Jacqueline DePaul might be considered an enigma by today’s ‘standards’. With a degree in Physics and an engineer ‘day job’; she majestically transforms (no phone booth necessary) into a fashion model and vlogger in a blink of an eye.
I had the pleasure to take Jacqueline DePaul’s Masterclass & Workshop – ‘Projecting Confidence’ at FierceCon 2019. In this session, Jacqueline elegantly and humorously taught a roomful of women in midlife the art of owning the lens of the camera. We all walked away with a sense of empowerment and new practical skills.
I am proud to say; Jacqueline DePaul is a new friend and collaborator… You will see us doing some great things together in 2020. For now, please share in Jacqueline’s truth as she is my week 19: ‘Share Your Story; the Women the WSJ Missed’.
KUELLIFE: What are you pursuing now, at this stage of your life, that surprises you or might appear to others as if it comes out of left field?
JACQUELINE: YouTube (OMG, kids under 15 use this as their TV)
KUELLIFE: What’s a typical day like for you?
JACQUELINE: Running between engineering meetings and modeling auditions.
KUELLIFE: With what do you struggle?
JACQUELINE: Balancing two very separate lives – neither can share anything with the other.
KUELLIFE: How do you motivate yourself and stay motivated?
JACQUELINE: I don’t think I have a problem with this one!
KUELLIFE: What advice would you give fellow women about aging?
“Have to be healthy to chase my dreams.”
JACQUELINE: I am interested in vitality. I don’t want to be limited by the body issues that come with age. I pursue my health zealously – it is not worth feeling sick or tired because then I don’t have the motivation to pursue my interests. Have to be healthy to chase my dreams.
KUELLIFE: What does vulnerability mean to you? What has the ability to make you vulnerable?
“so there is so much to gain and so much to lose”
JACQUELINE: My love, the #handsomedevil – I’m always freaking out about it. I’ve never felt love like this before. It is beautiful and scary at the same time. I have never been married, never felt like I found my match before. I found my match in him – he’s perfect for me – so there is so much to gain and so much to lose. Old habits die hard in this area, I have been on my own and depended on myself for 50 years. It is scary to depend on someone else.
KUELLIFE: What are three events that helped to shape your life?
JACQUELINE: Graduating with a degree in Physics. Winning the Wilhelmina modeling agency 40+ model search. Being in love for the first time at age 50.
KUELLIFE: Who influenced you the most in life and why?
JACQUELINE: My father is my role model. He is a lovely man who I admire love and respect so much. He is French, and the French don’t have any considerations on being a woman. They have women scientists, women politicians, etc. It’s not considered any different. So he always encouraged me to be whatever I wanted, never put any societal norms pressure on me. His allowing me to explore my own skills, and his being an engineer and raising us on science fiction, was one of the contributors to me choosing to major in Physics myself.
KUELLIFE: What is the best advice you’ve been given from another woman?
JACQUELINE: Not so much advice, but: I had another woman tell me when I was 48 “I want to be someone’s wife.” This hit me. I realized I also wanted to be someone’s wife. I am a successful business woman; engineer; philanthropist; and public speaker. I am aggressive in business and in life. I wanted the female side of me to have a chance to come out. When I am with my love, and there is no business happening, I can just be a girl. I love being a girl.
KUELLIFE: What woman inspires you and why?
JACQUELINE: Michelle Obama – she is intelligent, classy, and funny. All the things a president’s wife, or a president (she would have done a great job) should be….heart.
KUELLIFE: Are you grown-up?
JACQUELINE: Ummmm. Not really…
KUELLIFE: What do you do for self-care?
JACQUELINE: My self care is sprinkled into my schedule daily and I do a lot of it. Lots of nutrition, healthy foods, bio-identical hormones, ketogenic diet/intermittent fasting, and the occasional couples massage. For my appearance, I have haircut/hair color, radio frequency treatments, skin care routines, pedicures.
KUELLIFE: And last but definitely NOT least: What are the top three things on your bucket list?
JACQUELINE: Produce and star in a movie, vacation to the Maldives, build schools for girls in poor countries.
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