Podcasts about dacy gillespie

What did you think of this episode? Send me a text message and let me know!Standing in your closet thinking, "Nothing fits anymore?" It's not the best feeling, but can I let you in on something? You don't have to hold onto your “lose weight wardrobe”. In this encouraging conversation, stylist Dacy Gillespie helps us reframe how we think about style in midlife, especially when our bodies, styles, and preferences have changed.Together, we explore why comfort isn't “giving up,” how style can help you reconnect with who you are now, and why that “lose weight wardrobe” may be doing more harm than good. You'll also get a big dose of validation: most clothes aren't made to fit you—and that's a design flaw, not a personal one.If getting dressed has felt frustrating or disconnected lately, this episode offers a refreshing new lens: style as self-care, self-expression, and an invitation to show up for yourself just as you are today.Connect with Dacy: The Website: https://www.mindfulcloset.comInstagram: @mindfulclosetSubstack: UnflatteringLike what you learned? Check out these other episodes!Redefining Personal Style in Midlife with Dacy GillespieThe Body Acceptance Mistake That's Keeping You Stuck in the SuckTrusting Your Body: Finding Peace Through Grief with Nina ManolsonFrom Body Grief to Body Acceptance: The Way Forward with Amanda Mittman, RDDitch the “I'll be good today” loop in 5 days with the Midlife Morning Makeover Email Challenge! ☀️ Head to menopausenutritionist.ca/morningmakeoverClick here to hang out with me on YouTube!Looking for more about midlife, menopause nutrition, and intuitive eating? Click here to grab one of my free guides and learn what I've got "on the menu" including my 1:1 and group programs. https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/links

"Dress for your body type", "define your waist", and "only wear what is flattering". The anti-fat bias we talk about on this podcast all the time extends into how we dress ourselves and what we feel worthy of wearing. As our bodies change (as they will continue to do throughout our life), many of us are met with barriers to body acceptance. And our clothes are a massive part of that. But they can also be a pivotal part of our liberation. This week we're joined by Dacy Gillespie, a weight-inclusive anti-diet personal stylist. We untangle the mess of our closets, dismantle patriarchal ideas of fashion, and challenge our sense of what we "should" be wearing based on our body shape and size. What's on Dacy's plate right now (and importantly, what's not) Dacy's journey to personal styling and anti-diet work Why having a passion for clothing is not vain Fashion's role in body image and societal pressures Understanding clothing sizes and body measurements Size acceptance and our clothes How to shop for new clothing as your body changes Steps to take to identify your personal style separate diet and beauty culture Letting go of old clothes and emotional attachments How clothing sizes impact our body image  The life-changing magic of finding your authentic style Challenging the inner critic when shopping Barriers to accessing clothing in a larger body The limitations of “flattering” The fashion rules we need to ditch  How to deal with your closet About Dacy: As a weight inclusive, anti-diet personal stylist, Dacy Gillespie helps her clients reject fashion rules and ideal standards of beauty imposed by the patriarchy, white supremacism, and capitalism so that they can uncover their authentic style. Through their work building a functional wardrobe, Dacy's clients make a mindset shift from thinking they need to wear what's flattering to unapologetically taking up space in the world. After a lifetime of jobs in high-stress careers that didn't suit her highly-sensitive, introverted personality, Dacy started mindful closet in 2013 in an attempt to create a more emotionally sustainable lifestyle. Her work has been featured in Forbes and Real Simple and she is a frequent podcast guest. Dacy is married and has two boys, ages 5 and 9. Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate Group program: Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program, kicking off in June 2025: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching Group membership: Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership, which is an ongoing community for monthly sessions and daily support: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group Social media: Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness Transcripts: If you're looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy Podcast Editing by Brian Walters This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate

I'm joined by weight inclusive, anti-diet personal stylist, Dacy Gillespie. We're talking about the importance of having clothes that fit and you feel good in, and how to navigate the process of finding new clothes when your body has changed, or you're not sure what your style is, or you've got budgetary constraints. Show notes: summerinnanen.com/321   In this episode, we talk about: - What got her into this work and inspired her to focus on weight inclusivity, - What the process can look like, - How buying clothes that fit can have a big impact on how you feel about your body, - Advice to someone who feels like they don't know where to start in deciding what they want to wear, - How to shift body changes into an opportunity to find what you really like, - Advice on how to make the shopping process less overwhelming, - Plus so much more!  Get the shownotes: www.summerinnanen.com/321   Get the free 10-Day Body Confidence Makeover with 10 steps to feel better in your body at summerinnanen.com/freebies If you're a professional who has clients or students that struggle with body image, get the Body Image Coaching Roadmap for professionals at summerinnanen.com/roadmap Support the show via Ko-Fi - go to ko-fi.com/summerinnanen and you can make a monthly contribution. For as little as $5 a month, you can help to keep this show on the air for another season and you'll get my mini-course “Conquering Negative Body Talk.

Anti-diet personal stylist Dacy Gillespie joins us to discuss diet and wellness culture, her bad experience with functional medicine (and what attracted her to it in the first place), how she's dealing with her chronic symptoms now, and why she doesn't think clothes should be “flattering.” Behind the paywall, we get into how to shop for clothes after your body changes, how to start discovering your authentic personal style beyond diet culture's ideals, the advice that revolutionized Christy's approach to fashion, the parallels between intuitive eating and fashion, and more. This episode is cross-posted from our other podcast, Rethinking Wellness. As a weight-inclusive, anti-diet personal stylist, Dacy Gillespie helps her clients reject fashion rules and ideal standards of beauty imposed by the patriarchy, white supremacism, and capitalism so that they can uncover their authentic style. Through their work building a functional wardrobe, Dacy's clients make a mindset shift from thinking they need to wear what's flattering to unapologetically taking up space in the world.  After a lifetime of jobs in high-stress careers that didn't suit her highly sensitive, introverted personality, Dacy started mindful closet in 2013 in an attempt to create a more emotionally sustainable lifestyle. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Real Simple, New York Magazine's The Strategist, and Lifehacker, and she is a frequent podcast guest. Dacy lives with her husband and two children in St. Louis, Missouri. Learn more about her work at mindfulcloset.com.  Check out Christy's three books, Anti-Diet, The Wellness Trap, and The Emotional Eating, Chronic Dieting, Binge Eating & Body Image Workbook for a deeper dive into the topics covered on the pod.  If you're ready to break free from diet culture and make peace with food, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. For more critical thinking and compassionate skepticism about wellness and diet culture, check out Christy's Rethinking Wellness podcast! You can also sign up to get it in your inbox every week at rethinkingwellness.substack.com. Ask a question about diet and wellness culture, disordered-eating recovery, and the anti-diet approach for a chance to have it answered on Rethinking Wellness. You can also subscribe to the Food Psych Weekly newsletter to check out previous answers!

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.comAnti-diet personal stylist Dacy Gillespie joins us to discuss diet and wellness culture, her bad experience with functional medicine (and what attracted her to it in the first place), how she's dealing with her chronic symptoms now, and why she doesn't think clothes should be “flattering.” Behind the paywall, we get into how to shop for clothes after your body changes, how to start discovering your authentic personal style beyond diet culture's ideals, the advice that revolutionized Christy's approach to fashion, the parallels between intuitive eating and fashion, and more.Paid subscribers can hear the full interview, and the first half is available to all listeners. To upgrade to paid, go to rethinkingwellness.substack.com. As a weight-inclusive, anti-diet personal stylist, Dacy Gillespie helps her clients reject fashion rules and ideal standards of beauty imposed by the patriarchy, white supremacism, and capitalism so that they can uncover their authentic style. Through their work building a functional wardrobe, Dacy's clients make a mindset shift from thinking they need to wear what's flattering to unapologetically taking up space in the world. After a lifetime of jobs in high-stress careers that didn't suit her highly sensitive, introverted personality, Dacy started mindful closet in 2013 in an attempt to create a more emotionally sustainable lifestyle. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Real Simple, New York Magazine's The Strategist, and Lifehacker, and she is a frequent podcast guest. Dacy lives with her husband and two children in St. Louis, Missouri.If you like this conversation, subscribe to hear lots more like it!Support the podcast by becoming a paid subscriber, and unlock great perks like extended interviews, subscriber-only Q&As, full access to our archives, commenting privileges and subscriber threads where you can connect with other listeners, and more. Learn more and sign up at rethinkingwellness.substack.com.Christy's second book, The Wellness Trap, is available wherever books are sold! Order it here, or ask for it in your favorite local bookstore.If you're looking to make peace with food and break free from diet and wellness culture, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course.

