Marianna Jaross Have you seen the iconic movie Sliding Doors? Gwyneth Paltrow’s character enters two timelines; one where she catches the train, and one where she misses it. We follow her two timelines over the movie. We also have sliding doors of opportunity. This isn’t to prompt an existential crisis, but rather for us to plant our feet on the ground of our lives in order to identify and say ‘yes’ to the opportunities presented to us, while still using discernment. 1.) Iden

Marianna Jaross I like to read and draw inspiration from a variety of sources, and it is hard not to be slightly dazzled by Dita Von Teese; an icon of burlesque, beauty, and entertainment. She makes no secret of her love of all things beauty, and I find her attitude refreshing. 1.) It’s not about your bank account, or how you much spend. In the introduction of her book, Dita states: “Beauty, glamour and even luxury need not be determined by one’s bank account. True luxury is

Marianna Jaross I loved reading about the L’Oréal catwalk in Paris amidst Fashion Week. Jane Fonda, Viola Davis, Helen Mirren, Gillian Anderson and Andie MacDowell graced the runway: A rewatch of the show (linked below) of them (and others) owning the stage made me reflect on attitudes towards beauty and aging. Women often get told that we are ‘over the hill’ after a particular age, and there is a whole subset of the internet that likes to talk about women’s diminishing value

Marianna Jaross I love how fashion can tell a story. We know stories of women being corseted to be a ‘desirable’ shape, we know when hemlines shortening mirrored a sexual revolution, and when clothes are used to communicate an aspect of our identity that might otherwise remain hidden. Fashion and stories go hand in hand. I don’t think this always has to do with the clothing itself: I think it also has to do with the energy that we emit alongside of the clothes that feel good

Marianna Jaross I have become curious about the intersection between style, psychology, and feeling good about ourselves. Specifically, the way in which we can use fashion and style as a form of positive behaviour activation, exploration, self-discovery, and creativity. In an interview with Gabrielle Arruda, renowned style consultant David Kibbe states: “Style is our visual language of presenting ourselves to the world. It is how we tell our story.” He adds that it “has to co

Marianna Jaross We can set ourselves up for success without waiting for the new year. I like a reset: Cleansing my apartment, decluttering, and making things beautiful makes me feel good. I also think it can call in new energy, help us to clear our mind, and ready ourselves for a new chapter. We sometimes wait until the new year to do this; even though resolutions tend to run out by February, and we are back in the same patterns and doing the same things over and over again.

Marianna Jaross 1.) It can feel clumsy. You can take a step forward and then back. Old thoughts, habits, and behaviours may resurface. Your routines might slip, you may fall into old ways of doing things, or life throws you a new challenge. Being on the path of being a person that you like and can be proud of is a process. Keep going. 2.) ‘Tests’ may pop up. Sometimes we are tested, accidentally or not. We may be tempted back into a previous way of being that was not helpful,

Marianna Jaross We have to come back to what lit us up when we were younger. Often, we try to squeeze ourselves into society’s version of acceptable: A square peg in a round hole. We absorb our family’s conditioning, our school conditioning, the norms that dictate who we should be, milestones that we are ‘meant’ to have reached. We put ourselves in boxes. Truly and deeply living in our alignment can mean getting out of surivival mode and addressing the following: We undo the

Marianna Jaross Have you been on a self-development journey? You read the books, listen to the podcasts, understand your attachment patterns, and resolve that you understand yourself. You try to eat nourishing food, move your body, understand your spiritual side, connect with others. If you are regurgitating what you already know, have reflected on, or changed, you are ready for the following step: That is doing the thing. The thing is the dream in your heart. Your most meani

Marianna Jaross We can strategise, plan, and do our best to steer our ship in the direction we want. Sometimes life has other plans. Whether this occurs in the form of a relationship ending, a redundancy, or some other form of change; we can be left spinning. You know the saying: We make plans, and God laughs. Here are some steps to support you: 1.) Grieve. It’s expected to feel disappointed, sad, scared, worried, and confused. You are grieving the path that you thought you w