PRETTYSMART

Reality Check: What TV’s Guilty Pleasures Teach Us About Ourselves Dec 19, 2024

Natasha Scott and Justine Kay, the dynamic duo behind the podcast Two Black Girls, One Rose, join us for a deep, hilarious, and thought-provoking conversation about reality TV and its impact on culture. What started as a love for shows like Laguna Beach and The Bachelor has evolved into a platform for dissecting race, relationships, and representation in pop culture. Natasha and Justine share personal stories, insights on building their brand, and why their podcast has become more than just commentary—it's a community. Whether you’re a reality TV junkie or a casual fan, this episode will leave you laughing, reflecting, and rethinking how we consume pop culture.

In this episode, we dive into:

Why Laguna Beach gave them their first glimpse into a world of wild teenage freedom.
How Rachel Lindsay’s groundbreaking season of The Bachelorette exposed blind spots in traditional reality TV recaps.
The nuances of race in reality TV: what producers get wrong and what needs to change.
Why Couples Therapy is a must-watch for empathy lovers everywhere.
The cultural phenomenon of Love Is Blind and how reality TV sparks real-life connections.
The not-so-guilty lessons they’ve learned from reality TV—on love, friendship, and human nature.

Follow Natasha + Justine.

Book Recommendations:

Natasha: Thick: And Other Essays" by Tressie McMillan Cottom

Justine: The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin

Grab the QUESTION EVERYTHING card game here!

Download Danielle’s 2025 Goals + Manifestation Map here for FREE

The Seven Words That Saved My Life with Jessica Hoppe Dec 19, 2024

Jessica Hoppe is a Honduran-Ecuadorian writer and creator of @NuevaYorka. She recently released her first memoir “First in the Family: A Story of Survival, Recovery and the American Dream” Today she joins PRETTYSMART and shares:

Her battle with alcohol addiction—and why she took her story public.
How society’s view of addiction differs for white people vs. people of color.
The systems failing those struggling with addiction—and the changes we desperately need.
The 7 words a stranger said that saved her life.
How shame fuels addiction, and why we need to ask better questions.
The weight of American Exceptionalism—and her own personal reckoning with it.
Why your core beliefs might not be yours at all—and how to uncover what you truly stand for.
Why she believes her story still makes some people uncomfortable.

Follow Jessica Here

Buy First in the Family Here

Book Recommendation: Magical Realism by Vanessa Angelica Villarreal and Heavy by Kiese Laymon

Grab the QUESTION EVERYTHING card game here!

Download Danielle’s 2025 Goals + Manifestation Map here for FREE

Texting Red Flags and Vision Boards: Clarke Peoples on Confidence and Curiosity Dec 12, 2024

Clarke Peoples didn’t set out to become a content creator—but life had other plans. The Columbia University graduate found herself gaining a massive TikTok following by vlogging her life as an Ivy League student navigating the hustle, heart, and chaos of New York City. Now, as a full-time creator, she’s sharing everything from daily routines to life-changing advice, inspiring young women to embrace confidence, curiosity, and self-empowerment, especially in their dating lives! In this candid conversation, Clarke fearlessly dives into:

Manifesting her dreams: How a vision board at 12 years old shaped her future.
Lessons from her mom: The unforgettable ways her mom instilled wisdom.
Academics and self-love: Finding confidence in her love of learning.
Challenging assumptions: Why people assume she’s either wealthy or a sugar baby—and how she handles it.
Her accidental rise: The unexpected journey to becoming a creator.
Boundaries on social media: What she refuses to share online.
Speaking up, no matter the cost: Why she’s committed to addressing social justice issues, even if it means losing followers.
Redefining confidence: The importance of finding self-worth outside the internet.
Dating unfiltered: App red flags, her love-hate relationship with kissing, texting etiquette, the most romantic gesture she’s experienced, and more.
Reclaiming her power: Why she believes men don’t hold more value than she does—and how that shapes her approach to love and heartbreak.
Race and the internet: The systemic issues she’s calling out and what needs to change.

Follow Clarke on IG and TikTok

Book Recs: The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore & A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beya.

Grab the QUESTION EVERYTHING card game here!

Happy Tools to Help You Find Your Happy + Start Living More Fully with Caroline Baudino Dec 05, 2024

Caroline Baudino, the force behind Instagram’s Shop with Caroline and host of the hit podcast Coming in Hot, joins the pod to share her unapologetic mission to inspire us all to “Get up and get dressed.” With humor, heart, and hard-earned wisdom, Caroline dives into:

From zombie to thriving: The wake-up call that made her take back her life and chase her dreams.
The menopause conversation: How perimenopause and menopause transformed her—and why we need to talk about it more.
Social media success at 50+: Why she’s grateful her journey took off later in life and her must-know tips for starting out.
Breaking the cycle: Growing up in a tumultuous household, how she redefined relationships, money, and her path to happiness.
Dating wisdom: Her best advice, plus why women in their 20s and 30s need to stop “Rushing to the End.”
Dressing for life: The empowering story behind her motto “Get up and Get Dressed” and why it’s more than just fashion.
The special occasion is you: Why we should stop waiting for “someday” and celebrate ourselves now.
Happiness hacks: The tools she uses to maintain a positive mindset and why it’s never too late to rewrite your story.

Caroline’s energy and honesty will leave you feeling inspired, empowered, and ready to tackle life on your own terms.

Follow Caroline on Instagram here!

BOOK REC: The Red Tent by Anita Diamant and The House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout & Sara Corbett

Check out Strong Girl Publishing here.

The Kindness Gap: How to Move from Nice to Deeply Kind: with Houston Kraft Nov 28, 2024

What does it mean to truly practice kindness? Houston Kraft, spent his career studying kindness, wrote a book about it (Deep Kindness) and shares powerful insights into how kindness can transform our lives. He explains:

The difference between “confetti kindness” (random acts of kindness) and deep, intentional kindness
Why kindness is misunderstood as “free” and why it’s anything but
The difference between being kind and being nice
Does it pay $ to be kind?
How kindness requires courage, emotional regulation, and empathy
The link between kindness and forgiveness—and why forgiveness is a cornerstone of kindness
Why kindness is often harder than we think but worth the effort
How to practice kindness in leadership, relationships, and everyday life
Why “nice guys finish last” might be true—but kind people finish first
Practical tips to close the gap between what we believe in and how we show up

This episode is packed with emotional stories, practical tools, and thought-provoking insights to inspire you to be more intentionally and deeply kind in your life.

Book Rec: On Being Nice by the School of Life

Follow Houston Kraft here

Never Settle for the Status Quo with Hettas Founder Lindsay Housman Nov 21, 2024

Did you know that almost all athletic shoes on the market have been designed, researched and tested on men? When Lindsay Housman discovered this, she and her husband, founded Hettas, a company creating running shoes optimized for women. Today, Lindsay joins the podcast to share why becoming a disruptor in this space is so important to her. We discuss:

Why women are left out of research for shoes (and so many other things)
Why women’s feet are fundamentally different than men
How wearing shoes designed for men impacts women's health.
How Hettas came to be and why she started this company much earlier than she thought.
Why it’s important to her to never settle for the status quo
Founding, self-funding and running this company while currently working another full time job
What she hopes to accomplish with Hettas and exactly how their shoes are different
Why she believes women would be in sports longer if they had proper athletic shoes.
How women are treated so differently when it comes to raising venture capital.

Follow Hettas on Instagram here!

Book Rec: Strong is the New Pretty by Kate T Parker

Why Hard Work Will Always Exceed Talent with Emily Bear (Composer + Songwriter) Nov 07, 2024

Emily Bear captivated the world with her piano talent at just six years old. Now, at 23, she’s already a Grammy and Emmy-winning composer, producer, arranger, pianist, and singer-songwriter. Recently, she became the youngest person to score a feature film and is currently working on Moana 2. In 2022, Emily won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, which she co-wrote with Abigail Barlow live on social media. The album soared to #1 on the U.S. iTunes pop charts within 1.5 hours of its release and reached the top 5 albums worldwide. This year, she toured as the pianist for Beyoncé's Renaissance tour. Today, Emily shares:

The surprising moment her talent was discovered—and why she shies away from the “child prodigy” label.
Leaving home at 16 to chase her dreams in LA: the challenges, the courage, and the adventure.
How a life-changing meeting led to Quincy Jones becoming her mentor.
The journey to becoming Beyoncé’s pianist on the Renaissance Tour—and the one terrifying moment she’ll never forget.
An unexpected lesson from Beyoncé that reshaped her approach to music and performance.
The story behind The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, and why winning a Grammy was the last thing she expected.
The struggle to be taken seriously as a young musician—and why that respect mattered to her.
Why she aims to move people to tears with her music.
Creating her own path when gigs weren’t coming—and her advice for others who want to do the same.
Breaking barriers as a woman composer—and why she proudly performs with colorful nail polish and heels!

Book Rec: Outliers by Malcom Gladwell

Hormones, Health, and Longevity: Dr. Shepherd’s Guide to Navigating Your “Preseason" Oct 31, 2024

Dr. Jessica Shepherd is a board-certified OB-GYN and women’s health expert, dedicated to empowering women at every stage of life with a holistic approach to care.In this episode, Danielle talks with Dr. Shepherd about her newly launched book, Generation M, exploring women’s health, aging, and empowerment. Key takeaways include:

Writing Journey: Dr. Shepard shares the challenges and rewards of publishing, likening it to a cathartic journey through “a thousand paper cuts.”
Early Awareness: Why women should start thinking about menopause early, viewing it as a marathon, not a sprint.
Perimenopause as Preseason: How do you know when you’ve entered Perimenpouase? Common signs to look for, from brain fog to sleep disturbances.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Debunking myths and discussing new, evidence-based practices.
Importance of Muscle Strength: Building strength through resistance training as a foundation for longevity.
Mindfulness and Stress Management: The significance of mental health and mindfulness practices for a smoother transition into menopause.
Nutrition for Hormonal Health: Focus on a Mediterranean diet, balanced proteins, and fiber for long-term wellness.
Dr. Shepherd’s secret to success

Follow Dr. Shepherd here.

Grab a copy of her book here.

Creating Systemic Change: Keely Cat-Wells on The Untapped Power of the Disabled Community Oct 24, 2024

Keely Cat-Wells is an entrepreneur and disability rights advocate that truly believes kindness can change the world. At 17, Keely was living her dream of attending a dance academy in London when she started experiencing health scares which led to multiple surgeries, medical malpractice and ended with a permanent ileostomy. It changed the trajectory of her life, and it led Keely to create monumental change for the disability community with the launch of her businesses C Talent and Making Space – both aimed at creating space for disabled talent. Most recently, Keely worked with disability rights advocate Sophie Morgan to get more disabled talent employed on NBC’s Paralympics coverage as well as a first look deal with Hello Sunshine. Today, on PRETTYSMART, Keely reflects on how she’s helping disabled artists and creators achieve their dreams and why starting her own business was the smartest decision she’s ever made. She shares:

How she went from living her dream as a dancer to navigating malpractice and mistreatment by the health system at 17.
How her life changed when she realized that even though she may not live her original dream, she can still help others realize theirs.
How she understands her own disability in the disability community.
How she lost a job because of disability discrimination, and how it led her to creating her own agency for disabled artists: C Talent.
That she’s made peace with the journey she’s currently on as opposed to what could’ve been.
The untapped power of the disability community, and how she’s trying to harness it to create long lasting change.
What portrayals of disabled characters she’d like to see in Hollywood.
The parallels between entrepreneurship and the lived experience of disability.
How the mission of her company, Making Space Media, is to center the disabled voice.
How people can be an ally to the disability community.
What she’s learned from Gloria Steinham.
How Making Space worked with NBC Sports to increase the employment of disabled people at the Paralympics.

Follow Keely here

Check out Making Space here

Book Rec: Driving Forwards: An inspirational memoir of resilience and empowerment after life-changing injury by Sophie Morgan

Imposter Syndrome & Rewriting The Stories We Tell Ourselves: Dr. Lisa Orbé-Austin Oct 10, 2024

Do you have imposter syndrome? You’re not alone—70% of people will experience imposter syndrome at some point, and today, Dr. Lisa Orbé-Austin is here to help us break free. As a psychologist, imposter syndrome expert, and bestselling author of Own Your Greatness and Your Unstoppable Greatness, Dr. Orbé-Austin dives deep into how imposter syndrome shows up in our lives—and, most importantly, how we can overcome it. In this episode of PRETTYSMART, she reveals:

The subtle signs that imposter syndrome is creeping in
The powerful link between self-worth and imposter syndrome
Is there a link between imposter syndrome and perfectionism?
How your upbringing shapes those feelings of self-doubt
Are women especially vulnerable to imposter syndrome?
Her personal experience battling imposter syndrome—even on the Today Show
The two main cycles of imposter syndrome: overwork and self-sabotage
How it impacts our personal lives and relationships
Why marginalized groups are hit the hardest
Simple steps to start loving yourself through it all

Follow Dr. Lisa Orbé-Austin here

Check out her latest book here

Book Rec: The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins

Who’s That Girl? Eve Reveals All Sep 26, 2024

She’s a Grammy-winning, multi-platinum rapper, singer-songwriter, Emmy-nominated actor, mother, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. You know her for the iconic hit Who’s That Girl? Now, Eve is here on PRETTYSMART, ready to finally answer that question. In her new memoir, she opens up like never before, giving us an intimate glimpse into her life and journey as she shares:

How she knew she didn’t want a regular life and was destined for something big.
How she never imagined her music career would go beyond just her debut album.
Her experience with Ruff Ryders and how it differed from her experience with men in rap in general.
How she deals with fear and why it’s a constant companion in her life.
Working as a stripper for two months (and why she sort of regrets opening up about it in her memoir).
Her focus and “do or die” mentality.
When she realized her life had really changed.
Her struggle with alcohol and how the realizations she had about that whie writing her memoir.
Her struggles with loneliness and depression even though she didn’t realize that was what it was at the time.
Why she love the lyrical beefing between Kendrick Lamar and Drake.
Her two favorite songs to perform.
Her thoughts on women in rap now.
Why Nicki Minaj being cast in Barbershop 2 sent her back to therapy.
How Jay z was an “Invisible Bully” and why she thinks those types of bullies are actually valuable.
Her Ectopic pregnancy, IVF, struggles to conceive and why becoming a mom at 43 has been so wonderful for her.
What has set her apart from others in the industry.
Why you should always be open to the pivot.
Healing from her baggage from past toxic relationships when she started dating her now husband, Max
When we will get new music (and if Fetish by Eve will ever return!)

Grab a copy of Eve’s Memoir “Who’s That Girl?” Here!

Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Behind the Glamour: Taylor Hill on Beauty, Modeling, and Self-Worth Sep 19, 2024

At just 14, Taylor Hill became a full-time model, and by 18, she had booked the career-defining role of walking in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, becoming one of the youngest models to do so. Since then, Taylor has graced the covers of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar and walked for fashion powerhouses like Versace, Chanel, and Dolce & Gabbana during Fashion Weeks in New York, Milan, and Paris. Now 28, Taylor is stepping into a new chapter as an entrepreneur, launching Tate & Taylor, a brand offering a holistic shopping experience for pet owners. On PRETTYSMART, Taylor reflects on her 14-year fashion career as a supermodel and the unconditional love driving her latest venture. She shares:

How modeling helped her with her self confidence as a teenager.
The difference between a good model and a great model.
How showing off her personality helped her land a top modeling job as a Victoria’s Secret Angel.
How the VS Angels became like big sisters to her.
Why she respects Gisele Bündchen so much
Learning how her self-image and self-worth needed to come from her and not her job.
How her company, Tate & Taylor, was inspired by her late labradoodle, Tate, and his battle with cancer.
How her late pet Tate was there for her when she needed him the most.
The moment she knew she had a connection with her new dog, Salem.
Her journey from fashion model to business founder in the pet industry.

Follow Taylor here

Check out Tate & Taylor here

Book Rec: Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian L. Weiss, M.D.

Get Out of Your Head + Into Your Heart: with Kimberly Snyder Sep 12, 2024

Is your heart the key to the transformation you’ve been seeking? New York Times best-selling author, holistic wellness expert, and nutritionist to stars like Drew Barrymore, Reese Witherspoon, and Channing Tatum – Kimberly Snyder shares insights from her latest book, The Hidden Power of the Five Hearts, which maps out a path to personal transformation that can happen almost overnight. Backed by decades of research from the HeartMath Institute, Kimberly shares:

The 5 stages of the heart
The science behind heart-brain communication
How achieving heart coherence can significantly impact everything from anxiety and depression to cardiovascular health.
How to tap into heart intelligence, boost energy, and heal relationships
Kimberly shares how an unexpected dinner led to meeting her husband and experiencing a life-changing "nonlinear leap" of love.
How we are digesting our feelings (literally and figuratively)
Offers powerful tools to unlock more peace, clarity, and purpose in your life.
The power of our hearts– from ancient wisdom to groundbreaking science.
How to be magnetic, using your heart chakra (and the 40,000 neurons in our heart)!
How to keep a warm heart

Follow Kimberly here.

Grab a copy of Kimberly’s book here.

Winning Big: Sarah Spain’s Rules for Success + Not Having Regrets Aug 30, 2024

For over two decades, Emmy & Peabody Award winning Journalist, Sarah Spain has made her mark as a sports reporter. She’s spent over a dozen of those years at ESPN, working as a host, producer and writer. She’s also a radio host and hosts her own podcast “Good Game with Sarah Spain” on iHeart. Today she’s joining PRETTYSMART to share her journey from young athlete to award winning sports journalist. She shares:

Why it never occurred to her growing up that she could have a career in sports.
Why we need to do a better job talking to young girls about sports.
Her thoughts on the controversies surrounding sports and Trans athletes.
What she’s had to put up with as a female sports reporter and how it has shaped her opinion of men.
Why she chooses empathy over anger when it comes to trolls on the internet.
How the skills she developed growing up playing sports helped her in her career.
Why she’s not surprised that 94% of C Suite women at Fortune 500 companies were college athletes. .
Why she believes women playing sports is like giving the middle finger to the idea of women having one lane/only being allowed in certain spaces.
Her thoughts on women’s professional sports and why it’s taken so long for people to care more about them.

Follow Sarah on Instagram

Listen to Sarah’s Podcast

Everything You Want to Ask Someone In an Open Marriage with Molly Roden Winter Aug 22, 2024

Curious about open marriage or ethical non-monogamy? In this episode, Molly Roden Winter shares her candid journey. At 35, Molly was a happily married teacher in Brooklyn with two young sons. But one night, feeling suffocated, she walked into a neighborhood bar and found herself desiring another man. What followed transformed her life and marriage. Molly reveals:

The path to ethical non-monogamy and how she sought more than casual connections.
How opening her marriage strengthened her bond with her husband.
The self-discovery journey that came with navigating multiple relationships.
The evolution of their open marriage, what’s worked, what hasn’t, and how therapy played a role.
The impact of her open marriage on her sons and family.
Why she felt compelled to write a book about her experience.
The importance of children seeing their mothers as whole, fulfilled individuals.

You can buy Molly’s Book, “More: A Memoir of Open Marriage” Here

And follow her on Instagram here!

Books: A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle, Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy

How to Build the Community You Desire: with Cat Lantigua Aug 08, 2024

Cat Lantigua is a first-generation Dominican-American author, community architect, podcast host and creative strategist helping to build spaces that foster soul-centered conversations and a sense of belonging. Today she joins PRETTYSMART to share all about her new book “Build It and They Will Come - A Guide to Architecting Intentional Community.” She Shares:

How she learned to embrace herself as a kid even though she felt she was always standing out.
How she manifested friendships that really allowed her to be herself.
Why it’s so important to leave room for spontaneity and get out of your routine if you’re looking to expand your community or become a different version of yourself.
What led her to create the Goddess Council and bring people together in community.
Why everyone is lonelier than we realize.
Why we need to get back to caring about other people’s pain.
How social media has made us forget that we are all human beings and her tips to get off line and into IRL.
Her top tips for hosting a get together.
Why you have to push through the awkwardness of putting yourself out there (and off of your phone!)
Why true friendship and a community you feel safe in won’t happen until you really practice self love.

Follow Cat on Instagram @cat.lantigua

Her book “Build It And They Will Come.” is available here!

Transform Your Relationships: The Art of Listening with Julie Rice of Peoplehood & SoulCycle Jul 25, 2024

Julie Rice and Elizabeth Cutler founded SoulCycle in 2006 along and sold it in 2011 (for approximately 90 million dollars each). Now they have launched what they are calling a workout for your relationships- Peoplehood. 60 minute guided groups where you learn to speak freely and listen deeply. Julie joins PRETTYSMART today so share both about her entrepreneurial journey and why becoming a better listener as changed the trajectory of her life. She shares:

How working in Hollywood really helped her when it came to creating SoulCycle.
Why SoulCycle resonated and how it changed the game in creating exercise as a lifestyle.
Why she chose to go back to work right after selling SoulCycle for 90 Million dollars.
Her new company Peoplehood - and why you need this “workout” for your relationships.
Why she thinks we are all over our phones and coming to the end of the scroll.
The one thing she does every week to “slow time” that has changed every relationship in her life.
What higher listening is and how it helps you go from ego to empathy.
Why you aren’t as good of a listener as you think you are - and some red flags to help you spot it.
Why listening is a practice and how you can (and should!) strengthen it.
The practices that changed her marriage and her business relationship with her co-founder.

Follow Julie here

Sign up for Peoplehood (in person or virtually) here

Life is for The Living: with Nora McInerny Jul 11, 2024

Nora McInerny is an author, speaker and host of “Terrible, Thanks for Asking” - a podcast that lets people be honest about the hard things in life. Nora lost her husband, Aaron when she was just 32 years old and is currently remarried and raising a blended family. Today she shares:

What it was like finding out her boyfriend had a brain tumor after about a year of dating - and why deciding to marry him was the best decision she ever made.
How she coped with grief and what she wishes she would have done differently.
Why it’s so important to be honest with those close to you about how you’re doing.
How she and her window’s family have maintained such a close bond and why that is sadly not always the case.
How her current husband and kids make space for her husband who passed.
How she continues to celebrate her husband Aaaron and keep his memory alive.
How she has been able to use humor to deal with all of the painful things she’s experienced.
Why time is almost meaningless to her now.
Dealing with extreme burnout and how she’s navigating it.
Why she wishes she had more compassion for herself.
Why Parenthood is the biggest examination of your own ego.