This one goes out to all our listeners who are still trying to make it work on social media!Today I'm joined by Dacy Gillespie, a weight inclusive, anti-diet personal stylist who has grown her business online over the past decade and is now navigating a major shift from Instagram to Substack.Together, we talk about:The high-stress worlds of music, teaching, arts admin & academiaWhy Dacy started working in fashion — even though she felt like a total outsiderThe role that Instagram plays in Dacy's businessHow Dacy has right-sized her business for her capacityWays to navigate the highs & lows of a fluctuating client loadWhy Dacy started her Substack newsletter & how it's grown to over 10,000 subscribersHow to market your work when you hate the feeling of selling yourself“is it possible to be an ethical influencer?” 

This week, I'm joined by Dacy Gillespie, a weight-inclusive, anti-diet personal stylist. She helps her clients make a mindset shift from thinking they need to wear what's flattering to unapologetically taking up space in the world.Together, we discuss:Mindful shopping and minimalismHow to shop intentionallyThe cultural implications of the word “flattering”Cultivating personal style vs. wearing clothes to look thinnerReframing our thoughts around body changes as we age 

Welcome to the Unflattering Toast Challenge debrief! Corinne and Virginia are joined by Dacy Gillespie, stylist and author of the Unflattering newsletter to talk about how we did with 3 weeks of breaking rules, finding "safe outfits," and exploring our style. To get all of the links and resources mentioned in this episode, as well as a complete transcript, visit our show page. Don't forget to order Fat Talk: Parenting In the Age of Diet Culture! Get your signed copy now from Split Rock Books (they ship anywhere in the USA). You can also order it from your independent bookstore, or from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Target, Kobo or anywhere you like to buy books. (Or get the UK edition or the audiobook!) Disclaimer: Virginia, Corinne and Dacy are humans with a lot of informed opinions. They are not nutritionists, therapists, doctors, or any kind of healthcare providers. The conversation you're about to hear and all of the advice and opinions they give are just for entertainment, information, and education purposes only. None of this is a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice.CREDITSToday's Indulgence Gospel was produced and hosted by Corinne, Dacy, and Virginia. You can follow Corinne @selltradeplus. Dacy is @mindful closet and her Substack newsletter is unflattering and Virginia is @V_SoleSmith on Instagram.The Burnt Toast logo is by Deanna Lowe.Our theme music is by Jeff Bailey and Chris Maxwell.Tommy Harron is our audio engineer.Thanks for listening and for supporting anti-diet, body liberation journalism!  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiasolesmith.substack.com/subscribe

"Dress for your body type", "define your waist", and "only wear what is flattering". How about...no.  As our bodies change (as they will continue to do throughout our life), many of us are met with barriers to body acceptance. And our clothes are a massive part of that. But they can also be a pivotal part of our liberation. Tune in to this week's episode to hear my conversation with Dacy Gillespie, a weight-inclusive anti-diet personal stylist. We untangle the mess of our closets, dismantle from patriarchal ideas of fashion, and challenge our sense of what we "should" be wearing based on our body shape and size. What's on Dacy's plate right now (and importantly, what's not) How she got into personal styling Being raised to think having a passion for clothing was vain The conversations that made her realize the ways patriarchy and white supremacy have informed our fashion choice How to approach shopping for new clothes as your body changes What steps to take to identify your personal style separate from patriarchal ideas of beauty and fashion  What to do with old clothes that no longer fit How clothing sizes impact our body image  The life-changing magic of finding your authentic style Challenging the inner critic when shopping Barriers to accessing clothing in a larger body The fashion rules we need to ditch  How to deal with your closet  All about the word “flattering”   About Dacy: As a weight inclusive, anti-diet personal stylist, Dacy Gillespie helps her clients reject fashion rules and ideal standards of beauty imposed by the patriarchy, white supremacism, and capitalism so that they can uncover their authentic style. Through their work building a functional wardrobe, Dacy's clients make a mindset shift from thinking they need to wear what's flattering to unapologetically taking up space in the world. After a lifetime of jobs in high-stress careers that didn't suit her highly-sensitive, introverted personality, Dacy started mindful closet in 2013 in an attempt to create a more emotionally sustainable lifestyle. Her work has been featured in Forbes and Real Simple and she is a frequent podcast guest. Dacy is married and has two boys, ages 5 and 9. You can find more from her at mindfulcloset.com, @mindfulcloset on ig and tt, makingspacecourse.com for her group program.    Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate   Group program: Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching   Group membership: Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group   Social media: Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness   Transcripts: If you're looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast   Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy Podcast Editing by Brian Walters This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate    

Introducing the Unflattering x Burnt Toast Style Challenge! Corinne and Virginia are joined by Dacy Gillespie, stylist and author of the Unflattering newsletter to talk about why style challenges can feel like diets and what we're going to do differently. (No but really!) To get all of the links and resources mentioned in this episode, as well as a complete transcript, visit our show page. Also, don't forget to order Fat Talk: Parenting In the Age of Diet Culture! Get your signed copy now from Split Rock Books (they ship anywhere in the USA). You can also order it from your independent bookstore, or from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Target, Kobo or anywhere you like to buy books. (Or get the UK edition or the audiobook!) Disclaimer: Virginia, Corinne and Dacy are humans with a lot of informed opinions. They are not nutritionists, therapists, doctors, or any kind of healthcare providers. The conversation you're about to hear and all of the advice and opinions they give are just for entertainment, information, and education purposes only. None of this is a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice.CREDITSToday's Indulgence Gospel was produced and hosted by Corinne, Dacy, and Virginia. You can follow Corinne @selltradeplus. Dacy is @mindful closet and her Substack newsletter is unflattering and Virginia is @V_SoleSmith on Instagram.The Burnt Toast logo is by Deanna Lowe.Our theme music is by Jeff Bailey and Chris Maxwell.Tommy Harron is our audio engineer.Thanks for listening and for supporting anti-diet, body liberation journalism!  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiasolesmith.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to This Is Not About Your Body! This week I'm sitting down with Dacy Gillespie, an anti-diet personal stylist and owner of Mindful Closet, where she teaches women how to release the patriarchal standards they've been conforming to so that they can uncover their authentic style. Find more from Dacy on her Instagram and website: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulcloset/ https://www.mindfulcloset.com/ - - - - - - My book, "Body Neutral: A Revolutionary Guide to Overcoming Body Image Issues" is OUT NOW! Pick up a copy from your favorite retailer today! I've also released a new course which pairs nicely with the book which you can purchase from my site: The Body Neutrality Blueprint https://www.jessikneeland.com/product-page/BodyNeutralityBlueprint - - - - - - My e-book is out! Grab a copy of Sustainable Movement here: https://www.jessikneeland.com/product-page/sustainable-movement-a-body-neutral-guide-to-health-fitness Intro to the 4 Body Image Avatars: https://youtu.be/SsxQ9qO0-a4 Get my full Body Image Avatar Guide here: https://www.jessikneeland.com/product-page/the-avatar-guide Find more resources here: https://jessikneeland.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessikneeland/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jessikneeland Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dgrRFaBYO

Apply to the Food & Body Peace Program here: https://embwqi24g5i.typeform.com/to/rRb3ttCL?typeform-source=linktr.ee Connect with Dacy Gillespie from the Mindful Closet @mindful closet on TikTok and Instagram

How do you let go of clothes that don't fit and find joy in dressing for your today body? Dacy Gillespie has built her personal styling business around helping women to let go of body ideals and beauty culture and find their own personal style.  She joins us on the podcast to explore what happens in our body when we can feel our clothes digging in or open our wardrobes to see nothing that fits our body as it is today.  Dacy brings her experience of how she works with clients to understand their body story to bring out the needs and desires of how women truly want to dress when the rules and expectations are stripped away.  We delve into the frustration of finding size-inclusive clothing, accessing sustainable fashion, and rejecting the rules of fashion in a world that reinforces anti-fat bias.  About Dacy Gillespie As a personal stylist, Dacy Gillespie intuitively guides her clients to discover what they feel best in. She helps them let go of the external messages they've been given about what they should wear and get to the heart of what's making them uncomfortable about their clothes. Through their work building a functional wardrobe, Dacy's clients make a mindset shift from thinking they need to wear what's flattering to unapologetically taking up space in the world.  After a lifetime of jobs in high-stress careers that didn't suit her highly-sensitive, introverted personality, Dacy started mindful closet in 2013 in an attempt to create a more emotionally sustainable lifestyle. She has two boys, ages 4 and 8, and a husband she adores who is well aware of her mental load.  Connect With Dacy: Substack: @dacygillespie Instagram: mindfulcloset Website: Mindfulcloset.com Follow us on instagram @theantidietclubpodcast Email theantidietclubpodcast@gmail.com Connect with Tamsin Broster Website: www.tamsinbroster.co.uk Instagram: tamsin_broster Email: freedom@tamsinbroster.co.uk Connect with Gillian McCollum Website: www.gillianmccollum.com Instagram: iamgillianwilson Email: hello@gillianmccollum.com

