Courtney Yalen shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Courtney, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
I recently started school again for clinical herbalism. I’ve been a certified herbalist for a few years and have been into herbal medicine for as long as I can remember (thanks mom!). I always figured it would be a hobby of mine and have been too afraid to expand my communities or dive deeper into coursework- I think I’ve felt I’m not as “woo-woo” as I “should” be in some spaces, or too “woo-woo” in others, and I’ve never been great at anything science-y. At times I’ve been afraid I would try it and not enjoy it, that delving deeper would ruin it for me, or that I would question myself too much. I’m still bad at science, but a lot of what we talk about in class clicks for me. I’m glad I waited so many years so I was a bit more stable and confident, but woah, herbal medicine is calling to me loud and clear, and I’m finally answering.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Howdy! My name is Courtney and Ozibu Designs is my brand – named after my incredibly handsome cat, Ozzmatazz Buckshanks (don’t worry, I’ll share a photo here). I’ve always been totally in love with playing dress up every day, and being a few years into my 30’s hasn’t changed that. Sometimes I dress like an accountant in Boston in 1976, sometimes I dress like a 13 year old boy who just bought his first lighter. A lot of people think you have to tone down your look when you get older, but I think as long as you’re being authentic then you can look amazing in anything. I want to make people feel comfortable and confident wearing things that, let’s say, have been in their closet for 8 years and they never knew where or how or with what to wear it. Wear a bright 70’s gown to the grocery store if you want! Some people wear my earrings to accessorize already flamboyant outfits, others wear them to brighten up a more neutral look, and I freakin’ love seeing them styled any way. Nothing makes me happier than when a photo of someone styling Ozibu is tagged on instagram, or when someone comes up to me at a market and we get to chat it up. I can do customs and work with you on specific styles, colors or color schemes for an outfit you have in mind. Let’s style some looks and have some fun with this life!
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
My best friend Devin – I met her in high school and she is still my best friend over a decade later. I used to care about what popular people in school thought of me and would hold back some myself because I didn’t want people to think I was bizarre. Devin could not care less about what anyone thought of her. She always has been the most unapologetically wild and hilarious person I’ve ever met. She didn’t care if anyone was next to her doing something crazy (which they usually weren’t), she wanted to do what she wanted to do, and she was going to do it no matter what. She taught me how to love every part of myself and my personality through embracing herself and showing me what that looked like. She brought out the weirdness and goofiness in me that didn’t care about being pretty or put together for anyone. That part of me has never gone back inside since I’ve stayed friends with her, and I hope it never does. I’m so grateful for her for that.
Is there something you miss that no one else knows about?
I miss not having a smart phone. I miss being a teenager where nothing felt like a big deal or too complicated. I miss not being constantly bombarded with horrible news. I miss the times before social media influencing. I miss getting reprimanded by my friends parents for trying to sneak out to pool hop the country club nearby at midnight. I miss not having too much information available at my fingertips. I miss fireflies. I miss my friend Jon. I miss the weeping willow from my backyard growing up. I miss getting stoned and eating all of my friends parents food and blaming it on their younger siblings. I miss Friendly’s Monster Mash sundae.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes :’) that can change depending on the day, and that’s okay!
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
Every boyfriend I’ve ever had <3 love you guys though
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ozibudesigns.com
- Instagram: @ozibu.designs
Image Credits
all my photos !
