Transcribe your podcast
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You forget to just enjoy where you are, like you built everything around, you built this for you, like at what point do you say, oh my gosh, look at what I done?

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Hi, guys, welcome back to another episode of Girl's Got to Eat. Welcome back to a second edition of 20 20. Oh, my God. Welcome back to the never ending apocalypse. It's been a wild ride upon us, but we didn't have to announce today that right now it's going to be a roller coaster ride. 20 twenty two. Oh, my God. Did you see that movie that was like well played December thirty seventh.

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Twenty, twenty or twenty twenty days undefeated. I love what you say. It stays undefeated. I say twenty, twenty one stays undefeated. I think this year is something else. I will say that we lost Kim and Kanye.

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You can't stop saying, oh god, I literally don't care the least I care about. I know I your mom being dead last night on what I don't mean that being dad was like the first villain of twenty twenty one. I don't know about the Chicago Tribune. No, he ate beans. He like just look it up.

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I don't, I don't know. OK, all right. Well we've kicked it off at a high. Wow. Sorry guys. We're lighting up. We have a big announcement. I'm actually I'm really excited to talk about these partners, you know, thanks to Daily Harvest for supporting girls. Got a daily harvest is a lifesaver. A daily harvest makes it easy to eat clean, undeniably delicious food no matter what your day brings. Keep it simple. Go to daily harvest dotcom and enter JGI to get twenty five dollars off your first box.

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And thanks to a function of beauty for supporting girls, got a function of beauty is hair care that is formulated specifically for you. No matter your hair type, they create shampoo, conditioner and treatments to fit your unique needs. But a function of beauty. Com Sluggy to take your four part hair profile quiz and save twenty percent on your first haircare order. Yes, and thanks to Fields for supporting girls. Got to eat. Feels has us feeling our best every day and it can help you to become a member today by going to feels dotcom soggy and you'll get fifty percent off your first order with free shipping.

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And thanks to Rachel for supporting girls. Got to eat. You deserve to know what's in your multivitamin. Ritual's offering you 10 percent off during your first three months visit ritual dotcom to start your ritual today.

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OK, let's just come out hot and announce our next live show. We're doing it for Valentine's. You are my valentine for the fourth year in a row. I know you know what, February man? Listen, it's we're going strong. I am coming up on three years.

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I've spent Valentine's Day with you every year, but we'll talk about that at the show. We'll recap all of this all the time to be in Vancouver. Yeah, looking at all the other couples, judging them, no one was talking. We were having the most fun of any couple in there. Your words. Everyone was mad. They had to be there. No one was talking. No. And then last year, we were on a plane in first class just holding hands on our way to Calli.

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Why, yes. What now? I was in the back of the plane. Wait, wait, hold on. What was where we're going?

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We're going to do a show in San Diego and then L.A. and then. Oh, my God, it's vacation for Australia. What am I talking about? Yes. Last Valentine's Day, I woke up. I want to bridge. I had sex, like, lately choked. And then we missed our flight.

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Listen, we'll talk about this. We'll talk about this more on the show. We'll share some of your Valentine's experiences. We have so much fun stuff planned. We have a special guest, of course, this one. This is going to be epic. Like it's going to be so much fun. It's going to be Thursday, February 11th. You guys can get tickets on our website. If you have questions. Always, of course, e-mail the ticketing website.

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But just go ahead, click that. You'll get a code for the show, one code per person. But guys, you know, start having those Valentine's Day parties by your friends over and hear date night. Yes. And we did this because we were originally like, let's do a Valentine's Day show, like, you know, single ladies, whatever. And then it was like we realized how much of you watch this with your partners and like your boyfriend, your girlfriends, whatever.

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And so we were like, let's just do it prior to Valentine's Day. So as always, you the show, we'd love that. We would prefer you watch it live, have your little small gatherings with your household, like make your Shaku keyboards, all the things, but you will be able to have access, like usually up to a week after or so, at least through actual Valentine's Day, potentially longer. We never really know for sure.

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We'll announce more as in the coming weeks. But so February 11th is a Thursday. Watch it that Friday night. Watch it Saturday night. Watching on Valentine's Day, like whatever you guys want to watch.

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So you guys watch it every morning watching them fuck after you do it. Listen, you do want to watch it live because we still get spoilers and you'll see all the guests we have and stuff because we're not going back and we don't care. We're going to share your Instagram stories in the moment. So sorry. But if you can't if you can't make it, you have to work. Whatever it is, you live in a different country. It's for you.

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Like whatever you should wake up if you're a true fan, if you're not a big fan, but like, just you will have some access afterwards. But just get those tickets now, as always, and scoop them up and start tagging us in your Instagram stories. This is the show is going to be live.

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We are so excited, guys. And I'm just so you guys have some some fashion for the show. We have new merch coming out. Yeah. You guys what you wanted to see. We have vibes on it. Go off. Hear me out. We're doing all of it. We might have some fun stuff. It is inauguration week. We might have some fun stuff for that. Yeah, but you guys can keep an eye out for that on our Instagram.

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Obviously our website will announce and all of it is ours. We really cool, fun stuff. I'm just encouraged by what you guys want to see. Yeah. So this is just a tease.

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It's probably not out yet. Maybe we don't know whatever. Get excited, get excited, you know, listen to our company. Well really, what else do you have to be excited about. Literally nothing. Oh my gosh. OK, let's just address this up top. You know, kind of what's happening in the world. We didn't discuss it last week. We had already recorded we were actually recording what a lot of things were actually happening. So, I mean, last week we we had actually recorded something that we were so excited about.

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The Senate race in Georgia. Still want to hype that. I mean, we're so excited about what happened in Georgia and with John OSF and Reverend Warnock. So that was incredible. You know, I feel so close to to Georgia. I live there. I live in Atlanta for ten years. Such a historical thing that happened down there. But, you know, the same day, the next day was a lot a lot of other shit went down.

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And I think that we're all familiar. It's changing day by day, you know, as rain. And I sit here and record now impeachment proceedings have started. So this could be totally different by the time Monday rolls around.

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And, you know, we always want to tell you guys how we feel about things. We think, you know, we want to encourage calls to action when we can, especially around the voting and things like that. You know, we were we were that's what we were talking about a lot closer to the election. And I mean, when things like this happen, of course, we want to share things how we feel and what we're passionate about.

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But there are so many other great resources to check as well. So it's like we you know, I think a lot of like, quote unquote, influencers and personalities are getting hit with like talk about this, talk about this. Why have you talked about this? And it's like, everybody take a breath. You know, there's so many people that are sharing the facts and what's out there. My favorite follow recently is Jessica Yellin. Jessica White aligned.

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Her hashtag is news, not noise. She's incredible. I cosign everything she says. Just go follow her and see what she's boasting about.

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So I'll share my feelings in a moment. But I. I'll toss it to you. I feel really honored that you guys want to get this information from us. It's important that we talk about these things. Some people said, why didn't you address what happened last week? And it feels like a real honor. It has held me to a higher standard to try to get all the facts, check all types of different resources for this information. You know that every day, like I get up, I try to listen to The Daily by The New York Times, up first by NPR.

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I think they have really good, nonbiased information with experts. It's really important to me to learn that stuff. Like I actually said, I'm not a political expert or commentator, but it is really such an honor. You guys want this information? Of course, we're disappointed and upset by the things that you guys are disappointed and upset by. Yeah, I mean, I'll just speak on it a little bit. I mean, what's happening right now is, like, so disgusting and like, scary, honestly, like there are domestic terrorists and white supremacists in this country and they have been emboldened and encouraged by the president of the United States.

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And it's so sickening and it's so terrifying. And it's been going on for four fucking years. And this didn't happen overnight. You know, this was the guy that called Nazis good people a couple of years ago. You know, like he's been this complete racist, misogynist, narcissistic, pathological, lying piece of shit this entire time. And people voted for that. And other lawmakers have supported him, whether they've shared his views or they tossed their morals aside so they could kiss his ass.

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And, you know, this was a full blown attack on our country from the inside. This is like how fascist government start. This is how people overthrow the government. This is how people die. Like what happened in this country is horrifying. And I mean, it goes without saying, you know, I want all these people thrown in jail. I'm like loving watching them on the no fly list and they get arrested. And, you know, I want I want Trump impeached.

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I want these companies just to stop supporting the Republican Party like they have been. And I want to see action taken against the leaders that encourage this and kept up this false narrative about a stolen election and really emboldened all these insurrectionists within our own country. Yes. And listen, it's not enough to me that all these people have finally come forward driving down. They've said something that all of these social media companies have started to, like, take away his power.

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It's not enough. It wasn't enough. Twelve days before he was out of the White House. I don't care if you resign, even though you were already out, all these cabinet members resigned. They were out of a job in twelve days. Anyway, taking the stand is too little, too late. What we can do is hold our lawmakers responsible. A lot of these people only stood up and did what they did because he was on his way out the door and they thought that that's what their constituents wanted.

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So they just supported him. Yeah, you've just seen people that have zero moral code, like they'll just go with whatever it's all it's like just whatever benefits them in the moment or what they think will benefit them in the moment.

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And I mean, I think, you know, we luckily, hopefully, you know, are going to move forward. We have progressive people in every area of the government, in the White House and the Senate, in the House majority. And so I hope that we're on the right track. I am I'm just I'm I'm losing sleep. I'm worried about what's going to happen. I'm not trying to be all doomsday, but like, I'd rather be prepared and safe.

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And you guys stay safe and don't go don't be in D.C. You know, if you if you can and it's our friends in D.C., please stay safe. Are our friends in any big city? Any capital city is like whatever. I just don't know. And I think that we should take it seriously. Yeah. And we just we wanted to hop on here and denounce the disgusting things that have happened. I want to denounce all the companies that decided to ride in on a white horse in the last five minutes of this presidency to fund and act like you have done something good for this country.

