Categories: Blog Highlights|

The perfect genetic speciment

By |Published On: July 13th, 2016|

Interview with Shelly Aracelis Colon

Styling and accessories Kathy Patellis-Schmidt
Styling and Direction Tsitaliya Mircheva 

Shelly is one of the few women I know who is closest to perfection, but this is not what I admire her for. I am enchanted by the way she handles it, with wholehearted grace, humble attitude to life and captivating kindness. Not to mention her strong positive attitude and choice to embrace her power and responsibility to living her life.

The funny thing is that I lately read an article about a Berkeley biologist who released a study saying Puerto Rican women are closest to the perfect genetic specimen, because they inherit the best genes from Europeans, West Africans and Native Americans. I really had to laugh since Shelly is Puerto Rican as well. As I said, this is not what I mean when I say she is closest to perfection.

Shelly is wearing ba&sh ready-to-wear A/W 2017 

Shelly is a mother of five children with more than 15 years of experience in HR and volunteering work in various community programs, among which are victims of domestic abuse, help to poor children getting back to school and home constructions for disadvantaged families. She is simply an iconic woman and this is why I am meeting with her today.

Right now Shelly lives in Switzerland with her second husband and her five children. She is an Event Planner at the Swiss American Chamber of Commerce and is taking a break from the corporate world.

Shelly is wearing Long Champ dress A/W2017

Here is what we asked Shelly about marriage, luck, motherhood and living in Switzerland.

Tsitaliya: Hi Shelly, you are a mother of five children, a feat in itself, (!) You are married to an important and influential man, living in a big house in Switzerland. You look fabulous and have a gorgeous body and smile. You often travel to dream destinations such as St. Moritz and Monaco and you don’t go to work.
Do you feel people have a certain attitude towards women like you, do you feel you are considered one of the few lucky ones?
Shelly: I am aware that people think I am one of the lucky ones. Some of them just think it is all related to financial resources, but I know it’s about living with intention.

Tsitaliya: Do you feel lucky and how much of your life is actually the result of luck?
Shelly: I believe we create our own lives, and there is no such thing as luck.  Our intention on how we live our life forms the journey we travel.  The energy/vibration we carry and emanate is the same kind of energy that surrounds us. Therefore, is it really luck?

Tsitaliya: If you had to describe yourself with a few words – what would you say about yourself? What is your own image of yourself?
Shelly: I am an idealistic person at heart.  I truly enjoy connecting and creating joyful exchanges.  I’m a girlie girl and very much enjoy being a woman and looking like one.  I pursue beauty from the inside out!

Shelly is wearing a dress from ba&sh A/W 2017

Tsitaliya: What do people not know about you?
Shelly: Some of my close friends know that I grew up in a very poor and high crime town in Puerto Rico, where drugs and violence were kind of common.  At a very young age (I was about 9-10) I became aware of my surroundings and decided that I was going to find a better environment for my future life and I did.  The day after my high school graduation I left and never moved back to my hometown.  I go every year to visit my family, but that’s it!

Tsitaliya: You worked in the corporate world for many years, what made you quit? Do you miss working for money?
Shelly: At a specific time while working in a large US corporation, I felt my values were compromised and I could not just be myself.  I decided to take a break doing some community volunteering work and then look for a different opportunity.  Around that time we moved over here, which was a great gift.  I have considered going back to work, but since money is not an issue, I want to make sure it is something I feel is aligned with my purpose and the freedom that I can now enjoy. In the meantime I make sure I contribute to the life of others in addition to my own.

Shelly is wearing a dress from ba&sh A/W 2017

Tsitaliya: What do you like the most about living in Switzerland? How has living here changed you?
Shelly: Every day I love and embrace the fresh air and diverse cultures I am exposed to in my every day life. I am also a very open-minded person and I believe I’ve discovered a lot more tolerance and acceptance coming from my heart.

Tsitaliya: What do you love the most about motherhood?
Shelly: What I love the most is how much motherhood changed me and made me grow. I guide my children with the understanding that they are to make their own decisions and I am to respect those regardless of my opinion.

Tsitaliya: What do you worry about at night?
Shelly: In all honesty, I do not use my time to worry too much unless there is a problem at hand. Then, I process the issue to find a solution.

Tsitaliya: What do you think of marriage? You’ve been married twice, do you believe in marriage?
Shelly: Marriage for me is a commitment to a journey with your life partner, contributing to each other’s happiness, putting love first at all times.  I do believe in marriage; it symbolizes my desire to unify my life with my life partner.

Tsitaliya: What do you dream of today?
Shelly: To live every day with a full heart and with a purpose. To contribute to a peaceful world and to share our resources so we all can experience life abundantly.

Tsitaliya: Do you feel you have a purpose and what is it?
Shelly: I feel my purpose is to empower others through the way I mould my life, through my personal lessons and the challenges I face.

Tsitaliya: How do you start your day?
Shelly: With a gratitude routine:  As soon as I open my eyes, while still in bed, I find 10 things I am grateful for and most of them need to be different from the day before.

Shelly:

My time management secrets are …. planning and organizing my days/activities

My mother taught me…. how to sew

My children have taught me…. endurance

I get stressed when…. there is unresolved conflict

My best beauty secret is….. eat well and take off your make up every night!

Our photoshoot took place at Château Gütsch, a true fairy-tale place, enjoying breathtaking panoramas of the Swiss lake­side city of Lucerne. The building was constructed in 1888 by the architect Emil Vogt as a private residence with connecting hotel and restaurant facilities. The architecture was inspired by the Bavarian castle Neuschwanstein as Vogt sought to create a true fairytale Belle-Epoque palace.

Recently, employing mesmerizing patterns and resplendent hues, AD100 decorator Martyn Lawrence Bullard has injected new life into the historic Château Gütsch. Bullard layered the interiors with ancestral portraits from the original owners’ collection, Louis XV–style furniture, and Swiss and Gustavian antiques. “Rarely in this field do we get the chance to work on a building with such a rich history,” Bullard says. “It was important for me to honor that past.”

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About the Author: Tsitaliya Mircheva

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Tsitaliya is a writer and fashion journalist for more than 20 years. She founded Mums in Heels 10 years ago and keeps growing and evolving together with her community or fashionable mums and responsible consumers. Fashion and Wellness are her most favourite topics to write about.