When I first got the email from Valerie asking me if I knew who Rachel Zoe was my answer was simple: “Rachel Zoe – as in the stylist extraordinaire? Never looks anything but amazingly fabulous – that would be the only Rachel Zoe I know – and by “know” I mean stalk her on her reality TV show and Instagram.” What I didn’t know was that only a few weeks later I would be sitting down to have lunch with the very same Rachel Zoe, as an invited guest of Valerie.
Now it certainly was not a one-on-one intimate lunch, just the two of us catching up. It was a huge Business Chicks lunch with nine hundred or so other women. But gosh it was good. A chance to break the routine, get all dressed up and fancy mid-week and spend the day soaking up the electric energy and atmosphere. The day was a chance to forget about everyday life and completely be immersed in the moment. It was perfect, more so as I said to Valerie afterwards “you knocked today out of the park!”
I really didn’t know what to expect leading up to the lunch. I tried to keep my mind free from preconceived judgements and assumptions about Rachel Zoe. I am so glad I did. One of the first things Rachel said when she came out on stage was that “Louis Vuitton is always a good investment.” Quite easily she could have turned half the crowd off in that one statement, but she didn’t. In all her bling and perfect couture there was something about Rachel Zoe, glimpses of her that you could very easily relate to. She missed her kids and this trip to Australia was only the second time she had been away from them.
When she spoke about her two boys she sat on stage as a mother, nothing more and certainly nothing less. I think we sometimes take that away from celebrities, their ability to be good mothers, real mothers, mothers who are very present in their children’s lives. We assume that nannies and a celebrity lifestyle take that away from them. It doesn’t. “Anything that isn’t really important is taking you away from your kids.” Rachel spoke about how she fights hard for her weekends and spends them with her kids. As a mother, not a stylist, she said “when you are with your kids don’t be on your phone – it is not fair on you or them.” I get that. Not because I like Louis Vuitton like Rachel does, but because even in her celebrity she feels the same pressures that all parents do.
Perhaps the one most resounding message I walked away with that day was something I believe in myself. “My gut takes me to the place where I should be.” Gosh it was a moment for me hearing those words spoken out aloud. I am continually trying to only listen to my gut, my inner voice. I keep reminding myself that it is the only voice I can trust and believe in. Here was Rachel Zoe giving credit of her success to that very same voice. Perhaps whether we listen to that voice or not, is the only way we can define our success.
As her time on stage drew to an end Rachel left her audience with this “Don’t ever stop dreaming. You can absolutely live your dream. It is never too late to start over. Take chances. Follow your gut. Work really hard.” Whether you are wearing the latest style trends or not, her advice was something everyone could move forward with. Something perhaps we should all move forward with.
Are you a Rachel Zoe fan? Do you like Louis Vuitton?
What have you done lately to break your routine?
