Find Your Fit, Live Your Purpose

Speaker 1: hi I'm Melanie bar welcome to the she builted experience with Melanie you're here because you want to experience the life and business that you crave join me as I talk to women who have successfully built it a career and business that they love we dive into the topic of how they built it and talk about everything from

Speaker 1: when we focus on the part of ourselves and our business that brings us joy so let's dive in Diana Newan is a Financial Consultant turned fashion designer and entrepreneur she quit her corporate job four years ago to launch Madison savle a Los Angeles Bas label offering Contemporary women's Blazers and pants suits designed to empower women to realize their gifts and be the best versions of themselves their true self Diana thank you so much for joining us you are are a finance consultant turned fashion designer and entrepreneur your company was created to empower women to realize her gifts and let her light shine please tell us more about who you are and your early career and what led you to launch your brand thank you for having me really excited to be here and love what you're doing and how you're helping the women out there that's listening so thank you I was a major in accounting and marketing and so I end up joining the big four accounting firms when I graduated I used to be an auditor project management consulting for the last 15 years it took a while to make that big leap from the corporate world I was working at Microsoft before I left it was a great job but it took me a while to make that leap because it's scary it's into the unknown you've had this steady amazing income for so long I can do it in my sleep and now I'm going into completely different industry Finance to Fashion in finance you're good at what you do because of the experience and your education but it's not necessarily your passion and it took me a while and a couple career coaches completely different methods that both came to the same conclusion which is you're an entrepreneur that's where you're going to thrive eventually it came to me with women's Blazers because I absolutely love a Blazer a Blazer is very much of power staple a classic Staple in your closet forever I believe and I always had the problems of finding the right blazer because I do 5 million things a day and I can't have whatever I'm wearing restrict me and then also with the women around me that I worked with in corporate similar issue it wasn't enough for me to leave until that calling where you're like there's something more I am on this Earth for a purpose there is a calling that I need to do more and be more and make more of an impact and I can't do it in this position right now pairing the Blazers with the fact that Madison savel and this is how I came up with the name is that savil for Salo famous Tre in London known for bepoke tailoring of suits for men I want to bring that to women but Madison means gift of God and Warrior it very much aligned with Madison savel and the Blazers are just the beginning it's a catalyst to so much more that I want to do with this company and that is to create change and empower and Inspire women in this new era and the many hats that we're wearing we're career women we're mothers we're wives we're daughters sisters and we need to create that change and I want to create that change and have a seat at the table to make those changes I love that because what we wear has so much to do with our confidence how we feel about ourselves when we when we enter a room absolutely it is I've been asked what makes it that way in terms of a Blazer I believe it's because of the the structure of it right it it gives you that structure and it gives you that that power and that confidence I don't know about you but every time I put on a Blazer whether I'm wearing sweats underneath right it does change my attitude so true and good for you for making that pivot because so often we get into our careers and we've spent years in training or in school or gaining the knowledge needed you can be really good at what you're doing it's just really hard to find that courage to say I'm going to do something completely different do you remember the moment that pivotal moment where you said I'm going to do this what gave you the courage to make that late great question it is definitely that purpose that faith when we're talking about love for example people just like oh you just know and you just end up hating those people for saying that until it happens to you and you're like oh I I get it right so that's what happened the career coaches and then it all just aligned one day and it was the aha moment but I didn't make the jump right away I was still working at Microsoft but I was very transparent with what I wanted to do and in my meetings with my manager for example they always ask you I you have your quarterly annual touch Bas about what are your long-term goals and I would be very honest my long-term goal is to create a company for impact and change so I won't be here for long but while I'm here I'll give you 100% I love that I can only imagine the reaction that came out of that I was just so blessed with a great manager a great team because they understood and they fully supported it how do you want women to feel when they wear your brand our first collection is called Unstoppable and fierce because that is what's lined on the inside when I designed these Blazers everything thoughtfully designed where every aspect is going to help you or inspire you in some way it is the Superman Superwoman Cape once you put on that Blazer it's reminder to you of how Unstoppable you are but also your own gift because in this day and age of social media comparing each other to each other we have a unique gift in each of us and it's a reminder bring out that gift don't be afraid to show the world your gift because that's why you're here and you're doing a disservice to the world if you don't share your unique gift with the world I mean that's the Blazer and Madison savle in every way I love it it's a gift that we were even born we won that Lottery and we're here and you're right with social media we can get so in a lane of doing what we do every day that we forget to show the world our gifts and who we are absolutely and I love what you're doing with building that Community because with that Community it is helping each other break down those walls and go show us who you are the true beauty is what I call it in from in one of our taglines is armoring you from the outside with our Blazers and then building you up from within so it's doing all these things like the podcast and community events and a portion of the proceeds for these Blazers go to Elizabeth