This week's Boss FOX is one that you're probably familiar with, the multi-talented, Katherine Schwarzenegger. This blogger and certified dog lover is also the author of the book "I Just Graduated, Now What?" a post-college survival guide for recent grads featured in our AS WE GO ON BOXFOX. As big fans of Katherine ourselves, we couldn't wait to catch up with her on what she's been up to since her days as a USC Trojan and any advice she can give graduates as they transition into the real world! See our interview with Katherine below. //
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us! We’re so thrilled to be carrying your book, “I Just Graduated, Now What?” What have you been up to since you graduated?
Well my first year and half after college I spent working on my second book “I Just Graduated, Now What”. When that book came out I went on a full book tour and launched my lifestyle website, KatherineSchwarzenegger.com which I have loved doing. From my website, I have been able to collaborate with a ton of amazing brands and interview amazing people, all under the umbrella of Lifestyle. I’ve been so lucky to be able to have incredible work experiences too – I worked on a lifestyle web series with InStyle Magazine and went on a three and a half month tour with TJ Maxx interviewing over 600 women across the country. It’s always something different and new, which I love. A few months ago I released my third book, “Maverick and Me”, which was my first children’s book teaching kids about animal rescue. We did a book tour for that book, too, and that ended in January, so since then I have been in the process of working on new books for both children and adults and of course a variety of other fun projects. Stay tuned!
Where did you go to school and what did you study?
I went to USC for college at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and majored in communication and minored in gender studies. When I started at USC I had no clue what I wanted to study so I decided to take a bunch of classes in different areas and studying different topics so I could decide what I wanted my focus to be. As a first semester freshman, I was lucky enough to take a class in the Annenberg school that was all about how the media affects how we view ourselves and the pressure it puts on both women and men to look and be someone they’re not. That class was one of the reasons I wrote my first book because it really got me fired up about body image and wanting to get information out about it so young girls especially wouldn’t feel so alone.
We’re big believers in interpreting our major’s contribution to our adulthood inventively. How did your major impact what you’re doing now?
My major was in communication and a lot of what I do for work and in life is communicating with people, so I guess I would say it has a major impact in what I am doing now (haha!). As I said above, I probably never would have written my first book had I not taken my first class at Annenberg as a freshman which then also turned out to lead me in the direction of my major. I also really liked majoring in Communication because I felt it was a helpful major to have in almost any field you work in. We all need to know how to communicate, so I felt that my studies and courses would have the most impact in my actual life. I also think its important to point out that whatever you choose to major in for college doesn’t mean you need to or will end up working in that space. That was something I learned when doing my second book; the amount of people who had a specific major and went on to working in a completely different field was fascinating to hear. I think it also gives people hope that they can really change it up at any point and not feel pigeonholed into a certain career path.
What was one of your biggest post-college fears that never came true?
I had a TON of fears and anxiety when I graduated from college. It really started as graduation neared and people started asking me what I was going to do when I graduated and I had no clue what to say. I started feeling like I was the only one who didn’t have a plan for after college and maybe the only one who felt like I had spent these four years going to college thinking they were going to prepare me for life in the real world, and now that it was nearing, I actually felt really unprepared for the real world. I then started talking to a lot of my friends at schools all over the country, and hearing that they too felt anxious about graduation and felt unprepared which made me relieved, but also wanting to find helpful tools for dealing with this process. As I was searching for information about how we all ended up feeling this way about life after college and no longer being a student, I decided to write a proposal for my second book. Whenever I would talk to people about their experiences with life after college, I was put at ease because everyone had such different experiences and life took them to where they are now. I think overall I was afraid I wouldn’t find my way post college and because I had that fear, it led me right into working on my book.
What interview in the book has helped you the most?
All of the interviews have helped me in different ways because everyone’s experiences post college were so different. My goal was to interview a variety of people from all walks of life so no matter what your post college feeling was, you could relate to someone in the book.
How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Thoughtful, kind and fun
What’s a quote or mantra that’s inspiring you right now?
I just posted a quote on my Instagram from Lewis Howes (who has an amazing podcast ) and his mantra is “face your fears, forgive everyone, forge a new path, find your purpose, forget your haters, and free your mind.”
What are your favorite instagrams to follow?
Of course every member of my family :) but other than that I love following Lewis Howes, my pastor Chad Veach, a variety of lifestyle and fashion brands and of course, a few local rescue accounts to see all the pups that are available for rescue.
