SOAL 15
SOAL 36: Lead with Love

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Takara Beathea-Gudell is a creative and inspiring entrepreneur and self-taught designer in the fashion industry. She has successfully run her own business, Takara Designs, for over 40 years. She creates designs that make women of every size feel beautiful. With Takara’s artistic abilities and innovative mind, she was able to create a program during the COVID pandemic to allow her company to survive by making over 3,000 masks. Takara is a role model for women everywhere and shares what it means to create an opportunity out of the chaos. Her words of wisdom? Always lead with love and courage!

The only thing I can say about just being an entrepreneur and a designer is that you have to believe in yourself.

I feel like COVID saved my life, in a way that it slowed me down, I reconnected with my life.

When you go through the struggle, when you go through the fire, when you go through the storm, when you go through the flood, you got to know you have to be anchored in something.

My thing is for all the other artists and entrepreneurs that are out there, is to stay on your path.

You’ll Learn

  • Lead with courage and love.
  • Stay on the path; it takes time to build recognition.
  • There is an opportunity in times of chaos.

Resources

Transcript

Narrator:

Hello, and welcome to Soul of a Leader Podcast, where we ignite soulful conversations with leaders. In today’s episode, Dr. Alicia and Dr. Eileen sit with Takara Beathea Gudell to discuss lead with love.

 

Alicia:

Welcome to Soul of a Leader Podcast. In today’s episode, we have Takara Beathea Gudell, she is a proud owner of Takara Designs in Oak Park, and I must say she has some beautiful designs. I spent a couple of hours on her website, and guess what? I must say, I have on my beautiful necklace, it says, “Vote.” So welcome to Soul of a Leader, Takara.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Oh my gosh, thank you so much. I’m happy to be here. Like I said initially, this is my first podcast, so I’m excited. Let’s go.

 

Eileen:

Well, welcome so much. And with that intro, did we miss anything that you would like to add?

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Yeah. I’m happy to be here, I own a business in Oak park, I am an entrepreneur. I design and manufacture women’s clothing and designs, also do accessories, and just really happy to be here right now.

 

Alicia:

Well-

 

Eileen:

So thank you.

 

Alicia:

So I have a question for you, because I know when I placed my order and you said, you were so excited that you got a big call. So let’s tell the audience about this call you received about the vote necklace.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

So this is the thing with the Michelle Obama necklace. I did not design the one that she was wearing, but it was an inspiration. I had already sort of previously started working on the vote necklace. And then what happened was it was very difficult for a lot of customers to find the vote necklace, however, they found me.

 

Alicia:

Wow.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Yeah. And so my vote necklace was very specific because it has the female symbol in the center because I thought it was really important that the female vote was… I thought it was going to be very, very important during this election. And so I wanted to make sure that I concentrated on the female vote.

 

Eileen:

So, for the listeners, they’re visualizing what it looks like and I’m going to share a little bit. There’s a V in the front, a zero, an E on the other side of the zero, but the T is below that makes the female symbol. It’s beautiful. And where can they see that picture?

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

So you can go to my website, it’s shoptakara, T-A-K-A-R-A .com. Shoptakara.com. And there’s a section in there that has the vote and the vote collection. And it comes in eight different colors-

 

Eileen:

Yes.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

… that’s about five or six variations.

 

Eileen:

Yes.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

You can get a necklace of 10, I’m doing rings, there are earrings, there’s just a full collection of the vote, it’s really amazing. It’s done amazingly well, I’ve shipped it all over the country.

 

Alicia:

Good.

 

Eileen:

And what’s so neat about this, it doesn’t matter if it’s every four years, every two years, every other year, we need more people to vote.

 

Alicia:

Absolutely.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Yes.

 

Eileen:

No matter when it is, primaries, mayoral-

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

I was going to say that.

 

Eileen:

… alderman, whatever.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Yes, absolutely.

 

Eileen:

That’s why this necklace is timeless.

 

Alicia:

Yes.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

It is timeless, absolutely. [inaudible 00:03:33] continue to use it. I was very specific that I offered it in multiple colors because quite frankly I didn’t want to get involved in this sort of Republican-Democrat race kind of thing.

