Kathy Ireland on letting herself age, taking care of herself and taking pride in her work

Kathy Ireland talks about how she had always planned on looking different as she aged, why it's so important to take care of yourself, and why she takes pride in her work, including her company's new venture into substance abuse treatment facilities.

Video Transcript

KATHY IRELAND: I tell people, don't let anybody put you in a box. Don't let them put limits on you. And don't let anyone's opinion of you define or destroy you. I never took my appearance too seriously because I saw how fickle people were, and the look of the moment was always changing. So I made a decision early on I wasn't going to take criticism or compliments too seriously. I was going to do the job, get my paycheck, and that was that.

When we started our company, an internal document that we had is called "The Aging of Kathy Ireland." So when I was in my 20s, I was planning for what was life going to be like in my 30s, 40s, 50s with the plan that I'm not going to try to look like I'm 20 when I'm not. I want to be free to age. What stresses me out-- when I'm not honoring my priorities, that's when the stress comes in. It starts with my faith, and then my family, and then being of service through our work.

And when I don't honor those values, I'm a mess. I'm just not effective at anything, and I don't cope very well. So it's really my faith that centers me. It's like when we get on an airplane. The flight attendant says, put on your own oxygen mask, then you can help those around you. If we don't take care of ourselves, we're not going to be any good to anybody.

I was 40 years old before I learned that no is a complete sentence. There are needs that are so much bigger than me. And I also recognize there's opportunities that are so much bigger than me. And oftentimes, we have to say no to good things in order to say yes to great things.

I don't think there is a family who's not been touched by addiction. The convergence of substance use disorder and COVID are very fertile ground for mental health challenges that we're experiencing as a nation. Depression, suicide, anxiety, substance use disorder-- this is all increasing. And really fighting to break that vicious cycle is what we're seeking to do at Kathy Ireland Recovery Centers. Physical and mental health disorders are an exponential crisis. And it's wonderful to work with such great people who are making a difference.

When I look back at my life and my career, I recognize what a gift to have opportunities. And I've really got to be a good steward with that. Just about everybody-- I don't know anybody who hasn't been going through rough times lately. And we have a choice. We can either break down, or we can break through.