When you have the opportunity to ask some of the most interesting people in the world about their lives, sometimes the most fascinating answers come from the simplest questions. The Thrive Questionnaire is an ongoing series that gives an intimate look inside the lives of some of the world’s most successful people.
Thrive Global: What’s the first thing you do when you get out of bed?
Rory Platt: Go for a run outside or run the Santa Monica stairs. I’m inside the office, in a car, or at an event most days, so it’s important to spend some time in the fresh air or I would go crazy.
TG: What gives you energy?
RP: Being busy and travelling. I hate being bored; it gives me anxiety to know that I’m wasting valuable time.
TG: What’s your secret life hack?
RP: Focus your attention on what is really important. I used to get caught up in small details and worry about things I couldn’t control.
TG: Name a book that changed your life.
RP: “Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office,” by Lois Frankel. I read this book when I started at ICM and it’s helped me navigate the industry ever since. Frankel emphasizes the necessity to get out of your safe zone, stop doubting yourself and to not be afraid to take chances. One of my favorite lines is “you must dispel the myth that overcoming the nice girl syndrome means you have to be mean and nasty.”
TG: Tell us about your relationship with your phone. Does it sleep with you?
RP: I have two phones … which means I rarely unplug, but at the same time I certainly give myself permission not to pick up calls or answer emails on my personal time.
TG: How do you deal with email?
RP: I cannot have an unread or unfiled email in my inbox
TG: You unexpectedly find 15 minutes in your day, what do you do with it?
RP: Try and read all the group chats I somehow got added to, browse the latest fashion magazines or window shop.
TG: When was the last time you felt burned out and why?
RP: When I spent more time at LAX then my own house. As much as I love to travel, being home to re-charge with family and friends every couple weeks is a necessity.
TG: When was the last time you felt you failed and how did you overcome it?
RP: I failed at snowboarding. I broke my wrist and ended up at the hospital twice … I decided it wasn’t for me. I started skiing instead. I love it. Arianna Huffington once said that one way to finish something is to drop it. That’s probably true.
TG: Share a quote that you love and that gives you strength or peace.
RP: “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” — Coco Chanel
Rory Platt is an agent in the Global Branded Entertainment Division of ICM, with a core focus on the company’s Corporate Representation division. At 24, she was one of the youngest agents at ICM. Rory oversees entertainment strategies for the agency’s luxury corporate client portfolio and also handles commercials, social media and endorsement deals for ICM talent.