The Everyday Icon Style Podcast

Episode 172: Discover How Presence, Not Perfection, Defines Your Style

• Tiffany Howard

Share episode

Uplifting your professional style goes beyond clothing; it connects deeply to your presence and confidence. This episode highlights the power of embracing your true self and the inner work required to command authority. 

- Power dressing defined as an alignment of internal and external confidence 
- Importance of presence over perfection when entering a space 
- Exploring how self-image impacts wardrobe choices 
- Nonverbal cues and their effects on first impressions 
- Strategies to embody the roles you aspire to play  

Access the Weekend Wardrobe Edit Guide https://bit.ly/3CusnCv


Connect Online!

Instagram: https://bit.ly/3VwhNlB

Youtube: https://bit.ly/3IyGFSl


Website: www.theeverydayicon.co






Speaker 1:

Ignite your style with the Everyday Icon Style Podcast. I'm Tiffany, your style navigator and confidant here to lead women in corporate America on the quest to discover their timeless style. And welcome back to another episode of the Everyday Icon Style Podcast. I'm your host. As always, tiffany, your style coach.

Speaker 1:

And today I want to go beyond the surface of power dressing. I think we think power dressing has to do with our clothing, but it has nothing to do with clothing at all. When it comes to power dressing, we're talking more about your energy, your presence, your mindset, and it sets the stakes for how to set professionals apart from everybody else in the pack. So it means more of how do you show up in a room? What silent messages do you send before you even speak? So today we're going to dive into how power dressing is really about embodying confidence, commanding attention and aligning their external presence with your internal power. So let's go ahead and dive right in. So, first up, we have presence over perfection. It has very little to do with perfection, but more about your presence when you enter a room or owning your space, because it's easy to focus on having the right outfit. But let's be real. True power dressing starts from inside Dressing period and creating and developing your style starts from within, not with the clothes. If you start with the clothes first and not from within, you're always going to have a disjointed style and it's never going to feel quite right because you have to do the work on the inside. I also want you to keep in mind that clothes are just a tool, but, of course, the real transformation happens when you own the space that you step into. So what does that look like? Energy speaks louder than words. So before anyone notices what you're wearing, they notice how you carry yourself. So do you walk with purpose? Do you? When you stand into stand in a room? Are you standing up straight? Do you engage with certainty? Are you downing yourself, or are you not downing, but are you shrinking yourself in a room where you should be standing tall and being loud and being boisterous? That's what energy comes in the room. So what type of energy are you giving off? So what type of energy are you giving off?

Speaker 1:

Next, confidence versus perfection. You don't need the most expensive outfits at all. You need a powerful presence. So you can't have a powerful presence until you do the transformational work on the inside, because confidence has nothing to do about looking great. It's about feeling unshakable in who you are.

Speaker 1:

And I heard something recently about people. They were talking about confidence and they made an analogy where they made something that made sense and it says you need courage. And then, when you have courage, courage leads to confidence. And then, when you have courage, courage leads to confidence. So first you need to have the confidence. I mean the courage to begin to walk into and embrace and do the work on the inside so that you can embrace the woman that you are supposed to be. So to keep it very simple, because I know people say you know you got to have confidence. You got to have confidence. You have to have this. I'm asking you right now to just have courage to take the first steps to owning your presence.

Speaker 1:

And next, how you see yourself really matters. I am guilty of this. How I see myself and how others see myself sometimes are two completely different things. Someone may see me as this great powerful person, this great confident person. I may see myself as a shell of that, but not fully embracing it. So you have to be able to believe in your own abilities, your own authority. And if we can't do that and if you can't do that, no one else will either. So it can't be an, I guess. So I think I can. It's a yes, I can do that, or a no, I cannot do that. And even being sure in your nose because you don't want to take on something that you can't do, that's not in your wheelhouse and your wardrobe and how you look. It needs to reinforce that and not create the belief that you belong in a high stakes space. So both of them go hand in hand. The great thing is, I already know that you have the authority and you have the knowledge of what you're supposed to do. Now we kind of have to bring together your wardrobe so that it reinforces that and not allow yourself to kind of say I think I can do this or I don't think I should be here. As someone told me and has told me many, many, many, many times, you belong, and if you don't belong there, if you don't feel that you belong there, then go somewhere else to where you do belong. But just know that bringing both your wardrobe and your authority and your knowledge together is a perfect combination that will literally make you unstoppable. So, next up, we have influence Now when it comes to power dressing and I use the word power dressing loosely, I still haven't found a good enough term that I actually like for it.

Speaker 1:

It's not about looking good. How you dress also influences how people perceive and respond to you. The way you present yourself affects every interaction you have. People judge you in less than seven seconds. They can sometimes tell your educational status, your socio-economical class, your educational background, the type of job you have. So if you are and I'll use an executive assistant if you are an executive assistant, you have to influence them. Like you're an executive assistant, you can't come in thinking, showing or having them think that you're a customer service agent because you're not. How you dress influences people, and people in the worlds of being executive assistants, even at administrative assistants, even if you're a luxury real estate agent, all of those professions have influence, huge influence.

