Spotlight: Stem Styling

I'm Megan, the blogger behind Stylish and Scatterbrained and I am very excited to share a little…well a lot about my new Chicago-based business, Stem! Thank you so much Amy for the invitation to guest post on Cupcakes & Couture!  

At Stem Styling I personal shopping and wardrobe styling services for the individual in transition.  I specialize in working with individuals transitioning from weight gain, loss and who have struggled with eating disorders or body images issues, but also work with clients who are simply looking for a new outfit or an uncluttered closet.   

The story behind Stem

Let’s just dive in, shall we?  I struggled with eating disorders for over half my life, never truly feeling comfortable in my own skin and being disgusted with what I saw in the mirror.  My biggest fear each day was getting dressed in the morning and I wore clothes that would make me simply blend in.  I would hope and pray that no one would notice the girl with the “chubby” arms and legs, the ones only I could see.    It pains me to think that there are so many others that struggle with these same battles everyday, but I plan to help through my new venture, Stem!

Since college, I knew that I wanted my “job” to entail helping others who had dealt with similar issues.  In 2009, I launched a nonprofit focused on raising awareness and increasing education of eating disorders.  Within 3 years the organization grew to the point where I quit my corporate job to run it full-time.  Unfortunately, within a month of doing so, I realized that focusing solely on eating was doing more harm than good for me. I made the extremely difficult decision to close our doors.  Having no 9-5 job to fall back on, no clear direction as to where I was going and what I wanted to do, it was one of the most challenging times in my life …but I wouldn’t change it for anything.

I took 6 months off, removing myself from social media, finding new doctors and coming up with a new game plan on life.  For 14 years I was the girl with the eating disorder and I was determined to shed that label.

With some self-exploration and a determination to really start living, I started off 2013 with a brand new perspective.  I spent several afternoons in my “office” brainstorming what I enjoyed, what I was passionate about and what type of impact I would like to leave on this world.  Fashion and style kept coming up and my aha moment struck... “I want to be a personal fashion stylist!”  When individuals transition out of treatment from eating disorders or are dealing with body image issues, nutritionists, doctors and therapists are usually encouraged to help.  Who is there to help make getting dressed in the morning not so terrifying?  Who’s there to help when someone starts to get anxious shopping or trying on clothes?  I wanted to fill that void.

I launched my personal style blog, Stylish & Scatterbrained, in an effort to experiment with fashion, share my two cents on life & style and show people that I could at least dress myself.   Not having a formal fashion education, I knew would I have to work extra hard to educate myself and build a great reputation.   Not only has my blog allowed me to accomplish those goals, but it also has expanded my group of friends and supporters more than I could have ever expected!  I would have never met people like Amy had it not been for blogging. That alone has made this journey worth it!

Fast forward to 2014 and for the first time in years I feel confident, beautiful and most importantly, acceptance for who I am on the inside and out.  You could say “I’ve come out on the other side.”  My self-exploration through style has played a major role in my recovery and I hope to take my experience and help inspire others to do the same.

What can you expect from Stem?

Sooo much!  I’m always coming up with new ideas, so I’m constantly reminding myself to take a step back…one thing at a time!  Initially, I will be focusing my efforts on working with individual clients, providing them with my personal shopping and styling services.  Eventually, my goal is to not only continue working one-on-one with clients, but also host workshops and work closely with eating disorder organizations and treatment centers. 

Amy's note: Megan, thank you SO much for opening up to us and sharing your new business Stem! I know you'll be successful and wish you all the best :)