Conscious Success Co (00:00.942)
Hi, Ellen. So happy to have you here with me today. For everyone listening, Ellen is a personal friend and a former client. And during our time working together, I think we started working together when you were like a month maybe before your due date with your second child, something like very late in your pregnancy. And through our time working together, we...
Ellen Garson (00:02.359)
Hi.
Conscious Success Co (00:28.034)
got to explore a lot of what you wanted in your career and in your life and how we designed and laid the foundation for those next steps. And since then, you have launched an amazing sub stack called Blue Jeans Baby, which is focused on women who are postpartum in those early motherhood years and how to dress and styling for that season of life. And since launching that sub stack, you have also launched a personal styling business. So I just thought it would be
So great to have you on the pod today to talk to us about the whole journey from trying to figure out your North Star and your vision for what you wanted and what aligned with this season of life and how you then took those actions to lay that foundation and where that gets to continue to evolve from here. So, so grateful that you've made the time to be with us today.
Ellen Garson (01:17.899)
Thank you, I'm so honored to have been asked and I'm excited to chat.
Conscious Success Co (01:22.454)
Okay, so let's go way back. Let's tell me about little Ellen. Talk to me about what were you like as a kid and what core traits are very much still present in you and your work and how you show up in the world today.
Ellen Garson (01:38.197)
Yeah, okay. Well, I grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, which whenever I tell people, I'm either met with like, wow, I've always wanted to go there or like, where in Europe is that? So I, you know, I come from a smaller place. It is still a city, but I, you know, spent
Conscious Success Co (01:54.956)
Ha ha!
Ellen Garson (02:07.056)
majority of my life there. didn't leave Halifax until I was 24 I believe. So growing up I was like loved being outside. I was super creative like I would get lost in my arts and crafts. I've always been really into drawing and painting and coloring and I loved being outside. I spent like all my summers
outside every single day with like a lot of unstructured time.
Conscious Success Co (02:42.444)
I mean, that just sounds so idyllic, like compared to how many childhoods go to that.
Ellen Garson (02:48.446)
Yeah, I think that I was like really lucky in the sense that I did have a mom who was like very much the stereotypical stay at home mom. And even though I was five years older than my middle sister, my middle sister and my younger sister are very close in age, they're only 15 months apart. And I think that.
My mom in the summertime was just trying to like set herself up for success in the best way possible. Like obviously now as a mom, I look back at it and I have a very different understanding, but she was kind of, I think thinking I got to get these kids out of the city in a place where they just have space to run. And so we, when I would think I was four, my parents bought this old farmhouse like had a
huge barn and just a lot of space to literally run free and be outside and that is how I spent my summers and my weekends. So was really lucky in that sense and it was very secluded as well. So like as I got older that became a pain point with like missing out on more socializing. But I think like when I was younger
in terms of like what is similar now, like obviously the creative side that I touched on is like very much still true. I would say that like I've always been socially someone who like thrives in like one-on-one versus like big social settings. And yeah, I was just like always really curious and like wanting to
explore things like outside of what was just available to me. Like I was always like reading, like I had this book that I was obsessed with that I actually recently was reminded of, I think through Instagram or something that I like Googled and was looking into it. And it was actually a sad ending, but there was this story of this ballet dancer. I think it was called like, I forget what it was called, but it was this photo book.
Ellen Garson (05:07.856)
of following this dancer in New York who was like 10 or 11 and she was in the New York City Ballet and I was very obsessed with this book and like really was interested in like New York specifically and what that meant for this little girl and her creative side and being exposed to all these grownups and like yeah I just think I was always really curious and like
that manifested itself later in like my teenage and early twenties to like traveling a lot. Really whenever I had the opportunity and like trying to get outside of just where I had grown up.
Conscious Success Co (05:50.127)
And you mentioned having a stay at home mom. I'm curious, what was the ideal or the model of success as you understood it for you as a young girl in your future from what you saw from your parents or community?
Ellen Garson (06:06.792)
I think that coming from where I came from, there isn't really much of an economy outside of like very traditional jobs. So the doctor, the dentist, the lawyer, my dad was a lawyer, most people on my mom's side of the family were doctors or are doctors. And so that was kind of like the model that I grew up with. And then in terms of like,
what it meant to be a successful woman. I didn't really have that much to look at aside from what I knew growing up, which was that my mom stayed at home and I always kind of thought that that's what I would want and that's what would fulfill me and that changed a lot.
you know, in my 20s. Before I had kids, kind of already knew that that probably wasn't going to be the best thing for me. But, you know, I think at that time, it was a lot more.
not, I don't know, it was just a lot more typical, I guess, for women to do that and much more expected, at least like where I grew up. And I think that there was less pressure and demands actually at that time for like my mom versus what our generation has and what is expected of us and just like how fast the world is moving and just trying to keep up with it all. think that it was simpler times then not to say that
My mom had it easy by any means, but it was just a very different time. So I don't think I had like a, I don't think that I was thinking about that outside of what I was seeing. I wasn't curious about that.
Conscious Success Co (08:06.649)
But it sounds like on the one hand, you had this dad who's a lawyer and fit in that like lawyer doctor, kind of like that traditional high achiever of that generation. And then your mom was this like stay at home, present mother. So did it feel like there was almost like a split or an expectation of like, I need to do both or I can be one or the other or I'm expected to be the stay at home mom, not the doctor. Like, do you remember?
thinking any of that or having that color, any of your vision or decisions when it came to career.
