“I am so grateful to have a booming, fun and fashionable business, but it’s so much more than that.” Laura Fedock of Life+STYLE by Laura (instagram.com/lifestylebylaura) is recognized as Yahoo / Yahoo Finance’s Top 10 Most Influential Women on Instagram for 2021, Guest star on Simonetta Lein’s TV Show’s Entrepreneur Panel (Navigating the Industry during and post-Covid), and the 2021 Fashion Recipient of the You Can Live Again Award.
“On the surface, it may look like my life is and has always been perfect, and that is certainly not the case. We all have our own story, and to really help empower others through this article, shall we dig deeper? What I do is so much more than fashion and styling my clients. Let me tell you more if that is OK with you . . .” We could not agree more. Laura’s story needs to be shared.
As a Dallas-based fashion stylist, personal shopper, essentially your wardrobe and closet expert— Laura prefers to call herself “an organizer of happiness and confidence.”
“When I meet new clients, if I see in them the true desire to grow or perhaps they really just need my help–because there’s a lot of that too. –If I can add to his or her overall quality of life and happiness, that’s when the magic begins.”
Laura’s story about her childhood is really telling. So we asked her to share more and rewind for us.
“If only my mother had known that I’d be making a career out of this ‘fashion thing’, it might have made things easier when her three-year-old daughter had a strong opinion about what she would and would not wear. I grew up in Kingwood, TX, just northeast of Houston— not far from the Woodlands. There was this little boutique in Kingwood called Apple Tree Kids. It was a girly place, with matching bows and accessories for every single outfit. I still remember the day when my mom brought home a dress she thought was cute. Yikes. My exact words were, ‘That’s ugly, and I’m not wearing that!’ Wow. If only you could have seen my mom’s face. She couldn’t believe those words came out of my mouth, but her response was firm and precise, ‘Fine. I’ll take you shopping with me, and you can pick it out yourself!’ And at age-three, I chimed in, ‘OK. Sounds like fun!’”
While growing up together, Laura’s brother, parents, and she were all very close. Laura describes her mother as a high school math teacher, turned computer programmer–with her favorite title being mom to her brother, Brian and Laura. Her father had an incredibly busy and successful career—over 41 years as a financial executive in the oil and gas industry. His work ethic was unreal. Unmatched. He wore a suit every single day for 41 years. In his words and Laura’s, “He was dapper!”
“In 2004, I was in college attending Texas Tech University, and my brother, Brian, passed away from a rare genetic disease called neurofibromatosis. He had been handicapped for the majority of his life. It was hard. I was in shock. And it was right then and there that I put the weight of the world on my shoulders. I felt like I needed to do everything in my power to not only make my parents proud but to live this beautiful life so fully— as if I am doing it now for my brother and me. Cue the anxiety and depression.”
Laura shares these things not to have you feel sorry for her family, but to empower you. Especially after last year, because as Laura’s explains, “We can all use a momentum train of confidence and positivity right now.”
“During Covid, so many people struggled, me included. Shoot, I have had six outpatient neck surgical procedures in the last seven months with my most recent procedure being one month ago. My chronic neck issues all stem from a fall I had at eight months old. I have had chronic pain my entire life. But that doesn’t define me. I’m thriving.”
“Especially after last year, so many people lost hope. A magnitude of things were out of our control, but one of the things that was and still is in our control…is how we show up every day.”
The examples Laura shares about working with her clients are equally telling:
“One of my clients, we’ll call her Amanda. During Covid, we talked about the importance of still getting dressed up, even if it’s just stylish loungewear; putting on make up, still doing her hair and making that extra effort, even if she wasn’t leaving the house. Because mentally it just feels better.”
“I even caught myself slacking, because I was in debilitating pain with my neck. I felt defeated at times. But I also took the extra two seconds to front tuck my tee shirt into yoga pants or knotting it to the side. And boom. My confidence shifted. Just like that.”
“When I tell you that I stylize my clients’ lives, ultimately this goes back to them exuding a particular emotion. Be it confidence, enthusiasm, and likeability – just to name a few.”
Let’s try another story to elaborate:
“Just yesterday I brought the majority of Highland Park Village and NorthPark Mall with me to a clients’ house. All on approval so he and she (husband and wife) could try everything in the comfort of their home. The wife, we will call her Kim. Kim is a mother of three very young kids. She works, she volunteers, her husband is an incredible businessman, she’s involved in charity…what doesn’t she do? She’s exhausted!!! I am her person. I am her facilitator of happiness and confidence.”
“When I met Kim seven years ago, she was postpartum and very unmotivated. What I see all too often— in women and men, is that our sparkle becomes dull. We become jaded in the every day activities, and stop feeling excited about life. Instead of saying ‘I have to work today, I have to do carpool today, or I have to be a supportive husband tomorrow,’ Let’s shift that mantra to. ‘We get to.’”
“These things we speak of are all blessings. When we can see life from a place of gratitude, that’s when the sparkle in our eyes and undeniable confidence returns. Today, Kim is empowered and is empowering others. She is excited to get up every day and get dressed. She is happy again. And this, I promise you—is not a fabrication.”
“After all, fashion and style is the way the world sees you. So I ask you… how do you want the world to see you? Likeable? Charismatic? Lovable? And let’s re-direct your idea that how you dress is solely superficial. Target or Valentino– It doesn’t really matter. You are your own brand. How your show up every day is what matters.”
“Please stop for a moment and compliment the people around you— genuinely, because we never know what some one else is going through. We never know how much those beautiful words mean and how they speak to one’s soul. Let’s empower others together. Today and every day.’”
For more information about Laura and Life+STYLE by Laura, please visit her website at www.life-stylebylaura.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifestylebylaura
Facebook: https://facebook.com/lifestylebylauraofficial
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lifestylelaura
Photo and MUAH credit: Daniel Blaylock-Napolitan
