Poppy Delevingne And Rachel Zoe Talk Rejection & Redemption

In the Climbing In Heels podcast, sponsored by Genesis Motor America, Rachel Zoe interviews women powerhouses across different industries. Through her warmth and humor, listeners hear about the challenges and successes of female entrepreneurship, balancing work and family life, and how these boss women navigate it all. Because with the Genesis GV80, nothing stands in your way of discovering what inspires you.

Years ago, people stayed in their lane. Now, the world is built for multi-hyphenates. As a model, DJ, actor, entrepreneur, and more, Poppy Delevingne knows what it’s like to wear many hats — and to wear them all well.

Delevingne, who calls herself the “filling in the Delevingne sandwich” between older sister Chloe and younger sister Cara, has built a career by pushing herself out of her comfort zone. In the new episode of the Climbing In Heels podcast, she opens up about her upbringing, her ability to persevere when she stares into the face of rejection, and the many endeavors that keep her creativity flowing.

“I was pretty outgoing my entire childhood,” she tells Zoe. “I sort of came out kicking and screaming at the top of my lungs. I’ve always loved people, entertaining, and socializing, [I] and was overly affectionate.” That persona, she says, was built out of necessity. “I looked like [a character on] Fraggle Rock,” she laughs. “I really had to make up for my looks with personality.”

It’s ironic, then, that Delevingne’s first professional track was modeling. (She was discovered by Storm Models founder Sarah Doukas, who also discovered Kate Moss.) “I was not an overnight success,” laughs Delevingne. “I was not Gigi Hadid.” Instead, Delevingne admits that she did many different types of modeling — she was “quite a famous foot model” — and had to keep at it for a long time before finally making it big.

But she was never completely content with just being a model: “My dad always laughed at me and said, ‘You’ve taken so many years to build yourself into [this world], and it’s not good enough.’ At this point, I was working with the British Fashion Council and helping them discover and nurture young talent. I was exactly where I wanted to be, but I wanted to start right back at the beginning again and do something totally out of my comfort zone.”

Delevingne assumed her career in fashion would open doors in Hollywood. “In my mind, I thought acting and modeling must go hand in hand,” she says. “They don’t. No casting director was interested in seeing me because I was a model.”

These days, however, all that is behind her. She has a role in an upcoming independent film set to start shooting soon and a prosecco brand that she created in partnership with her sisters. Delevingne has learned that the best part is when you pause to enjoy your success and have fun.

“I love to get a fish bowl, fill it with ice and some Della Vite, and that’s lunch,” she jokes. “Your day will fly by. You’ll be crawling around on the ceiling by the end of it, but it’s great!”