By Sonia Mckoy
I am so excited to be introducing you to Style Management Experience’s first newsletter to help you with your image journey.
These monthly newsletters will focus on factors that make up our personal brand: i.e., appearance, behavior, communication, digital presence, and experiences. I will feature articles and tips to take action in your life to keep you focused on your goals and some fun competitions to win services. I want this newsletter to be a part of your monthly must-read material to help achieve success in your personal and professional lives. Happy Fall!
October is the month to try something new, explore and be adventurous: Featured articles and tips
- Adding Value To My Life
- Value of an Image Consultant
- Sonia’s Fall Shades For You
- Volunteering Opportunities Adds Value
- Competition to win a free Gift Certificate
Adding Value to My Life
Part 1. In April 2016 I took control of my life as my desire was to create a more purposeful and successful life. My three goals were: (1) Volunteering (2) Socializing (3) Developing a Career. I designed clear intentions, committed and dedicated my time to fulfill my goals.
My intentions for choosing these goals were
(a) Add value and make a difference by volunteering my time to help people who were less fortunate than me.
(b) Build a successful business to feel accomplished, and to provide revenue sources to support my lifestyle.
(c) Create a social life, make friends, develop a network of support, and have fun.
I took the necessary steps to add value, build and create the life I desired, and have successfully attained all three goals. I am very proud of my accomplishments, and I am now creating more goals, and intentions for my life.
My life was not always like this, prior to 2016, I watched many shows https://youtu.be/fyN5tK0Varc read many books and researched the meaning of life. I concluded that my life’s purpose was to help others and it still is. However, the methods I chose was counterproductive, because as I helped others to figure out the kind of lifestyle, and career they wanted and helped to build their lives, I neglected mine. As I taught my friends, family, and loved ones how to create value in their lives, I was failing to create the type of value I wanted. I knew deep down inside I was unfulfilled, because my desire to live the kind of successful and purposeful life I wanted was not being realized. My desires were hindered by some of my choices, mainly because I did not have the (a) structure (b) guidance in place to help me ( c) I did not know how to take control of my life to create and build the life I desired.
Thankfully, after researching and getting the help I needed I began setting my intentions towards fulfilling my goals. Through volunteering, socializing and becoming an image consultant everything in my life changed. Becoming an image consultant allowed me to combine my love for studying and training to become an expert in areas regarding personal branding. As a certified consultant, I belong and supported by the Association of Certified Image Consultants International (AICI) I use my skills to provide structure, guidance, candid feedback, and advice clients on how to successfully attain and maintain their professional and personal goals. In next month’s edition Part 2. I will share some of the tools I used to create value for my life.
Value of An Image Consultant
THIS means I am committed to my client ’s well being and quickly become their trusted and reliable confidant, because and I’m usually only a phone call or text message away. As an image consultant, I have expertise in many areas regarding your personal brand. 
I help individuals, nonprofits, and corporate clients from all areas of life, They assess your image and lifestyle to determine the best services for you. Once you’ve engaged an image consultant you have gained a trusted confidant. Who will work with you to look and feel your best from your inside-out? I will help you to present yourself the way you want others to see you, because your image is your visual resume, and you only get a few moments to make a great first impression.
Everyone benefits from an Image Consultant, especially if you fall into any of these categories:
- You receive very little or no compliments when you dress up.
- You have a closet filled with clothes regularly but you feel like you have nothing to wear.
- Your skin looks dull when you wear certain colors and you dress mainly in gray, black or white.
- Your lack of self-confidence and self-esteem is reflected in your appearance.
- You suffer from low self-esteem and self-doubt
- Your time management skills are poor
- You work very hard but have very little to show in productivity
- Your speaking style is poor and has a negative impact
- You want to feel and look great on the inside and outside
- Your body language communicates someone without power
Sonia Fall Shades For You
If your season is autumn congratulations you’ll look amazing in soft, amber and browns to rich reds and bright oranges to turquoise, gold and soft prints to bamboo to deep purples.
Volunteering Opportunities To Add Value To Your Life
Carnegie Libraries was the place I began my volunteer career and social life in Pittsburgh. The libraries function as community centers. They offer programs and services that give you opportunities to meet new people and make new friends. If you love reading, writing or want to learn or teach language libraries are excellent places to volunteer and make new friends.
The Center for women Pittsburgh inspired me to start my own image consultant business gave me my image. They are a project of the National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section NCJW Pittsburgh and provides holistic support for women in life transitions: women who by choice or need are re-entering the job market and need to develop skills and gain work experiences to live economically independent lives. They offer a mentoring program, free financial coaching, internships, and job shadowing, workshops, legal consults, and a Woman 2 Woman Toastmasters Club
Dress for Success Pittsburgh gave me the hands-on training that I needed as an Image consultant, and I have made some great contacts. Their mission is to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. They offer suiting, accessories, personal items and uniforms to women attending interviews or starting a new position.
Agewell Pittsburgh offers a one-stop resource that links older adults, their family members, friends and caregivers to solutions for issues related to aging. AgeWell Pittsburgh is a collaboration between the Jewish Association on Aging, the Jewish Community Center, and Jewish Family and Community Services in association with the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.
Instagram and Facebook as I give tips on mindset, boosting confidence and appearance to live purposefully.
Copyright © 2018, Sonia Mckoy, All rights reserved. soniamckoye@gmail.com
Articles from this newsletter may be reproduced but only in their entirety, including the bio