Is it just me or has the swim industry taken a dive for the worst? It's like they hit a plateau over the past three years and decided suddenly to just plummet into the deep end with zero creativity, poor styling, boring colors, and blatantly bad designs this season! I recommend sticking with the tried and true, time-tested pieces that are still available. Avoid the unflattering 80's designs that looked bad then on cocaine-addicted models and look even worse today. Maybe I'm b

I'm not perfect. No, that's an understatement. I am in no way, shape, or form, even remotely close to being perfect. I am flawed beyond reason. I think that most of us are. But when the new year rolls around, we are all coerced to follow the time-old "tradition" of making resolutions. We are encouraged to knit-pick ourselves and then make public promises, that we will follow them. "Next year, I'll be better." When I turned 30, I was terrified. I was worried that I hadn't acco

It's no secret that my modeling career has taken me to exotic locations all over the world. I have worked in South Africa, Italy, Australia, Greece, Turkey, France, Singapore, Sweden... The list goes on and on. But when I cut back on modeling to start a restaurant with my husband (Ian) in 2014, I lost all of those free travel perks. Not only that, but being a small business owner does not pay nearly as well as a model! Every penny goes straight back into my business. It is tr

1. Air Fryer $49.99 Give the gift of flavor this year without sacrificing anyone's health! Air fryers are changing the face of what we consider "junk food." Instead of submerging food into a vat of hot grease, it uses little to no oil to achieve the crispiness and texture of a traditional fryer. There are many models available on the market with different sizes, pre-sets, colors, etc. I picked this model because it's a good medium size, has great reviews, and it's cost-effect

Twenty bucks says that you think that's a typo and I forgot to write "loss" between weight and journey. Well, you would be wrong, my friend! Our bodies are constantly changing and evolving. Sometimes we gain weight, sometimes we lose it. That's life, kid. We are taught that once we reach our "peak" bodies (usually around high school or college) that's how they are always supposed to look. And that's why I want to share my journey with you. 100 I hit 100 pounds in 5th grade. A

I was raised as a strong southern woman in a strong southern family. We went to church every Sunday & Wednesday, ate homemade supper at the table every evening after Daddy got home, and always said the blessing. We shelled peas, raised a garden, and marched to the beat of our own drum (even with frilly panties and ruffled socks on). I was never taught to succumb to a man. In fact, I was the only girl on my T-ball team, and I kicked all the boy's butts at the sport. I was rais

*I would like to preface this post by stating that I am not being paid to write this. This is completely genuine and my utmost personal opinion. A couple weeks ago, I was approached by a clothing company that I knew very little about. I had seen commercials and pop-ups for Gwynnie Bee, even gone so far as to click on their website, but I didn't really understand what it was. Regardless, they wanted me to shoot for them as a model and I was booked for the job. As soon as the b

I flew into New York City this morning and felt that familiar clutch in my chest. This city has a hold on me, even when it's cold and rainy. It's like a long lost lover whom I try to forget but time and time again, I feel that pang in my heart and I know that it still has a hold on me. It's fashion week in NYC and that always holds a special place in my memories. I went straight from the airport to the Maree Pour Toi pop-up shop downtown! My uber tinkered down slick, brick st

Have you ever dreamed of going to Singapore? Smelling the east asian spices, walking through the enchanted botanical gardens, sipping high tea on top of the city, shopping in the biggest fashion houses in the world; What’s not to love about this city/state/country? Other than durian, of course. When an opportunity arose for me to model in Singapore, I jumped at the chance to go. Up until this point, the only place that I had traveled to in Asia was Istanbul, and let’s be hone

It calls to me like a scorned lover. Every time I see it's silhouette, my heart stretches with a deep longing, and pangs with a sense of weakness. The city is a companion to the lonely, a lover to the loveless. It is oxygen and blood, grit and glue. It sticks to the marrow and seeps into the dark places where you hide from yourself. It knows your deepest desires, ones that you've hidden even from yourself. The city twists and tantalizes, constantly evolving to rise up and mee

Ten years ago today, I became the Cycle 10 winner of America’s Next Top Model; The only plus sized person to ever win. My life, as I knew it, would never be the same. I remember the excitement of winning after the tumultuous build-up that is reality television. You see, people can not think that you’re going to win. Hell, you don’t even think that you are going to win. Without the ever-changing role of your “character” (aka you, a real life human being) the show would be bori