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.
Marina Larroude is a fashion industry veteran with almost two decades of experience. Currently the Head of Schutz International, she joined Schutz from Barneys New York, where she served as Vice President, Fashion Director. Prior to Barneys, Larroude was Teen Vogue’s Fashion and Accessories Director and spent over 12 years as Fashion Director for various Condé Nast publications. In her Thrive Questionnaire, she opens up about prioritizing time with her kids, the morning routine that sets her up for success, and her love of paperback books.
TG: What’s the first thing you do when you get out of bed?
ML: Check my emails, and then get ready for the gym. I love Tracy Anderson and running. It starts my day the perfect way.
TG: What gives you energy?
ML: The love for whatever I’m doing.
TG: What’s your secret life hack?
ML: Be prepared for bad outcomes but be ultimately an optimist. The optimist gets things done.
TG: Name a book that changed your life.
ML: Educated by Tara Westover
TG: Tell us about your relationship with your phone. Does it sleep with you?
ML: Yes, trying to limit though. I’m always a bit too connected.
TG: How do you deal with email?
ML: I try to answer every email I receive. I hate to let people hanging. If I can answer soon better. There are days that are impossible and I need to prioritize.
TG: You unexpectedly find 15 minutes in your day, what do you do with it?
ML: I call my kids and husband, and go for a quick walk.
TG: When was the last time you felt burned out and why?
ML: In the last fashion “months” (Feb and Sept) I definitely felt more burned out. I have a good home base routine that gets lost when I travel for longer periods. I miss my family and they miss me, the energy used to go lower by the end. I have also been attending the fashion calendar for many, many years, so the novelty and excitement that surrounds them faded over the years. I started to feel a lot more excited about the business behind them and particularly connecting with day-to-day consumers.
TG: When was the last time you felt you failed and how did you overcome it?
ML: Sometimes I feel I’m failing when I’m not close to my kids for specific things, during a business trip or something happening at the same time as important events. It’s not easy, sometimes. I overcome this by trying to spend quality time with them whenever I can and I also think about the example I get to set for them, their future spouses and their kids.
TG: Share a quote that you love and that gives you strength or peace.
ML: “Trust the universe.”
TG: How do you prioritize when you have an overwhelming amount to do?
ML: I prioritize base on the deadline and importance. Or I start with the tasks that will take less of my time to complete so I can feel I’m being able to accomplish something.
TG: What advice would you give your younger self about reducing stress?
ML: Don’t be anxious, everything will work out.
TG: Do you have any role models for living a thriving life?
ML: Many! Sara Blakley, Michelle Obama, Gwyneth Paltrow, Melinda Gates, Whitney Wolfe Herd, Arianna Huffington…
TG: What’s your personal warning sign that you’re depleted?
ML: When I can’t fell a sleep at night. I’m usually a very good sleeper. I also get lower back pains when I’m under stress.
TG: When you notice you’re getting too stressed, what do you do to course-correct?
ML: I try to stay closer to my family and do more calming things like Yoga, long walks, and playing games with my kids.
TG: What’s a surprising way you practice mindfulness?
ML: Exercising, running, and doing Tracy Anderson can be an incredibly cathartic and I really connect with myself doing those things. It is highly therapeutic in that sense.
TG: How do you reframe negative thinking?
ML: I don’t have a formula, but being on the move always helps. Not having much time requires you to be pragmatic.
TG: What brings you optimism?
ML: When I see good things happening to good people, and a good upbeat playlist.
TG: Fill in the blanks:
People think I’m very open, but really I’m quite reserved.
TG: Tell us about a small change you have made in your life to improve your sleep. What did you do, how long did it take until it became effective, and how you sustain this habit?
ML: Lately CBD oil has been very helpful, but nothing helps me better than a six-mile run in the A.M. That exhausts me and makes me sleep like a baby at night.
TG: Tell us about a small change you have made in your life to improve the way you connect with others. What did you do, how long did it take until it became effective, and how you sustain this habit?
ML: Not really a small change, but therapy really helps me with that. Understanding my emotions allowed me to better understand and connect with others as well.
TG: Tell us about a small change you have made in your life to improve your focus. What did you do, how long did it take until it became effective, and how you sustain this habit?
ML: I started to read paperbacks in bed at night. Staying away from screens and in my mind helped. I did not have this habit, after the second good book I was hooked.
TG: What was the biggest turning point in your life?
ML: When I got married to my husband. From that day on, we just starting building our dreams together. I was very luck to have found him so young.
TG: What’s your secret time-saver in the morning?
ML: Having my hair blown out. It saves me time to have my hair done.
TG: What’s your evening routine that helps you unwind and go to sleep?
ML: Reading with the kids, conversations with Ricardo and a good book to leave the day behind.
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