By Kristin Bauer  

1.) There are so many types of modeling:

When first starting to model I had no idea how many types of modeling there were, what types my look and talents were best suited for or how much each paid. I wished back then that a successful model or someone knowledgeable in the industry could have sat me down and helped me determine which niches I was best suited for and how to direct my efforts and focus towards those niches. Most successful models carve out a primary niche or two and then do a few other types of work to round out a full-time career of it. For myself I work consistently as a spokesperson, spokesmodel, commercial model & actor, presenter and have supplemented working as a promotional model, hand model, go-go dancer, tradeshow model, and extra in films and commercials. When I first started out work was inconsistent. I wasn’t getting the right types of photos nor a high enough caliber of photos to book quality jobs that were best suited for my look. Basically, I was just throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what would stick. If I had had someone to help me navigate my best path in the industry, get the right photos for the types of work I was best suited for and focused in on a signature look that made me marketable I could have taken a much faster path to success. 

 

2.) Finding Your Niche is a Key to Your Success:

My suggestion to new models is to research the different niches, seek out mentors, and intentionally think about what work you enjoy most. Sometimes I hear new models starting out say that people have told them they should model or that they want to make fast money but the truth is the industry is so competitive that whatever you pursue in modeling or in life you need to feel really excited about pursuing it because there will be times when you have a dry stint with little work or you attend a few dozen auditions and book nothing with not even as much a callback and you start to feel negative and think about quitting. If you have that inner fire and passion to succeed you will be more likely to make it through the challenges. Also learning and researching will aid you in becoming realistic about where you live and what types of work are available in your home market. If you live in a small market or a non-market you may have to face the realities that modeling will be part time or a hobby unless you can travel extensively or relocate to a market with more opportunities for your look and skill set. For some aspiring models who have children sometimes #momlife makes it impossible to relocate and difficult to travel much. This may limit you but also try to think outside of the box and maximize the opportunities in your home area. Sometimes we overlook opportunities right under our nose. Maybe there are agencies in your home area and you just need think of how you can get accepted. Perhaps you need better quality photos and a well-crafted e-mail submission to get them to take you seriously. Think about how Instagram, mentors, tutorials and tools on Model Mayhem, and other social media and websites can be used better and more often to connect with quality photographers, learn your craft and find work. Watch or read tutorials on how to improve your Instagram, Facebook, and social media presence so that you become recognized with a quality professional presence. Put your dream into the universe; think it, say it, feel it and visualize that success coming true for you. Learning your craft, putting in the time to develop yourself as a talent and attending castings and auditions are only part of the success equation. You must believe in your success and that you deserve for your goals and dreams to come true. If this is a problem area for you I suggest reading at least one of Mike Dooley’s book’s such as “Infinite Possibilities: The Art of Living Your Dreams”. You must develop a habit where you visualize your dreams happening. Create a few specific goals for yourself. Write them down. Work backwards to reach them. Break each goal down into baby steps. Each day think in bite sized baby steps. Ruth Soukup’s “Living Well Planner: Practical Solutions for Everyday Overwhelm” (www.LivingWellPlanner.com). I get much more accomplished since I started using Ruth’s planner. I write in my appointments and work but also there are dedicated sections to create goals for each month and then break them down into daily actionable “must do” steps for each day. I’m less likely to get distracted from my top goals for the day if I have it clearly written down into actionable “to do’s”. The planner has helped me develop more self-discipline and stay on track. Working as a model is a very different life from a Mon thru Fri 9-5 and with no boss and no clear guidelines you must start developing your inner willpower and keeping promises to yourself aka self-discipline will be very important to see a lasting career and to get out of bed and get sh*t accomplished each day. 

