Somewhere around 40, the self-empowerment of many professional women shrinks as they struggle with their personal style, bodies, purpose or self-worth. Something that seemed effortless younger becomes a challenge. We believe this transition period is an ideal time to reconnect with your true self and inner power from the inside-out!
Self-empowerment or “activating self-knowledge – our inner power” generally refers to a change process to develop your autonomy and self-assurance in relating to yourself, others and the world around you. In any quest for self-empowerment, you connect mind and body.
The foundation for self-empowerment can be developed by reconnecting with how we FEEL – on the inside, and how we LOOK – on the outside. We also think that these two – thoughts and external expressions of self – inevitably go hand-in hand for truly balanced lives. After all, what is style if you are dissatisfied with your body or don’t feel good inside? What use is a healthy, strong body if you are dissatisfied with how you show up on the outside?
“We want to help you discover, enhance and empower yourself by being in harmony with whom you truly are, what you would like to be or become.”
The Inside: Feel good!
Self-Empowerment on the Inside begins with self-care, simply because when you feel your best, you operate on a higher level and move through life more confidently and powerfully. Self-care involves identifying your needs and taking responsibility to make choices about your lifestyle. We propose prioritising mindfulness, nutrition, movement and sleep to help you feel your best. Let’s explore why.
Self-empowerment through mindfulness
Mindfulness begins by paying attention, by pausing to take a deep breath to turn off your “automatic pilot”. Pausing brings new awareness to your everyday experiences. Paying more attention in a “curious-to-learn” way allows you to stand back and consider all options and choose your next priority. Asking yourself “just why am I doing this now”? and answering honestly to make a choice about moving forward, is empowerment. Specifically for women over 40, such mindfulness has been shown to help ease menopausal and ageing symptoms.
Self-empowerment through nutrition
After age 40, nutritional needs and metabolism begin to change. What and how much we eat have a huge impact on both physical and mental health and are vital for empowerment. Energy, weight, ageing, illness, sleep, activity, stress and mood are all linked to balanced nutrition. Diet also plays a vital role in concentration, analytical skills, alertness, focus and productivity – key drivers of confidence, self-esteem and well-being. By combining mindfulness – mindful eating – with balanced nutrition, empowers us to approach our nutrition with increased self-efficacy and pleasure.
Self-empowerment through movement
There is overwhelming evidence that people leading active lifestyles are healthier, sleep better and are more likely to live longer. A massive 2019 survey showed that people who start exercising regularly only in their 40s or even 50s benefit just as much as people who have been working out most of their lives. Regular movement improves physical fitness, mental health, mood, stress and your general sense of well-being often inspiring other healthy behaviour’s as well – empowered to take full charge of your well-being.
Self-empowerment through rest
Sleep requirements change with age. Brain functions including the ability to concentrate, pay attention, react quickly, be creative, innovate, solve problems and make decisions are all more effective when we sleep enough. Insufficient sleep can lead to weight gain, stress, depression and tends to make you more emotional, irritable, grumpy and short tempered. In short, lack of sleep destroys self-empowerment!
“Elegance, like styling, is born within”
Christian Dior
The Outside: Look good!
What you wear says a lot about you. It’s an expression of your identity and it forms an important part of first impressions whose power cannot be underestimated! We believe that the image we convey to others – the outside – is first expressed through external appearance, our look, the way we dress, our posture and communication. Personal styling and fashion have the power to make women over 40 feel more autonomous, self-confident and assertive. Actively creating your own style, without any sense of dependence on fashion and its diktat and rules is your secret to self-empowerment. Your personal style is communication about you! It’s also your gateway to self-awareness, empathy and connection with others and a means to express your objectives in any situation.
Self-empowerment through more conscious styling choices
Mid-life is the ideal time to reconnect with who you are, your new sense of self and the style you wish to reflect. Exploring and understanding the messages from your surroundings and learning how to integrate them into your vision of self is the starting point. Think about re-branding yourself professionally and aligning your image with a new role or position. The new professional profile that you convey through conscious styling choices will help you define your distinct style and personality while empowering you to value your own uniqueness.
Self-empowerment through styling to create empathy and connection
When we don’t feel “good in our skin” we often draw away from others. Becoming more connected with yourself empowers you to make styling choices that take into consideration other people and your environment. Do you need to make a presentation or attend a social gathering and feel unsure about what to wear? Clothes and styling choices can help create empathic relationships – in business and in private social situations.
Self-empowerment through styling choices to communicate our personal objectives
Personal objectives change at every life transition and mid-life is no exception. Learning to never lose sight of what your objectives are and making appropriate styling choices that help reach them will allow you to feel proud and empowered to give your best. Are you aware of the impact your clothing and accessories have on others? Or of the first impression you convey? Would you like to increase your self-confidence?
Answering these questions is deeper than just aesthetics, since our clothes and bodies reveal so much about us. Our aim is to that you become more self-aware, confident and, ultimately, feel and look great from the Inside-Out!
Ready to turn inside-out?
As you can see, the inside without the outside or vice-versa leaves you unbalanced and incomplete. Our personal harmony – at any age – depends on turning our selves inside-out! Here is a 7-question checklist to asses whether your self-empowerment just might need a little fine-tuning right now.
- Do you stop throughout the day just to breath, check-in and assess how you feel?
- Are you happy with your body, weight, energy and food?
- Do you move your body regularly enough so that you feel energetic, sleep well and move without pain?
- Do you get enough sleep, so you wake up naturally and do not need to compensate on weekends or vacation?
- Does your outside appearance, clothes, make-up, hair, represent who you really want to be and see today?
- Are you satisfied with your outside appearance at work? With friends? In general?
- Are you aware of the messages you communicate through your styling choices?
Empowerment can also be an external process of professional support enabling you to overcome your sense of powerlessness and to recognise and use your inner resources. We work with you as mentors and guides certified in our specific areas of expertise – Self-Care and Styling. We support you in reaching your goals by helping you explore, create and implement positive, sustainable lifestyle changes to improve your self-empowerment on the inside AND on the outside. Partnering with two coaches at this stage of your life will give you the peace of mind to navigate any challenges or doubts and to move forward elegantly!
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