Vanderpump Rules: Stassi Schroeder’s often dramatic life has played out in front of the cameras for the last eight years.

When the 31-year-old first signed up to be part of Vanderpump Rules, she was just an employee of SUR – Lisa Vanderpump’s famous restaurant, which inspired the reality show that is now known as a pop-cultural staple. Today, she is an established TV personality, podcast host and author, although she has grown up in the course of the camera over the last decade.

Anticipating the premiere of the 8th season of Vanderpump Rules, Stassi Schroeder wanted to think about her reality TV journey.

“That was almost 10 years ago. I was a disaster. I still have disastrous moments, but I grew up on Vanderpump Rules. I had been on Vanderpump Rules all my twenties. I learned all the important lessons of life on a television show and everyone was allowed to watch them,” she told Postmedia Network the day before the series came back.

“So, I feel like we all had to get smart fast. But I’m going to look back today and think I didn’t know anything, but we’re always growing and evolving. I can’t say I’m fully matured, but I’m doing my best.”

Despite the drama-induced storylines that follow those of reality TV, Stassi has a lot to celebrate, with her published book Next Level Basic: The Definitive Basic Bitch Handbook reaching No. 3 on the New York Times bestseller list, and a commitment to casting director Beau Clark. Having a lot to lose has also added a new sense of anxiety heading into the eighth season of the show.

“I’m most excited and scared to watch this season. Normally, when Vanderpump Rules starts to air, I’m like ya, ya, I know what to expect. Like, oh, it’s gonna suck to relive that, and I kind of have a feeling for it. But this time it was different. There are new people. So, it’s interesting, it’s fresh and there are new faces coming into the restaurant and going through what I went through eight years ago,” she said.

“But it’s also scary. And some of those things are so personal and things that I’m very sensitive to. Especially with the whole Witches of WeHo falling out thing, we’ve all been best friends for 10 years so, it’s a big change in life for us. It’s gonna be a whole different season that we’re used to.”

She faces the death of the family, fallouts with friends and a new road to success this season, but Stassi is still interested in riding the Vanderpump Rules roller coaster until the fans decide that the show is no longer intended for them.

“I feel like I can do this forever. It’s not like we were cast to be on a reality show. This isn’t The Bachelor of Real Housewives. We were a real group of friends. We were each other’s chosen family for 10 years and Bravo happened to put cameras on us,” she said.

“So as long as people are interested in watching us grow and evolve and fight with each other, it could take a long time.”