 

3.) Building a Support System:

Consider ways you can create a support system for yourself so that when the going gets tough you retain the gumption to keep going. I often felt alone in my struggles and challenges especially during my early modeling years. Brainstorm who has been supportive of you pursuing modeling so far and work to nurture those relationships. Your goal is to have several people on speed dial for the moments you really need extra encouragement, support, a hug, or someone to tell you to that you are awesome and to get back up and get out there and try again. Besides people you know personally think of teachers, mentors or successful models you can get to know who could offer support, education, or wisdom. Often some family or friends might not support or understand why you want to pursue this as a career goal, so you might have to reach outside of your inner circle of family and friends. You also might have success if you explain your “why” to the naysayers (who could be your family or friends). This will also help you solidify your own “WHY” in your head. Why is this a career path you want to pursue? While those close to me saw me broke, running around like a crazy person, doing free photoshoots and driving all over creation during my early modeling years if I had found the words to explain my reasons why to them they might have understood me and my goals better. Had I said “I want to pursue something I feel really excited about. My goal is not to become rich, famous or keep up with the Kardashians but I want to be my own boss and create a life set on my own terms. I want to travel the world, meet people from all walks of life and do work I enjoy…every damn day not waiting for that one week of vacation each year and not waiting for permission to create the life I dream of”. 

 

4.) Your work is just starting when you find a quality agent:

When I got my first agent I thought WOW! Now I’m set *leans back on laurels* But it could not have been further from the truth. At age 17 my first agent explained to me “Nobody makes a full time living as a model in this region. And I have seen dozens of girls taller, thinner, and prettier than you go off to bigger cities and not succeed”. Hello reality check. I had submitted to dozens of agencies with no response and that agency that did sign me well… I wrote to them 7 times before getting accepted! And now I learn the work is just starting!? This was at a time when websites like Model Mayhem.com didn’t even exist yet. Most people didn’t use e-mail yet. There was no Instagram. No smartphones. I thought my agency was my golden ticket to instant success. Turns out you start at the bottom. Each agency has clients and when you are new none of them know you. You must prove yourself mostly through going to castings and auditions plus keeping up your look through self care. When you do get a booking you show up early, well rested, prepared with whatever you were asked to do or bring, looking like your photos and ready to follow instructions. You treat everyone on set with kindness and a smile from the other talent and crew to the parking attendant, the grumpy PA who looks like he hasn’t slept in days to the cleaning lady scrubbing toilets. Your goal is for the client to give your agent a good report on you. And for the client to think of you the next time they need your look and request you back! This makes your agent feel secure about sending you to other jobs and suggesting you for direct bookings. The idea is that you create repeat client who hire you back over and over this gives you a more stable career and more stable income. 

 

5.) Finding What You Love:

If you get deep into modeling and feel like you have so much time and energy invested but you wake up day after day saying to yourself “I’m not happy” “I don’t enjoy this work”. Now all work is WORK and it is not always fun or easy or glamourous and don’t think for a second modeling is different than any other career in that respect in fact it will probably be harder to make a full time career out of it than any score of other careers. But if you get into it and realize it’s not your passion OR that it’s not what you thought it would be OR you just want to do something else. Then please let yourself off the hook. Sit down and write a list of every job or career you can think of that you might like or that you want to try out. Fill a whole page in a notebook. Get it all out there: comedian, stilt walker, architectural engineer, archeologist, video game developer, fashion designer, president, nurse, substance abuse counselor, night janitor, nanny, dog walker. Then go back and circle your top 5 to 10. Next up research these. What do people in these careers make financially, what kind of training do these jobs require, and what would your life look like on a day to day basis. Narrow it down to 2 or 3 and make a list of the steps you’d have to take to start on these new paths. Which one feels the most do-able, the most exciting, the most YOU. Pick one and get going. It’s never too late to start fresh. 

 

6.) Seeing Yourself as a Business:

When I first started modeling I didn’t think of myself as a business nor myself as a businesswoman. The sooner you start thinking like a businessperson the more success you will have. The women with long staying power in the industry are reliable, professional, punctual and watch their finances like a business. People are hiring you for your image, look and talent. Your product is YOU! If you attend college or university do take businesses classes and do start to think of yourself as a business. Developing a businesswoman mindset will be extremely helpful in growing yourself from that girl nobody knows to a professional model and eventually into your own brand. 

