Boss Lady Spotlight: Chelsea Coyne
At Armoire, we’re casting a spotlight on some of the notable, powerful boss ladies in our community, and what being a boss lady means to her. Read on to learn all about opera singer, cruise director, and Armoire member Chelsea Coyne.
Her Life:
Past:
I am a professional opera singer who has spent the last six years performing on cruise ships. In July 2018, I became a Cruise Director with Seabourn Cruises, where I was the Head of the Entertainment Department onboard. I managed all entertainers, scheduled and coordinated all performances and entertainment events, in addition to performing, myself.
Present:
Maritime Law does not allow a pregnant woman to sail past 24 weeks (crew or guest), so I stopped sailing at 20 weeks pregnant. I am now living back in my hometown of Fort Worth, TX, teaching private voice lessons out of my home, awaiting the arrival of my little angel.
Future:
After my daughter is one-year-old, I would like to go back to being a Cruise Director with Seabourn. I am waiting until she is one, because I will take her with me. Another option is looking for a full-time position at a university as a voice professor. This baby is making me lay down some roots!
Her Career:
How she’s redefining women who work:
Some people say, “You can’t have it all.” Well, I believe that you can. I think that you can be a bad-ass boss lady AND an incredible mother. That is one of the key reasons why I want to go back to sea and be an example to her. I am already working in a male-dominated position/industry and I can actually only think of a few female crew members who have brought their children onboard with them, but I know that I can do it and give her some incredible experiences while fulfilling myself and providing for us financially.
Her biggest challenge:
Currently, I am back to being “self-employed,” so my income has decreased. I, obviously, don’t have the energy that I’m used to, so I’m not able to work as hard as I’d like to, which means less money. But, it’s forced me to relax a bit and enjoy this quiet season in my life. I have become more money/budget-conscious (which is a very positive thing) and I know that I will be able to re-establish myself after baby girl is a few months old, so I’m staying positive through it all.
Her secret to a work/life balance:
I think pregnancy has forced me to find a better work/life balance. I typically am more work-driven and thrive off of accomplishing things. Since I can’t push as hard as I did when I wasn’t pregnant, I’ve been forced to relax more, spend more time with family and friends, and so on. As a result, I am learning to appreciate my calmer existence and aim to keep that mindset going in the future.
What she wishes she knew 5 years ago:
You can set goals but you can’t make plans. My pregnancy was completely unplanned, yet it has been the greatest blessing of my life. Life is completely unpredictable, and if you can truly surrender to that and find peace in every joy and every sorrow, then your life can be utterly beautiful and fulfilling.
Her Style:
Why she uses Armoire:
My Armoire subscription was actually gifted to me by a dear friend. It’s been one of the best gifts that I have ever received. Ever since I became pregnant, my baby has been my entire focus. I have definitely put myself on the back burner during my pregnancy, so it meant a great deal to me that my friend gave me a gift for ME.
Her favorite part:
I love that you can exchange your items as many times as you would like. There are some items that are super cute in the pictures, but once I tried them on, they just weren’t “me.” But that was okay, because I could drop the item back in the mail that day and another item would be on it’s way soon!
Boss Lady Power Outfit:
My favorite outfit to date was this very colorful hunter green, hot pink, purple retro-looking sheath dress. It was just such a wild dress and seemed like such a bold choice for a pregnant woman to wear, but I absolutely loved how I felt in it and I received oodles of compliments.
On the benefits of Armorie maternity:
Let’s face it, babies and all that go with them are expensive. Just thinking about the medical costs of having a baby can be overwhelming. Then, there’s everything that you need to buy for your newborn, from clothes to diapers to bottles to furniture, and then on top of that, none of your clothes fit anymore!! And maternity clothes are not cheap (especially cute ones). You can only wear your maternity clothes for a limited time anyway, so it seems like such a waste to invest a lot of money in a maternity wardrobe. So, for that reason, I think Armoire Maternity is SO cost effective. With all of the changes that are happening to your body during this time, it’s nice to put on a cute dress and feel pretty, even when you can no longer see your feet. And Armoire Maternity allows for you to have a very full wardrobe during this time without breaking the bank. If I have a second child, I will definitely partake in Armoire Maternity again!