Are you still struggling to break free from the diet culture mentality? Do you find yourself engaging in "clean" eating or using phrases like "cheat" days or weekends? If so, you might be unknowingly holding onto sneaky forms of dieting that are preventing you from truly achieving food freedom. In this episode, I chat with you about the sneaky ways that diet culture can still impact our relationships with food, even if we think we've left our dieting mentality behind.  We'll chat about the 10 common signs that you might still be dieting without realizing it, such as: Focusing on "clean" eating Doing extreme challenges like 75 Hard Using phrases like "cheat" days or weekends Saving up calories for nights out or events + more! I also share alternative mindset shifts for each of these behaviours for you to make impactful change in your relationship with food. It's so important to let go of restriction and tune into our body's needs to get to a place of true food freedom. The ultimate goal is to break free from the diet-binge cycle and find a healthier, more sustainable relationship with food. Who's with me?! Links:  Join Embodied Food Freedom – Apply for Coaching Support: theintuitivenutritionist.com/eff Connect with Jenn on Instagram: @the.intuitive.nutritionist Show Notes: theintuitivenutritionist.com/podcast Other episodes mentioned: 006. How to Let Go of Labeling Food as “Good” vs. “Bad” 033. How to Dress Confidently at Any Body Size with Dacy Gillespie

Do you struggle not knowing what to wear? Feel like you can't find clothes that truly fit your body and feel unique to you? Does the media influence your personal style or does your body type not feel well represented in clothing brands? Chime into this podcast to hear how you can embody your true self through fashion!  This week's guest Dacy Gillespie, Personal Stylist and Owner of Mindful Closet, discusses how to dress confidently at any body size and break free from any fashion “rules” that limit one's self expression.  We go deep into: How unlearning and relearning beliefs around food AND clothes is an essential part of the journey How feeling comfortable in your clothes can impact your confidence and how you feel in your body Top tips for finding your personal style and clothing confidence How to remove the fear of spending money on clothes and what to do if you can't afford new clothes right now Clothing tips for bad body image days and how to let go of clothes that no longer fit or serve you A question that I'm LOVING from Dacy in this episode is, “If you didn't have limiting beliefs about what you could wear, what would you WANT to wear?” By squashing societies standards and “rules” for fashion and our bodies - we can truly find our own personal style, express ourselves freely and be our truest selves, no matter our body's size. Now let's fight against the “body ideals” and narratives and create body respect, together! This episode also mentions Brianna Campos, aka Body Image with Bri, who talks extensively about body grief and self acceptance. You can follow her here.  Connect with Dacy: Dacy's Website: mindfulcloset.com Dacy's Instagram: @mindfulcloset Dacy's TikTok: @mindfulcloset Making Space Group Program: mindfulcloset.com/making-space Links:  Join Embodied Food Freedom – Apply for Coaching Support: theintuitivenutritionist.com/eff Connect with Jenn on Instagram: @the.intuitive.nutritionist Show Notes: theintuitivenutritionist.com/podcast

We get dressed every day. And that's often an intense, overwhelming and stressful experience. Apparently clothes say so much about who we are and building a stylish wardrobe that challenges capitalist, patriarchal, racist and anti-fat norms is no small feat.In this episode, the founder of Mindful Closet - Dacy Gillespie and I, explore:The rules of style and limitations of dressing yourself and the roots of these Why dressing your body can be about safety Clothing and identity including how to find it in a changing body How to try on clothes that make a difference to your body image The impact of your wardrobe full stop Shopping with limited financial resources What we need to talk about when we talk about sizing Find the full show notes here. Find daily non-diet nourishment on Instagram @nadiafelsch Join the (free) Food and Body Freedom Community Share your lightbulb moments from this episode with me Leave a review for the podcast to help others find it Book a session with me

Brief note from Val before we dive into today's episode:In bittersweet news, this is the FINAL episode episode of Bodyful— but I'm not going anywhere, and neither are these episodes! Stay subscribed to this feed, and you'll get episodes of Bad Bitch Therapist Podcast, which will be launching January 24, 2023.And for now— a wonderful final Bodyful conversation with our guest, personal stylist Dacy Gillespie... As a surprise to literally no one, the style & fashion industry is not typically kind to diverse bodies.

Brief note from Val before we dive into today's episode:In bittersweet news, this is the FINAL episode episode of Bodyful— but I'm not going anywhere, and neither are these episodes! Stay subscribed to this feed, and you'll get episodes of Bad Bitch Therapist Podcast, which will be launching January 24, 2023.And for now— a wonderful final Bodyful conversation with our guest, personal stylist Dacy Gillespie... As a surprise to literally no one, the style & fashion industry is not typically kind to diverse bodies.

Hi y'all! I am popping in. In the podcast feed over here for a moment to share. Share an exciting update. You may have heard this if you listened to Bodyful episode 24 with Mary Reynolds Thompson that recently aired: the podcast is relaunching in the new year! It will still live in this same feed, but will be revamped as Bad Bitch Therapist Podcast.  More to come on that with a trailer soon, but for now, I just wanted to give you a heads up on what to expect in the feed between now and then (including  why you're seeing so many episodes come into your feed over the next week!) :POver the past few months I did this wonderful little mini season of Creatures of Change podcast on a separate feed, and those will coming into this feed so that they can live here and be found here instead of getting lost in internet purgatory—they are really excellent conversations. There are five episodes so far and one that I am finishing up editing the 6th/final episode, and we'll post one episode each day starting this Sunday December 18th, through December 23rd. Also sometime between now and the New Year, there will be one more episode of  Bodyful airing that's a really excellent conversation with stylist Dacy Gillespie of Mindful Closet.  So stay tuned for those episodes over the next couple of weeks, followed by the exciting relaunch of Bad Bitch Therapist podcast in January. Thank you so much for being here... trailer for the new pod format coming soon!xoVal

Hi y'all! I am popping in. In the podcast feed over here for a moment to share. Share an exciting update. You may have heard this if you listened to Bodyful episode 24 with Mary Reynolds Thompson that recently aired: the podcast is relaunching in the new year! It will still live in this same feed, but will be revamped as Bad Bitch Therapist Podcast.  More to come on that with a trailer soon, but for now, I just wanted to give you a heads up on what to expect in the feed between now and then (including  why you're seeing so many episodes come into your feed over the next week!) :POver the past few months I did this wonderful little mini season of Creatures of Change podcast on a separate feed, and those will coming into this feed so that they can live here and be found here instead of getting lost in internet purgatory—they are really excellent conversations. There are five episodes so far and one that I am finishing up editing the 6th/final episode, and we'll post one episode each day starting this Sunday December 18th, through December 23rd. Also sometime between now and the New Year, there will be one more episode of  Bodyful airing that's a really excellent conversation with stylist Dacy Gillespie of Mindful Closet.  So stay tuned for those episodes over the next couple of weeks, followed by the exciting relaunch of Bad Bitch Therapist podcast in January. Thank you so much for being here... trailer for the new pod format coming soon!xoVal

For this episode, I'm chatting with Dacy Gillespie (@mindfulcloset on Instagram) all about dressing your here and now body.

Big, huge, arms wide open welcome to Dacy Gillespie of The Mindful Closet! Today we're chatting about all things clothes, style, and why it's so damn hard to feel okay about how your body looks in clothing. WHY?!?! In this episode: the thing you HAVE to do before you can begin to feel good in your clothes finding your style NOW reconnecting with PLAY asking the question: is it really great style? Or just thinness? an exercise that'll help you release harsh judgement and figure out if you like the clothes on your body What's the LEAST you can do and still get the benefit? The take-out food that's 100% part of Dacy's healthy-ish plan Grab your Healthy-ish Starter Guide HERE: https://www.foodfreedombodylove.com/healthyishstarterguide Find Dacy here: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulcloset/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/foodfreedombodylove/message

Anna Lutz and Elizabeth Davenport have a conversation with Dacy Gillespie, an online personal stylist who helps women uncover their authentic style. They discuss: The challenges of clothes shopping. The pressures faced by children and teens to looks and dress a certain way What parents can say to reject unhelpful messages that come up while shopping and trying on clothes (hint: avoid the term “flattering”). Some tips for parents to reduce overwhelm when shopping with tweens and teens. The ways in which moms often don't put their own needs first, and how this plays out with clothing. Links:  Support the Podcast -- Virtual “Tip Jar”! Mindful Closet Sunny Side Up Nutrition Podcast  Lutz, Alexander & Associates Nutrition Therapy Pinney Davenport Nutrition https://thirdwheeled.com/ https://m8.design/ https://www.sonics.io/ Dacy Gillespie provides style help to women who've always felt uncomfortable in their clothes and who want to uncover their authentic style. She helps clients process and release the societal constructs they've been operating under through online personal styling services. Dacy uses the principles of intuitive eating and Health At Every Size® in her work.