Follow Nora here

Grab a copy of Nora’s books here

Recommended books from Nora:

On Our Best Behavior - Elise Loehnen
The Four Agreements - Don Miguel Ruiz
Man’s Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl

Releasing The Shameful Parts Of Your Story with Emmy-nominated writer Chelsea Devantez Jun 27, 2024

Chelsea Devantez is an Emmy-nominated writer, comedian, director, and host of the podcast Glamorous Trash. She was Jon Stewart’s Head Writer for Apple TV+'s The Problem with Jon Stewart and has also written for Not Dead Yet, Girls5Eva, and Bless this Mess, among others. Chelsea’s memoir “I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This (But I’m Going to Anyway) is out now and today she returns to PRETTYSMART to talk all about it! She shares:

Why courage for her to tell her story publicly was the last resort (but why she’s so glad she decided to do so!)
Why it’s important to share real and relatable stories of domestic violence, and why there is so much red tape around survivors being able to tell their truth.
How her relationship with her mom was impacted by writing her own memoir.
What she learned not to do from all the other memories she’s talked about on her podcast.
What it was like finding out she was conceived via a sperm donor when she was 14 years old.
Why it’s so important to tell young girls they are special and what that did for her as a kid.
The duality of resilience and why she’s learning to tell people when she’s not alright.
Why the best people to help you in your career and life are right beside you.
Her best tips for getting ahead in your career.
What makes the best kind of wedding and her relationship with her husband.

Links:

Follow Chelsea here
Grab a copy of her book here

Stop Resisting Your Own Intuition + Live a “Yes, And” Life with Ego Nwodim Jun 13, 2024

Comedian, Writer and star of Saturday Night Live, Ego Nwodim, joins PRETTYSMART! She shares:

What it means to live a “Yes, And” life
Auditioning for SNL even though she wasn’t sure she wanted the role (and the key reason she thinks she got the job)
Life at SNL ( the most anxiety inducing days of the week)
How Keenan Thompson helped her believe in her own intuition
How she balances her schedule and dating
How she never even wanted to take improv in the first place
How improv has helped make her a better person

Follow Ego here

Alexandra’s Consulting Website: https://www.alexandramandersonconsulting.com/

Embrace the Breakdowns + Build a Life and Business You Love with Kathleen Griffith May 30, 2024

Author of “Build Like a Woman” + award-winning, self-made serial entrepreneur, Kathleen Griffith is here. She’s sharing everything you need to know about building both a life AND a business you love!

Kathleen works with Fortune 500 brands, directing more than $500M in marketing dollars and generating more than one billion dollars on behalf of clients ranging from NIKE to NBC Sports to Verizon. Her passion is to further the next generation of women entrepreneurs and help them architect the life of their dreams.

She shares:

The moment she knew she was “done and ready” to start living a louder more authentic life.
Why she chooses to celebrate breakdowns (and why you should too!)
The X-factor women have when it comes to business.
Why money is all about mindset (for real!)
Her tips for success when paying for coaches or having a mentor aren’t an option.
The common denominator in successful businesswomen.
Why it’s okay to be fearless and fearful at the same time.
Why we need to look at building a great life and a great business simultaneously instead of compartmentalizing them.
What Barbara Corcoran said about her book!

Follow Kathleen here

Grab her book here.

Release Stress and Trauma From Your Body (Get Out of Functional Freeze) Using Somatic Healing with Liz Tenuto (The Workout Witch) May 16, 2024

The Workout Witch, Liz Tenuto, joins PRETTYSMART to teach us how to release trauma and get rid of chronic pain through somatic exercises and therapy. With a Degree in Psychology from UCSB, somatic certifications in Feldenkrais and Pilates with a specialization in injuries & pathologies, and 15 years of teaching experience, she's been changing the conversation around how trauma and anxiety affect the body for 15 years. She shares:

What it means if you scroll on your phone for an hour at night
Her personal journey with chronic pain and how she discovered somatic exercises.
Why any pain longer that does not heal after 3 months is trauma stored in the body.
Signs you have stress stored in your body.
How to differentiate stored trauma from muscle injury
What a functional freeze is and signs that you are in one (and why it often mimics depression)
What parts of the body different emotions are stored in.
Why there’s an overlap between signs of ADHD and nervous system dysregulation from trauma.
Revenge Sleep Procrastination: What it is and what it means for your nervous system.
Why you should stop doing cold plunges.

Follow Liz on Instagram

Explor Liz’s Online Courses

Fighting for Our Friendships: The Science and Art of Conflict and Connection in Women's Relationships with Friendship Coach Danielle Bayard Jackson May 02, 2024

Friendship coach and author of “Fighting for Our Friendships,” Danielle Bayard Jackson, joins the pod to share practical strategies and thoughtful insights to help us in every area of our friendships. We discuss:

The two questions every friend wants answered
How to handle conflict in friendships as adults
How to make friends as an adult
Why friendships change depending on our life stages
Why desire is important even in platonic relationship
Friendship burnout and how to handle it
How to know when it’s time to let a friendship go (and how to handle it)
Gossip! Why it’s not ALL bad (and how to differentiate the two)
How to reframe what it means to be a good friend
The direct line between female friendships and our physical, mental, and emotional health

Follow Danielle here.

Grab her book here.

10 Tips to Be a Great Conversationalist: with Danielle Robay Apr 18, 2024

In Danielle’s first solo episode she dives into one of her favorite topics— conversation. She’s spent 13 years and over 3,000 conversing professionally (and countless hours talking personally lol). Combining both her professional and personal experience she shares 10 tips on how to be a great conversationalist! The quality of conversation in so many ways determines the quality of our lives— use these tips to have better conversations and thus, better quality of life!

Make Your Life a Joy Bomb + Live Shamelessly with Heidi Clements Apr 11, 2024

Heidi Clements is a 63 year old writer, clothing enthusiast, storyteller. She’s also the incredible and inspiring @WelcometoHeidi on Instagram where she doles out no nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is life advice to her half a million followers who are mostly in their 20s and 30s. Today she joins PRETTYSMART to share her story + some of the lessons she’s learned in each decade. We discuss:

The impact she’s made on younger women and especially when it comes to views on aging
How she was able to live without shame and always stay true to herself
How she got over caring what others think of her
Working with toxic women in the workplace and what that taught her
Why she feels her 60s are a filled with joy (and what lessons we can learn from her to embrace that feeling)
What the breaking point was for her to get sober in her 30s
Why she doesn’t care about dating
What she learned from losing her mother
How she discovered her style in her 40s
How she landed her dream job as a scripted writer in her 50s
What she still struggles with today

Follow Heidi on Instagram

Manifesting Your Mission with Actress Brianna Brown Keen Apr 04, 2024

Minnesota native Brianna Brown Keen is an award-winning actress who has worked for over two decades in Hollywood with projects ranging from top grossing feature films, to Emmy-winning television shows, to indie projects she has produced. She is often recognized for her roles on Dynasty, Devious Maids, General Hospital & Homeland, Netflix’s hit series Outer Banks.

Brianna is the founder and CEO of the 501c3 non-profit organization The New Hollywood— dedicated to supporting socially conscious storytellers and changemakers thru grants, goals, and mentorship. Brianna is the Chair Ambassador for the National Women’s History Museum. She is also a public speaker on the topic, “Manifesting Your Mission”, and she offers in-person and online workshops, retreats as well as small group accountability coaching using the method within her book, Manifesting Your Mission.

Brianna has her own podcast, Manifesting Your Mission. Check it out here! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/manifesting-your-mission-with-brianna-brown-keen/id1680967142

The Four Steps for a Healthy, Powerful, Vibrant + Love Filled Life with Somatic Therapist + Life Coach Alyssa Nobriga Mar 21, 2024

Alyssa Nobriga is a licensed Clinical Somatic Psychotherapist and lifecoach - today she’s joining PRETTYSMART to share the keys to having healthy, powerful, vibrant and fulfilling relationships.

We discuss:

The four levels of love (and what they mean for your relationships)
Why we almost always attract a partner who triggers us.
What to expect when you uplevel yourself even if your partner doesn’t.
Alyssa’s number one hack for a healthy relationship.
The difference between being protective and being vulnerable in your relationship.
How to know if you’re a tiger or a turtle in your relationship (and what that means!)
Why everyone is a mirror and how we can evolve once we really grasp that idea.

Follow Alyssa here

A Masterclass in Taking Big Swings: with Entrepreneur Erica Malbon (Malbon Golf) Mar 14, 2024

Erica Malbon is the visionary co-founder behind the esteemed lifestyle brand Malbon Golf and the luxurious spa and wellness boutique, The Now. With an innate talent for identifying untapped opportunities and trusting her instincts, Erica has consistently achieved success in her entrepreneurial endeavors.

Today she shares:

How her diverse upbringing was shaped by growing up abroad
Navigating a relationship with a partner 13 years older
Her unexpected journey into motherhood at the age of 20
Balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship
How an Instagram account led to her golf lifestyle brand
Building a brand that has attracted celebrities like Justin Bieber and Travis Scott
Revolutionizing golf culture with a modern, inclusive, and fashion-forward brand
Her predictions for the future of women in golf
Working with her husband and the pride she has for her family business
The importance of trusting your instincts

Follow Erica on Instagram @EricaMalbon

Never Underestimate The Wisdom + Power of Teen Girls with Author Chelsey Goodan Mar 07, 2024

When you were a teenager, who was advocating for you? Meet Chelsey Goodan, the advocate for teenage girls. With over a decade of experience, she's empowering girls to unlock their potential in her new book, "Underestimated: The Wisdom and Power of Teenage Girls." Whether you're healing the teenager inside of you, or caring for a teenage girl, Chelsey's insights will help you connect with this crucial stage of life, fostering healing and empowerment for all.

Today she shares:

What is the secret power of teenage girls?
Communication tools effective for healing your inner tennager, a teenager, or any friend asking for advice!
The importance of embracing authenticity– for real, and in an applicable way.
The need for society to rethink its approach towards young women
How to help teens develop a healthy relationship with social media
The damaging effects of perfectionism
Why genuine conversation is the powerful tool
How to redefine compliments
How to handle big feelings

Follow Chelsey on Instagram @chelseygoodan and grab her book here!

Jada Pinkett Smith: A Love Letter to Complicated Women Feb 29, 2024

Actress, Emmy Award-Winning host and New York Times Bestselling Author of “Worthy, Jada Pinkett Smith offers an intimate look into her life and the honest, inspirational, and sometimes painful lessons she’s learned along the way. It was a beautiful conversation, but the moment that stuck out the most is when she said this: “My biggest art form is how I live my life. We are all walking pieces of art”. She shares:

What she believes she’s worthy of now
Who she wrote her memoir “Worthy” for
Her surprising love language
The biggest lesson she’s learned in her lifetime
The complexities of being in a relationship that is a model of love for the world: “that Will + Jada love”
The insights her relationship with Will has brought her
Why she loves high-pressure situations and what they have taught her about friendships
Her thoughts on Taraji P. Henson’s recent comments on pay equity for women of color
Why she’s the happiest she’s ever been
How she navigates public opinions on her life
Why it's time to let go of romanticized visions of relationships and people
What people often overlook in relationships
How she lives her life as art
Courting her shadows to find her brightest light: “Sometimes you have to live who you're not to know who you are.”

Follow Jada on Instagram @jadapinkettsmith and grab her book here!

What If Everything You're Too Scared To Try Actually Works Out? With Lizzy Mathis Feb 22, 2024

Actress, model, founder and editor in chief of The Cool Mom Co, Lizzy Mathis joins PRETTYSMART. She shares candidly about:

How grief over the loss of her mother has shaped her.
How Tyra Banks became her mentor and what she’s learned from her.
Why it’s so important to her to pour into other women.
Why she views both happiness and rejection as a choice.
The two things in life that changed her the most.
The inspiration behind The Cool Mom Co - and how she wasn’t always sure she wanted kids!
Why it’s important to remember the possibility of fun as we get older.
The biggest lesson we should learn from kids (it’s not what you think!) (*The answer to this is the possibility of fun so if you like this better- delete the line above)

Follow Lizzy here!

Listen to The Cool Mom Code Podcast:

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Beyond the Dream Job: How To Navigate Career Transitions & Find True Fulfillment with Career Contessa Lauren McGoodwin Feb 15, 2024

Career transitions are an emotional rollercoaster, especially with today's uncertain job market. Lauren McGoodwin, Founder of Career Contessa, joins us to offer invaluable insights on navigating these shifts. Today she is empowering all of us with her tangible takeaway that will change your life! Today we dive into:

What defines a fulfilling career (spoiler: it’s not money!)
Why she thinks you shouldn’t strive for your dream job
Her prediction for the career trend of 2024
The harsh reality of our current job market
Sustainable practices for being proactive in your career
The mindset shift you need when it comes to networking
How to use breadcrumbs to figure out a career that fulfills you
Ways to use AI to streamline your interview process (and some bonus tips + tricks!)
How to spot a toxic workplace
The types of questions to ask at the end of a job interview
An easy way to win at work (that also benefits you!)
Her own tough career transition

Follow Lauren on Instagram @CareerContessa and check out her podcast Career Contessa.

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Toxic Positivity: What’s Real vs. What’s Forced? with Kate Bowler Feb 08, 2024

Kate Bowler, Ph.D. is a 4x New York Times bestselling author, award-winning podcast host, and professor at Duke’s Divinity School. She was diagnosed with stage IV cancer at just 35 years old and while she was in treatment (and not expected to survive), she wrote two best-selling memoirs. Her latest book, “Have a Beautiful Terrible Day” is out now! Today she shares:

Toxic Positivity — what it is, how we got here, and why forcing a positive mindset is so unhelpful.
What is the right balance of optimism?
How to live in the contrast of our lives (the beautiful + terrible)
What went through her mind when she was diagnosed with stage IV cancer at 35 years old and given just two years to live.
How surviving her cancer diagnosis changed her outlook on…everything.
What NOT to say to people who are going through a life altering experience.
What we miss out on when we try to see the golden thread going through everything in our lives.
Why happiness is an industry and how to avoid the pitfalls of “good vibes only”
The role of luck in our lives
What is true mental health? (“Mental health is not having positive emotions - it's having the appropriate emotion at the right time.”)

Follow Kate here.

Grab a copy of her new book here!

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Why We Have to Stay Hopeful with Activist Marley Dias Jan 25, 2024

Activist, writer, author and founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks, Marley Dias, is here! She shares:

What she credits the success of #1000BlackGirlBooks to.
What parents and caregivers can do to help support the big ideas of kids.
Why giving back is a practice.
The long term problem she sees with book banning and why she’s so vocal about it.
The books that changed her life and why reading is so important to staying hopeful.
The impacts of being in Gen Z and how that affects her mental health.
The biggest takeaways from her interviews with Misty Copeland, Ava DuVernay and Hillary Clinton
Why her mom has instilled the importance of having fun and how that’s been helpful.

Live Connected To Strengthen Your Relationships with Steve Carlston Jan 18, 2024

Other than your parents, who has most impacted your life? For me, Steve Carlston is that person. He didn’t just change my career, but he changed my life. Steve is the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Los Angeles Fox Owned Stations. HIs incredible broadcasting career spans four decades. He is a media veteran, an impactful leader, and lives a life rooted in connections. I’m excited to share a conversation with you, with someone who has shared so much with me.

Today we cover:

Living a connected life
How being of service provides the most connection to others
How diversity is an opportunity to learn and celebrate others
What makes us each unique
The most important decision we make in our lives
Why Steve prays and his relationship to God
Why it’s important to be firmly rooted when you are young
Understanding your parents as you get older
How Steve has impacted Danielle’s life

To connect with Steve on LinkedIn, check him out here!

Are You Financially Compatible? Questions to Ask + How to Talk to Your Partner About Finances with Farnoosh Torabi (Financial Expert) Jan 11, 2024

What are red flags that you aren’t financially compatible with your partner? What is the most productive + thoughtful way to have money conversations? What questions should you be asking? And then here’s my biggest question: Are you supposed to merge money? What are the benefits of that versus keeping your money separate? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!

Farnoosh Torabi is here to answer them all! Farnoosh is one of America’s leading personal finance authorities — she’s hooked on helping you live your richest, happiest life.

Her award winning podcast So Money has over 30 million downloads, where she has had deep conversations about money with accomplished people like Arianna Huffington, Queen Latifah and Tony Robbins. She has written multiple books, her latest just dropped: A Healthy State of Panic: Follow Your Fears to Build Wealth, Crush Your Career and Win at Life. The New York Times calls her advice, “perfectly practical.

I was excited to be on her podcast this week talking about money– the good, the bad and the…oops! Check out the episode here.

Connect Farnoosh on Instagram

Grab a copy of her new book!

Egg Freezing: Everything You Need To Know with Colleen + Cassidy Coughlin (OVA Egg Freezing Specialty Center) Jan 04, 2024

Whether you are in a relationship, married, or single, more and more women are finding agency with their fertility by freezing their eggs (and embryos). I recently shared my personal journey with egg freezing on Instagram and am doing a much deeper dive in this episode. I learned SO MUCH (and I learned alot from the women who had been through it and DM’ed me tips– all of which i’m sharing on this episode. Today I’m diving into the facts, myths and most important questions you need to know about the process and the results of egg freezing!

Colleen and Cassidy Coughlin are the mother-daughter duo behind OVA Egg Freezing Specialty Center. Colleen is the Founder & CEO, who for over 30 years, has been a prominent leader in the field of IVF and Reproduction, helping thousands of patients become parents. Cassidy is her IVF-born daughter (born in her own lab!) and the center’s Program Manager.

Today they share a wealth of knowledge, including:

Understanding peak fertility and the ideal timing for egg freezing
Debunking common myths surrounding egg and embryo freezing
How to optimize your chances of getting pregnant later in life
Tips for improving the quality and health of eggs
The age they recommend for effective egg freezing
How to prepare for the egg freezing process and what you need to know
Examining whether egg freezing serves as a true insurance policy
Exploring the goal for most women who freeze their eggs
The key questions every woman should ask her provider for a successful retrieval process

Follow OVA Egg Freezing Specialty Center on Instagram @ovaeggfreezing

Setting 2024 Intentions So The Universe is Your Sugar Daddy: with Dellara Gorjian Dec 28, 2023

When you trust in the universe, the universe rewards you. Dellara Gorjian is a prime example of the beauty that can unfold when you are living a truly authentic life. The law school alum and immigration law advocate turned content creator (aka, our TikTok “legal baddie”) has cultivated a community of over 1.4 million. She keeps it real, raw and spiritual.

Today she shares:

What being a loner in school gave her
Her struggle with feeling both confident and insecure
Her incredible journey from lawyer to content creator
Her concerns about DACA
The toxicity of the content creator industry
Why influencers shouldn’t niche down on social
How the TikTok algorithm helped grow her audience
Where the term “legal baddie” came from
Pivoting from law to content creation
How the universe rewards you for acts of courage
Why she considers the universe her sugar daddy
How gratitude can lead to breakthrough and opportunity
Why disagreements are beautiful and have the power to connect people

Follow Dellara on Instagram @dellara

The Cost of Perfectionism with Coveteur Founding Member Stacie Brockman Dec 21, 2023

Burnout is on the rise worldwide—and reports say that there are two groups that are the most burnt out: Gen Z/ young millennials and women. This week we are hearing from an ambitious woman who experienced burnout firsthand, this is her story: Stacie Brockman with us, a serial entrepreneur, passionate investor, dedicated board member, co-founder of Métier Creative and founding member of Coveteur. In 2019, Stacie founded PLZ&THX, a brand incubator and accelerator. Stacie is a marketing mastermind who earned respect in the industry for her disruptive marketing approach and her innate ability to find the white space– clients like CHANEL, Tiffany & Co, Disney, Dior, and Lauryn Hill (to name a few!) Stacie opens up about how her ambition and perfectionism led to burnout and the life-changing steps she has taken to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Today she shares:

Her experience building Coveteur from the ground up
How perfectionism led to mental health issues
How perfectionism can lead to burnout
Experiencing her first panic attack and burnout
Why she took a medical leave from her own company
What she learned about celebrities at their core (from their closets)
Your most important title and role in this life
The true meaning of legacy

Connect with Stacie on Instagram @staciebrockman

Learn about her new venture: PLZ&THX.com

When Ambition Leads to Burnout with Rainesford Stauffer Dec 14, 2023

Rainesford Stauffer is an accomplished author and journalist, contributing to renowned publications such as the New York Times, The Cut by New York magazine, WSJ Magazine, Teen Vogue, Vox, and The Atlantic, to name a few. In her latest book, “All the Gold Stars,” she explores how the cultural, personal, and societal expectations around ambition are driving the global burnout epidemic.

Speaking to Rainesford inspired me to share my own experience with burnout. I hope this conversation sparks your reflection on your own ambitions.Today we chat about:

Where the attachment to ambition comes from
How ambition manifests and why ambition is deeply personal
The connection between burnout and exhaustion
Why ambition is a privilege
Why you can do less work and still be ambitious
The ebbs and flows of ambition
The link between loneliness and ambition
Why the term “self-made” is a fallacy
When ambition can become harmful
Why it’s difficult to have unconditional self-worth and self-esteem

Follow Rainesford on Instagram @rainesford_stauffer and grab her book here!

Cultivating Gratitude + Grace: A Meditation with Kimberlee Soo Nov 16, 2023

The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness (depending on the context).

I think about gratitude like this: Grace is an extension of gratitude and the more grateful we are the more grace we lead with.

Gratefully, today Kimberlee Soo shared a beautiful gratitude meditation with us. Kimberlee is a writer and private yoga instructor based in Los Angeles. Kimberlee has practiced yoga and meditation for over thirty years and began teaching in 2021, taking on private clients shortly thereafter. She is passionate about walking alongside those who wish to dynamically evolve and expand their knowledge of self through mindful modalities and dedicated to humans finding their authentic voice. She recently executive produced her first film short, The Model and one of her first short stories can be found in the anthology Briefly Knocked Unconscious by a Low-Flying Duck which just celebrated its 10thanniversary in print (Elephant Rock Books). Kimberlee collaborates as an editor and story developer, primarily with memoirists.

Kimberlee’s teachings have personally helped me find gratitude in the present moment. Not for what I have or how I feel, but for what I am. My hope is that through this meditation she can help you find what it is you’re seeking.

