

something like that, that might, you know, tone it down. So do a

Lindsey:

layer over it in one of your neutrals that might be more

Lindsey:

complimentary towards you.

Emily:

Oh, I love that.

Heidi:

So good.

Emily:

Perfect. Lindsey, it was a pleasure having you, and we

Emily:

will have the link to learn more about you and your special offer

Emily:

for our audience in our show notes. And where else can they

Emily:

connect with you?

Lindsey:

You can find us, all of our socials are at fashionfixmn,

Lindsey:

because I am based in Minnesota, so fashionfixmn, that's going to

Lindsey:

be all of our social channels, and it's going to be our website

Lindsey:

too. So if you look that up, you can find us anywhere.

Emily:

Perfect. Thanks so much, Lindsey, it was great chatting

Emily:

with you.

Lindsey:

Thanks for having me again, ladies.

Heidi:

To wrap up the show, we are sharing what we're giving

Heidi:

extra credit to this week. Emily, what get your extra

Heidi:

credit?

Emily:

I'm giving extra credit to my new favorite mascara. So I

Emily:

prefer a tubing mascara, and the one I'm loving right now is the

Emily:

tartlet tubing mascara from Tarte, and I like the XL one,

Emily:

and I have been wearing brown, which I find looks nice with my

Emily:

eye color. So looks great, it doesn't flake, and it washes off

Emily:

really easily. So it's a win all around.

Heidi:

Well it's so funny that you're saying this because,

Heidi:

like, a half hour ago, I was just thinking, I have got to

Heidi:

find a new mascara, because I don't wear mascara every day

Heidi:

because I work from home. But when we were doing Teacher

Heidi:

Winter Talks, we were on camera every day for like, four days,

Heidi:

and by the fourth day, my eyes were so irritated.

Emily:

I remember.

Heidi:

So I was looking up, like, best hypoallergenic

Heidi:

mascara, and that was the one that came up. I was like, oh,

Heidi:

I'm ordering that.

Emily:

I love it. I love it. And I also try not to get, like, too

Emily:

close to my actual eyelid, too if, like, I find that I feel

Emily:

itchy, then I try to keep it more to the ends of the lashes,

Emily:

so that might help you, too.

Heidi:

It's too hard. It's too hard.

Emily:

What gets your extra credit, Heidi?

Heidi:

Okay, well, my extra credit goes to the brain game

Heidi:

sticker by number books.

Emily:

Oh.

Heidi:

This is not something I've ever considered doing

Heidi:

because I just thought it was like something for kids, but I

Heidi:

saw their Valentine book and it was so cute, so I just ordered

Heidi:

it for myself, like the grown up I am, and I think of a fan. If

Heidi:

you're not familiar, it's just like paint by number, but you're

Heidi:

putting stickers in little numbered boxes. It doesn't take

Heidi:

any skill, it's minimal clutter, and unlike, you know, a hobby

Heidi:

like crocheting, you know, I'm not left with some item at the

Heidi:

end of it that's like, well, everyone in my family already

Heidi:

has hats. What am I doing with this one? You know, this can

Heidi:

just get tossed or recycled or, you know, out of my hair.

Heidi:

And the pictures are cute. I love that. It's spiral bound so

Heidi:

it stays open. And I noticed, you know, as someone who's

Heidi:

taught a lot of preschool over the years, I've become a

Heidi:

connoisseur of stickers. These peel off really easily, and if I

Heidi:

have to move them on the page, I can move them without them

Heidi:

tearing. Like it's really nice. And I've just loved having

Heidi:

something to do in the evening instead of scrolling my phone.

Heidi:

And as I guess, a bonus extra credit. So I have really bad

Heidi:

arthritis in my thumbs, and so holding small things like

Heidi:

stickers can be really painful.

Emily:

Yeah.

Heidi:

So I knew I needed something, and I found something

Heidi:

called reverse tweezers. Now, normally tweezers, you have to

Heidi:

pinch to close them and then you have to hold them shut, but

Heidi:

these are the opposite. You pinch to open and then they hold

Heidi:

themselves shut. It's been a game changer for my poor thumbs.

Heidi:

So I will link to the book and the tweezers in the show notes.

Heidi:

It's just been a really nice little side hobby.

Emily:

I love it. I'm going to give it a try.

Heidi:

That is it for today's episode. Remember Lindsey's tips

Heidi:

for reclaiming your closet, and if you want to check out that

Heidi:

special offer she has for our listeners, head to

Heidi:

www.fashionfixmn.com/secondstorywindow, or follow the link in the show

Heidi:

notes.

Heidi:

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I'm Heidi.

Emily:

And I'm Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow

Emily:

or subscribe in your podcast app so that you never miss an

Emily:

episode.

Heidi:

You can connect with us and other teachers in the

Heidi:

Teacher Approved Facebook group. We'll see you here next week.

Heidi:

Bye for now.

Emily:

Bye.