Since her time on the popular TV series America’s Next Top Model, international sensation and America’s sweetheart, Victoria Henley has been on the fast track to success. From modeling to acting, she has been busy stepping into her career as a creative entrepreneur, sashaying the runways of Saks Fifth Avenue and Nicole Miller and gracing the screen of countless commercials; she is a seasoned veteran primed for success. Victoria recently took time out of her busy schedule to talk with Raine Magazine about her life and the ambitious pursuit of a career that has landed her as an entrepreneur to watch.

Raine: How did America's Next Top Model prepare you for everything that you are doing now?

Victoria: I think it has really prepared me for anyone that doesn't have my best interest in mind and how to handle myself around them. Being on America’s Next Top Model has helped me learn how to take bad situations with stride as well as how to speak in front of large groups of people. This is because even when I was living in the Top Model house, I knew that eventually millions of people internationally would be watching me. What you have to do is take those experiences and learn from them and let them prepare you for whatever you are going to do in the future.

Raine: What is the biggest challenge that you have had to overcome?

Victoria: The biggest challenge that I have had to overcome – and it’s not really so much a challenge, it is just being persistent. There will be doors that close and things that don’t work out but I have to remember to take everything in stride and allow that to propel me and pursue the next thing.

Raine: What inspires you?

Victoria: What really inspires me and keeps me going is my ambition and my drive. The desire to always experience more, so even when I have a bad experience,  you can guarantee that I will always get back on my feet. It's that kind of ambition that continues to inspire me everyday.

Raine: What can budding model's learn from your success?

Victoria: I think the best advice that I can give other models is to have a thick skin; be resilient and bounce back from things that may not work out. Everything that you do make sure to put your all into it, learn from past experiences, study fashion magazines—see what you like and what you don’t like  and be true to yourself. It's like Oscar Wilde said, "Be yourself because everyone else is taken."

Raine: What words of wisdom can you share with aspiring models?

Victoria: If it is something that you really enjoy doing and it makes your feel good about yourself, then it's something that you should keep doing.

Picture Source: Courtesy of Victoria Henley

Photographer - Sammie Saxon