Chasing her big dreams

BEGINNER’S NOTES

“When I didn’t win The Apprentice [in 2005] and was broke and baking dairy-free cookies, I learned to stay the course,” says Frankel (ca. 1990). “Success comes with determination.”

A REAL HOUSEWIFE WHO KEPT IT REAL

“I wasn’t coming on the show like, ‘I’m rich and you’re not,’” says Frankel, with New York City castmates (from left) Ramona Singer, Jill Zarin, Luann de Lesseps and Alex McCord in 2008. “My tiny apartment would never be on the show now.”

PAIN OF THE PAST

In her 2010 People cover story, Frankel revealed the truth about her difficult childhood, one scarred by neglect and alcohol abuse and violent fights in her family.

SKINNYGIRL SENSATION

Frankel (in 2011) struck gold with her low-calorie Skinnygirl cocktail line and built an empire that now includes a wide range of products, from shapewear to salad dressing.

GIVING BACK

“I’m reminded how meaningless a lot of the things we worry about really are,” says Frankel (in Puerto Rico in 2017) of working with her disaster-relief initiative BStrong.