“Publishers approached me over the years, and I didn’t want to do another make-up book and I had done the workout videos. I didn’t have anything new to say there,” explained Crawford, who has a skincare company, Meaningful Beauty. “I also didn’t want to do another big coffee table book that you look through once and put back on the shelf.”

Finally, the timing was right, thanks to a big birthday knocking on her door in February.

“Turning 50 wasn’t something I was looking forward to,” she admitted. “But I thought, ’You can either embrace it or run from it.’”

“I look at these pictures, and I can see my own growth. I’m not the same girl,” she said of the tome, which is also a thank-you note to the more memorable photographers who shot her. “I was so proud to have worked with many of the greats, some of whom are no longer with us.”

And there are nude images done in a classy-Cindy kind of way.

“If I didn’t include at least a few it wouldn’t be representative of my career,” said the two-time Playboy cover girl (once at age 21, then again 10 years later). “I have no regrets. When I’m having a bad day and feeling like, Ugh! I can pull these pictures out!”

She and husband Rande Gerber make sure their two kids – Presley, 16, and budding model Kaia, 14 – stay grounded.

“Half of what we say goes in one ear and out the other,” Crawford said. “So we lead by example. They see that you’re polite to waiters, so it’s like ’We’ll be nice to waiters.’ You exercise? You eat right (most of the time)? You work hard. ‘We’ll do the same.’ You can’t say, ‘Oh, you really shouldn’t smoke’ while puffing away. Hopefully this is working.”

Crawford is supportive of Kaia following in her footsteps. “I’m not pushing her, but I do guide her. I can help her navigate and tell her what photographers to work with and who’s not going to tart her up,” said Crawford, who designs a line of furniture for Rooms to Go, a North American furniture store chain. “Not pushing her into this industry would make me a hypocrite. It gave me so much: I got to travel, gain financial independence. It gave me empowerment.”

The industry has changed - possibly for the better.

“I am envious of this new crop of models who grew up with social media - Kendall Jenner, Karlie Kloss, Gigi Hadid. They are able to write their own stories and have more control, and I think their audience loves connecting with them. My generation relied on how others presented us.”

How does she juggle it all?

“For the past five years, I’ve made the same New Year’s Eve resolution: to say no more, especially as my kids get older. That time when you have your family home, it’s over like that. I don’t want to miss it. If you feel like you’re overwhelmed, you need to reassess because you’re not doing any one thing really well.”

Again, it’s all about balance.

“I have two sisters who are teachers in Colorado, and they don’t work any harder or less than I do. Mine is a different kind of pressure. We’re all busy, but I feel like I run my life. I’m realistic about my schedule. Some days it works out better than others.”

Tribune News Service