Latest / GlowInto / The Story of Remaking Jodi
Transcript
- Jen: There's something interesting about the people we choose to follow online. Sometimes it starts with something simple, a great outfit, a bold print, a pop of color that makes you stop scrolling. That's how I first found Jodi. Jodi is a content creator I began following on Instagram, and while I certainly love clothes, I realized pretty quickly that it was more than fashion that kept me coming back. It was Jodi herself. Her personality, her energy, the way she shows up in her content. And seems completely comfortable taking up space. And then I had the opportunity to actually get to know the woman behind all of that content. I loved hearing Jody's story because it reminded me of something we often forget. We can follow someone for months, even years, and feel like we know them, without really knowing what's happening behind the photos, the videos, and the personality we see on our screens. Over the past couple of years, I found myself following more and more. Content creators speaking specifically to women over 40, especially women from my Gen X generation. And I love what I see as building. Because think about how much the image of a woman in her 50s, 60s, and beyond has changed. For years there seemed to be an unwritten rule that once a woman reached a certain age, she was supposed to dress differently, wear her hair differently, tone things down, become a little quieter. I always joke that somewhere in our minds we thought we were all eventually supposed to start looking like the golden girls. And listen, I love the golden girls, but women like Jody are showing us another version of aging. We can wear color. We can wear the wild prints. We can follow trends or completely ignore them. We can dress for the woman we are instead of dressing for the number attached to our age. And maybe most importantly, we don't have to fade into the background. Simply because we're getting older. In fact, this chapter can be one of our greatest opportunities for self-expression. That's what drew me to Jodi in the first place. But getting to know her story showed me there was so much more behind those colorful outfits and that big personality. So today I want you to meet the woman behind the content. This is Remaking Jodi, dressing for joy, and taking up space. And this is exactly the kind of woman and the kind of story we celebrate at Glowin' Two. What first caught my attention was her style, but what kept me watching was her personality. There's a genuineness to the way Jodi shows up on camera, along with a positive energy and a self-awareness that makes her immediately feel relatable. Some content creators create that sense of connection more naturally than others, and with Jodi, you feel like you're getting to know the woman behind the videos. She is funny, creative, and unapologetically herself. At the same time, she seems to represent a piece of many women that we do not always show, the part that wants to be a little louder, a little more expressive, and a little less concerned with what everyone thinks. Spend a little time with Jodi and it quickly becomes clear that the clothes are only the doorway into a much larger story. Jody's story begins with a question many women may recognize in themselves why are we trying to look smaller? Why are we trying to take up less space? At 50, with her 51st birthday on September 27th, Jodi is exploring what it looks like to answer that question differently. Jodi grew up in Homer, Nebraska, a town of about 500 people and graduated in a class of just 24. She was involved in nearly everything, including sports, music, and school activities. Yet underneath all of it was a young woman who struggled deeply with confidence. Jodi describes herself as having been the chubby kid. And at 12, she remembers going to Weight Watchers meetings with her mother and weighing in alongside grown women. As a teenager, clothing options were limited, and while friends could shop at trendy junior stores, Jodi often found herself at Lane Bryant. I look like I was a 40 year old accountant when I was a teenager, she laughs. The impact went beyond clothes. Jodi says people were not necessarily holding her back. She was holding herself back. She avoided dating through much of high school and college because she had already decided no one would want the fat girl. Looking back, she sees that differently now. The weight doesn't matter to anybody as much as it matters to you, she says. She had friends, stayed involved, and was accepted by the people around her, yet she could not see her own worth as clearly as others may have seen it. I wish I would have realized I was worthy back then too, she says. Jodi attended the University of Nebraska, where she studied advertising and began what would become a thirty year career in marketing. Today she works as a marketing director. Her first marriage lasted nearly twelve years, and she describes it now as emotionally unhealthy. Leaving that relationship became one piece of a much larger transformation that unfolded over time. Today's episode is brought to you in part by Advantage Family Chiropractic. As we get older, staying active isn't just about how we look. It's about continuing to do the things we love. At Advantage Family Chiropractic, Dr. Gail Meese focuses on helping people keep their bodies moving through chiropractic care and with an emphasis on mobility, strength, and supporting an active life at every age. You can get to know Advantage Family Chiropractic now on their business feature on Glow In2. And stay tuned because later we're turning the spotlight from the business to the woman behind it. Dr. Gail Meese shares more of her story. Advantage Family Chiropractic and Glow Into Supporting Women as we keep moving, growing, and glowing into what's next. Today, Jodi is remarried and has two biological children and a bonus daughter. Her husband and her children fully support her online persona, remaking Jodi, and the expressive version of her that has emerged online. Her youngest daughter, an art major, tells her that her college friends follow Jodi's content. Her son celebrates her brand deals. Her husband knows to watch those TikToks all the way through, so he does not hurt her engagement. And Jodi has built her family around a philosophy she wishes that she understood much earlier. We all embrace each other's weirdness. We love each other for our weird, she says. If one of her children's