{"id":147485,"date":"2022-08-18T13:55:08","date_gmt":"2022-08-18T17:55:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/?p=147485"},"modified":"2023-03-18T18:06:02","modified_gmt":"2023-03-18T22:06:02","slug":"mandy-dyonne-lieveld-on-being-a-runway-coach-and-her-biggest-success-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/mandy-dyonne-lieveld-on-being-a-runway-coach-and-her-biggest-success-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"Mandy Lieveld on Being a \u201cRunway Coach\u201d and Her Biggest Success Stories"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nImage courtesy of Mandy Dyonne Lieveld<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re interested in modeling or perhaps already in the game, then \u201cRunway Coach\u201d extraordinaire Mandy Dyonne Lieveld<\/a> is likely on your radar. While the Netherlands-born, New York-based modeling expert didn\u2019t necessarily dub herself an \u201cextraordinaire,\u201d her accolades certainly make it seem like a safe description. There\u2019s the fact that she optimized her six-foot-one stature early on in life when she first started modeling as a youth, which was followed by a dedicated dancing career where she learned a lot about posture (before an illness shifted her trajectory). This turn of events led Mandy to pursue her master’s in psychology, and she would eventually merge all of these disciplines together in order to launch her Model Boot Camp<\/a>. \u201cIf you take a look at a professional basketball player who trains for years, the models, what they’re doing, it’s really almost on an Olympic level [like that],\u201d Lieveld says on starting the camp. \u201cThey go to all these well-known designers, all these beautiful shows. So that was always in the back of my mind.\u201d <\/p>\n

Since kicking off her business in Holland, the modeling coach has expanded to work in cities including London, Los Angeles and New York, working with some of the world\u2019s biggest agencies and brands like IMG, NEXT Models, Elite, Bottega Veneta, Calvin Klein and more. To date, Lieveld has coached nearly 500 models and worked on about half as many fashion shows, counting trainees\u2014and now rising industry stars\u2014Ugbad and Cara Taylor among her success stories. Below, she dishes more with Models.com contributing writer Nia Groce<\/a> on her experiences with top names, what being a \u201crunway coach\u201d means in her own words, and advice for aspiring models. <\/p>\n

Interview by Nia Groce<\/a> | Edited by Irene Ojo-Felix<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n

What does being a \u201crunway coach\u201d mean in your words and has your idea of that changed over the years?<\/strong>
\nA runway coach is somebody who would really get the best out of you. Of course, it’s about the walk, but I would almost say 75% is confidence, being yourself. I work with a lot of casting directors and I always ask them, \u201cwhat do you think is important for a model’s walk?\u201d And Piergiorgio, who is a very big casting director has said, \u201cthere are so many beautiful models, but eventually, it’s all about the confidence.\u201d That really sticks with me, and that’s what I’m trying to teach them as well. I tell them not to take it personally in this industry. Because it is an industry where it’s just finding the right fit for that brand and for that show at that moment. I don’t know any model who has not been rejected. Rejection is a part of modeling, but we’re not posting that on Instagram. <\/p>\n

Is being a runway coach different to you now than what it may have been when you were a model?<\/strong>
\nThe thing that I see the most is that you want to present the best of you, so you put a lot of pressure on yourself. I don’t think things have changed in that sense. Maybe there is more space for the mental parts. Especially when they’re so young, although that has changed now. For some of the shows, you [now] have to be 18.<\/p>\n

What’s the model going to experience when she signs up and joins your Boot Camp?<\/strong>
\nThere are two different types of courses. Courses available only to agencies and classes to anyone who wants to learn. I will ask [models], \u201cwhat are your main focus points?\u201d Then we start with the walk because almost everything is already in that walk. A lot of people are very afraid of presenting themselves because their number one fear is [public] speaking. So now it’s like speaking without sound, walking in front of a lot of people, which is very nerve-wracking. <\/p>\n

I always have their \u201cbefore\u201d video, then I’m going through every walk, posture, facial expressions, what to do with your arms, how to feel balanced on heels or more in control, how to pose on the runway, and what you can think [about]. Because sometimes we’re overthinking. I’m going step by step. Eventually, I record the \u201cafter\u201d walk. Then we sit down, and I talk about the industry. What to do, what not to do, never paying for an agency. How do you know it’s a scam? I have videos of agencies, I have a video of a Victoria\u2019s Secret model that I coach, showing them what tips they are giving. It\u2019s funny because I always say to them, \u2018look at Models.com,\u2019 just to keep yourself updated. Eventually, I take digitals so they can send that to agencies.<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Mandy Dyonne Lieveld (@runwaycoach)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n