CLAIRE

We spent the next two hours going over potential questions and answers. Nina played interviewer while I practiced my responses. "What inspired you to start your own line?" Nina asked.

"I wanted to create pieces for women who refuse to apologize for taking up space," I answered. "Women who've been told to be smaller, quieter, less, and decided they're done with that."

"Good," Nina said. "But add something personal, make it connect to your story."

I thought about it. "After my divorce, I felt invisible," I tried again. "Like I'd been erased, I started designing as a way to reclaim myself, to prove I still existed and mattered."

"Perfect,"...