Podcast May Series #4
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_1_05-19-2025_092553: [00:00:00] We are halfway through the year, and I don't know about you, but this midpoint always brings something up for me. It's really a chance to stop for a moment and really ask yourself. Is everything that I'm doing right now really in line with where I wanna go, because we set some goals at the beginning of the year and ~you know, ~time has progressed and
it's a really great point to do a check in.
But it's not just about the strategy and the goals, because in leadership, presence, in style, in your personal brand, it's all about how people experience you and what I've seen time and time again. Is with women in leadership and high performing roles is when they've made those strategic moves and they've stepped into those bigger rooms, [00:01:00] they've.
Outgrown how they used to show up. And I've talked a bit about that over the last few episodes to bring it home where their brand and their style hasn't caught up yet. And that disconnect can quietly chip away at your confidence until one day you are looking going, do I even belong in these rooms?
Because you've absolutely earned your place there. So if you are perhaps in that. Position this episode's for you.
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 [00:02:00] 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.
_1_05-19-2025_092553: So let's name,~ uh,~ the real thing here. You've evolved, you've grown, you've earned the title, the recognition, the leadership seat. You're sitting at the table,
but somewhere, your personal brand and your wardrobe got left behind. because sometimes what can happen, and I think this is part of what makes me so passionate about this particular topic, is we forget that personal brand, especially in environments where you are potentially in, in that corporate environment where.
Personal brand isn't so prominent and it, there's a lot more focus on [00:03:00] networking ~and, ~and building relationships that way, but not about your own personal brand. It's about the corporate entity brand. And so you are so focused on that, You actually forget about your own personal brand.
And the way that you're showing up to those leadership team meetings, you've lost that clarity around, well, I know what I'm here to do. I know what my job title is, but am I looking the way I wanna be experienced? Am I sounding, am I bringing to the room everything about what is important around my brand?
because you're in the role, maybe you are. LinkedIn still feels like this past version of yourself. If you go to have a look at it, you're making these strategic decisions at work, but you're spending this time second guessing your outfit for that day, and I get it.
Because when you are leading, serving, making decisions, you are the last one on your own priority list Until one day [00:04:00] you catch a reflection in the mirror or you stop and you hear something, or you see someone around really owning their space that you think. Hang on a second. I think I've forgotten me.
Somewhere along this line, I can rattle off My organization's mission, vision, values, strategic priorities, but what am I and what about my outer expression, my visual expression, does it really show the power and the clarity that I've cultivated on the inside? It may seem subtle. But it matters because in high stakes leadership, how your experience becomes part of your influence.
And so when there's a disconnect, you feel it and so does everyone else. So let's make this practical because you know, I love, uh, being able to make sense of things and getting you to do some action around things. So if you're sensing that your presence isn't quite matching your next level, here are three [00:05:00] checkpoints to guide your midyear reset.
So number one, you know I'm big about energy and that's why I've incorporated human design as part of my framework and the work that I do with my private and group clients as well. So one, does your wardrobe actually even reflect how you are feeling or want to feel? This one is about emotions and not aesthetics, and it is so important and we keep forgetting it.
Do I feel powerful in what I'm wearing? And maybe replace powerful with a different word. What? How do you want to feel and do you feel that? Do I feel like the version of me who owns the room I'm working into now own the room might not resonate with you, but I want you to put in there that everyone wants to walk in a room and feel like you belong.
So maybe that's what you are putting in there. Or am I playing small with my choices [00:06:00] because I'm unsure what that even looks like on me right now? This is not about dressing up. It's about dressing in a way that supports your energy. Some women need simplicity, clean lines, structure, calm tones, and others will need vibrancy, contrast, texture, the unexpected touches.
Neither is better, but one will feel more like you. Two, check your visibility. Is your digital brand even keeping up with you? And yes, even if you are in corporate, you have a digital brand and you need to own that digital brand. If you've changed internally, but your online presence hast evolved, that is a visibility bottleneck for you.
are your photos outdated. It's time to take a look and update those. Is your messaging still aligned with your voice and your [00:07:00] values today? So when I say messaging, I'm not talking. If you're an entrepreneur, potentially that's you. You are considering that element.
However, if you are in corporate as a woman, in leadership, in corporate, then how you are communicating, does it align to where you are today?
Are the rooms that you are showing up in representing you as the leader you're becoming, or the rule or the role you used to play? This isn't about a new headshot I. It is about creating alignment. So when someone looks you up online and you know they do now, it's just what is done, what they see feels like you today and where you are going.
And yes, that includes your LinkedIn header, your bio, and even the outfits you're photographed in, whether that's work. Two weekend. ~ uh,~ So I really wanna get clearer on this because sometimes I see this get confused. I am not saying that you need to [00:08:00] be dressed up. All the time. Okay. Because depending on what role you have, depending what your lifestyle is, what I say is that your wardrobe should be working for you, work to weaken, and then you doll up and doll down as you need.
~You know, ~for some that may be more comfort in their wardrobe and more cash, for others it might be business casuals, and for others it might be what I would describe as corporate dressing. So this is not a cookie cutter approach. I.
got to look and feel like you.
Check where you might be noticing some clashes with decision making because are you actually wasting energy on decisions you've already outgrown if getting dressed in the morning is starting to drain you? If you are second guessing yourself in meetings, if your calendar is full and your confidence is dipping, there's [00:09:00] some friction happening there.
And it doesn't necessarily mean that something's wrong, it just means it might be time for a shift. It might be your leadership brand, it might be your wardrobe. And if your presence needs to evolve with you, then don't let it pull you back.
Here's what I tell a lot of my clients and. It is really about, you don't need to throw out your entire wardrobe or rewrite your bio from scratch, but you do need to take a step back or pause long enough to ask is how I'm being seen, really where I'm going and where I want to be seen? If the answer's not yet, that's not a failure.
That's feedback. So what does a reset look like? Maybe it's revisiting your leadership words. [00:10:00] Maybe it's revisiting your style words and refreshing with just a few key pieces that match where headed to, maybe it's scheduling a new brand photo session. I.
Maybe it's one conversation, one audit, one day of support that will help you see yourself differently again, and this is what I do every day with the women inside my programs and my private one-on-one experiences. And sometimes it is that first session where you see the relief because that version of you, it's already leading, it's already building, it's already rising.
She doesn't need more. What she needs is clarity and a strategy that frees her up to show up fully as she is now. And [00:11:00] accept that and be very clear where she's going next.
So if this episode has stirred something up for you, take a pause today. Take 10 minutes for yourself, and what I want you to do is ask yourself. What is the next version of my presence actually going to say, Where am I showing up differently internally versus what that exterior expression is? And what's one small change I could make this week to bring those back into sync?
Because this is the power of a mid-year reset. It's not a start over. It's a chance to refine. It's a chance to adjust.
And it's an opportunity to realign. So by the end of the year, you can really feel the shifts that have been made. [00:12:00] Now, if you haven't heard my podcast at the beginning of this year around setting some goals, setting your style goals, your leadership goals, that type of thing, take a look at that episode. I will, , tag it in the show notes, so you can tune in because you can actually use that process again, now as part of this reset.
So if you want help to make these shifts, this is what I'm here for. I've got a few more call times opened up for women who are really ready to calibrate and refine your wardrobe and reset. So book a free brand and style call with me and the details are in the show notes. You deserve to be seen for who you are and where you are going, not who you were , three years, or three roles ago.
Take care and I'll see you next week.