Leadership, Red Flags, and Toxicity in the Workplace with Susanna Kislenko Nov 09, 2023

Ever wonder why your work environment is toxic? Or why your boss is such a terrible leader? Do you know what to look for or ask in a job interview to understand a company’s culture? Social psychologist Susanna Kislenko is the authority on leadership, red flags and toxicity in the workplace. She’s a Doctor of Philosophy who focuses on leadership, researching, and supporting founder leadership in the startup environment and currently serves as the Skoll Centre Postdoctoral Fellow, specializing in Leading for Impact at Oxford University's Saïd Business School. Today she shares:

How to determine leadership style
Why highly sensitive people make great leaders
Why great leaders have a strong mind-body connection
The #1 complaint people have about their jobs
What makes a workspace safe and the qualities of a great leader
How to determine the type of leader someone will be
Which red flags to look out for when interviewing at a company
How to assess a company’s culture
The right questions to ask to land the job
Her unfiltered thoughts about people online sharing their leadership philosophies
The biggest red flag that you should be wary of
Love bombing at work and why sometimes you should be wary of the company’s perks

Follow Susanna on Instagram @susannakislenko

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Living an Effortless Life with Lifestyle Designer Jenni Kayne Nov 02, 2023

Jenni Kayne is the founder + designer of her namesake brand Jenni Kayne: a California lifestyle brand that inspires women to live well every day. Her clothing, home decor, accessories (her candles are amongst my favorite) and overall aesthetic has become known amongst celebrities as one that never goes out of style. Today she shares:

Launching her business as an ambitious and naive 19-year-old
How making decisions quickly (discernment) is her superpower
How to create your own aesthetic
The first thing you should do when you move to a new place + her design principles that can make your space more beautiful
The one piece of furniture you should invest in
Why hiring a CEO allowed her to take the brand to the next level
Why small details are important
Her first meeting with Anna Wintour - and what she really thinks about her!
The challenges of being a working mom
Why she created her new skincare line Oak Essentials

Follow her on Instagram @JenniKayne and @JenniKayneHome

Defining Love for Yourself + Soul Contracts: with Cleo Wade Oct 26, 2023

Cleo Wade is the New York Times bestselling author of “Heart Talk.” Cleo knows we are living in a tender time. Her new book “Remember Love” offers words that she hopes will help people find light in periods of lostness and love after heartbreak. Cleo joins Danielle today for a heartfelt conversation. She shares:

What it was like growing up in New Orleans and how she carried the city’s sense of mysticism into her work
How her experience with postpartum depression led her to write “Remember Love”
Why she thinks “soul contracts” are a great way to rethink the relationships in our lives
The power of studying your own life and defining love on your own terms
Why loneliness is a uniquely human experience
What she’s learned from her biggest heartbreaks
Why she thinks an apology is the “blessing of all blessings”
How you can find out what your traumas are by exploring your belief system
What does it mean to love sacredly?

Follow Cleo on Instagram @CleoWade and check out her new book “Remember Love: Words for Tender Times” out now!

What Does it Mean to be Tapped In to Culture? With Va$htie Oct 19, 2023

Va$htie Kola is known as “downtown’s sweetheart.” What does that nickname mean? It depends on who you ask. She’s a New York-based DJ, Director, Filmmaker, Designer, Creative Consultant, DJ and style icon whose influence has been felt far and wide. She has emerged as a role model for young tastemakers.” In other words, she’s kind of like the OG influencer. And she broke barriers in 2010 when she became the first woman ever to craft a collaborative Air Jordan sneaker! Today she shares:

What it was like to direct music videos for stars like Justin Bieber and Kendrick Lamar.
Her initial foray into film + how she kick-started her career
Seeing her first video treatment for Common air on MTV
The challenges she faced as a female director in the mid-2000s
Why she is a good representation of culture in this digital era + has a love for everything analog
How a birthday cake led to her becoming the first woman to create a colorway for the Jordan brand
Her entry into sneaker culture
The tastemakers she loves
Balancing life as a mom and DJ
Navigating a cross-cultural relationship with her Danish husband

Follow Va$htie on Instagram @Va$htie

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Stop Leaning Into Titles And Embrace Delulu Dreams: with Taryn Delanie (Miss New York) Oct 12, 2023

Taryn Delanie is a content creator, comedian and beauty pageant winner! She holds titles! She was crowned Miss New York 2022 and was the first runner-up in the 2022 Miss America competition. Her viral TikTok sketches as heaven’s receptionist caught the attention of millions. Today she’s sharing:

How delusional confidence has served her well in life
Why your dreams should only matter to you
The importance of listening to your gut
Her favorite and unexpected dream realized
When she experienced the most joy in her life
The hardest day she had in New York
Where the inspo from her hilarious skits came from
What she has learned about grief
The biggest change in her life since becoming Miss New York
Insights into beauty pageants
The myth of soulmates

Follow @taryndelaniesmith on Instagram and @taryntino21 on TikTok!

Nourish Your Life: with Molly Baz Oct 05, 2023

If you’re someone who doesn’t cook or doesn’t know how, you might think that the kitchen is the most intimidating place in the world. But today’s guest, food personality, former chef, former food editor at Bon Appétit, and NYT bestselling author Molly Baz says it doesn’t have to be. Her entire goal is to inspire a new generation to find joy in the kitchen and take pride in putting a home-cooked meal on the table. In her new cookbook “More is More,” Molly is helping us learn the foundational tools to become a better cook. Danielle + Molly discuss:

The one ingredient that will change your food!
Why Molly dropped the “Chef” title
The unique way Molly hustled + trained to be a chef in fine dining establishments
Why she chose trial by fire over a traditional education when preparing to be a chef
Her pivot into the word of food media, working for Bon Appetit and Epicurious
Her views on how someone can refine their palette through their mindset (and what it means to be a curious eater!)
Why she worries about modern conveniences like UberEats or Postmates making the art of cooking obsolete
How she learned to say “YES” versus “NO” by identifying her purpose in life
The ability that sets an amateur cook from a professional one
What she sees as her biggest failure
Her journey to becoming a bestselling cookbook author with her 2021 book “Cook This Book” and her new release “More is More”
How to build the perfect sandwich
Her favorite restaurant in the world

Follow Molly on Instagram @MollyBaz and grab her book here!

Do We Love or Hate The Internet? with Taylor Lorenz (Washington Post + Extremely Online) Sep 28, 2023

In the past 20 years, the Internet has developed a culture of its own. And one woman who has been at the forefront is Taylor Lorenz, a Tech Journalist, Content Creator, and the Author of the new book “Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet.” With the distinction of being recognized as one of Fortune’s 40 Under 40 leaders in Media and Entertainment, Taylor possesses a deep understanding of how digital culture has shaped our lives. Today, she shares:

Starting out as a female tech reporter (one of the ONLY ones)
Online Harassment + navigating a male-dominated landscape
The most impactful influencers (and how they changed culture)
Predicting digital trends + platforms
TikTok and her vision for the app's future evolution
Addressing and dispelling a popular TikTok conspiracy theory
The pivotal moment when the unique culture of the internet became evident
How Tumblr (an OG social media platform) exposed her to a new community of people
Dissecting the power and misconceptions surrounding influencers
Unpacking the profound impact of AI-driven algorithms
Her predictions about the trajectory of AI technology and what users want
Her thoughts on Threads - is it here to stay?
Reclaiming autonomy from the grip of social media platforms
Her thoughts on the idea of content creators uniting in a collective effort

Follow Taylor on Instagram @taylorlorenz and preorder her book Extremely Online, here!

Unleashing The Light Within You: with Elaine Welteroth Sep 21, 2023

Elaine Welteroth is many things, including inspiring. She’s a New York Times Bestselling Author, Award-winning Journalist, former editor-in-chief of “Teen Vogue,” TV host, mother and wife. We dive deep into her book “More than Enough,” and today Elaine shares:

What does greatness entail?
How to maximize the mountain climbing phase of life
Why celebrate the little wins can make all the difference
Why she struggled with feeling not enough and too much
Being a deep-end friend (versus a shallow end friend)
Having big expectations of friendships + being let down sometimes
How to tap in to your ‘zone of genius’
The importance of community and the solo journey (seasons)
Her experience with the urgency on the call of her life
Leaving her dream job because she was being called to pursue something else (and how she knew)
Having the courage to ask for more money
The scariest and smartest things she did in her career
Giving herself a promotion
The importance of creating boundaries from naysayers
Where her most creative ideas come from
More insight into one chapter in her book that she’s NEVER talked about
Her light and the relationship that dimmed her big/bright aura!
Recognizing when love is not love

Follow Elaine on Instagram @elainewelteroth and check out her book More Than Enough!

Searching for Work-Life Balance: with Physical Therapist Winnielyn Bautista (Special Drop!) Sep 15, 2023

In this episode of The Head Start: Embracing the Journey, Nora dives into the ever-blurring lines between work and life. Nora has made a career of sharing moments from her life to connect with others. That makes it nearly impossible to have any sort of separation between her work and life. She speaks with guest Winnielyn Bautista about how she tries to find and set boundaries between her career and personal goals amid the constant threat of a migraine attack. Winnielyn shares her thoughts on how to navigate difficult conversations with bosses and co-workers, especially when you might not feel comfortable sharing personal details - a situation those living with Chronic Migraine know all too well.

Unpacking the "Slut" Narratives of Britney, Monica, Paris, Pamela & Others with Jessica Bennett (NYT) Sep 14, 2023

Jessica Bennett has spent her award-winning journalism career focusing a gender lens on social issues and culture — from the persistence of workplace inequality, to cultural trends like Playboy magazine to rebrand and the evolution of Miss America, to the ripple effects of #MeToo. She was the first-ever gender editor of The New York Times and is the author of two bestselling books, Feminist Fight Club: A Survival Manual for a Sexist Workplace (HarperCollins) and This Is 18: Girls’ Lives Through Girls’ Eyes (Abrams). She is an adjunct professor of journalism at NYU. Fun fact: She once wrote a viral piece about her Resting Bitch Face.

In 2021 Jessica wrote a piece that I have been thinking about since then. It was title, Speaking of Britney … What About All Those Other Women? Monica Lewinsky. Janet Jackson. Lindsay Lohan. Whitney Houston. We are living in an era of reappraisals. It questioned if we were rethinking how we treated the the “wild" girls of the 90’s and 2000’s—Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Pamela Anderson, Monica Lewinsky. We break it down and discuss how we are treating women in the media today and what that means for how we see ourselves and each other.

Follow Jessica on Instagram here

Listen to Jessica’s new podcast: inretropod.com

Think Rich, Act Rich, and Become Rich with Your Rich BFF, Vivian Tu Aug 31, 2023

Why is talking about money more taboo than talking about our sex lives? Vivian Tu wants to break that cycle! As a former Wall Street Trader, Vivian believes everyone should talk more about personal finance. She’s everyone’s Rich BFF creator, breaking down personal finance and investing in simple, fun, and digestible content. If money and personal finance overwhelm you and don’t know where to start, Vivian’s got your back - she breaks down steps to get you started on the road to financial literacy and success. Today she shares:

The biggest factor shaping our POV on money
What she learned NOT to do from Chad + Brad on Wall Street
Is dating with money in mind an good or bad thing to do?
The people who are surprisingly bad with their money
How everyone (including you!) can get rich and the resources to get started
How to set yourself up for long-term success (even in a recession!)
Why you need to ask for a raise every year
The mistakes Vivian sees millennials make with money
The shocking cost of being a woman
Finances in relationships and talking about money with a (potential) partner
Her perspective on splitting rent with a partner
Her thoughts on women buying luxury items
The one item in your bedroom you should not skimp on

Follow Vivian on Instagram @your.richbff and click here to preorder her book, “Rich AF: The Winning Money Mindset That Will Change Your Life

The Audacity to Stand Out + Stand-Up: with Amanda Seales Aug 24, 2023

Comedian + actress Amanda Seales (Insecure) is coming out with a new comedy special–one she wrote, produced, starred in and financed!! Do you know hard that is?! She joins Danielle today for an unfiltered conversation about her long career in Hollywood (the great + the challenging), Hollywood hierarchy, why people forget the entertainment business is a business, and her new unapologetically political comedy doc “In Amanda We Trust.” Today she shares:

What staying the course + resilience in your career really looks + feels like.
Her unfiltered thoughts on the Screen Actor’s Guild and Writers Guild Association strikes impacting Hollywood
Why co-hosting The Real was her last effort to be a part of “the system”
She reveals the co-star she dated on the set of Insecure
Her opinion on friendships with the cast of Insecure + coworkers in general
The story of financing her new standup special “In Amanda We Trust: An Unapologetically Political Comedy Doc” and why it was a game changing
Being brutally honest with herself about what she can handle, and what she can’t
Why the U.S is at a critical time in our political history
She reflects on her miscarriage shortly after her departure from The Real and how it reframed her thinking about what to do next
Her unfiltered thoughts about her social media following and what people project onto her

Follow Amanda on Instagram @amandaseales and check out her comedy special “In Amanda We Trust” on August 18 exclusively at InAmandaWeTrust.com

Profit From Your Passion: with Nancy Twine (Founder of Briogeo) Aug 17, 2023

Entrepreneur Nancy Twine was a VP at Goldman Sachs when she tragically lost her mom. That incredible loss prompted her to start thinking about how she wanted to spend her time. She had childhood memories making beauty products in the kitchen with her chemist mother and decided she was going start a clean haircare line.Today she is the founder and CEO of Briogeo. Today she shares:

How to find passion in your job
Why having your career as part of your identity can be a good thing
The importance of evaluating how we spend our time
How a tragedy led to her founding a multimillion dollar company
How grief inspired fearlessness
Launching a company during economically uncertain times
Why educating your consumer is the key to success
Becoming the youngest Black woman to launch in Sephora and supporting the next wave of Black beauty business owners
The brutal business of retail and understanding the levers that drive those merchants
How to handle the “no’s” in business
What to consider when selling your company or bringing on investors
Why leaders need to let go and empower their employees
Why you should define your north star and set an intention for success
The technique she uses to maximize her day and protect her time
And the surprising factor that can affect your hair health!

Follow Nancy on Instagram @NancyTwine and check out her site here!

Women’s Health Disparities + How to Advocate for Yourself: with Hitha Palepu Aug 10, 2023

Hitha Palepu is a proclaimed multi-hyphenate; she’s a mother, entrepreneur, content creator, investor, author, and speaker. As the CEO of Rhoshan Pharmaceuticals and partner in Adama Ventures, she is focused on empowering women to advocate for themselves when it comes to their health. Today she shares:

Why women are not the priority in drug and therapy developments
Why there is a hierarchy of where research dollars are spent
How healthcare is more expensive for women
Why women are more likely to die from a heart attack
Why there is a disparity in healthcare between men and women
How women can advocate for themselves
How to identify medical gaslighting
The unconventional way she developed her love for science and medicine
How being a woman of color shapes her view on medicine and impacts clinical studies
How to find a doctor or practice that works for you
What gives her hope for the future
How social media can actually benefit women

Follow Hitha on Instagram @HithaPalepu and grab her book here! https://tinyurl.com/3s7p3pcc

Memes, Mother and Dissecting Pop Culture with Evan Ross Katz Aug 03, 2023

Writer, Editor, Podcast Host, and most importantly, Sarah Michelle Gellar Historian, Evan Ross Katz has an unfiltered conversation about pop culture, internet culture, and of course celebrities! Today he dishes all about:

What drew him to Hollywood
The jobs not listed on his resume
Standom and who he thinks has the most emphatic fandom
How to write a great cold email
Why he believes in protecting celebrities
Why celebrity news culture is shifting
His thoughts on internet culture
What’s going down in his DMs
He gives his candid thoughts on the etiquette of gossip, AI and its impact on culture, the performance of celebrity and Nepo babies
He also reveals the surprising celebrity that loves to gossip, the celeb who blocked and unblocked him(!) and the person who influenced both of our careers

Follow Evan on Instagram @evanrosskatz and check out his podcast Shut Up Evan!

How AI Will Ignite a New Era with Sinead Bovell Jul 27, 2023

Sinead Bovell is a consultant turned model turned futurist who loves to talk tech. She founded Waye a community preparing everyone for the future of work and life with advanced technologies. Through meaningful conversations, Sinead is making waves and shifting the perspective on who should be talking tech and who should be listening. Today we all need to listen to this impactful conversation about our future with AI.

Sinead shares valuable insights covering many topics, including:

How AI has been a part of our lives for decades
AI and the future
How AI is actually good for humanity
Why AI is not all doom and gloom
What concerns you should have when it comes to AI
Why the people building AI systems need to have diverse backgrounds
How many historical biases affect AI
The faults with AI
Which jobs will be most impacted by AI
The forthcoming creative boom
How AI will free up your time
How the nature of work is changing
Her shocking prediction for the future sentiment of social media
Her thoughts on the future regulation of AI
And so much more!

Follow Sinead on Instagram @SineadBovell

Making a Scene with Constance Wu Jul 21, 2023

Actress + author Constance Wu (“Crazy Rich Asians” and “Hustlers”) joins the podcast to have a raw and unfiltered conversation about the scenes that make up her life and the stories told in her memoir, “Making a Scene.” Today she shares:

The unique way she hustled before landing her first life changing role in Crazy Rich Asians and ultimately, Hustlers.
Sexual harassment on “Fresh Off the Boat”
Her experience with rape
Why she’s not afraid to use her voice + what she hopes others will gain from her honesty
What she felt when she met Brad Pitt
How she felt she had to prove herself
Why she was paranoid the first few years of “Fresh Off the Boat”
The controversial tweets – and how her life changed for the worse and then for the better afterward
Judging women and why it’s not our fault
Who she was most nervous to send her book to
Why she has empathy for her abusers
Why you won’t ever see her in a Rolls Royce or NYFW show
Her relationship with fame now
Her relationship with faith
Why she wants her daughter to read her memoir
And a piece of breaking news! Becoming a mom of 2

Follow Constance on Instagram @ConstanceWu and grab her book here!

VIVA: The Erotic Magazine That Helped Shape Feminism: with Jennifer Romolini Jul 20, 2023

Through the story of VIVA, an erotic magazine for women created by Bob Guccione (founder of the men’s magazine Penthouse), we are getting a history lesson today on FEMINISM! First wave, second wave, third wave, fourth wave? What does it all mean and where are we now?

A little background: While VIVA was created by one of the most prominent figures in adult entertainment, it was staffed by female writers and editors and featured groundbreaking full-frontal male nudes, writing by feminist icons like Betty Friedan and profiles of literary legends like Maya Angelou. Its cover stars include Bianca Jagger and Shelley Duvall. Anna Wintour was even VIVA’s fashion editor at one point. But what is originally conceived as a high-end, progressive, sexual utopia for women… doesn't quite turn out that way.

Jennifer Romolini is an award-winning writer, editor, and author of "Weird in a World That's Not: A Career Guide for Misfits" and the upcoming memoir, “Ambition Monster” (Atria Books, 2024). A longtime media executive, Romolini is the host of Crooked Media’s latest series “STIFFED”, which tells the true story of VIVA, one the first erotic magazines for women, and co-host of the “Everything is Fine” podcast with former Lucky Magazine editor-in-chief, Kim France. She started her career as a magazine fact checker working at Talk, Lucky, Glamour, Cosmo, and Allure. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, ELLE, Vogue, Fast Company, and many magazines that no longer exist.

Follow Jennifer

Listen to STIFFED (iHeartPodcasts + Crooked Media production)

THANK YOU to our fantastic sponsor Green Chef: Use code prettysmart50 to get 50% off plus free shipping!! https://www.greenchef.com/

Good Shoes Take You Places: with Jimmy Choo’s Global Director of Entertainment Sara Riff Jul 13, 2023

Sara Riff is a fashion veteran and Global Director of Entertainment Relations for Jimmy Choo. She is also host of the podcast “Having it All and Other Lies” and a founding member of the nonpartisan organization dedicated to creating a cultural shift around voting and civic engagement, I am a voter. Today she’s sharing:

How defining her style by 3 words helped her hone in on her aesthetic.
How she landed her dream job at Jimmy Choo and how her role has evolved while she’s been there.
The best feedback she got early on in her career while interviewing for jobs.
How fashion, beauty and art have a universal impact on women across the globe.
How shoes can really transform someone’s mindset and spirit.
Her favorite parts of her job and what skill she is most proud of.
How the ways we shop and consume fashion has evolved over the years.
Why it’s important to have an image and a brand no matter who you are.
How having a daughter changed the way she talks to herself and how she feels about body image.
How she became a founding member of the I am a voter organization and what it’s been like to see its impact.
How she feels about brands taking a stand on social and political issues.
Her podcast, “Having it All and Other Lies” and why it’s so important to her to talk to powerhouse women who admit to not having it all.

Follow her on instagram @sara_riff

Chasing Sleep: Improve the Quality of Your Life (Special Drop!) Jun 30, 2023

Special Drop! Listen to Chasing Sleep here: https://link.chtbl.com/a_-vQyo6

Katie Lowes + Adam Shapiro explore the fascinating relationship with sleep and the far-reaching effects of sleep on our quality of life. Through engaging conversations with sleep experts and everyday people, they’ll uncover the intriguing connections between sleep and intimacy, parenting, creativity, work, and even our dreams. The podcast aims to help listeners understand the importance of getting quality sleep and how to get more of it.

The Most Important Relationship is With Yourself: with ALOK Jun 29, 2023

Internationally acclaimed artist, poet, author, comedian, and speaker, Alok Vaid Menon joins PRETTYSMART! They share:

What it was like being bullied as a child and how it impacted them.
Their daily relationship with self acceptance and self hatred.
How transitioning is not about gender for them.
Why they feel the most beautiful when they are telling the truth.
How we are politicizing just being and the impact of that.
Why they think so many people are triggered by the concept of transgender rights.
Their thoughts on color!
Why we all need to be more curious and have more fun.
What dopamine dressing is and how it’s beneficial for all of us!
Gendering in fashion and why we should degender it.
How we are all just souls playing dress up.
Questions to ask yourself every day to lead to a happier and more fun filled life.
Why we have to announce progress and look at small changes as big triumphs.
Why self forgiveness has been the hardest lesson for them.
Why they say their earnestness is their most controversial identity.

Follow Alok on Instagram here!

How Our Relationships with Our Fathers Impact Us: with Craig Melvin Jun 22, 2023

We talk frequently about what it means to be a mother on this podcast. But what about what it means to be a father? And how do our relationships with our father’s impact us? Co-host of the Today show, anchor at NBC and author of the book "Pops: Learning to Be a Son and a Father." joins PRETTYSMART to talk about fatherhood, parenting and what his relationship with his dad has taught him about himself. He shares:

Why we need to stop expecting people to become something they have no examples of.
Why the hard times in his life have become what fuels him to be so successful.
How the father/son bond has evolved for him over the years.
The universal thing he's learned from interviewing so many dads over the years.
His relationship with Al Roker and what his mentorship means to him.
Why bringing his son to Take Your Child to Work Day made him so emotional.
How he is breaking the generational curse and what he is doing differently with his own kids.
What changed for him once he stopped molding his values to others and figured out what mattered most to him.
The magic of silence and stillness and how that has helped him both personally and professionally.

Follow Craig on Instagram @craigmelvinnbc and grab his book here!

