LEAD, FOLLOW OR GET OUT OF THE WAY

Strength, independence and confidence are Ann Kaplan’s secrets for success

- RICK MULLER

To say someone is accomplished can sometimes be misleading, as it’s in the past tense, as if their journey is done. Dr. Ann Kaplan is an accomplishment — in progress.

Award-winning entrepreneur, CEO, academic, lecturer and motivational speaker, author, designer, television host and personality, and devoted wife and mother to eight kids, Ann Kaplan displays glamorous style and chic sophistication, while bursting with confidence and possibilities that took their root at a young age.

“In my early teens, I said to my mother I will never work by the hour,” says Kaplan, in a recent wide-ranging interview with Dolce. “Whatever I do, I needed to make widgets; I just didn’t know what the widget would be. I’ve always been a self-starter. I’m very confident and like my mind. I became independent at age 14, and my whole life has been a testament that I need to stand on my own two feet. Today, I embrace everybody and live a life of extraordinary happiness.”

Speaking with Kaplan leads one down a labyrinth of life adventures full of triumphs and tragedies, all of which have shaped and guided her, with success as its common denominator. Perhaps not what she envisioned as a child, but not that far off.

“I don’t think we can envision our lives, but I always knew I’d be successful and not dependent on anyone,” says Kaplan. “I always felt completely in control of my life, and I wasn’t going to be owned by anyone.”