The Livy Method Podcast - Holiday How To's: Dressing For Your Changing Body with Tanya Gelsomino - Fall 2025

Episode Date: November 25, 2025

In this episode, Gina welcomes back Tanya Gelsomino of Yaya & Co. to reflect on the emotional layers of weight loss, wardrobe changes, and the evolution of self. Tanya shares her journey through losing 56 pounds, motherhood, and rediscovering her identity, all while staying grounded in The Livy Method. Together, they unpack the unexpected challenges that come with dressing a changing body and how clothes can carry deep emotional weight. Plus, Tanya shares some practical tips for when it comes to clothes shopping.You can find the full video hosted at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/livymethodfall2025Find Tanya and Yaya & Co.:www.yayaco.ca@yayaandco@tanyanicole_0033To learn more about The Livy Method, visit www.ginalivy.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm Gina Livy, and welcome to the Livy Method podcast. This is where you'll have access to all of the live streams for my 91-day weight loss program. With a combination of daily lives, guest expert interviews, and member stories, there is something new almost every day. Miss the morning live? Want to re-listen to one of our amazing guest experts? Well, this is the place. This podcast is hosted on ACAST, but it's available on all podcast platforms, including the one you're listening to right now, Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Music.

We're focusing on sustainable habits, not quick-fixing. Is it an opportunity to get curious? We're here, help people get to their health goals. One piece of a time. You build and build and build and build. Anya Jelsamino is back. She's joining me today. Perfect timing with Black Friday as well.

Yeah, that's an exciting time of year. Right. And with where we're at the end of the program, losing weight, everyone wants to lose weight. We love the idea of a new wardrobe, but I mean, it can be costly. It can be a little bit stressful. It's for many people, it's not the happy, happy, joy, joy, fun time we think it's going to be. That's true, but we can make it fun. We can use it as a time to celebrate where we are right now.

And I think that that's one thing we forget is we're always waiting for the finish line, but where are we right now? I mean, we're pretty far. What week are we in right now with the program? Week 11. Week 11. Okay. So, you know, we're in it.

We're doing our thing. And I think that it's important to celebrate the small wins because I think that that can really give you the confidence to reach that finish line and keep going. Okay. And you know this because as you know, we have thousands of new members join us program over program. So you have been a big, you know, part of our community. you've joined us before and had these conversations. You know what it means to work really hard, show up, do all the things, to struggle,

and to try to embrace the body that you have. So you lost, what, 50, 50, 60 pounds to program. Something like that and around that area. Yeah. And then you recently gained weight back because you just had your third child. Congratulations. I did. Thank you three months ago.

So, yeah, I mean, I was just thinking. about it this morning, actually, if you put the timeline, I think looking at about four and a half years ago that I joined the program, which is incredible. It's crazy. And I felt a little bit nostalgic thinking about it because I was just really thinking about where I was back in the beginning of 2021 and the spring program will mark five years. And I think that that just like being in that state of the unknown and not knowing where I was at in my life. life and how I felt about myself. I was feeling old. I was feeling tired. I just wasn't the Tanya that I know that I can be and I typically was. And I just think the program brought life back

to me. And I know I mentioned it in our last live together that having another child was off the table for sure because I think after having my other two, I was just lost. And I think just having this program to set me back on track, give me new perspective on what life could be and what weight loss and maintenance could look like. I think it was really important to where I am now. And just like, sometimes I scan back on my pictures and I'm like, holy moly, like I went through it. And I went through good. I went through bad. I went through pregnancy now. And it's been such a journey. And honestly, I owe a lot of credit to this entire program, to the community, to you. It's just, to me, it's, it just holds a special place in my heart, to be honest.

Yeah, it's a, it's a great place to work through your shit. I know. That's your person. And we all have a lot of it, trust me. And also, a safe place to land when life, like, you know, life doesn't make it easy for us. And I was reminiscing about community today. And you've been such a big part of our community. You actually had a lot of opportunity to connect with our members.

