In 2016 an email popped up in my work inbox from Liana. She introduced herself and said she was interested in scheduling a call to learn more about my styling services for both herself and her clothing store, Ateliê De Calças. The Skype consultation turned into hours of conversation, as if we already knew each other. We spoke about the big life changes she was experiencing as she had just got married and left her corporate banking career to start her own business. Coincidentally we were living very similar moments, and we instantly clicked. Little did I know, but on that day I met one of my closest friends.

Following our call I e-mailed Liana a styling proposal. She didn’t close the deal that day, but promised she would plan and prepare herself to one day hire me – first for her business, and then for herself.

Years went by and even though we lived in different countries, Liana and I were always in contact and supporting each other from afar. When I would visit Sao Paulo she would hire me to style and model a few shoots for her brand, and would always bring up how much she dreamed about experiencing her personal makeover but how right now she couldn't because of X Y Z. There was always a factual reason masking a deeper emotional inner conflict – her struggle to prioritize herself. Whenever I notice this behavior, I take on a very passive role as I silently let the person speak for themselves. I've learned from experience there is nothing worse than a client who is not ready and fully willing to open themselves to change and self reflection. Your relationship with your body, finances, personality and reality WILL arise – and will directly reflect on the makeover process. The visual outcome is the result of that consciousness and desire to explore, accept and express. It's important for the person to have the willingness and openness to face these topics and align their expectations, as the level of satisfaction is directly aligned with realistic expectations of the goal we are working towards.

Fast forward to 6 years later. It's 2022 and an e-mail popped up in my work e-mail from Liana. She wanted to formally confirm she was finally ready to start her makeover, starting with the Closet Cleanse. After recently becoming a mother while juggling 3 fashion businesses in addition to her consulting projects on the side, she felt the urge and need more than ever to prioritize and care for herself. We decided to take the makeover process slowly, at a pace that felt financially and emotionally feasible for her, so we spread the services out in a period of 6 months.

A couple of weeks ago we finally started with her Closet Cleanse. We focused on removing stagnant items that she held onto from her past life as a banker, before she became an entrepreneur and mother with completely different priorities and a totally different lifestyle. She cried as she said bye to a few items that she once loved but that she knew no longer made sense for her and were just taking up space. A few of them triggered feelings of guilt due to high price points and lack of wear, or for no longer suiting her body. As we reviewed the pieces she shared stories with me, and what memories came to mind. Her daughter Nina would occasionally run inside the closet to play on the pile of clothes while Liana set aside bags of clothes designated for people she knew were in need and would value the pieces tremendously.

When we finished we stood in the middle of her room crowded with donation bags, and we hugged. She thanked me, and I thanked her.

A few days later she forwarded me an audio of a woman ecstatically thanking her for the warm clothes she donated, saying her daughters were having a blast trying everything on and how thankful she was since her daughter only had one old jacket to wear during the winter, and now she would be warm with all these clothes.

I learned so much about Liana during the evening of our Closet Cleanse... things you only know when you listen to the stories clothing tells.

Below you can watch her interview sharing her experience throughout the whole process of preparing for the makeover, reconnecting with her true essence, grieving her past life, and being able to help others as an output of the Closet Cleanse.