Fireside Chats | How Do You Work?
We love how much you’ve enjoyed our fall extravaganza! Over the past month, we've introduced you to four special women—Sandy, Elsi, Sonia, and Ruchi—to celebrate the unique ways in which women work, so we couldn’t wait to sit down with a few more friends of Maggy London to hear their thoughts. Read along as they share their stories.
But First, Introductions!
Click on the photos below to learn a little bit about each woman.
What does a day-to-day in your life look like?
Jena: I spend half of the week in class (I’m in the last year of my Ph.D.!), and the other half on-site with clients. In the evening, I like to relax with my husband and five-year-old daughter.
Tami: I usually wake up early to work on blog posts before moving into conference calls, contract negotiations, sponsored campaigns, and more. I chat with brands, answer emails, and take care of day-to-day business operations. In the evening, I'm off to cover fun events. I love it!
Holly: Though my daily life is dynamic and looks different each day, there’s one thing that stays consistent—my morning routine! Meditation, journaling, walking, and playing at the park with my puppy truly nourishes me and allows me to show up for my clients, my family, and myself with clarity and peace. The rest of my day varies between hosting sessions with my amazing clients and working on new and exciting projects for my business. I try to end my workday by 5pm in order to spend time with my husband and puppy (clearly I'm obsessed!), cook a meal, and relax.
Jaime: Each day is different! When I'm not traveling between Boston and NYC to visit clients, I enjoy taking my kids to school and try my best to be home in time to put them to bed each night. We snapped our picture (above) after a night full of baseball and gymnastics. A very typical ending to our day!
LaToya: My day starts EARLY and ends LATE! I start each day at 5am with prayer, emails, and writing (usually for speeches or presentations) before I take any calls. From there, I spend my day in meetings with clients, reaching out to media, conducting interviews, and attending charity or business lunches. By evening, I’m off to an event. Whether it’s a political forum, a women’s empowerment mixer, a grand opening, or an awards ceremony, life as a publicist means that I’m out and about meeting and supporting people. That’s how relationships are built! I wrap up the night with a little more computer time before turning in around midnight.
Emily: I wake up, drink my coffee, get my kids off to school, and get some sort of exercise in. From there, it’s emails, errands, writing, working on my second book, creating content, and growing my brand. Once my kids come home, and I try to turn off “work mode” and put on my mom hat. Between sports and homework, we have a full schedule! We always try to eat dinner together, because that connection is very important to us.
Stephanie: My life from Monday to Friday is usually pretty consistent. My workday beings around 8am, which either means going to court or staying in my office to work on cases. During breaks, I check my @attorney.attire messages and respond to emails. I leave the office around 5pm and spend my evenings with my boyfriend and our dog, Bailey. I try to spend (at least) an hour each evening working on my blog, Attorney Attire, before heading to bed and starting my routine over again. Working on my blog is my favorite part of each day (aside from spending time with loved ones, of course!). The community I’ve met through Attorney Attire has been so incredible and I have made some very close friends as a result.
Katerina: My day-to-day has a little bit of everything! I work from home quite a bit but have to go into the office a few days a week. In the afternoons I drive the girls to their sports or after-school activities. Sometimes I have to show homes or meet with clients after they get off from work. I end each day at home cooking dinner (or ordering take-out—depending on how tired I am!).
How does style influence you and support your lifestyle?
LaToya: My style is classic, sophisticated and clean (and can also be very glamorous, but depends on how I feel that day!). Most of the time, I’m in a sheath dress with a jacket or cardigan and a pair of heels. I love to compliment my looks with ornate accent pieces, whether it’s a necklace, a brooch, or my favorite ‘honeybee’ earrings.
Jaime: I’m in cars, trains, and planes, so it’s important that I look good and feel comfortable. My Hattie dress is soft and stretchy and has become a favorite of mine this season.! A Maggy dress is always my go-to. Maggy fits me and my personality.
Jena: My brand in business is elevated with an edge. It’s important that style supports my brand!
Holly: Style influences me in a way that feels much more empowering than it did five years ago. I stopped dressing to portray an image of someone else, and instead, dress to reflect my most authentic self. Some days that might look like comfy leggings and a sweater, but other days, it could be a sexy jumpsuit like the Dot jumpsuit I’m wearing above—I love it SO much! As my style evolves, comfort has become more important. This jumpsuit is comfortable AND stylish.
Tami: Fashion influences me in many ways. I have an eclectic style and love a bit of everything, but only wear what makes me look and feel good. I like to accentuate my figure with clothing that is both flattering and professional. Depending on where I'm headed, I might let my hair down and might mix it up with fun, sexy. I'm a fun gal, and my lifestyle reflects that!
