Unstoppable force....Kathryn Eisman shares her success secrets!

There are some stories and some women who seem to have a fire and a spirit which makes them an unstoppable force, something my partner called me the other day, with him being the immovable object...mmm interesting!! There are some women like myself who no matter what, will find a way around, over or under the immovable object be it man, obstacle or anything else that comes our way!!! I love these women for their courage, strength and determination to make their dreams come true and to carve out their own path.

As we journey down this path we often find success may come to us through one area that we focus on but what I found out many years ago is that everything that we do in our lives is like a jigsaw puzzle that we must put together to make all the pieces fit and see how they unite to allow us to live the life we were meant to live. A life that fulfills us and the work that will allow us to express who we are whilst making a difference in the world.

Now if there's one woman we would want to say 'I'll have what she's having' it's Kathryn Eisman. From interviewing President Clinton to being backstage at New York Fashion week interviewing Carolina Herrera, the red carpet with Sarah Jessica Parker and George Clooney to the tough streets interviewing reformed drug addicts.

Model, journalist, TV presenter, fashion expert, relationship adviser, columnist and public speaker Kathryn Eisman is a well grounded woman who has the whole world at her feet. I am honored to have the opportunity to interview her and continue working with her in inspiring women to create a life full of love, success, joy and fulfillment.

Current City
Los Angeles

Favourite fashion brand
Tibi- She mixes mid century palm springs fun with modern chic

Favourite fashion brand
Tibi- She mixes mid century palm springs fun with modern chic

How do fashion brands/designers empower you as a woman
Style not only changes the way the world sees you, it has the ability to change the way you see yourself.

Favourite charity
I am a proud ambassador for SISTER2sister. A life changing organization that mentors at risk teenage girls for a 12 month period. As a former Big sister I know just how transformational this program can be for the little sisters and the big ones too.

Things you love and can’t live without
Playful dinner parties with friends, Skype conversations with my Grandmother, Thai Massages, Frozen Yogurt, open house inspections in the Hollywood Hills. My brand new Maine Coon kitten Samson and my man.

How did you start out?

I started modeling when I was 17 a few days after finishing year 12. I walked into Chic Model Management with a photo of me in a bikini that some pervy Club Med photographer had taken while doing aqua aerobics of all things! That same afternoon I was sent out on a casting trying on lingerie for Formfit and booked the job. While I was modeling I studied communications majoring in Journalism at UTS. During my semester breaks I worked at Fox News in New York and wrote my first book, How to Tell a Man by His Shoes. A few days after graduating from university I headed to New York for a small book tour. I ended up being booked on Good Morning America and the TODAY show in New York. Viewers rang in and said they wanted to see more of me. A few months later they created a position for me as their Feature/ Lifestyle reporter. I was 21.

What do you love most about what you do?

I love writing my column for Cleo magazine each month and talking about the thrills and spills of love. It’s amazing how universal our desires and concerns are. I recently did a Book signing / reading at Barnes & Noble in LA for my New book, How to Tell a Woman by Her Handbag and it was an absolute treat sharing my work with so many fun people. As I said on the night- never before had so many good looking people been in a book store on a Friday night. We had a blast!

In turns of TV, I’ve never read an autocue I didn’t write and have always found my own stories, researched them, written and produced them myself. I could never be a talking head. The on camera work is really only a small part of the work that I do and I love researching and exploring new topics, issues and people. My job has never felt like work.

What do you feel is your calling and how do you achieve it through
what you do as an author, speaker, media personality?

I love being able to communicate with a large audience and use various mediums (TV, Columns and Books) to express my beliefs and sense of humor. I’ve always wanted my work to make women think about their own lives, feel connected to one another and to laugh in the process!

What other professions have you tried and when and how
did you know that this was your calling?

Other than modeling I never really tried any other career. Mind you when I started out it didn’t immediately look like a career. Most people pick one discipline be it; writer, TV presenter, fashion expert, pop culture expert, relationship adviser, news journalist, columnist, public speaker or illustrator. I was passionate about all these things so I picked them all, which you can imagine was initially confusing! It was only later when I had some success in each area that I realized that they all built on each other. I then saw I could beat out my own path.

What inspired you to choose this path?

I simply love doing what I do- be it standing and talking in front of a hundred people and making them laugh or interviewing Oscar de la Renta . I feel that I was born to work in media and that if I didn’t I wouldn’t be true to myself. I certainly don’t do it for the praise and there are certainly more consistent, less stressful choices out there- but I do it for the quiet satisfaction that comes from knowing that I am living my destiny. Something I wish for everyone.

