Real Housewives of New York star, self-made mogul, and committed philanthropist is famously direct, outspoken, and take-no-bullshit, but fans are just as enamored by her rawness and vulnerability. When Frankel spoke to Refinery29’s global editor-in-chief and co-founder Christene Barberich for a live recent taping of UnStyled in New York City for AdWeek, she was characteristically honest about, well, everything – from hitting up titans of industry and A-listers at an intimidatingly swanky Hollywood party, to frenemy Ramona Singer, to her early days hawking muffins inside a Costco.
I feel like I’ve made decisions out of fear versus love, many times,” admitted the Skinnygirl founder, who joined RHONY in its first season as the only unmarried, decidedly un-wealthy woman in the bunch. She, who struggled financially, endured relationships that weren’t working, and contended with a painful, dysfunctional childhood.
We all do that; it’s what are our parents did. You know, ‘I’m supposed to be doing that, this guy’s so great, everybody loves him, my biological clock is ticking, he has so much money,’ or whatever.”
Older, wiser, and more confident, Frankel has learned her lesson —, battle scars and all. “A lot of times people make decisions out of fear, versus true love, and I just won’t make that mistake again.”