Ellen Garson (08:39.061)
I think that that definitely happened later on. think that my dad wanted and had an expectation that all three of his daughters would go into something traditional. Not to say that he wasn't supportive when some of us didn't choose that. My middle sister went into law. But I think that that is just all that he
knew and understood and anything kind of outside of that realm was like very risky in his mind and didn't really make sense in terms of financial outcome. It was more just like, yeah, this is a hobby for you if you want to like draw or sew clothing. But like if you want to make money and be financially independent, you do these things. But it was it wasn't pushed on me. I think that it was more of like a quiet underlying
suggestion. And then, you know, I always knew that I wanted to have kids for a long time. I thought I'd be like a very young mom, which did not happen. I think that's for the best for me. But I think that the other side of the coin was like, there wasn't, it wasn't explained to me like, how to actually get
there and so there was this kind of disconnect with like these are the things that you can do if you want to be financially independent and successful in this traditional sense but like the steps to get there are like kind of on you to figure out like truly and I think that's probably in part why I ended up always going back to like what
felt more true to me because I didn't care enough to like figure out how to take all of those steps to be traditionally successful because it wasn't calling to me and no one was really pushing it on me so I just never really went that way.
Conscious Success Co (10:51.497)
Mm-hmm. And so you've had a lot of different career chapters in this, like, you know, make sense of this artistic creative kid, but, you worked in fashion and building your own marketplace for women's health in, you know, graphic design, now personal styling. So, like, looking back, what do you think was the common thread or threads that have run through all of these that maybe you couldn't see at the time?
Ellen Garson (11:22.729)
I think that there's a common thread of wanting to build something and be a part of something in a stage of early growth. when I started working in the fashion industry, kind of, whether I fell into or was drawn to, it's kind of hard to decipher because it was a while ago, but like,
I was in situations where companies were growing really quickly, but they were still really small and nimble. And I was there in stages of very accelerated growth. also think probably it's because
When I was starting my career in fashion specifically, like that was kind of when social media was taking off. And so everything was like growing. So like my first job was like in social media for this designer, Nealey Lottan. And I think at the time she, it was a big deal that she had 10 K followers. And I, as like a fresh grad was the person running the Instagram account alongside of her. And it was like, you know, now they're
so big and like they're everywhere and not that she wasn't successful then but like it just was like in a very early infancy stage and I find that time like really exciting and so when I decided to start my own thing which was the reproductive focused marketplace like it was that like excitement of building something.
from like infancy and then forward. And I think with then moving into graphic design, like it is working with entrepreneurs and founders that are, you know, starting their company and they need a logo and they need their website. And it's like getting things off the ground. Like I really love that side of things. I think that like I've always had this entrepreneurial mind and
Ellen Garson (13:40.35)
I don't know, I think for me it's just like the building part that it's really exciting. It's like a birth almost. It's like you like create this thing and then like it's out in the world. And then I kind of like to like step away, which is what I learned when I was doing my own thing. It's like in retrospect, four years looking back, what was the part that I enjoyed the most about that? And it was the design, the creative, the branding, the like making everything look beautiful part that I loved.
Conscious Success Co (14:09.048)
Hmm.
Ellen Garson (14:09.757)
And so moving into the design side of things, mean, I think, sorry, I the styling side of things. You know, I was doing brand and graphic work freelance and then took a pause when I had my second baby. And obviously, you know, when you have a kid, sometimes you have, not sometimes.
even when it's your second, you still have like a full new identity. It's like a full rebirth of yourself and like recalibration of like your time and what's actually important to you. And just because something felt really good postpartum the first time, doesn't mean it's going to feel really good postpartum the second time. Cause now you have a whole second person to be caring for and your time is stretched even thinner. And so
I was just doing some soul searching and part of the work that I did with you was like what is, what feels really good to me, what feels like it lights me up and what am I doing in my free time?
that maybe I'm not sharing. And it's always been fashion for me. Like that's just always kind of been like I am chronically shopping online. It is a huge marital problem for me.
Conscious Success Co (15:29.978)
You're like, it could be a problem or I could turn this into a revenue stream.
Ellen Garson (15:33.905)
Yeah, exactly. And so I just love looking at beautiful things. Like, I love it. And I think that there is an element of like what I was saying before, where I'm drawn to like building something where it's like, I actually remember I was obsessed with the show What Not To Wear. Obsessed. Like, I think a lot of people our age were. But I was like trying to submit my mom into the show.
like constantly, like I was so mean. I was like, you need to be on the show for sure. You are the perfect candidate.
Conscious Success Co (16:08.047)
my gosh, I hope Violet doses that out to you someday.
Ellen Garson (16:12.004)
so mean. But I would give my friends makeovers so I would actually like have like my best friends and we would like I would change what they were wearing I would do their hair and makeup like this is like grade five or six like it was my I loved doing that so it's kind of like a funny culmination of like everything I've done to then be moving into styling like in some way it's like
where I began. And then in other ways, it's like a culmination of everything that I've kind of touched. But, you know, it's like the one to one. Like I love being one on one with people. I love feeling like I'm helping other women. I obviously love clothes. I have, you know, an education on styling. Honestly, a lot of it through osmosis of just like being in that industry, being around.
people who work in the industry and like my research on it, like I read about it. I watch videos on it, like I'm on Vogue.com all the time. It's like, I just feel like it kind of comes naturally to me, which is really great. And it's really fun. It's really rewarding.
Conscious Success Co (17:33.493)
Yeah, and all of those things that you're talking about sit in your zone of genius. You're happy to just peruse websites and blogs and read all of this. That doesn't feel like work to you. And so I think in a lot of the work that we did together in our coaching container was helping you to figure out that clarity around what your gifts were and how you worked best and how do we bring those together in a way that really had legs and made sense for you career-wise.
Ellen Garson (17:40.47)
yeah.
Ellen Garson (17:43.977)
Not at all.
Conscious Success Co (18:03.366)
I'm curious, because I don't want to put words in your mouth, when we started working together, what were you hoping to get out of coaching at that point?
Ellen Garson (18:03.742)
Yeah.
