Caitlin Collins: A Life Reimagined

Caitlin Collins is redefining what it means to live boldly and beautifully with purpose. A luxury fashion enthusiast, author, licensed attorney, and Lupus advocate, Caitlin’s multifaceted journey reflects both personal reinvention and unwavering advocacy. From practicing law in New York City to sitting front row at Fashion Week in Paris and Milan, her path has been anything but conventional. After a life-altering Lupus diagnosis, Caitlin stepped away from the corporate grind and embraced storytelling, creative expression, and wellness as a form of empowerment. Now based in Miami, she is on a mission to inspire others living with chronic illness to own their narratives – flaws, strength, style, and all.

Miami Living (ML): Your journey spans high-powered law firms, front-row seats at Fashion Week, and now, heartfelt storytelling through your creative writing projects. How has each chapter of your life helped you reclaim and redefine your identity on your own terms?

Caitlin: I’ve been lucky to have a diverse range of experiences, but everything is connected. My legal background continues to be very useful. Every industry has contracts and deal terms. Even now, as I’m figuring out the comic book industry, I’m thinking of the potential long-term legal and financial consequences of every option and decision. I love knowing how things work, and I bring that curiosity to everything I do. Learning about the fashion industry has been fascinating. A big difference between fashion and law is the value placed on individual expression. There’s not really a place for that as a practicing attorney, but it’s the mainstay of the fashion world. Of course, practicing law requires a lot of writing, but the creative writing I’m doing now is a true celebration of individuality. It is important to me to carry what I’ve learned into each new chapter; I always want to be the best version of myself I can be. And rather than be defined by external labels, I focus on internal development. All forms of knowledge are power.

ML: As someone who openly shares the raw realities of chronic illness, has it been difficult to be so open in a public way? 

Caitlin: It’s super important to me now to foster genuine connections and to raise awareness for the realities of living with a chronic illness. I can only do that if I’m willing to share private, personal information. I’m not only willing to do that, I’m happy to do it. You can’t raise awareness for something without speaking honestly and openly.

After years of therapy and inner work, I have a new and healthier perspective. I’m done hiding. I no longer value secrecy; I value transparency. I don’t care what anyone thinks of me. If you don’t like me, that’s fine. I like me. 

ML: Your Lupus diagnosis dramatically changed your trajectory. What did it teach you about resilience, and what does resilience look like for you today? Not in grand gestures, but in quiet, daily choices?

Caitlin: Living with Lupus and the constraints that it puts on my body means I spend a lot of time alone. So, I’ve also had to become my own best friend. Learning to befriend myself has been another unexpected gift of my illness, one that no one can ever take away from me.

When I went on medical leave after my diagnosis, the freedom to put my health first felt strange. Even after a month, I still found myself hurrying as I made lunch, rushing so I could get back to . . . Oh wait, there is nothing to get back to. The Real Housewives aren’t going anywhere. I had to force myself to slow down. I didn’t know it at the time and didn’t have the language for it, but my nervous system was chronically activated, even when there was no reason for it to be. This state is called sympathetic dominance. I was stuck in a chronic stress response because of the stressful life I’d been living. Switching over into my parasympathetic nervous system and finding my calm, took a lot of inner work. I had to reexamine my values. Instead of prioritizing productivity and perfection above all else, I had to find a way to appreciate calm and nurture my mental health. With the help of extensive therapy, I shifted my responses and learned to understand the value of taking things slowly. 

I take my sleep seriously, too. I no longer feel any shame about the hours I sleep, when I go to bed, or when I wake up. I feel lucky to be able to sleep however long my body needs to. The outside world places a lot of value on early risers and hyper-productivity. I mean, our society really loves morning people, you know? But why is it inherently better to wake up in the earliest hours of the day? To get as much done as possible? Is that the goal? What’s actually getting done and being accomplished, though? Sometimes it’s just being busy for the sake of being busy, which is actually the opposite of productive. I never lose sight of what an honor and a privilege it is to be able to care for myself and my body, and if I need to spend the day on the couch resting, I do it.