In today's conversation, I am joined by Dacy Gillespie, a personal stylist who ditched her high-stress career to start her own business in 2013. She guides her clients to discover what they feel best in and helps them let go of the external messages they've been conditioned to believe about their bodies.   During the episode, Dacy shares why she believes you should be unapologetically taking up space in the world with what you wear. She discusses how to become an intuitive dresser, why we feel conditioned to wear certain things, and why you do not need to fit in clothes you don't feel comfortable in!    In this episode, we cover: Sloane shares more about herself and her personal stylist business [1:11] Why do we feel conditioned to wear certain things [3:59] Inner work and becoming an intuitive dresser [10:35] What is flattering? [15:53] What you wear impacts how you feel [20:23] Having the confidence to respect your body [24:29]   Connect with Dacy:   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulcloset/    Website: https://www.mindfulcloset.com/     LINKS: Free Call with Dylan Follow Dylan on IG Follow FMN on IG

Many of us have lost touch with what personal style even means these past couple of years. Sweats and pajamas have become the norm and wearing stylish clothes has been a struggle to say the least. Today we're talking with Dacy Gillespie, a personal stylist who intuitively guides her clients to discover what they feel best in. She helps people let go of the external messages they've been given about what they should wear and get to the heart of what's making them uncomfortable about their clothes.    In This Episode We'll Cover: How to figure out what your personal style is Building a wardrobe that's functional  Questions to ask yourself when figuring out what clothes to buy  Helpful tips for people who don't feel good in their clothes  Ways body image affects personal style + MORE!    3 Ways You Can Support This Podcast: Rate Review Support our sponsors using our unique ‘HOOKUP' codes here: https://foodheavenmadeeasy.com/hookup/   HOOKUP Codes: Get your first box for a penny (because it's alcohol, it can't be free) at DryFarmWines.com/foodheaven Soundtrack your summer with the Sonos Move at Sonos.com   For our resources and shownotes, visit foodheavenmadeeasy.com/podcast.   Produced by Dear Media

Have you been seeing a lot of people talk about their capsule wardrobe recently? For those not familiar, a capsule wardrobe is a collection of clothing that is composed of interchangeable items only, to maximize the number of outfits you can wear. I (Jess) have been obsessed with this concept for YEARS and have been searching for the right guest to dive in. Welp, we've found her! ​​Our podcast guest this week, Dacy Gillespie @mindfulcloset, is a personal stylist who intuitively guides her clients to discover what they feel best in. She helps them let go of the external messages they've been given about what they should wear and get to the heart of what's making them uncomfortable about their clothes. Through their work building a functional wardrobe, Dacy's clients make a mindset shift from thinking they need to wear what's flattering to unapologetically taking up space in the world.    In This Episode We'll Cover: The benefits and disadvantages of a capsule wardrobe  How to get started with creating one How many items of clothing you need How to be flexible with the concept of a capsule  & MORE    3 Ways You Can Support This Podcast: Rate Review Support our sponsors using our unique ‘HOOKUP' codes here: https://foodheavenmadeeasy.com/hookup/   HOOKUP Codes: Soundtrack your summer with the Sonos Move at Sonos.com Visit goGnarly.com and use promo code FOODHEAVEN to get 15% off your entire purchase. Visitritual.com/FOODHEAVEN for 10% off your first three months.   For our resources and show notes, visit foodheavenmadeeasy.com/podcast.   Produced by Dear Media

Today I am welcoming guest Dacy Gillespie to the Food Freedom Lab to share her expertise on building a functional wardrobe. WHO IS DACY GILLESPIE? Dacy Gillespie intuitively guides her clients to discover what they feel best in. She helps them let go of the external messages they've been given about what they should wear and get to the heart of what's making them uncomfortable about their clothes. Through their work building a functional wardrobe, Dacy's clients make a mindset shift from thinking they need to wear what's flattering to unapologetically taking up space in the world. After a lifetime of jobs in high-stress careers that didn't suit her highly-sensitive, introverted personality, Dacy started mindful closet in 2013 in an attempt to create a more emotionally sustainable lifestyle. She has two boys, ages 4 and 8, and a husband she adores who is well aware of her mental load. CONNECT WITH DACY Shownotes Follow Dacy On Instagram Follow Dacy on Tiktok

Think about your closet for a minute. When you open it, does it spark joy? Or does it cause panic and overwhelm because it's disorganized and overstuffed (yet you have nothing to wear?). Stylist Dacy Gillespie of The Mindful Closet has ideas for cultivating a closet that makes you happy and is more practical, sustainable, and ethical. We dive into how to be a mindful consumer in a world of excess, building a capsule wardrobe, and dressing for changing midlife bodies. Bonus! We cover how to donate and resell clothes, plus how to deal with seasonal wardrobe changeovers. Hot summer nights - we ready for ya! SHOW NOTES + TRANSCRIPT:acertainagepod.comFOLLOW A CERTAIN AGE:InstagramFacebookLinkedInGET INBOX INSPO:Sign up for our newsletter AGE BOLDLYWe share new episodes, giveaways, links we live, and midlife resourcesLIKE BOOKS?Each month we do an author BOOK LOOK on Instagram Live Follow us for the fun! @acertainagepodCONTACT US:katie@acertainagepod.com

Dacy Gillespie intuitively guides her clients to discover what they feel best in. She helps them let go of the external messages they've been given about what they should wear and get to the heart of what's making them uncomfortable about their clothes. Through their work building a functional wardrobe, Dacy's clients make a mindset shift from thinking they need to wear what's flattering to unapologetically taking up space in the world. After a lifetime of jobs in high-stress careers that didn't suit her highly-sensitive, introverted personality, Dacy started mindful closet in 2013 in an attempt to create a more emotionally sustainable lifestyle. She has two boys, ages 3 and 7, and a husband she adores who is well aware of her mental load.Connect with Dacy:mindfulcloset.cominstagram.com/mindfulcloset

Today Serena and Susan talk with Dacy Gillespie who is a personal stylist specializing with helping her clients find what feels best for them. They talk about how to prepare for a shopping experience as well as talking about how the system is broken.  Follow Dacy on Instagram @mindfulcloset. Or you can check out her website mindfulcloset.com and her course makingspacecourse.com.

I know it's hard to hear. But before you click away from the show, unsubscribe, and tell all your friends how un-relatable the Savor Food and Body Podcast is, hear me out - or rather, hear out my guest Dacy Gillespie, online personal stylist, and owner of Mindful Closet. Dacy's mission in life is to help women release the patriarchal standards they've been conforming to for way too long, and uncover their true, authentic personal style and beauty. In this interview, you'll hear... How Dacy went from professional bass player to online stylist and what inspires her to focus on debunking the arbitrary standards of fashion for women in midlife. A brief history lesson on where those arbitrary standards came from and how they're reflected in fashion culture today. Dacy shares her thoughts on why holding on to clothes that no longer serve you is like holding yourself to a previous life's standard that likely wasn't obtainable, and what you can do to help yourself move towards body acceptance by owning your authentic style. How it's rarely about just the clothes, but more about the story behind why you're wearing what you think you should be wearing instead of what you want to be wearing. Finally, Dacy offers 2 key strategies to help women in midlife start to develop their own authentic style and step into their authentic beauty - from the inside out. Like what you hear? Subscribe to the show so you don't miss an episode. Don't forget to rate, review, and share! This kindness helps other women in midlife find the show too! Get show notes at www.alpinenutrition.org/blog Subscribe to the Savor Food and Body Community to get weekly emails with insights, strategies, and the occasional recipe. You can also download 6 Strategies to undiet your life after 40  

Dacy Gillespie is a personal stylist who intuitively guides us to discover the clothes we feel best in — uncovering and releasing what society says we “should” wear in the process. Together we explore the question “what do you want to wear?” and we talk about how pausing before purchasing can help us make more ethical decisions and find clothes we love. Dacy also shares why “flattering” is a fatphobic concept, how to approach your clothes when your body changes, and her advice for online shopping and creating a capsule wardrobe. Our conversation is an invitation to stop settling for clothes you don't really like. It's also a reminder that you have a right to feel good in what you wear. Enjoy.Links & Resources—Belonging Episode #66: Radically Claiming your Needs with Mara GlatzelDacy's Forbes feature — How to Build a Mindful Close that Sparks JoyAtlantic article on returns & landfills — The Nasty Logistics of Returning Your Too-Small PantsBecca's beautiful measuring tape & more options on EtsyMore from Dacy Gillespie—Mindful Closet.com@mindfulcloset on Instagram

Is your closet filled with clothes that no longer fit your body today? Do you wear styles that society has deemed "flattering" to your body, or do you allow your personal aesthetic to define your wardrobe?Dacy Gillespie is a personal stylist and creator of Mindful Closet. She empowers women to be their authentic selves through their clothes and is bringing conversations about intuitive eating, HAES (Health At Every Size), and inclusivity to her work in very meaningful ways. Follow her on Instagram and sign up for her newsletter to learn from her.Want to learn more about how to make peace with food in midlife without feeling like you've given up on yourself?  Learn about how to work and learn with me here: https://linktr.ee/Jshuber!