Emily: I love dresses and fabulous clothes, especially when I’m teaching my techniques on TV! I feel good when I’m fancy 😍
Stephanie: I am influenced every single day by style! Whether I’m browsing on Instagram, flipping through magazines, or drawing inspiration from other women in my workplace, I am constantly finding inspiration for new outfit ideas (and for Attorney Attire). I playing with trend as an outlet in a career that can otherwise feel quite serious. There are so many amazing bloggers and fashion-forward women I follow, and it definitely informs my own style decisions!
Elizabeth: Style gives me the confidence I need to be successful in a male-dominated industry.
Nina: I am always inspired by style that is simple, classic, sophisticated and timeless. I look to women like Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Gloria Vanderbilt as my personal style icons, and love to reference old movies for inspiration. It’s the old soul, in me I guess!
It’s also important to me that I know my body. I know my favorite features, and I also understand that something can look amazing on someone else, but might be the perfect fit for me. Learn what works for you, and be ok with it when it doesn’t! The most important thing is that you are comfortable with yourself.
Katerina: Style is a big part of who I am and I truly believe that we wear matters, both in our careers and personal lives. For me, fashion serves as a creative way to show my personality, my strengths, and my passion. Since I’m constantly moving from the office to a sports field or dinner with friends without being able to stop home and change, my clothes have to look professional and put-together, without sacrificing comfort. I love classic looks and high-quality pieces with unexpected, modern touches.
What do you want to do? What impact do you want to leave on the world?
LaToya: I want to leave an impact on the world by encouraging millennial women of color to pursue their passions, from corporate America to entrepreneurship and community involvement.
Tami: My dream job! I want to be a red carpet correspondent for a major network (like E! News). I love asking questions on the red carpet and interviewing celebrities—especially about fashion! I've enjoyed this work for years and am eager to take it to the next level. I would also love to be a talking head on a daytime morning show (which would still allow me the flexibility to spend time with my adorable grandson!).
The impact I want to leave on the world is to know that I've tried. I overcame adversity, lived my dreams, and was able to inspire other women in the process. If I can do it, you can too. xoxo
Holly: We live in a world where 91% of women are dissatisfied with their bodies and turn to dangerous diet and disordered eating as a way to change it. Not only can dieting negatively affect your heath, but it also is linked to lower self-esteem. Many women feel like their lives can't move forward until their bodies change. My mission is to 1) Empower women across the size spectrum to know that regardless of their external appearance, they are worthy of living the life they desire, and 2) Teach them how to nourish their bodies without restriction and dieting.
Stephanie: Through Attorney Attire, I want to create a resource where women can seek advice on navigating a career and staying on-trend.
Through legal career, I want to help individuals navigate through some of their hardest decisions in life.
Jaime: I want to help people find their voices, see their differences as their power, and stand in their strengths. I'm passionate about coaching leaders and teaching them how to build people-first organizations where people will want to stay.
Nina: Self-love. I love sharing little bits and pieces of myself through blogging. On social media, I can share fashion inspiration, lifestyle tips, beauty secrets, and travel stories. At the end of the day, these are the things that help to make life feel a little bit easier. It all starts with being happy and truly loving yourself. It’s nice to have a platform to share the things in which we find passion.
Jena: I want to create work environments that affirm all people.
Emily: I want to make a difference. I want to give people hope with my story—from being broken to triumph in the kitchen. My husband and I decided to give back a portion of our book proceeds to Seattle Children’s SIDS guild to help fund research and discover the cause of SIDS. We lost our daughter Jenny to SIDS in 2008. I share our story in my book, Creative Cookie Decorating.
Elizabeth: I am doing exactly what I want to do in my corporate career—I am very fortunate! On my blog, I share my life with the hope that I might inspire other busy professional women who still want to embrace style and purpose. I want to make a real difference in the lives of women and girls.
Katerina: As a realtor, my work affects the lives of so many people. Not only on a financial level, but also on a personal level. I help people transition into new homes where they will raise families and start new chapters in their lives. Buying or selling a home is emotional, and I love working with clients to ensure they go through this process with the least amount of stress possible.
As a mom, my job is to empower my daughters to reach their full potential. I want to raise a family that is kind, healthy, and productive.
As a lover of fashion, I want to start my own line of Peruvian alpaca products and work with artisans in remote areas of my home country, where women don't have much access to entrepreneurial incentives.
Style Designed to Support You
Want to see all of our fall dresses? Take a peek at The Fall Edit!