friends does not have the kind of support at home, Jodi has no problem stepping in. She wants the people around her to feel free to be themselves because she knows what it costs to spend years doing the opposite. In 2021, Jodi underwent bariatric surgery and eventually lost about 130 pounds. It was not her first major weight loss. Several years earlier, she had lost around 100 pounds through diet and exercise before gaining the weight back. And it brought friends, she jokes. Before surgery, Jody was living with type 2 diabetes, using insulin and taking medication for high blood pressure. Today she says she no longer needs those medications and uses a GLP1 medication as part of maintaining her weight and reducing the food noise she has dealt with for much of her life. at her highest weight, she wore around a size 28. Today she generally wears a 12 to 14. Even so, Jodi is quick to say that her transformation cannot be reduced to a before and after picture. While the surgery was an important part of her journey, so was leaving her first marriage, watching her children grow up and reaching an age where she no longer wanted to organize her life around everyone else's expectations. It was kind of the perfect storm, she says. I had gotten to a point in my life where I just wanted to be who I wanted to be. The weight loss created more clothing options while the deeper change was internal. Remaking Jodi did not begin as a fashion account. Around 2023, she started posting bariatric content on TikTok and quickly realized it was not where her interest lived. My weight loss surgery is the least interesting thing about me, she says. At the same time, working from home had begun affecting how she felt. After years of not needing to get dressed for an office, sweatpants became the norm, hair and makeup became optional, and she noticed her mood shifting. She gave herself a reason to get trust again and started posting her outfits. There was no business plan and no goal becoming an influencer. She simply wanted a reason to put herself together each day. The early videos she says had terrible lighting, bad angles, and much simpler clothes. Still, something was beginning to change. As she kept posting, her style became brighter and more creative. She found small brands, international creators, And women combining clothes in ways she had never considered. One idea led to another until she discovered the phrase that perfectly described what she had already been doing dopamine dressing. Wear the thing because it makes you happy, she says. When someone suggested that the way she dresses looks like something a child would wear, Jody's response captured almost everything she has come to believe about personal style. Thank you. Kids dress for joy, so I absolutely take that as a compliment, she says. A five-year-old does not ask whether something is slimming, age appropriate, or flattering. She sees something she loves and she puts it on. For Jody, that idea feels especially powerful after a lifetime of being told, directly and indirectly, that clothing should help women look smaller. I've been on a diet since I was ten years old, she says. Jodie is finished with all the old rules and hiding and minimizing and blending in. Why are we trying to be quiet? Why are we trying to blend in? We're over that. Jodi initially focused on TikTok and eventually reached around 10,000 followers. When talk began that TikTok might be banned, she reluctantly started an Instagram account. Growth was slow at first, and then one video took off. Her following jumped from roughly 200 people. To twenty thousand in approximately two months. Other videos gained traction too, including a mother of the bride content surrounding her daughter's wedding that reached more than two million views on TikTok. Brands began contacting her. She has also worked with companies including Deluth Trading Company and has participated in fashion, lifestyle, and GLP 1 related partnerships. Jodi still resists calling herself an influencer. I'm a content creator, she says. I'm just a lady that makes videos in my home office. That optimism is not something Jody created for social media. She describes herself as naturally positive, a glass half full person who once was described simply as sunshiny. That quality comes through in her content, and it may be part of why thousands of women feel as though they know her. She has no plans to leave her career in marketing. Social media remains a creative side hustle and a way to fund some of the things she loves doing outside of work. One of those things is New Kids on the Block. Jodi's favorite new kid is Donnie Wahlberg, and her connection to the band goes back to adolescence. Like many Gen X girls, she remembers when loving New Kids on the Block suddenly became something teenagers were mocked for. She held on to it anyways. That fandom has also given Jodi a few surreal moments along the way. During a new kid's trip to Las Vegas, Donnie recognized her and the jacket she had created and shared online from her. For someone who has followed the band since adolescence, it was one of those full circle moments that felt both funny and a little unbelievable. When the group reunited in 2008, the fandom returned with something even more valuable attached to it community. Through online fan groups, concerts, cruises, and events, Jody began meeting other women who loved the band too. She became lifelong friends with them. One of her closest friendships began through the new kids community. Another friend first discovered Jodi through social media and eventually sent a message saying, This may sound strange, but I feel like we should be friends. Today they text every day and travel together. For Jodi, that is what people sometimes miss about fandom. The band matters, so do the friendships built around it. The guys are just a bonus, she says. She has attended tours since the group's reunion. Gone on an NKO TB cruise, attended BlockCon and traveled for special events. she also has one longstanding rule. When a new kid comes to town, you go. Years ago, shortly after having her son by C-section, Jodi heard that Jordan Knight was appearing in a local bowling alley. She still had staples and went. Jodi's fandom has become another creative outlet for her creativity. For a new kids Las Vegas residency trip, she created a heavily embellished jacket and shared the process online. For the next trip, Jodi found another project. She discovered a UK creator making