We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Teddi Krochman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Teddi below.

Hi Teddi, thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

I had a 30 year professional career in Behavioral Health initially as a therapist moving into upper management positions in the hospital that I was employed at. Ultimately becoming the Director of Behavioral Health Services and then in the last 3 years of my career as Executive Director of Breaking Free a community Substance Use disorder treatment facility
I didn’t begin my creative career until 2 years after I retired. Initially dealing with treatment for a breast cancer diagnosis and moving simultaneously through the Covid pandemic. I began my creative journey on both YouTube and Instagram in 2022 I’ve always loved fashion and felt it would be fun to exhibit my fashion style through social media
I wouldn’t have changed the order of my career as I feel more prepared for the ups and downs of being a creative and have good business sense so am able to navigate negotiations more astutely and be more strategic in my career path. I have recently expanded into the podcast world with my partner Melissa Pierce in a weekly podcast titled “Why Don’t We Dress for Dinner Anymore”. The podcast examines the psychology and history of fashion.
I am glad that I saved the best for last as I am able to enjoy the creative world without having the worries of being able to support myself. This allows me more freedom to stay in the game and experiment without being overly cautious. I’ve recently received the Rising Star award for Content Creator from FGI/Chicago

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I run a fashion focused Instagram site called: teddilovesfashion. My goal is to show that mature women can still be fashionable and attractive. I am 70 years old soon to be 71 and am tired of “anti-aging” campaigns as if aging was something that needed to be cured rather than the natural progression of life that we all ultimately move through. I have currently represented over 50 brands in the last 2 1/2 years and received so many lovely comments daily from both men and women who are encouraged to see that life doesn’t end at 60. I show how a mature woman with natural grey hair can look just as fit and modern as her younger counterparts and have even been hired several times to model swimsuits!
I am proud to show not only mature women but younger women that if they take good care of themselves that they can still be fit and enjoy life fashionably and don’t have to choose “mature wear” which covers you up and be relegated to being an invisible but lingering presence
I also currently cohost a new podcast called “Why Don’t We Dress for Dinner Anymore” with my cohost Melissa Pierce who is a Gen-Xer
As a result, we are women from 2 different generations coming together to discuss our viewpoints on the psychology and history of fashion from the perspective of 2 generations. We also focus our interviews with guests representing the fashion community including designers, stylists, photographers, models, performance artist, etc
My hope again is to role model that every generation can learn from each other and gain new perspectives and respect for what each generation brings to the table based on their life experience

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part of my creative journey is to see that I still have relevant ideas that other people are drawn to. I recently was awarded the Rising Star award for Content Creator by FGI/Chicago which just underscored for me that indeed my goal to show mature women in a glamorous and active lifestyle has been validated by my professional peers!
I’m also so happy to have so many new friends from all aspects of the fashion industry who are so supportive of me and each other
Making new friends both young and mature is definitely the way to stay vital and creative!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Yes, after being on Instagram for less than 2 years I was picked up by a big talent agency to manage my business negotiations. At first I was so thrilled that a professional agency saw my potential and felt that I had a business that they could help to grow.
Initially I was encouraged and even auditioned for a tv commercial and got a call back audition but ultimately didn’t get the role
However the agency dropped me after only 2 months which made me question my value as a creative
Ultimately I rallied and realized if I didn’t have something really good to offer the agency wouldn’t even have approached me to begin with!
I learned this lesson through this experience and hope other content creators understand that sometimes talent agencies aren’t the best way to go as they are not managing public relations they are just negotiating for the most part business that is coming your way even if you didn’t have representation

Contact Info:

• Instagram: teddilovesfashion
• Facebook: TeddiLovesFashion
• Youtube: Why Don’t We Dress for Dinner Anymore