Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Stacy Robinson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Stacy, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
During the COVID-19 pandemic so many people suffered losses. Many of us had to learn to navigate the new normal of working from home, forced isolation, grieving the loss of loved ones, and coping with anxiety and depression—just to name a few things. The mission of my brand, Stacy Created, is to ‘empower women through mental health tools and positivity apparel’. It was important to me to create resources that promote mental health and highlight the significance of self-care. More than anything I want people, especially women, to experience total wellness. Every mental health tool on my website, www.stacycreated.com is filled with empowering information that will help individuals work toward being their best self. The name Stacy Created was birthed from me wanting to be intentional and a good steward of the gifts that God has given me. Since the Master Creator created me (and you) in His image, I decided to use my platform to share the things that I create, which will always honor Him.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Fashion is my first love. I earned a bachelor’s degree in fashion merchandising and for years I worked as a personal stylist in a high-end department store. When that job stopped fulfilling me, I decided on a career change and started working in higher education. That decision made way for the opportunity for me to earn a master’s degree in business and industry training at a very low-cost. What does one do with degrees in fashion, adult education, a gift for writing, and mental health struggles? I used all these experiences to create my brand, Stacy Created LLC. My mission is “to empower women through mental health tools and positivity apparel”. I have created mental health tools including journals and workbooks to help introduce people to mental wellness. Often, people are afraid to share the most vulnerable parts of themselves with a stranger and as a result resist mental health counseling and therapy. Although I am not a mental health professional, I am a mental health advocate who promotes total wellness. None of my tools were created with the intention to substitute the relationship between someone and a mental health professional. Rather, each resource was designed as a gateway tool to assist on the path to mental health.
The products that I am most proud of are all my mental health tools. I researched, collaborated with mental health professionals, and used my own personal experiences to develop these tools. Each product is beautifully designed and most of them are available in multiple cover options. The mental health journals I designed will help to improve mindfulness and track physical and emotional triggers. There is space provided to help identify feelings of unease and discomfort. Being able to identify these things helps to open the door to healing.
The mental health workbook is a personal evaluation guide. It was designed to help you reassess negative self-talk, evaluate core values, and write prompts to examine self-love. Space is provided for you to analyze your life story by helping to unveil any hidden meanings, appraise relational boundaries, and address grief. The workbook is meant to introduce you to introspection and encourages you to seek professional help. Breathe is an adult coloring book created to help with stress relief. Coloring is an easy and fun way to practice mindfulness, effectively focusing your attention on the act of creating instead of your anxious thoughts. This coloring book offers a beautiful collection of images to color, helping you achieve a state of calm and inspiring you to unleash your creativity in a peaceful way. Color your way to calm with 163 soothing floral and animal mandalas. I also created the only lifestyle planner that you will ever need! The calendars included are undated so you can start from anywhere without wasting pages. It is full of all the things needed to help keep you organized and focused including quarterly goals, brain dump idea pages, monthly financial snapshots, bill due dates, entertainment idea space, meal and weight loss tracking, and so much more. Lastly, the Choose JOY! 365 Success Planner is one of my best sellers. It is filled with motivational messaging and Biblical scriptures to help improve your mental health while teaching you self-care practices. It was designed to help you reduce stress, get organized, achieve your goals, and learn to intentionally Choose JOY! 365 days of the year. It also has over 200 beautiful pages, featuring SMART goals, money saving tips, quarterly debt payoff plans, work week reminders, appointment scheduling, and more!
In addition to the wellness tools available, I designed positivity apparel so that women could feel beautiful while reminding themselves of positive affirmations. While the healing from traumatic events takes place, I think it is important that women still make positive declarations and not look like what they have been through. Not to leave the fashion component at just positivity apparel, there are other stylish pieces in my Lux Life Collection. This collection is for the woman who understands the importance of having her own style and wants to express herself through clothing.
To further pursue my desire to assist women on their paths of wellness, I hosted a wellness brunch in July 2022. My plan is to make it an annual event with a semi-annual check-in. Pens and Purpose Women’s Total Wellness Workshop and Networking Brunch was aimed at pinpointing areas that affect the total woman. The areas of focus included spiritual, physical, financial, relational, and mental wellness. I believe that through the promotion of total wellness I am helping to equip women in their respective communities to not only be community leaders, but also world changers.
One of the things that sets me apart from other brands is Grown Girl Talk. As I continue to shape Stacy Created into a lifestyle brand, I wanted to put a face to some of the women who have supported me. Grown Girl Talk is a virtual talk show presented by Stacy Created LLC on YouTube (search Stacy Created). This is a safe space for women, ministry leaders, entrepreneurs, community leaders, activists, and game-changers. Only positive vibes are allowed! So, if you are looking for a community of support to promote your business, community programs, or your boss moves you found the right channel. Another thing that sets me apart from other brands is that I am working to create partnerships with wellness professionals. I have a page on my website, www.stacycreated.com for Wellness Affiliates. This page is dedicated to highlighting women who are making strides in their respective professions and aiding those in their communities who may not be sure where to start when looking for someone to assist them with certain areas pertaining to wellness. To date I have a financial and mental health professional listed. Soon, I hope to expand this page to include a network of women who are eager and credentialed in the fields of physical, spiritual, relational, as well as additional financial and mental wellness professionals.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson that I had to unlearn was that everything must be perfect before moving forward with a plan. Perfectionism not only delays dreams and goals, but it can ultimately stop you from accepting new opportunities. For years I let wanting to have everything perfectly setup hinder me from moving forward. I watched other people with less talent bet on themselves and win because they believed in themselves and worked with a heightened level of consistency and determination. I have learned to work toward making progress instead of striving for perfection, because perfection does not exist. However, if I know that operating with a spirit of excellence, my best will always be good enough.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Being a small business owner means having to pivot on a regular basis. I started Stacy Created with only mental health tools and positivity apparel. It did not take long for me to realize that my customers wanted more! Adding the Lux Life Collection was a pivot to answer my customers’ desire to shop more varieties of things in one place. Soon, I plan to add home goods, footwear, and e-courses. Adding these items will further move me in the direction of making Stacy Created a lifestyle brand.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stacycreated.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stacy_created/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stacycreated
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB1ETX7dG-gOtDNiIqw9TWw
Image Credits
Henderson Media Group (this credit only applies to the feature photo)