ML: Fashion can be viewed as armor, expression, rebellion, or escape. What does luxury fashion mean to you, and how has your style evolved as a form of self-expression through your health journey?

Caitlin: Fashion is all of those things for me, so it’s “and” not “or.” I’ve always been into clothes. And shoes. And purses. And costumes. I’ve always been into taking pictures of my outfits and creating complementary backgrounds—I still have the proof, too, a lot of Polaroids from back in the day! At this point in my life, I surround myself with people who understand and share my deep appreciation for fashion, people who know it’s not shallow or silly. It’s like when Miranda Priestly tells off Andy for laughing at the seriousness with which they debate two belts: 

“This… ‘stuff’? Oh, okay. I see. You think this has nothing to do with you.” You know the rest.

On the one hand, I understand why Andy laughs. It’s a belt. On the other hand, it’s art. Either you appreciate the art or you think it’s stupid because it’s not “curing cancer,” as Andy complains to her boyfriend Nate (who is the true villain of the movie, by the way). The fashion community values individuality and uniqueness, which is a reversal of the conformist value systems of the legal industry. If you think self-expression is valueless, the fashion community is not for you. I am not for you. This is very much a rebellion against the system that made me sick.

Rebellion usually involves some kind of armor. For me, it’s my sunglasses. I have severe light sensitivity, which means bright runway lights and flashing cameras can be a major problem for my health. That’s why I wear sunglasses at every event. One of the best things about the fashion community? No one ever asks me about my glasses. In fact, it’s considered normal. That’s in stark contrast to my experience in other arenas, where I am often made to feel like a diva or a freak. You can’t show up for work in a courtroom wearing rhinestone sunglasses, that’s for sure. Even when I’m minding my own business, running errands or at the airport, for example, some man will inevitably come up to me and make some comment like, “Super bright in here, huh?” Hilarious, sir. So funny. So original. 

I’ve always styled myself, but I’ve also started designing some of my outfits. Bringing an image from your mind to life is very satisfying. “Fun” and “play” are important components of mental health. When everything has to be serious and have a measurable ROI, there’s no room for fun. That’s what gets you stuck in sympathetic dominance. I’m not going back there.

ML: You're currently working on some creative writing projects and developing a comic book. What inspired you, and how do you hope readers will feel after encountering your work?

Caitlin: Writing has always been an ambition of mine. I wrote a lot of poetry growing up, but I was told that I should feel embarrassed about that, so I was. Still, the dream of writing a book never left me. My current creative projects are still in progress, so there aren’t any release dates to share at this point. But there will be!

Reading the stories of others is a great way to build empathy. I hope that when people read my writing, they will begin to understand what it’s like to live with a chronic illness. The Lupus community needs visibility.

I’ve always been into cartoons. Sailor Moon is a favorite. And I love Disney, even though I was taught it was embarrassing to be a so-called Disney adult. The new me isn’t bothered by that anymore. I can’t wait to see the world I’ve created in my head come to life. I see my characters in such vivid detail. I see purple and glitter. But I also see a deeply impactful storyline with high emotional intelligence. There’s room for both. Women can love dancing and glitter just as much as they love debate and philosophy. I want to show people what it looks like to embrace complexity.

ML: Living with Lupus means navigating unpredictability – pain, fatigue, light sensitivity. How do you strike a balance between honoring your body's limits and nurturing your ambitions, especially in such visually and socially demanding spaces like fashion and publishing?

Caitlin: I use the word “no” a lot. There’s always something more I could be doing, some event I could be attending. But if I run myself into the ground, then I’m no good to anyone. I can’t say “yes” to things out of politeness. A lot of people burn the candle at both ends, and that’s great if that works for them. I can’t live that way. I have to prioritize. I know I want to do the fall fashion weeks, so that means I’m saying no to other trips that time of year. I know I want to work on my creative projects during the day, so I say no to lunch and shopping invitations. I don’t book day-time and evening events on the same day. I have to choose. 

