It took me six years to get here.

Six years of building up my energy and working on my confidence to match the business and the future I envisioned.

On November 11, 2020, I launched StereoType with a vision for a world where kids could express themselves freely, without labels or limits. I had no idea how much courage it would take or how deeply the experience would change me.

There's always been something special about 11.11 to me. Maybe it's a little cosmic wink from the universe, a reminder to trust my intuition and pay attention to the things I feel called to create, even when I can't quite explain why.

Looking back, I realize how much of this journey has been about learning to do exactly that.

The Inner Work Behind the Outer Vision

When I started StereoType, I knew what I wanted to create. Watching Chloe and Jacob express themselves so freely, without the constraints of gender labels, I saw something important. Something much bigger than clothing.

What I didn't fully understand was how much personal work would be required to bring that vision into the world.

For a long time, I held back from sharing my story. I wanted to protect my kids from growing up in the public eye, and honestly, I was afraid of being seen.

Six years of trying and failing, starting and stopping. Every day, I doubted myself. And every day, I believed this was what I was meant to do.

When doubt got loud, I retreated. Then I realized doubt wasn't trying to scare me. It was trying to protect me, calling me forward to face the very things I feared.

I now understand that doubt and confidence are two sides of the same coin. They both require a choice. A choice to believe in yourself, or to walk away from yourself.

This year, I made a choice to step forward.

Finding the Courage to Be Seen

After years of staying behind the scenes, I've finally begun putting myself in front of the camera to tell the story of StereoType. I've also been stepping into more opportunities to speak publicly about the ideas behind the brand, sharing not just our clothing but the deeper conversations about identity, parenting, and the freedom to be ourselves.

For someone who created a brand around authentic self-expression, you might think that would come naturally. It hasn't.

I've spent six years encouraging children to embrace who they are and resist the pressure to become what others expect. Along the way, I've had to confront those same fears within myself.

The first choice I made was to start this business for my twins, to show them that every part of their self-expression matters. But I've realized I'm advocating for you, too, for all the parts of you that want to be seen.

I'm learning that I don't have to wait until I feel completely confident to show up. I can be uncertain and still move forward. It's still not easy, but it's part of my becoming.

Trusting the Timing

Building something that challenges ideas people have accepted for generations has taught me a lot about patience.

When I launched StereoType, I could feel a shift coming. I didn't have all the language for it then, but I knew the freedom I saw in my children was something worth protecting and celebrating.

Six years later, I still believe that. But I've also learned that believing in something and bringing it into the world are two very different things. There have been incredible opportunities, difficult decisions, and plenty of moments when I wondered why things weren't moving as quickly as I'd hoped.

Lately, I've been reflecting on the possibility that sometimes we sense where the world is headed long before we see the changes taking shape around us. Sometimes we plant seeds without knowing when they'll grow.

And when I look at what's happening in the world today, I can't help but feel something is changing. Beneath the noise and division, I sense a growing desire to question outdated expectations, reconnect with one another, and make room for more authentic ways of being.

Maybe it's the universe nudging us toward something new. Maybe it's a generation that's no longer willing to accept the same limitations. Whatever it is, I'm feeling hopeful.

Growing Beyond the Clothing

This past year has been about finding new ways to share StereoType's message.

After publishing my children's book, Me Is All I Want To Be, last year, I've continued working to introduce it to new audiences and get it into the hands of families. Seeing the book find its way into physical shops has been especially meaningful. I love imagining a child discovering it on a shelf and finding a reminder that who they are is already enough.

I've also been exploring how to better communicate the vision behind Blended Fashion™, the idea that clothing can be designed around individuality and self-expression rather than traditional gender categories.

What began with watching my children mix and match their clothing has grown into a much larger conversation about how fashion can evolve to reflect who we really are.

And perhaps the most personal reminder of that evolution is happening right in front of me.

Chloe and Jacob are teenagers now. The little kids who inspired StereoType are growing into young people with their own opinions, interests, and evolving sense of style. Watching them navigate this new chapter has made me think differently about the future of the brand.

Children grow, their identities evolve, and their relationship with fashion changes. But the need for freedom of expression doesn't disappear when they get older. In many ways, it becomes even more important.

Why should the freedom to dress without labels have an age limit?

It's a question that's opening up exciting possibilities for what StereoType might become. I'm not ready to share everything just yet, but I can feel the next chapter beginning to take shape.

The Future Is Inclusive

When I reflect on these six years, I see so much more than a business. I see the personal growth, the relationships, the mistakes, and the moments when I had to decide whether to keep going or walk away.

I see a mother who wanted to create something better for her children and a founder who is still learning how to step fully into the vision she created.

Six years in, a mountain of mistakes, a hundred reasons to give up, and here I am, still learning to step forward.

To everyone who has supported StereoType, worn our clothing, read our book, shared our story, or believed in the possibility of something different, thank you. You've helped make these six years possible.

As the kids who inspired StereoType grow up, so does the vision. The world is changing, and the freedom to be yourself and define who you are has never felt more important.

We're only beginning to see what StereoType can become, and the one thing I know for sure is this:

The future of fashion is inclusive.