 

Alicia:

Absolutely.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

So I kind of offered it in wonderful colors, like orange and purple and green and pink and white and red and blue and black and a clear frosted. I just offered it and all these amazing colors, so. So everyone kind of has been able to find the color that suits them well.

 

Alicia:

Yes. Yes. And that’s what’s important.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Yeah.

 

Alicia:

Yeah.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Yes, exactly. [crosstalk 00:04:07]… fashion.

 

Alicia:

Yes. Yes.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

It’s a fashionable way to represent that you voted, or you have intentions on voting, or you want to put the message to vote out to just a basic stranger walking. I’ve had people stop me about the necklace [inaudible 00:04:22] something I was wearing.

 

Alicia:

Wow.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Yeah.

 

Alicia:

So, and that leads me to another part of our conversation about, what inspired you to become a woman-owned business, a minority-owned business? You are very creative. I can see the creativity, and like I said, I’m not joking, I spent hours on it. I was even on there today, “What else can I buy?” [crosstalk 00:04:53].

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Oh super.

 

Alicia:

I can’t really go anywhere, but you just think about things. But importantly, you can see the gift that God has given you and the creativity of design. So let’s talk a little bit about it, because we are all women business owners, in fact, Eileen, and myself and yourself, and I know how hard it is or challenging it is for us as women to build a business. So, what inspired [crosstalk 00:05:25]?

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Yeah. Gosh, honestly I started this business 42 years ago. My daughter will be 46 this year and we were out in California and I started this business making seashell earrings, and it just inspired me to kind of get out there and do something on my own. I’ve always been very creative, and I got to tell you, within months of my starting a business, I started mass-producing for department stores in California. My very first one was Bullocks, I don’t know if anyone’s familiar with that department store. Dillard’s, which was which is-

 

Eileen:

Dillards.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

… now, yeah, Dillard’s is Nordstrom’s. I believe they’re a parent owner of Nordstroms. So yeah, I’ve been designing, I’ve been inspired by just really wanting to be very creative and find solutions to things that I couldn’t find solutions to, especially with my clothing. Because I’m very curvy, but I have a really small waist and it was very difficult for me to find clothing, so I started designing a line of clothing as well.

 

Eileen:

I looked at your website and what I noticed is the flow.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Yes.

 

Eileen:

The flow of the tops and the energy, looking at the designs. Did that come from any values or life experience or energy? Or, how did you start your creative process?

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

So, my mom is from the Virgin Islands, and so I just recall just some of the beautiful flow of the clothing that she wore. I, myself have always been a very unusual dresser. I mean, even in grade school, high school, I always sort of did something very special with my clothing. I wore two different color socks in grade school, I was always very artistic. And a lot of my friends are not surprised that I became this big artist, clothing designer extraordinaire if you will. And so, yeah, I’ve just always been wanting to dig a little deeper for the women I got. It was not called corporate America when I was in corporate America. But it was very regulated, with women having to wear suits and things, I was always trying to be a little creative with that. Now fast forward, I’m here, this is probably the 10th boutique I’ve had-

 

Alicia:

Wow.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

… in my career. I’ve done everything from designing 40,000 pairs of earrings from Sears, I’ve been in films, I’ve been on catalogs. When I think about my career, I think I’ve had three careers. So, the only thing I can say about just being an entrepreneur and a designer is that you have to believe in yourself. You have to have some self-belief, because there are days when you wake up and you’re just, “What the heck am I doing?” And then just like that, magic. I’m always led, I’m very spiritual, I’m always just asking God, “God, show me just…” I wake up saying, “If this is what I’m supposed to be, show me today.” And I’ve just had some amazing miraculous things that have happened in my career. It’s just been amazing. I’ve designed for some amazing people, Michael Jordan’s mom, I’ve done amazing things. But the best for me was when I designed for my daughter’s wedding, and so-

 

Alicia:

Wow.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Yeah. Yeah. I designed her outfit for her. Her evening outfit, not the wedding dress.

 

Alicia:

Right, right.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Her evening outfit, yeah.

 

Alicia:

Wow.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Yes.

