Champagne Living: How to Sparkle Without Spending

The Illusion of Sparkle

Every woman wants to sparkle in her own unique way to have that certain genise quad that lights up rooms and just makes life feel a little bit more magical. But here's the mistake I see. We've been taught to believe that sparkle is something you buy a new outfit, a handbag or luxury vacation. And listen, there's nothing wrong with any of those things, but the truth is sparkle isn't for self. Welcome to the School of Self-Image where our motto is simple. Elevate your self-image, elevate your life. I'm Tonya Leigh, your hostess, and I'll guide you to become the woman who doesn't just dream bigger. She lives bigger. Let's dive in.

Sparkle Is a Mindset, Not a Price Tag 

Hey there, I'm Tonya Leigh and I am so glad to see you here. My entire body of work is around self-image because this is the foundation for a magical and expansive life. And today's episode was actually inspired by a message that I received recently on Instagram. This lovely woman reached out to me and she said, word for word, I want to sparkle like you, but I can't afford designer clothes. And my heart went out to her because I know so many women feel this way. I have felt this way thinking that our shine is something that we have to buy, something that comes once we've reached a certain income or can finally afford the right things. But here's what I told her. Sparkle doesn't come from money. Sparkle comes from your mindset, from how you choose to see yourself and the world. I have met women who have had access to unlimited bank accounts and were as dull as a dishwasher.

Champagne Living: The Art of Everyday Abundance 

And I've met women with limited resources who could walk into a room and instantly light it up, not because of what they were wearing, but because of the energy that they carried. And that's when I knew I had to do this episode because so many of us are waiting until we can afford our sparkle. And yet the truth is your sparkle is available to you right now. And I have a name for this way of being. I call it Champagne Living. Now, let me be very clear here. Champagne Living isn't about drinking champagne every night or even buying designer labels. It's not about excess. It's about the energy that you bring to your life. Think about champagne and what it represents. It's about celebrating the every day. It's about choosing to see joy, abundance, beauty, no matter what's in your bank account. Champagne is a sign of celebration, of overflow, of luxury.

And Champagne Living is a mindset one that says, I am worthy of sparkle of luxury and joy right now. It's in how you show up, it's how you carry yourself and you create these moments of delight no matter your circumstances at the core. Champagne Living is an abundant self-image. And I want to take a moment right now to tell you a little bit about my relationship with Champagne Living because a lot of people look at the life I'm living now and they think, oh, of course this is easy for you, Tonya, but you all don't see. Many years ago when I started this work and I was actually living in a tiny little apartment with my daughter, I was newly divorced trying to figure out, oh my God, are we going to be okay? Are we going to make it? And it was in those moments that I decided to start looking for what was going well and right to do the best I could with what I had.

I call it blooming where I was planted. And I am convinced that I am where I am today. I developed this mindset so many years ago of deciding no matter what is happening around me, no matter how much money I have in my bank account, there is always something to celebrate because abundance isn't a dollar amount. It is an energy. And when you cultivate that energy within yourself, you start living from a place of already enough. And from there, your sparkle doesn't depend on what you buy, but on how you be. So I want to share a few ways this abundant self-image shows up.

The More Abundant You Feel, the Less You Chase

First of all, the more abundant you feel, the less you chase. Really think about it. When you are overflowing on the inside, you stop scrambling for external validation. You don't need to fill the void with endless shopping, scrolling, or proving yourself. Sparkle isn't purchased, it's embodied. The other way it shows up is that the more abundant you feel, the less you want certain stuff. There was a time when I thought that another handbag or another pair of shoes or another status symbol was the key to feeling complete. If you would've told me 10 years ago that there would be a day where I wasn't obsessed with a designer, I would've said, no, that's not possible. Because I go back and I visit with that version of myself, and she really thought that was a sign that she had made it. She really thought, oh my God, that really means you are high value.