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Fuck you, Mark Zuckerberg, for for taking him out of Facebook now, whatever. But I'll pop off for an hour about this. But, you know, it's not enough. It's not enough. None of these people have done. They've just denounced this in the last hour. We need to hold our lawmakers accountable. And we just want you guys to stay safe, stay informed, you know, talk to your family and friends, have these conversations and just, you know.

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Yeah. And hopefully we'll have a better future. You know, you and I, we always say, like, people can change people. We want to celebrate change and progress. But, like, you fucking knew you knew it. You knew what he was doing. You like we all knew it. It was so blatant, you know what I mean? And you still waited and you like you knew better is what I'm saying. You didn't you know, again, I can't stress enough.

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People can always change some of these people that that stormed the Capitol building. I'm not welcoming to come sit with me right now. That's just not who I am. That might be who Sarah Silverman is. But if they change down the road, great. But it's the people that knew all along. You know, these are the people that have been brainwashed by Trump. These are the lawmakers and the companies and the Zuckerberg and all these people that, like you, did know better.

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And you choose you choose to go against what you knew was right. And in the very last hour, like you just said, like decided to do the right thing. And I love this quote. I think it was on the screen when Don Lemon was talking. It was like we shouldn't praise people that decided to do the right thing one day when they did the wrong thing every other day. Yeah. And also when they did the like. I just think that this should help you think about in the future who you vote for more, because how many of these senators didn't denounce the president until there were people literally breaking into their offices and taking selfies at their desks, you know, until this actually came to their literal front door?

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How much? Do they support their constituents and how much do they keep you safe and do and do for you and stick up for you because you don't have a voice and they were your voice. All these people stood up because they were inconvenienced, right? Yeah. And I mean, I know you guys want me to talk about as Mitch McConnell. I don't know. I mean, I'm not like, go Mitch. He did something human, you know, for one, he stood up for what was right once.

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He's he's not against the impeachment proceedings, so, OK, go off message, like whatever. He's still not the biggest piece of garbage on the planet, which is clearly Tommy. Lauren.

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Oh, did you see she went after Mitch. She she was like, Mitch, you're not going to get re-elected. And they were like, bitch, she's seventy eight and he just got elected. He's about to retire. So dumb. How do you use the wrong version of your too. I was like drag her. I tell you when something terrible happened to this country I go to her Instagram first. I'm like, what is this human piece of steaming dog shit going to say to just justify this?

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And she always finds a way she you know, and this isn't us. This is us. These people are domestic terrorists. These people either they're the actual domestic terrorists that are breaking into the capital or they are emboldening them. They're not even they're not even with you, though. That's just somebody who sits on a computer screen like kill everybody. But you go you go do it. Yeah, I'll be with you. It's not physically OK. OK.

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Sex in the City.

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So I would like to announce that this is even happening with Kim Cattrall. OK, I'm glad that we have a platform to talk about the most important message of our time, which is that I don't even care about this. Well, Kim Cattrall, I don't care.

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So if you have been living under a rock or, I don't know, preoccupied with what's going on in the country, which is totally acceptable, Sex and City is doing a reboot. It's not even called Sex the City because it can't be called Sex in the City, because it's about three married ladies called the City, though, it's called. And just like that. Oh, so, yeah, it's going to be an HBO Max. Obviously, I'll be so shady if they just like they were just like Hulu, Ashley's favorite platform.

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When there's a first season show, it takes me ten minutes to even find it within the interface. OK, so Samantha is not going to be in it. I'm not going to use their I'm using their other their character. The romance is just going to be in it. You know what I think? I think that you and I talk a lot about like Miranda because like the joke with Miranda is that we all like to Miranda when we were watching it twenty years ago or 15 years ago, ten years ago or whatever, and then we realized we like loved Miranda.

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I still at the end of the day, Samantha is the snack head of the body, like Samantha is the most sex positive. She's the most girls got to eat approved character. She's the best one. You know, crazy sex stuff came came from the normalization. She dated a woman just out of nowhere. She had sex for her pleasure with whoever she wanted. Her orgasm was always a priority. And on top of that, I relate with Samantha, with her.

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She was dating younger guys, even though I'm not going anywhere. And she didn't want to have children. And she chose herself over a relationship. And I think that goes without saying that she is the most closely aligned with what we do for a living. I would say, like if I looked at who changed my life the most growing up like that gave me permission to do certain things that I never would have done. It probably is the character of Samantha Jones.

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Yes, I'm like a Miranda Stan. I like love her and I love the message. And I but the person that really made me think about the world differently wasn't like this girl who moved to New York about Louboutins writing one one column a week. It was Samantha Jones, Samantha Jones. It's just and so I don't know how they're going to address it like they are. They need to address it. I mean, Samantha, I mean, I love Kim Cattrall.

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She's like, it's over, guys, it's over me. Maybe cast me with the woman of color. Just throw somebody else in there, give a little diversity on the show.

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Like I feel the same in that it's over. So, like, you know me, I love the first movie. Of course, some of it hasn't aged, but it's an older movie. I was like 08. The second movie was garbage. I pretend it doesn't happen. So to me, the the whole series ended with the end of the first movie. The the second movie was absolute garbage. And I think that should have let us all know that, like, this is over, like it's time has passed.

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That being said, of course I'm going to watch it. I don't want to shit on it. I like the idea of a show about women in their 50s. I just love the normalizing of like these three friends and they're in their fifties and they're living their best life, assuming that's going to be the tone. So I like that. I just don't know what the tone is going to be. I'm excited to see I don't want to shit all over it.

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I hate this man is not a part of it. I kind of feel like, again, the series is over for me, but I want to see what they do with it. But like, I don't know, it's like it was Sex in the City. It was these women in their thirties, in their forties, like running around the city and like, you know, I don't care. He's not going to be in a fucking bra running around Manhattan.

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Like, that's what I like. You know, my hope is that it is this continuation of like Carrie is one of the few characters and Samantha, like, didn't have children that I saw represented, like on television that just like she had this fulfilling life, she didn't have kids. So, like, maybe they'll really lean into that because, like, I think that, you know, one person said this to me out of the hundreds of e-mails we got from our beautiful lives about not.

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Kids, one person like, well, your life is good now, but what about your 50s? And I would love to see representations of women in their 50s that have these amazing lives without kids, because there's so much more to do. I just again, that's why I have mixed feelings. I love the idea of a show about these friends in their 50s living great lives and happy, fulfilling lives, especially if some of them, if one of them or whoever doesn't have children.

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But like it's just like Sex and City. This isn't how I want to remember it. You know, I just it's not the same show and also, like, is big still in it. Like for a minute they were talking about killing him off. And I'm not trying to get morbid here. I would like big to die and carry to date again. And that's what I want to see, is Big Dies carries this little widow. She's out in the Manhattan dating men and she's dating 30 year olds and she's a 40 year old and she's dating six year olds and she's dating divorces and other widows and like that's the show I want big gone.

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And maybe she can find somebody who's not avoid it. And a complete fuck boy, the worst mess. You guys go go back and listen. Ah, fuck you. Carrie Bradshaw episode. It's one of my favorites, one of our earliest episodes. You can go back and find it. He and their relationship are one of the worst messages to women we have ever seen. And then the movie, the movie, he leaves her at the altar and he sends, what, like four emails as she takes him back.

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We literally the least effort of all time ever an email. Yeah. And we again, we deep drove on all this. Fuck you. Carrie Bradshaw is a twenty eighteen episode. Just scroll down. You'll see it pop right out it you fuck. Carrie Bradshaw stole some of our best work still to date. Our first bonus episode. I think so. I remember at the end, just like coming all over myself, I felt good. I'm so proud of us.

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But we we deep dive on all this. And so, you know, Carrie, she can have some redemption if she breaks up with or he dies and she finds somebody new. That's all I that's all I care. Wants to watch this relationship. I don't want to. I'm done with this relationship. Yeah. It's twenty, twenty one. We're getting treated better. Yeah. I'm done with it.

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And I mean it's just it's like I watch Sex the City still to this day it's always on its reruns are always on and you just relate to them more than ever. Like, you know, I started watching the show, what I was what am I in my twenties, I guess, early twenties lately, like late teens even. It came out maybe. And so then it was like that I was their age, you know what I mean? And then I was and then it was like so much more relatable.

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And I was like, oh, my God, I feel this is such a deep level. Like, the show is actually so realistic. I'm dating some of these men. We've we've dated these men, you know, and it's like it's just not going to be as relatable to me anymore. Women that are in their fifties and to you know, some of them have children, they're married. So it's just it's less relatable. And that's not to say that I'm not glad they're doing it, because I still I like the I like the concept.

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I mean, listen, we're going to watch it. We're going to watch it. But it's just like are we going to feel like I just want to see, like, put on a bra and go to the bodega? Well, listen, you know, remember when you were the broad of the bodega. Yeah. You got all the time. You think about all of our efforts all the time.

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I want to like I just I mean, you know, that like I think you're more empathetic to your more sympathetic to reboots. I don't want any of them like I don't want, say, by the bell reboot. I don't want two and a reboot. Look, let's make new shows. And I don't even mind. I kind of think it's cute when they, like, take the old characters and they're suddenly like the principal of school or something.

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But I, I don't know, make a new show and call it something different. I'm just not like a huge reboot person. One hundred percent. I'm with you. I think we talked to this before. Like, give us like, you know, I think men have a lower standard of entertainment so they can watch Batman every fucking year with a different cast or whatever. But like, I think women deserve more. And, you know, I that's that's why the Charlie's Angels, like, was a fucking flop, because it was like nobody wanted it, you know, the third one, like the second one with Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu, like and Drew Barrymore, like.

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Great. But like the other one they just made recently, like it flopped at the box office because no one would have asked for you didn't even know existed. So I do think we like deserve new content. I think there are so many incredible shows like we talk about this. All these incredible shows are coming out. Like we have the capacity, we have the creatives, we have everything at our fingertips to make great new shows like look at fucking Bridgton.

