How I started a clothing company is not a simple feat. Let me tell ya!
But, what I can say, is I NEVER saw it turning out the way that it has today. You see, the problem we have when chasing our dreams, is that we give up simply because things don’t turn out the EXACT way we thought they would.
We do what Mike Dooley calls, “getting caught up in the cursed hows”.
Let me start at the beginning.
2009-2011 I stumbled into the “muscle fetish world” where I discovered an entire planet of men who would pay ridiculous amounts of money to experience some form of female strength across the globe. From arm wrestling, to wrestling, to being picked up and carried around, I had first hand experience that strong, powerful women were truly a “thing”, and that perhaps, all the Calvin Klein ads had been lying to me as to what is considered “beautiful” in society. Ironic that happened to happen to a girl who had spent her entire life hating her body, her powerhouse. Eating disorders, drug and alcohol abuse, sexual assault…
2011-2012 I launched a brand called Konfidence By Kortney where I could start making videos empowering women about all the truths I’d learned along the way. Also sharing my tools from 12 step recovery and battling addiction. I started realising that women were systematically being programmed by ‘the elite’ to see each other as competition, as well as to keep us preoccupied with being concerned around losing or gaining 5LBS so we’d stay distracted to the issues that mattered the most. Never mind global warming and women’s rights- be concerned with Kim Kardashian.
I also spent WAY too much time on youtube researching conspiracy theories. (lol)
2013 I started Kamp Konfidence: A prevention based wellness program for teenage girls. The vision was a world free from all forms of self harm for females. The mission was the educate with the 5 habits, principles, and lessons that lead to the development of self love. Then, creating a sisterhood of bonded sisters. www.kampkonfidence.com
Here is a screenshot of 2013, where I messaged our designer and dear friend, Kelda from Hjello Designs, about creating shirts for the kampers:
The Kamp was extremely successful. One of the initiatives we rolled out during Kamp, was this thing called “The Peldge”. After we did the ‘body awareness’ workshop, where the girls learned the truth behind media and advertising, and listened to Jean Kilburn lecturing with “killing us softly”, the girls would take the pledge in front of their peers, then get a special wristband:
Kamp K went for a good year and a half, before one of my two partners fell pregnant, and we put it on hold. I continued to pursue my network marketing business, as I thought THIS was the way I was going to fund Kamp Konfidence. No more relying on outside funding, AND I’d get to empower women to make money on their own terms along the way. I did however, find out network marketing wasn’t for after a long ass year of trying too hard.
2014 My partner got a “vision” driving home from the office one day about creating a clothing line of athletic wear specific for each sport. We would have “run like a girl” “hit like a girl”, etc. 5 days later, the #likeagirl campaign rolled out from US based feminine product company, Always . Next day we went out and registered, “Like A Girl Clothing” pty ltd. It sat and did nothing for the entire year.
Along the way that year, I started collaborating with a colleague named Jed, about coming up with images of empowerment for Women. I wanted to start reaching the masses, instead of just 8-10 teenage girls every other weekend in Australia, through Kamp Konfidence.
Well, fast forward to August 2015 and that’s when it all happened. www.grrrl.com
Now, today, we have a massive movement in motion. Women all over the world are starting to realise that we are meant to be united, aka the #grrrlarmy . Women realise that there is strength in numbers, and that we must fight this war of equality together in order to win.
Below is a photo of our #grrrlarmy members in Texas with our “American GRRRL” muscle tees on, ripping shit up, and playing hard.
“The Pledge” is now on GRRRL Clothing as a hang tag, available for all females around the world to take and upload a video as documentation when doing the pledge.
So you see, things didn’t turn out how I initially envisioned in my head. Along the way they kept changing, but one thing remained the same: I kept showing up with the end result in mind. The end result of creating a unified group of females, all striving for the same thing. Judgement free, supportive, loving, and caring. Empowering one another to be strong, and break free from the programming of “not good enough”. Helping each other realise our true potential collectively.
I can’t tell you how many times I got upset and thought, “FK THIS! THIS IS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN”. But the truth is, the universe has a plan. SO as long as we don’t get caught up in how we THINK it’s supposed to work out (the fine detail), it’ll work our eventually. Keep your vision strong, and your muscles stronger. And it’ll come to pass. It might take you 4 years like myself. It might take you 10. But if you want it, and you don’t EVER give up, be 110% certain that the Universe has your back.
Namaste Bitchessssssssssss!
and PS, if you ever get a chance to see Mike Dooley do his “playing the matrix” seminar, I highly suggest you do so!
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