It might feel like I’m missing out sometimes, but I remind myself that what I have is better for me. I have to think through consequences in a way that most people don’t. If I go to lunch, I’ll be tired and I won’t want to write afterwards. So, if I want to write today, I’m not going to lunch. You’ll never catch me going to a dinner one hour after my plane lands. And that’s okay! I don’t need to be at every event to have a meaningful life. It’s easy to get caught up in the FOMO cycle when you live in a place like Miami, but that’s a false God to worship. 

I listen to my body. If I don’t feel well, I’m not coming. I am only close to people who understand that. If someone makes me feel bad about my health needs or tries to pressure me, they are not for me. 

You can’t write a whole book if you’re out all day and night. Writing comes from a quiet, introspective place. It’s because of my choice to honor my body that I have the mental space necessary to write and create. My body forces me to stay home, but I need to be home to write anyways. I get a lot of inspiration in those quiet moments as well as when I’m reading or watching TV. It works for me, not against me.

ML: You’ve spoken about wanting others with chronic illness to feel seen and heard. What do you think is still misunderstood about invisible illnesses like Lupus, and how can we as a society show up better, for ourselves and for others?

Caitlin: Chronic illness isn’t linear. Recovery isn’t linear. Progress isn’t linear. It’s tempting to try to make little rules for other people and get upset when they violate the rules you made for them. If I say that I can’t spend much time in the sun, but I post a picture outside in the sun, does that make me a hypocrite? No. It means I was lucky enough to experience some Vitamin D that day, even if for only five minutes, because I was feeling well enough to do so. There will be weeks that I cannot go outside at all. There will be good weeks where I can tolerate it. 

People love to ask, “Are you better now?” I’m better now, sometimes. Other times, I’m not. My health is an erratic line on a graph with no clear trend. Please believe your friends who suffer from any kind of chronic illness. 

Another thing that needs to be more widely understood is that sensory overload is real. Everyone knows what sensory overload feels like to some extent. Let’s say you’re at a concert, standing right next to the speaker, with microphone feedback blaring, and the stage lights are shining in your eyes. People are bumping into you, spilling their drinks on you. You aren’t on drugs, and you aren’t drunk—you’re dead sober. Now imagine that you’re simultaneously trying to work or hold a conversation with someone. How would you feel?

That’s what it’s like when you have Lupus. Only the severity of the stimuli required to incite that kind of reaction in your body is much, much less. It can be as little as being in front of a bright light while someone is talking. It’s like I’m trapped at that concert all the time. Sometimes I just have to leave and go home, but that doesn’t mean I don’t value you or your time. If I leave an event, that doesn’t mean I have something better to do. It’s not a value judgement on the person throwing the event. I wish society would give people more grace when they’re making decisions for themselves. That extends beyond people with chronic illness, by the way. You never know what someone else is going through, and they aren’t obligated to explain it to you. In a perfect world, I wouldn’t have to tell anyone that I have Lupus, because they would just be understanding by default. 

Instead, I often feel like I’m required to explain myself and apologize for my Lupus-related adjustments all the time. When I break the social contract, people want an explanation. But if we all came from a place of empathy, it would make a huge difference in our collective quality of life. 

ML: You’ve built a life of grace and grit alongside your feline companion, Winter Moon. In the quieter moments – away from the catwalks and the writing desk – what brings you peace, joy, or a sense of home?

Caitlin: There’s nothing like the feeling of a cat choosing to sit on your lap! It’s better than any drug. 

Because I spend so much time at home with my cat, I’ve worked really hard to turn my house into a place I want to be, one that’s comfortable for both me and Winter Moon. I’ve been renovating for years, but I can see the finish line. Be it fashion or interior design, it is important to me that my external world is an authentic reflection of my internal world. My house is my own creation, a fantasy land, filled with all shades of purple, butterflies, soft velvet, and flowers. I can’t wait to show off the finished product. It’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but that’s okay, of course. I ended up designing a lot of it myself, because I couldn’t find things that felt like “me.” It’s my home, my sacred space, and now, at last, the interior reflects that truth.

Follow Caitlin on:

Instagram @misscaitlincollins

TikTok @misscaitlincollins

By ML Staff