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But yeah, like no one wanted this. Who why did you do this? And we would probably want it if Samantha was in it, because I do want to see Samantha and what she's doing now. She's the only one I fucking care about. I care about. Honestly, you burned to the ground for me after the first movie. And the second movie is an offense to my life right now. I've even happened. Can I tell you that I have ever said I watched the first movie Sex and City for the movie three times in the theater.

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You just I went to the you know, like not one day.

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I saw it once with my old boss.

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I had this a great boss. When I worked in PR. She brought us like in the middle of the day. The day came out that I saw with my friends, my my friends, friends, I mean, my work friends. And then I saw with a guy I was dating. I saw it three times in the theater and then I probably seen it, I don't know. Sixty seven times since the second one, I watched the theater.

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I was like, I'm going to pretend that never happened. I like if I could erase my memory like men in black style, I would pretend that never happened. I think I did do that. I think like, you know, you blacked out memory, as you described it. There were like traumatic, you know, having to go to therapy one day. And I'm going to be like, oh, my God, I remember I remember that that happened to me.

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OK, wow. OK, well, that, you know, we think about it when it comes out. Yeah. I do have one more, Rick, for you guys also on HBO, Max, because I can get it now on Roku. As of late last week, I watched The Undoing. Last night I watched all six episodes. I'm very excited for you to see it. It's a it really is a fantastic show. It's six one hour episodes.

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Nicole Kidman is this like Upper East Side? RATCH married to a doctor. She's a therapist. There is a murder of a parent in her children's school, this Upper East Side school. It happens the first like ten minutes of the show. So there's not like this. And then the the six episodes are about who did it. So there's all this really great character development, a lot of emotions. I feel like it's really realistic and finding out that your husband is not who you think that they are and.

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Certain friends are not who you think that they are, and I thought it was really well done and really I'm actually like, I might watch it again, I thought it was really fantastically done. So I'm not surprised. I actually haven't heard anyone that didn't love it, like my parents, both my parents, like everybody I've ever talked to. So I will tell you, I am like weirdly saving it. Like, I think it's like I have this thing that I have a watch and I'm just like, I want to save it for like the right moment.

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So I do plan on watching it. What I started was a recommendation from some of our listeners after we've I feel like they have a feel for what I like after all the recommendations. And they recommended the wilds on Amazon, its Amazon show. And it's these this group of high school girls that they're playing Rex, and they're on this deserted island. And then I really don't want to give anything away. There's a crazy twist and it's a little darker.

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It's not happy. It's not funny. It's not like light and funny. It's shot really dark, too. Like I did turn the lights down in my apartment just like see what was going on. But I'm like I three episodes in every episode is told from one of the different girl's point of view. And I'm like really into it. Yeah. So they sit them down. They're kind of being like not interrogated, they're being questioned on like what the fuck happened and you'll see why.

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But thank you guys that recommended that to me. I am enjoying it. Cool. I think we make a good recommendation side for this coming week through our budget and in their tail. OK, yeah.

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The only other thing I do have a date tonight. He just confirmed that we're good for seven. I love you. You always say allegedly. But I'm excited. I say allegedly until I'm there face to face with the person because you just never know. No, this is a person that is older than me. Listen, there's nothing I love more than saying you're going to do a thing and then doing it so it won't work out because it's an update.

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And the Berger said, yeah, because I don't do it. But no, I just I said I was going to do it. I'm doing it. I'm proud of you. And he's a hot girl. We said, all right.

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So we'll do the update on next week's episode. Yeah. This week we have a really exciting episode for you guys. We have a peloton instructor that Ashley and I both really, really love. We're talking about confidence, body image. We talk a little bit about loss with her. She really is so phenomenal. And I love that we really focused this episode. We've recorded it already on just being really confident, just liking yourself rather than weight loss.

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Yeah. And, you know, I think some some people can be sensitive to weight loss and how to lose weight, which is fine. You know, we think you should love your body at any size. It's just it's what works for you, you know what I mean? Like, I. I think however, whatever size you are, you should love yourself. And if you're not happy with yourself, then you should do something to make a change.

[00:25:46]

We always say that, you know what I mean? So I think some people sometimes people can think like weight loss can be kind of like triggering like in effect in a fat shaming way. And I you know, I don't feel like that. I think people should be able to share their journeys because people do want to get fit and lose weight and we can offer them those tools. So we have a little bit of that. If that feels triggering to you, then then maybe this isn't that episode for you.

[00:26:06]

But she had a big weight loss and she talks about it and she just shares her story and that's that. So at the end of the day, we're all about love yourself no matter what. Take up as much space as you want, live your truth. But for those of you who want to hear those types of stories about Body Transformation's, she shares hers. Yeah. So I hope you guys love the episode. We're really excited to have her and she is really just such a light.

[00:26:27]

So she's oh my God, she's incredible. She really loved her. She'll be our friend. Before we get into it, we're just going to take a couple of our partners and jump right in with what's today. OK, I'm telling you guys about Daily Harvest's. I literally just finished a smoothie. I had the Vanilla Kakao, which is when I get usually every week. So we're in a new year. I have been daily harvesting for quite some time.

[00:26:50]

But if you're kind of wanting to take better care of yourself and your health, it really could not be easier with daily harvest. They have been one thing that really makes me feel better about myself in my day. I start every day, usually with a daily harvest smoothie. I start every Monday with the Mitton Kakao smoothie. You guys know this and you're starting to do it to attack me. That's why I love to see it. And if you're not familiar with the brand, which if you listen, girls got to eat, you definitely are but will tell you about it anyway.

[00:27:11]

Daily Harvest delivers delicious food, all built on organic fruits and vegetables right to your door. It takes literally minutes to prepare and you never to think twice. The food you're eating is good for you. So they have smoothies, they have flatbreads, they have harvest bowls and soups. They have little dessert bites. And then they have their first ever plant based milk collection, starting with almond milk. And they spell it milk, which is pronounced milk.

[00:27:34]

And it's made of only almonds and a dash of sea salt. That's it. So that's like a good milk. If you guys are into that kind of thing, you're trying to stay away from dairy so you can even use that in the smoothies or you can put a splash in your morning coffee however you want to do it. So I just love when they're releasing new products. I always get super excited, but we yeah. I mean, I get the smoothies every week.

[00:27:52]

I love them in Kakao. I love the strawberry peach, the banana black sesame. We love the harvest bowls pesto, cauliflower grits, brussel sprouts, tahini but I don't know lentil like or whatever I like a lot because I'm like OK, what am I going to add to the soups.

[00:28:08]

Oh we love them. We're just yeah. We love them so much. They're committed to minimising their environmental impact. They're in the process of transitioning to 100 percent compostable, recyclable plant based and renewable for. I repackaging we love that, too, and it's really just undeniably delicious clean food without any of the crap you guys, it's so easy. The smoothies you pour in your your milk or your your liquid of choice, you just stick in the blender.

[00:28:29]

The harvestable, you just put them in a pan. They're ready in like three minutes. We're not getting the fiber take a little bit longer, but everything is just super quick and easy and you don't have to think I've always said this before. Like I would always struggle with like what to do for lunch and then I'd be starving. Then I'd have to run out, get something. I have to order something to eat and keep a bunch of food in my fridge.

[00:28:43]

So this is like change my life for the better. But you guys already know that if you listen to girl's got to eat. But we want to give you guys a discount so you can get started today, go to daily harvest dotcom and enter promo code to get twenty five dollars off your first box. That's promo code GGGI for twenty five dollars off your first box at Daily Harvest Dotcom Daily Harvest Dotcom. Do something nice for your body guys. We love to harvest so much.

[00:29:07]

Keep tagging us and all of your cute photos and talking about another great thing you can do for your body is a function of beauty I am obsessed with since we learned about this product. OK, it is the most customizable beauty solution for your hair I have ever seen. No one's hair is. Everybody's hair is individual, right? There's no one size fits all. It is the best company you go on their website. I do. It's incredibly customizable and they do shampoo.

[00:29:33]

They do conditioner, lotion, hair, mass serum's. But basically to start, you go on the website, you take a quick quiz about your hair goals so you can choose all kinds of different things. But we're going to start with he's talking about what you want. Do you want to lengthen your hair? Do you want to condition it better? Do you want to control fres, oil, etc.? It customize is a formula for you. Then you're going to pick the color, then you're going to pick the fragrance.

[00:29:53]

I chose Pink and Rose and I love it. You pick what the bottle says, mindset's function of rain on every single thing. I am obsessed that they blend everything for you together. It's a completely customized formulated to order for you order. They deliver personalized formulas to you and then oh my God, all the packaging is so beautiful. Comes with pumps, stickers. It's amazing. It's a gift. There's detailed instruction cards describing exactly what kind of hair care regimen you guys should be using.

[00:30:18]

And then in terms of what's actually in the bottle, they only use clean ingredients. All the formulas are vegan and cruelty free. They don't use sulphates, parabens or harmful ingredients. I really, really love this product. I have been using the shampoo, the conditioner, my hair looks great. I've been using the hair mask twice a week. My hair has never felt this way in my entire label. I mean, you've had a complete transformation on your hair of yours so much that hair here.

[00:30:41]

I put the mask in my hair before I work out a lot in the mornings. I want my hair a little bit. I put the hair mask in and work out for half an hour. It makes my sweat smell really good. And then I just take a shower and my hair comes out so soft and has never felt like this before. So I love it. I am really honestly sold for life. I love the look. I love I feel I love the smell.

[00:30:58]

I love all of it. I'm I don't know what you guys are waiting for, but go to a function of beauty dotcom. Agree to take your quiz and save twenty percent on your first haircare order. That's go to a function of beauty. Dotcom agreed to let them know you heard about it from our show and you get twenty percent off your hair order. That is a function of beauty, dotcom ciggy. And as always, you can get all those codes on our website Girlguiding podcast, dot com website for shopping, Mirch episodes, everything.