Ellen Garson (18:11.572)
I was like fully dead set on finding a job in the traditional sense, graphic designer job, where I was going to be working remotely ideally at a company that I felt excited about. like something in the femme health space, something in the fashion or beauty or wellness space.
You know, I think that there's like layers, honestly, to why I didn't go that route. And honestly, it's not something that I've like fully closed the door on either. Like I think that I've probably closed the door on something that's full time, that's remote, because I am really, really craving like being in person and like.
being around people and going into people's closets and like touching and feeling things. And I just really need more of that in my life. But that is kind of what I was dead set on. then, you know, layers being obviously going, doing the work of like, what is my, you know, true, what did you call it? Genius? Zone of genius.
Conscious Success Co (19:34.596)
You're so ingenious.
Ellen Garson (19:38.375)
And then also like the design space has changed a lot because of AI, like everything else, but there is a lot of founders and entrepreneurs, which was honestly my like ideal freelance client where their budgets are super constrained and they're going to these products and getting logos made. And obviously it's not
at the same quality, it's maybe 50 % or 60 % as good, but a lot of people don't care and they're just like, I just need something to get me off the ground, I'll revisit this later. So it's like an even more specific person that is looking for graphic design help in that stage of founding a company and like have the budget and want to allocate the budget towards that.
So that's like another big reason, I think, of like me maybe just moving away from that, but it's not, I have not closed the door on it and I really do love that. I think that I'm hoping there's a way that I can like do both or I don't wanna just walk away from that. Cause I think that that's very tied into like my umbrella of like being a creative.
Conscious Success Co (21:01.698)
Mm-hmm. So you were set on, at the time, going back, getting a job, having a remote job, but getting a job as a in-house, it sounds like, graphic designer. What shifted in coaching together? What kind of became clear that maybe wasn't at the beginning, apart from just the AI disruption, that you were like, OK, I don't want to keep pushing a boulder up a hill. Maybe this is feedback, or maybe I need to pivot.
came into focus for you that then led you to be able to launch Blue Gene Baby.
Ellen Garson (21:38.674)
I think just the better understanding of like time, like I was, I think that was like my biggest takeaway in our work together. And like, still go back to the notes that I took in some of our sessions where, you know, what does success look like for you? Not just what does success look like as like an external validator. And like, I think that that is the biggest thing where it's like, think ego wise.
To be sitting at a table with friends and have someone ask you, what do you do? And you just can say something that people fully understand and they can contextualize you as a person is something that I was really craving because for a while there, I just didn't really know what to say, especially when you're like working on a business that isn't working.
it makes it even harder to like say, I'm a founder, this is my company and be like super proud of it when it's not working, which was the case for me. So I was really craving that, but I think just through the work of like understanding that success for me and how I define it actually
looks it looks different for everybody and I need to stop caring so much about what other people think and then for me one of my big things is like success looks like for me that I have control over my time not in a way where it's like I don't have to work but in a way where I can have flexibility that is like realistic for the season of life that I'm in as a mom of two and like that's just
for me. For other people I understand that like they might not have that as such a high value and like zero judgment, don't care. But for me that's something that I know would actually eat away at me a lot if I didn't have. And so I'm willing to give up other things to have that and yeah I think that's like how I got there. But I'm still working on it by the way.
Conscious Success Co (23:51.13)
Yeah. Yeah, so it sounds like.
Ellen Garson (23:55.508)
Like, it's not easy.
Conscious Success Co (23:55.558)
of course, we all are. And we're all, you know, ever evolving and clarifying and pivoting and all of that. But it sounds like you were able to clarify this value of like this freedom and this control over your time, as well as your gifts and pulling all of those themes from childhood in terms of like your love of fashion and creativity and being artistic, as well as this kind of like entrepreneurial spirit that you had.
all of this was able to start to come into focus a little bit more. And at the same time, understand that, yes, if you're choosing to prioritize those things, there are going to be some trade-offs, right? And we get to consciously choose or make them or not. And so it sounds like you were able to bring these into focus in a way that allowed you to start making some choices. Does that feel true?
Ellen Garson (24:49.736)
Definitely and it's like a daily practice for me. Like I can so easily slip back into those old thought patterns. like journaling is like a big thing that helps me because I love to go back and read things that I wrote before. Like I'll do like a quarterly or like every couple of months. I'll just like go back and reread and I'll see
if I'm like still having the same thought patterns on things or where I made improvements and that's a good way to like keep it in check and make sure that I'm like evolving and growing out of certain things. But yeah, I think that the ego thing, especially with, I don't know, I just feel like stay at home moms. I mean, I've heard this on a lot of podcasts and read it on a lot of sub stacks where it's like,
Conscious Success Co (25:33.391)
Mm-hmm.
Ellen Garson (25:47.952)
it needs a rebrand for sure. It's so bad. I actually read an amazing sub stack article or piece this morning that a stay at home mom wrote that I like restacked because it was just everything she said was spot on. And she basically said like, it needs a rebrand. The reason that, you know, we've given what is like the hardest job in the world, like
Conscious Success Co (25:51.375)
Yeah, who's our PR person?
Ellen Garson (26:15.284)
this really lax-a-daisy name and so it makes everyone think that this is easy, but I think there 100 % is an element of being looked down upon if you're a stay-at-home mom. And so I feel like I'm somewhere so weirdly between a stay-at-home mom, but also I have a nanny and my other kid is in preschool, but the mental load of a stay-at-home mom with like...
trying to get a business off the ground and I have help but like I still feel overwhelmed like it's like this really weird conundrum and I don't feel like I fit in any box yet and so that I'm just like a floating like I'm like I don't have a home and that is really hard it's like I feel floaty with my career and like explaining to people what it is I do because I'm kind of like a multi hyphenate
And then I feel weird explaining like how I am in terms of like a mom, because I also feel like I like am kind of multi-hyphenate. So it's just a weird place to be. do think that there's, I think that there's a lot of women that like feel that way.