But now that I am where I am in my life, and maybe it's because of age, I think it's just maturity. I know those things don't define me. I actually want them less and less. I'm all about finding a good sale. I'm all about finding a good piece at the vintage store. I still love fashion. I still love clothes, but I know it's not about a price tag. It's about finding pieces that really embody and express who I want to be and how I want to see myself. And quite honestly, I don't want to see myself as a woman who needs designer labels in order to feel good enough. So it's really interesting that the more abundant I feel, the more value I have on the inside, the less I find myself wanting certain stuff. Now, because sparkle really does become about presence, it's not about possessions. The other thing that happens with an abundant self-image is that abundant shifts how you see the ordinary when you live with this abundant self-image, even the simplest rituals start to feel luxurious. I think about my morning coffee and how I romanticize it in my head.

Every morning I wake up, I don't know about you, but I just am so excited about that first cup of coffee. I put music on, usually a little jazz, and I go into my little coffee area and it's become this ritual that's about so much more than just caffeinating myself. It's just this magical little moment that I create for myself every single morning. It's the handwritten note. It's the fresh sheets. When you start to bring attention and intention to these routine ordinary things, suddenly life starts to sparkle without needing a price tag. The other thing that happens, and this is the best part, is that abundance attracts more abundance. Think about it. When you show up feeling abundant on the inside, you're going to start to attract more opportunities, more money, and more resources, because that is a match for how you're showing up in the world.

But we often get it wrong. We're like, I'm going to wait for those things to show up, for me to sparkle, for me to feel abundant. But you got to sparkle first and the success will follow. It's not the other way around. And I know this might sound woo woo and we hear about law of attraction, but let's break it down to a scientific level. I used to be a nurse, so I like understanding the science behind the things that I teach. And it really boils down to the reticular activating system. It's the part of your brain that notices and amplifies what you're focused on. So when you're tuned into abundance, what's going to happen, you're going to start to notice it and to spot opportunities and possibilities. And you're going to start to look for what's overflowing and abundant in your life. And when you're in that state of being, just notice how you show up.

Notice what you attract, what you do and the results that you create. An abundant self-image creates more abundance in your external world. The other beautiful thing about an abundant self-image is that it makes generosity effortless. Think about it. When you feel abundant, you naturally want to share. You want to share ideas, you want to share resources. You want to share money. You just want to share because you have this sense of there is enough. You give compliments freely, you celebrate others, you make the people around. You feel so seen, and that generosity multiplies your sparkle and it doesn't cost a cent. Finally, when you are an abundant state, it ends the game of comparison. Nothing will dull your sparkle more than you comparing yourself to everyone else because you are so unique. You have a gift about you. You have things that only you can share.

And so if you're constantly comparing yourself to everybody else and using other people as a weapon to make yourself feel bad, you are dulling your sparkle. But think about it. When you see yourself as abundant and you see the world as abundant, you stop measuring your worth against someone else's highlight reel. Instead of feeling envy, you're going to start to feel inspired because you trust that there's more than enough for you too. You also start to think, you know what? If they can do it, so can I. And instead of feeling envy, you start to celebrate what others are doing because they're showing you what's possible. True abundance makes you cheer for others, which ironically causes you to sparkle even more.

 Sparkle Before Success

So when you think about Champagne Living, I want you to remember this. It's not about the handbag. Again, there's nothing wrong with handbags. I still enjoy them, but I know they don't create my sparkle. It's not a price tag because you can't buy that energy. As I said earlier, there are many people that I know of personally who have unlimited budgets, who don't feel that sparkle in their lives. And it's not the lifestyle that you see on Instagram at the core. It's about cultivating an abundant self-image because abundance is an energy. And when you live from that energy, something powerful happens. You naturally just attract more of it. Opportunities open up. New clients arrive. Money flows in unexpected ways, not because you're forcing it, but because your energy is already aligned with it. And here's the best part. When you feel abundant, money doesn't define you. You enjoy it more. You use it with intention, but you stop needing it to prove your worth. And that's why inside the School of Self-Image this November, our entire focus is on an abundant self-image.

I'll be teaching you on how to rewire your relationship with abundance, including money, so that you can feel not only rich from the inside out, but also start attracting more abundance into your life. Because the sparkle always comes before the success. And yes, that includes financial success. So if you are ready to step into a richer way of being, come and join us inside the membership. You can learn more at schoolofselfimage.com/join, and I cannot wait to welcome you in. Thank you for tuning in, and I'll see you in next week's episode. Cheers.