Words have power.
Give them a place in your life.
I’ve always believed in the power of words. The things we say, the messages we take in, and the intentions we return to all play a part in the life we create. EMPOWEAR grew out of that belief.
Keep what matters in sight.
For me, an intention needs a place in everyday life. I can know what matters to me and still get caught up in whatever is right in front of me. Out of sight, out of mind.
Looking back, I can see how I was using the visuals around me to create my environment, including in ways I hadn’t yet connected with my ADHD. Alongside the words I chose and the way I spoke to myself, those reminders helped bring my attention back to what I cared about.
A word on the wall. A reminder on my desk. Something I would see again during the day. I was giving my intentions a place where I could notice them.
That’s what living by design instead of default means to me: choosing what I want to keep in front of me, so I can come back to it when life gets busy. By choice, not chance.
In 1999, an afternoon at the Magic Kingdom gave those beliefs a new expression: what if the words we wore could become billboards for good?
One person’s vision.
I grew up in Florida, and Disney World has always been one of my favorite places to go for inspiration. Walking through the Magic Kingdom, I’d think about Walt and how one person’s vision could touch so many lives.
That day, I was sitting in a rocking chair on Main Street, outside one of the restaurants. I was soaking it all in, thinking about what a visionary he was.
Then a shirt caught my attention.
A man walked past with his wife and a couple of kids. His little girl was holding a balloon and wearing Minnie Mouse ears. Everyone was enjoying the Disney magic.
And on his shirt were the words:
“I’m with stupid.”
I’m sure you’ve seen that shirt. But for some reason, in that moment, it struck me. It felt jarring. Here we were, surrounded by all this possibility, and that was the message he was carrying.
What if we carried something different?
I thought, why would someone want to be a walking billboard for a message like that?
And then the idea came: what if we became billboards for GOOD?
My mind started racing. I pictured clothing with positive, empowering messages. Words that could encourage the person wearing them and the people they passed along the way. I came up with a name, and ideas for the apparel began flooding in.
That was the beginning of EMPOWEAR. The belief was already there. In that rocking chair, I saw a way to carry it with us and share it.
A reminder of what you want to create.
At the time, I was building some very big businesses. I was busy and involved in many other things, but the idea stayed with me.
I want the things around me to remind me of what I believe, how I want to speak, and the life I want to create. A shirt can be one of those reminders. You see it as you get dressed, carry it through your day, and share its message with people you may never meet.
Maybe the words bring you back to gratitude. Maybe they remind you to stay open to possibility, or to be more deliberate with what you say. Choose the message that means something to you.
That’s the heart of EMPOWEAR: keep what matters in sight, live with intention, and carry a little encouragement into someone else’s day.
