She is Inspiring

Happy Monday Family!

I am so happy! I found a woman that is interested in being my mentor. She lives in California and was so excited to talk to me yesterday on the phone…I felt honored

Anywho on to fabulous women…I am introducing Rachelle Gauthier. Some of you may already be familiar with her but for those who aren’t she is pretty amazing. I met her through my girl Nicole Newsum (PR Queen) and she was sweet enough to cover my blog launch event I had in July on her site. I recently attended the I am Vain Beauty Bar event and got a chance to speak to her for a little. I saw how she interacted with the other ladies….she had a genuine energy about her and I knew I wanted to feature her.

Rachelle I wish you all the best!
xoxo
Ally

She-blogs: Who is Rachelle Gauthier?
Rachelle: I like to consider myself amazing, but truthfully, I’m an ambitious, independent, outgoing, emotional and stubborn entrepreneur. I take pride in everything that I do. I guess you can call me a perfectionist too.

She-blogs: What was your inspiration for starting Vain Magazine and how did you get started?
Rachelle: My inspiration stemmed from the amazing women in my life- my grandmother (Memere), mom, sister, my best friend, cousin, and circle of girlfriends. They’re all accomplished ladies who inspire me. I also wanted to create a magazine that resonated with every young woman who wasn’t necessarily a fashion or gossip head. For me, I had to pick up so many different magazines to get all the content I wanted Time, Vanity Fair, Cosmo, National Geographic, Lucky, Vogue, WWD, The Sun, Essence, InStyle and of course O. Imagine the impact of celebrating uncelebrated women in a balanced magazine that featured the norm – beauty, fashion, health, celebrities, home décor but add in regular women who take pride in philanthropy, politics, their career, families and viola, instead of picking up 10 different magazines, you’ve got it all in one. I looked through my address book and started reaching out to people who might be interested in contributing to VAIN. Next thing I knew, I had a staff, top photographers and editors on my team.

She-blogs: I like that Vain is all about “self”. How did you come up with the name and why do you think focusing on “self” is super important?
Rachelle: The name was easy actually. Self was already taken. I already had the tagline in mind, ‘The Magazine About You’ and the name just popped into my head, VAIN. I asked my fiancé at the time and he loved it. I asked other editors and people what they thought and I got mixed reviews. Some said VAIN has a negative connotation to it and others said it was bold and loved it. The poll didn’t matter though, I knew VAIN was it. Being VAIN is all about having or showing an excessively high opinion in one’s appearance, abilities or worth. If women start to hone in and invest more in themselves, not only will they become more content with themselves, they’ll also have more to offer others.

She-blogs: How did you land your previous job managing the editorial, photography, and art departments for Harris Publications?
Rachelle: I transitioned from the fashion industry (Mecca USA) to publishing by default. A part-time opportunity at Harris Publications was presented to me and when I found out that my new boss would be Datwon Thomas, a young ambitious editor who launched King magazine and whom I previously worked with, I jumped at the opportunity. I went from a part-time employee to full-time in a matter of weeks. Because I’m so organized I was banging out tasks and writing during my free time at the office. My talents were going unused. I was promoted to managing editor of Rides magazine. I launched several new titles and managed preexisting ones for Harris simultaneously (O-60, Rides presents Donk, Box & Bubble, XXL presents Hip Hop Soul Vol 1V.) and annual concert guides.

She-blogs: What is your average day like?
Rachelle: Insane. It’s never the same. My day typically consists of conference calls, client meetings, proposals, presentations, networking, site postings, e-mail correspondences, family business and caffeine.

She-blogs: Tell me about one of the biggest career obstacles you have faced and how you worked through it?
Rachelle: Sexism at the workplace. To date, I still haven’t worked through it. I even went to therapy to make sure that it wasn’t just me. My coworkers trusted me as an employee to produce work but they didn’t respect me as a woman. Between the sexist statements and inappropriate dialogue that went on amongst the “boys club” I had no choice but to report it to the appropriate channels. When nothing happened, I decided to take actions into my own hands. I departed ways with the company. I value myself too much to compromise my self-respect for a paycheck.

She-blogs: What advice would you give to a woman who is reaching for her dreams? Do you suggest internships or finding a mentor?
Rachelle: Understand your dreams don’t always translate into reality exactly the way you envisioned it. My initial plan was to launch VAIN for the newsstands but when the economy shifted I knew that by pursuing that direct path, my dream would be in jeopardy of never coming to life. I had to reevaluate my plan and dream a different sort of dream, one that was relevant, cost-effective, yet still inspiring. For everyone with a dream, gain as much experience in your desired field as possible. Align yourself with established professionals who can help you get to the next level and never stop learning or plotting to make the amazing happen.

She-blogs: Why do you think it is important for women to stick together and genuinely help one another?
Rachelle: We’re the passionate gender with a profound respect for each other, or at least we should be. As women we thrive off each other’s energy and can be that much more effective when we’re surrounded by women with the same sort of enthusiasm.

She-blogs: Where do you see yourself in five years?
Rachelle: I see myself as a successful mogul. VAIN will be more than a magazine. We will be a full-fledge brand, touring the country, hosting charitable events, beauty bars, self-esteem workshops, High School and college tours and even dressing the bodies of tomorrow via apparel and beauty products.

She-blogs: Name one place that you have never been that you want to travel to and why?
Rachelle: Haiti. I am a first generation Haitian-American. I want to visit my homeland, pay homage to my cousins who passed away, due to the quake, and help rebuild Haiti in some capacity.

She-blogs: What is your mantra on life?
Rachelle: “Life can only get better and brighter.”

She-blogs: When was the last time you laughed so hard you couldn’t breathe?
Rachelle: Two weeks ago. My sister busted out a VHS tape of Adelphi University’s Spring ’97 APO fashion show. I was that bold freshman who thought that Toast of New York lipstick by Revlon was the bomb and that I could actually model. All you could see coming down the runway was burgundy lips.

She-blogs: What do you do to stay balanced?
Rachelle: I spin. It’s a real workout and exhausting. I take my frustrations out on that bike.

She-blogs: What do you like the most about the way you look?
Rachelle: I have a great smile with one dimple.

She-blogs: What do you like to do for fun?
Rachelle: Sing and Dance - mostly musicals (The Color Purple, RENT, Dreamgirls, West Side Story, etc…)

She-blogs: Is there anything else you want the she-blogs readers to know?
Rachelle: Make www.vainmag.com your new homepage and check us out daily for fresh updates.

Tags: Rachelle Gauthier, Vain Magazine

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