Ms. Devoreaux Walton, founder of The Modern Lady.

My dear ladies, we are thrilled to have Ms. Devoreaux Walton, founder of The Modern Lady, (a consulting company helping women unlock their confidence), with us today. She is also the author of the wonderful book Je Ne Sais Quoi. Ms. Walton currently resides in Dallas, Texas with her adorable dog, Nyla.

Welcome to The Not-So Desperate Housewives community, we are so happy to have you with us, Ms. Devoreaux Walton! Could you please tell us about that defining moment, you’ve spoken about, when you decided to completely change your life? What was it exactly that motivated you to improve the quality of your life in so many areas? (leaving your corporate career to start your own company).

Thank you for the honor of including me in this interview series! It’s my pleasure, and I’m delighted to be among such an incredible group of women! The defining moment that changed everything for me was hitting what I call “a wall.” I spent years unhappy with various areas of my life: my job, my lack of style and social eloquence, my boyfriend, the list went on and on.

I was leaving work one day, stuck in traffic, and spent time in mental reflection. I had hit a breaking point and that was it for me – I decided I needed to make a change. So instead of continuing to complain about the things I didn’t like in my life – starting from that evening on, when I got home, I took the action to improve them.

I was self-motivated to make my life different from how it was at the time, because I was simply done feeling inadequate and “less-than.” I started by investing in myself, working on my mindset, and then continued learning about other things: femininity, personal style, timeless wardrobe, beauty, hair, skincare, and etiquette.

Ms. Walton reading her book, Je ne Sais Quoi.

I found that by improving each individual area of my life, my overall confidence, happiness, and productivity was enhanced. Learning about elegance was powerful. Applying everything that I learned about elegance completely transformed my life!

How would you describe your style? Who were your role models growing up?

My style could be described in one word: elegant. I enjoy conservative, classic, and feminine clothing. When I’m wearing a pretty outfit that is a solid, neutral color with a touch of femininity – either a lace accent or flared hemline of a skirt or dress, is when I feel most beautiful.

Ms. Walton with her dog, Nyla.

Lately, I’ve been really enjoying buying and wearing pillbox hats (made famous by my favorite style icon Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy) and silk scarves. My signature piece, an item I wear daily, is a form of pearls – either in jewelry or on my clothing. I wear pearls everyday because for me, they represent the quintessential example of class.

They are strong, beautiful, feminine, classic, and timeless. Even when I’m at home I enjoy wearing pearls. They make me feel pretty and powerful! My role models included so many amazing, beautiful, smart women – my grandmother, my mother, Lena Horne, Phylicia Rashad, Diahann Carroll, former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, and Audrey Hepburn.

I admired these women because they exuded grace, poise, charisma, style – and most of all, class. It was a combination of their captivating presence and their personal style that allowed me to be drawn into them and want to aspire to emulate their elegance, or as I like to call it, their je ne sais quoi!

How would you define “feminine power”?

Feminine power is the ability for a woman to embrace who she is with style, grace and confidence! In today’s modern society, femininity is often frowned upon, however being feminine is powerful. The “soft strength” as I like to call it is a force to be reckoned with.

Ms. Walton’s first book Je Ne Sais Quoi.

As a woman with class, we don’t have to curse, yell, scream, or fight to make ourselves heard or get our point across in a conversation or disagreement. Feminine power is essentially how you can carry yourself with grace and strength, by confidently knowing who you are and not apologizing for it, but embracing and leading with your talents, quirks and personality traits.

There seems to be an etiquette renaissance going on in the United States at the moment. Would you agree with this statement? If so, what do you think are some of the reasons this topic, seen by some as unnecessary or stuffy, has grown so much in popularity?

I am happy to hear you think this moment in time is an etiquette renaissance. Unfortunately, I do not seem to experience that very much in my day-to-day routine. What encourages me to continue my work with “The Modern Lady” is what I see and hear about everyday.

Rudeness, selfishness, entitlement, and lack of decorum have become the norm in social society. I see it and hear stories about it from people of all ages, in different walks of life. Pop culture and politics reinforce the ideas of being rude, scantily clad, selfish and entitled. It is my hope that my peers in this industry and I are helping to teach, inspire, and model a different way of life – with character values, morals and personal standards enforced rather than the ‘anything goes’ mentality.

I am proud of the amazing authors, YouTube personalities, bloggers and etiquette consultants that are now taking up the torch to impact this world and make it a better place. Hundreds of years ago, etiquette received a bad reputation because it was only available and even taught to upper class and elite people. So if someone followed protocol, they were ‘snobs.’ In the last ten to twenty years, we have seen a shift with that.

Etiquette is accessible for everyone. It truly is about kindness, courtesy and carrying yourself with dignity – not about being a snob or thinking that you are better than anyone else. Etiquette is for everyone. And if we all lived by etiquette principles, this world would be much more kind, sweet and gracious for us all.

Could you tell us about your seven week “Secret to Chic” program? Also, how does the course differ from your book Je Ne Sais Quoi?

“The Secret To Chic” program is a seven week online course that teaches women how to transform into the chic, confident and classy women they want to be. Women often come to me feeling stuck in a rut and unhappy with their lives and want to make a change – essentially hitting the “reset” button on their lives, like I did for my life, so many years ago.

The program is different from Je Ne Sais Quoi because it teaches elegant lifestyle principles in a step-by-step format that is easy for women to apply and follow. “The Secret To Chic” program also offers accountability and support from myself and the other like-minded women in the program.

What I have heard from so many women over the years is that they read books, watch videos and nothing changes. They want to make a shift, but don’t know how. “The Secret To Chic” is the program that not only teaches how to do it, but goes through each step along the way with women so they aren’t struggling to transform alone.

The support and accountability is invaluable. The true power of changing your life comes from not just knowing what to do, but knowing how to do it, and having the motivation to take action and make the change.

Women that complete “The Secret To Chic” program have received raises and promotions at work, met and dated the man of their dreams, found their true personal style, and increased their confidence and overall life satisfaction. The program truly is the key to unlocking a life of elegance.

Did you enjoy my interview with Ms. Devoreaux Walton? You might enjoy my chat with New York Times bestselling author, Jennifer L. Scott!

xoxo,

Mrs. Hannover

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