Conversations with Tara Williams

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tara Williams. They and their team shared their story with us below:

Tara knew she wanted to be a news reporter since the age of 12, and made that dream a reality after getting her degree in broadcast journalism in her home state of Washington. She started her first career as a television reporter/anchor/producer, working wherever her husband’s military career took them, which included Los Angeles, Raleigh, and Colorado Springs.

After having children, Tara transitioned to life as a homeschool mom, teacher, and military spouse as the Air Force continued to take her family all around the world for two decades. Now in her third career, she owns a personal styling business. Tara got into personal styling after stepping back from her busy life to decide what God had naturally equipped her to do and what she loved. She earned certificates as an image consultant and personal stylist and began her business in the fall of 2022.

Now, Tara specializes in helping women define their style to look and feel their best. She helps her clients change the way they look on the outside and feel on the inside, guiding her clients through the nuances of dressing with style, authenticity, and confidence. She loves empowering women through their wardrobes and provides services such as color and body shape analysis, closet edits, personal shopping, event styling, and digital lookbooks.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Business-wise: A huge hurdle to overcome was just stepping away from my busy and full life as a military spouse and mom of 5 (now two are grown and out of the house), to prioritize myself enough to figure out what I wanted to do in this season of my life. My life was full and all my time was spoken for before I started the business.

It was a leap of faith to try to carve out the time and energy to invest in a business. Also, I’ve never had a desire to own my own business and have never been interested in business itself. It’s been a HUGE learning curve to be a business owner. Also, the finances it’s taken to start the business have been challenging too. My husband has been in the military for almost 33 years now, so we’re not wealthy, and it’s taken a financial commitment from our finances to start and keep the business going in these first years.

Personally: We adopted our 5th child from China. He’s 9 now but came to us when he was just 20 months old. He’s struggled with attachment and trauma, after being in the orphanage in Shanghai. We’ve been taking him to multiple therapies a week to help him, but life at home can be challenging at times. Being in a military family has been wonderful in so many ways, but it’s also come with challenges. My career had to take a back seat to the military for decades, and moving has also been hard at times. Our kids have had to say goodbye to friends many times, and our oldest kids, especially, were always the new kids in the neighborhood and at school.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m an image consultant and personal stylist. I specialize in helping women define their style to look and feel their best. I love empowering women through their wardrobes and provide services like color and body shape analysis, closet edits, personal shopping, event styling, and digital lookbooks.

I love working with professional women and helping them figure out the branding that they can take to be the best representation for their company. I’m proud of the fact that I don’t just look at one aspect (the wardrobe) of a client. I’m looking at the total person, inside and out. My whole adult life I’ve taken on mentoring roles with women, formally and informally.

Formally, I’ve mentored through whatever church we’re going to. So, I look at fashion styling as a sort of mentoring, just through the vehicle of a client’s wardrobe. I love the moment when we get it right and she lights up because what she sees on the outside is a good representation of who she is on the outside. I love the phrase, “This is so me!” I think what sets me apart from others is the natural ability I have to connect with people. I feel a personal connection with my clients and work hard because I’m motivated to help them be the best version of themselves, because I genuinely want them to succeed.

I’m like an older sister or friend, who has expertise, helping them gain confidence through their wardrobe. I can put people at ease and approach styling without judgment, and honestly want people to be the best version of themselves, and not just what a current trend dictates.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I love collaborations.

I’ve collaborated with boutique owners and provided styling services to their customers, I’ve participated in glamour nights, where multiple services by multiple vendors are offering their services, I’ve done many style seminars (both paid and unpaid), I’ve partnered with a professional organizer to create a seasonal closet re-fresh, and I’ve also partnered with a make-up artist.

Of course, I want to continue to work with clients one-on-one, but I would also like to increase speaking/seminar opportunities. I would love to provide style seminars to businesses and corporations who would like their employees to elevate their style in the workplace. I would also like to continue collaborations with boutiques to style for their customers.

On a one-to-one basis, I can provide body & color analysis, closet edits, outfit creations from what clients already own, personal shopping, event styling, and digital lookbooks.

Contact Info:

• Website: StyleElevationwithTara.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/style_elevation_with_tara/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089205591226
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/styleelevationwithtara/

Image Credits
Stephanie Lynn Photography