While browsing through my Twitter feed–follow me! @ekelly89–during my Rock Music class last Wednesday morning, I had one of those moments where you realize your day is going to be a little more exciting than you originally thought.
@NUStudentLife tweeted that Bethenny Frankel was coming to the very auditorium I was sitting in at that moment, later that evening. And tickets were available via the MyNEU portal—for free!
I know what you may be thinking: “an NYC housewife, really? You’re excited about that?”
But this housewife is no ordinary housewife.
First of all, Frankel was unmarried during the debut season of The Real Housewives of New York City, where the young and snarky chef and fitness guru was introduced to the world. And, after realizing the entirety of the show was simply “women rewarded for behaving badly,” she made the decision to leave—but not after creating a legacy for herself, establishing herself as a business women and entrepreneur with her line of SkinnygirlTM cocktails.
According to Frankel, NU sorority Sigma Delta Tau (SDT) organized Frankel’s appearance at Blackman in just two days. You wouldn’t know it, though–the auditorium was filled with eager collegiettesTM (and a few curious guys) ready to hear was she had to say.
Wearing a casual black dress and attention-grabbing red heels, Frankel spoke about being a mom, her marriage to her husband Jason, life as a housewife on the Bravo “reality” series and becoming a business woman, in addition to answer questions from the auidence. She also doubled as a standup comedian, cracking jokes left and right. The audience exploded with laughter after she accidental referred to the sorority as “STD” rather than SDT.
Frankel also made sure to promote her empire—referring to her books, A Place of Yes and Naturally Thin, multiple times, as well as her SkinnygirlTM line of margaritas and sangria, and her SkinnygirlTM line of skincare products.
Frankel had some advice for students, too.
“Don’t binge,” she said. “Whatever you do, don’t binge.” Frankel encouraged women to allow themselves a cookie or pizza once in a while, rather than depriving themselves of these foods altogether only to eat them in mass quantities later.
“I’ve been there—I’ve eaten an entire Entenmann’s cake in my dorm room,” she shared in a joking tone, but with completely serious intentions. “Don’t do it!”
On a more serious note, Frankel encouraged audience members to follow their dreams, and to follow their gut instincts, especially when it comes to being successful.
“Stay on your path, don’t let others influence you,” she said, later adding: “and don’t have a baby until you’re 30.” She explained college students should embrace their youth and establish themselves before becoming a parent. “You don’t know what you want yet.”
Frankel tributes her current success to her go-getter attitude: “My assistant has said, ‘If you’re not getting on the Bethenny train, get out of the way.’”
When questioned about her ‘personal swagger,’ Frankel couldn’t put it into words–but she did share her ‘buying swagger.’”
“I don’t buy things at retail price,” she said, before emphasizing her mission to make her products affordable. “I’d never spend $42,000 on a lamp. Not even $4,200. Always look for deals… A $200 face cream is made in the same place a $20 cream is made.”
Another point Frankel emphasized was to simply “live in the moment.” Though Frankel made this particular comment at the beginning of her on-stage presence, it is the one that stuck with me. While plans and projects may lie in our paths, she stressed the importance of judging situations on a day-to-day basis, and to enjoy life in a happy and carefree way whenever possible.
After closing with the Q&A session, Frankel stayed to sign copies of her newest book, A Place of Yes. Later that evening, she thanked SDT Northeastern in a Tweet.
Thank you, Northeastern University, and SDT, for bringing a smart, savvy and successful business woman I actually want to listen to, to campus!
(Images of Frankel on campus provided by SDT)