February 17, 2025

Inside Francesca Burns’ Transformative Journey

29 minutes

We often bring up the idea of humanity on this show, exploring the anthropology of it all with the creative industry as our backdrop. When sitting down to speak with the absolutely lovely Francesca Burns about her journey - and all of the people, places, and things that have shaped it - we have the opportunity to go beyond the obvious and touch on the human interest of it all. From her early days with Kylie Minogue, the prolific career she's enjoyed working across titles and brands like i-D, British Vogue, Italian Vogue, Self Service, Beyond Noise, Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Nensi Dojaka and her own magazine, PRINT, Burns takes us on an even more holistic journey in this conversation as we move past the obvious benchmarks and begin to explore possibility through the unlimited power source that is inspiration.

"You can't bend and shape yourself to meet other people's expectations. It's absolutely impossible. And what each of us has is completely unique to us. How we see the world is completely unique to us. I think there's no limit to what we can do if we're inspired."

- Fran Burns

Episode Highlights:

Fran’s career in fashion first began in music when she assisted the creative director for Kylie Minogue.

Finding her way into the fashion side more officially, Fran started working in PR, where she discovered that styling and magazines were what really lit her up.

Prolific stylists such as Joe McKenna, Alex White, and Jonathan Kaye were among those Fran assisted as she came up in the industry.

After deciding that the format of most magazines felt ripe for change, Fran, along with her friend and collaborator Christopher Simmonds, decided it was time to start their own project, PRINT.

Emphasizing the importance of viewing the necessary changes around sustainability as an evolution rather than a revolution, Fran reminds us to focus on progress rather than perfection as we all work together to achieve lasting and meaningful change.

Deciding to study nutrition, Fran discovered the holistic approach to life as something that went beyond personal routines and lifestyle choices, eventually qualifying as a transformational coach.

Refusing to be relegated to any one role, Fran is a stylist, consultant, creative director, publisher, and mentor, viewing this variety of creative outputs as an integral part of who she is.

Working with both individuals and brand clients, Fran’s coaching has provided her with a way to bridge the gap between where we are and where we want to go, helping people realize they have the capacity to take the necessary steps toward achieving their goals.

Fran points out that it’s impossible to shape and bend ourselves to the expectations of others, suggesting instead that we should lean into whatever lights us up, even if it’s outside of the industry we’ve chosen. If it’s feeding us, it’s also opening up our point of view even more.

Leaving us with a simple yet powerful message, Fran believes that there is no limit to what we can do as long as we are inspired.

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By What's Contemporary

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