Blackberry Energy
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[00:00:00] Welcome to the Style and Strategy Podcast, where personal brand meets leadership and style. I'm Sonya, a personal brand and style coach who's been exactly where you are juggling career and business success. Personal growth and finding a style that truly fits. After decades in corporate leadership, I've learned that showing up isn't just about what you do, it's about how you align who you are and how the world sees you.
This season, I'm bringing you practical strategies, bold insights, and honest conversations to help you amplify your presence, unlock your next level, and lead with clarity and confidence. Let's dive in. Welcome back to another episode of The Style and Strategy Podcast. ~Uh, ~I'm your host, Sonya, and thank you so much for being here today. So this episode is a little bit different and one [00:01:00] that I've been wanting to record for a little while now, because I finally got around to watching the Blackberry movie and it was,~ uh,~ recommended.
To me. And,~ um,~ it was so good to be able to finally sit down and watch that. And I really enjoyed it. And I think for me, really it was the nostalgia that kicked in. Who remembers,~ uh,~ the Blackberry? ~Um, ~for me, I vividly remember that full keyboard, that little,~ uh,~ red blinking light, that roller ball.
And then, you know. At that point in time, I, I recall I was working in a stockbroking firm. And,~ uh, you know, ~having that, it was the ultimate status symbol at that time. And then all of a sudden it ~kind of ~disappeared, right? And what felt like, ~you know, ~overnight. ~And, ~and it did,~ um,~ force me to go after watching the movie, forced me to go and have a look actually, where did they go?
What [00:02:00] happened to them? What are they doing now? And so that was really interesting. ~But you know, ~they did disappear ~and, ~and that was due to the iPhone,~ uh,~ coming through. But, ~you know, why, ~ why did they disappear? What happened? Because they were so innovative at that time and it really was because. They didn't evolve.
~Right. ~They really believed, and ~you know, ~this is just my perspective ~and, ~and especially after watching the film, which is obviously someone's interpretation of what occurred, but they really believed what got them there would keep them there, and they really held on tightly to that identity that the rest of the world had actually outgrown.
And so I thought that really made me ~kind of ~reflect ~and, ~and think about, you know, our identities and, ~you know, ~ you know, fundamentally believe in that you, you really need to dress for you. And so ~I started to reflect back and really want to,~
~so as~ as I. [00:03:00] Watch that movie and then started to reflect back. It linked back to a lot of the work that I do with clients and I thought it would be good to take you through some of that. So I would love you to imagine. Sort of your current presence, your current leadership presence, not your capability, not your career,~ um,~ but how you are showing up today visually, energetically, and strategically.
And then ask yourself the question, am I communicating a version of me that is current or is it one that perhaps I'm holding onto a visual identity that's outdated? Because what I see again and again, especially with high performing women, is they have evolved because they've worked so hard to get to where they are and to the positions they've got to, but their wardrobe hasn't really [00:04:00] caught up pace.
Their visual system,~ uh,~ really their present hasn't. So they're leading with this incredible 2025 brilliance, but they're showing up in an essence of them that was a few years back, ~you know, ~with a brand that may be a few years back from then. Made from decisions of the person, they were back, whenever that might be.
And so when you are still dressing and thinking and showing up like this other version of yourself, even slightly, this lag comes up. It doesn't really showcase the best version of you. ~It could be that you don't. ~It could be that you don't feel fully aligned, that you're not fully seen. Perhaps you might be still second guessing your choices, and you might be wondering why people may not be responding to you in the way that you know who you [00:05:00] are now in this new world.
So when I reflect back in the movie, Blackberry didn't fail because the product was bad, they failed because, and again, my interpretation, they were attached to what I could see was an outdated definition of what we wanted At that time, they didn't adapt to, what was coming ~in front of us, ~in front of them from the competition lens, ~you know, ~and what, how that shifted the way we worked, we communicated.
And so here is where this parallel kind of hits. A lot of women are still dressing ~and, ~and positioning themselves for what potentially the world was asking for previously. And the question for me is,~ well,~ what do you want? ~How?~ How is your presence really going to be aligned to who [00:06:00] you are?
Because the world today needs more authentic leadership. The world today needs more courage in leadership. The world today needs leaders who are going to be so resilient when it comes to the constant wave of change. So
Your style, should be keeping up. So your style more than ever needs to feel, needs to help ground your presence, whether that's in the boardroom, whether that's in a office, whether that's on the weekends, it needs to reflect you more than anyone else.
~So the question is it,~ so the question isn't,
will I fit in wearing this? The question is, does this reflect the woman I am now and the [00:07:00] direction I'm going? Because if the answer's no, then. You might end up like Blackberry, not because you're doing something wrong, but because your system hasn't updated to support you.
So I just wanna stop for a second and make sure it's really clear it, this isn't about intelligence capability or ambition, in fact. The more high functioning and capable you are, the more likely this is potentially happening, right? Because it's the last thing on your mind, but you've already built so much momentum across your career and your self-leadership.
Sometimes it's hard to stop and reevaluate your presence from the ground up. Your calendar's full. You're delivering results, you're doing the thing, you're doing everything right. The decision fatigue is there. So one of the key ~levers that, one of the key~ final levers you [00:08:00] might need to be pulling is your style and the systems and the energy you adopted really early in your career.
Because at a certain point they become invisible to you. Just like the way in which Blackberry ~were, ~were so grounded in their design. So here's something I want you to have a think about. Presence isn't necessarily about looking elevated. It's about signaling who you are now clearly, consistently, and unapologetically.
And that's what I do. All my programs when I work with my clients one-on-one, it's not just about building a wardrobe, it's about building a leadership presence from the inside out, because that includes identity mapping, leadership trait, [00:09:00] anchoring, visual strategies based on the energy of your next season.
And yes, a wardrobe that is going to support you without friction, right? Because when you are clear on who you are and you've got a system that supports it, you don't just look the part, you own the room before you even speak.
~So. ~So today I'm gonna leave you with a few key reflections to think through. So one being, are you holding on to an aesthetic that belongs to a past version of you? Are you dressing for a role that you've already outgrown? Are you relying on systems, visual or energetic that no longer match your capacity?
If so. You're not doing anything wrong. [00:10:00] We've never been taught this stuff right. We're just expected to know. So what you need to recognize is that you've hit a new level and it's time to update the way you show up for you because the women who evolve, who stay relevant, remembered, and. Who own their presence aren't the ones who hold on, but they're the ones who redefine the standard.
~Uh,~ So the next time you look in the mirror before a big meeting, ask yourself, am I showing up as the leader I've already become and where I'm going. Thanks for listening in. I'll see you in the next episode.
