People decide what they think of you before you ever open your mouth. That’s not cynical. It’s human. And if you’re a woman building a business, leading a team, or stepping into rooms where the stakes are high, it’s something you cannot afford to ignore.

I know this because I’ve spent my career living at an unusual intersection. For 25 years, I built communications strategies for major brands like Macy’s, Staples, BIC, and Rite Aid, leading teams through everything from CEO transitions to corporate restructurings. At the same time, I was a trained makeup artist with a deep background in color theory and visual presentation. Two worlds that most people see as completely separate.

But here’s what having a foot in both taught me: the way you communicate and the way you present yourself are not separate things. They work together. And when they’re aligned, people pay attention.

The Gap That’s Costing You More Than You Think

In my corporate career, I watched it happen over and over. Brilliant women walking into rooms with sharp strategies and great ideas, but something wasn’t landing. The message was right. The preparation was there. But the full picture wasn’t telling a cohesive story.

Sometimes it was visual. The way they presented themselves didn’t reflect the authority they actually had. Sometimes it was energetic. They were so focused on saying the right thing that they forgot about how they were making people feel. And sometimes it was both.

Most people think of executive presence as a single skill. It’s not. It’s a system. Your message is what you say. Your image is what people see. Your presence is what they feel. When those three things are aligned, trust happens almost instantly. When they’re not, there’s a disconnect that no amount of great content can overcome.

I saw women with decades of experience get overlooked because their outside didn’t reflect their inside. Not because they weren’t polished. They were. But polished and aligned are not the same thing.

The Shift That Changes Everything

When I launched Maven Row Communications, I brought both sides of my background together for the first time. Strategic communications and visual identity, under one roof. Because I’d spent years watching what happens when they’re treated as separate conversations, and I knew they shouldn’t be.

The first question I ask every client isn’t about their messaging or their wardrobe. It’s this: How do you want to feel when you walk into a room?

It sounds simple, but it changes everything. Most women have never been asked that. They’ve been told what to wear, what’s “appropriate,” what the industry expects. But when you start with feeling and build your presence around that, something shifts. You stop performing confidence. You start carrying it. Your shoulders go back. You stop adjusting and second-guessing. The room reads you differently because you’re finally reading as yourself.

I call this the Maven Row Method. It integrates strategic communication, visual identity, and personal presence into one cohesive approach. Because your brand isn’t just what you say about yourself. It’s the full experience of you.

Presence Doesn’t Clock Out

One thing I tell my clients that often surprises them: this isn’t just about the boardroom. As a mom of three kids who play every sport imaginable, I’ve spent plenty of time on sidelines, at school events, and in carpool lines. And what I’ve found is that how you show up in those moments matters just as much.

Not because anyone is judging your outfit at a Saturday soccer game. But because how you feel in what you’re wearing follows you everywhere. When you show up intentionally in every part of your life, you stop compartmentalizing your confidence. You just have it.

Whether I’m walking into a board meeting for Girls on the Run International or cheering from the bleachers, the question is always the same: Does my outside match my inside? That’s the thread that connects everything I do.

Your Presence Is Already Your Superpower

Here’s what I want every woman reading this to know: the room starts forming an opinion about you before you open your mouth. That’s not something to be afraid of. That’s something to own.

You don’t need a complete overhaul. You don’t need to become someone you’re not. Start with one honest question: When I show up, does my presence tell the story I actually want people to hear?

If the answer is not quite, that’s not a failure. That’s an invitation. It’s not about being someone you’re not. It’s about being more of who you already are, on purpose.

Photo Credit: Heidi Curran Photography