 

Alicia:

I mean, that alone had to be a moment of inspiration and faith. And you talked about it some, how do you connect your faith to a shared vision of your business? To me, I think it’s very important to have faith in a business because just like you said, you could wake up one morning and be, “What am I doing here?” Then in the next moment, you can say, “Okay God, I need your guidance. I need your wisdom, or your leadership ability to help me move forward,” because you just kind of know you in that space, but you feel like you’re being tested. So again, how do you connect some of your faith with some of the visions that you have for your business?

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Well, I got to tell you, during this COVID and the pandemic and our lockdown. Oh God, all of us, we were all tested.

 

Alicia:

Yes.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

And I can truly say that while we lost, it’s just been devastating. I don’t know how to say this, but I feel like COVID saved my life, in a way that it slowed me down, I reconnected with my life. I was moving at such a speed of light that I was disconnected, I literally was just coming home to sleep and eat. And so I spent that time, I was able to start meditating again. One of the greatest things that came out of my isolation in the pandemic was I started writing small stories, short stories, of injustice, and I’ve had a couple of them published since. And it talks about my being, in my youth, of starting out and just having… And the name of it was called, Stories that Pinch.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

They’re stories of small incidents that would normally go over someone’s head, but by the time you’ve finished reading a story, you understand the injustice that has happened within the story. So I really believe I was led to do that, I sat out on my deck and the stories just started to flow. And I have had hundreds of people inbox me about having copies of my stories, and it’s been wonderful. And that’s been my connection, sitting under a tree writing during COVID.

 

Eileen:

That is wonderful, I love the title, Tiny Stories that Pinch.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Yes. Mm-hmm (affirmative).

 

Eileen:

And it’s really something where you said, you write under a tree-

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

I do.

 

Eileen:

… and come to this. [crosstalk 00:12:04] You’re grounded. It sounds like you’re grounded by the tree and the sitting there, to create these stories. And my first initial reaction to the title is, “Yeah, Tiny Stories that Pinch, but if you get a lot of pinches, they become bruises,” right?

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Exactly.

 

Eileen:

Yeah, so yeah.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

[crosstalk 00:12:29] are pretty difficult to tell. But for me, I thought it was important for me to try to work with the Black Lives Matter and try to get people to understand the injustices that happen in our community. And that as an artist, I felt like I had to do it in a very creative way.

 

Alicia:

Yes.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

I am not the type of person to stand on a soap box and yell and scream at one another, but I am very creative in a way to get someone to understand what’s going on in our society. And so, I took it upon myself to do that while we were in lockdown, actually. And another thing that I did during the lockdown, which I prayed on as well, because I was very concerned about doing it, and was to pivot into designing protective wear. I ended up creating a program so that we can bring seamstresses back to work because I was watching our careers, I was watching our industry implode the clothing industry and the retail industry and the manufacturing industry, and all the manufacturing places that were closing down. And I had to come up with a program, so I created a program that we got our manufacturing rebooted, and we were able… Our company survived by making masks and I started donating them to hospitals and things a bit.

 

Alicia:

Wow.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Yeah, it was really powerful. It was something that I prayed on and I just wasn’t sure if I… I felt like I wasn’t sure if I should do it and then finally I put them online, we started selling them, and it’s been amazing. It really recouped and saved the business.

 

Alicia:

And what’s important, a lot of times we go through things for a reason. And yes, there is a bad part of this pandemic, I mean, we have lost a lot of people.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Yeah.

 

Alicia:

And yes, there could have been a lot of things that could have been done differently. And yes, leadership, all the things that we can think of or that negative part of it. But I think what I have been learning, and through it, all is listening to the positive part about it.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Oh yes.

 

Alicia:

When you go through the struggle, when you go through the fire, when you go through the storm, when you go through the flood, you got to know you have to be anchored in something. And so, what you were saying is, “Yes, I understand what the world is going through, but now we’re losing an industry that you know very well the manufacturing.” I mean, it has affected everybody.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Everyone.

 

Alicia:

If you didn’t understand that this is a time to think about how I need to pivot or leverage my business to do something to survive, to stand. I mean, unfortunately, there’s a lot of businesses that had to close. Close down because they couldn’t think quick enough or fast enough, or for whatever reason, to survive, to kind of make a change.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Absolutely.

