Take it from Nicole Richie: 'There are no rules when it comes to beauty'

Nicole Richie's life has been anything but simple.

From reality television star to fashion designer, Richie has been in the spotlight for most of her life.

Which made embracing her natural beauty difficult at times.

"In the past five years, being forced to not do anything to my hair really forced me to take a look at how I was not embracing my curls and, like, how much of that side of myself I really didn't like without noticing it," Richie told "Good Morning America" about trying to get her hair back to a healthier place after years of bleach and heat. "Growing out my hair was a big moment for me because I was, like, wait, I like my hair."

In her quest to celebrate individuality, Richie has partnered with Capsule Chix to create several custom looks for the doll that's all about dress-up.

"You're no longer having somebody say, 'This is a doll, this is what you should look like, this is what you should aim to be,'" Richie said about the Capsule Chix collab. "It's really giving whoever's playing with it the authority to decide what they think is beautiful."

While this latest launch of Capsule Chix is a highlight for Richie, the 37-year-old star sat down with "GMA" to take a trip down memory lane and reflect on some of the other richest parts of her life.

Feel it in your entire body

Before she was a TV personality and fashion icon, Richie was a figure skater.

"That was a real time for me," Richie recalled. "I was going to tutorial school, I was figure skating at 5 o'clock in the morning, it was my entire world."

When Richie graduated high school, her parents presented her with a choice: Continue pursuing skating professionally or go to college. She chose the latter.

"This is your moment in the spotlight. I had three minutes," Richie said about the above photo. "Give it your all and perform your little heart out."

Take time to have fun

"This version of me feels like she is living her best life," laughed Richie when shown this picture. "We were very young there, we were young and having fun."

Richie and her hubby Joel Madden, featured in the above photo, have been happily married for almost a decade. Two kids and lots of hairstyles later, they still know how to have a good time.

"He's my favorite person to go out and have fun with," gushed Richie. "I love laughing with him and spending time with him."

Her advice to Joel?

"My advice to Joel -- I'm going to steer it from myself -- is to be in costume more," exclaimed Richie. "He doesn't like to dress up, but I'm into this look for him."

Speak to kids with respect

"Whoa, L Train," said Richie. "We have this one song that we like to play together called 'Climbing to the Top.'"

When Richie was 9, she was adopted by Lionel Richie. Before then, the acclaimed musician was her legal guardian.

"He did a really good job of talking to me like I was an adult, too, which I really respected," Richie said. "He really took time to have me question moments for myself instead of just telling me what to do."

There are no rules when it comes to beauty

Richie got to pose with one of her Capsule Chix dolls, which she helped style.

"Curating the look was really fun," said Richie. "It's really addicting when you're looking at all the skirts and pants and accessories and hairstyle."

Richie's love for Capsule Chix comes from the doll giving its owner the chance to create their own idea of beauty.

"There are no rules with this, which is so great," said Richie. "There's so many choices and it was a lot of fun."

Embrace your coils

Being a fashion icon is a lot of hair maintenance.

"I was in the process of growing my hair out," Richie said about the above photo. "I had dyed my hair a bunch of colors, and it was great and so much fun, but then it all fell out."

To get her hair back on track meant letting it be free ... curls and all.

"In the process, I had to let my hair go curly," explained Richie. "You've got to embrace the coils, you've got to do it."

Through this experience, Richie realized how much she loves her natural hair as is.

"That was a really big moment for me because I was, like, I like my hair."