Thank you to today’s podcast partner: OUAI: 15% off site wide when you use the code: PRETTYSMART

The Profound Impact of Teenage Girls Who Sparked America's Social Movements: with Mattie Kahn Jun 15, 2023

Nine months before Rosa Parks kicked off the bus boycotts, Claudette Colvin was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. She was fifteen. In 1912, women’s rights activists organized a massive march in support of women’s suffrage. Leading them up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan was not one of the mothers of the movement, but a teenage Chinese immigrant named Mabel Ping-Hua Lee. Half a century before the better-known movements for workers’ rights began, over 1,500 girls—some as young as ten—walked out of factories in Lowell, Massachusetts, demanding safer working conditions and higher wages in one of the nation’s first-ever labor strikes.

The untold story of the people who have helped spark America’s most transformative social movements throughout history: teenage girls. Young women have been disenfranchised and discounted, but the true retelling of major social movements in America reveals their might: they have ignited almost every single one.

Mattie Kahn is an award-winning writer and editor. Her work has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Vox, and more. She was the culture director at Glamour, where she covered women’s issues and politics, and a staff editor at Elle. She joins the pod to talk all about her new book, “Young and Restless: The Girls Who Sparked America’s Revolutions.”

She shares:

Why she always believed she could be and do whatever she wanted in life.
How she felt as a teenage girl and her thoughts on teenage girls today.
What it means to be an activist and why change so often occurs because of teenage girls.
Why things aren’t as bad as they might seem,
The positive and negative impacts of social media on activism.
Why it’s important to cultivate a community of women of all ages and generations around you.
How to get involved in making change without feeling overwhelmed.
How to keep hope alive even when it seems hard.
Why teenage girls can get away with more than women when it comes to activism.
The impact of friendships on activism.

Follow Mattie on IG @matkahn

Get a copy of Mattie’s book here

Vaulted affiliate program for you to sign up through: https://vaulted.com/gold-affiliate-program/

Do Pop Stars Define Feminism? with Audra Heinrichs Jun 08, 2023

POP STARS x FEMINISM: Today we will explore the stories of pop stars who have left an indelible mark on women and feminism. We are diving into their groundbreaking songs, their personal journeys, and the cultural shifts they've inspired. We are going through the eras. How did their music, their life experiences, their clothing/makeup, the way they dance and the way they talk about sex impact culture at the time? And did feminism become commodified? Is it a requirement to be a feminist if you’re a pop star? We are going through the eras: Diana Ross, Cher, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Spice Girls, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Pink, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Lana Del Ray, Katie Perry, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Lizzo, Due Lipa, Billie Eilish.

Breaking it all down is Audra Heinrich, a writer + reporter who who specializes in feature writing about politics, entertainment, and cultural moments and movements. Her work has been published in: Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, Teen Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, Bustle, Them., Cosmopolitan, Glamour. She holds an M.A. in American Journalism from New York University and a B.A. in English Literature and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies from The Ohio State University. In addition to her writing career, she has also amassed years of experience as a part-time political organizer. After co-founding the New York City chapter of Women’s March in 2017.

And you all know writers are MY pop stars, so Audra is a pop star in my eyes. Follow here here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audraheinrichs/

Website: https://www.audraheinrichs.com/

How to Have Great Sex! With Vanessa + Xander Marin Jun 01, 2023

Sex therapist Vanessa Marin and her husband, Xander join PRETTYSMART to discuss their mission to help people have more (and better!) sex. They share:

What made them decide to start working together and helping others improve their sex lives.
What is off limits for them when it comes to talking about sex publicly.
Their philosophy on why sex is so important in relationships.
What it really means to have great sex.
Why we are all afraid to talk about sex.
How sex changes as we age.
The two different sex drive types and how they impact our sex lives.
Ways to open up to your partner about sex (and prompts to help you feel more comfortable doing so!)
How to get your partner to initiate more.
If it’s normal to squirt or not during sex.
How to bring new relationship energy back to your sex life.
What to do if you’ve been faking your orgasms.
How to communicate any sexual fantasies you might have.
The impact the porn industry has had on our sex lives and how we all think about sex.
Why you should reframe the way you think about the number of sexual partners you’ve had.

Follow Vanessa and Xander on IG Here

Buy their book “Sex Talks: The Five Conversations That Will Transform Your Love Life” Here

Vaulted affiliate program for you to sign up through: https://vaulted.com/gold-affiliate-program/

Cozy Earth: Up to 35% off site wide when you use the code PRETTYSMART

How to Recognize Opportunities In Unexpected Places: with Aurora James (Wildflower) May 25, 2023

Aurora James, founder of the luxury brand Brother Vellies + the 15 Percent Pledge joins PRETTYSMART to share stories, lessons from her new memoir “Wildflower.” She shares:

Her memoir “Wildflower” and the story behind the title.
Why fashion was a unifier in her house growing up.
The crucial life lesson her mom taught her at a very young age.
Why identity is complicated for her and why it inspired her to write her book.
The impact her modeling career had on her mental health.
Why she wants to co-parent 5 kids with 5 different male friends.
Why she was arrested when she was in college and what spending time in a jail cell taught her about women.
The inspiration behind her company Brother Vellies and why she wanted to help get rid of unconscious bias in fashion.
Why she has never shied away from using her brand and platform to speak up for others.
The financial setback she faced even while her brand was being worn by Beyonce and Rihanna.
How her non-profit, 15% Pledge, started with an Instagram post in 2020 and the motivation behind it.
Her top tips to incorporate activism in your own life.
Why she believes defining success on your own terms is the key to happiness.

Kelly Rowland + Jessica McKay: Modern Motherhood + Why Girl Groups Are Necessary May 18, 2023

Grammy Award–winning artist Kelly Rowland and educator Jessica McKay join the podcast to talk about motherhood and share their children’s book Always with You, Always with Me. They discuss:

The inspiration behind the book and the struggles of being a working mom.
Why representation in books and media is so important (and what happens when there is a lack of it).
Mom guilt and how they work through it.
How writing this book impacted how they think about their own mothers.
Jessica’s inspiring views on flipping the narrative around motherhood + career
How Kelly was able to forgive her mom after she passed away.
How motherhood changed them.
Why Kelly thinks girl groups are necessary.
The most fun Kelly’s ever had in the entertainment industry (Coachella with Beyonce).
The biggest misconceptions about fame.
Kelly’s breast augmentation and how she would talk to her own kids/nieces about it.
How they knew their husbands were the one.

Order their children’s book Always with You, Always with Me: https://www.amazon.com/Always-You-Me-Kelly-Rowland/dp/0593465512

Thank you to today’s podcast partner: OUAI: 15% off site wide when you use the code: PRETTYSMART

Vaulted affiliate program for you to sign up through: https://vaulted.com/gold-affiliate-program/

Why Unpaid Labor Hurts More Than Just Mothers: with author Angela Garbes May 11, 2023

Author Angela Garbes joins the pod today to dive deep into her book “Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change” and discusses the economic, political and ideological systems that have shaped the way our society sees care work. She shares:

Why care work and mothering is so undervalued in American society.
How lack of compensation for care workers is a uniquely American problem.
Mothering as a verb instead of a noun
How the majority of Americans believe in more support for domestic workers/why our government does not represent us any longer.
How both the wealth of our country and our views on care workers comes from slavery.
The surprising median wage that nannies in America make and why we need to look at our own biases when it comes to paying them.
Why being a care worker is life changing work.
Why mothering is the earliest public health intervention we could have.
How to remain hopeful when it comes to making changes to the system.
If she thinks we will ever see paid family leave in America and what we have to do to get there.

Follow Angela: https://www.instagram.com/angelagarbes/

Buy Angela’s Book: https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Labor-Mothering-Social-Change/dp/0062937367

Thank you to today’s podcast partners!

OUAI: 15% off site wide when you use the code: PRETTYSMART
Cozy Earth: Up to 35% off site wide when you use the code PRETTYSMART

15 Questions to Ask a Friend Going Through a Hard Time: with LaurelBox Founders Johanna + Denise May 04, 2023

Worried about a friend? Or unsure of how to support someone going through a hard time? In honor Mental Health Awareness month, Danielle partnered with LaurelBox to create a free digital download to help us connect with and support friends going through a hard time. Here are 15 Questions: FREE DIGITAL DOWNLOAD: HTTPS://WWW.LAURELBOX.COM/PRODUCTS/GRIEF-SUPPORT-GUIDE-FREE-DIGITAL-DOWNLOAD

Laurel Box is a female founded business – created by cousins Denise Wolfe and Johanna Mutz. They create heartfelt, personalized sympathy gifts for people who’ve experienced loss, to help nourish the hearts and support people going through a difficult season of life. We discuss:

How to show up for someone going through a hard time
What to say to someone in grief, morning, or struggling
How Johanna’s miscarriage played a role in creating LaurelBox
While LaurelBox gifts are physical, they serve a much more emotional purpose.
The language around grief
The purpose of gift giving

Shop LaurelBox: https://www.laurelbox.com/

Follow LaurelBox: https://www.instagram.com/laurelbox/

OUAI: 15% off site wide when you use the code: PRETTYSMART
Cozy Earth: Up to 35% off site wide when you use the code PRETTYSMART

The Glam Gap + The Price of Admission in White America: with Token Black Girl Author Danielle Prescod Apr 27, 2023

Danielle Prescod is the author of the bestselling book Token Black Girl and cofounder of 2BG Consulting which aims to help fashion and beauty brands and influencers on their anti-racism journeys.

Before she moved out of NYC to New Orleans and published her book, she was a fifteen-year veteran of the beauty and fashion industry, most recently the style director of BET.com and previously held positions at Nylon, Elle, InStyle.

She went to school in Greenwich, Connecticut, and was one of just three Black girls in her graduating class. She writes: “I remember that the reality of Blackness settled onto me like a terminal illness. I desperately wondered how I could get rid of it so I could just be like everyone else. It distressed me that I would never be ‘cured’ of it and could never escape it.” She says it all got worse when she went to work in the fashion and beauty space. Her dieting became an eating disorder and her trendy workplaces re-created the racial traumas of her youth.

So much of Danielle’s book is about identity— the one you assume but also the one the world assumes for you. She writes “Your identity and self-awareness evolves slowly over time, both subtly and overtly in how you decide to show up in the world. But it can also be dictated, unfairly at times, by how the world sees you. that’s especially true “if you find yourself to be a woman – and even more so if you find yourself to be a woman of color.”

Follow @danielleprescod and on TikTok @danielleprescod7

Purchase her book: bit.ly/3BxvshU

Attach Your Style to Your Story: with Celebrity Stylist Karla Welch Apr 20, 2023

Hollywood stylist and co-founder of “The Period Company,” Karla Welch joins PRETTYSMART to share her journey as both a stylist to the stars and as an entrepreneur. She shares:

How she went from working in restaurants to working in fashion.
Why she believes she’s always surrounded by a little bit of magic (and how that mindset has helped her).
The stories behind some of the iconic looks she’s created for some of the biggest stars (Hailey + Justin Bieber, Olivia Wilde, Sarah Paulson, Tracee Ellis Ross to name a few!)
Her creative process behind dressing some of Hollywood’s biggest stars + how she uses creativity as her compass.
How she knows when she’s got the right look on a client.
What it was like being one of the first stylists to collaborate with big brands.
Saying “YES” versus saying “NO”
How to attach your style to your story.
What inspired her to create “The Period Company” and their mission to end period poverty.

Follow Karla: https://www.instagram.com/karlawelchstylist/?hl=en

Support The Period Company: https://tinyurl.com/mryab98t

Danielle’s 1st Look Episode (NBC): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbOfn0nJN2A&t=247s

https://theouai.com/: Use code PRETTYSMART for 15% off your entire purchase

What Happens When Women Forget Themselves: with Steph Jagger, Writer and Life Coach Apr 13, 2023

Steph Jagger is a bestselling author, life coach, and speaker. Her grandmother had dementia and her mother, early onset Alzheimer’s. Steph says “my biggest fear is the fact that I live inside of a lineage of forgetfulness. I don’t want to forget. I want to remember.” We spend decades building a life and wanting to remember it all. We save photos, we take home movies. In her new memoir Everything Left to Remember, she explores what’s left when our memories are taken from us. We discuss:

What we learn about our own stories through our families stories.
What do we lose when we lose our memories?
Conscious Grieving vs. Unconscious Despair
MOTHERING: The 4 archetypes of mother: QUESTION: what will I allow to be created through me?
The 1 question Steph wished she asked her mother before her Alzheimer’s diagnosis
How to have hard conversations (anger vs. aggression)
How tapping into her “inner mystic” allowed her to witness her mother’s journey in awe
How love and loss shapes us
What it’s like to be with a person you know you are going to lose
Deep remembrance
Bully energy and how to combat it (intimacy + connection)
What it looks and feels like when women forget themselves + shapeshifting.
"Pain travels through families until someone is ready to feel it.” How to determine what pain is yours and what is someone else’s to bear.
Owning mortality, and how that makes you live differently.

Buy Steph’s Book: https://tinyurl.com/339zppbn

Follow Steph: https://www.instagram.com/stephjagger/

Thank you to our sponsor of this episode: GREENPAN: go to GreenPan.us and use promo code PRETTYSMART and you’ll receive 30% OFF YOUR ENTIRE ORDER plus free shipping on orders over $99.

You Only Lose If You Quit: with Afro Unicorn Founder April Showers Apr 06, 2023

April Showers is the first female, Black-owned business to own a licensed character brand in a major retailer. She is the creator of Afro Unicorn, a brand designed to represent the uniqueness of women and children of color in a truly diverse and inclusive fashion, selling apparel and accessories to toys, puzzles, books and more. Today she shares:

How karma played a huge role in her success.
What it’s like having Disney and Star Wars as her main competitors.
How she launched the brand amidst some of the hardest personal moments in her life.
How she got into her first big box retailer.
Why her approach is “All gas, no breaks.”
The surprising way she learned all about licensing her brand.
Her visualization and journaling practices that helped her as she’s built her empire.
The most pivotal decision she’s made in her business.
Why she says you can go after exactly what you want.
How she thought her life was going to end when she got pregnant because she hadn’t seen a positive image of a single mother + how she feels about it now.
The surprising lesson she has learned from her two sons.

How to Stop Overthinking and Start Trusting Your Gut: with Psychic Medium Rebecca Rosen Mar 30, 2023

World Renowned Psychic Medium and Best-Selling Author Rebecca Rosen joins PRETTYSMART to talk about her new book, “What’s Your Heaven: 7 Lessons to Heal the Past and Live Fully Now.” She shares:

3 tangible ways to raise your vibe + frequency.
The one major thing that might be blocking you from manifesting the things you want.
How to tell the difference between intuition + anxious mind thoughts.
Who is Team Spirit? And how we can all utilize them to help us + guide us?
A new way to reframe when hard things show up for us in life.
What spirits want us to know while we are still living.
Why meditation is key to help us tap into our higher self (and her advice if meditation is hard for you!)
The one question to ask yourself before you make any decision.
Reincarnation, soul contracts and soul groups: What they are and how they can help us better understand our life experiences.
Why we don’t have to wait to die to experience heaven.

Follow Rebecca Rosen on Instagram at www.instagram.com/mediumrebeccarosen

Buy Rebecca’s book What’s Your Heaven: https://tinyurl.com/45w42fyu

Spreading Kindness One Bracelet at a Time: with Little Words Project Founder Adriana Carrig Mar 23, 2023

Adriana Carrig founded the original word bracelet– Little Words Project. What started in her parents basement has now grown to 40 employees, 7 locations, and huge brand collaborations with companies like Nike, Barbie, WNBA, Dunkin Donuts. Just like so many great companies, Adriana’s was started from pain– she was bullied as a young person and wanted to inject the world with some more kindness. Although the company has grown and changed, that mission of kindness has sustained throughout. Despite doubters, Adriana hasn’t changed her core perspective in the last decade of building her company. By staying true to her brand’s values and taking bold, strategic risks, she’s been able to serve the original customers who keep the brand growing year-after-year. She shares

Why the key to taking on any tough project is to “just start beading”
When she knew she really had something special (post sorority).
How facing cruelty + bullying throughout her life inspired to build a brand of kindness.
Why she breaks the stereotype that women are risk averse.
How her brand continues to grow on the strength of the foundational original customer.
Why copycat companies don’t faze her at all.
What it feels like to grow from a family-size business to dozens of employees.
How she went from making her bracelets in her parents’ house to the CEO of a multi-million dollar business

Do Men and Women Cheat For The Same Reasons: with Author Jo Piazza Mar 16, 2023

Why do women cheat? Author, journalist, podcast host of the new series She Wants More, Jo Piazza tries to uncover the truth behind women’s infidelity. Danielle and Jo listen to several clips of women’s stories of affairs and discuss:

Why is women’s Infidelity is on the rise?
The 4 different types of affairs
Why women cheat vs. why men cheat: does Jo agree with Esther Perel’s hypothesis: “men cheat out of boredom and fear of intimacy and women cheat out of loneliness and hunger of intimacy.”
How much does lying play into cheating?
Is cheating forgivable?
Does unequal household labor (chores) increase women’s likelihood of cheating?
What do we expect from our partners nowadays + what are we willing to outsource? (Is it OK to outsource sex?)
1 piece of love & marriage advice Jo has learned from her years of interviewing people + writing about relationships.
What does the future of relationships and marriage look like?

Listen to "She Wants More" on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-she-wants-more-107769177/

Follow Jo Piazza: https://www.instagram.com/jopiazzaauthor/?hl=en

What Happens “When Women Lead”: with CNBC's Julia Boorstin Mar 02, 2023

What happens WHEN WOMEN LEAD? What are the key commonalities of female leaders who thrived in spite of the challenges? Can some of your weaknesses actually trun into your greatest strengths? CNBC’s Senior Media & Tech Correspondent Julia Boorstin wrote a book about it. She spoke with more than 120 female leaders, from Goop’s Gwyneth Paltrow, Bumble’s Whitney Wolfe Herd, Jenn Hyman (Rent The Runway), Lena Waithe and more to determine their strategies for success.

Julia’s had her finger on the pulse of tech and business as a correspondent for more than two decades. She launched and oversees the CNBC Disruptor 50. Currently CNBC’s Senior Media & Tech Correspondent, she’s also been a fixture at CNN Headline News. She’s even worked for the State Department and Vice President Al Gore’s domestic policy office. Needless to say, Julia understands leadership. She shares:

What the 120 female leaders she interviewed all had in common
Why do stock prices increase when a company has a female CEO?
How to turn your weaknesses into strengths (example: CEO Jennifer Holmgren on negotiation)
Why women are more likely than men to make swift decisions.
How gratitude can make you money.
Mentors vs. Peer to Peer mentorship.
How the Mark Zuckerbergs and Elon Musks contribute to a myth of the “Male Visionary” or “Boy Wonder”
How to ask tough questions.
Julia’s thoughts on New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s decision to step down.

Buy Julia’s Book: When Women Lead: https://amzn.to/3ekjT4Y

How To Go All-In on Your Dreams: with Shark Tank's Matt Higgins Feb 23, 2023

How do you get to where you want to go—the dream job, the dream life? That’s a big question we all ask ourselves. We know WHERE we want to go, but don’t always know HOW to get there. Via engaging stories of some of the most successful people in the world as well as practical advice from Matt’s own successes and failures, this book shows you how to win. The title speaks to a major theme in the book—overcoming fear. Matt explains how to break the patterns holding you back, and go after what it is you truly want. He says you must “burn the boats”.

Matt is an entrepreneur who has reached the pinnacle of 5 industries (Founder RSV, Investor (Gary Vee’s largest investor), Guest Shark on Shark Tank, and executive fellow at Harvard Business School). You would probably never guess that he dropped out of high school. Matt shares:

How you can throw Plan B away and go all in on your dream!
Growing up in poverty and how it pushed him to make his first all-in decision
The TWO TRAITS he looks for when investing in people
What happens to people who don’t take risks.
How to get over fear of failure
Cancer taught him to have greater compassion for himself, and others at work.
Why the right life partner for you acts as a force multiplier
How celebrities like Kim Kardashian + Tracee Ellis Ross + Scarlett Johansson that guest speak at his Harvard class have burned the boats.
How the law of compound interest applies to ideas and achievements

Buy Matt’s Book Burn The Boats: https://tinyurl.com/bdzfvh55

Follow Matt: https://www.instagram.com/mhiggins/

Heartbreak: Unpacking The Pain + Learning From It: with Tefi Pessoa Feb 16, 2023

With 1.6 Million followers, TikTok star Tefi Pessoa has built a community where she has become famous for her thoughtful and heartfelt advice on love, mental health, heartbreak and more. There’s a reason she’s been called the internet’s BFF. Today she joins PRETTYSMART to delve deep into all things love, dating and heartbreak. She shares:

Why men are who they are at 35.
What she’s learned from heartbreak.
Why even after heartbreak love is still magical.
How to not let heartbreak or bad relationships break your spirit.
How she is able to never compromise who she is in relationships.
Why it’s helpful for her to enlist her tribe before she breaks it off with someone.
What she finds she is really mourning when a relationship ends.
Why some traits are not going to change in the person you're dating (and how to figure that out).
When to listen if people tell you “you can do better”.
Navigating a breakup in the public eye.
Why there’s courage in normalcy.
How men and women handle heartbreak differently.

A Masterclass in Networking— How Being Radically Generous Pays Off: with PR Expert Rachel Rischall Feb 09, 2023

We often frame modern relationships through a transactional lens, but what if instead of concerning ourselves with what we can get from somebody we ask ourselves what we can give? Rachel Rischall believes generosity for generosity’s sake is ultimately the best way to form strong, valuable relationships. A 20-year vet in public relations, Rachel is the founder of Three PR (she's an EXPERT). She says her superpower is she can and will talk to anybody. She’s an expert on finding ways to connect and help others. In the end, everybody comes out ahead. Rachel shares:

Why she feels called to helping others as often as she can
When to start being generous every day (it’s first thing in the morning)
Why introducing people to each other is an incredible gift
How to overcome the cold e-mailing jitters (and the best way to follow-up when they don’t email back)
Navigating generosity in a world comfortable placing women in positions of service
How to evolve professional connections into professional relationships

The Likeability Trap: with Alicia Menendez (Journalist) Feb 02, 2023

After this interview aired I got messages from women all over the country. It seemed to have a domino effect inspiring book clubs, and other interviews with Alicia! Her book changed me and it gave me so much joy to hear that this conversation changed so many of you too. As it was one of the earliest episodes of the pod I felt it deserved a re-air: Award Winning Journalist + MSNBC Anchor Alicia Menendez explains how The Likeability Trap can keep women from achieving their ambitions. Women are stuck in an impossible bind known as the Goldilocks Conundrum: be nice, but not too nice. Talk about what you bring to the table without sounding like you’re bragging. Strong women are often criticized for being cold, while warm women may be seen as pushovers.“ The constant chatter of how women lead impedes them from leading. In trying to be everything all at once women are straight up exhausted”. But in being aware of The Likeability Trap, we can push up against it. Alicia gives us tactical tools to be more practiced in leadership, how to receive feedback, break free of the trap, and succeed as you are.

