Joining Yuliana today is Nancy Castle Donahue, a model who rose to the top of her field in the 70’s and 80’s, becoming one of the most successful fashion models of her time. During her reign in the fashion arena, Donahue’s face was on the cover of virtually every fashion magazine in the world, and she also led several significant cosmetic campaigns for brands like Helena Rubenstein, Avon and Clairol. She has now devoted herself to fitness with certifications that include National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and American Council on Exercise (ACE) Certified Personal Trainer, 200 hr. Registered Yoga Teacher through Yogafit, and Standing and Mat Pilates through Physical Mind Institute of New York. She joins our host today to discuss the significant challenges she faced as well as different redirections she has had in her life and how they have shaped her into the success that she is today.
Nancy begins the conversation by talking about the challenging event that impacted her life - dealing with addiction. She goes on to detail this battle with drugs and her entry into rehab, the painful process of talking to family about addiction, and how she battled with eating disorders at an early age in life. Nancy then takes us on a journey through the different careers she has had, as well as raising her son. Dealing with being judged about physical appearance as a model, Nancy tells us that maintaining your self-esteem is crucial, and she offers advice on how you can start a career even late in life by finding what you love and doing it. The episode comes to a close with Nancy discussing how she got into real estate and the one song that describes her early 20s. A model of perseverance, Nancy has lived a life filled with lessons learned that will undoubtedly educate and inspire all who listen in today.
Episode Highlights:
- Nancy’s battle with drug addiction.
- Breaking the ice surrounding addiction with family.
- Nancy talks about her modeling career.
- The battle with eating disorders.
- Managing addiction and eating disorder issues.
- Model, chef, trainer- Nancy’s career journey.
- Raising George with resilience.
- Maintaining your self-esteem.
- How to start a career at a later age in life.
- Growing up as a hardworking child.
- Facing the aging process
- How to get through the tough days
- Nancy’s real estate journey
- A song that describes Nancy’s life
Quotes:
“I finally came to realize I didn't want to be that person anymore.”
“When you're doing drugs and alcohol and addiction type circumstances, you tend to lie. Your whole life is a lie. ”
“This is my normal.”
“Who knows what was going on in my mind back then?”
“My sister and I said, you know, ‘Let's not drink’ and I said, ‘Okay, we'll do six months’, till we just basically stopped drinking.”
“Being in the real estate world, you have to really focus, you can't be hungover. You can't be drunk when you're dealing with lots of money and clients.”
“Starting your own business is very scary, and you're really going out on the limb.”
“You had to have a thick skin because you're not everybody's choice.”
“Starting from scratch sucks.”
“You have to just figure out something that you love or are passionate about.”
“Find out what you love to do and just go for it, do it. It doesn't matter how old you are.”
“I don't want to be in front of the camera my whole life. ”
“When I'm working and moving, it makes me feel better. ”
“I'm a five-year ahead person.”
Links:
Phoenix Tales Homepage
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Phoenix Tales on Spotify
Phoenix Tales on Facebook
Nancy Donahue Instagram