[00:31:26]

OK, let's get into it with tuned in. And I'm so excited, guys. We have a very special guest in the House studio with us today. We are excited to welcome it. She is a former makeup artist turned Palatine instructor who in her free time works with Speak, a project she started which aims to elevate the voices of those dealing with adversity. Ashley and I are huge fans of her cycling class. We love her style. We love her ad lib.

[00:31:49]

We love her play. And just your overall positive and powerful vibe that she brings to literally all of her classes. Please welcome to the studio. Please welcome to the studio to day. Oh, you name. Can you just follow me around?

[00:32:01]

And when I'm having a down day, repeat all of that. Yes, I realize I smiled, rubbed cheek to cheek. That was beautiful. Thank you. Thank you for being here.

[00:32:13]

Well, you really elevate elevate us and our role for me in the morning for Ashley in the afternoon with your class. Yeah. Thank you. Thanks for thanks for writing with me. Yeah. I took my first I mean I'm new ish to peloton. So my first class that I took of yours was the Beyonce class with Alex. And I was like, who is this woman? I was like, I was she is bossing him around for one.

[00:32:38]

And I was like, her energy is I when I cried the whole thing, like it was just and then I went to your Instagram and I was just like, screenshot it. And sunny pictures, everybody. I'm like, do we all know her? Who is this. What who is she? Like it was you. I just just love everything about Beyoncé.

[00:32:53]

Two for one ride with Alex, who will forever go down as one of my favorite favorite rides to teach. But he and I have such a great friendship that, you know, I can yell like that on stage and know and he knows. It's just all in good fun. But yeah, so much fun. Well, it was incredible. You were just like get up. Like it's the most I mean you are like in the middle of this monologue.

[00:33:14]

It's so beautiful. I'm crying, everyone's crying. And you look at him and you all get up. And he was like, what? And you're were like he was just like, OK, like it was just it was so much girl power and it was like porn to watch, it was a porn. I was like telling my friends, like, you could log in and just watch it if you want. If you don't have the bike like you should, just why should I watched?

[00:33:31]

I took the class and I listened to the class.

[00:33:34]

You know, it's funny. That's definitely a class that I too I just played it back to those big moments like that. It's almost like the class is over here. I looked at each other when the class was over and we're like, wait, did that just happen? Because 30 minutes in real time feels like 30 seconds when you're doing something that you're so excited to. And there was so much hype around it before we went into it. And so, yeah, it was one that I definitely I had to watch it back to see what happened.

[00:33:59]

Like, wait, what did we say? What did we do? So you blacked out? We feel like that we had we go on stage, we get off stage and we're like, was that good or bad? Like, you know, it was, you know, but we want to hear everything about you. Obviously, I and I have independent journeys of palletized, but she really got me into Palatine. It really has changed my life.

[00:34:21]

And so we're really excited to have you here and just hear about how you got into this, how you changed your body and just changed your career and everything that you've done.

[00:34:29]

Girl OK, that's like how long do we have on the time? So let's let's start with you. Let's focus it. You are you're from Texas. You're from Houston, Texas, originally. Were you born here or. I'm from Houston, Texas.

[00:34:42]

Both my parents were born in Nigeria, hence the name. So I'm a first generation American descendant of two Nigerians, originally from Houston, Texas, moved from Texas to L.A., Los Angeles.

[00:34:57]

When I was like, I think twenty or twenty. I think I had a fake ID you guys, to be very transparent. Sometimes I can't remember how old I really was when I got to L.A. or what my my fake I.D. said. But I think I was twenty or twenty one when I moved to L.A. I was there for eleven, eleven or twelve years and then the older I get the foggier all of this becomes. But I think I was there for about eleven or twelve years.

[00:35:23]

And then I moved to the great state of New York in June of two thousand and nineteen.

[00:35:32]

I had to think about that one. OK, what brought you here. Culliton All right.

[00:35:38]

So you moved for a job. And I know that you have a I have to stop saying the word journey. We say it kind of in jest. Like, I hate that I hate you. Attorney is like blast. Like, it's all just those words are just so you know. But it's sometimes the only appropriate word to use. But yeah, you change careers to move here. That was your journey.

[00:35:56]

It was a journey like there's no other word for it. I think that when people look at success, they think it's a straight, you know, straight line to the top. But I see Journey because when you're on a journey, when you're on a quest, you're going somewhere. You think you're going in the wrong direction, then you start to get lost. Then you pivot, then you're going again, and then you think you're going the right direction.

[00:36:16]

Not only do you get lost, but you're like you rewound and gone backwards. So it's been a journey to get here.

[00:36:23]

There's no there's no straight line about it. Well, let's I guess let's talk about your physical journey. Yeah. You know, I'm told this story a few times that I actually love telling the story because I think that, you know, when so I spent a good portion of my life being happy and being overweight. And I think that when people see fitness people, they just think, oh, that person's just like fit. Like, it comes naturally to them.

[00:36:46]

They eat whatever they want or they love eating a really clean or working out like they love doing all that, you know. And so I love like coming from the other side of that story, if you will, and being able to relate and connect with people who are on their fitness journey. I'm still on my journey. I think it's something that never ends. You continue to to work at it to be stronger and better in that way. But yeah, I, I, I always I love voicing to people like.

[00:37:17]

No, like none of this comes naturally for me. There are days when I think the last thing that I want to do is work out. There is one last thing I want to do is eat anything green. And so like I said, I'm originally from Houston, Texas, spent a good chunk of my life struggling with my weight, a good chunk of my life overweight. I've always been I'm going to I would say I'm a very outgoing person.

[00:37:40]

I don't think I would say I was very shy. But I remember even then when I was heavier, I was like the most introverted, outgoing person. I don't know if that's a real thing, but yeah, inside of me, I knew that I wasn't quiet inside of me. I knew I wasn't shy. However, I had an exterior that I, I was trying to hide. I never laughed too loud because I felt like if I laughed too loud, people would notice I was there.

[00:38:10]

And if I they noticed that I was there, they would notice how big I was. I love I still. I love dancing like. I'm good at it, but I love doing it. No, you are. You danced your way through the night.

[00:38:24]

And I remember, like, I'd be at home with my brothers and my cousins on a Sunday and we'd be watching Sunday or Saturday, whatever day it came on, we'd be watching Soul Train and we'd in the house we'd line up. When we do the Soul Train dance, we'd have so much fun. And then I would go to a party with my friends and people would get up to dance. And I was sitting there like desperately wanting to get up and join the circle or the line of people dancing.

[00:38:49]

But I did because I felt like if I danced, they would notice I was there and they noticed I was there. They would notice how big I was. And so it was like this person in me that was has always been there. I haven't changed. I, I am just more free in expressing myself now because I feel I feel more confident. I set out to lose weight. I wanted to lose 70 pounds. I did that, which is awesome.

[00:39:16]

And I salute anybody whose goal is to to lose weight within their journey. But for me, what I found and I think what many people find within this, again, that word journey is that I set out to lose something. I set out to lose how many times I did that. But that's just one thing that I lost weight. What I gained was so much more. What I gained was so much more fruitful. It was so much more abundant.

[00:39:40]

I gained confidence. I gained a sense of purpose. I gained relationships and friendships. I gained trust in myself. I gained belief in myself. Losing weight is really, really, really hard. And honestly, I did it at an age I did at a young age where it's hard to stick to anything when you're young. And to me, it showed me, like girls, just like there are times what I'm going through, hard things, truly.

[00:40:05]

And I say to myself, I'm like, oh my God, if I did that, I can do this. Like, you can do this. You've done you've done tougher. And, you know, I, I, I found confidence or I gained confidence. I gained a sense of strength, like doing push ups, like throwing heavy weights on your shoulders and squatting and deadlifts like that makes you feel good. I said this before, but I'll say it again, like when I put weights in my hand to me, wait, wait.

[00:40:36]

That's a confidence booster. If I'm on a pad, peloton treadmill or a peloton bike, like I jump on that piece of hardware and it boosts my confidence. And so I, you know, I came to a place where I decided I have to let this no thing go because that number, that scale, that little thing, that demon thing, I'll call it, it likes to rule you. You feel really great about yourself. You feel really great about your progress.

[00:41:01]

And you step on the scale. And the scale says that you lose a weight and you're like, yeah, I feel so good. And then a week goes by and, you know, you've been crushing it for seven days, eating all the things that the people tell you to eat. People say to eat this and that, and you're trying all the things and you're doing it. And then you're working out you're working out extra more than what people said you should do.

[00:41:18]

You feel great. And then you step on the scale and the scale says that you're going in the opposite direction. You feel great. And then you step on that thing. And that thing has the ability to redirect your energy in the way that you feel. And so I threw that thing out a long time ago and I don't want to drink. I'm like, oh, I want to, you know, deadlifts X amount more this week or like those are the goals that that that I seek.

[00:41:43]

And so I look for what I can gain versus things I'm trying to lose.

[00:41:47]

The thing that is really inspiring to me about you and how I want to learn is like I want to I want to learn to be fit for I sit by somebody who fought to get there, like not somebody that the message is like, I'm just like this, you know, I'm just like this. I love working out amazingly, personally for me at least to motivate me. I want to know that somebody like, fought their way there and like, could stick to it.

[00:42:06]

And it's soft and it's not always fun. And eating this way isn't always fun. And like, yeah, the scale doesn't always show you what you want to see. And personally, like on my body, I'm the same way I've now I have a skill on the floor. I've never put batteries in it. I don't want to you know, I know that like my clothing fits differently. I have less cellulite than I used do. Things are tighter and that the classes aren't as hard as they used to be.

[00:42:26]

And that's my measure. Not that in the classes aren't.

[00:42:29]

That's a good one. The classes aren't as hard as they used to be. I love that.

[00:42:33]

Yeah, I, I got Wade yesterday. I just, I went to the gyno and I was like, I have not been on a scale since the last time I was at the gyno. Like it's just I don't I don't believe in like in scale's and every scale's different also. And like I was then I was like in the room by myself and I just like moved it to a different place on the floor just to prove to myself. And it was different.

