Page 28 - Demo

28 || FASHION MAGAZINE || NOV - DEC 2017Orange County, boasting its magical kingdoms and manicured beach towns, is a far cry from the steel streets of Michigan. What brought you to California and how long have you been living there? Do you still have family in Michigan and do you ever get back for visits? This question always cracks me up! I%u2019m actually not from Michigan...I was born & raised in Southern California in a little town called Montrose (which is close to Pasadena) After High School, I attended Baylor University in Waco Texas (so some think I%u2019m from Texas) but my late Fianc%u00e9 Jeff Beitzel was from Michigan, and so the first season you see me traveling there. Unfortunately several websites have the facts a bit mixed up.The Real Housewives of Orange County came to you by sheer happenstance, talk to us about what it feels like behind the glaring lights of reality television.I was cast on the Real Housewives of Orange County because of a referral from Slade. Slade%u2019s neighbor Scott Dunlop was the series creator. Slade left RHOC after season 2 to film a spin off series for Bravo. Slade suggested me to the network. I had no interest at first. I said no way am I doing that show! It was my late Fianc%u00e9 Jeff who persuade me to do it.He had been battling leukemia for months. He was just entering remission and he thought it would be fun to focus on something other than the cancer, so I ultimately agreed. Filming for the show was nothing like I expected. You go in thinking, wow! What a fun adventure to go be on TV with these fabulous OC woman (unfortunately some of them were pretty horrible to me) and that took its toll on me for the first few seasons. As far as the cameras go, it took a while to get use to them but eventually you forget they are even there. My overall experience was a good one, I learned so much about myself and about people through the process. More than anything I am beyond grateful for the incredible fan base and friends I gained from my time on the show! I feel so lucky to have connected to so many amazing fans and have them be so loyal to me even this many years later!We imagine you are of mind that everything happens for a reason, having said that, is there a particular moment that you regret sharing on the show?Everything does happen for a reason, weather you were of present mind and initiated the event or you were the unwilling victim of someone else%u2019s devious plan (which unfortunately seemed to happen to me a lot) However there is a reason for everything, and through it all I have learned valuable lessons that have helped me grow as an individual. So I wouldn%u2019t say I regret sharing anything, because I am an authentic person and I think that is what the audience appreciated about me. I was just real with my feelings, my emotions and my truth. I didn%u2019t back down because it is the cool thing to do. I stood up for what I believed was right, I was honest and didn%u2019t do things just for TV or to keep my job. I believe the audience recognized that with me and thus the reason I gained such an incredible fan base while on the show. They saw that I have a zest for life and that I am a pretty positive person no matter what life throws my way. I can be a total dork, I am loyal to a fault, I stand up for what is right, and I love deep.How did your time on Housewives prepare you for the new direction your life has taken?RHOC has made me strong. I always knew I was strong but this show made me Unbreakably Strong no matter how much people, production, etc., tried to wear me down or hurt me. I always stood on truth and thus the reason I could withstand the heat and the accusations and the lies made up about me. It has opened my eyes to the dark side of some people. It has given me experiences so many people might never experience in their lifetime, (like being on the Oprah Winfrey show, flying all round the world for appearances, walking red carpets with Brad Pitt, or being on the cover of magazines) which I will forever be grateful for, those fantastic and exhilarating experiences. My life has always been something I create and manifest through prayer and faithfulness, and the Lord continues to bless me with wonderful things in my life. Every day is not perfect and I go through hardships but my future has never looked better. I am so blessed to have the best relationship /partner in Slade a person could ask for, I have an incredible family and friends, I have a successful and thriving business, so life is pretty blessed right now.Let%u2019s talk about your labor of love, Gretchen Christine. How involved are you in the creative process for both the makeup brand and handbag brand? Where do you find inspiration?Gretchen Christine is definitely a labor of love for me and it was born from a deep passion for fashion and a dream God gave me since a little girl.