Lauren Sharkey is a Chicago-based stylist and wardrobe consultant. She began her business, Styled by Lauren Sharkey, in an effort to educate and empower women to curate a closet that authentically resonates and grows with them. Lauren has an active social media presence where she shares daily outfit ideas, seasonal forecasts, trend reports and more. Prior to starting her own styling business, Lauren worked at a business consulting firm.

We chat about her career growth in the past year, what it has been like transitioning from the corporate world to the creative world and how she has defined her own unique approach to styling.

Renata Gasparian Lima is the owner and co-founder of RENATA by Renata Gasparian, a women’s ready-to-wear collection based in Charlotte, NC. Renata draws inspiration for her brand from her native country of Brazil and the vibrant culture of India. All of her pieces are handmade and boast beautiful colors, patterns and textures.

Renata gives us a glimpse into her life growing up in Brazil and eventually landing her dream job at Daslu, a luxury department store in Sao Paulo. At the time, Daslu was considered by many as the mecca of fashion.

Renata ultimately moved to the U.S. with her husband where she had to, in many ways, rebuild her life. She stayed in touch with her Brazilian connections and began selling their clothing lines in the states. Ultimately, it was her husband who urged her to start her own line of clothes. In 2020, she launched her clothing label and has continued to grow it over the past four plus years.

Isobel Mills Prescott is a textile designer and fiber artist. In 2018 she opened her eponymous business ISOBEL and launched her first collection of luxury interior fabrics, which she sells to the trade in showrooms across the country. Fusing her love of shape, scale and surface design, she creates fabrics and wallpapers with both visual and physical texture. Her brand is known for being playful yet sophisticated.

We hear about Isobel's lifelong passion for creativity and the arts. She speaks candidly about the challenges she faced in the workforce early on, feeling as if she didn't have a purpose and the long journey to finally believing in herself. We learn the importance of a few key people along the way who noticed her talent and inspired her to never settle.

McNeely Purcell is the founder and head designer of the eponymous label she established in 2018. Neely’s line of accessories features leather and feather goods including vests, belts, hats, collars, cuffs and more. Neely’s vibrant style shines through in all of her products, making for unique, statement pieces that add flare to any outfit. We talk about the importance of finding creative outlets (especially as a mother), pursuing what brings you joy and never losing sight of your business' end goal.

Ann Trammell Bakhaus is the owner and buyer at Embellish Collection, a designer clothing boutique in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Ann Trammell graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in Fashion Merchandising. She started her career in New York where she worked with designers like Diane Von Furstenberg, Oscar De La Renta, and Vince Camuto, to name a few. Most recently, Ann Trammell ran her own styling business , A.T. Style. We chat about her deep-rooted love for fashion, what it was like navigating the ups and downs of her career early on and the importance of seizing an opportunity when it falls in your lap.

Katherine Mason is the CEO and Founder of SculptHouse, a fitness studio, athleisure boutique and e-commerce destination based in Atlanta and Dallas.

Merging her passion for fitness and fashion, Katherine set out to create a studio concept that elevates your body, mind, and everyday style. SculptHouse has won a number of local and national awards and has been featured in Well+Good, Men's Health, GQ and more.

We talk about what it’s like to build a business from the ground up when you have little to no experience, the importance of being able to pivot when things go wrong and how having a child has made her see her business in a whole new light.

Alexandra Dieck is the creator and founder of fashion, beauty and lifestyle blog, Lexicon of Style.

Lex describes her career in influencing as "happenstance" because it came about in a very organic and almost unintentional way. The blog was originally created as a way to promote a line of scarves she designed. It didn't take her long to realize that what was really resonating with people wasn't the scarves, it was her bold fashion sense. She saw a path to success and dove all in.

Over the past 11 years, Lex has evolved and re-created herself time and time again. By doing so, she continues to resonate with and reach more and more people. With a captive audience of nearly 140K, Lexicon of Style is the epitome of a fashion blog success story.

Tinsley Paul is the Co-founder and CEO of HerStory, a social business featuring luxury, unique products designed by women around the world.

As the youngest of 5 children, Tinsley has always been curious and independent. This curiosity led to her to study and volunteer around the world, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Africa and Southeast Asia.

HerStory was created in 2020 as a way to support women-led businesses that were struggling during the pandemic and help them navigate the new retail landscape. Today, HerStory partners with a network of 200+ brands and 300K artisans who design and manufacture one-of-a-kind luxury goods.