Podcast Summary

HER Style Podcast | Episode 303

Title: 3 Things to Do Now for a More Stylish 2026
Date: December 29, 2025
Host: Heather Riggs – Stylist, Image Consultant & Color Analyst for Women

Episode Overview

In this episode, Heather Riggs encourages listeners to resist the “New Year, New You” rush for instant wardrobe makeovers and, instead, to take a reflective, intentional approach to building a stylish life in 2026. Rather than running out to buy new clothes or following fleeting trends, Heather provides three foundational steps: get language for your style, audit before you add, and start dressing with intention. These steps are designed to create lasting confidence and personal alignment with your wardrobe choices.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. **Resist the Urgency of Reinvention

(Timestamp: 00:00 – 04:00)**

• Heather addresses the pressure many women feel at the start of a new year:

  “If 2026 is going to be the year you finally feel confident in your clothes, it’s not going to happen because you bought better pieces, tried harder, or followed more trends. Your style doesn’t get better when you rush into change.” — Heather Riggs (01:01)

• Emphasizes pausing before acting on the impulse to overhaul your wardrobe, and instead, focusing on clarity and reflection.

2. **Step One: Get Language for Your Style

(Timestamp: 04:00 – 11:10)**

• Importance of defining your personal style:

  “Most women think they know their style until they try to explain it, shop for it, or recreate it consistently. …It’s not because you don’t have a strong sense of style—it’s because you don’t have a strong definition of your style.” — Heather Riggs (06:05)

• The value of naming and articulating your style:

  “When you have words for your desired look, everything will start to come together. Decisions get easier, your outfits feel more intentional, and shopping becomes less emotional and more strategic.” (07:01)

• Encourages use of her free Personal Style Quiz as a tool for clarity.

  “You cannot overhaul your closet without having a clear picture of where you want it to go. …Naming your style is the simplest first step.” (08:12)

3. **Step Two: Audit Before You Add

(Timestamp: 11:10 – 17:48)**

• Advises against compulsive shopping as a fix for wardrobe dissatisfaction:

  “If you’re dissatisfied with your wardrobe right now, I firmly believe the last thing you should do is run out and go shopping. That is, without a doubt, putting the cart before the horse.” (11:22)

• Stresses the importance of evaluating what you already own:

  “Your current wardrobe is giving you a lot of valuable information if you will just stop and listen. Begin investigating what’s in your wardrobe right now—what you reach for on autopilot, what feels effortless, and what you avoid, even if you love it in theory.” (13:14)

• Auditing leads to more informed, less emotional decisions:

  “Your wardrobe is not a problem to fix. It’s data to interpret.” (15:00)

• The cycle of buying for a quick dopamine hit is fleeting; lasting satisfaction comes from shopping smarter and interpreting wardrobe data first.

4. **Step Three: Start Dressing with Intention

(Timestamp: 17:48 – 25:38)**

• Moves beyond emotional dressing to deliberate, purposeful style choices:

  “Once you have language for your style, and you’ve stopped reacting to your wardrobe out of urgency, the next question becomes, how am I actually using my wardrobe day to day?” (18:10)

• Intention means consciously deciding what presence you want your clothes to communicate:

  “It’s about direction. It’s about deciding consciously what role your clothes are playing in your life instead of getting dressed on autopilot or defaulting to what feels safe.” (19:54)

• Key reflective questions to drive intentional dressing:

  “Instead of asking, ‘Is this good enough or stylish enough? What will people think? Will I regret wearing this?’ you start asking, ‘Does this feel like me today? Does this work for what I’m doing? Am I comfortable showing up like this?’” (21:38)

• The difference confidence makes:

  “Two women can wear almost the same outfit, and one looks really insecure while the other one looks completely confident and certain in herself. It’s not the clothes, it’s the intention behind them.” (22:23)

5. **The Power of Language, Awareness, and Intention

(Timestamp: 25:38 – 27:37)**

• Heather connects the three steps into a framework:

  “Language creates awareness, awareness shapes intention, and intention leads to aligned action. …You’re not going to feel more confident because you rushed to fix everything. You’re going to feel more confident because the discovery work is going to help you know who you are, what you want to say with your style, what you already have, what’s working, what’s not working, and what you want your outfits to do for you on a day to day basis.” (25:38)

• Reiterates that these steps can help you create lasting style and confidence without a total overhaul or pressure to start again from scratch.

Notable Quotes

• “Reflection beats reinvention every single time.” — Heather Riggs (03:23)
• “Knowing your style is like having guardrails. You can still make left and right turns, but you’re not veering off the road.” — Heather Riggs (08:35)
• “Your wardrobe is not a problem to fix. It’s data to interpret.” — Heather Riggs (15:00)
• “It’s not the clothes, it’s the intention behind them.” — Heather Riggs (22:23)
• “Language creates awareness, awareness shapes intention, and intention leads to aligned action.” — Heather Riggs (25:38)

Timestamps for Major Sections

• New Year Style Pressure & Episode Purpose: 00:00 – 04:00
• Step 1: Get Language for Your Style: 04:00 – 11:10
• Step 2: Audit Before You Add: 11:10 – 17:48
• Step 3: Start Dressing with Intention: 17:48 – 25:38
• Connecting the Steps & Final Encouragement: 25:38 – end

Tone & Language

Heather’s approach is supportive, motivational, and practical, laced with gentle humor and grounded humility. She encourages women to slow down and reflect, empowering them to take control of their style with confidence and clarity—without judgment or pressure to be perfect.

Additional Resources Mentioned

• Free Personal Style Quiz: https://herstylellc.com/quiz
• HER Style Collective Community
• Q&A Submissions and Website: https://herstylellc.com/

In summary:
Heather Riggs offers a refreshingly calm, strategic approach to New Year style changes—centered on clarity, self-knowledge, and thoughtful action. Listeners are urged to articulate their style, analyze their current wardrobe, and dress with intention, paving the way for a personally aligned and authentically stylish 2026.