95% of being a success in the competitive world of fashion is just showing up on time and being there. I don't know how I knew that when I was younger. You have to stick around for people to remember you.

I was supposedly living this glamorous life, but I was crippled by the idea of growing old and where do I go next? The whole age thing—in our industry, it's everything.

Business is hard, really hard, but it's worth it.

My daughter has fulfilled all of my dreams, because she has a BA and MBA in business. She's both a financial analyst and a plus-size model. She has the best of both worlds because, in modeling, you have to have something to fall back on.

My daughter decided to embrace and celebrate who she was. She was a size 2 at one time, but she decided she didn't want to be hungry anymore. I think that's how you turn it around. Today, more and more designers are recognizing how lucrative that market is.

When I went to Fashion Week, I was very disappointed by how few women of color were in those shows. I do speak to the younger girls, and I hear them when they say they're not getting the big contracts or into the big shows.

I tried acting and all of the arts, I even put out a record album, but what I like the most is business.