And it's emotional thing. Let's bring it back to talking about wardrobe. It's an emotional thing. And it's so one of the things that it hit me with my conversations with you is the depth at which you sometimes have to go to understand where you are at, yes, but also how you want to express yourself because what we wear says so much about us. And some people dressed a certain way because they were a certain size and now they're unsure of who they are, what their style is.

Like, it's, the, the clothes you put on your body is so much more and the process behind that, so much more than just this surface conversation, I guess is what I'm trying to say. Yeah, I think, I think that I don't even think I realized until I went through it myself, how much of a mental game dressing your body is. And I think that it's not that your style has to be set in stone or it has to look like a certain like a cookie cutter in a box it's it's always evolving and it's always changing and it's really a representation of where you are in your life but i think that when you really think about and you put a little bit of effort into it and you try to take emotion out of it you have to

realize that you know when you dress well you start to feel really good yeah and when you have those feelings of joy i believe that it mentally sets you up for success in anything in your life so it's like that new sweater that makes you, you know, just stand up a little bit taller. When you leave your house for the day, your interactions will be more pleasant. Maybe the way that you're going to look at certain situations is going to be much different because you just have a little bit more step. So I think that a lot of people hold off and say, when I lose my weight, I will go shopping. When I lose my weight, I will do this.

I think those baby steps along the way where you can say, you know what, maybe let me buy one really nice sweater. It makes me feel good. I've lost maybe five pounds. I'm feeling good about myself today. Let me celebrate that. That's going to help you get to the next five, right? So it's not about going out and blowing the budget and especially in today's economy, just spending mindlessly. I think really about investing in like really capsule pieces along the way, which means just staples that are going to be worn again and again in your wardrobe. Something as easy as a black turtle neck. That's something that can be mixed and matched and changed up and kind of go with you through your journey. I just saw a comment here from

Megan, to be honest, I have no idea what my style is. And this is what I mean. I think a lot of times the way we dressed before was for reasons other than celebrating ourselves or feeling good or, you know, I remember I used to shop at winters a lot. And to me, me it was more about the therapy. It was wandering the aisles, finding different things. And I remember people would be like, how can you shop there? Like I just, I try on all this stuff. Nothing looks good. Or I buy everything and I don't really like anything. And I'm like, I know very specifically what my style is, right? I know I don't wear certain shapes. I know I don't wear certain. I know what I like and what I don't like. I don't know that I have a style though, right? And a lot of people are a bit

confused by that. If you were to ask them what's your style, they'd be like, I don't know, whatever, it's just in my closet and fits. So what do we mean by style? How do we find a style? Well, first of all, I think that it can be through trial and error. I think that it's important to get out there and maybe just try things on. And I know I've mentioned this before is, is trying on clothes is free. Doesn't cost you a dime. And I think that we've become so accustomed to this online shopping. And I would really shy away from that if you're in a moment of weight loss. Because I feel like you need to feel fabrics.

You need to see textures. You need to see colors that work with you. And I encourage you to just go out and have a little bit of fun. And just bring a bunch of sizes into the fitting room with you. Bring something that you know you love, something you're curious about, and maybe something that you never tried before. And I think that if you do that, you might surprise yourself. If you go in more with an open mind and style will change how I felt about my clothes five years ago is like I just went through a box of old clothes right now and I'm like, what are these, this is not me anymore.

This is not the persona that I am. And I think that that just evolves as you evolve as a person, especially going through different seasons in your life, maybe based on the job that you're doing, maybe based on just the season of life. maybe you're a stay-at-home mom right now. Maybe you're going into retirement and, you know, you don't need that business suit anymore. What do you want to look like every day when you wake up and spend your days more freely? Maybe you're going for coffee with some girlfriends or you're traveling more. What does that wardrobe look like to you?