 

7.) Learning to Look Like a Million Bucks When You Are Dead Broke:

As a new model who wants to get booked you must start looking the part. When I was a new model fresh on the scene I was basically broke and carrying along with me college debt. But in an industry where first impressions are everything you must invest time and energy into looking fabulous even if you are dead broke. When you arrive at a casting, booking, or audition you want to exude an appearance that immediately alerts people that you are a model and for them to see a classy, polished, professional who is confident and prepared. I can remember signing with a new agency and I had my purse in one hand and a plastic bag with a pair of heels (as they requested I bring) in the other hand. The agency owner shook their head saying “No, no, no, never walk in to meet a client or work a job with a plastic bag and please either have a beautiful fashionable handbag or just don’t bring one at all!” With what little money I had went out and bought myself a beautiful designer bag that day that was big enough to fit a pair of shoes and my portfolio inside neatly hidden. And today I teach girls quality over quantity. Start building a wardrobe of simple basics. Better to have only a few outfits that fit beautifully and look fantastic than to have a massive wardrobe of poorly fitting, outdated, worn, discolored, cheap looking items. Build a wardrobe built on classic basics that won’t easily go out of style then if you have the money buy what I call investment pieces which are more expensive items or items that are on trend such as a beautiful handbag, coat, pair of heels or hat. And you don’t have to spend a ton of money on clothes places like “Clothes Mentor”, upscale consignment shops, and online fashion reseller apps like Tradesy and Poshmark are useful alternatives. Beyond dressing yourself for daily life, castings/auditions, and bookings models are often expected to bring items and it’s good to have these on hand. For fashion shows models are often requested to bring a nude strapless bra, shoes (black and nude high heels being the most requested), nude underwear such as a nude thong or seamless no lines type of panty are most requested, nude stockings or pantyhose, and a couple hair ties to keep hair out of face while they do make-up. For commercial models all types of clothing may be requested especially business wear such as slacks, button-up shirts, and blazers with heels. Promotional models are often asked to wear their own black, khaki, or denim pants or shorts with heels or black sneakers and to bring a no logo black or white long sleeve shirt/zip-up or jacket. 

 

8.) Building Complimentary Skills:

To create strong demand for yourself and to command higher pay rates it is best to ask your agency for advice on how to gain more bookings. Agencies may respond by requesting you stay a certain size, weight, or measurements or to make changes or upgrades to your hair, teeth, skin, or something else. They might suggest that learning specific skills will greatly increase your chances for more and higher paid work. It is best for the talent to consider what their current likes, interests, and hobbies are and then choose one or two skills to hone. Skills that are most helpful include: speaking multiple languages, acting, being teleprompter and ear prompter proficient, hosting/presenting/spokesperson, dancing, singing, voiceover, sign language, proficient in a sport or instrument, make-up, hair styling, wardrobe styling. Agencies often get jobs in which a bi-lingual or tri-lingual talent is requested as well as specific skills like expert fisherman, skier, swimmer, or yogi. You may open more opportunities for yourself especially if outside of the fashion model age/height for high paying jobs if you can compete well for speaking roles, spokesmodel or other bookings where the client wants a talent who not only has a certain look but can speak on camera, to consumers directly or in front of large crowds on a microphone. 

 

9.) Investing in your Product :

It is important to carefully take care of your business’s most precious product which is YOU! This starts with the obvious which is keeping yourself out of harm’s way and to protect your face and body from injury and harm. I personally have avoided dangerous sports and always buckle my seat belt and keep extra caution for myself in various scenarios. But the next level of this is to maintain your vibrancy and health by eating a healthy diet full of greens, veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans and legumes. As a certified health coach I recommend a primarily plant based whole food diet that is very low in flour, sugar, salt and processed foods such as pre-packaged foods like Doritos, deli meats, junk food, candy, and soda. Drink plenty of water. If you are thirsty it means you are already slightly dehydrated. Avoid addictions of all types. Models often get into parties and clubs free and people offer all types of recreation but to maintain longevity as a model you do not want to become addicted to anything especially drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, prescription pills and even too much caffeine is not good. Exercise at least 3-5 times a week involving both cardio like walking, hiking or running and weight training in the form of resistance training, weight training, Pilates, or yoga. Manage stress through things like spending time with friends and family who support you, walking in nature, meditation, massage or time at a spa you love and getting plenty of rest. Your agent might have you invest in other things and recommend things like like getting teeth whitened or fixed to perfect your smile, seeing a dermatologist, getting a specific haircut and color, or keeping your nails manicured. 

