Hi everyone I'm Hillary Kerr the co-founder and chief content officer of who

what where and this is Second Life, a podcast, spotlighting women who have truly

inspiring careers.

We're talking about their work journeys, what they've learned from the process of setting aside their doubts or fears and

what happens when they embark on their second life.

Today on the show I'm speaking with the Uber talented stylist, author, and designer. the into that in a minute, you might not know much about Michaela's background, so let's start there.

Michaela studied at Parsons, had numerous internships, including one with the amazing stylist

Annabel Tolman,

who soon became a mentor and a source of inspiration.

And then eventually, Michaela found work in costume design.

After working in that world for a few years, she returned to celebrity styling as an assistant in Annabel's office.

As time went on, Michaela had the opportunity to work with her first big client, Michelle Dockery of downtown Abbey fame.

Michaela then went on to style Lupita Nyongo for her award season run for 12 years a slave, culminating in Yongo's Oscar win for the best

supporting actress in 2014. Michaela styled her in a powder blue or Nairobi blue as Michaela calls it

custom product gown that she co-designed with the fashion house. That look and the

surrounding attention catapulted Michaela to notoriety.

By the end of the year she was on the cover of the Hollywood reporter alongside Michelle

and Lupita for the most powerful stylist issue. In the years that followed,

Michaela expanded her client list to include other icons like Merrill Streep and Kelly Clarkson,

for both still clients today and she also sought out new opportunities

including writing a book and collaborating with brands like Sachs, QVC and and Bergdorf Goodman.

But after years of a breakneck pace in her styling career,

...