Even though we were friends on Facebook, I never knew Charla Krupp personally.  However, her book How Not to Look Old: Fast and Effortless Ways to Look 10 Years Younger, 10 Pounds Lighter, 10 Times Better and my book Style Rx: Dressing the Body You Have to Create the Body You Want released on the exact same day back in 2008.  Because of this, and the fact that we played in the same sandbox both fashion and style experts, I always felt a certain kinship with her.  Being someone who hadn’t yet achieved the accolades that she had accomplished when our books released  (like being a guest on Oprah,  doing numerous appearances on NBC’s Today Show and more) her success was something that I often admired.  Therefore,  it was terribly sad when I found out that yesterday she lost her battle with breast cancer at just 58 years old.

Our books released on the exact same day in 2008

Charla was a contributor to NBC’s Today show for 10 years and seen on national shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, CBS The Early Show, Good Morning America, Dateline, Rachael Ray, Wendy Williams, The View, The Tyra Banks Show, Entertainment Tonight, Extra and Access Hollywood.  She spent 15 years as the entertainment editor for Glamour magazine and  helped make InStyle, a publishing phenomenon. She returned to Glamour as beauty director and wrote a monthly column for More Magazine called “Fashion for Grown-Ups.”  Her writing accolades Time Magazine, The New York Times, Town & Country, Cosmopolitan, Chicago Tribune and USA Today Weekend.

As a Style Expert currently growing their own career and  presence in the media, I want to thank Charla for blazing this trail ahead of me.  My prayers and condolences go out to Charla’s friends and family at this time.