Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Grove.
Hi Ashley, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My background is in business, and I’ve been building businesses for most of my adult life – my own, in particular, as well as others. In 2017 I turned my attention to the women’s fashion industry, and began working on creating innovative style accessories, and in 2019 I started a little company called KardiKlips, designing and manufacturing fashion solutions for women’s clothing. What began as a small side-hustle on Etsy grew to a full-time endeavor with multiple employees, products featured in over 170 boutiques worldwide and thousands of customers through our online shops.
Then came 2025, and the season of my life began to change (as seasons do). What worked (and worked well) for me before wasn’t anymore. It wasn’t about just strategies and marketing and data – it was deeper than that. I’d spent years pouring everything into building a moderately successful business, which for a long time had felt incredibly purposeful and fulfilling. But that came at a price, and the price was my health, my peace, my relationships, and my general well-being. And I finally reached a point where that cost was simply too high to sustain.
SO – I spent 2025 working with wise advisors and consultants, diving into the business as it was, re-envisioning and re-framing what it could be, and by December I had made the decision to let it go (my role in it, at least). And the sense of relief and peace was staggering.
I gave myself a few months to rest, regroup, implement some lifestyle changes, and most importantly – explore who I was/am without my identity being tied to my role in that business. In a way, it felt like who I was had spent years being buried under what I did, and I was finally coming back to myself. Recognizing that who I am now is different than the version of me that was 5, 8, 10 years ago – and that’s a wonderful thing.
And one of the primary ways I leaned into this discovery (because I am who I am) is through my style. Re-examining, re-evaluating, and exploring where the way I showed up in the world was an accurate representation of ME, and where it felt off, wrong, inauthentic, and stale.
Which brings me to today, an exciting new chapter and venture as a Style Identity Coach, helping women learn how to express themselves through their style in a way that’s both beautiful and entirely authentic.
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?
Definitely not smooth! Choosing to let go of the thing that shaped my identity for so long, and that I had structured my entire life around, was not a quick decision, or an easy one! Even when I realized it was the right one. While I appreciated – and benefitted – from KardiKlips success, it was also exhausting. And truthfully, that had as much to do with me and how I approached the tasks of growing the business, as it did changing markets, industry, economics, competition, etc…
Letting go of the “old” that you know, with all it’s sameness and stability, and choosing first the unknown, and then saying yes to starting something new that you’ve never done before is intimidating, to put it mildly!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I love leaning into the style transformation space! I know and have seen the power of discovering your identity through the modality of style, of learning how to express who you are on the inside to the world around you, simply by changing how you show up.
My work as a Style Identity Coach is about helping women to uncover and express the most honest, aligned version of themselves. It’s about helping them bridge the gap between who they are (or who they are becoming) and how they look. The work goes deeper than just a simple color analysis and silhouette guide (although I incorporate both of those things). Because the truth is, you can know a lot about style, and body shape, and color and STILL have a wardrobe that doesn’t feel like you.
And this is why I’m a Style Identity Coach, rather than a traditional stylist – I’m more interested in the intersection of your identity and who you are now (in this stage of your life), and your style. And the “process” is fun and freeing! I’m not looking to turn you into someone else or a different version of you – my job is to help you embrace and enjoy the real you and who you’re becoming.
Because of the nature of my work, my process itself is very relational, very intentional. While I have a list of services, skills, and tools to draw on, each Package is tailored to the individual client and what they need or want, and usually lasts over the course of 4-6 weeks.
It typically starts with a complimentary “Get-To-Know-You” in-person session, usually over coffee. This is where the client tells me a little about herself, and we discuss her goals and the ways we can work together to achieve them. They fill out their intake questionnaire over the next couple of days (or we fill it out together), and we begin.
From there, I put together a personalized package, designed for them, which can include: Color Analysis and Personal Color Story, your Style Aesthetic Archetypes, Body Shape Analysis and Silhouette Guide, including suggested necklines, sleeves, hem length, etc… Accessories Guides, Capsule Wardrobe Guide, Look Book, Shopping Guide & Cheat Sheet, in a beautiful PDF rendering. In addition to those custom-designed tools, I offer Style Discovery Sessions, “Styling” Sessions, where they’ll learn the simple tactics and habits to go from wearing clothes to styling outfits, Closet Edits, Outfit Layouts, Guided Shopping, and continued support.
The Closet Edits and Guided Shopping Sessions can be particularly enjoyable! The Edits help you essentially re-discover the wardrobe you already have, what works for you now, and what gaps you need to fill. The Guided Shopping Sessions are some of my favorites – they can be done with in-person retail shops OR online.
And the shopping I LOVE to do and teach most is how to source excellent quality clothing second-hand (i.e. Consignment, Vintage Trunk Shows, and Thrifting). I firmly believe in investing in quality pieces that last AND affordability – living is expensive these days; dressing well doesn’t have to be (if you know how to do it!).
Most of my clients are referral-based, as I have a limited number of openings every month.
I love the personal and transformational nature of this work as I help you bridge the gap between how you feel and translate that into how you look in your clothes and what your style is. Because I believe that getting dressed should feel like coming home to yourself, and not like putting on a costume made for someone else.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I think the art of intentional listening is a vastly underrated skill! Being able to lean into someone’s journey, listening to what they say, and recognizing what they don’t even have words for.
And being flexible! Not just having a set of rigid boxes to force-fit someone into, but rather staying fluid, letting and helping them create their own expression of who they are while teaching them the foundational principles of style that will carry them through every season of their lives.
Pricing:
- $97 for Color Styling Guide
- $147 Style Discovery Session
- $197 Personalized Style Blueprint
- $498 Light Transformation Journey
- $995 Signature Transformation Journey
Contact Info:
- Website: https://yourpersonalstyleconsult.my.canva.site/style-identity-coaching
- Instagram: @ashgrovegrace