 

Alicia:

And so, that goes to one of my questions about making a difference in other lives. And here’s a prime example of what you did to help make a difference by creating the mask.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Yeah, I was able to employ four or five seamstresses to get the masks mass-produced. We had so many orders, it was just unbelievable. I think by the time it all ended, we may have produced over 3,000, 4,000 masks. We’re still selling them online now. One good thing is that one of my clients came, her husband was a physician, and he said my masks were one of the best-made masks that he has seen during the COVID. Because we had put a filter pocket in ours and it was two-ply. We started out with three-ply, but that was a little difficult for breathing, so we brought it down to a two-ply with a pocket and it’s been amazing. I mean, between that and the vote necklace and just really being creative. I try to stay ahead of the curve if you will. It’s, “What’s coming now? What’s on the path? How can I express myself creatively, and also bring the customer with me so they can understand my career and what I’m doing?”

 

Eileen:

Well, and it sounds like it’s in a very positive manner.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Of course.

 

Eileen:

When Alicia and I started this some colleagues said, “Oh, you’ve got to tell HR stories.” And we said, “No, we’re done with HR stories, we want to tell positive stories. We want to tell you about people leading, about ordinary people with extraordinary stories or talent.”

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Oh.

 

Eileen:

So it seems like what I’m hearing is that during this time there’s some opportunity in chaos, at times of chaos there’s an opportunity. But with the vote necklace, the mask, the writing, your business, you pivoted in a positive manner. Because we can always focus on the negative, but by planting these seeds and putting them out there, you’re changing people’s lives.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Oh yes, absolutely. When I think about my career in general, when I have the boutique, I remember that I didn’t want it to be just a boutique, that I wanted to house it and bring women in so they could feel that it was a safe place, a safe place for them. And so I’ve had customers with cancer, cancer survivors, that have come in and I’ve designed special garments for them going to their daughter’s weddings. And it’s just not about designing a skirt, but it’s really about…

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Sometimes I get the customers that are not necessarily neglected in the fashion industry, I generally work with a plus-sized woman. I’ve started working now with the size extra small to 2X, I believe now. But generally, I work with the invisible woman that cannot find the type of fashion that she looks for when she goes to a typical store at a shopping mall or something like that. And we do special orders, and we make sure that our women walk in the world feeling confident and noticed, and that they are part of society. Because sometimes when you’re plus-size, you walk in a room, you’re invisible. And so, we just want to make sure that we all are well-represented.

 

Alicia:

Well, looking at your website, anyone who puts your outfit on will not be invisible. I mean [crosstalk 00:19:28] tell everyone that. I mean, you walk in a room, their heads should turn when they have on a Takara design, now that’s me saying that. Trust me, I love design. I love fashion, and I can imagine how you connect with the women and I think that’s so important because it has a lot to do with our self-esteem, we’re going, to be honest, on this show, we’re about authentic leadership here. And so design and fashion, it really helps the woman feel good.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Yes.

 

Alicia:

And it just sounds like, as you said, it’s not about just being creative, but connecting to that soul, that individual.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Yes.

 

Alicia:

Bringing something out of them that, as you said, the regular stores just really kind of didn’t pay attention to them, which is a plus for you.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

They dropped the ball, yeah, absolutely.

 

Alicia:

Right. Right.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Yeah, [crosstalk 00:20:20]. I’m sorry, I just want to say that I think it’s really important that society just, in terms of me being an artist and addressing this issue of plus-size, I think that now is really… People are really turning their heads and really starting to acknowledge that generally women of power, sometimes we are plus-sized women. I’m one, and I look fabulous every time I leave my house.

 

Eileen:

Yes.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

And I want to represent that, I really do, and I think I’ve done a really great job with that with my career. I’ve had women that just loved the Takara Designs, love it, and love me as well. And miss me dearly in terms of COVID and we weren’t able to get together and things, and I’ve missed them too. So it’s been great to have the showroom open now, they call and make appointments. And I’m just getting started with accepting appointments this week and it’s been wonderful.