Conscious Success Co (27:25.425)
I think very few of us actually feel like we belong in one box. And it's just naming that and having it be a little bit of both. It's like, yeah, we don't want to be a stay-at-home mom, nor do we want to be a corporate lawyer necessarily. We don't want to not see our kids at all. But that doesn't also mean that we're not ambitious. it's like this both and. And I think also in terms of the multi-hyphenate or multi-passion, I think this is also something that
Ellen Garson (27:41.192)
Right.
Conscious Success Co (27:55.41)
we explored during our time together, and we looked into your human design, and you're a manifesting generator. And that basically means you're built to be multi-passionate. You're built to move fast when something excites you and to pivot when it stops lighting you up. And I think you made that wrong for a long time. Like, oh, I'm unfocused. I don't fit in one box. I have multiple passions, or I just like to start something. But actually, I think so much of our work was to make that right and then to see how you build a career
Ellen Garson (28:01.17)
Yes.
Ellen Garson (28:12.53)
Yes.
Conscious Success Co (28:25.363)
in a life around that, right? And so just like even reflecting that back to you now, it's like, it's okay to have this like, sub stack and personal styling and still dabble in doing like, you know, branding and design work and to love being a mom at times, but also need some support and help. Like I think that that is probably a truer truth that many of us feel, but feel that we need to put ourselves in a box and choose.
Ellen Garson (28:27.495)
Yeah.
Ellen Garson (28:52.295)
Yes, totally. Like it's like I, yeah, it's just a weird in between, I guess. I'm still navigating it. It's a daily thing.
Conscious Success Co (29:02.993)
Totally. OK, so let's talk about arriving at the idea for your Substack Blue Gene Baby. Because I remember when we were working together, you kind of sharing this idea almost as like this is some shameful secret or something that you had. It was clearly something that you had thought about. You had had this name already for a while. It had been percolating. But you hadn't yet given yourself permission to.
dive into it or to pursue that idea. So how long had you been sitting with this before you brought it into our session?
Ellen Garson (29:38.675)
I don't think that long honestly because when I get an idea that I'm excited about I go full throttle like there is no there's no chill but I do think that there had been like me kind of craving fashion and wanting to like get back into that for a while but I was definitely making that wrong because it just wasn't
really realistic, especially when we moved to Marin two years ago from New York. It's like, what am I doing in Marin that's like fashion oriented that is like in line with my background? Like obviously there's jobs in San Francisco that could be with fashion companies, but like that maybe wasn't calling to me as much. But I think that, I've always for a very long time like thought
that I wanted to share more of my eye and my perspective, but I think that it was probably just my personal experience going through pregnancy and postpartum twice over the last five years that really made it something where I felt called to do, because I felt like
Honestly, kind of similarly to the reason why I started the reproductive health marketplace where it was like, I felt like if I have this level of interest in fashion and I spend the amount of time that I do, like looking at clothes and curating things that I like, and I'm struggling to find the right things to wear, then I can't imagine that many people.
are like having an easy go at this. So if it's hard for me, it must be hard for a lot of other people.
Conscious Success Co (31:43.398)
Yeah, like if I have this problem, this must be a pain point a lot of people face. And that's usually the genesis for a good business.
Ellen Garson (31:50.331)
Yeah, yeah, so I think that was like the thing that made it like impossible for me to not do because I felt like called to do it because I was like, I want this. I actually wish that I had somewhere to look where someone was curating not only just for like pregnancy and postpartum. Like I think more what I'm doing is really just like.
Ellen Garson (32:18.16)
like filling in the space between the lifestyle of what I'm currently living as a mom of two with the clothes that are available to us because I find that I'll go on, let's say Shopbop or Net-A-Porter. They have amazing clothes. I love looking at like the edits because it's just a really easy way and
quick way, efficient way for people to shop. It's like, okay, yeah, spring break, great. Like what have these people picked? I'll just look there. I don't have to comb through the whole website. And there's so many edits that are like curated for working women or women who are going out a lot. But I've never really seen an edit for like day to day activities that
a mom with young kids is doing like the realities of dropping off your kids at school, picking your kids up from school, going to a tee ball practice when it's scorching hot, taking your kid to swim lessons, taking them to the farmer's markets, like all of these things that we're all doing and going to the playground, play dates, birthday parties, you know, it's like we have enough to deal with. OK, we have enough. We have to get them dressed. We have to get the present. We have to. It's all it's like.
The last thing that we're thinking about is what am I going to wear? It's always like an afterthought or at least it is for me. So it's like, how can we make this just slightly easier for this busy woman? And I think that what I'm trying to do is make it easier by like doing the groundwork for them. It's like, I'm going to curate this.
selection of clothes for you that I know are going to work within the subset of your lifestyle so that you don't have to. And I'm still trying to kind of figure out what people are responding to most. And is it seasonal or is it activity-based or is it a certain price point? I think that my...
Conscious Success Co (34:15.418)
Mm-hmm.
Ellen Garson (34:29.476)
I think that the woman that I'm going after is like someone who, you know, they also don't have to be a mom. Like it's just someone, it's a woman who is like strapped for time, who's ambitious, whatever that means, like ambitious in the sense that they're like super involved with their community or ambitious in the sense that they work at like a very intense tech startup and they don't have a lot of time. And
Wait, I lost my train of thought. What was I saying? and they're, yes, they're mixing and that they're like, maybe they don't have the finger on their pulse, their finger on the pulse, because they don't have the time to be up with like all of the emerging brands and like they like Zara, but they also want like the emerging brands or they also want, you know, expensive denim. So I think there's like a mix of high, low, and I'm just trying to like,
Conscious Success Co (35:01.798)
that that's who you're going after.