10.) Know that pursuing modeling may be the hardest challenge ever and going for it even amidst the naysayers:

Modeling is a highly competitive field. Before you begin you should ask yourself “Am I mentally and emotionally in a place in my life right now where I feel ready to face significant rejection?” I often hear moms tell me that they want to get their daughter who is lacking in confidence or struggling emotionally to get started in modeling. I tell them that these are issues a young person should work on before they start modeling as a part time or full time career. I suggest that they should try activities that build up their confidence, self-esteem and skills that would perhaps help their modeling career should they pursue it down the road such as: a public speaking class, joining a theater group, taking dance classes, learning a new sport, competing in a pageant. Modeling, in my own opinion, may not be good for a person who is feeling emotionally or mentally fragile. I can remember times during the years that I was modeling full time in Miami where I attended over 20 castings and auditions and did not get selected for anything. If you don’t believe in yourself it is very easy to give up or to fall into scams or spend time with individuals who lack integrity. Sometimes you run into other models or photographers who are rude, fiercely competitive, pressure you to do drugs or pose for explicit or adult oriented shoots or just in general do things you don’t want to do. It is very important that you are an emotionally solid person who is confident and strong in their own sense of self and values because one thing I can guarantee is that a career in modeling will test you emotionally, mentally and physically. Although you also do not want to get too caught up in feeling “not ready”. If modeling is something you feel passionate about at a certain point you have to determine you’ve done all the personal preparation you can and it’s time to take a big deep breath and go for it! Good luck to you! 

 

Ten Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I first Started Modeling 

 

1.) There are so many types of modeling: When first starting to model I had no idea how many types of modeling there were, what types my look and talents were best suited for or how much each paid. I wished back then that a successful model or someone knowledgeable in the industry could have sat me down and helped me determine which niches I was best suited for and how to direct my efforts and focus towards those niches. Most successful models carve out a primary niche or two and then do a few other types of work to round out a full-time career of it. For myself I work consistently as a spokesperson, spokesmodel, commercial model & actor, presenter and have supplemented working as a promotional model, hand model, go-go dancer, tradeshow model, and extra in films and commercials. When I first started out work was inconsistent. I wasn’t getting the right types of photos nor a high enough caliber of photos to book quality jobs that were best suited for my look. Basically, I was just throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what would stick. If I had had someone to help me navigate my best path in the industry, get the right photos for the types of work I was best suited for and focused in on a signature look that made me marketable I could have taken a much faster path to success. 

 

2.) Finding Your Niche is a Key to Your Success: My suggestion to new models is to research the different niches, seek out mentors, and intentionally think about what work you enjoy most. Sometimes I hear new models starting out say that people have told them they should model or that they want to make fast money but the truth is the industry is so competitive that whatever you pursue in modeling or in life you need to feel really excited about pursuing it because there will be times when you have a dry stint with little work or you attend a few dozen auditions and book nothing with not even as much a callback and you start to feel negative and think about quitting. If you have that inner fire and passion to succeed you will be more likely to make it through the challenges. Also learning and researching will aid you in becoming realistic about where you live and what types of work are available in your home market. If you live in a small market or a non-market you may have to face the realities that modeling will be part time or a hobby unless you can travel extensively or relocate to a market with more opportunities for your look and skill set. For some aspiring models who have children sometimes #momlife makes it impossible to relocate and difficult to travel much. This may limit you but also try to think outside of the box and maximize the opportunities in your home area. Sometimes we overlook opportunities right under our nose. Maybe there are agencies in your home area and you just need think of how you can get accepted. Perhaps you need better quality photos and a well-crafted e-mail submission to get them to take you seriously. Think about how Instagram, mentors, tutorials and tools on Model Mayhem, and other social media and websites can be used better and more often to connect with quality photographers, learn your craft and find work. Watch or read tutorials on how to improve your Instagram, Facebook, and social media presence so that you become recognized with a quality professional presence. Put your dream into the universe; think it, say it, feel it and visualize that success coming true for you. Learning your craft, putting in the time to develop yourself as a talent and attending castings and auditions are only part of the success equation. You must believe in your success and that you 

