Tedi Burgos is the Director of Retail at Diane Von Furstenberg. I’ve seen her grow professionally, and deeply admire her leadership skills. She is very nice and present, her team really respects and looks up to her. Tedi is amazing at her current position, although I’m sure she’ll only go up from here. Somehow, even though she is very busy managing all the DVF stores worldwide, she still manages to connect with each one of us that are on her team. I feel that she genuinely cares for our personal lives and projects.
I’ve always asked myself how life is when you get to such a high level of responsibility. How do you balance your work and personal life? Searching for the answer, I asked Tedi five questions about her life. Here are her answers!
1. Did you ever imagine that you would be a Director for such an iconic global fashion brand?
“Yes and no! Yes, I always envisioned myself doing this job and it was always my dream position, but it happened for me when a lot was happening personally. I was getting married, and truly didn’t expect this huge change in my career. Sandra, the CEO took a chance on me and I’m very happy. My advice is to always shoot for the stars.”
2. What’s your routine like in the morning and night?
“In the morning (Monday through Saturday) I wake up at 5:30 am, make coffee, log into my email from my bed, in my pjs, enjoying my coffee. This way when I arrive to work in the morning everything is clear in my head. I get ready- hair, makeup, outfit, and I’m out the door at 8:00 am so I’m at work at 8:40 am.”
“At night, I get home and the first thing I do is walk my dog, feed him dinner, work out for one hour, and make dinner and lunch for the next day for me and my husband. Then, I do a face routine, depending on what my skin is feeling that day- I love facemasks, my favorite one is Summer Friday’s Jet Lag Mask. After all that, I put on my pjs and sit down on my couch and drink water if I haven’t finished drinking the gallon I have to drink daily! If I had finished my water during the day, then I’ll reward myself with a glass of wine. I watch news or whichever sport my husband is watching and then go to bed. I am asleep at 11:00 pm.”
3.What’s your best advice for someone who is trying to succeed in the fashion industry?
“Never give up and believe in yourself 100%. Keep pushing even if someone tells you you're not good enough. I remember I was working for a brand for a long time and I wanted to be promoted to a store manager. The VP of retail told me I wasn’t qualified, it hurt my feelings, but I kept pushing forward and finally got the promotion I felt that I deserved.
Also, create a really strong network of like minded people that keep you motivated, it is very important to have a strong support system.”
4.What’s the main qualities you look for when interviewing someone?
“I look for someone that is confident, fearless. Someone that doesn't hesitate to answer a question... and of course their honesty. Someone who isn’t unrealistic and doesn’t to never have challenges.”
5.How do you manage to have a balanced personal and work life? How do you unplug?
“Sometimes I struggle, sometimes I don’t. I organize my daily schedule to disconnect and practice that. I know my husband will be home at 9:00-11:00 pm so I put my phone down and we focus on one another.”