Speaker 1:

Whether we like to believe it or not, we are influential individuals in our roles. We are influential individuals in our roles. We have to be able to present ourself in such a way that it's like that's what she is, and when you tell them that, it's like, oh okay, everything makes sense and everything clicks. So I mentioned before that people have less than seven judges in less than seven seconds. Why? Because first impressions are subconscious and people decide whether to respect, trust or even listen to you within seconds, so even beyond your, I think she might be this because that's how she looks. No, your presence should create an unspoken expectation of authority, and we see this every day. Why how can some people come into a room and command the authority that they get? Well, one, they've done the inside work. Two, they perceive themselves as being such and are confident enough in themselves and present themselves in such a way it's like okay, so that person is the CEO or the CFO or the director, because they have a confidence in themselves. Combination of all of them. But remember, even if they don't, there's still always some type of air about them that it's like they seem like they're important, but I don't know exactly what they do. It's because everything that they have is coming from the inside out and not from the outside in.

Speaker 1:

Next, you want to embody the role you want, so you have to see yourself as the person you aspire to be before others will, because they're not going to see you as that. So, for an example, I have to see myself as an executive assistant before my manager does or an actual executive assistant does, because right now I'm an administrative assistant, but I have to see myself as an executive assistant before anybody else does, because if I don't see myself as such, no one is going to see myself in that way either. So if you want to be seen as a leader, start carrying yourself like one now. If you want to be a luxury real estate agent, you have to begin to carry yourself like that now, not when you get there. Like they always say, if you stay ready, you have to stay ready. So, no matter whatever happens, opportunity comes along, you are already ready and you don't have to stay ready. So, no matter whatever happens, opportunity comes along, you are already ready and you don't have to fumble around trying to get there.

Speaker 1:

Next, nonverbal cues are everything. Eye contact, posture and the way you command space can make or break how others perceive your power, meaning you can't walk into a room and shrink. We have to be able to stand up and be who we are and be unapologetic about it. This is an area that I am working on, but that comes from having the doing the inside work and the necessary work that needs to be done. I don't want to ever don't. You don't want you to ever think that looking good just means going and putting on clothes. No, the inside work is where the transformation happens, and because your wardrobe and your style is an extension of who you are on the inside. So I always want you to keep that in mind.

Speaker 1:

And lastly, you need to begin to align your presence with your purpose. So, when dressing for success, it's really about stepping into alignment with your goals and values. This is why goals are important, especially in our careers. So I want you to ask yourself what energy do you want to bring into a room? Do you want to exude confidence, warmth, decisiveness? Your presence should match your intentions. So what are your intentions and what type of energy do you want to bring to the room?

Speaker 1:

Next, are you dressing in a way that honors who you are, not professionally, but authentically? True power comes from not being an imitation of what you think or perceive a certain role to be. Now, yes, I will put this out there as well. If you work in a space that has a dress code, we do want to follow the dress code, but that does not mean you cannot still be authentically you when you come to work, in how you dress, because if you're dressing in stuffy suits and that's not you, you're going to feel uncomfortable and you're not going to bring the presence or have the presence that you want to, because you're so busy trying to fit an image of what you think it is perceived, to how a role is supposed to be, and look, and not just being yourself to where now you are bringing and creating and evolving into the person that you are meant to actually be and do you own your space? You own your space Now with this.

Speaker 1:

It is definitely about presence, not perfection, and how you carry yourself matters more than what you wear, because you could have on a fly outfit and we have seen it before. You can have on a fly outfit, but the way that someone carries themselves doesn't give the outfit any justice. So when we see people with cute outfits and we're like something's off about that, it's nine times out of ten it's how the person is carrying themselves and that is what's actually throwing off the actual outfit or their style that they are trying to create. So, in closing, power dressing isn't about impressing people at all. It's about embodying your authority, your confidence and authenticity. It's about making sure your presence tells the right story before you even say a word. Right story, before you even say a word.

Speaker 1:

When you walk into a room, they should automatically be drawn to you and they should automatically know that is the person that I want to get to know or that is the person that I want to hire. Just based on that alone, your credentials will solidify everything. But before they get to that point even though they've looked at your resume you have to match literally what's on that resume. It will solidify everything. So if you are ready to take the first step and if you have the courage to begin to start working on your style, I invite you to access my weekend wardrobe edit guide, and in this guide, I'm going to give you five easy steps to help you get your closet in order to help you get your closet in order. So if you are ready to do that, I invite you to access your free copy by clicking the link in the description box below of this episode and get started today.

Speaker 1:

In closing, I challenge you to step into your next high stakes evolution of yourself with intention. I want you to pay attention to how you hold yourself, how you speak and what energy you bring into the room. So I hope this episode was helpful. If it was. Be sure to come on over to Instagram and have a conversation with me in the comments under this week's post for this episode. So I hope you enjoy the rest of your day, stay healthy, stay safe and until next time, step into your power.

Speaker 1:

No-transcript, I've had the perfect resource for you. Of course, you know I always got you covered. I want you to download my free elevate your, your Wardrobe in a Weekend guide to help jumpstart your journey on finding and developing your personal corporate style or personal style in general. Now, this guide is packed with just actionable tips to help you build a wardrobe that reflects your professional ambitions. So be sure to click the link in the notes below to grab your copy and access it today so that you can take the first step in elevating your style and your career. And, as always, thank you so much for tuning in to the Everyday Icon Style Podcast. I know this episode was a bit long, but hey, and I want you to remember that style isn't just about clothes, it's about your confidence, opportunities and, most importantly, your self-expression. And until next time, keep striving to be the everyday icon that I know you are.