[00:42:49]

Like, they're just right. They never tell the truth. But, you know, I, I, I love you said I think there's you know, today we have such a body positivity movement, which I love and I appreciate it. And I think that, like any woman should be confident in her size at whatever she feels that she loves her body in. And I think that, like, you shouldn't be scared to get up and dance because you think you're too big.

[00:43:10]

You know, you should just do it. But for you, it was about how you wanted to feel. And that's how I feel. You know, I'm. Like, this is how I feel comfortable, and I think everybody should love the body they're in, and if they want to change it, they should be able to change it, you know? So I just think that it doesn't mean that, like, thin and fit is good and being overweight is bad.

[00:43:28]

It's just like how, you know, you want to feel right. And unfold and live your life. When I started, I didn't start for a feeling. I started because I wanted to lose weight. Right. And then at some point, because I think first I said, I want to lose X amount in the next month, then you're hitting these goals and you're like, OK, well, I'm still not happy. Let me go for five more.

[00:43:48]

OK, let me go for ten more. OK, well, if I can just lose two more, I'll be happy. And then it was like this endless thing that you're chasing that you the joy never comes. My my not New Year's resolution but my New Year thought my new year in detention, if you will, is I don't want my ambition to rob me of my current blessing. I don't want my ambition to rob me of my current joy.

[00:44:13]

And I think of like, you know, you're working, you're trying to build these things. You have goals that you're trying to attain or that you're aspiring towards.

[00:44:22]

And you forget to just enjoy where you are. Like you built everything around. You built this for you. Like at what point do you say, oh, my gosh, look at what I done. Like I started here and like, look at what I done in the same thing, goes back with with your body, like rather than just thinking, oh my God, I have to lose fifteen pounds, I have to lose fifteen pounds.

[00:44:41]

Do you know how many people would kill to be in the body that you're in like or at what point you either think that or you think wow I know I really want to lose fifteen more pounds but look at where I am today and look at how hard I work today and look how strong I feel today. And so I think it's all about like mindset and rechanneling that. I was actually talking to a friend the other day and we were talking about Serena Williams and Serena Williams is.

[00:45:06]

The most athletic and say woman, she's the most athletic human on the planet, and she's not a size two and it's like her big legs acquit her with the power to play the sport that she plays so well. And it's like I was talking to a friend. I was like, gosh, I wish like I'd seen her. I'd seen that when I was little, like someone like just in their fullness and loveliness and lightness. And I said, I wish that I saw that.

[00:45:36]

So I saw that image is like something that I wanted to attain to. And, you know, I was just talking to her. We were talking about something. I was like, you know, I'm never going to be a size zero and all this stuff. And she said, you know, your position and what you do with peloton, you have the ability to be that for someone else. Like I have what I call a real body, like a muscular.

[00:45:56]

Sure. But at the end of the day, it looks like a body of a human being that, you know. So it's also nice to like to know. OK, well, maybe there's somebody who's taking this class right now that says, wow, she's a real human like and that is Seena's as she's a real human, she's strong. And perhaps that's seen as like something that hopefully inspires someone to just love the body that they're in and just get stronger in it.

[00:46:24]

Yes, we love that.

[00:46:25]

And thank you for sharing your story. We're going to continue this conversation, but we're just going to take one quick break to talk about our other partners for this episode.

[00:46:34]

Hey, thanks for having me. Thanks for being here. We are so excited.

[00:46:37]

OK, and obviously that's the hair. Anybody that has any I mean, what what is your nationality? I'm Chinese. You're Chinese, OK. Any thing this Asian is the best hair you'll ever have like that. Just the white on white is just not going to do it. Like all my friends are, like I'm half Asian. I'm like, of course you are. Your skin is perfect. Your hair is perfect. Must be nice. Yeah.

[00:46:58]

I had to clarify that this is another white girl up in here taking my hair crown. I can't believe my parents had the nerve to breed with another white person. I'm just I'm going to age terribly. There's nothing interesting looking about me. It's just like I am in my thirties. I will. Look, I'm fifty. I'm sorry. We didn't know we're going to open with, like, race stuff. But anyway, I was triggered and I'll take the compliment on the hair.

[00:47:21]

Your hair is incredible, but I do want you to talk a little about what you do, because I'm speaking with you. You're very clinical about the way you speak about love and relationships. You've researched this. I thought you were a psychiatrist when I was talking to you on the phone and you're not. So how did you, like, amass this type of how did you become you talk about who you are? Yeah. So ever since I was a little girl, I was able to master everything, friendships and career.

[00:47:46]

Yeah. The high achieving Asian. But the one thing I couldn't figure out was love. And so I set out to do what every, you know, high achieving Asian does, which is I'm going to study the shit out of this. And so I am a relationship columnist at the age of twenty five. And I just dived into the science and the psychology of relationships because heartache after heartache, I couldn't figure it out.

[00:48:12]

OK, so you started writing about dating and relationships and then your story is really we talk about her story first. I'm dying to hear it again. I think I gave me the the briefing and I mean, I'd heard I had heard of you before we talked to you, but I don't know the whole story. I obviously haven't heard from you. So I am dying to hear your break story, Amy. Yeah. The catalyst for how you built this incredible business.

[00:48:38]

Totally. So I always had the mentality of date date to marry. I mean, I would think I was dating to marry till from the age of like twelve. And then I finally thought my dreams were coming true. I fell madly in love with a guy living in Vancouver and we had our life set. We were going to eventually have children together. He was a business guy. We even talked about the fact that when we had kids, I would just write as a hobby.

[00:49:09]

So everything was set out for me. And this plan and this dream that I had vied for since I was a little girl was finally coming true. And then one day that reality of mine came crashing down. And through infidelity, our relationship broke apart. And when the relationship fell apart, I completely fell apart. I was so young minded at the time that I put pretty much all of my identity in him and in us. And when I didn't have that, I didn't know who I was.

[00:49:37]

And not only was I mourning the loss of our relationship, I was mourning the loss of the future and this plan that I held on to for dear life and it was bad. I fell into depression, thoughts of suicide, and I thought I was going absolutely crazy.

[00:49:53]

Yeah, well, really, I'm just getting, like, really emotional because I just feel like your story is so many people's story.

[00:49:58]

OK, I fully cry. I know I see the tears and, you know, just thinking of our listeners, like there's girls listening to this and they're. That are like, oh, my God, that's my story. Yeah, I just had a panic attack last night, you know what I mean? Totally. And it's how old were you? I was twenty nine when it happened, which is like.

[00:50:19]

Right. You're like, oh, I'm about to be thirty. I'm going to marry this guy and then we're going to have a family. And then of course and conversely, like, I can't have to start over at this age. Right. Girls are like I was my thought anyways.

[00:50:30]

Yeah. And and yeah. This idea that I did my time, my prime on you, how unjust, unfair the universe was. I remember like in a fit of another panic attack, crying and asking God or universe or whoever was out there and like how unfair this is. Like I volunteer, I donate to charity. Why is this happening to me? And whatever happened to me, I can now look back in retrospect. And that was the best thing that has ever happened to me.

[00:50:59]

It took me quite a while to get back on my feet and I tried everything therapy, yoga, retreats, meditation, psychic's. And it wasn't until about a year and a half later where kind of everything clicked and I shifted. Yeah, I love this notion that you, like, pause to say, like, I have goals in the future, but like, let's be proud of what today is, because I think it I mean, obviously, this is a dating podcast.

[00:51:22]

I think it really informs the way that you show up in the world when you are with your friends at your job, but also in the dating world and just your confidence in general. And if every day you're just saying to yourself, I have 15 more to go before I'm happy, then I don't know that you ever become happy. You know, and if you just say, like, I'm so proud of, like, this specific thing today, I think it'll inform, like, your confidence and, you know, in the world and then dating.

[00:51:45]

I'd love to talk about how you think that this is your confidence and has connected to dating. You know, how you feel and how you feel today. Girlfriend, considering my dating life is nonexistent, there's really not a lot to talk about. Yeah, everyone know everyone's dating life is sorry. I just mean, like, you know, if you do you remember in high school or feeling big or how you how you appeared, you know, romantically versus now, do you feel like you're more confident?

[00:52:07]

Do you feel like you're the same amount of confidence. Yeah. Pre pandemic even we can believe the pandemic out of it. Yeah, it's a tough question. I didn't date in high school. I didn't have a boyfriend until I was in college. And yeah, I think I don't know that any of it has to do with size, honestly, as a factor. I think it's just I'm thirty five years old.

[00:52:28]

I think it's just like just stepping into my woman ness, owning my womanliness. I think. Yes, with working out and living a healthier lifestyle. I've gained confidence and I've gained a sense of power. And by power I don't mean like how much I can squat or bench press, but power, meaning like I define power is like when you're doing something in alignment, like that tingly feeling that you're that you get when you're doing the thing you love, like, for example, the tingly feeling that you get when you do a podcast.

[00:52:59]

Right. You just love doing it. It feels so good. And you finish you like. Yeah, I wish I could just feel like this all the time I gained. I was I've been able to tap into that and access that feeling as I become more confident, as I step more into myself.

[00:53:15]

And so yeah, I think my relationship, my nonexistent relationship with my relationship with the relationship of the activity of dating, I think that has I think I've gained more confident confidence in that because I've been able to step into my purpose and my power more. Love it.

[00:53:35]

Yes. Go off. And I just have another personal question. Do you prefer to date people in the fitness world or does it not matter to you? Not at all. We don't we don't we don't date comedians. So we I don't I know I ship you and Alex, but I mean, if you guys don't date, it's fine. It's like I hate to crush America's dreams. I know Alex is my friend. He's a very nice guy.

[00:54:02]

Yes. He is also very handsome. And yes, we are very much only friends. Oh, do people ask you that a lot? I have no idea. Even my close friends, believe it or not, that I do like to hire people. They have to be like, yeah, no, no. He's he's he's a lovely guy, though. He's super. He's like, he's the best. He's a brother to me. He's always it's funny because he's younger than me.