disco capes. Blazers transformed into dramatic cape like pieces often worn to concerts and festivals. She bought the tutorial and made one, then made another for the friend traveling with her. She also started teaching herself to sew, turned vintage new kids' curtains into a fanny pack, and jokes that she even belongs to the Hobby Ho Club. Over the years she has used a cricket, run an Etsy shop, made cheer apparel, and collected enough creative hobbies to fill far more than one closet. Coming next on Glowin' Two this October, we're bringing even more women, more conversations, and more stories that I can't wait to share with you. You'll meet Regina Dawkins, whose story takes us through decades of military service, loss, leadership, and caring for others, and into the chapter she's building now around wellness, community, and finally making room for a dream of her own. And you'll meet Janine Lang, who is stepping into an entirely new chapter as an author and showing us that our sixties may look very different from what we once imagined. Janine's story is about continuing to create, continuing to dream and refusing to let an age or number determine what's next. She's part of a generation of women redefining what it looks like to be in your 60s and not slowing down or disappearing into the background, but finding new ways to use your voice Pursue the things that matter to you and become even more of who you are. And those are only the beginning. There are so many incredible women coming to Glowin' Two this October, both here and on the podcast through the stories at glowin' two dot com. So stay tuned. For Jodi, the point is not to master every hobby, it's to simply enjoy it. One of the most telling parts of Jodi's story has little to do with clothing. She does not believe in gatekeeping. When a woman launching a small business reached out with social media questions, Jodi got on a video call and helped her. The founder was surprised because many creators would never give away that kind of information. Jodi sees it differently. There's enough room for all of us, she says. That attitude carries into the brands she promotes. She especially loves highlighting small women owned businesses and often shares their products without earning a commission simply because she wants other people to discover them. at the same time, she has strict boundaries around paid work. If she would not personally buy something, she will not recommend it. If a gifted product is poor quality or a bad fit, she would rather contact the company than pretend otherwise. Money is hard to make, she says. I don't want people to waste their money because they saw me say something that was great about it when it was really garbage. the messages that matter most are not commission notifications. They are the women who tell Jodi they bought something because they saw her wear it, or who send a photograph wearing something she inspired them to try. Some of the most emotional messages Jodi receives come from women who tell her they would love to dress more boldly, but are afraid their families would make fun of them. Why does your family want you to double your shine? she says. For Jodi, that question reaches far beyond fashion. Why should a woman make herself quieter because someone else might not understand her? Why should she hide something that brings her joy? Why should she spend another decade dressing, behaving, or living in a way designed primarily to make other people comfortable? Jody's response to criticism of her own outfits is refreshingly uncomplicated. If someone does not like it, they do not have to wear it. The real gift of remaking Jodi is that she is not telling women they need bold color or dopamine dressing. She is showing them that they are allowed to choose themselves. Wear the thing, try the hobby, love the band, take the trip, make the cape, post the video. Jodi says she will keep creating content for as long as it stays fun. If it becomes another job, something essential will have been lost. Remaking Jodi was never really about becoming an influencer. It was about becoming Jodi, the woman who was always underneath the diets, expectations, and securities, and years of wondering whether she was too much of one thing and not enough of the other. Today she understands something her younger self did not. Her worth was never waiting at a particular weight, dress size, or level of approval. She was worthy then too. Now she is dressing for joy, trying new things, traveling and creating and showing up in a way that feels more like herself. Somewhere on the other side of the screen, another woman is watching her and thinking that maybe she could wear the thing that she's been afraid to wear. Try something new or stop worrying quite so much about being flattering. And that is what remaking Jodi has really become. Not a makeover, not a before and after, but a woman finally allowing herself to be completely seen. I think what I love most about her story is the reminder that style can be so much more than what we put on our bodies. It can be confidence, it can be joy, it can be a way of saying this is who I am now and being completely comfortable taking up space. Jody's story has made me want to explore this conversation even further. I'm going to be talking with more women about style after 40. Women who are challenging the old ideas of what we're supposed to wear as we get older and showing us what it looks like to dress with confidence, personality, and a whole lot more freedom. I want to make this a reoccurring conversation here on the Glow and Two podcast because there are so many women redefining what style should look like in this chapter of life. And I want to hear from them. And if you're new to Glow and Two, I hope you'll come find us. Glow and two is a space created for women after 40, built around real women, real stories, and the wisdom that comes from everything we've lived and everything that's still ahead of us. Through our stories, the Glow and Tell podcast, and conversations about style, longevity, the workplace, and what shapes us now, we're creating a place where women can see themselves. They can learn from one another, and maybe even feel inspired to try something they haven't tried before. Because there's so much more to becoming who we are. These are the women of Glow and Two. And until next time, keep showing up, keep taking up space, and as I always say, Keep glowing into who you were always meant to be.