The Conversation That Started It All

Five years ago, on 11.11.20, I didn’t set out to start a clothing brand.
I set out to start a conversation about what it really means to support individuality and self-expression in our children.

As a mom of boy-girl twins, I watched how quickly the world tried to sort them into boxes: pink or blue, gentle or tough, princess or hero. None of it felt right. My vision was simple: remove boxes that were never real to begin with and create something that honored the truth I saw in my own kids - that authenticity is instinctive, effortless, and how we are meant to be.

The Question That Changed Everything

It began with a moment so small I almost missed it.

My four-year-old son asked:
“Mommy, can I wear this costume even after Halloween?”

Followed by - “Mommy, I don’t want to be a girl, I just want to feel beautiful.” 

That question and comment cracked me wide open and changed my parenting forever. If I wasn’t paying attention to what he was truly saying, I wouldn’t have started this mission. 

Jacob has always known who he is, he twirled in skirts and danced with glitter. Chloe showed me who she was when she wore superhero masks, dino tees, and camo print, it was simple - ease and joy. No forcing, no pretending. They weren’t trying to make a statement, they were simply being themselves, from the inside out. Their clothing choices weren’t rebellious. They were the truth. I was the one who needed to catch up.

Seeds of a Brand, Roots of a Calling

On a family vacation in 2018, on a sweltering day in Mexico, I sat by a pool scribbling down business names I didn’t believe I’d ever use. I told myself I was just “playing with an idea,” but my heart already knew what I was about to discover and there was no going back.

One name kept me circling back: StereoType.
A word we all know and experienced. A word I wanted to liberate. A play on two words while redefining what it means to be in harmony with yourself, by choosing your own “Type”. The boombox logo came later but the essence was already vibrating inside me.

In these early moments I felt like I was carrying a third baby, one I didn’t plan for but instantly loved. I couldn’t sleep, I was too excited. Ideas flooded me like they were being delivered on assignment. I didn’t understand it but I trusted it and that had to be enough.

Fear, Therapy, and the Inner Work

As I dipped my toes in the rushing waters of entrepreneurship, fear quickly followed.

What if I’m not good enough? Smart enough? What if I fail?

Those questions only got louder until I finally booked my first therapy session - nervous, awkward, assuming I’d only need a few months then “I’d be good”. Five years later, I’m still in therapy. As I began to unravel what was holding me back on the inside I also started to listen to the small voice speaking what I knew to be true deep down - I was meant for this.

Unlearning became my real work and re-leaning became my mountain to climb. Every time I unraveled and released a belief about who I thought I had to be, more clarity arrived about who I already was and what I had yet to learn about myself. My inner work transformed into outer courage.

When the Mission Started Speaking Back

When I started to share the idea of StereoType with people, I kept hearing the same thing:
“I’ve got goosebumps.”
“I wish this existed when I was a kid.”
“When is the adult line coming out?”

That feedback gave me momentum and revealed to me this message goes beyond kids and gender - it's a message for ALL OF US. When my kids wore those first pieces something shifted inside and I felt what I can only describe as alignment. My purpose had finally found me and in retrospect I could see my life unfolding perfectly to meet this moment. I was ready to claim it.

The Becoming: Year by Year

11.11.2020 - The Leap of Faith
I launched StereoType in the middle of a pandemic with no product, just a message, a mission and intention. I became a CEO and advocate all in one day- without a roadmap, just trust and faith. Blended fashion was born and I was once again a proud mother.

2021 - Family as Foundation
I officially made my twins co-founders. Afterall, they are the DNA of StereoType and it wouldn’t exist without their creativity and courage to be exactly who they are. They were then, and still are my greatest teachers.

2022 - Storytelling in Motion
I wrote the first draft of a children’s book carrying the same message: you don’t have to fit in to belong. It wasn’t just a book with a message, it was a blend of fashion and storytelling. 

2023 - Designing With Intention
I pushed myself to innovate and design pieces that function better. I created a custom print, a zipper button-down shirt and zipper-tie, and a reversible boombox fanny pack, these designs functioned with purpose, not gender. 

2024 - The Global Stage
I took StereoType to Japan - terrified but trusting. A vulnerable leap on an international stage with a lesson that love translates no matter what language. Proof that authenticity doesn’t need subtitles it needs to be seen. An experience my co-founders and I will never forget.

2025 - Full-Circle Moment
Through tears and uncertainty I published my first children’s book, Me Is All I Want To Be. A love letter to every child that they are more than enough. This process was excruciating and hard fought but I did it. Proving that while self-doubt may be loud at times my purpose always finds a way to push me forward.

I co-wrote a song with my twins singing back-up. A tender keepsake with their voices now part of a frequency that is spreading love. Forever a part of the universe.

What Five Years Taught Me

My twins were seven when I began. They’re on the edge of being teens now. They’ve outgrown the clothes I once designed for them - a bittersweet reminder that childhood is fleeting, but self-expression doesn’t have to be. We continue to walk hand in hand, committed to a mission that’s bigger than all of us.

I used to think success was measured by sales, followers, and status. I was wrong.
Five years in, I know better now:

Success is alignment.
Success is believing in what you do everyday.
Success is being brave enough to answer your calling.

Success is showing up over and over.

StereoType isn’t just a brand. It’s a movement.
It’s the story of my own (r)evolution - the one where I am both the hero and the adversary, the fear and the faith, the question and the answer. It’s my becoming.

Five years. Countless lessons. A lot of doubt and so much magic.
And somehow, I know -
I’m still just getting started.

Final Note

If I’ve learned anything, it’s this:

You don’t have to have the map to begin the journey.
You don’t have to be fearless to be brave.
And you don’t have to follow the rules but you do have to be willing to break some. 

And always trust your inner voice.

With Love,