Chrishell Stause - Under Construction: Because Living My Best Life Took a Little Work

Under Construction

Because Living My Best Life Took a Little Work

Chrishell Stause

Gallery Books

An Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

1230 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10020

www.SimonandSchuster.com

Copyright 2022 by Terrina Chrishell Stause

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Gallery Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Gallery Books hardcover edition February 2022

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Interior design by Michelle Marchese

Jacket design by John Vairo Jr.

Photography by Koury Angelo

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.

ISBN 978-1-9821-8625-8

ISBN 978-1-9821-8627-2 (ebook)

This book is dedicated to the person who planted the fire in my soul and the kindness in my heart. I miss you every day, Mom.

S itting down to write this feels surreal. A publisher wants me to write a book? I have never been so flattered and terrified at the same timeand this is coming from someone who was asked to dress as Cinderella and dance the waltz on live TV, in front of millions of people. That experience had nothing on the experience of putting my life down on paper, for anyone to read. I have always loved writing and can remember several times being the kid whose paper was picked to be read aloud, which did wonders for my cool points in school. I have often used writing as an outlet after heartbreak, putting my thoughts and feelings down in those have-to-remember-this life moments. But the thought of other people reading your deepest thoughts creates a lot of pressure. That said, Im grateful youre here, and Im guessing that if you are reading this (so sweet, I love you for life, thank you!), then you know a bit about me already. If you dont know much about me, Id say Im a determined, ambitious dreamer who leads with her heart. Im also a Realtor, a soap actor, and one of the stars of Selling Sunset, the Netflix show about luxury Realtors in Los Angeles. A lot has been written about my life over the years, and many times its coming from anonymous sources, but everything in the pages of this book is coming straight from one sourceme.

You may have seen me on top of the world, and also knocked on my ass more than once. I dont claim to have the key to success, but I can tell you whats worked for me. Life so far has been filled with struggle and adversity, triumphs and victories. I havent figured out how to stay on top, but I have figured out how to get back there after a fall or two. Ive learned to be down, but not out. Throughout the years, I have found ways to be mentally strong so I can get up, dress up, and show up in those pivotal moments where its all too tempting to want to melt into the ground and disappear. I am obviously still a work in progress, and just like any great construction project, sometimes you have to knock down a few walls to let in the light. Every remodel begins with a mess, and Im certainly no exception.

When I look at my life now, Im surrounded by mansions, millionaires, celebrities, and red carpets. A far cry from where it all began. The farthest cry. How far can a cry actually go? Okay, you get the point. But sometimes people see my dresses, stiletto heels, and carefully applied lashes and assume Id be as out of place roughing it as Sex and the Citys Manhattan-loving Carrie Bradshaw every time Aidan took her to his cabin in the woods. I used to secretly enjoy it when people in Los Angeles and New York mistook me for a high-maintenance girl who wouldnt last five minutes on a camping trip. If they only knew. But the fact that they didnt meant I had successfully blended into my new city life, and my dirty little secret was still safe.

When people mistook me for a Carrie, Id contemplate confessing that I actually missed a whole year of middle school due to our house burning down, forcing us to live in a tent, hopping from campsite to campsite. Sure, it was tempting to shock them with tips for finding the best spot to put up your tent (soft ground, but not wet; higher is better) or washing your hair in a river or lake (downstream is Gods water pressure, not to mention that you might forget about your chigger and mosquito bites for a short, heavenly reprieve). But instead of correcting people, I almost felt victorious that I had fooled them into thinking I actually belonged to the life I was living. One that entailed going to red carpet events with grand titles like galas and premieres and living out my dream of becoming the most glamorous thing I could think of as a kid: a soap star.

Even though I feel like I successfully manifested this life (and by manifested, I mean hustled my ass off), in no way did it come easy.

I remember having to work to keep a straight face when asked if I competed in beauty pageants growing up in the South. Me? The awkward brown-haired girl with the mustache and the rogue tooth? The one who worked at Dairy Queen in high school and dreamed of one day being on a billboard or in a magazine, despite those beauty roadblocks? And despite how people may perceive me, in many ways Im still the scrappy kid born in Chaffee, Missouri, whose hospital I was born in isnt even there anymore. If youve never heard of the town, youre not alone.

Construction Tip

You can manifest all you want, but you also have to do the work. Good things dont just come to those who sit around and meditate without a plan of action.

I love and adore my family and would do absolutely anything for them, but Im embarrassed to admit that I felt ashamed of them for many years. It was a long journey of me slowly finding myself and shaking my own self-doubt and insecurities before I could finally own where I came from and speak about it. For many years a big part of me feared judgment, like I would never be accepted because I would forever be associated with a life I had tried so hard to deny and get away from. Even in the process of looking back at myself in photos for this book, it was surprising not to see a Shrek-like monster looking back at me. Its funny how insecurities completely change your perception of yourself. Because now when I look at photos of that time, I just see a regular little girl. She didnt need to be self-conscious simply because she was walking or talking or breathing. She didnt need to shrink and hide. I wish I could tell her, Your mustache isnt even that noticeable!