Wait… Wolves and Fashion? Stay With Me.
The unexpected connection between purpose, confidence, and what you choose to wear.
I was recently on a podcast and found myself talking about something that I've believed for a long time, but don't always stop to articulate. I believe we all have a purpose. Not something we need to go out and find someday, and not something reserved for certain people, but something that's already there. The challenge isn't that the purpose doesn't exist. The challenge is that many of us feel disconnected from it.
What's interesting is how often that disconnection shows up in a place people don't expect. It shows up in the closet. I see it in the store. Women walk in, and within a few minutes, you can tell it's not really about needing clothes. It's not even about style. It's this deeper feeling of standing in front of a closet and thinking none of this feels like me anymore. That's very different than saying I have nothing to wear. What they're really expressing is that they don't feel like themselves.
For me, this idea of purpose started long before the store. When I was in high school, there was a girl who was constantly being picked on. At one point, I stepped in and actually put myself between her and the people bullying her. I knew I could get hurt too, but that didn't matter. It felt more important that someone stood up for her when no one else would. That moment stayed with me. That instinct to protect, to step in, to say something when something isn't right has carried through my entire life. It has shown up in my work with wolves and wildlife, in advocacy, and now, in a very different but meaningful way, in the store.
If you look at my life on paper, it doesn't make much sense. Wolves. Advocacy. A consignment store. Sustainable fashion. But to me, it's always been the same thread. Seeing something that doesn't feel right and doing something about it. Seeing something in someone that maybe they don't fully see themselves yet. Helping bring that forward. When I got involved with wolves, I knew nothing about them. I just decided to lean in. That led to founding a nonprofit, helping rescue wolfdogs, and participating in major advocacy efforts, such as ending wildlife-killing contests in Arizona and co-producing an award-winning short documentary on the displacement of wolves and indigenous peoples. It was hard work, and some moments were emotionally overwhelming, but when you're connected to something that matters, that fills your heart, you keep going.
Fashion has also always been part of my life. I grew up in a very small town and was the kid trying to recreate outfits from Vogue with whatever I had available. I was definitely made fun of for it sometimes, but I didn't stop. For me, fashion was never just clothing. It was art. It was expression. It was creativity. Over time, I realized it could also be something more. When I had the opportunity to buy the store in 2024, everything came full circle. I could finally express my love for fashion in a way that aligned with my values around sustainability, kindness to the planet, and helping women feel seen.
When we renamed the store Closet Concierge, it felt more aligned with me and the vision I want to bring to life. From the beginning, I told my team that we are not selling clothes, we are selling confidence. I truly believe that. When women come into the store, we are not trying to change them. It's actually the opposite. It's to help them reconnect with who they already are. When a woman feels seen, really seen, something shifts. And then that shift shows up in what she chooses to wear. It's not about forcing a style or creating a version of someone else. It's about pulling what's already inside of her to the outside.
A lot of the conversation around fashion focuses on becoming. Who you want to be. Who are you stepping into? What your future self looks like. There is truth in that, but we skip an important step. Before you can dress for who you're becoming, you have to reconnect with who you already are. What I see is not women lacking confidence. It's women who have become disconnected from themselves. Somewhere along the way, life happens. Expectations, comparison, responsibilities. That sense of "this is me" gets quieter. So when they get dressed, it feels off. Not because the clothes are wrong, but because there's no alignment.
This is where clothing becomes powerful. It becomes a bridge. It allows what's inside of you to express on the outside. And when those two things begin to align, confidence builds naturally. It's not forced; it's not performative. It's real. I see it all the time. Women walk in unsure, hesitant, and sometimes very hard on themselves. It's like they are conditioned to talk about their weight, their perceived flaws, as if they need to self-deprecate to explain why their clothes aren't working for them. And then something shifts. They leave standing a little taller, feeling more open, more comfortable in their own skin. That confidence carries into everything else they do. It influences decisions, conversations, and how they show up in the world.
Stepping into your purpose requires courage, and courage is much easier to access when you feel confident. You don't need to have everything figured out. I certainly didn't. I didn't know what I was doing when I got involved in wolf advocacy, and I had never owned or even managed a retail establishment when I bought the store. In some ways, that helped. I wasn't carrying baggage or assumptions about what wouldn't work. I followed what felt right and figured it out as I went. Sometimes purpose reveals itself that way, not through a perfect plan, but through movement.
If you feel disconnected from your purpose, you don't need to overhaul your life. You can start smaller than that. You can try something that feels right. You can help someone. You can volunteer. You can speak up. Even small steps create momentum. When you begin to see that you're making an impact, even in a small way, it builds confidence. And that confidence encourages you to do more. Over time, those small steps create direction.
I'm not perfect, far from it. But I keep trying. I get up, and I keep moving forward in the direction that feels right for me. I've come to peace with the fact that my life may not look like someone else's version of success, and that's okay. Because I know right now I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing: I help women reconnect with who they are, express that through what they wear, and use that confidence to step into who they're becoming. If more women permitted themselves to stop comparing, reconnect with who they are, express that outwardly, and step into their purpose, everything would change. Sometimes that starts with something as simple as what you choose to wear.