“You’re always one decision away from an entirely different life,” I tell my mom as I walk home from the Fashion School on a crisp October day. I had just finished speaking to an auditorium of college freshmen about my experience at Kent and my advice as a young entrepreneur. I was giddy. Just absolutely blown away that my decision to start a website led me to this life.
Six years ago today I lie on my grandma’s living room carpet with not a clue what I was doing and yet I hit publish on my very first blog post, launching Styled by McKenz. I had no skills, no real plan and yet I did have drive. And I did have dedication. It turns out those two things are all you really need. As I sit here sifting through old anniversary posts, reflecting on not only my growth in numbers but in me, I can’t help but wonder how different life would be if Styled by had never been born. How different I would be.
And yet I sit here thanking God for the decision to hit publish on that very first blog post as it has given me the most incredible life. A life I never dreamed possible.
I’ve been in this game for quite some time now and yet it wasn’t until 2020 that I realized I could play it full time. Don’t get me wrong, I’d seen women do it, even envied them for it, but something about it seemed so far out of reach. Then Covid hit and I found myself going full time, making my own hours, wearing every hat, pushing myself to limits I hadn’t known possible. My following grew and so did my love for it all. With each new month came a new milestone and my God was it addicting.
Night after night I’d sit and write, week after week I’d negotiate brand deals, and month after month we would celebrate. 2020 was the end of a decade but it was truly the start of an age.
I wanted so bad to ride this same high through 2021. In January I returned back to school, back to my “normal” life of balancing it all, and suddenly that version of me seemed so far out of reach. My posting schedule felt redundant the content predictable. Blog posts were pushed to the last minute and the milestones were fewer and further between.
Simultaneously I entered my upper-level courses in Kent’s Fashion program where I’m asked time and time again what my end goal is. “What is it you’re working towards?” Reluctantly I respond saying I want to work for a fashion magazine and yet deep down I know I crave that and so much more. I find myself on the cusp of a new life as I sit in my classes asked to plan for post-grad, to build a resume for a job I’m not sure I want, to practice interviewing for a position I’m no longer interested in.
I was lost.
After years of adding the same ingredients, following the same directions, yielding the same results suddenly the finished product no longer sounds satisfying. Suddenly my recipe is wrong. I shed many tears over this, feeling so guilty for this change of heart, for no longer wanting what I spent so much of my life working towards.
How is it that it feels so wrong to pursue the normal path and yet so scary to follow your heart?
A wise friend reminded me that these feelings are not to be feared they are meant to be cherished as they are a sign of growth.
So I switched my focus and my new mission was to fall in love with it all over again. I went back to my roots—I brain dumped, I planned, I envisioned my life the past five years and pictured how I wanted it five years from now. And with that, I took off.
I pitched every hotel, every airline, every being I knew. I gave hundreds of elevator pitches and I was told no time and time—and then someone said yes, and like I said all it takes is one yes. Off to Nashville, I went to work with my first hotel. I finally had a reason to round up my crazy fun clothes. We spent the entirety of the trip shooting looks in cool locations, seeing new sights, reviewing popular restaurants, belly laughing from jokes. I captured it all. And when I returned home I was itching to write. Hands hit the keyboard and it’s like I’m fourteen all over again, unable to keep up with the speed of my own thoughts. The posts go viral, the comments pour in, and it’s as if my audience can see the spark, the zest for content creating come back to life.
So I do it again. And again. And again. Back to Nashville. Then to Charleston, Chicago, Miami, and the Outer Banks. With each trip comes more excitement, a new following, a new love. It’s the same job as before just a different approach and somehow it feels as good as it did on day one.
Back to school, I go, maintaining a balance of my usual styling content, college memories, and planning tips. I’m running to sorority events, birthdays, club meetings, and classes. Cranking out a 16 credit hour course load and nearly 40 hour work weeks. Opportunities present themselves and soon I’m off to New York City, Los Angeles, and Charleston in the midst of the school year. It’s exhausting but it’s thrilling as hell.
If it is your calling it will keep calling you.
I’ve recited these words hundreds of times throughout my career. And they reign so true as I sit in my bedroom on a December morning, writing my final essay to my Professional Seminar professor saying I don’t want to do what’s normal. I don’t want to job search or interview prep. At least not yet. I want to keep chasing my dreams, and I want to do it right now.
Life is fragile. Incredibly too short. And it is meant to be lived. Lived with activities that make you feel whole, that excite you each day, that give you a reason to get out of bed. Why would I go out looking for what’s been right in front of me all along?
I created my dream position six years ago and didn’t even realize until this very moment. I’ve never been so sure.
There were many things I never got to this year. No podcast. No merch designed. No Influencer Of The Year nomination. And yet there was a life I got to experience that I never dreamed possible.
Don’t forget when one door closes another one opens.
So with that, I must tell you to take the chance. Break the rules. Book the flight. Go on the trip. Spend the money. Take the job—or don’t. Say YES.
Do it becuase you’re young. Do it because you’re scared. Do it because you don’t get this time back. Do it for your fourteen-year-old self. Do it because it could change your life.
Remember that races are won in your own lane. Not when you’re looking side to side, not when you’re worried how fast or slow everyone around you is going. When your head is straight when you’re focused on yourself and your own progression, one foot in front of the other carrying you to the finish line. This is true in racing and is especially true in business. Not all finish lines are visible from the start and believe me, not all races are meant to be won.
Remember with every journey there are bumps that will rock you to your core, curveballs you never saw coming. Swing—you might miss but you might hit.
Remember the grass will always be greener, so you better get working.
To succeed you must take chances. You must expect the unexpected. You must challenge yourself to get out of your comfort zone; it is the only place where true growth happens. And you must remember why you started.
Oh, how I wish I could talk with my younger self. To tell her that she was in for the wildest ride. That she wouldn’t end up a teacher, or a writer, a photographer, or even the stylist. She would end up as them all. She would end up passionate and fulfilled and excited, changing lives with nothing more than her words. She would be everything she hoped for and so much more.
Through it all, she would build a life she loved.
You’re always one decision away from an entirely different life—thank God she chose right.
With all my love, McKenz
Thank you from the absolute bottom of my heart for supporting me through this crazy journey. Whether you’ve been here for six years or six months, I’m so happy you’re here. Cheers to one hell of a ride; six years of love, laughter, and challenges, and hopefully six more. And to Styled by McKenz, thank you, you changed my life.