Ellen Garson (35:28.144)
figure out what it is exactly that this woman wants and needs.
Conscious Success Co (35:32.147)
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Totally. And I think that you have done such a beautiful job of identifying that need and the gap in the market. And I like what you're talking about, about there not being an edit for the woman who is that slash between whatever, stay-at-home mom, working, ambitious. It's like we have these edits for women who are going from the office to drinks after. And it's all these things of like,
these external things we're doing, not necessarily like the felt experience in our stage of life and having these grimy little fingers that are trying to touch you, but you also want to look pretty, but then your shit's like constantly getting messy. And like this whole experience that I think has largely been invisible or not like portrayed. And you saw this and we're like, okay, this is a problem I have. This is also a problem that I...
Ellen Garson (36:05.51)
Yeah.
Ellen Garson (36:14.907)
Yeah.
Conscious Success Co (36:28.118)
uniquely incapable of solving for and I'm interested in. And also, I remember us talking a lot about how you had this love of writing. You spoke to journaling and how that helps you to process. But if I remember correctly, you've always liked the written word and communicating and expressing yourself through that. Yes, visually as well. And you kind of like a sub stack, a fashion sub stack, was bringing all of these different threads together in such an interesting.
Ellen Garson (36:36.967)
Mm-hmm.
Conscious Success Co (36:57.56)
way where you could use so many of those building blocks or so many of those interests or those talents in a way that kind of like all really clicked. And at least that's my perception. I have plenty of friends who follow your sub stack who do not have kids also, but it speaks to the woman that you're describing.
Ellen Garson (37:11.298)
Right.
Ellen Garson (37:16.38)
Totally, yeah. And just to go back to what you said about the grimy fingers, and I think that that's like, there's so many boxes that need to be checked before women like the one I'm describing would make a purchase because there is like so many factors. It's like, do I have the time to dry clean this piece? Am I going to wear this piece? Actually, can I list three places or?
three different situations in which I'm actually going to wear this thing. And then I don't know if you know who Alison, Alison Bornstein is, but she's probably like the most popular stylist at the moment. She's huge. She's amazing. She, had a baby like six or seven months ago and I follow everything she does. And one of the things that I thought was like super interesting that she said in her postpartum was like,
One, obviously, like, apologies to all my pregnant and postpartum clients because I didn't know what the hell I was talking about until I went through it myself. But two, like, in the fashion world, there's been this huge thing about having, like, investing in your everyday pieces or, like, investing in your capsule wardrobe, which tends to be more like...
the staples like the white t-shirt, the button down, the this, that, and she kind of flipped it on its head and was like, ever since having a kid, I actually want to spend less on like those everyday pieces and spend more on pieces that feel like really, really special to me, which I actually love. And I like think that that's a great way to look at it because why are you going and spending a hundred dollars on a white t-shirt that you know is going to be ruined?
after like four to five wears. Like why don't you get a $10 white t-shirt and just buy 10 of them so that you can always have a nice white t-shirt. Or, you know, I think that that's like a really interesting thing and like change that maybe women, especially with young kids, like can consider because there's like the dry cleaning aspect and like the costs associated with that, but it's also like.
Ellen Garson (39:35.035)
Do I want to buy a hundred dollar white t-shirt from Jenny Kane or do I want to buy a twenty dollar one from Brandy Melville and then actually spend eighty dollars on this like amazing vintage blazer that like is so special and makes me feel really good.
Conscious Success Co (39:50.644)
that you can wait to throw on until your kids' hands are clean. Tell us a little bit about the name Blue Gene Baby. Where did that come from?
Ellen Garson (39:55.14)
Yeah.
Ellen Garson (40:03.377)
Yeah, so I Started a blog. I think I was maybe 20 and it was called blue jean beauty I did this when I was in University and It didn't last very long because I think some my friends were making fun of me but
And I think I must have been talking about beauty and fashion and whatnot, but it was like very early days where there was like not many bloggers. And yeah, I'd always had the name in the back of my head and then I think it just came back, I don't know. Or maybe I heard the song or something, the Elton John song, Tiny Dancer, which I love. And I was like, that's like a really cute name. How can I use that name? then...
I just worked.
Conscious Success Co (40:55.037)
Bam. And what was your intention when you launched Blue Gene Baby Substack, and what surprised you about the response?
Ellen Garson (41:07.541)
I think my intention was just to like kind of what I said, but just to create a space where I'm like bridging the gap between the clothes that are available and out there and like women like myself who are looking for the clothes and want the clothes but are having a hard time finding them or putting it all together. and
I think one of, mean, it is surprising that like, I feel like I've had a really good response from people who aren't moms. So that's really great because it, I think it says that like, maybe it isn't just a mom thing and maybe it's like a 30 something woman thing where we just feel not really, we're not really being seen. Like, you know, most 38 year old women probably aren't going out the same way they were.
going out when they were 25 and maybe they want a going out look that is like different or maybe, you know, I think COVID probably changed like shopping and getting dressed for everyone. We're like, everyone's just more casual now, but like wanting to still feel elevated. And I think that that's interesting because I think by necessity, like myself, I tend to dress more casual. And a lot of that is just because like,
of what I'm actually doing in my day. It's like I need to be comfortable. I need to feel like very functional with my clothes. And I think that women who maybe don't have kids are feeling that in just a different way where it's like, hey, I've been working from home for the last five years and I realized that I like literally don't know how to get dressed anymore. And like, I still want to be comfortable, but I want to feel more put together. So I think that that was like really interesting. And then
Conscious Success Co (43:01.938)
Yeah.
