Some of the most unexpected lessons about courage don’t arrive in a boardroom or a coaching session.
Sometimes they arrive on a Friday midday, in a cosy library, through a woman who talks about clothes the way I talk about metamorphosis.
That’s exactly what happened when I attended Erin Walsh Presents: The Art of Intentional Dressing at the New Canaan Library.
A serendipitous coming back to USA
I only discovered Erin recently, while following Anne Hathaway on Instagram. Then, while still in Bucharest, I read in the New Canaan Library newsletter that Erin would have New Canaan on her book tour. And somehow, life arranged it beautifully: we returned to New Canaan just in time😇
More Than Style. A Return to Self.
Erin Walsh is a celebrity stylist, yes. Yet what she speaks is more than fashion. Her framework, CREATE, guides people toward intentional dressing through six principles: Clarity, Rituals, Editing, Alignment, Truth, Expansion.
What struck me is how deeply this mirrors what I work on with my own clients through the VUCA² method.
A few things she said that stayed with me:
• The audacity to create. How often do we shrink our self-expression to avoid standing out? Erin reframes dressing as an act of creative courage. What you wear is a daily declaration of who you are.
• A roadmap to return to yourself. We all have moments of disconnection from our essence, our purpose, our inner-self. Erin offered something both practical and profound: your wardrobe can be a mirror that leads you home.
• Compassion toward yourself. No judgment. No comparison. Just curiosity, kindness, and a willingness to see yourself clearly.
• Embodiment. Not how you look, but how you feel. The difference between wearing a costume and wearing your truth.
• A library of your looks — photographing outfits as you try them, building a personal visual archive that helps you make aligned choices and remember what made you feel alive.
How I see Erin Walsh through my own lens
If you follow me, you know I love acronyms 😊. So, here’s how I would described Erin, captured in the letters of her own inspirational framework:
• C — Courage
• R — Radiance
• E — Empathy
• A — Authenticity
• T — Trust
• E — Essentialism
The Thread between Style and Courage
Last year, I wrote about another inspirational event at the New Canaan Library: a conversation with Emilie Rubinfeld, President of Carolina Herrera, who spoke about storytelling, leadership, and the courage embedded in creativity.
That conversation, like this one, reminded me that style and courage speak the same language: both ask you to be visible, to make a choice, to commit to who you are even when you’re uncertain.
Whether it’s a fashion house defining its identity through a new creative director, or a woman choosing an outfit that reflects how she truly feels, I believe it’s all the same courageous act at its core.
As Erin reminded us: dressing intentionally is not about impressing others. It’s about not abandoning yourself. That’s a powerful leadership lesson, too.
I’d Love to Ask Erin…
After the event ended, I found myself wishing we’d had more time. I trust to connect with her again, perhaps for my future podcast, a space where I explore courage, transformation, and the people who embody both.
If that conversation happens, here are some of the questions I’d ask Erin:
• What does intentional dressing look like on a day when you don’t feel like yourself at all?
• What is your definition of courage and how does it show up in the way a person dresses?
• What is the single biggest mindset shift that transforms someone’s relationship with their wardrobe and with themselves?
• Audrey Hepburn is one of the most enduring style icons in history and I believe her elegance was inseparable from her character. What do you think she understood about dressing that most people still haven’t learned?
Your Turn
Wherever you are reading this, I am curios what does your closet say about who you’ve been? And is it ready to make space for who you’re becoming? For sure, my closet is more than ready for whom I became, actually is craving for a transformation.
I’d love to know. 💬
And not to forget to mention another remarkable woman who came into my awareness through this event: Zanna Roberts Rassi. Emmy award-winning journalist, stylist, Today show correspondent, Marie Claire editor, and co-founder of Milk Makeup, Zanna is the kind of creative who proves that authentic self-expression and sharp professional vision are great partners.
I look forward now to reading Erin’s book and I am happy I discovered both her and Zanna. Sometimes beautiful things find you when you least expect them, through a trail of breadcrumbs left by someone you admire. Thank you, Anne!
A heartfelt thank you to the New Canaan Library Board & Team — once again — for bringing these meaningful voices into our community. You continue to create a space where transformation happens, one conversation at a time.