Watch now (39 min) | Plus, a final chapter of Jeans Science, with Dacy Gillespie of Mindful Closet.

In today's episode, we talk with Dacy Gillespie, an online personal stylist, about the messages that we have received about what we "should" and "shouldn't" wear based on our body, age, and weight so we can unpack them and connect more to our authentic style and self-expression. Clothing plays a big role in our body image and healing journey, so I know you are going to get a lot out of this episode! Topics we cover: What "flattering" really means The role patriarchy and White Supremacy have in clothing messages and choices The oppressive messages we get about what to wear and how to work through them The problem with hanging on to clothes that don't fit What do to about an ever-changing body as we age Why you deserve to buy clothes that fit The process of updating your wardrobe to work for you And so much much! Find Dacy: Instagram.com/mindfulcloset mindfulcloset.com Making Space group program - info at https://mindfulcloset.lpages.co/making-space/ Find Cara Food Body Soul - The Academy Caraskitchen.net

Dacy Gillespie, owner of Mindful Closet,  intuitively guides her clients to discover what they feel best in by helping them to let go of the external messages they've been given about what they should wear and get to the heart of what's making them uncomfortable about their clothes. On the podcast, Dacy and I discuss the parallels between creating a mindful closet and intuitive eating, such as dropping external rules and using a somatic experience to determine what feels best. Dacy shares how having a mindful closet can be a warm welcome for those having a hard time accepting their “now” body and why it's okay to grieve pieces in your closet before you let them go.  Check out Dacy's group program, Making Space: https://mindfulcloset.lpages.co/making-space/ Instagram.com/mindfulcloset Mindfulcloset.com

How do you get dressed in the morning? What determines what you buy? Function or flattery? Dacy Gillespie joins me for week 3 of the 'Non-Diet Resolution Challenge and talks to us about challenging the beliefs we hold about clothing, how we feel when something doesn't fit anymore, and how to let go of clothes that aren't working for us anymore.Learn more about Dacy and the work she does to help you feel confident in your clothes. Need help with nutrition in midlife? Or want to make peace with food without feeling like you're giving up on yourself? Visit https://linktr.ee/Jshuber to learn how to work with me.

I love using the beginning of a new year as a time to look ahead and set some intentions and goals for the coming year! In this episode, I'm sharing how my process for setting goals has changed over the years (and what it looks like today), the four reflection questions I use to help me surface new goals and priorities for the coming year, some of my biggest takeaways from 2021, and why I ditched setting goals before January 1st this year! SHOWNOTES: https://www.theconnectedmomlife.com/63   Join the FREE Friendship Focus Challenge Bring your friendship dreams to life in 2022 with a clear plan so you can enjoy the life-giving connections you crave (and deserve).   MENTIONS: Episode 32: Finding Your Authentic Style with Dacy Gillespie 10 Things to Tell You Podcast with Laura Tremaine: 10 Questions for the End of the Year   LET'S CONNECT! Instagram @theconnectedmomlife Facebook @theconnectedmomlife Join the Connected Mom Life Community    ARE YOU A FAN OF THE PODCAST? If you loved today's episode, would you head to your favorite podcast app and leave a rating and review? The more ratings and reviews the podcast gets, the more moms will be in-the-know that we can stop "playing it cool" and actually connect!