And how do you want people to see you, especially in your weight loss journey? Yeah. You know, you're starting to stand out. So don't be shy to maybe try some new things because it might spark some. inspiration and really change your mentality when it comes to your style. I love a couple of the comments here. I often check out local thrift stores when between sizes keeps the cost down between sizes and keeps me motivated.

Here's Patty, I bought a new sweatshirt that was two sizes smaller, terrified. It would make me look fat again. Now I don't want to take it off. Right. Sometimes we, and this is where I glad that you brought up that trying on clothes is free. I was thinking about this last night in our conversation. today. I'm like, what is it about? Because I had an opportunity to go into one of Tanya's stores and I was looking for an outfit and the salesperson was like, why don't you try on this? Why don't you try on that?

And I'm like, oh, no. And I ended up trying on something. I had no idea. It would never have picked for myself in a million years. And I think what is our block there? Is it our generation where we think of the salesperson is like, one, if you try on clothes, I feel this pressure. to like buy the clothes like even when they didn't fit or I don't like them like there's for me I I think there's a bit of anxiety there or we're used to the salespeople that work on commission that are just trying to sell us the thing that doesn't look good on us like is it is it just a me thing or do you find it's like an older generation thing like when I was younger I remember that the boutiques were where people were shopping right so I think customer service was

something that everyone was more accustomed to, but because we've become so disconnected, and a lot of times people are doing things through the computer, I feel like they're not used to people being friendly or really genuinely trying to help. And I've experienced this myself with so many clients where they've come in and they're not going to trust me off the get-go because they think I'm just looking for a sale. But what better sale for me is a sale to you when I'm giving you something that you really love that you're going to feel so confident in now you are going to go to that wedding or to that bridal shower to that conference and you're going to be so confident in it that you are selling it 10 times over so it would be

a disservice to me to do to not give you something that you loved and that you genuinely felt great in because you're not going to come back again you're not going to share it with all your friends. You're not going to command that attention that I know that you deserve, right? So for us, we kind of scale it back to what is our intention? Our intention is really to make people feel great for those special moments in their life. And we've had tons of livy losers shop with us. And to be honest, it's so nice because everybody comes from such a different walk of life. They have different intention behind why they need new clothes, different stages in their weight loss journey. And hearing the stories while we're shopping,

it's all part of that experience. It's actually, I think it's an important part of that experience and it's a step in the right direction because what I have noticed is when we do shop with someone who's done this program, sometimes at the beginning, it's very scary. And they come in with so many walls up and they really want to try and they want to make this a positive experience, but they're very fearful. And then once they start finding some pieces, they're gaining that confidence in the moment, then they're back again in a few weeks and a few months. And they're texting us and calling us, hey, Tanya, we're coming down, we're coming shopping again.

I'm bringing my daughter. And for us, that's the biggest and greatest accomplishment because we were able to help them get over that hump and now make them more confident to come back again and again, now more knowledgeable about what they love and what they don't love. and how they want to see themselves going forward. So it's a really special experience, to be honest. And it's like I was saying, it's a deep one. The conversations that we're having, especially in the maintenance program, now that people have lost their weight,

is trusting that they're going to be able to maintain and sustain it for very good reason. And then really owning who they are, where they're starting to get comments from friends or family, or they're getting attention they're not used to, or they have maybe imposter syndrome. You know, is this really who I am? And that's like, that's like in your face having to own it by, you know, owning that however you're

dressing the body. It's, it is a big deal. I think people need to be, you need to be proud of where you are. And I think that you need to remember that whether you're big, whether you're small, whether you've gained or lost weight, people will always have comments. I mean, I've received so many comments over my life that I would never repeat to anyone because they're terrible. And it's like, oh, you've gained weight. Your bum's getting big. Oh, you're getting a tummy. Oh, you lost too much.

Oh, you look like a skeleton. Like, you know, people just talk to talk. And I think that takes a lot to drown the noise. But, I mean, I would take it back to four years ago for me is when I lost my weight. And I think at the end of this program was when I hit my target. I never thought that I would get there in my life, never mind just in a six-month period. For me, that was insane. It was incredible.

