Her Story
About Caroline
I've been a personal trainer for over 10 years, doing one-on-one training and teaching group fitness classes. I'm also a running coach, which has become a huge part of my life since I come from a family of runners. My modeling career started when I was discovered at the gym in Boston by Puma's creative director, who asked me to do a shoot that weekend. That led to signing with agencies in Boston and New York, and I spent years going back and forth doing mostly fitness modeling. Through being on set with the same stylists repeatedly, we became friends and I started assisting them. I really loved it and was good at it, so now I do my own lead stylist work for production shoots. It's not personal styling but production styling, where I style products like accessories, jewelry, cosmetics, or wardrobe either on models, flat lay, or on mannequins. About four and a half years ago, I road-tripped to LA for a change of scenery. I'm self-employed and freelance across all these areas. More recently, I've been breaking into TV and film acting. I signed with an acting agency, and while it's incredibly competitive and I do countless self-tape auditions, when you do book something, it makes all the effort worth it.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Caroline
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't be afraid to take the leap, because it's going to work out. If you really want something, it'll happen, because the universe just somehow makes it work. I really believe in all that manifestation stuff. Specifically in the creative field of working on production sets, be an assistant first. Put your ego aside and don't be afraid to reach out to stylists or anyone working in production and ask if they need assistance. Whatever the rate is, even if it's for free, think of it as an unpaid internship where you're basically going and learning and making amazing connections and networking. That's always gonna lead to more work, and gradually, as you build a good reputation in the industry and with these people, if you do a good job and you're an asset, they're gonna ask you to come back, and it's gonna just grow on its own.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Both modeling and acting are very competitive fields, especially in LA where everyone is an actor and a model. My agency sends me so many self-tape auditions to do, and I put so much time and effort into them, only to hear nothing back. You might do 100 of them and only book one, which is very challenging and frustrating. But when you do book one, all of it is so worth it.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Pursuing my passion is the most important value to me. I believe that life isn't worth living if you're not excited to do what you do every day, if you don't wake up in the morning excited for your work. I really believe that people should be doing things they care about, because a lot of people waste their entire life going to a 9 to 5, sitting in an office under fluorescent lights all day, counting down the hours. I just feel like that's such a waste of life. You should always just be true to yourself and do what your true passion is.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.