Wordslut: Sexist Language + How it Shapes Us: with Linguist Amanda Montell Jan 26, 2023

LANGUAGE + POWER, GENDER, RACE: Linguist and writer Amanda Montell is here to discuss reclaiming gendered insults, cursing, women's linguistic innovation, sexism in our language and owning your own voice. She is the author of two critically acclaimed books, Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language and Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism She is also a creator and host of the hit podcast, Sounds Like A Cult. Today she joins PRETTYSMART to expand on her book Wordslut. She wants you to feel empowered by language instead of silenced by it.

She shares:

Why young women are the language innovators.
Slurs and how so many of them were once ordinary words used to reflect femininity.
How culture and language go hand in hand.
Why marginalized communities use language as a form of power in culture (and why it is almost always co-opted by mainstream society).
Why we need to stop calling out typos and grammar mistakes online.
What it really means when we have to put a qualifier on a word.
What term we can use instead of “hey guys” and why it’s important to read the room when it comes to language.
The power of reclaiming words vs. abolishing them.

Follow Amanda here: https://www.instagram.com/amanda_montell/

How to Build a Women’s Media Empire: with Betches founder Sami Sage Jan 19, 2023

Co-Founder of Betches, the hugely popular female-founded and led media and entertainment brand, Sami Sage is here to share her story from how Betches went from an idea one night in college to a full blown media company. She shares:

How to start a company with friends
Where the idea for Betches came from and what it was like in the early days of the brand.
Why they have never taken money from investors.
Why trial + error is important when you are building a business.
Why she is so passionate about politics and the decision to create the Betcher Sup vertical to help inform others.
Sami’s pop-culture predictions on Kanye, Pete Davidson, Harry & Megan and more.

No One is Going To Save You (and Other Life Lessons): with Nicco Annan Jan 12, 2023

Actor, dancer, choreographer and star of the hit Starz drama P-Valley, Nicco Annan is bringing his magic to PRETTYSMART today. The Detroit-born actor refused to conform to a Hollywood template and instead has made a name for himself by embracing his individuality and following his intuition. His portrayal of Uncle Clifford (the revolutionary + beloved character) has earned him critical acclaim as well as nominations from the NAACP and independent spirit awards. Danielle + Nicco discuss:

The meaningful lesson he learned in high school + how that has carried him in life.
How being told he was too big to be a dancer helped him in the long run.
Why it’s important to use all of your gifts when trying to achieve your dreams.
How he was held at gunpoint at 14 years old.
How P-Valley is helping change how we view sex workers and strippers.
The role of intimacy in playing Uncle Clifford and how Nicco approaches the masculine/feminine qualities of the character.
What he’s learned from playing Uncle Clifford and how he knows this role is bigger than him. (and why his character is so beloved + impactful)
Why it’s important that P-Valley has all female directors and the male gaze.

How to Land Your Dream Job: with Cosmopolitan Editor in Chief Jessica Giles Jan 05, 2023

As the Editor-In-Chief of Cosmopolitan, the largest young women’s media brand in the world, Jessica Giles oversees the editorial for all of Cosmo's efforts across print, digital, video, and emerging platforms. Today she’s sharing her journey in the publishing industry and offers up helpful and practical advice to help you get to where you dream of being in your own career. She shares:

3 specific tips to help you get promoted.
Why passion is crucial in your career.
Her number one tip to help you on future interviews.
Why self education is so important on the job.
What surprised her most about working at Vogue.
What she’s learned about leading and managing well.
How Cosmo has evolved over the years and modernized its view of sex.
Why asking for critical feedback (and being okay receiving it) is vital.
What she’s learned from the Cosmo readers and what she hopes her legacy to be.
The best parts of working in a female driven environment.

You Are a Lucky Person (Meditation for the New Year): with Mimi Bouchard Dec 29, 2022

Mimi Bouchard is a meditation teacher, wellness influencer, and founder of Superhuman App. Listen to this walking meditation (and conversation with Mimi) to manifest the energy of your future— “you are a lucky person”.

Combating the Loneliness Epidemic: with Julie Schechter Dec 22, 2022

In 2017, the former US Surgeon General called loneliness a public health epidemic. It’s been compared to a crisis on the scale of opioids or obesity. Some studies equate the health effects of loneliness with that of smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Julie Schechter is helping to fight the loneliness epidemic. She is the CEO and co-founder of Present and Small Packages, two companies focused on building stronger relationships and connections in a digital world. She provides insight on the modern paradox of technology: how something meant to bring us closer together has led to a lonelier population. Julie explains:

How our everyday lives have lost the traditional structures that made us feel connected
Why our relationships are typically dictated by proximity
How the pandemic forced “hustle culture” to come to a halt and the lasting impact of pandemic loneliness
Why technology has made us all feel lonely
How losing your oldest friendships has the health impact equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day
What kinds of technology can work to make us feel closer
Why the simple act of noticing something in someone is so powerful

The Brain/Gut/Vagina Connection: with Lo Bosworth (Founder, Love Wellness) Dec 15, 2022

Love Wellness founder + former star of Laguna Beach and The Hills Lo Bosworth is here to share her wellness journey and how it inspired her to help others do the same. She shares:

-Where do our 'happy hormones" come from?

-The chronic health problems she faced + how it took 18 months for her to get a proper diagnosis.

-How healing her gut healed her anxiety, depression and many other health issues (vitamin deficiencies can result in anxiety + depression)

-How our gut health is connected to our vaginal and brain health.

-Supplements 101 - where to start if you want to heal your gut.

-How being on MTV turned out to be a blessing (even if it made her cry).

-The struggles she faced being a reality TV star.

-Why she was inspired to start her company Love Wellness

Purchase Love Yourself Well: https://tinyurl.com/4vu2492d

Shop Love Wellness: https://likeshop.me/lovewellness

Follow Lo: https://www.instagram.com/lobosworth/

Humor is a Super Power: with Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka Dec 08, 2022

Atsuko Okatsuka is a standup comedian who was named one of the Top 10 Comics to Watch in 2022 by Variety. Her hilarious videos on social media have garnered her millions of views and her HBO special premieres on December 10th. Today she joins the pod and shares:

What it was like living immigrating from Japan and living in a garage with her mom and grandma from age 10-17.
How an earthquake helped her rise to fame.
Why she feels the things we didn’t like about ourselves as kids are really our superpowers (and how to harness them).
Why she thinks comedy is a part of the service industry.
How she started the viral #Dropchallenge.
Her special relationship with her grandmother (and how she got to 18,000 Twitter followers!)
Why she believes getting married is more “childlike” than being single.
Why she thinks the key to life is knowing what you’re not into.

Plan a Better Wedding (or Party): with Marcy Blum & Jess Levin Conroy (Carats + Cake) Dec 01, 2022

Marcy Blum and Jess Conroy have each revolutionized the wedding industry in their own exceptional ways. Marcy is an internationally sought-after event planner and entertaining expert with 30 years of experience throwing innovative and ground-breaking events. Jess is the founder and CEO of Carats & Cake, a financial operating system created for the events industry. These women each have tackled a different piece of the $60 billion-a-year wedding industry pie, but their creativity and uniqueness have earned them both respect in their field. Today we cover:

Wedding/Party/Event Do’s + Don’ts
The biggest waste of money when it comes to weddings
Why you shouldn’t be a chill host
How to create meaning at events and parties (weddings)
Setting the right tone for a party
Over 2 million couples get married a year. A wedding can be one of the largest purchases a couple makes in their life…how can we make it more meaningful?
How Marcy + Jess transformed the events industry
Building a brand and noticing the white space in your industry
Advice for seeking investors
Raising money as an entrepreneur and the power of storytelling

The Kardashians Impact: Good or Bad? with Cultural Critic Kimberly Nicole Foster Nov 24, 2022

The Kardashians are in the business of “getting us talking”— also known as the business of being famous. How have they impacted our society + culture? Has it been a net positive or net negative? And is that ‘power’ waning? Writer and cultural critic, Kimberly Nicole Foster joins the podcast to break it all down with me. We discuss many aspects— race, gender, greed, parenting, business, hair + makeup + fashion trends.

We discuss:

Why she believes the cultural power of the Kardashians is waning
The impact the Kardashian’s have had on the beauty industry
Why she thinks Kim and Khloe are now trying to slim down after years of embracing their curves.
Why she thinks the Kardashians tried to appeal to Black men - and why that’s changing now.
How white Americans and Black Americans view the idea of the Kardashians getting us to embrace our curves differently
Why the Kardashians are a representation of American culture and where it is going.
Her thoughts on how Kim is using her children to expand her brand and keep herself in the culture zeitgeist.
The problem with the mentality of always needing more, more, more.

The Culpo Sisters: with Olivia, Aurora, Sophia Culpo Nov 17, 2022

Olivia Culpo and her sisters Aurora and Sophia are about to become America’s newest reality TV family, in their TLC show “The Culpo Sisters.” Today they’re sitting down together to share:

The hardest moments to watch each other go through.
Why Sophia and Aurora decided to make their lives public after seeing Olivia do it.
Why Olivia thinks pageants are empowering (and what Aurora hopes pageants will change in the future).
Who has the best taste in men - and the worst!
Why they decided to do a reality show with their family and what they hope to show people.
Their must-have beauty products of the moment.
Their favorite wellness trends that are worth the hype.

A New Era in Fashion: with Sami Miro (SM Vintage, Sustainable Fashion) Nov 10, 2022

Sami Miró went from a tech startup to founding her own vintage brand, Sami Miro Vintage - a black female-owned clothing company whose ethos was founded on eco-consciousness. SMV has been featured as the “it” sustainable brand in numerous publications such as Vogue, CFDA, Forbes, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, and more. In 2021, Miró was one of five designers recognized and awarded a grant by the CFDA and Fashion Trust US. Today’s she’s sharing:

Her journey from tech startup to launching her own fashion brand.
Why it was so important for her to take the leap to launch her own fashion line.
What it really means to be sustainable in fashion.
Tips to help make your own closet more sustainable.
How to make better choices for the environment when shopping for clothes.
How she handles self doubt.
How she allows the doubts of others to fuel her success.
What it was like having 48 hours to design for Selena Gomez’s world tour (and what it taught her about herself).
How she learned to empower herself to make her dreams come true.

Stop Blocking Miracles + Manifest The Life You Want: with Gabrielle Bernstein Nov 03, 2022

Gabrielle Bernstein is a New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, and speaker. She was once named a “new thought leader” by Oprah and says her mission is to help us all be more spiritually connected and live more fulfilled and happier lives. Today she’s shares:

Why a Miracle Mindset will change your life.
Why we need to get back to the truth of who we really are in order to manifest the life we want.
Gabrielle’s tip for how to go from despair to joy.
How to recognize and ask for signs from the universe.
What a “Manic Manifestor” is and why it won’t help you attract what you want.
What the true definition of manifesting is and how it really works.
Why fear isn’t always a bad thing.
How we all have an Inner Parent that can help guide us in life.

Get 2 free manifesting meditations from Gabby here: deargabby.com/freemeditations

Hooters, Humor + Hollywood Miracles with Fortune Feimster Oct 27, 2022

Fortune is a comedian, writer and actor. Her new comedy special, Good Fortune, just released on Netflix (it was filmed in Chicago!) You have seen her previously on Chelsea Lately, The Mindy Project, and her stand-up debut on Last Comic Standing. She also hosts a podcast, “Sincerely Fortune,” with her wife Jacquelyn Smith. Fortune is so funny and sincere. We spoke about:

The story behind her name “Fortune”
Her Hollywood MIRACLE MOMENT (this is wild!)
Why Chelsea Handler believed in her and others who traditionally didn’t get a chance in Hollywood
How she handled red carpet interviews with celebrities (she used to be a reporter)
Her advice on finding love (it’s beautiful).
How her time living in Spain gave her courage to do anything
How the first time she performed on stage she realized what she was meant to do
Why it’s crucial to bet on yourself in showbusiness
How her mother feels about being in her stand up, loves Hooter’s, and is such an ally to Fortune and the gay community in North Carolina.

WATCH: Fortune's Netflix Special 'Good Fortune' out now

Follow Fortune: https://www.instagram.com/fortunefeimster/

Find The Courage to Choose Yourself: with Life Coach Nazanin Mandi Oct 20, 2022

Model, Actress and Certified Life Coach, Nazanin Mandi is opening up about her personal journey and what led her to become a life coach. She shares:

How she recently learned to choose herself first, and how liberating that has been.
How she was discovered as a kid while at In-N-Out with her mom.
The difference between being sexual and being sexualized and why she always chooses to embrace her sexuality.
What she learned about herself during her separation from her husband, singer and songwriter, Miguel
What led her to become a certified life coach
Her new online community, You Bloome and why she wants to help others find their happiest and most fulfilled lives.
Her advice on finding your passion, dating and relationships, navigating friendships and more.

SIGN UP FOR YOU BLOOME: https://www.youbloome.com/ FOLLOW NAZANIN: https://www.instagram.com/nazaninmandi/

Charge it To The Game: with Jemele Hill Oct 13, 2022

Jemele is an Emmy-winning sports journalist, who spent 12 years with ESPN. She’s a contributing writer for The Atlantic, host of the Spotify podcast, “Jemele Hill is Unbothered” and her memoir “Uphill” will be released on October 25th. Today she’s sharing:

Why she never wanted to write this memoir in the first place (and the lessons she hopes people learn from it)
Why she really wanted to call her memoir something else.
How her childhood traumas and Detroit shaped her and why grit is infused in her DNA.
How reading the newspaper as a kid is what ultimately led her to where she is today.
Why women need to get over the “I’m just happy to be here” mentality.
Why she became a better journalist when she became a better businesswoman.
Why we need to all be more transparent about our salaries.
Why it’s so important to her to write about the intersection of race, class, gender and sports.
Why we can use sports as a mirror to what’s happening in America.
Why empathy is so important in writing.

When Your Life Changes Forever: with NYT Best Selling Author Tembi Locke (Netflix from Scratch) Oct 06, 2022

“Think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.”

Tembi Locke is the New York Times bestselling author of her memoir From Scratch, andan actor, producer, and screenwriter. From Scratch is a Reese’s Book Club pick, an Audie Awards Best Audiobook Finalist, and a Goodreads Best Books Finalist. Along with Reese Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine, Tembi serves as an executive producer and co-writer for the Netflix limited series inspired by her book. Tembi shares:

How to put one foot in front fo the other when your life changes forever
How she met her late husband Saro in Italy + the story of their romance
How do you parent and caregiver while living with grief?
How can you help and support someone who is grieving?
One piece of advice for cross cultural relationships
What it’s like to see Zoe Saldana play her on screen!

Getting Right With Yourself Leads to Success: with Actor + Director Katie Lowes (Scandal) Sep 29, 2022

“If you give people your time and your spirit, you make an impact.” Katie Lowes is an actor, theatre director, and key member of the Shondaland crew, with significant roles on Scandal (Quinn Perkins) and Inventing Anna. Katie and her husband, Adam Shapiro, are founders and directors of Los Angeles’s IAMA Theater Company. But her rise to TV fame didn’t happen overnight. She’s been at it for years, on a path filled with setbacks, odd jobs and the inevitable imposter syndrome. So how did she spin her struggles into a flourishing career in Hollywood? Katie brings an honest, vulnerable and hilarious voice to the podcast, sharing:

Her navigation of severe postpartum depression
What her 40th birthday means to her as a time of transition
How she just took a solo 5-day vacation solely for herself
Her extraordinary grandmother’s recent death and what it means to live a full life
How starting therapy at 24 led to her booking work as an actor
Her audition journey for Shonda Rhimes and finally landing Scandal
How Kerry Washington and other women of Scandal created a safe, supportive environment for each other
Why it’s important, as an actor, to stay focused on your work rather than fame

The Glory is in Your Story: with writer + comedian Chelsea Devantez Sep 22, 2022

Chelsea Devantez is a comedian, Emmy-nominated writer and host of the podcast “Celebrity Book Club” where she dissects celebrity memoirs. She recently served as the head writer on “The Problem with Jon Stewart.” Today she she shares:

The best advice Jon Stewart gave her.
What we can all learn from the memoirs of celebrity women (and her favorite ones of all time).
What it was like working with Tina Fey.
Why pop culture is such a powerful way to make real change when it comes to social justice and politics.
How she learned the power of female friendships and why she wants more TV shows about them.
How making your own work will create the career you’re meant to have.
What it was really like working on a cruise ship
Why she thinks The Bachelor is a cultural clock on America.

How Death Helps Us Lead a More Meaningful Life: with Rabbi Steve Leder Sep 15, 2022

“You write your eulogy with the pen of your life.” Rabbi Steve Leder, is a best-selling author and Senior Rabbi at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles who has been named one of the most influential Rabbis in America. His most recent book, “For You When I am Gone” teaches us how to write an ethical will (outlining 12 questions to ask), a letter to loved ones that helps them understand what we have learned about how to live a meaningful life. He shares:

The number one regret he sees most people have not heir death bed.
The biggest lessons he’s learned from death that can help us lead a better life.
What tombstones can teach us
What we misunderstand about grief
Why we should all have an “ethical will.”
Why we must consider death in order to figure out what we want out of life.
Why we need to work to make sure our inner life matches our outer life.
The right questions to ask yourself to find if you're living out your values.
Why we are have the wrong idea of what it means to sacrifice.

What is The Secret To Happiness?: with UCLA Professor Cassie Mogilner Holmes Sep 08, 2022

Professor Cassie Mogilner Holmes is a professor of marketing and behavioral decision making at UCLA Anderson School of Management and author of Happier Hour: How to Beat Distraction, Expand Your Time, and Focus on What Matters. Today she joins the pod to share ways that we can all become more time rich and lead happier, more fulfilling lives. She shares:

What it means to be time rich and how we can make our time more meaningful.
3 specific habits you can start today to increase happiness.
Why it’s important to take inventory of you spend your time.
How much money you need to be happy.
Why you have more time than you think you do (and how to discover where and when you have that time).
Surface relationships vs deep connections and how they impact our happiness.
Why the arts are so important when it comes to happiness.
Gender inequality when it comes to free time.
Why learning to say no and protecting your time is paramount to happiness.
Why we need to treat our time like diamonds.

Creating The Life You Want: with Caroline Stanbury (Real Housewives Reality Star, Podcast Host) Sep 01, 2022

Caroline Stanbury is a Bravo TV Star (Real Housewives of Dubai), podcast host of Divorced Not Dead”, entrepreneur, wife, mother of 3 and philanthropist. She is known for her quick wit, zest for life, and British candor. We came to know her as the breakout star of Ladies of London in 2014. Fans loved Caroline for the same reason they love her podcast and romantic + business advice: she lives unapologetically.

In this episode she shares how she has manifested the life she is living. She even gives me some dating advice. This episode is really fun— I can’t wait for you to hear from Caroline on how she is determined to live life to its fullest potential!

Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolinestanbury/?hl=en

Embracing Self Love At Every Size with Sarah Nicole Landry (The Birds Papaya) Aug 18, 2022

Sarah Landry is a hugely successful digital creator, body positivity advocate and podcaster known as “The Birds Papaya.” She has more than 2 million Instagram followers and one of the most popular body positive accounts on social media. She’s shares:

Why it still feels radical for her to post picture of herself with stretch marks.
Why losing 100 pounds didn’t bring her happiness.
What she learned from people’s silence when she started to gain weight back.
How to teach yourself how to have a “second thought” and rewire your brain when it comes to body thoughts.
How to set boundaries when it comes to body comments.
How she was able to achieve body neutrality and her best advice for those hoping to do the same.
The grief she’s still dealing with when it comes to her body.
Why it will take women coming together to make real change when it comes to body image.

Gettin ‘Jiggy' with It: The Puzzles Business + Supporting Female Artists: with Founder Kaylin Marcotte Aug 11, 2022

Kaylin Marcotte reinvented the jigsaw puzzle when she launched her company ‘Jiggy’ on 2019. The direct-to-consumer puzzle company features art by emerging female artists, and specially formulated puzzle glue, allowing you to frame your puzzles after you make them; JIGGY puzzles are art - in pieces. At just two years old, JIGGY is already a cultural phenomenon, loved by Kacey Musgraves, Chrissy Teigen, Allison Williams, Sophia Bush, Demi Lovato, and more.

How she decided to launch her own company (she was formerly the first employee at theSkimm)
How she modernized the jigsaw puzzle
When to make your hobby your full time job
How she launched with $25,000 of her own savings, from her NY apartment
How she pivoted during covid and built a multi million dollar business in just a few years
What her experience on Shark tank was like (Marc Cuban now invests)
The mission driven aspect of her business— supporting emerging female artists
An untapped resource she advises other entrepreneurs to take advantage of when trying to get something off the ground
Lessons she’s learned along the way.

Pulling Back The Hollywood Curtain: with Actress + Activist Emmanuelle Chriqui Aug 04, 2022

Actress + Activist Emmanuelle Chriqui shares her journey to Hollywood and passion for philanthropy:

Growing up in Toronto + her journey to Hollywood (and the time she almost quit!)
Career building blocks: “different breaks for different chapters”
What it was like becoming a celebrity + sex symbol overnight when Entourage aired.
Why were men obsessed with her famous character Sloane?
The depressed + isolated feelings she felt when she achieved such major success and how activism has changed that for her.
What she thinks about the criticism of Entourage being misogynistic
How she has navigated losing both of her parents

Think Like a Champion: with Dr. Mondo, Therapist + Mental Strength Coach Jul 21, 2022

Dr. Mondo is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Mental Stregth Coach, and founder and CEO of Cheatcode (a nonprofit determined to end stigma and increase access to mental health services in underserved communities). He works with high performing people– athletes, celebrities and executives— to unlock their peak mental performance. He shares:

Why it’s so important to strengthen your gut and intuition.
The difference between following your heart and your gut.
Techniques he uses to help his clients visualize and achieve success in every area of their lives.
Why we shouldn’t fear adversity and the biggest lessons we can learn from it.
The biggest misconceptions about success and successful people.
How to find faith in yourself if you’ve lost it.
Why it’s hard to achieve happiness if you’re not in service to others.
The impact our traumas have on our success and on shaping who are are.

Learn the Skill of Failure: with Rachel Simmons, Bestselling Author + Executive Coach Jul 14, 2022

Rachel Simmons is a bestselling author, educator and executive coach who has been studying girls for more than two decades. Today she’s sharing:

The lie she says girls have been sold when it comes to success.
Why it’s important to learn the skill of failure.
How girls and boys approach failure differently
Why we need to start talking to our daughters/girls about gender bias and how they may encounter it in the world.
Why we see so few women at the top in the corporate world.
The relationship between failure and leadership
The curse of being a “good girl” and how that impacts us.
Why you should try and make peace with yourself before having kids.