Conscious Success Co (43:05.671)
I mean, it's also just to jump in on that, you're saying about the functionality too. I don't know. think back of like how I might've dressed at 25. And I feel like there was a little bit more, at least for me, like at that age, you're still this like object of other people's gaze or like you're looking for a partner or for your social crew or whatever that may be. And like, I feel like in your thirties, you're like, no, I want to have a felt experience of moving through my life in a way that is like comfortable and functional and yes, still beautiful.
Ellen Garson (43:08.015)
Yeah.
Ellen Garson (43:26.191)
Yep.
Conscious Success Co (43:35.615)
shouldn't have to sacrifice that. And so I think what you've also honed in on with this like, mom or not niche is like, these are clothes that, yeah, can not only look beautiful, but it's not enough to just like, look desirable, it has to feel good and be functional with the way that we actually move through the world.
Ellen Garson (43:54.962)
yes yes yes yes yes like i'm like function first always because there is nothing more cringe than feeling uncomfortable in your clothes like it's just like i there's like i'm like how and why did i go clubbing at 24 in the dead of canadian winter in like patent leather four inch heels with like no tights and
Conscious Success Co (44:06.661)
Ugh, we got no time for that.
Ellen Garson (44:24.805)
basically a t-shirt as a dress. Like why? Like so uncomfortable and it was just to you know the male gaze is strong. The desire for male gaze is...
Conscious Success Co (44:28.222)
Totally.
Conscious Success Co (44:32.944)
Yeah, totally. And I do think that when you're in your mid 30s, a lot of that does just shift. And we have a stronger sense of self and a stronger sense of what we actually value and matters. And so I think sometimes fashion can feel like it's just putting the external out there without that internal experience. And you're capturing that internal experience in a way that is really resonating.
Ellen Garson (44:57.967)
Yeah, well thank you. I hope so.
Conscious Success Co (45:00.2)
So you said in terms of an intention, it was to fill this gap. But I'm curious, was there also a business vision or intention of what you were hoping to turn this into or a revenue stream you were hoping to build? What did that look like?
Ellen Garson (45:16.581)
Yeah, I didn't go into it thinking about the styling aspect and I can explain how I got there if you would like, I think from the get go, was just like, I must get this out because I can't live in me. And then with Substack, the first thing I did was just turn on affiliate links and like that is, I don't think.
Conscious Success Co (45:33.716)
Mm-hmm.
Ellen Garson (45:47.089)
It's a grind, honestly. Affiliate links is no joke. It is a lot of back-ending of saving the product, then screenshotting the product, and making a pretty collage, and making it look like something that someone wants to buy. So the people who are successful in doing that, it is not easy necessarily.
That was step one and then the styling as a service came about because I was doing the sub stack kind of just on the side as just like fun, like let's see where this goes and then, which still is, but at the same time I was like very deep in like looking for a graphic design job and then I got.
really burnt out looking for a job like in December. And so I kind of just had a reset. actually just like had a conversation with Nate, my husband, who had who like has a very entrepreneurial mind. And like that's one of the things that like I think attracted us to each other from the beginning, because like we we get lots of ideas and they get really excited about them. It's just kind of how we interact.
and we just had this conversation where it was like, okay, like I'm going to pause from this like intense looking for a job because it's really not feeling good, but I still want to be like building towards something. And so what can I do right now where I don't need to go back to school or like learn some new skill? and like he's
in the AI space and so we were just having that conversation of like what does that look like for like the creative space in like six months to a year to two years like what are the areas that are like going to experience the biggest change and we kept coming back to like experiences being something that AI is never really going to be able to replace if anything I think it's gonna like push people more towards like wanting that those like real human to human experiences and I think
Ellen Garson (48:12.272)
You know, Gen Z is like already doing a little bit of that with like social media is not cool. Like some, some Gen Z are doing this where it's like, it's not cool to be on social media and like have your flip phone or your like phone attached to the wall, like a landline. Um, and I think that that was like really spot on and a really insightful cause I don't think that I would have really been thinking that way if it wasn't for him. Um, but.
We started just talking about experiences that I could create for women specifically like myself and it just we kept coming back to the sub stack because out of everything that I was doing and honestly have done like the feedback has just been really genuinely positive. Even if it is just like friends are friends of friends like it's just like.
really genuinely positive feedback of like, hey, I loved this piece or like, I want to buy everything. And it's like, you don't have to say that. Like friends, friends of friends, people asking me questions. Hey, what do you think of this? Hey, I'm looking for a sneaker for the playground. What do you have any suggestions? and so I was like, I just, we both felt like that was something that like, I shouldn't just turn my back on. Like I should just like keep trudging forward with it and see. And so
I landed on this giving an experience because I feel like that's something that is not really going to be undesirable in the future. If anything, I think it's going to be more desirable. Like I really don't think that having someone come and like touch and feel or like be one-on-one with you individually and like understanding your pain points of like, like actually like I just,
had a virtual styling session with a client and it's like, she's like, I don't like my shoulders. I'm like, okay, let's talk about that. She's like, well, I like tank tops, I like spaghetti tops, I like t-shirts, but I don't like a cap sleeve. Like it can't hit right here. So it's like, it's so specific, it's so human. And I really think that that is like really important for honestly anybody who's thinking about starting their own thing. It's like.
Ellen Garson (50:33.384)
what are the experiences or what is the experience that you, specifically you, could provide someone else that is valuable and how can you create value and how can you kind of get ahead of where our world is going, which just feels like it's going to a different place so quickly.
Conscious Success Co (50:55.624)
So fast. So talk to us in a little bit more detail about what the experience of hiring you and working with you as a personal stylist looks like.
