Rachel Zoe Gets Real: Why She Really Joined RHOBH — “It’s Not About the Money”

For Rachel Zoe, life is coming full circle as she prepares to make her reality TV return.

When the celebrity stylist, 53, ended her show The Rachel Zoe Project after five seasons in April 2013, her son Skyler was 2, and she was early into her pregnancy with her second son, Kaius.

Now, Skyler and Kaius are 14 and 11, respectively, and she found out about her casting in the upcoming season 15 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills "on my way to Sky's graduation from middle school," Zoe tells PEOPLE.

"I actually cried," she says. "I was like, 'How is this even possible?' The whole thing is wild. It's been a very surreal time, honestly."

Zoe confirmed she was joining the RHOBH cast with a social media post on June 6.

The announcement came nine months after she announced her split from her husband of 26 years, Rodger Berman, 56.

"While building my different businesses and raising my kids over the past 10 years, I've discussed coming back to TV in different ways," she says. "But for me to go back [on TV], it had to be when I really felt like I had a lot to share and a lot to say. Publicly, as we know, my life has shifted in many ways personally and professionally. I felt like it was the time now to sit with an amazing group of women and really talk about my new life and what that looks like."

Zoe knows there are a lot of aspects of her life that seem unattainable, but she's found joy in hearing just how much people have connected to her story.

"I know that sounds silly, because I know I'm a fashion person, and I know my life may not be that relatable, but I go through very real, very relatable things and emotions," she says. "I live my life in a very normal, relatable way most of the time. I think that to sit with women and talk about that, for me, is a great way to sort of share what I'm living through, what I'm going through. I think I have a really strong message to share now, and I think that's really why I wanted to do the show."

Contrary to reports, Zoe is "not doing the show for the money" and says the rumors are "so ridiculous."

In the time since her first show began in 2008, Zoe has learned to grow a thick skin.

"In 2008, I think there was maybe Twitter, but not what exists now," she says. "It's funny because people will just jump on something. They create a story and a narrative, and then, all of a sudden, it's viral. It's everywhere. There used to be tabloids when I was doing my show, and it was like one person would write something and then it could be other places. But it was different because it was in print, so there were different lead times."

Now, "one incorrect things gets said, and it's around the internet in like 60 seconds," she says. "So that's been a little surreal."

Zoe initially decided to go on TV with The Rachel Zoe Project to "give people an inside look" at the fashion industry.

During a recent visit to New York, Zoe says "at least twice a day" someone would come up to her to say "I became a stylist because of you and your show."

"The Rachel Zoe Project gave that insight and inspired young people to live their dream, which they didn't even know existed, really, because a lot of people didn't know what a stylist was," she says. "Certainly, I didn't. I was just sort of figuring it out as I went."

Filming for RHOBH compared to The Rachel Zoe Project has been "incredibly different," Zoe says.

"It's very organic," she says. "For me, when cameras roll, I don't feel them, I don't see them, and I pretend they're not there. I feel like the best way to do this is, like, let's just roll. Let's just roll and let's just be organic about how we create this. So it's been fun."

Zoe says her style mantra has remained the same through both experiences.

"To be honest, on [The Rachel Zoe Project], I just sort of got dressed in real time every day," she says. "Now, I'm just sort of winging it, too. I've gone into my archives and pulled some things I'll probably wear for filming, but I honestly wish I could say that it was planned and calculated. It's a little bit ready, set, go."

On RHOBH, Zoe has loved getting the chance to film with new friends like Bozoma "Boz" Saint John and longtime friends like Kathy Hilton.

"Boz I had on my podcast and fell in love with her," Zoe says. "I've known Kathy Hilton forever, like 20 years, and I'm very close with her daughters and with her. She's such a great friend and a great person. She had a lot to do with why I'm doing the show. So, I think there's so many reasons, honestly, but overall it just felt like the right time."

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills can be streamed on Peacock.