VMP Covergirl -Clare Frederick

This week’s VMP Covergirl is…… CLARE FREDERICK!

I can’t wait for you all to meet Clare at an event - she’s really tuned in to legacy. We did this interview live so we had a lot to chat about

Did you have any female, older role models when you were younger?

That's a tough one for me because I really did not have like a footprint or a person that was like me that I aspired to. I just always looked for people that I admired and it didn't matter to me whether they were men or women, I have always been inspired by great people and related more to their values and principles.

In my personal life, there was not a professional woman but I always admired my mom because she was just just very kind hearted, but also logical, and treated everybody with with fairness and kindness. She had her gender roles that she was cast into, but this is the time that she grew up in. She was probably the most influential role for me. My parents, both of them are great people.

So how did you mark turning 50 And how did that feel to you?

Turning 50 was a transformational time. I really reflected on that, on that decade. I said to myself, I cannot live the rest of my life the way I'm living now. Or at least my live the rest of my career, the way it was structured then. I could feel a transition and it was time for me to step into my own and I made the transition to go independent. I turned 50 in October and by December, I had made the transition and I just felt that it was the right time in life. I had the confidence to do it. I probably should have waited a little bit longer to have all the all the green lights on the highway. Go but you'll never go anywhere if you wait for all the lights on the highway to be green.

I just forged through. I made really good connections in the industry and they were very supportive. Then I just jumped in and said I'm never looking back. And it's worked out.

Would you go back to being 25 again?

If I knew if I could take my my brain today. But I would never go back to not having the experiences that I have today and knowing what I know today. I appreciate all the experiences that I've had both good and bad. Probably even appreciate the bad experiences almost more than the good ones because I grew from those. I definitely grew from the good ones as well. If I had to go back to that same environment and live it all over again I don't think so. Unless I could take myself with me that I am today. Then that would be quite interesting.

I would definitely make sure people knew what my boundaries were. I didn't know how to do that when I was 25. Right. I didn't know how to tell people you're crossing a line here. I'm much better at that now.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would just say to continue to be confident in your ability and in your intuition. Trust your instinct, trust your gut. And you're good enough. You're smart enough. Keep working hard. And always do the right thing and good things will happen to you.

Do you feel like you've changed since you've turned 50?

Oh, yeah, I change I continue to grow. I hope I always grow. I continue to challenge myself in all aspects of life. I kind of take turns on which aspect I'm going to challenge myself in whether it's career or personal or spiritual or physical, and family. You know, there's all these different aspects of life that if you don't pay attention to them, they get out of kilter. So I try to attend to all of those and and hopefully continue to grow in all of those areas and aspects of life. That's my lifelong quest - continue to grow and be a lifelong learner, and never be comfortable with where I am. Enjoy the moments and enjoy the successes, but then move on.

Have your perceptions of what being attractive means changed over time?

Definitely. I think as young girls we're kind of molded into "it's what you look like". But my Mom said, it's not about what you look like, it’s about who you are on the inside.

What I find attractive in people today is different than when I was younger. Definitely attracted to people who know and feel comfortable with themselves. I don't necessarily have to agree with them, but I like when people can express who they are and also be accepting of other people. I guess I like people who are unique, who forged their own way. Creative people people who care and want to make a difference.

When I was younger, I just wanted to fit in and I was more concerned about how people saw me. Now I don't really care. I mean, I do care about how people perceive me, but I understand that you don't have to please everybody anymore. I think I grew out of that.

What positives have come from being over 50?

Oh, gosh, there's a lot. I think being over 50 is fantastic. You can control your own life. There's a certain stability that I have in my 50s and beyond 50 that I never had when I was younger. I think the foundation of your life is established, so that gives you more freedom, creativity and flexibility. I definitely have more fun now than I did when I was younger.

I understand life a lot better. I understand people better. I understand myself better and therefore I'm more comfortable taking on things. But I also know what my limits are now. I think I've tested them. Although I continue to try to push my limits and go further but

I'm much more comfortable just trying new things. I don't get embarrassed anymore. We only go round once so you may as well live life to the fullest.

What is your best advice for other women who are coming up on turning 50?

I would say it's a great time to reflect, to look back and understand and appreciate your journey. Understand where you've come from, and then use that to go forward. There's still so much life left ahead. It's your best years going forward. The longer you live I think the more you can become more fully realized into your own being and effectiveness in the world. Don't be afraid. I don't see a lot of women being afraid of aging any longer. I think society is changing and making things more attractive for older people. It used to be you’re old, you’re washed up in your career. So much was placed on that, but I don't think that's the case. I guess in pockets of society that still exists, but in general, I see a nice positive trend. Maybe because we're living so much longer and people are embracing aging a positive way. So I say your best years are ahead of you.

Do you have any goals or projects you're working on? What dreams do you have for the future?

Personally I'm going to continue to grow. In business as well. I do love this industry, but I'm doing it in a way that is not the traditional way. I want to give back to the community and to people in the way this business is run. We're very thoughtful about who the partners and people are that we have as part of our group. I lead the organization, but it's definitely a collaborative effort and we welcome that input.

We want to be economically successful, but that's definitely not the only measure. We want to have a positive impact on people's lives. That's my major source of my projects, but I also have some personal projects. I want to continue to take care of myself and grow spiritually, and continue to participate in charitable organizations.

Why are beautiful photos important to you right now? Why did you do this project?

At first I thought what am I doing this for? But now that I have them, I appreciate them so much. It's a sort of a timestamp in my life number one. I actually haven't shown them to too many people but the people that have seen them, all positive reactions. You do such beautiful work and the whole experience was so much fun.

I like taking a step back and kind of looking at myself from a third person as if I didn't know myself, and maybe being a little less judgmental and more accepting. That's what these photos have done for me. They're really nice, and if somebody didn't know me, I wonder what would they think of me from those photos? And I think I loved what I saw. And I was very happy with that. And I’d like to have that as sort of an anchor in a way to look back on where I was at this time of life. And remember that I'm continuing to grow appreciate who I am.