Ellen Garson (51:07.664)
Yeah, so right now I'm doing in-person sessions and virtual The in-person sessions like obviously a little bit more different like I am doing Styling so like we go into your closet We can either start with a closet clean out or we like really get into every corner of the closet and pull out You know the things that you're like wearing right now that you're always grabbing
And then the pieces that you're not touching that maybe you just like, they're not feeling good. We either donate, we sell, or if it's something that you're love, that maybe you're not grabbing because it's not fitting correctly, we like figure out if it can be fixed and tailored and if you want to invest in that. So I really like for in-person sessions, like starting there if you can, because it just lays the groundwork for everything else. And then the styling itself is like,
going in and making outfits with items that you already have. And then ideally, if you do like the shopping package, we talk about pieces that you can add to your wardrobe to kind of like get more bang for your buck. So like if you have like a pair of pants, a striped linen pant that you love from the summer, but right now you only have like two outfits that you can make with it. Like what are the pieces? Maybe you need like
another piece that you can create a couple more outfits with it that way. And so I think there's like, I'm pretty intentional with like functionality, like I said, super like number one top of mind. And then also like bang for your buck and like where to invest and where not to invest. And then virtually I'm offering styling sessions where we're not doing a closet clean out, but we're doing
styling, putting together outfits with the pieces that you have and then figuring out what are the pieces that are kind of missing from your closet. And then I'm also doing, I'm offering a package where it's like helping you getting ready for a particular trip or even a particular event. Like I think that for this woman that I'm trying to speak to who's like super busy and super
Ellen Garson (53:36.324)
hardworking and doesn't have the time, like they're probably traveling a decent amount. Let's say that she's taking three or four trips a year. Okay, that's not even that much. Some people I know are doing like multiple trips a month. Those tends to be times where one, you wanna like have a really good solid like foundation of things that you can bring that you know travel well and getting ready for that. But also like
I think it's a time where people tend to like want to shop and they go a little bit crazy and like me panic order a million things like for express delivery the next day because they're becoming an entirely new person on the strip and so like full new wardrobe and I think that that is super fun but I think working with a stylist in those times can like help you like just
Conscious Success Co (54:18.261)
100%.
Ellen Garson (54:31.799)
keep things maybe a bit more cohesive and like find the pieces that like you won't just want to wear when like you're in Palm Beach that maybe you want to wear in Palm Beach and then also you can still wear in your day-to-day life. And then also just like the mental load of it all like hey one less thing for you to worry about like let's talk about it and then let me like do the groundwork for you because you're busy and you don't have the time. So I think that that's like
Conscious Success Co (54:58.047)
Totally.
Ellen Garson (54:59.683)
where I'm trying to go with it all. But yeah, I think the virtual sessions are great and it allows me to work with people regardless of where they are. So that's like very important to me. I just had a client in my hometown. So, you know, I'm like 5,000 miles away and it was very productive.
Conscious Success Co (55:15.637)
So fun.
Well, I feel grateful that we live like a mile apart because when I pop this third baby out, you are coming over and doing a closet clean out and all of these things with me. And, you know, we were talking about this, but I feel like especially like since COVID hit and then we got pregnant once, twice and you're, you know, you're
Ellen Garson (55:24.343)
Hahaha
Conscious Success Co (55:38.176)
growing the baby and getting bigger and then you're going through postpartum and figuring out nursing and your shifting body and all of that. Like, I think I just kind of like gave up on buying clothes unless it was for that trip, right? Because that's like the only time, especially with like working from home that I was ever seen apart from like the chest up, right? I'm like, what's this all for? But I think that getting a...
Ellen Garson (55:52.141)
Right.
Ellen Garson (56:00.505)
Right.
Conscious Success Co (56:04.945)
expert set of eyes with this understanding of functionality and incorporating.
pieces into your everyday life and through this, like I'm so excited and I'm sure so many of the women listening just like identify with that need and that desire and having the experience and having someone in it with you and not having to spend all your time. I mean, I spend very little of my time online shopping. And so to be able to tap into your brain and your aesthetic and sense of style is just like exactly meeting that pain point I know for me and I'm sure for so many others. So I'm just so
proud of you and in awe of you for doing this because I think that this is a desire that probably a lot of women have at some level but would talk themselves out of and you didn't and you're like, okay, great. I'm gonna launch a sub stack. And then you got a really great response from that and you were having fun doing it. And then that led you to this next idea. And yes, you're still.
on the build and on that journey to some extent, you we all are. But that's also why I wanted to have you on this podcast is to not just like highlight people who are at the top of the next mountain, but people who have the clarity and are on the climb and what that's like. And I think you're such a honest and beautiful representation of what that looks like.
Ellen Garson (57:20.911)
Thank you. Yeah, I think it's important to be honest like I it is Definitely I feel You know, it's a bummer when people aren't honest about it because the reality is like no one knows what they're doing until they start and I think that it's really easy to have you know self-doubt and What's the word called when you're like, you know pretending to be something that you're not
Imposter syndrome, there it is. And like it's just, it's really easy to forget that everyone feels that way. And so I just like to be like super honest that like, I'm still figuring it out. Like, you know, I, it's day to day, like it's not easy. And like, I also feel like it's important to say that like, I do have a husband who
Conscious Success Co (57:50.897)
Impostor Syndrome.
Ellen Garson (58:16.085)
is able to like financially support us in a time where I'm like in this trying to figure it out zone because a lot of women maybe they have a great idea but like they they can't they don't have the time and so you know it's like I am really lucky in that sense as well that I'm like given the space to be able to figure this all out and like pursue what like lights me up.
Conscious Success Co (58:22.985)
Mm-hmm.
Conscious Success Co (58:42.173)
Yes, and two things can be true. Like you can be fortunate or lucky that your husband is able to take that financial responsibility at least for a season. But also, and I this is something we had to work on is like receivership and being willing to let him do that versus needing to be like, okay, despite having this great creative idea, or despite wanting to do this thing, I can't do that. Like I just need to work or I just need to financially contribute equally and it's
Ellen Garson (58:53.796)
Yeah.
