We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mylea Hardy. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mylea below.
Mylea, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I have always struggled with feeling “not good enough” and the fear of being “found out.” What happens when they find out I’m not good enough? What happens when they find out I actually don’t have any talent, skill, etc?” were questions that I struggled with immensely until quite recently. A year and a half ago, to be exact. I didn’t start being able to overcome these thoughts until I realized where avoiding them had gotten me: unemployed, on my last $500, too sick to get out of bed, and living with my sister and her family in their spare bedroom. Both my businesses had slowed to a screeching halt, and I felt deep despair, deep cowardice, and that no matter how hard I tried, I’d never be good enough to have a life I loved. I gave up. Literally. I was laying in bed and declared aloud “I give up.” And it didn’t change anything. I realized in that moment that if nothing changes, nothing changes. And that I needed to first change my mindset and some of the core beliefs I had let dictate my actions up until this point. I decided to just try an experiment for a year: I would only act as the person I wanted to be: a successful, confident person that deserved to be in the rooms they wanted to be in, deserved the life they wanted, and who things always worked out for. I would say affirmations daily, such as: “everything is always working out for me,” and “the right opportunities are always coming my way.” And bit by bit, I found myself questioning my capability less and less, and trusting my resourcefulness, opinions, and skills more and more. A year and a half later, my business is expanding rapidly and I feel an immense amount of fulfillment about what I do, and I find myself more confident than ever in my art.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am and actor and the owner of Forager’s Goods. The actor part is self-explanatory, but the business is a fresh, new take on vintage shopping. I offer one-of-a-kind pieces crafted from vintage textiles, as well as curated “style bundles” of vintage clothing, hand-selected for individuals after an e-mail consult. After selling vintage for 6 years, I wanted to solve the problems that my clients often faced: either not knowing what to look for, not having the time to shop overcrowded vintage apps, or noting having the time to make it to their local vintage store and dig for the right piece for hours. My clients simply purchase a bundle on the website, send me a pinterest board that represents their style and the key pieces their looking for along with any sizing or additional info they want me to having, and I curate a selection of high-quality vintage clothing that fits their aesthetic, lifestyle and fit preferences. I recently began offering European style bundles to offer high-quality European vintage, sourced in Europe, to my clients that don’t want to make the trip across the pond themselves. I’m launching the next handmade drop soon, along with new services and types of bundles!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three qualities that I think have been most impactful for me were an insatiable sense of curiosity, active listening, and a cantankerous sense of personal resolve. I think the only reason I am in the position I am in now is because I learned to ask questions, of myself and others, how to really listen to the answer, and having the patience to move towards a goal despite whatever feelings of doubt that may surface.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron has been fundamental in me recovering my artistic process and my compassion for self and others. One of the main takeaways from the book was the activity of writing “morning pages.” I have always been a writer and journaler, but her approach to daily writing was incredibly freeing to me, and helped me rediscover freedom in my creative process.
Contact Info:
- Website: foragersgoods.myshopify.com
- Instagram: @foragersgoods
Image Credits
Headshot by Sub/Urban Photography