And I chose it as an opportunity to celebrate that. So we're going into the holidays. It's all about celebrating families, celebrating the year, the new year is coming up. So, you know, we can look at it in a negative way, maybe say, oh, I haven't got where I wanted to be yet. or, you know, I'm not feeling the greatest about myself yet. Or you can say, you know what, look how far I've come, even just in a few months, even if I showed up for 50% of the time, let's take an opportunity to celebrate that. So in my case, I chose a super sexy, backless dress, gold sparkles.

And I said, this is my time to celebrate. I'm so deserving of it. And I went to my cousin's wedding. I walked in. I have never felt better in my life. And that feeling is ingrained in my brain because I knew that I just. deserved it in that moment. And that doesn't have to be a sexy backless dress. It can be a brand new pair of shoes. It can be a beautiful new purse. It can be just a simple black

velvet dress, something to celebrate yourself this holiday season and go into it a lot more confident. Because if you're confident in your body, chances are when it comes to food choices and being in social situations, you're going to navigate it a lot better knowing that in your own skin, you're feeling good about yourself. Let's start with that because there's a lot of comments here about just like how depressing it is to be in that change room and to see yourself in that mirror, even when you've lost weight, but not being at your goals or just, you know, your body is changing even with weight loss. How do we, how do we need advice for how we handle that?

Take the emotions out of it. Really try. It's so difficult, but I think you really have to. I think you have to think about it as make a plan for yourself. Really look at maybe choose two things that you love about your body. It could be maybe you have a great waist. Maybe you have great legs. Maybe you're a shoulder gal.

Like for me, I personally love like a strapless. I love my shoulders, my collarbone. For me, that's something that gives me a little bit of joy. But everybody has something that they love. So I think it's start there.

find something that you love about yourself and then start with finding an item that's going to actually accentuate that. And then I would say, okay, make a plan. I have to, I would like to look a certain way. Maybe I'm hippie. So you know that. So let's find maybe a long blazer that will make me look taller. That will, you know, cover a little bit of my hip line and maybe a nice black turtleneck underneath to make me look a little bit slimmer. So it's kind of like a puzzle piece. You want to find the clothes to fit your body, not only to make you feel good. So we're going to look at textures and fabric, something soft, something cozy like that sweater. That makes you feel good and you're comfortable, but also maybe pieces that are going to accentuate the

best parts and hide the parts that you don't love as much yet. Yeah, I guess that's it, right? You talked about before about dopamine dressing. Like, doesn't matter. Someone's saying, oh, I love my style back in the 80s or I like this. I like skinny jeans. I like flare jeans. Those new barrel leg pants, whatever they are. I think, correct me if I'm wrong, but style doesn't really matter anymore in terms of trends. It's really about how you feel. So you're going to know where, like, I mean, I put on like 10 different tops today trying to come on. I swear there was nothing in my closet. And then I found blue. I was like, red lipstick. Let's go. Okay. I'm faking it until I make it today. But it's about how you feel at the end of the day, the clothes. I mean, that's so cliche,

but it's so true, right? Yes, maybe no. don't have to follow trends. You don't have to, you don't have to be on the, on the trend bandwagon. Right now I feel like there's so much variety in the types of styles that are out there. And really, when you're trying to put something on that's not yourself, you're going to see it. You're not going to be as confident. So I would much rather say to you, just find something that you love that, that gives you comfort. Forget about trying to reach a status of I'm wearing this current. barrel leg jeans you know i've personally love them i've been pregnant for most of the season of these barrel leg jeans i haven't put a pair on to look good on me yet i'm accepting that we're just

not going to go there yet in my journey and i'm not going to cry about it we're going to just pivot until we get there and if i really am loving them in six months from now i'll wear them but until then they're not for me and that's okay yeah and on that because i know we've talked a lot about it is the sizing. Let's just come to terms that traditional sizing, like there's no such thing. Like I can be a 12, I can be a 10, and I can be an 8, all in the same five minutes.