Ellen Garson (59:10.307)
It's still hard for me. I still hear the voices. Like still, I mean, yeah.
Conscious Success Co (59:11.989)
Totally. But you hear the voices, but you don't let them...
totally run your life or make all the decisions for you. And I'm excited to like have you back on in a couple years and see what you continue to build. Because I think that so often those logical, rational voices do keep us stuck. And it's like we feel desire and we feel inspired, but then we cut it off at its knees. And the truth is that just like bringing a baby into this world, it takes, you know, whatever, nine and a half months of gestation just to do that.
and then your baby arrives and they can't do shit for themselves for years and it like I often say to clients like you wouldn't expect your newborn baby to pay rent and yet we so often do that in entrepreneurship we're like all right like why aren't you contributing financially but like you don't expect that of your own kid until they're what
Ellen Garson (01:00:01.679)
Hmm.
Conscious Success Co (01:00:09.109)
16, 18, 21. And so I think that we have to stop making ourselves wrong when we're in that gestation period of an idea or when we're in the infancy of bringing it and raising it into fruition and into the world and seeing that that is an expected part of the growth stage of any company. And we can have an amazing vision. We can have the passion. And then it's up to us to keep taking the aligned action. But yes.
Ellen Garson (01:00:35.619)
Yeah.
Conscious Success Co (01:00:35.838)
while this is still in its infancy perhaps, that does not mean it doesn't get to become this like productive contributor later on down the line.
Ellen Garson (01:00:46.447)
Totally, yes. I, I need a recording of you saying that, that I can just like play. I'm have to like save this. my God, or like write it on my mirror or something, like, yeah.
Conscious Success Co (01:00:51.274)
Well, you have one because this is on a podcast, so you can just rewind.
Conscious Success Co (01:01:00.97)
Well, this is the better part about being on a podcast versus our coaching sessions is you actually can just go and listen to this back, right? I love it so much. Well, tell us like, what is the vision? What are you working towards from here with both the sub stack and the personal styling business or just, you know, holistic life and career overall?
Ellen Garson (01:01:07.235)
That's very true, Emma.
Ellen Garson (01:01:22.703)
my gosh, that's like, I think I'm still trying to figure that out. Like I think I'm still, you know, very open and actively having conversations about opportunities outside of the styling thing because I do like the idea of like having something else as well. So I'm trying to figure out what that could.
possibly look like but from the styling side, I mean, I think just trying to meet as many women as I can and like grow my client base is the goal. I that's kind of what I want my main focus to be. Like I want to use the sub stack to get my voice out there and I really do love writing. Like it's just like you said, it's something I've always been drawn to. So
I'm definitely going to continue to spend time working on that and try and get into a more regular cadence, which is not that easy because I do tend to be one of those people that's like when I'm feeling called to do something, it gets done in two hours and when I'm not, it gets done a month later. So I'm really working on that. But yeah, just trying to like...
organically as possible grow because it is one of those services where I Can't just be like hey you need this hey Do you want this because it is like super personal and it can also be taken as an insult if I say someone needs it like it's not like hey Do you want me to come? Help you. I don't know cook dinner. It's like it's very personal and so just
talking to other friends and friends of friends and like putting myself out there and hoping that people feel like genuinely excited about it and see value in it and like those people hopefully come to me and we can like start a relationship together. I, it's, yeah, I think that's my like big goal with it is just like grow the client base and focus on the sub stack and
Ellen Garson (01:03:43.041)
Also maybe like get more involved with like the community in Marin where we live. Like there is definitely a desire I think from like the women and moms here to like have more access to and understanding of fashion and like yes there's amazing stores here but maybe finding a way to like open people's eyes to them more or how can we like
tailor it to be more focused towards like this busy woman that I'm speaking of. that's something that I'm thinking about in terms of like events or community work. So I don't know yet, honestly, I'm, I'm figuring it all out what the goal is. But that's where I'm at.
Conscious Success Co (01:04:27.855)
I love it. Well, stay tuned for more. So for anyone listening who's like, you know, whether it's an in-person clean up, closet clean out or a virtual styling, tell us more about how they can connect with you, work with you, all the things.
Ellen Garson (01:04:41.07)
Yes, so the Instagram that I have set up is BlueJeanBabyStyle. You can find me there, you can send me a DM. I also have a website. It's called, let me just make sure I get it right, bluejeanbabystyle.com. And yeah, you can book a session directly from there, but if you have any questions, just shoot me a message on Instagram or shoot me a message directly from the website and I will be there.
Conscious Success Co (01:04:52.298)
We'll put in the show notes. Don't worry.
Conscious Success Co (01:05:08.262)
and BlueJean Baby Substack as well, right? We'll put them all in the show notes.
Ellen Garson (01:05:11.114)
And BlueJeanBaby sub stack, of course. Yes, BlueJeanBaby. It's the BlueJeanBaby edit. You can find it in the show notes.
Conscious Success Co (01:05:19.11)
Amazing. Okay, well, thank you so much for being here and just your honesty and still being on the journey and this niche that you found and how you're creatively building it. I just think it is so admirable and inspiring and I love what you're doing so much and you so thank you.
Ellen Garson (01:05:37.134)
Aww thanks Emma. I am so grateful and I'm honored to have been asked. Truly honored. I feel like when I see the other women on your podcast I'm like, oh my god I follow her on Instagram. She's amazing. And yeah.
Conscious Success Co (01:05:48.727)
Well, that's what people will be saying of you and of BlueJean Baby Style. I love it. All right. Well, I appreciate you and thank you everyone for listening.
Ellen Garson (01:05:55.15)
Probably.
Ellen Garson (01:06:03.097)
Thanks Emma.
