Hi, I’m Amanda, and I’m unashamedly me. I talk a lot, I think big, and I’m brutally honest. This might be too much for some people, I can understand that. However, let me give you some insight into why I am this way, and why it makes me such a good Personal Stylist.

As a child, my dream career was to become a runway model. I loved the way women glided along the catwalk in the most stunning fabrics, and they all seemed to have a twinkle of confidence in their eyes. That’s what made me fall head over heels for life – I want people to feel that good, every day.

As a teenager though, I realised I wasn’t going to get any taller. Puberty hit, I got a job in a fast food restaurant and dropped all physical activity, in favour of a more academic schedule. Boy-oh-boy did that have an everlasting effect! I put on so much weight, I went from a small lady’s size 10 to a 16 in a couple of years. I was told by the boy I liked that we couldn’t be an item because I wasn’t slim enough. I felt more self-conscious than ever before, however, I’m lucky I had a mother who was so confident in her own skin and taught me to embrace who I was. So, I set about finding myself clothes that I felt good in. I chose colours and patterns that flattered my figure, and I didn’t worry about what my peers were wearing, or what was trendy – I focused on me.

After high school, I found myself living in Japan, twice. This is where I discovered a healthier lifestyle that helped me drop back to a size 10, where I’ve hovered ever since. I learned many things from the ladies of Japan, who are conservative by nature and utilise layering in their dress with sensational results. Another wardrobe hack I frequently use!

While at University studying my business degree, I discovered that my favourite topic was Consumer Behaviour – why we buy the things we buy. After returning from my second working spell in Japan, I worked in a swimwear shop in Cairns, which allowed me to gain an understanding of how women felt about their bodies and what influenced their buying behaviour in store. I was blown away by the concerns some women carried when looking for swimmers. There was emotional trauma, weight gain / weight loss, surgeries and all kinds of ‘baggage’ that made the decision so much harder for these women. All they wanted was to look beautiful and feel confident. I wanted to make that beach a runway for my customers so they could feel amazing – in what realistically, is very little clothing! I discovered that if I could get in that change room with them, figure out their body shape and listen to what they wanted, I could put together exactly what they needed. I watched as women transformed before my eyes; they stood taller, their eyes were brighter, and they smiled at their own reflections. A moment of triumph for the lady in the mirror, where she’s overcome all the obstacles that were holding her back only moments ago and is ready to let her inner radiance shine through. How lucky I was to witness this.

Since my time up north, I’ve trained as a Personal Stylist in Melbourne with the renowned Cindy Newstead from the Professional Styling Academy which has given me the tools to be able to help more people discover the best version of themselves.