[00:54:23]

So he's like my little brother, but he's incredibly wise. So he's like my literal little older brother, which is very interesting. But yeah, no, I know there's a lot of people that a lot of instructors fitness people that do not date people in the fitness industry. I'm neither here nor there. It is not a pre it's not required is not a prerequisite, nor is it a deterrent. Do you need to workout? I mean, I think in general, I think people I think that, you know, in relationships when you have common interests, I think that that can always be just a great fundamental thing for me.

[00:54:58]

I think it is important that someone understand the value of leading an active and healthy. Lifestyle, so that for me, it's really attractive. Yeah, it's funny because Rayna used to say, like she never used to work out and she was like, I couldn't disagree. That worked out every day and now she works out every day. It's like I just wonder, like, have you changed? You know, look at how many guys you've turned away.

[00:55:22]

Call them sober. Let's start the interview process over.

[00:55:29]

I mean, I've always wanted to date a person that likes to be active, you know, like I've never wanted to date a person I like. Their idea of a fun Saturday is like lay in bed, told to we act like a piece of shit. We order a bunch of food. I mean, sometimes it's bad. But you also don't want to do a Tough Mudder last year. And I was like, for this reason, I'm out.

[00:55:46]

So I think to your point, it's it's important to have a similar lifestyle. Of course, I want my partner to, like, take care of themselves. I would never date a person to complain about anything in their life consistently didn't change it. So if someone doesn't like their body, I'd be like you. You need to get on this bike. Yeah. Before I think I would have dated somebody had to get up every morning and run.

[00:56:06]

At least I understand it a little bit more like I, I stayed with my brother and me. Him and his wife all worked out this like on a Saturday morning together. And I was like, this is like a fun activity together. I don't know that I say that.

[00:56:17]

Well, I love that you just said that. And I think for me, part of that is I work out and I work out a lot and I love to work out. And I know I said earlier, like, I don't want to work out every day, all the time. Don't get me wrong, there's times I don't wanna work out. But in general, I love the way that working out makes me feel it yields high reward. So I do it right.

[00:56:35]

Right. I need a partner that's going to get that.

[00:56:38]

So somebody is like, I don't get it. Like when I'm like if I'm like, oh my God, I really just need to go for a run and then I'll feel so much better. I need my partner to be like, oh my God, yes, please go run so that you could come back and be a better human rights, hopefully a better human for you and to you.

[00:56:54]

If you let me get this thirty minutes in real quickly. So it's like Raina will be like I'll start like, like tweaking out like spirally and she's like, you need to go, you need to go to yoga, you need to go find it. Like when we used to go on the road, she's like, you need to go to the gym, see if there's a Peladon in there and get your shit right. Right. I just I wanted to just ask one quick question.

[00:57:13]

I mean, we you kind of gave us a macro overview of your of your journey, but was fitness kind of the catalyst with with the weight loss and the body transformation? Did you kind of like find fitness or was it just everything, fitness, diet, all of it? It was all of it.

[00:57:27]

It was like eating right. Like, I mean, I had all brothers growing up, three boys, and I was the only girl and they played football. I just ate. When my brother is eight, we would go to Donalds and like, you know, you get like the Burger King, you get like the number five, the whopper, the fries, a drink. We didn't even do that. We would just go and get like two or three whoppers each.

[00:57:47]

And like that was like I didn't I didn't know. And I think so much of it is just like not like not knowing when you know better, even better. And I just didn't know how to eat.

[00:57:57]

I think it was like ingrained in the culture. I grew up in the Midwest. We ate what we ate. My mom cooked dinner for us and my dad took us to Wendy's every other day. Know, I don't know that it was like cool or hip or there was a thousand Instagram accounts telling me how to eat healthy when I was growing up. Right. Well, I ask because we always say, like, you can probably find something you like doing physically.

[00:58:16]

You know, for me, my weight always fluctuated. And then when I finally started going to flywheel, this was in 2012, like it changed my life. I changed my body. It changed my life, obviously. Now that's that. Now it's peloton, which just, you know, no shade, but flywheels closed out. So it was it was this life changing thing, literally. It's so cheesy. But I like honestly think of my life and my mental state, like pre flywheel and post.

[00:58:39]

You know, it's like when it all changed, I found this thing that, like, turned into like therapy for me. And then it started and then I started to start starting doing more yoga, more bodies, whatever it is. But I became that a fitness person. And it just that there was like a before and and after before that I would run and do that, that type of thing. But it was like I found the thing that worked for me.

[00:58:58]

And I think you hear that all the time. And, you know, people like sometimes they feel weird to talk about it because, you know, they feel like other people will be like, oh, my God, it's not that deep. But it is. I mean, if you find a thing that actually kind of like changes your life, it's it's it's big. And I think that everybody can find that. And it's not cycling for everybody.

[00:59:14]

It might be something else, but there's a thing out there I know I agree with you.

[00:59:19]

And Peloton is not paying me to say this. However, I am on their payroll. So I guess maybe. But no, but in truth, truly, I always tell people, I say, if you don't like running, if I'm building a program for you, I'm not going to say go out and run the next marathon. You don't like running, like try cycling. If you don't like cycling, try palletize. And honestly, actually, I think that's the beauty of peloton so many people knows as a cycling company.

[00:59:45]

But we keep cycling. We have tried. We have spring training classes. We just introduced Pilates classes. We have family fitness classes. So you can work out with your kids. We have family meditation classes. You can meditate with your kids, you can do yoga, you can do bootcamp classes like literally like it really is has become this avenue where you can log into the. Whether you have the hardware or not, log into the digital app and from your home, from your phone, you can take a class with with one of our instructors.

[01:00:16]

And again, if you don't like something, don't force yourself to like it right now.

[01:00:22]

I used to hate writing. I actually really enjoy writing now. And I got into it, but I didn't start with running. Right. So find something you like to do. If you if you like dancing, for example, take our dance classes and then as you are feeling more confident and feeling like a stronger dancer, you know, getting your heart rate up with these dancing classes, then maybe you pick it and you say, let's see what's going on in this Pilates class and then from Pilates, maybe that leads you to to the bike.

[01:00:46]

So find something that you like to do because you will show up to your workout for the joy of that thing that you like to do.

[01:00:56]

If you draw enjoyment and you're not going to show up, find something you like to do. So you show up for the thing that you like you actually like to do.

[01:01:05]

I like this notion because I was like I looked at runners bodies and I was like, I want that body. And I tried to run. And I was like, I fucking hate this. I don't know how my body feels like shit. I don't enjoy this. I don't want I honestly, the getting dressed or walking out the door is the hardest part for me now. I wear I put on a pair of underwear and a bra and I workout and I actually found these guys on Instagram.

[01:01:27]

It's the Williams brothers and I started trying to learn their dances and like that this summer is how I started to like get into working out a little bit because I mean, everybody listens to show is heard me say it's like I, I started to hate my body. It was all consuming. So I thought about and talked about and I was like, let me do something. And then I found a time which has, like you said, so many different things.

[01:01:45]

So like I started with dancing and then I did a little bit of strength training and I was doing like squats. And then I began to liking the bike when I first got the bike. Yeah, you don't like it was the most expensive coatrack I have ever bought in my entire life. It just sat there and I was like, I don't like the way this feels. And then I bought like a Jocie cover and bike shorts and like, I made it a fun thing, but I love this.

[01:02:05]

I so I did want to ask, you know, how do we get people, you know, if they want to get into working out? I mean, not everybody has to like working out. Like, I asked if that's what you like to do. But, you know, I like this advice for how do I get into it? It's like I don't pick a thing. You like dance. Right. Can I also give you another ridiculous thing that helps, at least for me?

[01:02:21]

Yeah. When I get like if I feel like Chieu in my workout clothes, like like like you said, like the hardest thing is walking out the door for me, like days that I don't want to work out and out in my own house, nobody can see me. But days that I don't want to work out, like I'm just like, oh no, I don't wanna wear this. I don't feel that it is up.

[01:02:39]

But finally, when I put something on that I feel supported in and Q and I'm like, OK, let's get this low workout. And then afterwards you have like a little glissandi going. Maybe there was like an Instagram, a little selfie moment, but yeah. You know, it's just like I try to find just anything, anything that's going to make me look forward to getting that sweat.

[01:03:00]

And it's all it's all the things. It's the fucking water bottle I bought like this this top that like real. I don't have, like, large breasts, but it did something that some sort of sorcery. And I was down the time that this is where I got my own. I was on the one in our building and I and like in the glass, I was like, what are those titties? And I did like an Instagram story, like a boomerang.

[01:03:22]

They were bouncing. I remember myself, I was dancing. My DMS were lit. They were like, first of all, what is this? It was like a bra top. It was like a high, like a cropped up with a built in bra from beyond yoga. And it just I felt so like sexy, like, I don't know, it's just. And you've gotten a great workout that damn. Yeah. Yeah. But she got a good thirst trappin which is even more important some days you know, just do it.

[01:03:45]

I do this boomerang of myself stretching the other day. Let me tell you, it is the number one story I ever posted.

[01:03:50]

I just do it for the tribe. Yeah.

[01:03:52]

It's really true because I mean it's just so funny because I started I would go like in college, I would go on the elliptical, whatever at the gym, and we would just wear like Sophi shorts and a sorority t shirt. Like I'm like, what did we teach? This would show up in like non breathable cotton sheet. The older you get sometimes to, the more money you make. And so it's like, you know, you start you invest a little bit more and a little cute outfit here and there.

[01:04:16]

And so that's yeah. Yeah, I yeah. I used to roll up with whatever I slept in.

[01:04:19]

I was like and it's so funny. I'm like I was I just chafing in those. Sophie short shorts are not. But there's this guy that was on our show and he likes to workout and I should, I said each other has photos of him working out like how does he do in that outfit. Oh yeah. He works out like skin tight leggings, but like joggers, like they don't they look like they don't breathe. But you always say your mind is your strongest muscle, which we love.

