I’ve been working on something that matters enormously to me. And today I’m going to practice a little of what I’ve been preaching.
I’ve been a little quiet around here.
Not because I’ve run out of things to say. Ha! If you knew how many things I’ve been writing, researching, and trying to piece together behind the scenes, you’d probably tell me to go take a nap.
I’ve actually been working harder than ever.
And I quit my job to do it.
Yep.
Now, before you start wondering whether I’ve completely lost my mind, let me explain.
I’ve spent about 25 years studying, teaching, and trying to understand human beings. I started as a schoolteacher, earned three degrees in education and leadership, and eventually studied image consulting with Sandy Dumont, the world-renowned Image Architect who worked with business executives, media personalities, and political figures, both men and women.
Some of you have been here since I first started Light Loves Color because you loved Sandy’s work and wanted to see her legacy continue.
Well, I haven’t forgotten.
In fact, Sandy’s work is becoming an even more important part of what I’m building.
She was the first person who taught me that we could be strategic about how we present ourselves to the world.
And I remember thinking, Why on earth aren’t we all taught this stuff?
There are actual principles of visual perception, communication, and impression management that influence how people respond to us.
Some people grow up learning these things. Others spend decades wondering why their intelligence, hard work, and good intentions don’t seem to get them very far.
But that’s only half the story.
I’ve been thinking about something much bigger.
What happens when you’ve spent your whole life becoming really good at being who everyone needed you to be?
The dependable one. The agreeable one. The helpful one. The woman who gets things done without making a fuss.
And then one day you realize there’s an entire person inside you whose ideas, ambitions, talents, and interests have barely been explored.
Not because you aren’t capable, but because nobody ever really helped you figure out what was yours to begin with.
And now you want something different.
Maybe you want to start a business. Maybe you want to earn more money, find love without compromising your standards, make something beautiful, or finally have the courage to share an idea you’ve been sitting on for years.
Maybe you don’t even know what you want yet.
You just know there’s more.
What if we could actually learn how to build our confidence around the things that matter to us, rather than around other people’s expectations?
And what if, once we’d figured that out, someone taught us how to communicate our abilities, our ideas, and our value so the world could recognize what we have to offer?
That’s what I’m working on.
A guided coaching experience called CALIBRATE • OWN • UNMUTE.
I want to create a place where women can examine the confidence they’ve built, figure out which parts are actually theirs, and practice showing up differently.
Not just sit around talking about how wonderful we all are.
I want us to learn things. Practice things. Make decisions. Develop our own thoughts. Challenge ourselves. Get uncomfortable sometimes.
And do it in the company of other women who want to see us succeed.
Because here’s what I’ve come to believe.
You can spend years understanding why you do something you don’t actually want and still find yourself doing the exact same thing the next time you’re challenged.
Understanding isn’t always enough.
We need practice. We need useful feedback. We need the experience of doing things differently until the unfamiliar begins to feel possible.
And I want to bring Sandy’s Image Architect work into that experience.
The practical strategies of color, clothing, presence, and communication that help people recognize our competence and take our contributions seriously.
Not so we can impress someone for the sake of impressing someone. So we can reduce the divide between what we have to contribute and the doors that open up to us.
Now, about that help.
Here’s something I haven’t talked about much.
When I decided to take a job again a while back, part of the reason was that I was discouraged.
I’d been writing and sharing my work, but the growth wasn’t what I’d hoped for.
Sometimes it felt like nobody was really reading.
And I allowed that to influence how much confidence I had in what I was building.
Funny, isn’t it? I’m writing about how we shouldn’t build our confidence on other people’s approval, and I was doing exactly that.
Apparently, I’m still a student in my own classroom.
But I’ve decided something.
I’m going to do this work whether or not the internet gives me a gold star.
I believe in it too much to stop.
I also do believe in Substack. I love that we can write something thoughtful, have an actual conversation, and not spend every waking minute trying to entertain an algorithm.
But I need to be practical.
I have bills. I’m investing time in research, curriculum development, writing, and creating the resources I want women to have.
And I’m trying to build this into a business that can support the work.
So I’m going to ask you something.
Would you consider becoming a paid supporter for $7 a month?
Seven dollars.
Not because I think you owe me anything for reading or because I’m going to start hiding every useful idea behind a paywall.
I want to keep sharing the work freely. I want these ideas to reach women who might never have heard them otherwise.
But if you believe this work deserves to exist, I’d be grateful if you’d help me build it.
If 100 of you became paid supporters at $7 a month, that would be $700 in monthly revenue before fees and taxes.
That’s not a fortune. But it would help pay some operating bills and give me some breathing room.
And as a paid supporter, you’ll get more of the work behind the work: practical exercises, personal reflections, early looks at what I’m developing, and opportunities to tell me what would actually help you.
And I have something ready for you now.
I’ve opened the Sandy Dumont Library: 33 of Sandy’s original articles, plus her Classy Casual ebook for women. Color, clothing, first impressions, and the details most of us were never taught to notice.
This is my thank-you to the paid subscribers helping me keep this work going. If you already subscribe at the paid level, it’s yours to explore, too.
Take a look inside the Sandy Dumont Library →
You can read the introduction for free. Upgrade to paid to open the original articles and book. Pick something you’re curious about. Try one idea. See what you notice.
I don’t have the whole program finished yet.
I’m still figuring out how to bring together everything Sandy taught me, my own mission for the work, and the experiences women need to make meaningful changes in their own lives.
But I’m not sitting around waiting for inspiration to strike.
I’m doing the work.
And I’d love to have you alongside me while I build it.
One more thing.
I want to hear from you.
Not what you think I want to hear. What you’re actually experiencing.
Have you ever felt that you’ve spent years becoming good at something, only to realize it wasn’t necessarily what you wanted for yourself?
Or that you’ve got something important to contribute, but you haven’t figured out how to bring it into the world?
Because I think there are a lot of us.
Women of different ages, different backgrounds, different experiences.
Some of us are just getting started. Some of us have spent decades taking care of everyone else. Some are rebuilding. Some are ready for something completely new.
I want us to learn from one another.
And I want to build something that helps women move beyond understanding themselves to actually living out the wonderful things they have to offer.
So please don’t think I’ve gone AWOL.
I’m very much here.
Probably surrounded by books, notes, and about 47 open browser tabs.
And working on something I believe is worth finishing.
With love,
Tatyana
P.S. If becoming a paid supporter isn’t in the cards right now, please keep reading. And if something I’ve written has helped you, would you share it with one woman who might need it? That matters more than you might realize.
P.P.S. If you have any feedback: what works, what doesn’t work for you, and what you think my coaching program should include more of, shoot me a reply. I’ll appreciate it more than you know.