Keeping It Real With Chrissy Teigen

In early November, an annual gathering of marketing and branding executives took place against the gorgeous backdrop of Palm Springs, California. Cultivated by brand marketing news giant Adweek, Brandweek is an invitation-only brand summit that draws some of the biggest names in marketing including Amazon Studios, AT&T, Disney, and Delta Airlines. Adweek’s Brand Genius awards were bestowed during an evening gala that celebrated the work of the marketing industry’s most innovative talent.

On November 4th, John Legend presented the Brand Visionary Award to his lovely, talented wife Chrissy Teigen. As an author, tv personality and entrepreneur, Chrissy’s authenticity and dedication to making global change through her work has inspired me tremendously. During her acceptance speech, Chrissy thanked her family and branding team for their support.

The following day, Chrissy shared more with Brandweek attendees during her fireside chat on the main stage with Adweek editor Lisa Granastein. From coping with fame, balancing family life and keeping it real, Chrissy covered it all.

“I’ve been able to brand myself as the person that really loves staying in.” - Chrissy Teigen

Chrissy’s commitment to being true to herself has served her very well. Instead of trying to conform to the image that many in the modeling world attempted to impose upon her, she made the conscious decision to step outside of the box and be her authentic self. Chrissy’s authenticity has resonated well with longtime fans and newcomers alike. By accepting herself for who she is and embracing what makes her unique, she has built a lifestyle empire that includes a cookbook, a Target cookware collection, and Cravings, her new website that is so popular, it crashed on its release date.

“When you do share so much, it feels unnatural to hide things.” - Chrissy Teigen

When asked about her candor on social media, Chrissy noted that by nature she is an incredibly open book. She is not shy at all when it comes to sharing her beliefs, political views, details about her marriage to John or personal struggles. In fact, Chrissy shared that though she loves to share information about her personal life, there have been times that she has taken a step back when she felt that her mental health was being affected. After sharing her experience with overcoming post-partum depression, Chrissy was met with both praise and criticism. As a new mother, receiving this kind of feedback can be particularly devastating. But through it all, Chrissy has come out on the other side winning in a BIG way.

Congratulations to Chrissy and the rest of this years’ Brand Genius Honorees!