deserve for your goals and dreams to come true. If this is a problem area for you I suggest reading at least one of Mike Dooley’s book’s such as “Infinite Possibilities: The Art of Living Your Dreams”. You must develop a habit where you visualize your dreams happening. Create a few specific goals for yourself. Write them down. Work backwards to reach them. Break each goal down into baby steps. Each day think in bite sized baby steps. Ruth Soukup’s “Living Well Planner: Practical Solutions for Everyday Overwhelm” (www.LivingWellPlanner.com). I get much more accomplished since I started using Ruth’s planner. I write in my appointments and work but also there are dedicated sections to create goals for each month and then break them down into daily actionable “must do” steps for each day. I’m less likely to get distracted from my top goals for the day if I have it clearly written down into actionable “to do’s”. The planner has helped me develop more self-discipline and stay on track. Working as a model is a very different life from a Mon thru Fri 9-5 and with no boss and no clear guidelines you must start developing your inner willpower and keeping promises to yourself aka self-discipline will be very important to see a lasting career and to get out of bed and get sh*t accomplished each day. 

 

3.) Building a Support System: Consider ways you can create a support system for yourself so that when the going gets tough you retain the gumption to keep going. I often felt alone in my struggles and challenges especially during my early modeling years. Brainstorm who has been supportive of you pursuing modeling so far and work to nurture those relationships. Your goal is to have several people on speed dial for the moments you really need extra encouragement, support, a hug, or someone to tell you to that you are awesome and to get back up and get out there and try again. Besides people you know personally think of teachers, mentors or successful models you can get to know who could offer support, education, or wisdom. Often some family or friends might not support or understand why you want to pursue this as a career goal, so you might have to reach outside of your inner circle of family and friends. You also might have success if you explain your “why” to the naysayers (who could be your family or friends). This will also help you solidify your own “WHY” in your head. Why is this a career path you want to pursue? While those close to me saw me broke, running around like a crazy person, doing free photoshoots and driving all over creation during my early modeling years if I had found the words to explain my reasons why to them they might have understood me and my goals better. Had I said “I want to pursue something I feel really excited about. My goal is not to become rich, famous or keep up with the Kardashians but I want to be my own boss and create a life set on my own terms. I want to travel the world, meet people from all walks of life and do work I enjoy…every damn day not waiting for that one week of vacation each year and not waiting for permission to create the life I dream of”. 

 

4.) Your work is just starting when you find a quality agent: When I got my first agent I thought WOW! Now I’m set *leans back on laurels* But it could not have been further from the truth. At age 17 my first agent explained to me “Nobody makes a full time living as a model in this region. And I have seen dozens of girls taller, thinner, and prettier than you go off to bigger cities and not succeed”. Hello reality check. I had submitted to dozens of agencies with no response and that agency that did sign me well… I wrote to them 7 times before getting accepted! And now I learn the work is just starting!? This was at a time when websites like Model Mayhem.com didn’t even exist yet. Most people didn’t use e-mail yet. There was no Instagram. No 

smartphones. I thought my agency was my golden ticket to instant success. Turns out you start at the bottom. Each agency has clients and when you are new none of them know you. You must prove yourself mostly through going to castings and auditions plus keeping up your look through self care. When you do get a booking you show up early, well rested, prepared with whatever you were asked to do or bring, looking like your photos and ready to follow instructions. You treat everyone on set with kindness and a smile from the other talent and crew to the parking attendant, the grumpy PA who looks like he hasn’t slept in days to the cleaning lady scrubbing toilets. Your goal is for the client to give your agent a good report on you. And for the client to think of you the next time they need your look and request you back! This makes your agent feel secure about sending you to other jobs and suggesting you for direct bookings. The idea is that you create repeat client who hire you back over and over this gives you a more stable career and more stable income. 