So I think you just have to look at what fits right rather than being so stuck on a size. No one is looking inside your sweater or your back of your jeans to know what size you're wearing, but it does matter how it does fit you. I would rather use size up in a pair of jeans to have a really nice clean line, no muffin top, and be comfortable. So you're going to stand up nice and tall, be smiling and breathing,

instead of fitting into that smaller size and then just looking miserable. And then every time you go to sit down or try to eat a nice holiday treat, you're going to be just so down on yourself and not confident. So take the sizing out of it, take the emotion out of it, use it as a strategic plan. This is my goal. This is kind of how I want to look. This is what I love. This is what I don't love.

How are we going to put the puzzle pieces together? And you can only do that by trial and error. And it might take a little bit longer or depends on the process. But if you go to a store like, yeah, yeah, and co. That is willing really to help you navigate and let you try on as much as possible. I think that it makes it easier also to have that support system behind you to say, okay, let's try this. And then we'll get to this next.

so i i'm seeing this comment i'm going away in january uh leslie and thanks for sharing i don't even have a bathing suit let alone want to wear one i've thought about canceling whether that's that trip in the bathing suit or that's that work party or that event or god forbid a high school reunion or all of that like those feels are really valid right like course you're going to go on your trip you're going to have the best time what i love about beaches is no one gives a fuck what you look like like you can wear a string bikini and no one will care like anything goes at the beach that's why i love like the beach or the pool like anyone judging you at the beach or the pool fuck off at the end of the day right um but that's it's it's so much it's it's it's so much more

than just saying oh put it on find something you love and go to the party it's you must hear this from people all the time yeah of course everybody's skeptical and and everyone hates something about themselves i've never met a person to come in front of me including my that is like, I just love everything about myself. I've never met that person. If you were that person, I would love to meet you, but I've never met her. I am not her. I'm actually extremely hard on myself, probably more than most people.

And I think we all are. We all have those insecurities. But like, even with the beach, at the end of the day, you're right. Once you're there in front of that water in that ocean, nobody has a perfect body. I've yet to see it only on social media. I see these perfect bodies, but in person I've never seen it. and maybe start like the same thing like a holiday party start with the basics get a black one piece you know maybe let's just start with there and then layer it a bit get a really nice cover up that

makes you feel confident and use that as you know your pool attire and if you find yourself there in the sunshine having fun enjoying yourself relax and that cover up comes off well you strip back that onion, right? Like, strip back the layers as you can and as you feel comfortable and go from there. Like, don't put the pressure on yourself and definitely go on the vacation. I would never say, like, it would hurt me to say, like, you wouldn't go to that Christmas party because you wouldn't know how to dress. For me, layer it back. Go to the basics. A simple black dress and a tall pair of boots can do someone a lot of justice. Throw on a little blazer on top of that. Cover anything on the side and you're going to feel like a million dollars it doesn't have to be complicated it doesn't

even have to be expensive yes and i want to say uh tonia she has her stores yeah yeah that um she's been running for years with her family you got what three of them now three three of them yes three stores but this is sage advice for for anyone no matter where you shop at the end of the day right get to know your local shops go in have conversation share how you feel you'd be surprised that people are actually there to help you. And I think when you're like honoring how you feel is going to leave you more open to try new things. Also remember, just because you go in,

you try on clothes, you don't have to buy them. What is your, what's one trend this season that we must all try? You know what? I think not so much maybe a trend, but I think there's something special going on in the color palette. And I think that in weight loss journey,

you know, we go right to black. That's usually where I go. But the really rich greens, those purples, that wine burgundy color, like these are really warm, cozy. They're special colors that kind of ignite a little bit of a special feeling. And I think that you can play around with that this holiday season, just kind of bringing that into your wardrobe. You know, the velvets, velvet sequence, like that's always, you know, a holiday favorite. And I think that those are, you can find like really good stretchy sequence. and velvet is always really nice and stretchy.

