EPISODE 117

Your Closet is Lying: Rewrite the Story You’ve Been Wearing

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Have you ever opened your closet, looked at the clothes you own… and felt like none of them fit who you are anymore?

Not just physically — energetically.
Like your wardrobe is full of stories that no longer serve you.
Like getting dressed feels more like performing than expressing.

You're not alone.

This week, I sat down with Ellie Steinbrink — a stylist, branding expert, and all-around truth-teller for women entrepreneurs — to talk about something so many high-achieving women are silently battling: the disconnect between our personal style and our personal truth.

Ellie left behind a high-level marketing career after climbing the ladder, burning out, and realizing she wasn’t showing up as herself — not in life, not in business, and definitely not in her style.

What started as a passion project evolved into Style Decoded — Ellie’s business that helps women define and embody a personal style rooted in alignment, not approval. A style that reflects who they are now, not who they’ve been conditioned to be.

And let me tell you — the wisdom she dropped in this episode cracked me open.

She calls it The Closet Effect — the idea that what you put on your body doesn’t just cover you, it shapes you. It impacts how you show up. What you say yes to. Whether you turn your camera on. Whether you speak up in the meeting. Whether you go after the thing that scares you (but calls to you).

“What you put on your body changes how you show up and how you feel.” — Ellie Steinbrink

It hit me so hard because I see this with my clients constantly — especially women like Nicole (my high-achieving, always-on-the-edge-of-burnout, trying-to-do-it-all client archetype).
They’re not exhausted because they’re weak.
They’re exhausted because they’re wearing clothes, identities, expectations that aren’t theirs anymore.

And the closet becomes a quiet mirror of that disconnection.

The jeans you keep “just in case.”
The neutrals you hide behind because bold feels “too much.”
The pieces that pinch, squeeze, or shrink you — and not just your body.

This isn’t about fashion.
It’s about freedom.

Ellie reminded me (and all of us) that you don’t need a new wardrobe or a stylist on speed dial.
You need honesty.
You need space.
And you need the courage to ask: what story is my closet still telling — and is it even mine?

The moment you stop dressing for perfection and start dressing for alignment, everything shifts. Confidence. Energy. Presence. Magnetism. That’s the real glow-up.

So if you’ve been feeling disconnected from yourself, your style, your spark — this episode is your permission slip to stop performing and start embodying. One outfit, one belief, one bold truth at a time.

Ready to rewrite the story you’ve been wearing?
Start here. Start now. And don’t look back.

Connect with Ellie:

Bonus: Ellie’s gifting you her free Style Mindset Reset worksheet — a powerful guide to help you clear out those old style stories and dress like the woman you're becoming. You’ll find it linked in the show

Take care of yourself and there for each other!

XO, Brooke Jean

    • Brooke and Ellie kick things off with a raw, real convo about showing up fully — sweatpants one day, fabulous the next.

    • The tension between wanting to be chill and powerful — and how both can coexist.

    • The importance of embracing style that reflects your whole self, not just one curated version.

    • Ellie opens up about climbing the corporate ladder, hitting burnout, and realizing she wasn’t actually living her dream.

    • The spiritual awakening that nudged her toward styling — and how meditation played a key role.

    • Why so many high-achieving women feel guilty when success feels empty.

    • The messy, nonlinear process of finding clarity and making a major identity shift.

    • Ellie explains The Closet Effect — how what we wear impacts our energy, confidence, and how we show up.

    • Why style isn’t superficial — it’s a strategic tool for personal empowerment.

    • Real-life examples of how the right outfit can change your entire day (or entire life).

    • The brain science behind how clothing affects motivation, presence, and performance.

    • Breaking free from societal expectations about what women “should” wear at certain ages or in certain roles.

    • How Ellie helps clients rewrite the rules they’ve inherited around fashion, body, and professionalism.

    • The emotional weight many women carry in their closets — guilt, grief, and old identities.

    • How to stop outsourcing style decisions and start trusting your own taste.

    • Why holding onto “someday clothes” keeps women in shame spirals.

    • Letting go of the lie that you need to be a certain size to feel stylish or powerful.

    • Reclaiming self-worth now, not after a physical transformation.

    • Using style to reflect the woman you’re becoming, not the one you were trained to be.

CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION

I hope that you’ll join me in this movement, and that you can authentically reconnect with who you really are. That’s where your essence and your gems really lie.

Follow along on Instagram
@brookejeanunperfected to see how ridiculous I am IRL.

Join my private Facebook group Mommy’s Mental Health Matters and let’s continue the conversation, uplift one another, and build the life that we have always dreamed of. I would love to have you!

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Thanks so much for listening!