Tween MakeoverSidetracked Sisters

me, 7th Grade, 1977

I’ve written before about how I had many worries and thoughts about the future when I was young. But I was also a planner. One of the biggest “plans” I had was for my transition from elementary school to Jr. High.

In elementary school, I was a pretty typical kid. Braces, headgear, and rubber bands worked to fix my smile. I took tap dance lessons. In the band, I played the flute.

But I wanted to be different. So I came up with a plan. I was going to have a life makeover! But, of course, “makeover” wasn’t yet a concept.

Back in the day, elementary school was Kindergarten through sixth grade. Junior High was 7th-9th grades and you went to High School as a Sophomore and finished as a Senior.

Jr. High Transformation

Well, I decided that the most important part of the transformation was looking the part. So, I told my parents that I didn’t want any new clothes the Christmas in the middle of 6th grade. My plan was to outgrow EVERYTHING and need a completely new wardrobe to start Jr. High.

I remember the excitement of getting the exact right pants for my new persona. Levis bootcut corduroy jeans. Not only did I get blue jeans, but I also got the same pants in cream, baby blue, and rust.

I loved my brown Earth shoes from 6th grade, but I knew that to be really cool, I had to wear Nike brand sneakers. Clogs became super popular during this time also. I wore cowl-neck sweaters or a coordinating t-shirt underneath a button-down shirt that was tucked into my pants. I began to think about my wardrobe and plan daily for what I would wear the next day. Inside my bookbag, I kept a little butane curling iron that I could use to fix my hair in the restroom when I got to school. My appearance was an important part of what I cared about. Fashion was something I noticed and it became part of a palette of tools to create my self-image.

I love the approach of a new “time” in life. Whether I’m graduating from elementary school, moving to a new place, getting divorced, adopting my kids, or retiring from teaching. The change from one chapter into a new chapter is filled with excitement and opportunity.

Transition Coach

me on a coaching call

Now don’t get me wrong, some transitions have more moving parts. As a life coach, I’ve specialized in helping women through some pretty major transitions (not gender transitions).

I’m talking about major life “makeovers”.

I love working with people who are working through “issues” that I have personal experience with.

I help women (mostly) who are–

–struggling with “family change” (divorce, death, or an empty nest) to transform themselves into confident women with passion and purpose,

–working with infertility or on adoption to build a family with confidence and compassion,

–changing jobs or retiring to create a beautiful, creative, and abundant next chapter for themselves.

Now, wouldn’t it be great if you could actually move forward into the life of your dreams by simply buying a few pairs of Levi’s jeans and some new, cool sneakers? Or if by a few touchups with a curing iron, you could create confidence and self-assurance?

My tween makeover was an important first step in my budding realization that I didn’t just have to react to life. I had choices and could decide to create a new experience.

Most recently, I’ve been getting coaching weekly for more than a year as I work to transition into a more abundant next chapter for myself. Perhaps you’d be interested in working with me to do the same!