And it seems to be very complimentary too on any figure. So I think that just playing with texture and some really beautiful colors, like you don't have to go crazy and go into the really bright colors or pinks and things like that. But those warm tones, I think they can bring something to that feeling. But I want to, can I go back to what you said about going into the store? Yeah. It's one thing to ask for help or that, but I would also say you have to do your part as well.

You kind of have to know what you're looking for and you have to be willing to be open and honest. I think you really have to be able to communicate. If someone says to me, I just gave birth to a baby, I'm really feeling self-conscious about my middle section. I'm not ready to, you know, show that off yet. You know, then as an associate or stylist, you could say, you know what, let me grab pieces that are going to put her in the right direction. Because if you just shut down and that sometimes does happen, if you're not willing to speak and to say what you feel, even if you hate something, don't say, yeah, it's nice because it's not telling us. I hate this. I hate the color.

It's not for me. I don't like it. The more honest you are, I think I'm a super honest person and I know you are, Gina, it's like the more honest you are. It's like the more honest you are, the more information you're giving us. And I think that that's really helpful too when it comes to shopping. And if you really want genuinely good help, you have to do your part in that equation as well to really help the person understand you. We just met, but I want to get to know everything about you.

And by the time that you leave, I want to be best friends. I want to feel like I'm going to that party with you. I want to feel like I lost the weight with you. And I think that it makes a really big difference. And it can be a special experience. It's just what you're willing to give to it. I think that's really great advice. Yeah, I feel that's very good.

I mean, I have a hard time leaving my house some days, right? Let alone speaking to people when I'm out. We all do. That was my experience. And you may look at me and be like, Gina, everything looks great on you. I, you know, I was, I think it was the Dragon's Den event. And we had like a watch party. And I was going to be with friends and family.

And I had nothing to wear. that I was just like I don't know I think going through menopause at the time and I just like oh like I just did not feel great and so I walk in I got a ball hat on and I'm just like all right let me walk around and then the lady comes up she's like can I help you and I'm like oh I don't know me well I'm on my phone with my friend who's not even there and I'm like I don't know I'm almost in tears I got nothing to wear and then she comes up again she's like hi you're gina and I'm like oh god yeah hi that's me and then it was so nice it went from this like really kind of stressed out experience to hey why don't you try on this or do you like this i'm like no that's not my style and she's like okay just try it on and see and if it's not cool and then i tried it on i was like oh my god okay i love this and then how about this or that and i ended up walking out of there being like huh what was that moment it's like when you tried on that one thing that turned everything around for you like didn't that feeling just set everything up for success going

forward it did because it allowed me to see myself in a different way i think i i dressed in a very safe way like i buy the same thing in three or four different colors like i'm not a very exciting dresser at all um and so it was that moment where i was like huh well well look at me i look and I think it's having someone else see you for something for something you don't see in yourself. I think that was the biggest moment. That was a game changer moment in a shopping experience for me. And that's how a shopping should be, I think. Well, just think I just thought about it now, really, as an outsider to your emotions, we don't have the emotional baggage that you might have. We don't have the concerns that you might have. We don't have any of that. We are

not emotional when it comes to you because we don't know that side of you. We just see you as a person standing in front of us. So when we're helping you, we're coming from a totally different perspective than you are, right? So I think that's really important too, because we sometimes don't see ourselves for what it is. And I know we talk about sometimes looking in the mirror. We don't realize sometimes how much weight we've lost or how much we've changed. And it takes a long time for our brain to catch up to our body. And that's what I'm saying. like take the pictures, really try to understand, even actually when you're shopping, take photos because sometimes after you've tried on a bunch of outfits, get back in your own clothes,

