Today we’d like to introduce you to Madeleine Yarbrough.
Hi Madeleine, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
As a child, I simply could’ve never imagined working a 9-5 “traditional job”. Growing up as a dancer and attending Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in the Dallas arts epicenter, helped me to see a world where I could earn a living all while applying my niche creative arts skills even if it doesn’t involve a prosperous dance career. After deciding to not study dance in college and earning a degree in arts, media, and entertainment, I transitioned into private luxury retail/experiential retail. After working for a Nordstrom-owned company for over 3 years, learning about private client styling, and then learning from a small firm based out of LA, I decided to go out on my own.
In 2022, The M.E. Directive was born. I started M.E. to help educate clients about how style runs deeper than just your wardrobe. Style is a representation of your personal brand and should be incredibly thoughtful when curated. My business strives to help clients first find their unique sense of style, and then help execute and transcend your style into how you show up through sourcing our clients a watch, car, home, cologne, shampoo, and anything that represents their lifestyle. M.E. is your unbiased, honest stylist, concierge, friend and confidant to help make certain these choices are not done alone, financially smart in how they appreciate over time and as always led with loving honesty.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has not always been smooth, but I can honestly say that I was born to do this work because it is led with such a genuine passion in seeing my clients mental, physical, and emotional evolution through my process. Although my business is only 1.5 years old, I know that there will be bumps in the road, hard lessons, and times where I will have to think out of the box or even ask mentors and advisors of mine for their advice. However, I am confident that my clients, colleagues, family, and community will always lead with honesty to help me grow and learn how to improve my processes and experience. I believe the only way to truly succeed and grow is through challenges and mistakes. It is what you do with those mistakes and how thoughtful you can be with that information that will truly help you persevere through limitations and be a changemaker no matter the industry you are in. I am excited for those lessons, knowing I am ready and equipped for what the future has in store.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Working in the luxury lifestyle space has helped me truly understand the psychology of human beings. First step in assessing a client’s needs is learning about the client. It is imperative that I learn who they are, what makes them tick, what they like to do, where they like to travel, and especially who they want to be in the future. I believe if you show up for yourself, your future self will be waiting just around the corner. It is simply manifestation. My clients trust me wholeheartedly, that is the biggest gift of my job. My clients intimately trust my judgement, taste, feedback, honesty, and most importantly heart. My clients are serviced with a level of 5-star excellence all while feeling like they are working with family at the same time.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up a severely dyslexic child it was always hard understanding where or how I could become “successful”. With the help of my incredibly supportive and patient family they helped me to learn and understand that my disability is truly an ability if I understand and know how to cultivate it to work best for me and the way I operate. I feel like 29 years later “success” to me is not collecting a paycheck but seeing how my work manifests in the lives of others and how it can help others step into their most confident and powerful self. I think little Madeleine would be proud if she could see herself today.
Pricing:
- $500-$20,000
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @themedirective
Image Credits
@jkinphotos
