Kathy Ireland: Balancing Success
By Linda Sivertsen

Acclaimed CEO receives Seal of Approval

One foggy California morning, eleven-year-old Kathy Ireland woke up to a disappointing sight: her sister's sad expression while surveying the mess of strewn shoes and clothes that Kathy had left behind the night before. "That's it," thought the guilt-ridden pre-teen. "I can't handle the pressure; I've got to get my own room!" Kathy walked downstairs to the kitchen, found the Santa Barbara phone book and flipped to the construction section, calling the first name listed and making an appointment.

The contractor arrived at the address to find a gangly kid waiting for him in the driveway, and chuckled as he wrote up the estimate. While it was true that Kathy earned a good wage as "Paper Carrier of the Year," several years running (a position that took years of preparation and letter writing to obtain in the boy-dominated landscape of paper "boy" carriers), she didn't have the reserves or future earning capacity with which to renovate the garage into a second bedroom as she had hoped. She was disappointed, but grateful that she hadn't bothered her parents with the details until she knew the facts. "Kathy always asked questions and did her research," says her mother, Barbara. "Her first business was at age four, painting rocks and selling them from her wagon. She never loved modeling, but saw it as a launch pad, so she stuck with it despite her discomfort."

The skills Kathy acquired throughout her humble entrepreneurial past, and later as a top model, paid off big time. As the founder and CEO of Kathy Ireland Worldwide, the former supermodel oversees a company that grosses over a billion dollars a year manufacturing and selling products as diverse as home furnishings, carpets, jewelry, sportswear, fitness apparel, sewing patterns and television movies.

While meticulously creating her empire over the last decade, Kathy has learned by trial and error how to juggle a happy 14-year marriage and motherhood. She thrives in the world of philanthropy, and is the only celebrity whose company has been awarded the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. Her good fortune seems to be even stronger in these new industries than in the one that made her famous. Our interview takes place at the CNN building on Sunset Boulevard, following her taping of Larry King Live for the release of her new book, Powerful Inspirations-8 Lessons That Will Change Your Life (Doubleday). Kathy's business acumen and book are attracting widespread media attention, from Vanity Fair to the Today Show, necessitating that she spend the afternoon with the likes of me, rather than languish another day vacationing with her family. Ah, but she's used to the price of business, and, as I found out, has discovered tricks to maintaining her sanity between her many responsibilities.

Physically stunning at 5' 11", with large emerald eyes and perfect features, gone is the shy youth with the high-pitched voice I had remembered. What makes me laugh is the absolute normalcy with which Kathy looks at her thought processes, as if it's common to call a
contractor when you're eleven, or enter a multi-national business environment as a young woman and become one of its leaders in a few short years. I feel embarrassed by my surprise. Who knew, is written across my face. Why would anyone shoot for anything less, is reflected in hers. The first thing I want to know is how hurling newspapers across lawns prepared the Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover girl for the corporate setting.

"It was such an education, collecting door-to-door. I had 101 customers on my route, so I learned about dealing with people and being of service. Some invited me in for cookies and milk; others would yell, 'What do you mean $3.75 for bad news?' The responsibility of it instilled a work ethic that I still carry. With a paper route, you don't get to call in sick; people count on you to show up seven days a week."

Kathy had no idea when she signed up for her route that it would be as physically arduous as it was, which brought up my next question. Did she anticipate that her CEO role would be more challenging than imagined? "That's a great question and a difficult one to answer, because aspects of it are tougher than I ever guessed-like getting up at 1:00 A.M. for a 20-hour day. There are times when it feels overwhelming. But, I love being self-employed, and having real freedom to be a hands-on Mom. I strive for balance and protect my down time. Being CEO of my family is the most important job."

When I ask how she protects that time, she has two suggestions. "I decide the first one-hiding out on remote islands without phones—is not as easily adopted as the second. I make appointments with my children to spend special days together, where they choose the itinerary and I unplug the phones. Once, my son and I rolled around in the mud in our backyard, covered head-to-toe. We were laughing like crazy, and he turned to me and said, 'Mom, this is the best day of my whole life!' That was priceless and didn't cost a penny."

Kathy writes about falling off a literal wagon in her driveway on one of those family play dates, and seeing her doctor-husband panic as he realized that she had badly broken her nose and several teeth. It was weeks before they knew the outcome. I asked if it was a gift to experience being happy despite not knowing if she would ever again be as beautiful.

"I think I already had that sense. I was a shy kid without friends growing up. Appearances weren't stressed as important in our home. Even in modeling, I thought, 'This is really strange that I'm here.' I could see how fickle people were, and how gorgeous women wouldn't make it because they didn't have 'the look of the moment.' I remember being at work, and a woman came out wearing a really ugly dress. Everybody went quiet. Not a word. Then someone said, 'It's wonderful,' and as in the Emperor's New Clothes, everyone agreed. I thought, 'Okay, I have no control over compliments or criticisms, so I'm not going to take any of this seriously."

"I try to put my focus on things that matter. My mother started the Barbara Ireland Walk for the Cure to raise funds for Breast Cancer awareness because her mother is a breast cancer survivor, and her grandmother passed away from the disease. Having 3 daughters and 2 granddaughters makes this cause dear to her heart, and to mine. Life is too short to focus on the house of cards called beauty or popularity."

Well, Kathy may not have built that extra bedroom, but from furnishing people's homes to teaching Sunday school, she helps to create uplifting physical and spiritual environments for herself and countless others.

© 2002 Balance Magazine