Girl On Top: E!'s Catt Sadler Taking Chances and Leading the Way

For centuries, cheapest there have been so many characteristics that have stereotypically been used to describe women. Demure might be one; submissive, illness another. As the years pass, abortion though, and gender roles continue to adapt to the social climate, we see women taking on a whole new host of responsibilities that some may have thought we would never achieve. Seeing women in entrepreneurial and leadership positions is so normal now that it is hard to believe there was ever a time when this was an exception to the rule. Catt Sadler, best known for her work as a co-host on E! News, is a prime example of what can happen when a female leader with an entrepreneurial spirit takes her professional experience, mixes it into the digital age and adds splashes of her life’s passions to create a full fledged personal brand for TV, the internet and beyond. With fierce female figures like her mother and grandmother to help guide her journey, it seems inevitable that Catt, herself, would eventually blossom into a strong female voice for the younger generation.

By the time Catt graduated college with a degree in Journalism, she was sure that she wanted to tell other people’s stories on television. In fact, she knew well before that. I sat down with Catt at the ForbesStyle dinner at Shutters on the Beach, where she shed some light on the road to discovering her calling. “Even though I loved arts and entertainment and fashion and food and everything really creative, I loved telling people’s stories. I would be that little girl asking the questions and at the dinner table annoying all my cousins and my family”, she recalled. With role models ranging from hard hitters like Oprah and Katie Couric and all the way to VH1’s Rachel Perry, Catt has gone on to do everything from working in hard news to creating her own shows and has made a name for herself as a leader in the Entertainment News Industry.

Similar to plenty of other admired leaders, triumph against the odds has been a recurring theme in Catt’s story. “E! was actually the second audition I ever had and the funny thing about that is I was already married, I had 2 kids and I wasn’t 22. I wasn’t blonde and I didn’t have fake boobs and I wasn’t the typical E! brand”, Catt explained. Though Catt has spent nearly all of the last decade following her dreams and hosting on the E! network, she has more recently delved into the digital space with her blog, thecattwalk.com. Created as a response to fans consistently reaching out to ask about her hair, makeup and wardrobe they see on the small screen, Catt has developed her blog into a successful business venture. “At the end of the day, regardless of what I would report on and regardless of what the lead story of the day or whatever interview that maybe I did, it was like, but those shoes you were wearing! Where did you get that skirt? What lipstick was that?…The demand and the appetite in the fashion and beauty world is so real and so exciting and so fun.”

Even though the blogosphere is a place where women have time and again proven successful, there are still barriers to be broken, like ones dealing with age. In a world where some of the hottest bloggers are young 20-somethings, Catt, a 40-year-old mother of two, knows how to hold her own. Parlaying her entrepreneurial appetite into a blog that is rooted in honesty and connecting with real women comes naturally to Catt, whose personal philosophy has always heavily stressed the importance of authenticity and engineering one’s own destiny. Catt has found just sharing her personal truth to be an integral part of her formula for success. “For me the formula that has worked since day 1 and maybe the reason I’m still at ease standing is just authenticity. The truth is, I’m 40 and the truth is, I have 2 kids and the truth is, I love fashion and the truth is, I love cocktails and the truth is that my truth is the things I share.” Pretty simple, right?

Original story found on FORBES written by Sarah Boyd.

Q&A: Getting to know our Simply Stylist host, Catt Sadler

Greatest lesson you’ve learned from being a mother?

The greatest lesson I’ve learned being a mother is that as much as the role is about teaching my children, ultimately I learn infinitely more about myself from them.

What is your go-to casual look?

My go-to casual look this time of year is distressed skinny jeans,oversized super lux sweatshirt, and sky high suede boots with some fringe.

One goal you’ve set for the new year?

One goal of mine for the new year is to start using all natural cleaning products in my house. I’ve got the organic natural thing down in my diet, but it’s time to incorporate chemical-free, dye-free household products into my home routine for the health and safety of my family.

Greatest lesson you’ve learned from marriage?

The greatest lesson I’ve learned from marriage is how sweet the relationship becomes over time. Commitment is so sexy. It’s not easy, it’s rare, and that’s why love grows deeper and more meaningful over time. The infatuation stage is easy. Falling in love is easy. But staying the course through the valleys is extremely rewarding in the long run.

Beauty rituals and products you can’t live without?

I can’t live without my Murad products. I use everything from the cleansers, to the serums, to the masks. I’ve used various skin care products for more than 20 years and this regime, hands down, is a winner!

What is your life mantra?

My life mantra is to expect the life that I want, summon the goodness, feel health, abundance, and success long before it’s made it’s way to me — and it most certainly arrives. I believe we can manifest our life through our thinking and feelings. The universe is waiting to deliver as long as you’re on a path of light.

What are your 3 best strengths?

My three best strengths are compassion, empathy, and optimism.