Hello, and welcome to another audio version of Burnt Toast!Today I am chatting with Dacy Gillespie, a personal stylist and creator of Mindful Closet. If you follow me on Instagram, you might have noticed I have been posting a little more fashion content. If you think anything I’ve been wearing is cute, it is because of Dacy. She is brilliant at fashion. She is even more brilliant at helping us release the patriarchal rules that we have felt like we had to follow about getting dressed. Dacy does it all from a weight-inclusive, Health at Every Size perspective. She is an amazing unicorn in the fashion universe.DacyThank you, Virginia, for the really kind words.VirginiaAll extremely true. For folks who don’t know you, let’s start by having you give us a little of your story. You are a classical musician-turned-stylist. You are also very much not what people think of when they think of a stylist! I would love to hear a little more of how you got into this work.DacyI appreciate that you say I’m not what you would think of when you hear “stylist.” For me, that is a good sign that someone connects with what I feel like I’m doing, in a weird way. I truly feel that way myself, so it’s nice to be recognized. I’ll try and give the short version of the story. I know we’re going to talk later about the messages that people get around clothing and fashion. My story started with a message I got from my parents, which was: If you care or think about clothes or fashion, you’re superficial and silly, and not a serious, caring person. I know a lot of people can relate to that. Fashion was something I always, always loved. If it weren’t for that message, I probably would have gotten into something in the fashion field much earlier on. Instead, I went into classical music which was an approved field of study. It was an interesting career for a while, but ultimately a really high stress one. When I decided to change careers in my mid-thirties, style and fashion was what I went back to. I did some research on fields within the industry and realized that something I’d been informally doing for people my whole life actually was a job: Personal styling. I was always that person who would come over and help you clean out your closet or help you decide what you were going to wear to an event. It never felt validated as something that I could actually do, partially because of that message from my parents, and partially because I just never felt cool enough to be in fashion. Thanks to a really supportive husband and a lot of privilege, I started this business about nine years ago.VirginiaI went into fashion magazines, but worked in the health departments. I was like, “I’m not cool enough for the fashion people.” Which was both true and not true. The fashion industry is very insular and puts up barriers, but it’s ridiculous that these barriers exist and that we internalize them. We’ve been working together in your one-on-one coaching program. It’s been low-key life-changing. And it’s a lot more like therapy than I expected, in a good way. I was like, “Oh, I want to work with Dacy because I need to figure out what styles work on my body,” and like, “maybe she’ll just tell me what to wear and that’ll be so great.” And instead, you were like, “What messages have you absorbed about your body? Let’s unpack this! Where did this come from?” I started realizing I had all these ideas, like that I should only wear flowy tops or I should only wear dark colors. You helped me sort through that and figure out where it comes from. So, I’m curious to hear why you think it’s so important to start with those stories that we tell ourselves about clothes.DacyWell, I think awareness is always the first step towards growth and change. You have to be aware of those stories that you’ve been told before you can let them go. You have to hold them and look at them and say, “Is this true for me? Or is this just someone else’s idea of what I should be doing?”As women, we’re so used to taking in others’ opinions and changing our actions around those opinions. I see this as an entry point to getting in touch with what your true needs are. Fashion is just a way to practice that. You talk about intuitive eating and Health at Every Size, and there are so many similarities and parallels in this work. It’s about listening to your body and what it needs. I always ask, “Is it external influence or is it an internal motivation?”The whole first session when I work with someone is called “Style Stories.” It’s about asking, “What has your relationship with clothes been over the course of your life? Who dressed you? Who took you to buy clothes? Who influenced what you thought you should be wearing? Who gave you messages?” It can be anyone, from our mothers to fashion magazines and of course, social media. It’s so important to acknowledge those messages and decide whether you want to accept them or let them go.VirginiaYes, yes, absolutely. We talked a lot about middle school for me. It was all about Cool Girls, and because I moved schools around that time, wondering if I had the right thing to wear. I realized that here I am, a 40-year-old adult, still worrying about having the right thing to wear. One of my big takeaways was how much joy I had gotten out of clothes as a kid, and even as a teenager and young adult. That joy had been really sucked out of fashion for me, and a lot of that was because of my body changing. I grew up as a thin kid. I’m a small fat adult. That was a big transition because clothes just aren’t accessible to me in the same way. There were also feelings of wanting to fit in and play it safe and wear black all the time. When we started digging deeper into it, you asked me to show you what I love. I showed you people like Emma Straub and Nora Pelizzari who are wearing tons of color and mixed prints and bright patterns. They’re like walking rays of sunshine! It was so interesting to realize that’s actually what I’m really drawn to. We realized that wanting to play it safe is really a fear of taking up space. It’s really a fear being noticed. Is this is a common fear you encounter? Does this fear of being noticeable come up a lot, especially for people in bigger bodies?DacyYeah, for sure. This is what I hear especially people who have lived in a larger body for most of their life. They felt excluded, that clothing and fashion were not things that they could participate in—in some cases, literally! Like, “When I went to the store with my mom and my sister, my sister could buy the clothes in this store and I couldn’t.”People have this experience of feeling excluded and getting messages that if you are not in a socially acceptable body, you should hide yourself. You don’t deserve to be noticed. Something is shameful about your body and it should be hidden. You should just be grateful if you can find anything that fits your body. Of course, we have a long way to go, but steps are being taken, thankfully. There are options if you love and enjoy fashion, so that you don’t have to wear shapeless, black sacks. I, however, am someone who loves a shapeless black sack.Something I was thinking about talking to you, Virginia, is that—and I think this is common for a lot of mothers—the period of time when you lost your spark of joy about fashion was the period of time when you became a parent. That was a somewhat traumatic experience for you. People get to the point where they just have to get through the day, just have to get by, and fashion is not something that they have the luxury to think about. You are somewhat through that, and finally able to feel more of the things that bring you pleasure. It was really lovely to be able to help you connect to that.VirginiaWhen we were going through our more traumatic years with my daughter’s medical condition, I did a lot of stress shopping. I remember sitting attached to the breast pump in the ICU, and buying boots on my phone in this compulsive way. I just needed something good. I’ll never shame anyone’s coping strategies, but for me, it wasn’t super satisfying. Shopping is hard to do in a spontaneous, joyful way. The whole structure of online shopping, in particular, is difficult to navigate. Recognizing that I needed joy and deserved joy and didn’t have to do it in a furtive, stressful way was helpful.The other realization I had as we were doing this work, was how much I had lowered my standards. I think of myself as someone with high standards, so that was surprising. As shopping got harder, I ended up keeping stuff I didn’t really like because returns seemed like a hassle. Maybe I really loved it but it didn’t fit quite right. Or I didn’t love it, but it fit okay, so I would convince myself it was fine. There was a lot of accepting stuff that wasn’t great. There was some inertia and some fear that it would be hard to find something better. I want to hold space for the fact that for folks on tight budgets, for folks in larger bodies, it often does feel somewhat impossible to find better options. I think you’ve mentioned that you’ve encountered that belief a lot, too. But why is this important to challenge? And how do we challenge it?DacyPeople who are in larger bodies or people whose bodies change, as yours did and as mine is right now, have been given this message that we don’t matter, that we’re not worth the effort. If we have something that that fits, we should just shut up and be thankful. It’s a real expression of self-value to say, “No, this is not quite right.” Maybe you need this item right now, because there’s not always a perfect solution, but just knowing that this isn’t what expresses yourself in the most pure way can be helpful. It may not be what makes you the most happy, and you can continue to look for that.As mothers, we would never say to our kids, “Make do with the rain boots with the hole in them.” or “You grew out of those but I’m not going to buy you new clothes.” But we often let our needs fall to the bottom of the priority list. VirginiaHow do you advise people to start to shift that? Is it finding more time to spend on shopping? Is it thinking differently about what you’re buying? What’s the starting point? DacyThe starting point is awareness. Allow yourself to feel what you feel about your clothes. When you get dressed in the morning, if you are putting on two or three things and taking them off because you don’t want to wear them that day, just try and sit with and understand what is going on there. Is it because it doesn’t fit well? Is it because it makes you feel squeezed? Is it because it’s a very bright color that you feel uncomfortable in? Is it because it’s black and you feel drab? It’s going to be so different for every single person, but start allowing those things to come up. We’re not supposed to complain about these things; we should be grateful we have clothes. Allowing yourself to start to think, “Okay, this is the reason why I don't want to wear this today. I'm gonna put it on because I don't have any other options, but this is going to start a process of thinking about what I want my clothes to be for me.”A huge part of it is also finding visual inspiration and really not censoring yourself when you’re doing that. People will create Pinterest boards and they’ll put things on where they love that print but have been told that doesn’t work for someone in a larger body. Or they may say, “I love that fitted shape, but God forbid someone see my stomach!” So, if you can reach out for visual inspiration that truly resonates on a gut level without filtering in that way, you’ll just start to see things a little bit differently and see what you’re wearing a little bit differently. It comes down to this awareness of rejecting what you’ve been told. You can decide what it is that you like the look of, and then later on you can figure out a way to translate it into your life. VirginiaI went in thinking I knew what clothes I liked. If you’d asked me previous to this, “What is your style?” I think I would have said, “Whatever the Anthropologie plus size collection has, that’s probably what I want to wear.” It turns out, it’s actually not at all what I want to wear! We didn’t end up buying anything from them. It’s not a style that really speaks to me. I realized how much I was just accepting, like, aren't we so lucky that Anthropologie makes plus sizes now, I must want to wear that. There are lots of ways this plays out. Then there was this process of refining and realizing I love when Emma Straub wears a giant, multicolored muumuu. But I don’t actually want to wear a muumuu, I want something with that feel, but with smaller pops of color. That still feels very bold to me, as someone who came from black t-shirt land.DacyYou start with that visual inspiration, then at some point you have to put it into practice and see how it feels. There’s a little bit of a swing to the extreme sometimes, too. I think maybe you did this a little bit. This thing of, I need to wear all the prints and all the colors, because now it’s available and it has never been available before. And yet, you still have to do what feels good for you. I think you experienced some of that. Some of those more colorful things made you uncomfortable and didn’t get worn and therefore weren’t really useful for you.VirginiaYeah, absolutely. We also did a much bigger closet purge than I was expecting. That was cathartic. It was exciting to realize how much stuff I had hanging in there that I wasn’t wearing. What are some other common beliefs that come up with clients, especially folks in bigger bodies, that you help them break through?DacyThese ideas that that style is not for you, that you can’t take up space, that you can’t just be the physical person that you are, and that you should strive for an optical illusion that makes you appear smaller, which we then call '“flattering.” And that “flattering” should be the priority above all else. I like to start by reversing that and saying, “What do you like, without considering what is socially appropriate or conventionally appropriate for your body?” Let’s start with what you actually like the look of and let’s prioritize that. That way you get some say in it, you get some control. Otherwise, you’re just saying, “Well Tim Gunn or Elle Magazine or whoever says, ‘you have to wear fitted waist and full skirts,’ all for the sake of appearing as small as possible.” What if you just don’t like how that looks? People in larger bodies have been pressured to do this as much as they possibly can. God forbid you show up in your full size, that would be so offensive. Let’s use all the tricks in the book that we can come up with to try and make you appear smaller than you actually are.VirginiaIt’s so exhausting and the tricks don’t work either. People will still see your body.DacyYou’re a three dimensional object. You’re showing up in the world, and nobody is fooled. It just makes you feel uncomfortable and you’re trying so hard to achieve something that is impossible.VirginiaIt also triggers so much comparing and that’s not helpful, as opposed to focusing on what makes you happy and what makes you feel good in clothes. I remember reading an interview with Lindy West where—thinking of your comment about black shapeless sacks—she said something like, “I would love if someone put me in that for a photoshoot, but they always put