How did you go about achieving such a level of success? We want the secrets….

I’m just getting started- but the secret to all success is perseverance, passion, authenticity and to keep on going even when you’re afraid you might fail. Sometimes I’ve had a few lucky breaks and sometimes it’s felt like I was pushing up hill in a pair of 5 inch Christian Louboutins. Just keep going. I always tell my girlfriends that if they’re not getting rejected they’re not trying hard enough!

What do you believe is the reason you are where you are today?

A mix of fate, passion, hard work and taking a chance on myself. There have been many turning points in my life where I have taken a huge leap of faith and pushed myself well and truly out of my comfort zone. Moving to New York at the age of 21 not knowing a soul was testing. Then leaving an amazing job at NBC and returning to Australia to be with the people I loved was another scary moment. Recently relocating to LA for work has been another exciting challenge. I think you have to be brave and just participate in life, even when it’s more comfortable to accept status-quo.

What is success to you?

Love; Finding someone to share your life with. Having a close family and group of friends whose affection for you isn’t based on how “successful” or “unsuccessful” you are at that particular moment. And the peace that comes from doing what you love.

What has your success enabled you to do?
What other goals and dreams has it allowed you to pursue?

I’ve seen the world and experience so many wonderful things from being backstage at Radio City Music Hall interviewing President Clinton to being backstage at New York Fashion week interviewing Carolina Herrera. From the red carpet with Sarah Jessica Parker and George Clooney to the tough streets interviewing reformed drug addict-I’ve experienced many touching and awe inspiring moments.

Was success a choice or something that just happened?
What conscious decision did you make to get to where you are today?

I believe success is a choice. I have had both supporters and naysayers all the way- people who have told me I’m the best thing that ever happened and others who have told me that it will never happen for me. At the end of the day, it’s all just noise! If you truly care about something and commit to making it happen it in your mind and heart- it’s only a matter of time until you get where you’re going.

What do you believe contributed mostly to you achieving success
as an author and media personality?

I’ve always been obsessed with words and language, a particular turn of phrase can leave me spellbound for days. I started writing poetry aged eight and my happiest days in school were spent debating literature in my 3 unit English class. I think a deep love of language and commitment to the craft is essential when developing as a writer.

In terms of Television- my first real job in television was as a reporter for NBC in New York. Coming from that serious news background, surrounded by some of the most respected news journalists in America, I leant the importance of having integrity, of doing your research, of knowing your facts. I am also the exact same person on camera as I am off - and I think people intuitively recognize that authenticity.

Who are your role models and what inspires you about them?

Nora Ephron has carved out a wonderful space for herself as a female writer in books, columns and movies. I also love Chelsea Handler for saying it like it is and for daring to be so un-PC, at a time when political correctness can limit creativity and foster even deeper discrimination. Of course Oprah is one of my heroes for her talent, integrity, warmth, depth, lightness and fighting spirit. My grandmother Anna is so strong yet such a lady. She’s experienced so much change from being in the death camps in Europe to a successful career in fashion. She turns ninety in September and despite not always feeling 100% always manages to leave the house looking composed, elegant and beautiful. I also admire my mother’s intelligence and intuition- she ‘just gets it’. Everytime.

What do you attribute to your success and having reached being at the top of your game?

I don’t “outsource’ anything. If there is a job to do, I don’t wait around for someone else to do it. Also, you’ve got to have fun otherwise, what’s the point! I’m sure to be smiling or laughing for a good portion of the day.

Have you had a mentor along the way and who inspires you most and why?

Travel has been my greatest mentor. Having to rebuild a life in different cities, make new friends and create new job opportunities teaches you a great deal about the world and about yourself.

Who would you most like to meet and why?

I’d love to meet Oprah. Perhaps to talk about my latest book
HOW TO TELL A WOMAN BY HER HANDBAG!

What are the most important lessons you’ve learnt along the way?

1. To be kind- if you had to step on someone else to get there it’s not somewhere you want to be
2. That professional success alone won’t make you happy. Having someone to share your highs and lows with makes life so much more fun
3. Do what you love, so it doesn’t feel like work
4. Don’t waste time with lazy agents
5. Keep practicing

If you could say one thing to women out there to inspire them on
their journey to success what would it be?

Don’t be afraid of having a dream and saying it out loud.
The first stage of bring a dream to life, is admitting that you have one.