Choosing Hope When Things Feel Hopeless: with Actress Thando Dlomo Jul 07, 2022

In the 10 years since Thando Dlomo graduated from the very FIRST graduating class of Oprah Winfrey’s Leadership Academy For Girls in South Africa, she’s become an accomplished speaker, journalist for Entertainment Tonight, and actress. She shares her JOY, HOPE, and SPARK with us today! She shares:

The extreme poverty she experienced growing up in South Africa.
How she was selected to be in the very first class at Oprah’s Leadership Academy.
How being a part of Oprah’s school changed the trajectory of her life.
How she’s been able to remain full of joy and hope despite the tragedies and loss she’s experienced
The best advice she’s ever gotten from Oprah.
What she says the world will never truly know about Oprah.
Why education ranks above all else in her eyes.
What it’s been like to see her dreams manifest.

Do You Believe In Your Own Power? with Sam Abrahart, Founder of The Mayfair Group Jun 30, 2022

Founder and CEO of The Mayfair Group, Sam Abrahart is opening up about personal + professional life lessons that helped transform her life.

How it took a severe depression in 2016 for her to ultimately launch her own business.
How The Mayfair group completely flip-flopped during the 2020 pandemic
Why the biggest and most uncertain risks paid off.
The story behind creating the multi million dollar fashion company + the empathy sweatshirt you see so many celebrities wearing.
Why she thinks she was able to grow her company's Instagram from 8,000 to 300,000 in a year.
The importance of listening to your community above all else in business.
Why pain is so transformative (and how it changed her)
The early days of the Mayfair Group and how the initial failures shaped her and the business.
Why you should never be defined by limiting beliefs and the power of dreaming big with your colleagues.
Why you must believe in yourself before you can believe in what the universe has in store for you.

Change Your Food Attitude, Change Your Life: with Intuitive Eating Nutritionist Brooke Glazer Jun 23, 2022

Brooker Glazer is a Los Angeles based registered dietitian nutritionist. She practices intuitive eating and helps her clients find freedom with food. She’s also one of Danielle’s oldest + best friends. She has heartfelt wisdom and the best sense of humor. Today Brooke shares:

How healing her own eating disorder led her to intuitive eating
Why diets do NOT work + how to unsubscribe from diet culture
How to take the morality out of food (and why doing that will change your life)
Why it’s important to eat foods your body craves
How to shut down toxic dieting conversations when you’re out with your friends.
How our relationship with food mirrors our relationship with everything else in our lives
Why diets fail YOU versus you failing at your diet.
Three pragmatic changes you can make today to start on the path towards intuitive eating.

Smarter in Seconds: with Blair Imani Jun 16, 2022

Blair Imani is the LA Times Bestselling author of Read This to Get Smarter. She is an award-winning educator, historian, influencer and creator of the social media series Smarter in 60 Seconds. Today she’s shares:

How she learned to get help from Elmo to deal with social media haters
How Anglea Davis convinced her to drop out of law school.
Her experience at the intersectionality of identifying as Black, Queer & Muslim.
Why she hopes her Instagram and Smarter in 60 Seconds Series help us all learn to ask more questions.
The problems she sees with capitalism.
What period of history we should all spend time learning about.
What it was like to accidentally come out Live on Tucker Carlson
Why she believes we will all change somebody’s life even if we aren’t changing legislation.

How To Strengthen Your Own Intuition + Why Manifesting isn’t the End Goal with: Psychic Medium Carissa Schumacher Jun 09, 2022

Carissa Schumacher is a renowned psychic medium, a full-body channel for Yeshua of Nazareth, empathic intuitive and sacred ceremony facilitator. Today she shares:

How she discovered her intuitive gifts and why it took her a while to embrace it.
How each of us can strengthen our own intuition and find our purpose.
How she became a channel for Yeshua (Jesus) and what she’s learned from him.
The differences between manifestations and revelations and why we should focus more on the latter.
Why we’ve become a more ego focused society and ways we can all work to become less ego-centric
Why forgiveness and empathy are important but why we must become more merciful and compassionate to see changes in the world

Whitney Port: Sticking With It When Things Get Tough + The Biggest Misconceptions From Her Time on Reality TV May 26, 2022

Fashion designer, influencer, podcaster and star of ‘The Hills’ and ‘The City’ Whitney Port is here today.

She shares:

The biggest misconceptions about her from her time on ‘The City’.
What she would change about her reality show days if she could go back in time.
Why shutting down her clothing line, Whitney Eve, was the hardest decision she’s ever made.
Why she feels like she always trying to prove that she is more than a girl who was on reality TV.
Why she almost wanted to give up on her podcast, With Whit, despite it being incredibly successful.
How she is self-admittedly a quitter and how she is working to change that quality in herself.
The best business advice she got from her dad.
Her new clothing line and how she’s dreamt of working in fashion since she was a kid.

How to Negotiate For More Money at Work + 3 Steps To Build Wealth (Spoiler: Not With Crypto) with Financial Expert Tori Dunlap May 19, 2022

Tori Dunlap is a financial expert and founder & CEO of Her First 100k - an financial education company. She quit her corporate job at 25, after saving her first $100k to help empower others with their own money. Tori has helped over 3 million women make more, spend less, and feel financially confident! Today she breaks down how she did it and how you can build wealth and create financial stability and health. Danielle + Tori talk:

3 things you need to start doing today to build wealth and get out of debt.
What wealthy people do right (and what we can learn from them).
Why time is more important than money when it comes to investing.
Why you can’t only focus on a savings and a budget.
Why you should demand an annual review
Specific tips on how to negotiate at work.
What you need to know about the wage gap, the investment gap and the wealth gap.
Why it’s so important to get more money into women’s hands and the barriers to entry women face in investing.
What to watch out for when it comes to Cryptocurrency.

You’re Not Falling Behind. Loving The Life You Have While Building a Life You Love with Author of Radically Content: Jamie Varon May 12, 2022

Author, branding expert, graphic designer, and course creator Jamie Varon shares insights on living a life you sincerely love from her new book Radically Content.

How we are conditioned to feel as though we are falling behind in our own life (and why those 30 under 30 lists aren’t helpful for anyone).
Why reaching certain milestones won’t bring you the happiness you think it will.
What it means to be radically content and tips on how to fell that.
Why we need to stop and appreciate where we are and how far we’ve come more often.
Why it’s so important for women to tell themselves how to think and what to value in this culture
What the red flags are to help us realize when we aren’t going within.
How to accept that meeting a milestone will never bring you the happiness you are looking for.
The questions you really need to ask yourself when you get a promotion.
Why her goal is to help others relieve themselves of the pressure we feel to constantly do and be more.
Why we need to redefine what it means to settle.
Why we need to stop looking to our “gurus” to tell us things we intrinsically know.

Understanding Anxiety: Symptoms and Tips to Overcome It with Psychiatrist Dr. Ellen Vora May 05, 2022

More than 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety in any given year. Psychiatrist Dr. Ellen Vora joins PRETTYSMART to share her functional medicine approach to anxiety and mental health. Psychiatrist Dr. Ellen Vora joins PRETTYSMART to share her functional medicine approach to anxiety and mental health. She shares:

What lifestyle choices could be directly impacting your anxiety (and changes you can make easily.)
Foods that could be contributing to your anxiety.
The difference between “True Anxiety and False Anxiety”
Why conventional medicine tends to view anxiety as a “neck up” problem (and why that is a problem).
Why anxiety is a whole-body condition and not just a brain condition.
How to do a “False Mood Inventory” as a way to check in on your mental health.
External factors contributing to our anxiety
Two simple tips to reduce the impacts our phone has on your mental health.
The power nature has to help our mental health and how you can tap into it even if you live in a big city.

Ellen Vora, MD attended Columbia University for medical school and received her BA in English from Yale University. She’s a board-certified psychiatrist, acupuncturist, yoga teacher, and author of The Anatomy of Anxiety: Understanding and Overcoming the Body's Fear Response. Follow Dr. Ellen Vora: https://www.instagram.com/ellenvoramd/?hl=en Purchase Anatomy of Anxiety: https://tinyurl.com/2er3dby4

Positivity is A Muscle + Why It's Crucial to Your Business: with Jo Davenport, Founder of LaPorte Apr 28, 2022

With a degree in psychology and a masters in counseling, Jo Davenport was working at a private practice for mental health before she quit her job and dived head first into creating the body-inclusive swimwear company LaPorte. She generously shares her knowledge, the challenges of starting a company and the lessons she learned. Today Jo opens up about:

How her terrible experience trying on a bathing suit led to launching a company
What to consider when starting a business
Why it was important to create an inclusive brand for every body
How she would have spent money differently
The TWO people EVERY entrepreneur should have in her corner
Why she’s obsessed with feedback
What challenges her company faced during COVID and how she pivoted
Why she felt validated when named Forbes Next 1000 honoree
Positivity and how to become more optimistic

War: How We Buy + Sell It and The Impact on Women + Children: with Dr. Samantha Nutt, Founder of War Child Apr 14, 2022

As we watch a war in Ukraine unfold before our eyes, there is one woman who believes that while humans are responsible for all war we are also the only ones with the power to stop it. Dr. Samantha Nutt is the founder of Warchild USA, an organization that aims to help children in war torn communities taking a long term approach to breaking the cycle of poverty and violence. Dr. Nutt has worked in dozens of conflict zones and is a leading voice on current affairs, international aid and foreign policy. Dr. Nutt has worked with children and their families at the frontline of many of the world’s major crises – from Iraq to Afghanistan, Somalia to the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone to Darfur, Sudan. Today she is here to share her experiences and help educate us on what we must know about when it comes to war and ways we can help stop the cycle of war around the world.

She shares:

Working in war zones and how it opened her up to the large scale problems of war.
Why we are all implicated in the suffering and abuse that civilians living in war experience every day (and what we can do to change that).
How we are unknowingly complying with war - and even profiting from it.
How living through war affects the generations that come after.
Why it’s not enough to want to do the right thing (and things you CAN do to help war zones)
The biggest lessons living through wars has taught her about life.
The problem with only focusing on short-term needs when wars break out.
Why we can’t forget about other areas of conflict in the world even if the media is only focusing on Ukraine.
Ways to help even if you don’t have money to give.

For more information on Dr. Nutt or ways to get involved with War Child please visit www.warchildusa.org or www.samanthanutt.com

Going Viral in a Pandemic + Why It’s Not Too Late to be Big on Social Media with Pinky Patel, Dom Roberts, Corporate Natalie Apr 07, 2022

Talking to 3 influencers who found major internet fame during the pandemic. While different in what they share online, Corporate Natalie, Dom Roberts and Pinky Patel have one thing in common: Today they are each sharing how they went viral, what they learned from putting themselves out there, and how they look at their brands now.

How they went viral and what made them decide to start sharing on social in the first place
Why it’s not too late to join in on social and still grow a large audience
Why they decided to keep their day jobs despite now making money from their socials.
The effects being on social can take on your mental health and why boundaries are important
How they hope to inspire and what the term influence really means

How To Love Your Career: with Fran Hauser Mar 31, 2022

Fran Hauser is a startup angel investor who has invested in over 25 female-founded companies. She started her career out in finance then switched to media, spending 15 years working at Time Inc, before becoming a full-time investor. She’s a prime example of switching careers when a job no longer excites you. Now she’s also a best-selling author and today she’s sharing all her incredible wisdom, including:

What behaviors could be holding you back at your job
Why it’s important to be vulnerable at work
The most powerful nonverbal communication tactic
What speech weakeners are... and why you should stop using them!
Why women have a hard time saying “no”
How to find clarity about the parts of your job that you love
How to design your career action plan
Why it’s important to know your value
Why you need to reflect, reset and practice mindfulness
What ONE thing every entrepreneur should include in their pitch
Fran's *surprising* financial advice

Order Fran’s Book: https://www.amazon.com/Embrace-Work-Love-Your-Career/dp/1951412494/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=embrace%20the%20work%20love%20your%20career%20book&qid=1628253275&sr=8-5 Follow Fran on Social media: https://www.instagram.com/fran_hauser/

How to Build a Better Business - Together with Dagne Dover Founders Jessy Dover, Deepa Gandhi and Melissa Mash Mar 24, 2022

Co-founders Melissa Mash, Jessy Dover and Deepa Gandhi of the handbag line Dagne Dover have built a brand with a cult-like following and they’re here today to share some of their insights, lessons and tips in entrepreneurship and working as a team. They share:

How the three of them came together to start this line even though they didn’t all know each other.
Where the idea for Dagne Dover came from and their mission to create a much better bag.
What they think is key to building a great team in business.
Why they chose not to go the venture capital route.
Their gripes with corporate America.
The top myths about being an entrepreneur.
Why it's important to them to treat their customers like friends.
The rule of three and how it can help you focus.

Stacy London: Why It’s Not Too Early To Talk About Menopause + Other Life Lessons Like Going Broke, Getting Fired, and Finding Your Self Worth Mar 17, 2022

Stacy London is one of America’s foremost style experts known for the TLC Show ‘What Not To Wear.’ She’s also a 2x best selling author. She spent the last five years creating and pitching TV shows about women in their 40s - only to be told that her ideas weren’t sexy. She was told nobody would watch them. Her lightbulb moment came as she started feeling the impact of perimenopause. She realized she wasn’t prepared for it… because NOBODY talks about it. Now - Stacy is a CEO of a company called State of Menopause and is ready to talk aging, transitions, menopause and more.

She shares:

She’s “not here to normalize the conversation” around aging and menopause - she’s here to “optimize it.”
Getting fired at 30 and why she thinks everyone should get fired at one point in their career.
Why What Not To Wear resonated with people and how it became so much more than the physical makeover.
How she healed her own insecurities by helping others work through theirs + why she never dyed her signature gray streak.
Why it’s so important to see people be transparent with their struggles.
Why women age 40-65 are invisible in the media and why that needs to change.
Why she chose to stop dating men.
The shame and stigma surrounding menopause.
Why it’s so important for her to change that stigma for the next generation.

What It’s Actually Like To Work As A Female Porn Star + What We Can Learn From It: with Candace Horbacz (Eva Lovia) Mar 10, 2022

Today we are speaking with of the most successful porn actresses of all time. With over a decade of experience in an industry that generates $12 billion dollars annually, Candice Horbacz. (whose film name is Eva Lovia) is here to answer any question you have ever had about porn or the adult film industry. We also have an in depth conversation about sex + relationships that I found mind and heart expanding.

How she first started in the porn industry and what her first day on set was like.
The biggest lessons she’s learned from working in adult entertainment..
How her family and friends reacted when they first discovered she was doing porn (and how she’s learned to let go of the stigma).
The positive influence adult film has had on her life and her confidence.
Navigating a relationship with her boyfriend (now husband) who did not work in the industry.
How being a porn star has affected her sex life IRL.
Sex on set (and if those orgasms are actually real!)
Her thoughts on if porn is too male centered.
Why you shouldn’t feel pressured to perform at the expense of your own pleasure.
How she’s learned to let go of fear and what others think of her.

The Lie Women Have Been Sold: with Reshma Saujani Mar 03, 2022

Reshma Saujani is a leading activist and the founder of Girls Who Code + the Marshall Plan for Moms. She has spent more than a decade building movements to fight for women and girls’ economic empowerment, working to close the gender gap in the tech sector, and most recently advocating for policies to support moms impacted by the pandemic. Reshma is also the author of the international bestseller Brave, Not Perfect, and her influential TED talk, “Teach girls, bravery not perfection” has more than five million views globally. She’s here today to talk about her newest book, Pay Up - The Future of Women and Work (Out March 15th) and she’s sharing:

The “big lie” of corporate feminism.
How each generation of women has been sold a different “brand” and how that has harmed us.
Why there’s no such thing as “Work/Life Balance” and why we need to throw out the term.
The burnout and inequity harming America’s working women today and what we need to do about it.
Why paid family leave is a must for all parents regardless of job type or gender.
Why men also need to stand-up to corporate America and take family leave.
Why paid family leave is also a racial justice issue.
What her biggest failure taught her.

Buy Reshma’s New Book Pay Up: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Pay-Up/Reshma-Saujani/9781982191573

Follow Reshma on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reshmasaujani/

How to Unleash the Magic and Authenticity of Drag + Be the Main Character In Your Own Life with Bob the Drag Queen Feb 24, 2022

Drag is an art form that has existed since ancient times and has recently rocketed to mainstream popularity. Drag is a gender-bending art form in which a person dresses in clothing and makeup meant to exaggerate a specific gender identity, usually of the opposite sex. In many ways, it’s is about confidence and self expression; it’s about unleashing the magic that makes you, you. What can EVERYONE learn from mapping into that? Bob the Drag Queen is here today opening all about life both in drag and out of it. Bob won the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar” on season 8 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” has had multiple acting roles for HBO, Netflix, Sony Tristar, MTV, and VH1 and now hosts HBO’s first unscripted show, “We’re Here.”

How we all can channel the authenticity and magic of drag in our own lives
Bob’s tips for being more confident and finding out how the rest of the world really sees you.
How Drag celebrates all the things the world tells us is “bad”
The difference between the real life and online drag communities
Why it’s always better to succeed out of inspiration vs. out of spite.
How stopping the habit of being a people pleaser changed Bob’s life.
What Bob learned from RuPaul
Bob’s #1 make-up tip and go-to lip colors

Connect with Bob The Drag Queen: https://www.instagram.com/bobthedragqueen/

The Key to Raising Good Humans AND Being One with Developmental Psychologist, Dr. Aliza Pressman Feb 17, 2022

Dr. Aliza Pressman is a Developmental Psychologist, child behaviorist, parent educator and mom of two herself. She also hosts the Raising Good Humans Podcast and has a large celebrity following who look to her for parenting guidance - Jennifer Garner, Julianna Margulies, Drew Barrymore, Jesse Williams, Cleo Wade to name a few, .Today she’s here to share tips that will make you a better parent and a better communicator in all of your relationships. We discuss:

How to cultivate resilience and confidence (in children and in yourself)
What the difference in between REAL confidence and pseudo confidence.
Why your actions will be more important than any words of wisdom or lessons you try to teach to your child.
The two questions you need to ask yourself when you’re having a tough moment with your child (or in any relationship).
Why you don’t want to be a perfect parent.
What to say to a toddler when meeting them for the first time.
How to set healthy boundaries with social media.
Why the term “mom brain” is being used wrong!
Mom shaming and why it all stems from the patriarchy.

Why You Should Give it Two Dates, Red Flags + All Things Love, Dating & Relationships with Nick Viall & Natalie Joy Feb 10, 2022

Former Bachelor and host of The Viall Files podcast, Nick Viall and his girlfriend, Natalie Joy are here opening up about their own relationship and sharing love, dating and relationship advice. They discuss:

Red flags when it comes to dating.
Question Everything: Nick & Natalie answer questions from the brand new PRETTYSMART question deck.
Nick’s thoughts on The Bachelor franchise and how it’s changed.
The best way to approach a stranger you think is cute.
Why you should really consider giving someone a second and third date.
Love languages and why they are so important to understand in a relationship.
The unconventional way Nick and Natalie met (and how she found out he was a former Bachelor).

EXCLUSIVE purchase link for the QUESTION EVERYTHING Card Deck :https://tinyurl.com/QUESTIONEVERTHING

What Does it Really Mean to Be a Champion? Renee Montgomery: Making History + Living the (Atlanta) Dream + Changing the WNBA Feb 03, 2022

Former WNBA player and current WNBA team owner of The Dream, Renee Montgomery:

Making history as a ‘first’
How basketball changed the trajectory of her life.
Why she left the WNBA in 2020
What Kobe Bryant meant to the WNBA
Why she thinks there is still such a discrepancy between equal pay in the WNBA & NBA and what needs to be done to close the gap.
What people are missing by not watching the WNBA
What it was like to become one of the youngest owners of a sports team
Why it’s important to her to be ‘the YES’ for others
Working with family
How sports prepared her for business in more ways than she could have imagined

Lessons in Life + Love with Molly Sims: How to Get Unstuck + Dating, Friendship, Modeling Stories, Favorite Beauty Tricks, and Creating a Life You Love Jan 27, 2022

Producer, Model, Actress, Author, Podcast host of “Lipstick on the Rim,” Lifestyle expert, mom (and of course hilarious TikTok/Reelz creator), Molly Sims is here! She is sharing so many amazing stories and inspiring life lessons including:

How she got into modeling and why she quickly wanted to quit.
Why she believes she suffers from body dysmorphia after years of working as a model and how that affects her now.
What it was really like to prepare for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
Her thoughts on inclusivity in the modeling world.
Why you should work for free sometimes (and how doing so changed her life)
How to get unstuck in your life
What she changed in her life to find her husband in her thirties
Why the person you marry will be different from the people you date
Her must have beauty & skincare products
How you can create the life you want

Ginger Zee: How to Find Calm After a Storm–Processing Trauma, Depression, Finding Support Jan 20, 2022

Ginger Zee is the first ever female chief meteorologist at a major network. She reports the nation’s weather for “Good Morning America” and is also the managing editor of the climate unit at ABC News (you’ve also seen her on Dancing with the Stars). She’s chased her fair share of weather events through the years- hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and wildfires. But it was weathering a more personal storm that took her on a journey of self discovery. Ginger wrote openly about her mental health struggles in her first memoir ‘Natural Disaster’ revealing that after getting her dream job at ABC she checked herself into a mental health hospital. But Ginger says ‘Natural Disaster’ barely scratched the surface. In her follow up memoir - ‘A Little Closer to Home’ Ginger is digging even deeper and telling us all about finding ‘the calm after the storm.’ We discuss:

Why landing her dream job at Good Morning America pushed her to check into a mental health hospital.
With all of the mental health struggles catalyzed by the pandemic- where does the mental health conversation need to go? How technology can help!
How she thinks about the word ‘NO’ and people pleasing
Processing trauma: “you can't delete trauma, you have to process it so that it does not cause stress for the rest of your life.”
Her simple reframe to really grasp the lifetime care for your mental health
Advice on looking for a therapist that feels like a good fit.
Getting rid of limiting beliefs, being multifaceted, and thinking outside of the box in your career
How she decides where to put her energy + her tip on how you can examine where to put your energy
Ginger’s #1 Green swap for your home

Find Your Unicorn Space: How to Reclaim Your Time, Feel More Joy, Get More Out of Your Life with Eve Rodsky (Part Two) Jan 13, 2022

When you have too much to do, and more life to live… reclaim your Unicorn Space! From the New York Times bestselling author of Fair Play and “the Marie Kondo of relationships” Eve Rodsky writes an inspirational guide for setting new personal goals, rediscovering your interests, cultivating creativity, and reclaiming your Unicorn Space. Today we talk about how to do that:

People report something missing in their lives—that is, unless they create and prioritize time for activities that not only fill their calendars but also unleash their creativity. Rodsky calls this vital time Unicorn Space—the active and open pursuit of creative self-expression in any form that makes you uniquely YOU. To help people embrace all the unlikely, surprising, and delightful places where their own Unicorn Space may be found, she speaks with trail blazers, thought leaders, academics, and countless real people who have discovered theirs everywhere—from activism to artistic endeavors to second careers.
Rodsky reveals what researchers already know: Creativity is not optional. It’s essential. Though most of us do need to remind ourselves how (and where) to find it. With her trademark mix of research based, how-to advice and big-picture inspirational thinking, Rodsky shows you a clear path to reclaim your permission to have fun, manifest your own Unicorn Space in an already too-busy life, and unleash your special gifts and undiscovered talents into the world.

