We were lucky to catch up with Chantell Smyre recently and have shared our conversation below.
Chantell, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
The self doubt was real as I entered adulthood. Our society has a herd like mentality and being an individual thinker was one my biggest stressors. I was fighting with my own expectations of myself along with outside judgment. I started telling myself damn if you damn if you don’t just BE YOU. Once I started living by that motto the stress of outside judgement just started becoming less important. Accepting who I am has eliminated that self doubt 95% of time. I became big on affirmations and for a whole year I would write down the same few sentences affirming what I already knew was inside. I started nurturing my spirit which naturally boosts my confidence every time. Also surrounding myself with non judgmental people was also helpful. My mama once said “I Am who I Am and if you don’t like it, that’s on you” and I could agree with that 1000%.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I consider myself a jack of all creatives, meaning I can do a little bit of everything on a beginner level creative wise.I launched my brand Foxii & Company in 2020 with hosting PuffnPaint parties in Houston, but now I’m diving into the world of sewing. I didn’t start practicing with the sewing machine until I had my first child and was determined to diy cloth diapers. That didn’t go as planned but it was the leap I needed to start my journey of becoming a seamstress as my main profession. I’ve made simple dresses for my daughter and a few custom garments for birthday parties since then. I’ve gained enough skills to earn the title of a self proclaimed seamstress with the hopes of getting into designing in the future.I really would like to start working with other seamstress in the sewing community.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Being respectful, open minded, and adaptable. Respect should always be a minimum when trying to start a brand or business. Business will always be business but its the principles behind it all. It wouldn’t be wise to hinder business relation because there is a lack respect for yourself and others. Which leads me to saying having a open-mind is helpful. Nothing in this world is concrete. We understand concepts and ideas differently for one another and I think it’s important to not dismiss anyone’s idea or concept. Lastly being adaptable can help your business grow and evolve as the world around you changes. Sometime being old fashion won’t work in today’s society.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
I got this book You are a BadA** by Jen Sincero a few years back that has helped me highlight the attitude of going with the natural flow or as she stated ” loosen your bone Wilma.” Life can be intensive and sometimes making a lifelong decision can stress you all the way out. After reading that chapter it clicked to me that I can’t stress over things in life I don’t control. I became less focused on logic and started trusting divine intervention/guidance. A lot of the time we want life to make logical sense in order to accept it, but there’s beauty in things we can’t explain. There is always a hidden message.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.foxiico.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foxiinco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foxiinco
Image Credits
Little Likzard King Patterns