me in the like 1950’s hourglass silhouette with a bold red lip.” That’s the way that fat girls are allowed to feel pretty, to really lean into the retro vibes. What if you don’t— and I don’t—particularly love a retro vibe? What if you don’t want to be Marilyn Monroe? What if you don’t love a puff sleeve, at the moment? Or certain silky flower prints that we get over and over? It probably sounds very hard to start with what you love, but I think you’re right that it’s a very pivotal step to take.DacyYou and I, and probably a lot of people listening, have been challenging this concept of flattering. Some people get very worried, like “Why would I wear something if it’s not flattering, because flattering makes me feel good.” It comes down to the meaning of the word and what you consider the word flattering to mean. In my in my opinion, it has always meant to appear as small as possible. If to you “flattering” means something that makes you happy because you put it on and you light up, that’s great.VirginiaThe clothes I ended up buying after working with you are, in many cases, silhouettes that I would not have thought would be “flattering” on my body. I would now say they actually are flattering, if we redefine the word. I look better in these clothes because I’m comfortable and happy in them. I’m not trying to hide my body.DacyIt’s because we started with what you liked the look of, right? If we had stuck to the rules, we wouldn’t have gotten to those clothes.VirginiaI want to talk about detaching from your clothing size. I truly do not care what the label says anymore. When I look at what we bought, which I was doing because I was posting on Instagram and wanted to give people sizes, we bought like 47 different sizes. I think that’s often a stumbling block for people. They’re really caught up in their head about wanting to stay a certain size and buying the next size up feels like this big, scary step to take. Can you explain, as someone who understands retail so well, why are clothing sizes such b******t and what do we do with that?DacyI don’t know if I have perfect answers for either of those questions. I mentioned this in passing before, that my body is changing. I do feel that little bit of sadness when I realized that the sizes I bought for years don’t fit anymore and I’m in a different size now. We want to acknowledge that, it is definitely a thing. And also, sizing is so meaningless. It’s absolutely meaningless. One size in one store equals a size four sizes up in another store. So how can you say you’re one or the other? I always say to my clients that 100 or 150 years ago there was no size. There were no clothing sizes. Clothes were made for your body. If you were wealthy, someone made them for you. If you were poor, you made them for yourself. This concept of needing our bodies to fit into certain clothes or certain styles is a new concept. It’s new since industrialization; it’s new since globalization. Sizing is a construct that ultimately makes a lot of people feel bad. But it’s imaginary. VirginiaYeah, you have to start viewing it as white noise, in a way. The relief of finding a clothing item that fits well is so powerful. It feels so good that I can stop caring about the number. That was a helpful turning point for me. There is a mourning process, you’re right. You have to grieve. It’s frustrating, too, because clothes are expensive, to realize that the entire closet that I had before each of my children is gone. That is infuriating. But you have to detach from those numbers and just see them as this strange system that the store is using to chart out its clothes, that doesn’t have any reflection on us.You also explained to me about taking your measurements and studying the size charts. It is a little more labor intensive and can also be triggering because anything with numbers and bodies can be triggering. But, if you can do measurements in a way that feels safe to you, it’s a much more reliable as a way to buy clothes. Look at the size charts and match up your measurements. That was really helpful.DacyThe alternative is that you order something in a size you hope will fit and it comes and it doesn’t fit and you feel bad about yourself. You feel frustrated and you give up and end up with no clothes that make you feel good about your body. If you’re not feeling comfortable in your body and your clothes on a daily basis, you’re just a little more restricted in your thoughts and your movements. It’s such a valuable thing to have clothes that fit. While it’s hard, I don’t see an alternative because I don’t think wearing clothes that don’t fit is a good option for most people.VirginiaIt’s a lot like living on a diet. Even if you’re living on one of those less punitive diets and it’s a “lifestyle plan,” it’s sapping your energy in this small way every day because all this mental energy is going towards what you’re eating or not eating. And wasting mental energy on jeans that feel uncomfortably too tight is such a life suck. Why do that? The system you encourage is ordering multiple sizes, trying things on, and returning. This is something that I started doing years ago because it felt like the only practical way to shop. We should also talk about the returns piece of things, because this is a topic that is complicated. I would love your thoughts on how we navigate that part of it.DacyIt’s funny, you’re a huge outlier. Almost everyone I work with is shocked by the idea of ordering multiple things to try!VirginiaSo people are just buying one thing at a time? And then returning it?DacyOr not returning it because it feels frustrating and they don’t want to order the next size and so they just get stuck. A lot of people just need permission to know that there is absolutely no way to know if something is going to fit based on the size chart on a company’s website. Even if they have a well laid out size chart, and you take your measurements, and you match up to a certain size. There’s just no way to know. You are setting yourself up to get stuck in the process by only ordering one thing and then feeling like you failed. You haven’t failed, it’s the system, which doesn’t work for anyone.VirginiaI bet it’s people being really hesitant to order the larger size and being attached to that clothing number. Maybe they’ve already gone up one size but don’t want to go up two sizes. I think we need to reckon with why that is so scary. This is a meaningless number.DacyI have a lot of people who always ordered one size, no matter what store. How on earth do you know if that’s going to fit? If we were in a dressing room in a store and you tried on something and it didn’t fit, of course you’d get the next size. By not doing that you’re stilting the whole process. In terms of returns, I do not have all the answers. It’s an environmental concern. It’s something that a lot of us take personal responsibility for and feel guilty for. But in reality, it’s another big system that needs to be managed by corporations and the people making money off of us. It is not our personal responsibility to save the planet by never returning anything and keeping clothes that we don’t like or that don’t fit.Virginia Which you would just end up throwing out anyway, at some point.DacyExactly. Good point. It’s even more wasteful to keep them, in some ways. A lot of people are really concerned about shipping and carbon emissions and—if anyone has any data about this, I’d love to hear it—in my neighborhood, there’s a delivery guy going from house to house to house, which is probably more efficient than everyone in my neighborhood driving separately to buy something.The thing that I value the most is women feeling good in their clothes because I feel like it allows them to have that freedom of thought and freedom to be an activist for the things that are important. At the moment, the system only allows us to get clothes that fit by trying a bunch of things and returning some of them. Unfortunately, that’s our option. The only other option is getting clothes that don’t fit or sticking with clothes that you ordered and feel guilty about returning and are a waste of money because they’re not quite what you need.Virginia Amanda Mull had a great piece in The Atlantic about returns, for anyone who wants to read up. The big concern is that a lot of retailers destroy inventory instead of putting it back into inventory, which is pretty disgusting and neither of us are saying it’s not bad. It’s bad. DacyYes. But there’s a lot of nuance to it. I believe the article said that 25 percent of returns are not going back into inventory. I’m going to guess that a majority of those are fast fashion retailers. Very cheaply made things are just not worth the cost of being put back into the inventory system to resell. So, here’s a little plug for trying to buy more sustainably made clothing. I can tell you for sure that a lot of the brands that I work with and follow are not putting garments in the trash. If a piece is worth a certain amount of money and it’s well-made, like out of organically grown cotton, it’s not going in the trash.VirginiaYeah, they are going to put it back in inventory. It’s also true that, for plus size folks, fast fashion is often the only way to get your sizes. It is a broken system and you still deserve to be able to put clothes on your body, even if you’re on a tight budget, even if you don’t have a lot of size options. Our individual choices only go so far here. I often hear from from other folks in the fat community that the returns process is a burden unique to us. So, it was really interesting to read that Atlantic piece and realize this is happening across all retail, not even just clothing. It is true that folks who can’t shop in brick and mortar stores, because they don’t carry our sizes, are stuck with this model. But, it’s also true that everyone is doing this. It’s not our unique burden or unique failing. It’s helpful to understand the scope of the problem even though it’s also depressing.DacyYeah, I think what you just said is really important. People feel like they’re failing if they can’t immediately buy an image on a computer screen and have it work out. That is so unrealistic. Just know, shopping is hard for everyone. I buy and return many, many things before I find what I want, personally. And I’m someone who knows the landscape out there and knows about lots of options and and I still cannot determine until I put it on my body.VirginiaOne other option I will shout out is that my new newsletter assistant, Corinne Fay, runs a really awesome Instagram @SellTradePlus. It is a great option to know about for buying secondhand clothes. And, if you did buy something that you can’t return because you’re worried they’re gonna destroy it or you’re past the return window, you can sell it on SellTradePlus. It’s an awesome community.I wanted to end by giving a recommendation of something we are loving or something that is making our lives easier. Dacy, do you have a recommendation for us?DacyI really had to think hard about this and I have I have three answers.Over the last couple of years, I have started to get into a better relationship with movement and movement that makes me feel good. It’s more for my mental health than anything. It’s faux-hiking. It’s walking, but it’s hiking. It’s a paved path, but it’s very steep. I’m sure real hikers would be like, “That’s not hiking.” But it’s not walking around my neighborhood, okay? And I went to REI the other day and actually bought a pair of good shoes for that. I’ve just been wearing just running shoes and I’m terrified of slipping and falling, especially now as we’re getting into fall and winter. So, that’s one thing.Along with that, something that I will need to do this year is buy myself a new winter coat because I’ve outgrown mine. Cold weather gear is so important. I’m from the South and I currently live in St. Louis. I do not enjoy the cold, but for so long I just wore an extra sweater or two pairs of gloves. Buying winter gear was kind of a revelation. So, I’m looking forward to having a great new winter coat. And then the last thing that’s making my life really a lot better, since pandemic parenting—I also have two young children—is that I have taken a couple trips. Obviously this is not something that’s available to everyone and I’m extremely lucky. Last week I went to Tucson and in a month or so I’m going to to New York with a friend. Just having those on my calendar is bringing me a lot of joy.VirginiaOh my gosh, yes. I love recommending faux-hiking, winter clothes, and abandoning your children. DacyOne hundred percent.VirginiaMy recommendation this week is going to be this song that I’m obsessed with called White Woman’s Instagram by Bo Burnham. I’m probably the last person to discover it because it does have 10 million views on YouTube. During the pandemic, Dan, my husband, got really obsessed with Bo Burnham, who is apparently a YouTube-sensation-slash-stand-up-comedian person. This making me sound really out of touch with the kids, but I am, so that’s accurate.DacyIf it makes you feel any better, I have not seen the video, so I’m even behind you. VirginiaOh, well, then there is delight awaiting you, Dacy. Bo Burnham did this comedy special that he produced during lockdown. He shot it all in his house in Los Angeles. It’s definitely a privileged person’s experience of the pandemic, but he shot this whole special at home. Dan watched it and was obsessed with it, and kept trying to make me watch it. And I kept refusing. Sometimes when he’s really excited about things, I don’t get excited. Finally, I watched it last week, because we do a monthly Movie Club and it was Dan’s turn to pick the movie. He was able to make everyone watch Bo Burnham: Inside. I have somewhat complicated feelings about the movie, which I will not go into (but if anyone wants to discuss in the comments, feel free!). But! White Woman’s Instagram is satirizing white women on Instagram very accurately. My favorite line is when he talks about seeing some random quote from “Lord of the Rings” incorrectly attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr. The video is really fun to watch because he recreates very well-known tropes of Instagram, as a man, and it’s just very funny. If you are someone who, like Dacy and me, has to navigate Instagram for your job and you feel exasperated by it often, then you will enjoy this.Alright, thanks so much for listening to Burnt Toast! If you like this episode and you aren’t yet a subscriber please subscribe! If you are a subscriber, Thank you so much. Please consider sharing Burnt Toast on social media or forwarding it to a friend.Burnt Toast transcripts and essays are edited and formatted by Corinne Fay, who runs @SellTradePlus. Our logo is by Deanna Lowe.And I’m Virginia Sole-Smith. You can find more of my work at virginiasolesmith.com or come say hi on Instagram or Twitter. I’m @v_solesmith. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiasolesmith.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode we sit down with personal stylist, Dacy Gillespie. We discuss the cultural tie of fashion to our identity, practical tips for building a functional wardrobe, and much more. For the full show notes, transcription and resources that we discussed in this episode, click here.

