Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sam Russell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Sam, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Finding purpose is such a beautiful and complex roadmap to ourselves. It really only makes sense in retrospect— for me, I was simply at the wrong address. You’ll never get to the clients that adore your contributions if you’re at the wrong mansion.
It was at first a realization that morphed into a daydream. I was leaving Nichols Canyon after a photo shoot for an international magazine that I had just set up. The subject was an out of work actress that was buried in a heavy mortgage and bills and couldn’t afford PR. I decided to help with fashionable invites and styling support.
Over gifting and connecting people has always been my superpower.
This particular client wasn’t grateful and spoiled the energy at every turn. So, I asked myself, “What if I could reroute a portion of my time and resources to everyday women, what would that look like?” This little voice inside of me wouldn’t let up.
This bad experience would be the birth of my traveling passion project, Giving Closet.
Stroke someone’s ego too much, you strip them of their humanity. I was a major part of that problem in Hollywood—working for two decades as a fashion stylist.
And that was about to change.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My career choices and passions are in alignment. Originally from Austin TX, I relocated to Los Angeles in 1999.
I’ve worked as a personal shopper, fashion stylist and travel writer for two decades. In 2011, I noticed the over gifting allotted to the Hollywood elite and decided to do something about it. In my spare time, I ask fashion designers and publicists to reroute a small portion of what we gift to everyday women with unique stories of perseverance.
To date, I’ve surprised 21 women with wardrobe upgrades valued at $10,000 per person. The bigger picture of that: Over $210,000 of designer clothing has ended up in the closets of cancer survivors, a schoolteacher, an acid attack survivor, and single moms reentering the workforce. All because of my little “lightbulb moment.”
Not all news out of Hollywood is bad.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three skills that have helped my journey immensely would be this:
Always take a pause. Not everything deserves an immediate reaction or response.
Trust me, I know the warpath of a damaged woman. Gay men are not exempt from experiencing what our straight buddies are dealing with. To be specific, I recall a time when that same actress that sparked Giving Closet was insulting me in private. She would throw a snide remark or something completely unprofessional my way. Pause. Leave the aggressor in uncomfortable silence. Freeze your face. Notice the spark of disappointment in them when they get no reaction. It’s absolutely priceless. Remove yourself in peace. The best revenge is none. Show them how life got better after their exit.
Work on your inner dialogue.
If that’s too heavy of a burden to even comprehend, read a book and change your perspective. Go for a walk. Write your dreams down on paper. Ernest Holmes’ Science of The Mind, as well as The Artists Way, Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and various books by Shirley MacLaine were often by my bedside.
Something not clicking in your life? Look at your surroundings.
My career has been much hotter than when I was in my hometown. I couldn’t find a decent date or boyfriend to save my life in Texas. Very, very different story when I’m in Los Angeles, NYC, Washington DC, or Toronto. Geography could be the key to realizing your desired life so look at that. Make a plan. If you can visualize it and feel it deeply, the universe will help you get there.
Leap and that net will appear.
Weak boundaries will invite unhealthy and unhealed people. Strong boundaries attract healthier humans on the same path as you.
Choose wisely.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
I’m a late bloomer and didn’t have a big interest in fitness until my 40s. In the last year I’ve lost over 40 pounds and I’ve kept it off.
People often ask me how I do it and it’s very simple: Living in a narc free zone has cleared the pathway for true and genuine support in all my relationships.
What you eat and the company you keep will reflect in your body. Period.
Working on my core has been synonymous with calming my overthinking and easily frazzled nerves.
It started with watching reruns of Revenge Body by Khloe Kardashian for the first time and becoming smitten with the training style of her costar, Simone De La Rue (Body by Simone app).
Yes, gay men get smitten with straight women, too.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.givingcloset.net
- Instagram: GivingSam
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-russell-76979a11
- Twitter: GivingSam
- Other: Threads: GivingSam