Follow Eve on Social Media: Instagram Twitter Buy Eve’s Book Produced by Dear Media.

Eve Rodsky: The Relationship Formula– Four Steps to a Happier Partnership and Avoiding Toxic Time Messages (Part One) Jan 06, 2022

What is the formula for a successful relationship? Eve Rodsky, author of the bestselling book “Fair Play” (Hello Sunshine x Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick), is here to share her revolutionary, real-world solution to communicating with your partner for increased happiness and satisfaction. Married, partnered, or single, this conversation is eye-opening, inspiring and full of take-aways for your present and future self. Eve shares:

How her marriage almost ended over blueberries (and why it didn’t end thanks to Fair Play and the system she created).
Why over 30% of partnerships split over household + childcare duties and how we can change it.
Why communication is the most important practice in your life.
How to effectively communicate your boundaries
Why we need to treat our homes like an organization (“private lives are public issues”)
The systemic devaluing of women’s time + how to reclaim it (and get rid of shame and guilt).
Where have women been complicit in our own oppression?
They key to couples effectively sharing responsibilities and the impact that has on happiness.
Steps you can take in your relationship to be who you were meant to be

Follow Eve on Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everodsky/?hl=en Twitter:https://twitter.com/eve_rodsky?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Buy Eve’s Book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/658397/find-your-unicorn-space-by-eve-rodsky/ Produced by Dear Media.

Gratitude Meditation: Peace + Fulfillment in the New Year with Jessie De Low (P.S. THANK YOU) Dec 30, 2021

Two days before 2022— the new year. How can we celebrate + reflect? And it came to me. I just want to say thank you. When I started the podcast I always thought about using the initials of PRETTYSMART, P.S. because each episode feels like a love letter. Today is my love letter to you. I think some years are questions, and some years are answers. We’ve asked a lot of brilliant people questions this year and one of the big takeaways I’ve had is that while it is really important to be a seeker, the ANSWER always lies within you. Everything you need is inside of YOU. This podcast, our guests, this platform, and most of all, your messages have made me realize that. And so I want to thank you for giving me so much. My wish for you this year is that you find both fulfillment and peace. In whatever relationship is causing you stress, in a work environment that feels frustrating, or even in your self work. Fulfillment and peace are both fluid I think. They are never going to be things we can grab onto all of the time, but they are good north stars. So whichever kind of year this is for you- whether it’s one of questions or one of answers, know that wherever you are right now is where you are meant to be. As a thank you to you today’s pod is a gratitude meditation to take us into the new year. Feel free to download it onto your phone to replay throughout the year. And you know this wouldn’t be PRETTYSMART if I didn’t hit you with some facts. So we know now that gratitude literally changes our brain— It increases feelings of security and connectedness. It helps squeeze out negative feelings, and keeps the good ones aroundd longer…positive emotions tend to be like Teflon – they slide off us way too quickly. Gratitude lets us hang on to the positive for longer, and celebrate the good in our lives that we might otherwise move on too quickly from. It’s shown to help reduce anxiety and depression. And most of all it FEELS GOOD. And we are so today lucky because none other than Jessie De Low recorded our gratitude meditaiton. She is really amazing at what she does…people all over the world try to book sessions with Jessie and we have our own special session with her today. If you aren’t familiar with Jessie’s work yet, I am going to briefly introduce her. Jessie DeLow is a Certified Yoga Instructor, Art Therapist, Manifestation Coach, and Co-Founder of How You Glow,. Jessie provides life-enhancing, enriching, and enlightening experiences to clients across the globe. Her sessions blend her background in therapeutic healing with spirituality, positive psychology and neuroscience. Her goal? To inspire people to live the most vibrant life possible and step into alignment with their soul’s true calling. And with that— Thank you.

Produced by Dear Media.

Angela Yee: What Is It Really Like to Be a Woman In The Music Industry? Celebrity Stories, Coworker Conflict + How To Make Your Voice Heard Dec 23, 2021

Angela Yee holds her own as a radio DJ, and the only female co-host on the syndicated radio morning show “The Breakfast Club.” She had an unexpected launch into radio, but she’s proven with her work ethic and hustle that she’s a force - and voice - worth listening to.

Today Angela shares:

How she landed her first radio show + the importance of a good work ethic
What it’s like for women working in the music industry
Taking vacation days to propel your career forward
Why she thinks your co-workers shouldn’t be your friends
What she’s learned from men in hip hop
Getting the celebrity tea/ her revealing interview with August Alsina and Will + Jada Smith’s reaction
What interviewing celebrities such as Rick Ross, August Aslina, and Wale, have taught her about building authentic relationships rooted in trust
The sacrifices she has made for her job
Being an entrepreneur and her #1 financial tip

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Instagram: @angelayee Twitter: @angelayee Facebook: @teamyee

Produced by Dear Media.

Andrew Yang: How to Move FORWARD, Create a Democracy That Works For Us, Media’s Role In Dividing Us + Bold New Ideas That Make Sense Dec 16, 2021

What book prompted his run for President
What surprised Yang the most about running for President
What were President Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren & Pete Buttegieg were like behind the scenes?
Why he thinks our country is more divided than ever before
Media’s role in our country’s division
Why the two party system is failing us
His new third party- the Forward Party and how it could change politics
The machinery of American democracy is failing –Yang’s bold new ideas to rewire our country for twenty-first-century problems
Is it possible/reasonable to stay optimistic? Yang’s message to young people
What he hopes his legacy to be.

Purchase his national bestselling book FORWARD, here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/667341/forward-by-andrew-yang/ Follow Andrew Yang on social media: Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/andrewyang/?hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndrewYang?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Learn more about Andrew Yang + the Forward Party: https://www.andrewyang.com/

The Big Myth About Women’s Bodies, Trans Athletes in Sports, and The ‘Pink It + Shrink It’ Trick to Avoid: with Dr. Stacy Sims Dec 09, 2021

Why do women feel flat despite eating well and working out the same way as their male colleagues? The answer lies in gender bias. Dr. Stacy Sims, PhD, a Female Athlete Performance Physiologist specializing in sex differences is widely recognized as a visionary across the sports performance industry and viral Ted Talk: Women are Not Small Men.

Dr. Stacy dispels myths about women’s bodies we have been taught
The best workouts/foods to eat for recovery for each phase of your cycle
How COVID completely shifted women’s health
Trans men & women compete in sports against the other biological sex
Marketing trick for women’s products: What it means to ‘Shrink It & Pink It’ and what to beware of
Women are not small men: Why women’s health data is so under researched and so underfunded
Why are girls in sports nearly 2x more likely to drop out in puberty?
Will we see men + women play on the same professional sports teams?
Stacy’s favorite post workout meal + #1 tip to improve sleep
What is the real meaning of sport

Produced by Dear Media.

How to Use Instagram to Launch a Successful Business + Stand Out In a Saturated Market: Arrae Founder, Siffat Haider Dec 02, 2021

Founder of the successful company Arrae + shot of the podcast Dream Bigger, Siffat Haider joins PRETTYSMART today. After having a horrible history with her own health for years, Siffat noticed a gap in the wellness industry and sought to create a supplement for women that was effective and beautifully packaged. That was the impetus for Arrae - natural supplements that offer women relief from bloat and anxiety. Using her wedding money to start the business, Siffat utilized instagram and influencers to get her product in front of consumers and was profitable in just three short months. And today she’s here to tell us her journey from writer/blogger to wellness entrepreneur. Siffat opens up about:

How to use Instagram + influencer marketing to get noticed
Noticing a gap in the wellness industry
Wanting to create a supplement that makes women feel their best
Building trust with the consumer
Great advice for entrepreneurs
Using her own money to launch the company
Being methodical about money
On spending money on branding
Her best negotiating tip
The smartest decision she ever made

Produced by Dear Media.

Olympian Alexi Pappas: How To Achieve Your Ultimate Dream + Bravely Care For Your Mental Health Nov 25, 2021

Alexi Pappas is an Olympic runner and an award-winning actor and writer. Her memoir-in-essays, "Bravey," was one of my favorite books of the year. She opens up about chasing her wildest dreams, competing at + becoming a national record holder in the 2016 Rio Olympics. But it was what happened AFTER the Olympics that really shaped her. She had severe clinical depression hit, so badly she almost took her own life. With the help of a doctor who helped her see her mental pain the same way as her physical pain-- she has a whole new understanding of mental health and is sharing with us today:

How it was who she least expected who helped convince her to go for her Olympic dream.
Why you should embrace satellite mentors.
The unsuspecting mental health battle she faced after her Olympic High
How we need to reframe chasing our dreams and “enjoying the journey.”
How we all need to learn to expect and prepare for “a dip” after reaching our goals.
What she’s learned about herself through running and through going for all of her big dreams.
Good Pain Vs. Bad Pain and how to know the difference.
What she wants her legacy to be.
Losing her mother to suicide at a very young age + how her relationship with her mother fluctuates even though she’s passed away.

Produced by Dear Media.

Justin Baldoni: What Does It Mean To Be Man Enough? Undefining Masculinity + Digging Into Insecurities, Friendships, Love + Leading a Happier Life Nov 18, 2021

What does it mean to be Man Enough? Today we are digging in with Justin Baldoni. You probably know Justin from his role as Rafael Solano on the massively popular series ‘Jane the Virgin’, or as a director of the acclaimed film Five Feet Apart. He is on a mission to ‘undefine masculinity’— strip away unhealthy expectations and create more space for men (and everyone else) to fully be themselves.

In his book Man Enough’, which has evolved into a podcast community, he shares stories of how society rarely provides space for men to be whole. Today Justin shares his own hurt and the learnings that have come from those experiences. We talk about:

How he realized he was “crowdsourcing” his personality.
The key differences in male friendships vs. female ones and what needs to change in order for men to have stronger friendships with other men.
The number one question we need to start asking men and boys.
Why men need to learn to allow themselves to feel.
Why bad feelings can be good.
The Patriarchal Pyramid
The insecurities men face when it comes to their bodies.
Why women need to be mindful of their own misogyny.
How he knew his wife Emily was ‘the one’.

Produced by Dear Media.

Marianna Hewitt: “Why Not Me?” How The Super Influencer Amassed 1 Million Followers + Built A Successful Beauty Brand Nov 11, 2021

Marianna Hewitt is one of the OG influencers with over 1 million followers, was named WWD Beauty Inc's Influencer of the Year, and cofounder of the successful clean skincare brand Summer Fridays. Today she’s here to give both some insight and inspiration. We talk about:

How she got her start in LA and what it finally took for her to go after her dreams.
How she pivoted when she realized her dream of being a TV host wasn’t actually what she wanted.
What people don’t understand about the work that goes into being an influencer.
The start and launch of her brand Summer Fridays and what she learned from it.
How it’s okay to launch a brand even if there are already similar products in the marketplace.
The “Why NOT me” mindset she’s always had and how that has helped her succeed.
What being an influencer has taught her.
How to use social media to build a successful brand
The importance of aesthetics and an Instagram-able brand
The motto she lives by (Love this one!)

Produced by Dear Media.

Lindsay Peoples Wagner: Changing The Fashion Industry + Pursuing A Career Rooted in Purpose Nov 04, 2021

Lindsay Peoples Wagner was in her late twenties when she became the Editor in Chief of Teen Vogue, making her the youngest Editor-in-Chief in Conde Nast’s History. Now she’s the Editor-in-Chief of New York Magazine’s Fashion Vertical, The Cut and co-founder of the Black in Fashion Council. Today she shares:

What it’s like starting out in the fashion industry when you don’t come from money and how she made it happen.
Why it’s her mission to open the door to the fashion industry + tell better and more diverse stories
The gut decision that changed her career
We discuss her viral article “What It’s Really Like To Be Black + Work In Fashion” + the effects of having to dim your light.
The 24 hour rule
What she wore for her interview with Anna Wintour before landing the job as EIC of Teen Vogue.
What style advice she would give her younger self.
The mentor you really need vs. the mentor you think you need.

Produced by Dear Media.

How to Know When it’s Time to Make a Career Leap + How the Universe Can Only Help You If You Help Yourself with Elise Loehnen Oct 28, 2021

Elise Loehnen is the host of the podcast “Pulling a Thread” and helped turn “Goop” - Gwyneth Paltrow’s wellness newsletter into a multi-million dollar company. Previously, she was at Condé Nast Traveler and the Deputy Editor of Lucky Magazine. She’s ghost written 12 books (5 NYT bestsellers) including ones for Ellen Degeneres and Lauren Conrad . Elise is an intellectual giant- obsessed with words, culture, systems, how we fit into them + can transcend them. Today she shares a bit of her inspiring journey and what she’s learned along the way. We discuss:

How to know when to leave a job.
What you MUST ask yourself before accepting a new job.
Why you need to be “in play” in order for the universe to work in your favor.
How Goop changed the game for the wellness industry and the major impact it’s had on women.
Her toughest moment working at Goop, and what it taught her about herself.
The struggle to have it all as a working mom (and the cultural shift that needs to happen)
What ghostwriting 12 books (for celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres, Lea Michele and Lauren Conrad) finally inspired her to write a book of her own.

Produced by Dear Media.

Learn How To Get What You Want: The Art of Negotiating with FBI Hostage Negotiator Chris Voss Oct 21, 2021

As an FBI hostage negotiator, Chris Voss persuaded terrorists, bank robbers, and kidnappers to see things his way. Today he’s talking us through his strategies to help us in everyday negotiations, whether you’re seeking to improve your salary, the service you receive, or your relationships. Get stronger communication skills, game-changing insights into human nature, and more of what you want out of life. This episode is co-hosted by founder of Beyond the Interview, Nicole Behnam.

How to negotiate for a raise
4 negotiation tactics you can use at work + in your relationships
Why the most aggressive person in the room ISN’T always the most successful.
How to harness your voice in negotiation
Why empathy is key when it comes to negotiation
The surprising importance of getting someone to say ’no’ before they say ‘yes’.

Produced by Dear Media.

Orgasms, Fetishes, Boring Sex and More - Shan Boodram Answers Sex Questions Women Are Embarassed To Ask Oct 14, 2021

Shan Boodram is a certified sex educator dating coach and relationship expert with over 70 million views on YouTube and 500,000 followers on Instagram. She’s passionate about helping others in their relationships and sex lives but she is also honest, fun and sincere in her approach. Today she’s answering some of the sex questions women are too embarssed to ask! We talk about:

What it might really mean if your sex life is boring.
How to embrace your partner's unconventional fetishes even if they make you uncomfortable at first.
Why women need to stop waiting to ask men out (and what you can do about it!)
How to handle unpleasant smells down there.
How getting in the mood is so different for everybody.
How to synchronize your orgasms with your partner, the Orgasm gap and so many more orgasm questions.

Produced by Dear Media.

Bobbi Brown: The Key to Confidence + Why it’s a GOOD Thing To Be a Bit Naive With The Business & Beauty Icon Oct 07, 2021

She’s a business and beauty icon: Bobbi Brown is a makeup artist, author, entrepreneur and founder of Jones Road + the billion dollar global brand Bobbi Brown Cosmetics. She started her first line of makeup in 1991 at a time when bright and heavy-handed makeup was in. And while the makeup artists around her thought her natural colors would never sell, Bobbi completely disrupted the makeup industry. Four years later she sold her company for about $100 million dollars to Estee Lauder. About to celebrate it’s one year anniversary, Bobbi’s new clean makeup line Jones Road has blown up online and across stories. Today she shares her journey and some of the lessons she’s learned along the way, including:

How she first got into makeup by creating her own major in college.
How an unconventional approach helped get her in the makeup door in NYC.
How she created her brand Bobbi Brown Cosmetics with10 lipsticks and sold them out of her house.
How she got into Bergdorf Goodman’s, got a book deal and became a regular on the today show all because of how she likes to talk to strangers.
What she believes is the true key to confidence
Why she was inspired to become a certified holistic health coach
How she decided to sell her company 4 years after she started it and the only regret she has from that decision.
The most valuable business opportunity that didn’t pay her a dime
Her beauty philosophy

Produced by Dear Media.

Maria Shriver: What You Need To Know About Brain Health + Advice on Ambition, Love + Getting Back Up Sep 30, 2021

Maria Shriver is a journalist and former First Lady of California, and now the founder of Mosh a mission-driven brain health brand. After watching her father suffer from Alzheimer’s disease she dedicated herself to Alzheimer’s advocacy, founding the organization Women's Alzheimer’s Movement, funding research, and bringing awareness to brain health. Today she shares:

Why Alzheimer’s disease is bankrupting our country (and why young people should care).
Alzheimer’s disproportionately effects women (2/3)
- New findings in Alzheimer’s and brain research.
Why we need to care about our brain health even in our twenties and thirties.
Why she and her son Patrick Schwarzenegger decided to team up to create MOSH - a protein bar made for your brain.
How she and Oprah Winfrey became fast friends when they both started working at the same TV station in their twenties.
Why she doesn’t fear failure and why you shouldn’t either.
Why Walter Cronkite told her “all the best people get fired”.
- What to look for in a life partner.
Why it’s so important to write your own story.

Produced by Dear Media.

It’s OK to Not Be OK: How to Support Yourself + Others Through Grief with Psychotherapist Megan Devine Sep 16, 2021

Psychotherapist and grief advocate Megan Devine is here to help us all understand and navigate grief better. Will I ever feel normal again? What do I say to someone who is grieving? How can I best support my loved ones in grief? Is there something I should avoid saying? Is what I’m experiencing normal? There are so many questions when it comes to grief, whether you’re experiencing it yourself or trying to show up for a loved one who is in it. Megan and I discuss:

Megan’s personal story of grief with sudden loss of her husband and how it changed her view of grief and her work.
How best to show up for someone who is grieving.
The number one thing we need to remember when trying to support someone in grief.
What grief hijacking is and why you should avoid it at all costs.
Why we need to change the narrative surrounding grief and the expectations we place on those who are experiencing it.
Things that happen while in grief that are totally normal even if you might feel like you’re going crazy.
How grief changes you and if you will ever feel “normal” again.

Produced by Dear Media.

Be The Rich Man Your Parents Told You To Marry with Celebrity Nutritionist and Entrepreneur Kelly LeVeque Sep 09, 2021

Kelly LeVeque is a holistic nutritionist, celebrity health coach (Jessica Alba, Jennifer Garner, Molly Sims, Chelsea Handler to name a few), and the best-selling author of Body Love and Body Love Every Day. Through a deep desire to help her clients optimize their health, she quit her corporate job in cancer genetics and created Be Well By Kelly from the ground up. Now a hugely successful company with her own line of protein powder, online courses, a podcast, and bestselling books, her success didn’t happen overnight. Kelly and her husband sacrificed, lost, persevered, and invested in themselves, rebuilt time and again. Today, we talk about:

What it means to Kelly to be the breadwinner of her family.
The one person that changed the future of and leveled up her business.
The moment she realized how to make more money and her advice to women who are making the same mistake she did.
What Jessica Alba is really like and how the support from her celebrity clients changed the game for her career.
How she took her job from side hustle to full-time
Her biggest financial failure, the importance of an “Oh Sh*t” fund and how she rebuilt after an investment gone wrong.
How she is learning to hold boundaries in order to show up best as a mom, in her marriage and at work
Investing in herself instead of in furniture.
Almost not going back to school to become a nutritionist and why it’s never too late to go after what you want.
Why she finds Instagram to be alienating, especially in the wellness space.

Produced by Dear Media.

End Your Struggle: Set Boundaries + Find Peace with Licensed Therapist Nedra Tawwab Sep 02, 2021

Boundaries are the single most important determinant in the health of ALL of our relationships. And yet so many of us struggle with them. We find ourselves frustrated, resentful, and/or unable to express our needs. Nedra Glover Tawaab is here to end the struggle. She is an author, licensed therapist and relationship expert. Nedra’s book ‘Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself’ is a New York Times best-seller. You might also know her from Instagram where she has 1.1 Million Instagram followers and gives out bite-sized pieces of advice, life lessons, and affirmations. Nedra shares:

How to successfully express our needs, say "no," and be assertive without offending others.
Signs to look for that you aren’t holding boundaries. Simple-yet-powerful ways to establish healthy boundaries with family, friends and coworkers.
Why people may push back when you set a boundary and how you can respond.
The power of learning how to say no to things you just don’t want to do.
Why it’s actually mean to say yes when what you really want to say is no.
How to avoid burnout at work by setting boundaries with your co-workers.
The importance of listening to + trusting ourselves in order to set better boundaries with the people in our lives.
How to set boundaries on social media so you won’t be so miserable every time you scroll.
How to set boundaries with family members.
3 questions you can ask yourself when setting boundaries.

Produced by Dear Media.

How To Increase Your Self Worth and Net Worth By Simply Being Yourself With Personal Branding Expert Jessica Zweig Aug 26, 2021

At 33 years old, Jessica Zweig had to ask her parents for $200 to pay her phone bill. Only a few months earlier she was living her “Sex in the City” life in Chicago, running a high-profile women’s lifestyle magazine. While her business looked successful from the outside; inside it was a financial mess. After an emotional breakdown, Jessica walked away from the brand - and the public persona- she built and learned the key to success is when your outside life aligns with who you are on the inside. Now, as a personal branding expert (financially and emotionally successful) she helps others identify their personal brand through her agency, SimplyBe and is the author of “Be: A No-Bullsh*t Guide to Increasing Your Self Worth and Net Worth By Simply Being Yourself” Today she's giving a personal branding masterclass, sharing how we can discover our authentic selves and successfully communicate our message to the world. She shares:

What true authenticity is and how we can identify it in ourselves
The four key components to finding and growing your brand
Why she chose to invest in herself when she was broke
The generosity economy and why not sharing our “best stuff” actually hurts us
The difference between oversharing and being vulnerable on social media
The biggest lesson she learned from Tony Hunter, former CEO of the Chicago Tribune
How your ego can get in the way of finding true success, personally and professionally (and how it did for her)

Produced by Dear Media.