Do you ever walk into your closet and feel like you have nothing to wear despite the fact that it's packed full of clothes? This was me almost every day. So last spring, I decided to invest (both in head space and in a personal stylist) to help me figure out a way to make getting dressed in the morning feel easier. In this episode, I'll share the lessons learned along the way that have created space both in my closet (and my life) to help my days literally feel lighter! SHOWNOTES: https://www.theconnectedmomlife.com/49   MENTIONS: Book a FREE 1:1 Friendship Support Session Learn more about the Making Space Program with Dacy Gillespie   LET'S CONNECT! Instagram @theconnectedmomlife Facebook @theconnectedmomlife Join the Connected Mom Life Community    ARE YOU A FAN OF THE PODCAST? If you loved today's episode, would you head to your favorite podcast app and leave a rating and review? The more ratings and reviews the podcast gets, the more moms will be in-the-know that we can stop "playing it cool" and actually connect!

In this episode, Dacy and Mimi talk about ethical fashion from a body acceptance perspective, buying clothes that fit your now body, and personal styling. She is an incredible voice, and you'll definitely want to listen to this episode! As a personal stylist, Dacy Gillespie intuitively guides her clients to discover what they feel best in. She helps them let go of the external messages they've been given about what they should wear and get to the heart of what's making them uncomfortable about their clothes. Through their work building a functional wardrobe, Dacy's clients make a mindset shift from thinking they need to wear what's flattering to unapologetically taking up space in the world.  After a lifetime of jobs in high-stress careers that didn't suit her highly-sensitive, introverted personality, Dacy started mindful closet in 2013 in an attempt to create a more emotionally sustainable lifestyle. She has two boys, ages 2 and 7, and a husband she adores who is well aware of her mental load.

In this episode I had a great conversation with Dacy Gillespie, a personal stylist who helps women let go of the external messages they’ve been given about what they should wear and discover what they feel best in, so they can unapologetically take up space in the world. She also shares about her journey of letting go of her identity as a musician and how this career pivot now gives her a more emotionally sustainable lifestyle. Tune in to hear us talk about all the things we want to unlearn from music school and musician hustle culture, the challenges of being a highly sensitive person and parent, why she didn’t consider herself “creative” as a musician, and how important and empowering it is to make your own rules, and show up in the world as truly yourself. ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ If it's felt hard to create lately, and you need some fun ways to connect to your creativity and spark some inspiration, sign up for the (totally free and really fun) Feel Good Creativity Unchallenge: 5 days of bite-size creativity and wellness prompts that are ridiculously easy to do and will help soothe your nervous system to put your mind in the right place for creating! ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ MORE FROM DACY Website Instagram MORE FROM REBECCA Fuel Your Creative Work With Compassionate Productivity workbook Free Discovery Call - learn more about coaching Free Resource Library My Brazilian album Florescer SUBSCRIBE + REVIEW: Ratings and reviews are always appreciated, and help the show reach more people! iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify Get the show notes at coachingforcreativewellness.com/podcast-blog/letting-go-choose-your-own-rules

Dacy's Links & Resourcesmindfulcloset.comInstagram-Megan Colleen Johnson is a life coach, creative consultant, space holder, and speaker who helps passionate humans as they rise as the leader of their own life. With a focus on self-trust, wholeness, and sovereign reclamation Megan coaches humans who are ready to rewrite their story, move past their comfort zone, and step into the realm of possibility. Megan is a Certified Life Coach with Beautiful You Coaching Academy, holds her degree in graphic design, hosts her podcast titled, “The Reclamation Podcast”, and has over 8 years of creative marketing experience with a roster of clients including Steven Pressfield, Chris Guillebeau, Wilson Sporting Goods, and many more. You can find her online at megscolleen.com or on social media @megscolleen.

Do you feel like your outer appearance is truly a reflection of YOU!? Today, we're going to talk all about our clothes and how they make us feel. But really, this episode is about so much more than clothes. It's about finding your authentic style that helps you feel more connected to yourself, so you can ultimately better connect with others. We tackle the external messages we've been given about what we should wear, the steps to take to define your own personal style, and how to get dressed in less than 30 seconds each day (without a capsule wardrobe!). SHOWNOTES: https://www.theconnectedmomlife.com/32   MENTIONS: 1:1 Connection Coaching with Emily The Mindful Closet with Dacy Gillespie Connect with Dacy on Instagram   LET'S CONNECT! Instagram @theconnectedmomlife Facebook @theconnectedmomlife Join the Connected Mom Life Community    ARE YOU A FAN OF THE PODCAST? If you loved today's episode, would you head to your favorite podcast app and leave a rating and review? The more ratings and reviews the podcast gets, the more moms will be in-the-know that we can stop "playing it cool" and actually connect! 

Clothing can feed a vicious cycle of purging our closets to gain the satisfaction of having simplicity, followed by a desire to fill it back up again with new things. As a personal stylist, Dacy Gillespie helps clients let go of the external messages they've been given about what they should wear. She helps them get to the heart of what's making them uncomfortable about their clothes. Through their work building a functional wardrobe, Dacy's clients make a mindset shift from thinking they need to wear what's flattering to unapologetically taking up space in the world. We touch on a lot of good stuff in this episode from the challenge of letting go of assumptions about our identities, about how our bodies aren't “supposed” to change, and how we don't need to limit ourselves to what others say we “should” wear.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE…Developing an intuitive touchstone phrase to describe your personal styleWhat it means to be an anti-influencer and an anti-capitalist when it comes to your styleThe power of the pause in purchasing decisionsRejecting “Pinterest perfect” and “patriarchy perfect” by rejecting the idea that womxn’s bodies shouldn’t changeThe ripple effects of rejecting toxic body idealsLINKSDacy Gillespie of Mindful Closet on the webDacy Gillespie of Mindful Closet on InstagramShare the Eff Perfect love with a fellow perfectionist, procrastinator, or people pleaser!And because we’re in this together, be sure to take the Eff Perfect Pledge.And follow us on Instagram @effperfect!Shop the lookbook