look back at the photos because sometimes a picture might spark interest that you didn't realize in that moment. And you might want to go back and try that on one more time because it can be overwhelming if you're trying a lot of things, if you're not sure and you're not seeing yourself. But sometimes if you see it on the phone, you'll say, oh, hey, hold on a second. because I've caught myself in pictures being like, wait a minute, I was thinking back to our media event where I was feeling really self-conscious and I remember talking to you and Sonia saying like, I just don't feel like myself. I feel like I'm spiraling and I remember feeling so down on myself in that moment. And I just looked back at the photos the other day. I'm like,

what was I thinking? I looked amazing. And I'm like, I was exuding so much confidence. I felt like I loved my outfit, but I didn't feel good inside yet. And I feel like that's why we need to take the pictures and we need to self-reflect and look back because a lot of times we're seeing something different than what's actually in front of us. So sometimes it takes time, but that's okay. You're so right about that, especially if you lose weight. Just like, you know, everyone has that story where they saw themselves in the reflection

of their photo. I was like, oh my goodness, okay, I need to, you know, I need to not just lose weight. It sounds awful saying it like that. but you know I need to do something about my health and wellness and then it takes time for that opposite to happen where you're like oh my gosh like I remember you know after having kids and then you know losing weight after I'd pull out a pair of pants and be like whose pants are these and then they were mine I put them on and they fit but like it takes a while for your brain to catch up before we go I want to touch on a bit of a serious topic here was not my intention today given

our holiday fun conversation but here's one from Sandra I've noticed that a full shift in sales clerk's attitude since I'm no longer in the plus size. It's tangible and so sad. So there's a couple things going on. There is people who are used to shopping in the plus size stores, making that transition into, I guess, I don't know what you call them non plus size stores. That can be terrifying for people. People who've lost weight still can't shop in stores that don't carry the, you know, the 3xL or whatever. And I know that's logistics, right? If people aren't shopping at that store and buying those products. It's costly for a store to carry those products. And then there's also how you've changed and like what version of you was showing up

in stores to begin with versus the version of you that's showing up now. So any thought, it's such, it's so tricky. And obviously it's so individual and all fields are valid. But you kind of advice there because that that's hard to navigate. It's not just changing your clothes size. It's so much. You're right. You're showing up as a completely different person. like even though on the inside and you know you're still the same body you're still really the same person but mentally you might notice things differently you might see people interacting with you in a different way i think that you know sometimes what i've noticed um when someone comes in new working with us too um i always talk to them about understanding body shapes

for me one of the my favorite times is helping someone who struggles i'd rather help someone who struggles than someone who has it easy um you know, the people that can put on a paper bag and look amazing. For me, that's not a challenge. I've always been the type where I was hipier. I was on the bigger side growing up to. So I always had that hair-shaped body that challenged me to really work with my clothing and really minimize certain areas. Right.

So when someone comes in that has those same issues, it excites me because I know that they don't trust me. I know that they're not confident. I'm going to make them feel good. And I know that they think they're going to just walk out crying. But my challenge is to prove them wrong because I know that we can have success in any shape and size. And I feel like there's some excitement behind it, especially when you're not used to feeling so good. And I think that a lot of people, sometimes when they're working in the clothing industry, I think people who are curvier or larger sizes, it can be a little bit scary. not because you're scared to dress them,

but you're scared to fail the individual when you are addressing them. And you don't ever want them to walk away feeling bad about themselves. So you put a lot of pressure on yourself as a stylist to say, can I actually be successful now to make this person feel incredible?

And will they allow me the opportunity to try different things and take them out of the box and get there? And it's scary. But to be honest, it's probably some of my proudest moments is making someone who just isn't used to that feeling like they can be used to it. And it can be something that's regular for them. And that's always been where my passion is, to be honest, because I'm not, I'm not the skinny, mini that just walks in and buys anything. I struggle still daily. I just had a baby. Like my jeans

are not fitting me, but I'm not letting that bring me down. I feel really good about myself, to be honest. I feel like myself, even though I'm probably heavier than my. normal, but I just have learned through this program that it's baby steps, celebrate the small wins, and being in the fashion industry, finding the right pieces that make you feel good along the way can really help you just continue to navigate that process. It's not where you shop. It's who you shop with, right? I'll have fun with you.

