Featured on the Half Betty Podcast
Can a life look complete from the outside and still not feel like the life you are meant to live?
That was one of the questions I shared with Andrea Rathborne and Krista Gruen on the Half Betty Podcast.
Our conversation, Next Opportunity, is about leaving France at 37, beginning again in New York, and finding a purpose I never could have planned. I spoke with them about the people who gave me a chance when the path was uncertain, and why the work I do today is about much more than appearance.
Leaving a Life That Looked Complete
In France, I had spent 25 years building an international modelling career. I had a home, a partner of 17 years, my family and my friends. I was grateful for that life, yet I could feel something was missing. People wondered why I would leave so much behind. I wondered whether I could make it work, too.
I sold my house, gave away or sold most of what I owned, and arrived in the United States with two suitcases. I did not have a job waiting for me. What I did have was a conviction that if I did not try then, I might always wonder what could have happened.
When a No Became the Next Opportunity
My first route to an O-1 visa fell apart after months of preparation. The person at the modelling agency who had agreed to sponsor me was no longer there, and the agency withdrew its support. It was devastating. But I kept calling, and another agency eventually gave me a chance, even though it could not promise me work.
In New York, I attended English classes in the evenings while my savings dwindled. My teacher, Angel, saw something I had missed: I might be better suited to lifestyle and commercial modelling. She connected me with Betty, an agent who believed in me and helped me find a new direction.
Later, I received my green card. That experience shaped a phrase I still carry with me: no can mean next opportunity.
How I Found Beauty Restoration
Modelling unexpectedly led me to micropigmentation. I had very little eyebrow hair, and for shoots I was expected to arrive without makeup. I wanted to look like myself, not as though I had drawn on a different pair of brows. When I discovered microblading, its possibility fascinated me.
My first training was not an instant success story. I nearly fainted at the sight of blood and wondered if I had chosen the wrong path. I returned the next day, kept learning, and spent more than a year practicing, including nine months working without pay in a clinic. Over time I developed the delicate, conservative approach that now guides my work: less is more.
Building a Little Piece of Paris in New York
In 2021, during the uncertainty of the pandemic, I searched the Upper East Side with photographs of Parisian interiors in my hands. I asked building staff whether they knew of a space that could become my atelier. A chance conversation with a woman walking her dog pointed me toward the place I have today.
Signing the lease was frightening. I cried, then got to work. With help, I transformed the space into a little piece of Paris in New York. A few months later, a client seeking help with her eyebrows offered to write about her experience. I told her Vogue was my dream, and a few months after I opened, the Vogue article happened!
Why the Work Is Personal
I give each client time. People may come in to talk about eyebrows, scalp micropigmentation or a scar, but they also bring their own stories. Listening carefully matters as much as understanding the technique. A cosmetic procedure is not a substitute for medical care or emotional support; my hope is that the experience can help someone feel more comfortable and more like themselves.
Those conversations also inspired Heal avec Delphine, my docuseries sharing individual stories of healing and identity. On Half Betty, we talked about why I want those stories to reach people beyond my atelier, and why authentic human connection remains at the heart of both projects.
Listen to the Full Episode
Andrea and Krista gave me room to tell the parts of this story that do not fit into a short introduction: the setbacks, the people who believed in me, and the unexpected turns that led to my work today. I hope it speaks to anyone considering a new beginning.
Grateful for This Conversation
Thank you, Andrea and Krista, for such a thoughtful conversation. If there is one thing I hope you take from it, it is that beginning again does not have to look certain from the start.
Sometimes the next step becomes visible because someone believes in you, and you choose to keep going.
With love,
Delphine