How To Build Community + A Cult Following with Julissa Prado, Founder of Rizos Curls Aug 19, 2021

Founder and CEO of Rizos Curls, Julissa Prado built a curly hair empire with grit, sacrifice, passion and hustle. She shares how she built the multi-million dollar business with products now in Target and Ulta from her own kitchen. What started as a personal mission to reclaim her natural hair, turned into a beauty brand with a cult following of nearly 300k followers on instagram and community events that sell out in each city she visits. She says “learning to love my hair was the first step to learning to love myself. And I just feel so honored to play some kind of small role in that journey for other women.” Julissa shares how she engages and builds that community and how listening to consumers is what’s helped her brand become so wildly successful. She is full of life, positivity and of course, amazing hair tips!

Produced by Dear Media.

Advice with Erin Robinson: How To Get Over a Bad Day + Should You Get Back With Your Ex? Aug 12, 2021

Need Advice? YouTuber, producer, host, (and my friend and former coworker at Clevver) is someone I often turn to and today she is here for you-- answering your questions from Instagram on friendships, relationships, how to handle toxic people (her answer isn’t what you might think!), if pulling a J.Lo + Ben is a good idea and more. She shares her perfect solve to fix any bad mood in minutes and gives really great advice on how to find gratitude and balance in this new WFH world we are living in. I'm so excited to share some of her gifts with you and I hope you gravitate toward her tender heart + honesty + sage wisdom as much as I did.

Produced by Dear Media.

The Secret to Growing Your Social Media with SWIMSOCIAL Founder Elena Hansen (PRETTY SOCIAL) Aug 05, 2021

Elena Hansen, CEO & Founder of SWIM SOCIAL is the woman behind so many of your favorite high profile social media accounts. SWIM clients have included: Selena Gomez’s Revival Tour, LL Cool J, Jay Ellis, Phoebe Robinson, Alfred Coffee just to name a few. We talk all about how she bootstrapped her company starting with her first client who she took from 1,000 to 140,000 followers and has grown to be a wildly successful, sought after company by major celebrities, brands, movies, world tours and more. Elena shares her 6 tips for growing your social media and other social strategies to help grow successfully and authentically. Social media can be overwhelming, but Elena cuts through the noise with her sincere approach- rooted in community, creative, and storytelling. She shares her tips for negotiating, what she thinks is most important when creating a pitch deck, the smartest decision she ever made in business and what she’s learned about herself along the way.

Produced by Dear Media.

BEAUTY SICK: How Society's Obsession with Appearance Hurts Women with Dr. Renee Engeln Jul 29, 2021

54% of women say they would rather be hit by a car than considered fat. How can we strike the balance of realistically caring how we look, and not having to care about how we look? Danielle + Dr. Renee Engeln, award winning psychology professor at Northwestern University and the author of Beauty Sick break down society’s fixation with PRETTY. Engeln reveals how the cultural obsession with women's appearance is an epidemic that harms women's ability to get ahead and to live happy, meaningful lives. She offers the possibility of practical solutions that help girls and women overcome negative attitudes and embrace their whole selves, transform their lives, claim the futures they deserve, and, ultimately, change their world. This is the author and book that inspired the PRETTYSMART podcast!

Produced by Dear Media.

Why is Rent So Expensive? Ankur Jain is Disrupting + Rebuilding the System Jul 22, 2021

Ankur Jain is a 31-year old entrepreneur who left Silicon Valley for a clear purpose- to create companies that solve problems affecting us everyday like healthcare, student loans, rent, housing affordability, child and home care. Richard Branson said: “Ankur has a rare ability to take on complex societal issues and come up with simple, practical solutions that make you wonder how no one has done this before.” And Branson is right; Ankur is a world changer. Now the founder and CEO of a VC, Kairos HQ, he built his first company at 11 years old and at 26, sold a company to Tindr. We talk about the launch of two recent start ups Bilt + Rhino; both are trying to save you money on rent. We also chat about the financial future for millennials, the barrier to home ownership and the long term effects of that, space travel, when he gets his best ideas, the simple question people forget to ask when starting a company. He also lets us in on his biggest entrepreneurial secret.

Produced by Dear Media.

Catt Sadler on Mid-Life, Love/Divorce, Career, and the Lessons She’s Learned Along the Way Jul 15, 2021

Catt Sadler, journalist, tastemaker, host of It Sure Is A Beautiful Day shares it all- the joyful, the difficult, and honest feelings about about love, divorce, therapy, family, relationships, career, equal pay, and the lessons she’s learned along the way. She talks about growing up in Indiana, what she’s learned from her failed relationships and the importance of sitting with yourself. She shares about her decision to leave E! And who she consulted with (including Jennifer Lawrence and Gwyneth Paltrow!) and reflects on that choice four years later. She talks about getting matching tattoos with her mother, raising her two sons, and her incredibly close relationship with her ex and his new wife. We also discuss her new project, Mid-Life and what she’s learning about this stage of life. Of course we talk fashion and her must-haves (and what style she wishes would disappear!), why Johnny Depp was her most memorable interview and the best Hollywood party she’s ever attended. If you want more Catt, check out her podcast It Sure Is A Beautiful Day right here with Dear Media.

Produced by Dear Media.

Period Poverty + Menstrual Equity with Nadya Okamoto Jul 08, 2021

When I think about young people changing American society, I think about Nadya Okamoto. She is a 23 year-old menstrual activist, Harvard grad, and founder of August, a lifestyle brand working to reimagine periods. At 16 she founded PERIOD, the largest youth-run non profit org in women’s health (which distributes menstrual hygiene products and advocates for ending what is known as the tampon tax, published a book Period Power: A Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement. She was the youngest Asian American to run for public office in US history. She’s in adidas ads with Pharrell, she was on Teen Vogues 21 under 21 list, Forbes 30 under 30, Bloomberg 50 “Ones to Watch”, Instyle, Glamour, and and People Magazine's versions of Women Changing the World lists i’ve never read off a longer intro, and it’s not liek you can cut any of that out ….. She’s astonishingly accomplished for a person of any age. But Nadya’s drive to make a difference is undoubtedly fueled in part by her own trauma (TRIGGER WARNING*), she describes living through homelessness, abuse, and sexual assault.

Produced by Dear Media.

How Would News Be Different If More Women Were Informing It with Jessica Yellin (PRETTY POLITICAL) Jul 01, 2021

Founder of the Instagram phenomenon News Not Noise and former CNN White House correspondent Jessica Yellin has become known as the go to independent news source online. Just as her handle suggests, she delivers the news without the noise and her steady handed approach has reached nearly half a million followers online. Jessica and Danielle talk about how and why Jessica left her once dream job at CNN just two months after being promoted to start her own news platform, and the surprising celebrity women who helped share her platform with the world (spoiler- Amy Schumer is one of them)! We talk about the outrage in television news, what she has learned from working in Washington, what she’s learned from the generation of women before and after her, and the importance of doing good and doing well. Also, how would the news be different if more women were informing it? TDLR: Jessica is a woman whom I look up to very much. She follows her intuition + works tirelessly for what she believes in. After the episode you can find Jessica on Instagram @JessicaYellin

Produced by Dear Media.

$100 Million Dollar Underwear Empire with CEO Joanna Griffiths Jun 24, 2021

Joanna Griffiths built KNIX, a $100 million dollar bra + underwear empire with just $20,000 dollars. Knix is an innovative undergarments brand for women of all shapes, ages, sizes and skin tones. Their mission is to redefine intimates, which began with the revolutionary leakproof underwear. We discuss what women actually want from their undergarments, why trying them on is such a vulnerable experience, and she dives into the ins and outs of her business. We talk about the first steps she took after she first came up with the idea, how she dealt with her own inner critic, her decision to completely pivot her distribution model after finally finding her footing, and how she learned to own her power and title as CEO even when she didn’t necessarily feel like she earned it. We talk about the genius Knix advertising campaigns and the decisions she’s made along the way to maintain such an authentic and empowering brand that speaks to women of every age, shape, size and skin color. Joanna is proof to me that you can do really well + do good.

Produced by Dear Media.

How To Build A Goddamn Empire with Entrepreneur Ali Kriegsman Jun 17, 2021

How to build a brand from an expert- author of How to Build a Goddamn Empire and founder of Bulletin, a successful retail technology company talks us through how to build a successful brand; and not the glamorized Girlboss version, but one “with elbow grease, infinite hustle, and a whole lotta heart”. She breaks down what imposter syndrome really is (her explanation is mindblowing) and how we can defeat it. She shares the pros and cons you might not expect when growing your business, and how glamourising entrepreneurship on social media hurts everyone… especially women. Ali lays out what Girlboss culture is in 3 points, and she says she really thanks Sophia Amoruso for opening the door for her. PLUS she reveals an incredible talent you might not expect from a successful COO! Book: Self Care by Leigh Stein Produced by Dear Media.

AGING WITH POWER: Iconic Fashion Designer Norma Kamali Teaches Us How to Boldly Live Through Each of Life’s Decades (PRETTY INVINCIBLE) Jun 10, 2021

How would you live your life if you knew you would keep getting better with age? Iconic American fashion designer Norma Kamali shares the lessons she’s learned through each decade. Now 75 years old, Norma is teaching us how we can all age with power, and why the concept of anti-aging and aging gracefully is offensive. She shares the unexpected way she began her career as a designer in the 1960’s- when it was a man’s game - and where she found the courage to live unconventionally at a time that was just not done (she wore mini dresses!). She shares how we can find gratitude in everything, especially the hardships. She shares the importance of making decisions that are in line with your purpose. We discuss how she came to her decision to not have kids and what it means to not hit the traditional benchmarks society puts on women. We talk about how a psychic told her she would meet her soulmate at 65-- and it turned out to be true-- but you won't see her wearing a wedding dress to her wedding this summer!

Produced by Dear Media.

PRETTY FEELINGS: The Joy of Being Sensitive with R&B Star Sinéad Harnett Jun 03, 2021

R&B Singer/songwriter Sinéad Harnett opens up about her journey to become a superstar— her new album Ready Is Always Too Late just dropped and was lauded by Elton John. We talk about the biggest lessons and hardships she faced along the way, how she dealt with imposter syndrome when she was starting out, the best advice she ever got from singer Khaled, and why she never planned on “making it” when she was a young girl growing up in the UK. We also talk about who she would take as her date to the Grammy’s, why you might not want to go on vacation with her and the hidden blessing that’s come from the pandemic.

Produced by Dear Media.

PRETTY HUDDLE: How Women Unlock Their Collective Power by Coming Together with Brooke Baldwin May 27, 2021

Journalist, former CNN Anchor, and author of The Huddle, Brooke Baldwin shares the importance of a HUDDLE- how women unlock their collective power by coming together with a mission. She shares how her interviews with Ava Duvernay, Reese Witherspoon, Stacey Abrams, Karlie Kloss, Shannon Watts are real life examples of the power of huddling + she lets us in on how to start finding our own huddle. We talk about female mentorship, or lack thereof, the loneliness that can accompany your 20s, how the MeToo movement changed the course of her life, the impact of her fairy godmother Diane Von Furstenburg, and the smartest decision she ever made (it’s not what you think)!

Produced by Dear Media.

PRETTY “SELF CARE SUNDAY”: How The Wellness Industry + Girlboss Culture Failed Women with Leigh Stein May 20, 2021

Do you ever feel like the pursuit of "self care" is never ending, and even at times, unachievable? What is self care? Leigh Stein, author of the novel “Self Care” and I, dive into the commercialization of self care and wellness and the rebrand of the diet industry. We also discuss the lingering effects of the once-idealized Girl Boss ideology, the concept of “Lean In” and the gap that exists between male and female entrepreneurs.

Produced by Dear Media.

BONUS Ep. PRETTY PINK SKIES AHEAD: Kelly Oxford May 13, 2021

Kelly Oxford is here to talk about her directorial debut Pink Skies Ahead, premiering on MTV! We talk about how the film came from a panic attack and the autobiographical script form her journey as a 19 year old diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. E talk about her many titles and how she evolved from “The Queen of Twitter” in Canada to moving to Hollywood and becoming a published author, screenwriter, and director. She shares about what she loves about being in her forties, her favorite author Judy Blume, and the smartest decision she’s ever made. Produced by Dear Media.

PRETTY ADVICE: How to Figure Things Out with Chinae Alexander May 13, 2021

If you don’t know know what to do—just ask Chinae Alexander. Host of the advice podcast, “Press Send” and social entrepreneur Chinae Alexander is here to dish advice on all of your questions! She’s answering YOUR relationship, friendship, and career questions. We talk all about how to set boundaries with negative friends, deal with difficult sisters, negotiate a raise, work through with body image questions, cheating (or what to do if your significant other is constantly liking other girls pics on IG!) and discuss if its okay to have platonic friendships with the opposite sex while in relationship. We also dish on the best things to watch when we are feeling lonely, the books Chinae thinks everyone should read, and of course, the smartest decision she ever made! Press Play on this one, you won't be disappointed!

Produced by Dear Media.

PRETTY COOL: Paige Mycoskie Founder of Aviator Nation May 06, 2021

The queen of California cool, founder and president of the lifestyle apparel brand Aviator Nation Paige Mycoskie lets us in on the raw, unedited version of how she built the $70 million + a year retail brand, worn by Reese Witherspoon, Jay Z, The Kardashians and (find out which celeb sent her a surprise Christmas gift). She shares her three tips for brand growth, her unique approach to building community, and how to create a happy work culture. She also talks about how she has kept the brand cool after 16 years (staying true to the brand while evolving) and why it’s important to her to keep the clothes made in California. We also talk about her and her brother’s (founder of TOMS Shoes Blake Mycoskie) similarities and differences in running wildly successful brands and about the time they competed on the Amazing Race! Produced by Dear Media.

PRETTY DETERMINED: Actress Zoe Lister-Jones Apr 29, 2021

Zoe Lister Jones is an actress, writer, and director. You’ve seen her in Life in Pieces, Whitney, and New Girl. In 2017, she made her directorial debut with her indie film Band Aid, where she hired an all female crew-- the first for a feature film. She deep dives into the auditioning process, shares a funny audition horror story, talks about her SNL audition and why Fred Armison had her name in his phone before they ever met. She explains her love for Timothee Chalamet, talks openly about her relationship with her body and her hope for the next generation of girls. Zoe is honest, smart, and pretty determined to make an impact in whatever she throws herself into.

Produced by Dear Media.

PRETTY KIND: How to Practice Deep Kindness with Houston Kraft Apr 22, 2021

What does it mean to be deeply—actively kind? Houston Kraft spent his career studying kindness, wrote a book about it, and is sharing all of the answers. We talk about the importance of going beyond practicing “confetti kindness” (random acts of kindness), how to really show up for people in need, kindness in leadership + business, how to be a more actively and deeply kind person, and his thoughts on if “nice guys finish last”. You might think you are practicing kindness, but Houston shares some tips and tools to help us look inward to see if we are practicing kindness in the ways that make the greatest impact and change.

Produced by Dear Media.

PRETTY AFFIRMATIONS: How To Believe In Yourself + Truly Go For It With Actress Sheria Irving Apr 15, 2021

Sheria Irving is an actress and founder of the non-profit mentorship organization Shaping Her Earth. She simply...radiates. Before she took a step out on faith to live her dreams as an actor, she was a New York public school teacher! She shares how we can redefine fear and go after our dreams when there is no blueprint. She also reveals the unexpected person who inspired her to leave her job to pursue acting. We also discuss her pinch me moments in her acting career, the life changing lesson she learned from Billy Porter, the importance of mentorship in our lives, especially for women of color. And she leaves us with some tools--affirmations she uses daily to believe in herself and inspire her mentees.

Produced by Dear Media.

PRETTY TRAUMATIZING: How to Spot and Heal Generational Trauma with Dr. Melissa Wasserman Apr 08, 2021

Do some of the clues to our mental health- anxiety, depression and stress lie in our family’s history? If you’re triggered by something and can’t figure out why, Dr. Wasserman says the answer might lie in your family history. An emerging line of research is exploring how historical and cultural traumas such as oppression, genocide, racism, poverty, and financial instability can affect people’s children for generations. Dr. Melissa Wasserman, is a clinical psychologist who specializes in PTSD, military behavioral health, and couple/family psychology, and formerly worked at UCLA where she worked as a trauma therapist. She explains the effects it has on us, how research suggests that trauma may even alter our genes, and trauma as it relates to the current pandemic and how it might affect future generations. We discuss how to spot the signs, what we can learn from our ancestors' and Dr. Wasserman gives questions to ask yourself to explore your own generational trauma/s.

Produced by Dear Media.

PRETTY VULNERABLE: Karamo on Vulnerability and Betting on Yourself. Apr 01, 2021

Karamo is the most comfortably vulnerable person I’ve ever known. He’s also an amazing host, one of Queer Eye’s Fab Five, an author, activist and also - the most fun. He’s opening up about his harrowing struggles with domestic violence (he owns being the abuser in his relationships), coming out to his family, drugs, attempted suicide, complete lack of self love and how he got to where he is now - radiating self love, positivity and abundance. We of course also talk fame - how he shot up to over a million IG followers overnight, who he photobombed at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, and what happened when he met Oprah. He shares how he learned to do the work to be the best version of himself and gives specific tips for you to do the same. If you’re doubting yourself in any way, hit play and trust there is something here to lift you up and inspire you on your own journey.

Produced by Dear Media.

PRETTY RESILIENT - Moving Past Your Limiting Beliefs with Daniela Pierre-Bravo Mar 25, 2021

Daniela Pierre Bravo made it—against all odds. She is a highly accomplished TV producer for MSNBC’s “Morning Joe" and writer, co-author’ing Earn It! With anchor Mika Brzezinski. She’s also a DREAMER (DACA). Originally from Chile, Daniela was raised in a small, rural town in Ohio and found out when she was a teenager that she was undocumented--- forced to live in the shadows. But she is the living, breathing example of ‘make no excuses’. Daniela explains how she managed to graduate college (finding endless side jobs that paid in cash), what happened when she crashed her car (no insurance), and the crazy lengths she went to to get a job with Diddy’s Bad Boy Entertainment in NYC when she wasn’t even allowed on a plane. Daniela also shares how she overcame self limiting beliefs, gained financial stability, and how she now helps other women do the same with her new mentorship platform Acceso Community.

Produced by Dear Media.

PRETTY MOODY: How To Harness Our Moods + Use Them To Our Benefit with Author and Instagram Phenom Lauren Martin Mar 18, 2021

Are you a ‘moody' person? If you’ve ever found yourself thinking “why can't I just be happy?” Or if you’ve ever felt frustrated and can’t pinpoint why, this episode is for you. Instead of judging or criticizing our moods, Lauren Martin, founder of the successful Instagram account Words of Women and author of The Book of Moods, teaches us how we can harness our moods and use them to our benefit. Lauren has this very unique ability to unpack emotions, and moods that can feel hard or even embarrassing to talk about. She takes us through her own journey and self-awareness, which in turn allows us to reflect on our own as she speaks on navigating friendships, relationships, family, career as a moody woman. We also discuss the ups and downs of Instagram, the key to having a successful career and the unique challenges we face when it comes to our female friendships.

Produced by Dear Media.

PRETTY HIP HOP: The Untold Stories of Women In Hip Hop with Writer/Historian Clover Hope and Rapper Kierra Luv Mar 11, 2021

How did Hip Hop become a men’s sport? And what do we miss as consumers + audience members when we don’t include women in the story of Hip Hop? Danielle chats with Hip Hop historian and author of The Motherlode: The 100+ Women Who Made Hip Hop Clover Hope to discuss the stories, contributions, and difficulties for stars who pioneered the genre like Da Brat, Lil Kim, Queen Latifah, Eve, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B. We talk about sexual liberation versus exploitation, and the evolution of the movement into a business. Rapper Kierra Luv joins the conversation to talk about what it’s like to be a woman in Hip Hop currently, who she looked up to, how Cardi B helped put her on the map, and the book that changed her life.

Produced by Dear Media.

Pretty Fearless: Rebecca Minkoff on How to Embrace Fear and Use it to Fuel Your Dreams Mar 04, 2021

How did Rebecca Minkoff go from selling a t-shirt to millions in annual revenue, in 900 stores worldwide? The founder of the global fashion brand candidly shares the biggest lessons + challenges she faced over the past 16 years of running her own business- the high moments and the hard ones, even revealing her biggest regret. She talks through how she funded the brand initially, why she named it RM, what she wishes she knew early on, and opens up about how even recently she had a real lack of faith in herself (and how she overcame it). She reveals what she thought success would look like versus what it feels like. Rebecca gives us a preview of her upcoming book FEARLESS: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage and Success, and has an unexpected interpretation of the word fearless. She explains why learning to say “f*ck It to fear" was the biggest contributor to her success. We of course talk fashion, (what staples every woman needs in her closet, her favorite piece of all-time), how she integrated technology into fashion and became a first-mover in several spaces like Instagram and Only Fans, why she started Female Founder Collective (brilliant idea!), her number one tip for negotiation, parenting, and her unexpected tip for finding true love!

Produced by Dear Media.

Pretty Smart with Danielle Robay + Peter Rosenberg Feb 25, 2021

Danielle + media personality Peter Rosenberg sit down to discuss her journey to Los Angeles, how she got started in TV, and how PRETTYSMART came to be. Danielle talks about some of her most memorable interview stories with people like Kevin Hart and Simon Cowell. The two get into the unconventional things it takes to succeed (why you need to have an unrealistic view of yourself), share the craziest thing they did to get a job, and the specifics of working in media. They also talk about body image, sharing on social media, and the importance of putting a spin on the word PRETTY. Produced by Dear Media.

Pretty Likeable: How to Escape the Likeability Trap with Alicia Menendez Feb 25, 2021

Award Winning Journalist + MSNBC Anchor Alicia Menendez explains how The Likeability Trap can keep women from achieving their ambitions. Women are stuck in an impossible bind known as the Goldilocks Conundrum: be nice, but not too nice. Talk about what you bring to the table without sounding like you’re bragging. Strong women are often criticized for being cold, while warm women may be seen as pushovers.“ The constant chatter of how women lead impedes them from leading. In trying to be everything all at once women are straight up exhausted”. But in being aware of The Likeability Trap, we can push up against it. Alicia gives us tactical tools to be more practiced in leadership, how to receive feedback, break free of the trap, and succeed as you are. Produced by Dear Media.

PRETTYSMART Trailer Feb 18, 2021

Check out PRETTY SMART, hosted by Danielle Robay - coming to Dear Media on February 25th!

Produced by Dear Media.

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