 

5.) Finding What You Love: If you get deep into modeling and feel like you have so much time and energy invested but you wake up day after day saying to yourself “I’m not happy” “I don’t enjoy this work”. Now all work is WORK and it is not always fun or easy or glamourous and don’t think for a second modeling is different than any other career in that respect in fact it will probably be harder to make a full time career out of it than any score of other careers. But if you get into it and realize it’s not your passion OR that it’s not what you thought it would be OR you just want to do something else. Then please let yourself off the hook. Sit down and write a list of every job or career you can think of that you might like or that you want to try out. Fill a whole page in a notebook. Get it all out there: comedian, stilt walker, architectural engineer, archeologist, video game developer, fashion designer, president, nurse, substance abuse counselor, night janitor, nanny, dog walker. Then go back and circle your top 5 to 10. Next up research these. What do people in these careers make financially, what kind of training do these jobs require, and what would your life look like on a day to day basis. Narrow it down to 2 or 3 and make a list of the steps you’d have to take to start on these new paths. Which one feels the most do-able, the most exciting, the most YOU. Pick one and get going. It’s never too late to start fresh. 

 

6.) Seeing Yourself as a Business: When I first started modeling I didn’t think of myself as a business nor myself as a businesswoman. The sooner you start thinking like a businessperson the more success you will have. The women with long staying power in the industry are reliable, professional, punctual and watch their finances like a business. People are hiring you for your image, look and talent. Your product is YOU! If you attend college or university do take businesses classes and do start to think of yourself as a business. Developing a businesswoman mindset will be extremely helpful in growing yourself from that girl nobody knows to a professional model and eventually into your own brand. 

 

7.) Learning to Look Like a Million Bucks When You Are Dead Broke: As a new model who wants to get booked you must start looking the part. When I was a new model fresh on the scene I was basically broke and carrying along with me college debt. But in an industry where first impressions are everything you must invest time and energy into looking fabulous even if you 

are dead broke. When you arrive at a casting, booking, or audition you want to exude an appearance that immediately alerts people that you are a model and for them to see a classy, polished, professional who is confident and prepared. I can remember signing with a new agency and I had my purse in one hand and a plastic bag with a pair of heels (as they requested I bring) in the other hand. The agency owner shook their head saying “No, no, no, never walk in to meet a client or work a job with a plastic bag and please either have a beautiful fashionable handbag or just don’t bring one at all!” With what little money I had went out and bought myself a beautiful designer bag that day that was big enough to fit a pair of shoes and my portfolio inside neatly hidden. And today I teach girls quality over quantity. Start building a wardrobe of simple basics. Better to have only a few outfits that fit beautifully and look fantastic than to have a massive wardrobe of poorly fitting, outdated, worn, discolored, cheap looking items. Build a wardrobe built on classic basics that won’t easily go out of style then if you have the money buy what I call investment pieces which are more expensive items or items that are on trend such as a beautiful handbag, coat, pair of heels or hat. And you don’t have to spend a ton of money on clothes places like “Clothes Mentor”, upscale consignment shops, and online fashion reseller apps like Tradesy and Poshmark are useful alternatives. Beyond dressing yourself for daily life, castings/auditions, and bookings models are often expected to bring items and it’s good to have these on hand. For fashion shows models are often requested to bring a nude strapless bra, shoes (black and nude high heels being the most requested), nude underwear such as a nude thong or seamless no lines type of panty are most requested, nude stockings or pantyhose, and a couple hair ties to keep hair out of face while they do make-up. For commercial models all types of clothing may be requested especially business wear such as slacks, button-up shirts, and blazers with heels. Promotional models are often asked to wear their own black, khaki, or denim pants or shorts with heels or black sneakers and to bring a no logo black or white long sleeve shirt/zip-up or jacket. 

