Wear the Suit: Presence starts in your mind, not your closet.

Wear the Suit: Presence starts in your mind, not your closet.

 Back in 2007, I was prepping for a presentation to my peers – young professionals like me, running fundraising call centers across the country. We were mostly in our 20s, ambitious, a little scrappy, and working in a company culture that leaned casual.

I was thinking about wearing a skirt suit. It felt like the right thing for the moment. But I was second-guessing it hard.

What if they thought I was stuck up? Or trying too hard? Or trying to be something I wasn’t?

I asked my husband what he thought.

He said, “Wear the suit.”

I explained the whole situation again, sure he didn’t get it.

He said again, “Wear. The. Suit.”

By the third time, I was exasperated.

That’s when he clarified: “If you’re going to wear the suit, wear the suit... Stand in it. Own it. Don’t apologize for it. You’re stepping into the authority you already have – but you’ve got to embody it. If you do that, what anyone else thinks won’t matter.”

That moment stuck.

​Because it was never about the suit. It was about how I carried myself in the suit.

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You can’t control how other people read you. But you can decide how you show up.

You can choose to walk into the room with the posture, presence, and clarity of someone who belongs there. You can lead – even when you're still growing.

So whatever your “suit” is – your outfit, your opening line, your tone – don’t just put it on.

Wear it.

Let’s bring it into your world:
What’s your version of “the suit”? That thing that helps you stand taller and lead stronger when it counts?

Drop it in the comments – I’d love to hear what helps you show up with presence.

Cheers!

​Jessica

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