How to Reinvent Yourself, According to a Successful Former MTV Reality Star
Long before Teen Mom, Dancing With the Stars, Real Housewives and the slew of reality shows to follow, there was a (not so) tiny little MTV show called Laguna Beach.
The groundbreaking hit featured regular high school students in an affluent Orange County, California, town doing regular things (you know, crushing, dating, breaking up, making up—all that fun stuff) and getting filmed in the process.
One of the breakout stars of the show was beach babe Kristin Cavallari, who later went on to star in the show's wildly popular L.A.-based spinoff, The Hills, taking over the lead reality role of Lauren Conrad, who was Kristin's nemesis on Laguna Beach.
During her stints on both MTV successes, Kristin was portrayed as the rowdy bad girl (for lack of a better description), and although she has argued over the years that this depiction was entirely misleading, it's understandable that the average person wouldn't take her seriously—especially when it comes to embarking on her own businesses.
(Laguna Beach via MTV)
(Laguna Beach via MTV)
Well, fast-forward seven years since the series finale of The Hills aired, and Ms. Cavallari is sitting pretty (very literally) with her adorable family (three sons and pro-football player hubby Jay Cutler), two businesses—a Chinese Laundry shoe line and a brand new Uncommon James jewelry line—and a style-inspired memoir Balancing in Heels under her belt. Not too shabby!
Sweety High attended the launch of Uncommon James last week at Fig & Olive in West Hollywood, California, where we had the pleasure of chatting up the stunning starlet about how far she's come since her tabloid-friendly reality-TV beginnings (and we checked out her amazing line—we're living for the chokers over here!).
Kristin proves that people grow up and anyone has the ability to revamp their image. Keep reading for her tips on going from presumably wild teen, to bold, business-savvy babe!
1. Be Yourself
We at Sweety High have always instilled this message in our readers: If you're not yourself, then who even are you?
Kristin totally agrees, telling us, "I've always made a point to be true to who I am, and that took me a minute to realize. I think especially when you're younger you really listen to a lot of outside voices."
In particular, Kristin credits launching her shoe line for teaching her a thing or two about trusting "her gut," explaining, "I listened to a lot of people and things that I didn't necessarily love or want to do, and [the ideas they pushed on me] didn't do well, and the shoes that I loved and was really passionate about are still my best sellers. So I've really learned to trust my instincts and to stick to my guns. And that's why with the jewelry I'm so excited because I have 100% complete creative control. Because I've learned so much from the shoes and the past jewelry line, I'm in a good place to launch my own, where I know now what works and what doesn't work and I'm just excited."
2. Be Honest
"You know, I don't sugar coat things," Kristin says. I'm not afraid to speak my mind, I'm not afraid to go after what I want, I won't do something unless it fits into who I am. And that took me a while, again, to get into that place. I think when you're younger it's easier to sway different ways. But I really have found who I am and if it doesn't fit into my brand, if it isn't something I love, I'm not going to do it. It's as simple as that. I'm very fortunate that I can pick and choose what I want to do. But it's about being honest to yourself and realizing what you do or don't want."
3. Accept Your Past, But Don't Look Back
You can't move forward if you're holding on to the past, and even though Kristin would consider doing things differently if she could go back in time, she hasn't let her former choices stop her from progressing.
"I would've taken things a little bit more seriously when I was 18-23," Kristin says, reflecting on her younger days. "Everything kind of happened pretty quickly for me, you know, I was on a reality show when I was 17, when I was 18 I moved up to L.A., I was having fun, going out and I probably didn't take work as seriously as I should have. And I do now. I find that comes with age and maturity, but I had a lot of opportunities that I probably ended up blowing, but at the same time I'm thankful for it because I really appreciate everything I have going on now."
4. Make Fitness One of Your Priorities
We're big proponents of leading active lifestyles here at Sweety High. And as Kristin points out, even in the midst of raising a family and managing her businesses, fitness needs to be a priority to not only stay in shape, but also, to maintain a clear head during occasionally strenuous situations that coincide with her busy lifestyle.
"Working out is a priority to me," Kristin says. "I make time to work out. I'm a much better person to be around when I'm consistently working out, so, I make time for it. I'm a huge health nut, so I eat really healthy most of the time, which is 80% of the time, I'd say. When I'm at restaurants or on vacation I live it up and eat whatever I want, and then I get home, I'm back on track. It keeps me sane, but it's a lifestyle."
Have you fallen in love with Kristin's jewelry line like us? Waste no time making space for her ring collection with this adorable DIY ring holder HERE.