 

8.) Building Complimentary Skills: To create strong demand for yourself and to command higher pay rates it is best to ask your agency for advice on how to gain more bookings. Agencies may respond by requesting you stay a certain size, weight, or measurements or to make changes or upgrades to your hair, teeth, skin, or something else. They might suggest that learning specific skills will greatly increase your chances for more and higher paid work. It is best for the talent to consider what their current likes, interests, and hobbies are and then choose one or two skills to hone. Skills that are most helpful include: speaking multiple languages, acting, being teleprompter and ear prompter proficient, hosting/presenting/spokesperson, dancing, singing, voiceover, sign language, proficient in a sport or instrument, make-up, hair styling, wardrobe styling. Agencies often get jobs in which a bi-lingual or tri-lingual talent is requested as well as specific skills like expert fisherman, skier, swimmer, or yogi. You may open more opportunities for yourself especially if outside of the fashion model age/height for high paying jobs if you can compete well for speaking roles, spokesmodel or other bookings where the client wants a talent who not only has a certain look but can speak on camera, to consumers directly or in front of large crowds on a microphone. 

 

9.) Investing in your Product : It is important to carefully take care of your business’s most precious product which is YOU! This starts with the obvious which is keeping yourself out of harm’s way and to protect your face and body from injury and harm. I personally have avoided dangerous sports and always buckle my seat belt and keep extra caution for myself in various scenarios. But the next level of this is to maintain your vibrancy and health by eating a healthy diet full of greens, veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans and legumes. As a certified health coach I recommend a primarily plant based whole food diet that is very low in flour, sugar, salt and processed foods such as pre-packaged foods like Doritos, deli meats, junk food, candy, and soda. Drink plenty of water. If you are thirsty it means you are already slightly dehydrated. Avoid addictions of all types. Models often get into parties and clubs free and people offer all types of recreation but to maintain longevity as a model you do not want to become addicted to anything especially drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, prescription pills and even too much caffeine is not good. Exercise at least 3-5 times a week involving both cardio like walking, hiking or running and weight training in the form of resistance training, weight training, Pilates, or yoga. Manage stress through things like spending time with friends and family who support you, walking in nature, meditation, massage or time at a spa you love and getting plenty of rest. Your agent might have you invest in other things and recommend things like like getting teeth whitened or fixed to perfect your smile, seeing a dermatologist, getting a specific haircut and color, or keeping your nails manicured. 

10.) Know that pursuing modeling may be the hardest challenge ever and going for it even amidst the naysayers: Modeling is a highly competitive field. Before you begin you should ask yourself “Am I mentally and emotionally in a place in my life right now where I feel ready to face significant rejection?” I often hear moms tell me that they want to get their daughter who is lacking in confidence or struggling emotionally to get started in modeling. I tell them that these are issues a young person should work on before they start modeling as a part time or full time career. I suggest that they should try activities that build up their confidence, self-esteem and skills that would perhaps help their modeling career should they pursue it down the road such as: a public speaking class, joining a theater group, taking dance classes, learning a new sport, competing in a pageant. Modeling, in my own opinion, may not be good for a person who is feeling emotionally or mentally fragile. I can remember times during the years that I was modeling full time in Miami where I attended over 20 castings and auditions and did not get selected for anything. If you don’t believe in yourself it is very easy to give up or to fall into scams or spend time with individuals who lack integrity. Sometimes you run into other models or photographers who are rude, fiercely competitive, pressure you to do drugs or pose for explicit or adult oriented shoots or just in general do things you don’t want to do. It is very important that you are an emotionally solid person who is confident and strong in their own sense of self and values because one thing I can guarantee is that a career in modeling will test you emotionally, mentally and physically. Although you also do not want to get too caught up in feeling “not ready”. If modeling is something you feel passionate about at a certain point you have to determine you’ve done all the personal preparation you can and it’s time to take a big deep breath and go for it! Good luck to you! 

I hope you have found this article helpful. If you are seeking additional support and coaching as you pursue modeling and would like to set up an appointment for individual coaching or for placement on the waiting list for future group coaching - please don’t hesitate to reach out!