Sandra Campos has been successfully building consumer-led global fashion and lifestyle brands for more than twenty years.
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I had the honor of meeting Sandra in her role as CEO of Diane von Furstenberg.
I truly admire not only her work ethic, but her energy. Her smile lights up any room she enters and her outfits are always on-point.
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Sandra is incredibly smart, decisive and is always making things happen. I like how involved she is with every single part of the business and I applaud how approachable she is; constantly listening to what you have to say and advising solutions.
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I’m honored that she invited me to her office to answer these questions for my personal project, and I am forever grateful to have leaders that support my professional growth every single day.
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We had a very easy, personable conversation. Chatting about business and life, what it is like to be a busy woman, and how to balance your work and personal life.
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1. What is your Morning and Night routine?
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“I wake up at around 5:00 am every morning, read for about an hour and then exercise for an hour. To me this is my me time, the time I enjoy. I do it for myself. I go into different patterns like Rumble, Pilates, SoulCycle. I stopped doing weights, because my son told me he didn’t like the muscular look. Now I do private classes with a teacher. Then after exercising, I get ready and put my makeup on in a taxi while I am on my way to work. I do my hair the night before after showering, and if I need to retouch I’ll do it in 10 minutes. I’m at the office at 9:00 am”
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“At night, I leave the office between 8:30-9:00pm. I get home, eat with one of my kids, and sometimes stay way longer than I should on social media. I have three dogs and one cat that we recently took to our new home upstate, but when they are here I have to walk my dog. I’m in bed at 10:30pm. I used to go to bed later, but now I need to sleep!”
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2. What is your passion or hobby? Something you enjoy doing by yourself?
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“Exercise. In my dreams, when I retire I’ll be an Aqua Aerobics Teacher or a Pilates instructor.
My favorite vacation is when I can work out twice a day. Exercise helps me in a lot of ways. Mainly, I feel more energized.”
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3. As a leader in business development, what key advice would you give someone that is trying to succeed with their own business?
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“Never give up. Don’t get stuck focusing on the negative things. If it's super challenging, focus on your objective. Stay focused on the things that really matter.”
4. Being as successful as you are, do you want your children to follow your footsteps in the business world? How do you accept and be open to your children following their individual paths?
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“All my children are following their individual paths. I have three very artistic children: one in acting, music and singing, the other one ballet, and the other one produces music. I think the advice that I give them is to have a backup plan (laughs). More than anything else, I’ve always taught them my work ethic. They’ve seen me be a single mom for 13 years, an entrepreneur selling businesses, and they’ve seen that things are never handed to you.”
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5.How do you disconnect and balance your work and personal life?
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“I don’t. I love to work, so no matter what, I’m reading, being a lifelong learner, thinking about what’s coming next. I don’t want to be left behind.
Now, I have a farm upstate so I disconnect there, even though I still work, it’s a great workout though!”
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Bonus: Any beauty tips that you want to share with us?
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“I think my good skin is due to me only drinking water and juice. I have never in my life drank alcohol... not even wine. I have no idea what that’s like.”