[01:04:42]

And do you want to just kind of elaborate that and how that relates to to your life and how you share it with other people?

[01:04:47]

Ultimately, you're in a work, in a workout. Your body is already shown up and said, I can do this.

[01:04:56]

We know that for a fact, because you woke up today, right? You woke up and you move yourself out of the bed. And so, so much of it is all of the. Chatter of what's going on in here, we were just speaking about how, like running like running to me is one of those things that the first ten minutes of I ran yesterday, like the first 10 minutes of everyone. I am I'm trying to talk myself out of it.

[01:05:18]

I'm like, oh, no, no, these shorts, is that so that should be short. Like, oh, these sorts of writing up, you know what, this level shoe laces too tight. You know what? This scrunchy is no good. My hair is like. So I there's all these excuses that I'm making to myself of why I should just get off of this treadmill and just like not do this today. And there's something that happens after the first ten minutes of just the biomechanics of it, your body and your and your brain and all of it starts to work together.

[01:05:48]

And some of that internal dialogue that's saying, I can't I don't want to I don't need to today. I shouldn't. Today, all of that chatter begins to subside. And so ultimately, it's your mind that leads the muscle. Yeah. In a squat, your quad is the dominant muscle that moves. But what's stronger and what's more important than that quad, what activates and tells that quad to move is your mind. If your mind said throw the weight down, we're not into it today.

[01:06:14]

You're throwing it down. And so if you can come back when the workout gets to be too tough or at the start of the workout, when you really don't want to do it or before you even start to put the workout clothes on, if you can come and say so much of this is just dialogue, my body says that it can do it right now. I'm going to keep doing this workout and I'm going to push myself until my body actually physically begins to show me this is enough.

[01:06:36]

I'm going to this is enough for today. And so your mind is your strongest muscle on off the bike, on off the tread, with or without a weight, like in everything that we do in life. Your mind, your mind's got to got to show up and say yes to do anything.

[01:06:53]

Yeah. And I always think about like, you know, when you when you're going through something that's difficult for me. Once you get it out of your body, then it's just your mind, because I think, like, so much stuff sticks in our body. And for me, I get that out. Working out for you to cry it out, you need to scream like, you know, whatever it is, get it out of your body, and then you just have to work on your mind.

[01:07:11]

And I think that it's so mental, so much is mental. Like you can choose to wallow and feel sorry for yourself and just feel in that kind of like victimized, sad, depressed mindset. And there's there's a time in a place like you should always feel your feelings, we say. But then there comes a point where you just have to choose. Like, I just think you have to choose to shift your mindset, whatever it may be, whether you have to, like, go out and just get some fresh air.

[01:07:36]

You have to call a friend like whatever it is. I think that, like, it sometimes boils down to being like a choice.

[01:07:41]

Your energy is going to go where your attention goes, your energy goes what you want, your attention goes. If you're like sitting, obsessing, we'll talk. We've been talking about body, so I'll relate it to that. But if you're feeling like and that's where you're focusing your energy and that's what you're obsessing over, then that's all you're going to think about. And then that thought starts to rule you and it's all you see, like that's all you see.

[01:08:03]

That's all you focus on. If you're working out if you're trying to work the booty, you want to squeeze the booty. Right. You got your energy has to your attention has to go there so that the energy in your body is going to go there. I think life is the same exact way. Whatever you focus on becomes all that you see and you like you start to live by that thing that you see. It's like, you know, and then you have this really good friend that says you're in your head about something, whether it's relationship, like you're overthinking, you know, what he said or whatever.

[01:08:32]

And to us, it feels so massive and so big. And so once you can re navigate your attention, you can re navigate your your energy on it.

[01:08:43]

You know, reframing what we had a friend over the other day, we, we had some friends over then one we'd one friend that just kind of said something that was kind of negative towards herself and our other friend jumped in. She was like, no, no, no, we need to reframe that because she is she's getting her graduate degree in psychology college. But it was funny that she was like, no, I wouldn't even let her finish the story.

[01:09:01]

She was like, I don't like the way you talked about yourself. And we're going to run.

[01:09:04]

And we say the most vicious like thing about the person you like, at least. Right, the person you like, least that you actually I'm there right now. You actually know that it has to be something that you think that you like, least that you actually know. You like the things that you say to yourself. You wouldn't even say to them. You wouldn't even say to them. You might think it. And if you got in a heated fight or heated a debate, part of those thoughts might slip out.

[01:09:30]

But she wouldn't just calmly sitting there while you're brushing your teeth, say horrible things to that person. Right. But when you're calmly brushing your teeth, you said some bad things sometimes right to yourself. You know, my under my eyes.

[01:09:41]

Oh, my skin. Oh, hair. Like whatever it is. Right. And so I think that if we can refrain like you're saying, and just like be better people to ourselves.

[01:09:53]

And I like this notion also that, like, listen, I'm not diminishing that what depression really does to you and the how like the chemicals that flood your brain just really pour right in there when you're upset by, you know, it can be a choice to feel a little bit. Or it can at least be a choice to get up and walk out of the house to listen to different music, which I really like really helps me if I put on something upbeat to call a person that's going to make me feel a little better to stop, you know, whether it's a break up, checking that person's Instagram account, like there are some things we really can't control.

[01:10:21]

We can make a choice to to stop doing certain things and feel better. And I love that. And I have to remind myself to do that, too. Sometimes, you know, like don't don't, like, wallow in this. I mean, while we're here, you know, not to bring the mood down so much, but I mean, you've you've dealt with a lot of loss and you're open about it. I just I always think about you saying that the Beyonce song is that I was here, that I was here and played and helped you deal with the death of your father.

[01:10:44]

I believe so. Obviously, music sounds like it's it's a coping mechanism. But do you want to touch a little bit on how you deal with loss and grief?

[01:10:54]

I mean, there's no, like, one size fits all. You know, with grief. You you grieve in the way that you grieve. And, you know, I lost my little brother when he was 19 years old. And then three years after I lost him, I lost my dad. And then three years after that, I lost my mom. And so this was all before my 30th birthday. And it was all obviously all very quick, all unexpected.

[01:11:18]

And all of sudden and for me, it's like I, I would do anything, like I would do anything in the world or on the planet to have one more second with any of them. Like to have two minutes, two minutes to see them again, to talk to them again. And with that said, I say that to say I would do anything to have a moment with them again. And I do believe that we all go through things with purpose.

[01:11:49]

I know that I am the woman that I am because of my experiences.

[01:11:54]

I don't let my experience or my past. I don't let it dictate my future. However, I pull learnings from it into every day. I everything I do, I do for them. Every single thing I do, I do for them, for their name, for my family's legacy. I do because they cannot. Because they're not here to do so. I do. In the knowing of how short life is, you see on TV when people are like, oh my God, we didn't think that that would happen to us.

[01:12:22]

That was me that I said that three times. Like, I didn't think that that would happen. Do you think that that would happen? Didn't think that that would happen. And so you don't know anything can happen. I realize that anything can happen. And so, you know, I just I tried to live in each day. With that in mind, I feel like people life would give me such a pass if I just wanted to be like, you know, someone who did absolutely nothing and just sat in my own sorrows everyday.

[01:12:48]

I truly believe that people would allow me to do that. They would say, oh, my God, she's been through so much. We understand, like, yeah, girl, take your time. And with that being said, I still you know, all of that happened before Peladon was even I thought all of that happened before I even taught my first cycling class ever.

[01:13:06]

And so that is definitely part of what propelled me to step into this, which I know this was divinely mine. It was going to happen. And I think going through those things allowed me to unlock this position in my life. I don't think I would have seen it and or I don't think I would have gone after it with such urgency. I woke up basically one day I took a cycling class, I left the studio. And in that moment after taking the class, I knew that I would not only be cycling for the rest of my life, I knew that I would not only be teaching it, but I knew I'd be teaching it on the world's biggest platform.

[01:13:45]

And I knew that the world was going to know my name for it. That was after that my very first cycling class that I took. And I could have listened to that hum, or I could have just pushed it off. As you know, you're in New York City and it's snowing outside. And maybe this is just like a nostalgic moment you're having. But I listen to it. I listen to it. And I leaned into it because I know how life, how short life is.

[01:14:08]

And so, again, without the I don't want to say that learning because it's definitely a lesson. I didn't I didn't want to have to learn. But without those experiences, I don't know that I would have seized and jumped on what led me to this with as great urgency. I probably would have said, oh, I'll do that later in life.

[01:14:26]

But everything I do, I'm like, let's go, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it. Let's live. Like, right now I'm in this, I'm in a season. I don't know how long the season will last. And so I'm just like trying to grab all the fruits of it while I'm here.

[01:14:40]

Well, thank you for sharing. I mean, that's just it's an unbelievable loss. And it's just to to see you and be in your presence. You're just this, like, radiant light of like happiness and optimism. And it's just you you chose that for yourself, you know, like like you said, like if you just decided to never do anything again, the world would be like, yeah, we get it. I can't imagine what she's what she's been through.

[01:15:02]

But I mean, you it's just you're such an. Inspiration to me. Yeah, so, yeah, thanks for thank you for sharing. Yeah, this was really, really beautiful. Thank you so much. I'm so inspired by this and I totally agree with Ashley. You know, if you just said, you know, the world is against me and all these things happen and I'm just going to sort of wallow in it, no one would blame you.

[01:15:22]

And I think it's an incredible inspiration to aspire to be the kind of person that takes these experiences and spins them at least into something positive and inspiring to others.

[01:15:32]

Right? Yeah, I think from it, too, like, I feel like I'm not supposed to bottle up those experiences. I think part of my story is sharing those experiences to allow other people to see that it's hard. But one day, eventually, one day, you will be okay again. You'll never forget, you know, and you'll never not feel and not miss them. But one day you will be OK again. Yeah, you need like it's like how we need role models and everything, how we need somebody to look up to and whether it be fitness or career or comedy or whatever it is.