house it's a nonprofit that helps women and their children experiencing homelessness whether that's through domestic violence sex trafficking everything we do is to help those around us and the women that wear these Blazers I love that Community is so important because when you win you want to celebrate with someone and when someone in the sheu a community uh experiences a win I'm so happy to celebrate it with them because I want to feel that same way yes that's what brings me joy and that's what I hope to bring to those around me and those that wear Madison sa Blazers yes absolutely what has been your most challenging obstacle in launching and growing your brand and business and how did you overcome it uh how many days do you have wait is only an hour okay and in fashion I'm sure because fashion is not an easy industry at all no I everybody's like why did you go into a very hard industry and then also starting with something that's very challenging in the fashion industry which is a woman's bler so as you know in LA California it's about loungewear your sweatpants and your athleisure and then of course I'm coming in with a very tailored piece so very technical as an entrepreneur there's so many challenges already it is definitely a learning curve from Finance the fashion from an industry where it's just it's numbers it's compliance it's deadlines you have to meet those deadlines there's no excuses but in the fashion industry you're working with creatives it's just a different way of working it's a different working style in this industry and that's one of the things I had to get used to it's like okay so this is a different way of working but then then Al also on top of that it is in the finance industry I've built this career over 15 years and I left Microsoft as a senior manager essentially and and now I'm going into a different industry and in this fashion industry if you're not putting orders in like Nordstrom or your Tom Ford out there with hundreds and millions of units you're a small fish in a big pond and I'm a small fish in a big pond because I'm just starting up and I have smaller units and of course smaller units in technical very tailor pieces like who are you and so my leverage you know it's so difficult to go into to new industry when now you're a small fish again and your Leverage is not quite strong like it was in the other industry um so it's getting used to that but then also with Co on top of that that had that I mean I know everybody that added a lot to everybody's plate too and uh we were supposed to launch Actually March 2020 and so you can imagine once you know with Co hitting I had to pause everything and then with all the entrepreneur uh challenges already for any entrepreneur on top of that you have covid and the supply chain issues and your resource issues and so I was navigating through all of these all at the same time and and trying to launch this company in the middle of a pandemic um it h i love memes and analogy so what it felt like was me running uphill with a boulder coming down at me and trying to dodge it at the same time and not trying to get killed right right so I mean that's essentially you know you all the the challenges with in nutsh and I know so many listeners can relate to that but it really is your passion towards what you're doing that that carries you through every day absolutely uh I have to say that that is your will will pick you up and your why will pull you forward and that is thank you and that is something that to be honest I had to remind myself this past month because like I said a lot of Life Changes happened and it really tests you and when you're so in the weeds like I am like down to the thread of a Blazer it's very much in the weeds you have to you have to remind yourself what your why is and that this is bigger than you and that's what gives you perspective again so true what do you like the most about helping women realize their gifts and empowering them to shine their light it's that sparkle in that person's eyes when they are alive again that is currency for my soul and my heart is when I see that I've made a difference in someone's life for the better to know that ripple effect of of impacting changing people's lives if I wasn't there would it have changed their lives for the better and you said alive again I think coming out of Co we all want to feel that way I think we're going to hit this Tipping Point where we're like okay no more loungewear we want to feel a little more dressed up again my daughter just went through all my jewelry and she's like Mom why don't you ever wear this and so I just recently just started putting it on I'm like with whatever I have on I'm just going to wear it otherwise it's just going to sit in my closet forever exactly and I actually I don't know about you but I forget what's in my closet now yeah I'm like oh I have that I should wear it I ask this question at the end of every episode because I believe finding joy in what we do is so important to our daily lives magic happens when we focus on the part of ourselves and our business that brings us joy what is one tip you can leave with us today about how you find and live your joy my 2022 goal is leave space and room for Wonder because we are so much adulting we have to do this you have to I have to I have to I have to and especially with Co on top of that it is leaving that space for Wonder because it creates that space for childlike energy and play that's all within us that we tend to forget or we tend to show down within us Wonder equals Joy Wonder equals creativity Wonder equals you being happy congrats to you for for making your leap into your new business and we all can't wait to check it out can you please tell our listeners how and where they can find you madison.com and savel's sa a v i l e follow us on Instagram at Madison savel we also have a Facebook insiders group for those that want to join that Community anytime we're looking at a new design or a new color we ask that group for their for their opinion and then sign up for a newsletter on our website if you are new to Sheil it we'd love for you to join us we offer Community memberships masterminds Innovative virtual events and meaningful connections to entrepreneurs and corporate leaders please also check out our sheu it shop curated products from women-owned businesses who put their heart and soul into their beautiful and Innovative products we offer Sheil it business Consulting and the Sheil it blog thank you to everyone around the world who joined today thank you to my editor Rich stuff poo please download And subscribe wherever you get your podcast and until next time together let's let nothing stop us from experiencing the life that We crave