Right? I love this so much. Everyone talking about their granny, still wearing their cotton granny underwear. Okay, that's okay. that's on the inside if you want to wear those granny anties i'm out for them no problem or fine do you want to wear that wear whatever you want to wear underneath wear what on your hair there's nothing like a good pair of granny panties guys nothing wrong with that I'm totally exactly uh ton of jelsomino thank you so much I mean you've given us a lot to think about and that's

what this is about this is a conversation for everyone for men women for anyone um trying to embrace who they are now and what their style is and I we My takeaway is I want you to know that if you've got feels about this, it's very real and very valid. There's this idea that we just, we want to lose weight. We can't wait to buy a new wardrobe. In my case, 30 years plus helping people lose weight, it's never been the happy joy, joy moment that people think it's going to be and not to put a downer on it. But I love the perspective of celebrating yourself along the way. I think that's the point.

People wait and then it's stressful. Even if they have the finances and all the money in the world, this isn't about money. either. I've, you know, work with people who could easily afford a new wardrobe, still in tears because they don't know what to wear. Parting words of wisdom, Tanya Jelsamino, what would you like to share? To be honest, guys, I feel I've been there with you. I understand it. I navigate these clothing items every day. Some things are for you. Some things are not for you. It's all in the process. I would say, have fun with it. Celebrate the small wins. Take this time of year to be so grateful for where you are right now, celebrate the year you've had, whether you're where you need to be in

terms of hitting your goal or you're halfway there or you're really just getting started. Celebrate the small wins, okay? And don't be afraid to do that because I will tell you more than anything, success will follow when you start treating yourself the way that you deserve and celebrating the accomplishments, whether they be small or big. And that's for me, the starting point. And honestly, get a girlfriend, get a coffee. Go shopping. Have fun. Don't buy anything. Buy everything. Whatever your heart desires. Just get out there. Take this as a fun part. It's a fun part of weight loss. Take the thinking out of it. Just have a girl's day, honestly, whether that be in a thrift store, a high end store or anything in between. Honestly, take it the opportunity just to see, see where you are. And if that's one little thing, even a pair of earrings, it doesn't have to be, you know, I don't want to lose weight tomorrow. I don't want to buy anything.

thing. Buy a beautiful pair of earrings. You'd be surprised what happens following it. So take it from someone who's done the program. I've been in maintenance for four and a half years and I had a child in between. So I would say this program works, but it's important to take the steps on your own. And if going and doing a little bit of shopping with a girlfriend is going to make it more fun, then let's go. Well, thank you for the fun conversation. Fun informative. Always real. I adore you. Thank you. Thank you everyone who joined us live or listening or watching after the fact. You can actually follow Tanya over on Instagram, Tanya underscore Nicole underscore 0033. You can also follow her page, Yaya, underscore Co, or check out one of those stores.

Where are your stores? I know you got one. We are in Vaughn Mills. We're actually in Mississauga in the Dixie Outlet Mall. And then we are in Niagara on the lake at the outlet collection. And we are having an incredibly insane, insane, insane, insane, insane, insane VIP events coming up in just a few days. So if you are interested in taking advantage and getting something or just doing a little shopping at an incredibly good price, like I mean like epic price, lower than what you're going to find, follow along. And I'll be sharing in a few days. And I would love to see you guys shop in person or online, whatever it is. it's a great opportunity.

So just stay tuned for that. Yeah, I'm going to tell us any more than that. I'm going to just keep it to myself just a little bit longer. But follow along and I will be sharing loud. And yeah, you're not going to want to miss it for sure. Well,

you always have great sales in general. Good quality clothes, great sales. So I can't even imagine. It's a perfect timing, everyone. Thank you, everyone who joined us.

Thank you. Tonya, appreciate you. Have a great rest of your day, everyone. Bye. Bye, guys.

Thank you. Thank you.