 

Eileen:

Well, and as you said, invisible women putting on one of your artwork, which I’ll call it because it is artwork, okay, it’s an artist creating. And that flow of energy is just sending the light out from the person’s soul. And as we say, we all are connected and the soul has no color, and so just making that person shine brighter by being able to give them some TLC in what they’re wearing, is so wonderful. It’s so wonderful. I mean, your story is, you’re transforming people’s lives in an area where they are invisible and they are women who are a little overweight, are sometimes cast aside, other things, when most of the time they’re juggling 50 million things, a family, home, a business, working, all this. And what I hear is, this is a wonderful TLC for all of them, so thank you.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Yes, you’re welcome. I love doing it. I love designing. It has been the happiest part of my life actually, and I feel very fortunate that I have been successful in the career and been able to survive all of the… I mean, since I, gosh, I’ve been doing it for 42 years off and on. Right now, I have a small collection at the Museum of Contemporary Art, that’s been amazing.

 

Alicia:

Wow.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

I’ve just had so many wonderful things in my career that I’m just so thankful for that it takes time to get recognition. My thing is for all the other artists and entrepreneurs that are out there, is to stay on your path. Stay on your path. You may not be recognized right away, but everyone has their turn.

 

Alicia:

And so, one of the things that I, before we go-to words of wisdom, I want to say that you are absolutely correct. It takes time to build and it takes time to be recognized, and so often people want the recognition first.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Immediate.

 

Alicia:

So quick and immediate. [inaudible 00:23:40] And you just said it, it doesn’t happen that way. You’ve been in the business for 42 years.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Yeah. Mm-hmm (affirmative), I have. And granted, I’ve had various businesses I’ve had, but they’ve always been designed. I’ve had boutiques, I’ve actually owned a shoe store. In 2008, when we had the financial devastation, I was listening to NPR and they said, “During a financial devastation, women buy two things,” did you know that? It’s lipstick and-

 

Eileen:

Shoes.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Lipstick and shoes.

 

Alicia:

Yes.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

And I thought, “Well, it wasn’t so hip back then to have a lipstick bar,” whereas right now, cosmetics are just so amazing right now. So I decided to open a shoe store, and it was so successful because of course, we weren’t buying the $300 and $400 dresses any longer, but we were buying the shoes. And so, in 2008 I opened a shoe store, that was a pretty great story.

 

Alicia:

Wow.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Yeah, that was fun. That was fun.

 

Alicia:

Yeah, we love our shoes and our lipstick.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Exactly.

 

Alicia:

Now, as we get ready to close, we so enjoyed talking with you and time really does fly. So, what are some words of wisdom would you like to leave with us and the listeners?

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Oh, that’s a good one. Good question. So I like to lead with love and courage. Yes. [crosstalk 00:25:18] Lead with love and courage. And especially during our pandemic right now, I know a lot of people are frightened, they’re losing their courage to do things. I think this is the perfect time to be courageous, to have your courage to step out there and be the person that you’ve always wanted to be, to start the business, to leave the job. Do it, just do it. Just stand up, have the courage, get out there, and do it. If you can’t figure out how to do it, get some support, some help, have a conversation with some good friends, you always want to have someone under you. But lead with courage and lead with love.

 

Alicia:

Whoo.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Yes, yes.

 

Eileen:

Wow, that’s phenomenal. Thank you.

 

Alicia:

I agree. Whoo. I’m laughing because, oh my gosh, I can feel it. You’re absolutely right, love and courage.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

Love and courage.

 

Alicia:

Yes.

 

Takara Beathea Gudell:

It takes a lot of courage to love during this time. A lot. I mean, sometimes I’m at the grocery store and I may not agree with a conversation that I overhear or something like that, and I just keep trying to radiate love, “Just radiate love, Takara.”

 

Alicia:

Yes.

 

Narrator:

Thank you for joining us on the Soul of a Leader Podcast. We are igniting a new way of leading with your soul and interviewing ordinary people with extraordinary impact. Thank you for listening to the stories of our leaders who will help and guide you on your leadership journey. For more information on our podcast, please visit our website at www.soulofaleader.com. Thank you for listening.

 

With Dr. Eileen & Dr. Alicia

Conversations with ordinary people, with extraordinary impact on strategies, success stories, spirituality and leadership.

With Dr. Eileen & Dr. Alicia

Conversations with ordinary people, with extraordinary impact on strategies, success stories, spirituality and leadership.