To celebrate the new year, I had an opportunity to speak candidly with Rachel Zoe, the trendsetting OG. I was anxious about a Zoom call with the icon, mostly because I hate my look on Zoom. Rachel was so insightful and engaging that I forgot about my Zoom look and concentrated on what she said. I was looking for guidance on her mindset and how she built an empire based on style and faced challenges. I was looking for guidance on re-entering an industry later in life. In my 20s and 30s, fashion was at the forefront of my career, working in my family fashion business and opening a retail women’s clothing boutique while writing for national publications on fashion, style, and events. Later, life changes and opportunities drove me to pivot from fashion to biotech investor relations. As a single mom, I worked like crazy to do what I had to do to climb a corporate ladder. Being stylish is underestimated in ladder-climbing, but fashion took a back seat. As I re-embark into fashion styling after many years, I am thrilled (and relieved) to follow my true passion.
Three key takeaways from our conversation about career pivoting:
1) Embrace your past successes and failures so they guide your future. Use what you’ve learned in the world. Rachel’s approach is to embrace the present, trust the process, and believe you are where you should be. If you work hard and trust your gut, the rest will follow.
2) Her following advice regarding work and career was that doing what you love doesn’t feel like work. So, find what you love and what you’re passionate about and make a career of it, no matter what stage of life you’re in
3) Lastly, Rachel Zoe thinks that if you plan and set goals, you set yourself up for failure. For some, goal setting works, but seizing opportunities and being present is more important for her.
As Gabrielle Chanel said, “Fashion changes, but style endures.” During my years in the corporate world, style remained my passion, and I am so excited to share this journey of working with people to develop their signature style, leaving them looking and feeling their absolute best. I highly recommend listening to Rachel’s podcast, “Climbing in Heels,” part two of this blog summarizes my takeaways from Rachel Zoe’s first podcast of 2024. She still owns style and trendsetting, but her business acumen was the key to her success.