[01:16:14]

So it's like you can be someone's inspiration in that way that's lost a parent or sibling or all of the above and just be like, OK, if she can, you know, live her life in this way, I can, too. So I think people like you are very important. Yeah, I think the common mantra to every single person that goes through laws, whether it's a relationship, a parent, a pet, whatever it is, is you're going to be OK.

[01:16:38]

It's going to be OK. Give it time. You're and it's like, well, fuck you. Like, I know eventually it's going to be fine. And I think that at least for me, knowing that, like, the pain of something like this didn't kill you and that you can move on, I think at least I have always taken inspiration from that. It's like, you know, you're going to be OK. But I like looking at other people that have really gone through tremendous struggles and know that, like, they really they didn't die from it.

[01:17:02]

And because you feel like you're going to die sometimes from the pain. So it's nice to know that you come out on the other end. Right. All right. Well, we've we've talked about a lot of the stuff we wanted to cover with you. I'd love to just talk like about some lighter topics. I mean, you are so into music, like your playlist or fire all the time. Like what do you really gravitate towards? Like our I mean, we know you love Beyonce.

[01:17:21]

I mean, that's that's my personal belief.

[01:17:22]

But if you don't love Beyonce, say it's. Yeah. You you're you're like Beyonce on that ride. Just like I just hope Beyonce heard it right. Like she has heard it. Right.

[01:17:33]

Well, like, I don't understand. I'm like, OK, so what if you don't like the fact that she sings really amazingly talented, you can't criticize her. And I'm like, let me see your playlist. You absolute free. I know, but like and she's also she's a girl.

[01:17:53]

She's from Houston, Texas. Of course.

[01:17:54]

Of course. Can I ask you a question about the Beyonce ride that you did? Also, anybody who wants to get into Palatine Fitness working out, I recommend that you not you can't start with that ride. Why is your peak? That is true. Someone asked me. They just got their peloton and they were like, what should I start with? I'm like, not the Beyonce you to get. Right? So you're not confused cause I want you to truly be able to enjoy it.

[01:18:19]

And if it's your first ride, you're like, wait, how do I do this? What are they doing? So like, give it like, OK, watch. OK, listen, I take it back. Listen, if you want to get into Palestine, just watch that right through. But my question to you is, OK, when you were doing your speech about Beyonce and talking about her, did you write that out or was that just come off the God of the cup?

[01:18:38]

I was like, holy shit, no. It's so funny because some of my teammates, Gessen's I love my love level. We have like a group texting.

[01:18:46]

I want to be on my butt. My butt is courtesy of JSM and I have to tell her that we were after the ride. They were like, great job. How do you feel? How did it go?

[01:18:57]

I was like, Guys, I don't remember anything that I said. I don't remember that it did. It happened like, wait, it's over. And they were like, girl, you were one hundred percent, like, lost in a zone. Like when I watched it back there, it's real. There are moments where I'm dancing and Alex is I'm not I forgot I was teaching a class I was doing I made a video of Alex's talking and he's like, we're just going to go ahead and wait for her to need to wrap up whatever dance moves you like.

[01:19:27]

So all that to say like I was one hundred percent fully in the moment. I knew that that song I was here, I wanted to use that moment as my love letter to Beyonce say, and to share the story of the healing that that when my father passed away that song, it healed me. When I say, listen to that song on Rippey, I need you to know I played that song on repeat in the house. Out of the house.

[01:19:53]

In the car. Out of the car. That was all I was listening to the song, the song, the song. And so that song healed me and I have her to thank for that. And so aside from just. Knowing that I wanted to say something there. Everything, just girl ladies, it just I still don't remember how it happened.

[01:20:13]

And then it was like the way they shot it, I was like, this is a cinematic experience. Like they had, like, angles. I was just like, what is happening in our production team right now is spinning in circles for that shout out.

[01:20:23]

So shout out to K two.

[01:20:25]

They're very excited that you just got my sister in law came in the room and saw me working out. She goes, Are you all right?

[01:20:33]

I think, yes, thank you.

[01:20:36]

Musically, you asked me what I'm into. Yeah. I mean, I am you know, the saying don't judge a book by its cover like I am the epitome of that. OK, I can't wait for his help me with Tim McGraw.

[01:20:50]

A success. I mess around with a little Tim McGraw. I love to play a favorite on my favorite or not favorite.

[01:20:59]

Well, my one of my favorites, but my first concert ever. What should I tell him? Oh, my God. Let's go, girls.

[01:21:07]

Have your boots bid on. Who's up? So, yeah. So Dixie Chicks. Oh yeah. But that song is so true to me. Like I think people look at me and they're like, oh, she probably wants boom. And I do like whatever you probably think I like and I like so much more. I like I love music. Being first generation American descendent of Nigerians like the drum that African beat the drum is inside my body. And so whether it is hip hop or pop or RB or EDM or I love deep house or country, like if there's a drum bass line to be like I am so about it and I try to express that in classes.

[01:21:51]

I try to I try to have like everybody have a moment at no I don't, I don't play. I wouldn't say I played country in classes, although I have. But if I, if they play what they play country at Flywheel I would like walk out. I was like I didn't sign up for this. I think I like while I'm working out my musical preferences are a little bit different than if I'm just like at home, OK, like if I'm like at a bar in Texas drinking a beer, throw some country on, you know what I'm saying.

[01:22:18]

But but in a class, I like something that's a little bit more for me personally, a little bit more hard hitting and it's just so worth it. It's so worth it to to have people feel better about their day or to brighten people's day through a cycling or a bootcamp class. And so it's just really rewarding. It's worth every every moment of the stress that I go through to find the person.

[01:22:41]

You heard it from us. You brightened both of our day in the music. And then let's just maybe wrap up with a little, like, make up stuff. Like we didn't really talk about your makeup. Your are you at your makeup artist, right?

[01:22:54]

Yeah. Well, you know, I keep saying was, but I guess I still am. I didn't like, forget how to do it. I retire from the air and I didn't I didn't retire my brushes. They're still somewhere. But I am a sixteen year makeup artist. It's wild because I got into makeup because I wanted to make people feel better. I want I growing up didn't have a lot of confidence where I like hid that right. And so I fell into makeup because I love gifting people with confidence gifting like it's something you give them and they unwrap it and they feel really good about it.

[01:23:23]

And so that's why I loved that. And and here I have the ability to do that in in a bigger way because, you know, you give somebody confidence physically and it can change their life. They can change their health for the better. So there's that one piece of it, just fitness alone. You gift people with confidence that can sometimes be life changing. And then it's also very crafty to never have to hire a makeup artist for anything that I do, photo shoots or whatever, because I know how to do it.

[01:23:50]

I was just talking to just the other day she was on a on a show and I was like, oh, did you get a makeup artist? She's like, no. And she was like, wow, it must be really nice to never have to worry about that.

[01:24:00]

And I just feel I guess so the amount of times I have to go to a forum for a show. Yeah, but we like we get our makeup when we when we were touring like we listed people who do makeup are not always good at makeup and rain. And I had had so many bad experiences that we just took it upon ourselves to like learn makeup more because I, you know, we would go get our hair done. But I was like, these people have fucked me so many times.

[01:24:25]

By the time you sent that girl that, yeah, I was going to leave. But also never forget the time we went to Sephora and actually let me go by myself and they turn my eyebrows black. And now I'm like, oh, that's what you get for getting your your eyebrows set in a Las Vegas to a Las Vegas Sephora. This girl had glitter above her eyes straight out of the line. People want a beat down. Like I cannot tell you how I used to travel.

[01:24:49]

I used to travel around the country doing makeup. At any time I was doing makeup in Vegas, people would always be like, oh, it's not enough. Oh, it's can you make it strong? Strong.

[01:24:56]

I was like, baby, I don't know how much more color on know. There's not any more real.

[01:25:02]

There's only there's only so much room. Put makeup in so they probably not ever heard that they're not used to people and Vegas, they're not used to people saying that they want less.

[01:25:11]

And so you were like, I'm not a plastic surgeon. I think that you're at the wrong time. You're dead here. Well, I just I love that is a red lip like your signature for years now. Has it always been. Yes. A red lip for you. I love red lips. I will say this. I remember the first time that somebody this way before I become a makeup artist, I think I was like first year of college or something.

[01:25:31]

And I went to the Mac counter and there was this guy. He was just like, I really want to do you make up a buck. And so we put this red lipstick on me. This story actually happened like three different times, but he put a red lip on me. I'm so excited cause he was like, yes, you can wear red, you can do what you can rocket. And he put it on me. And I was like, Oh, thank you very much.

[01:25:49]

I, like, couldn't wait to walk away from the counter to wipe it off because I never oh my God. I just felt like I was in there. Crazy, horrible. And three other times the three other different counters as it happened. And so one day I was like, why don't people keep trying to put this color on me? And so I was just like, you know what? I'm going to own it. I'm going to keep this lipstick on a lot or something.

[01:26:09]

I was like, I'm going to keep this on and I'm going to wear it. And so I wore it for them all. And everyone was staring at me and I told my best friend I was like everyone staring at me, I want to take this off. She was like, Have you ever thought to think that everyone is staring at you and they're staring at you, not thinking negative things? Have you ever stopped to think that they're thinking, oh my God, that girl is so beautiful?

[01:26:26]

And I just thought since I was like, oh, my God.

[01:26:28]

And it goes back to like your energy, like where you put your focus. And my focus was on everybody thinking that I looked crazy and she was like, no, everybody thinks you look really beautiful. And so I love red lips because I think red you when you put red lipstick on, you are saying to the world, I am confident because you're not going to put a red lip on and say, people, please don't look at me like if you put red lip on your success, OK, with you looking this way.

[01:26:52]

And so it just it makes me feel even if I don't feel confident now because I work so much, I don't look on it. I put on a red lip. And you know what? It sure does make me feel good. And so that's why I like to wear it. I will also say it reads really well on camera two. It just kind of like brightens you up on camera. And so when I'm cycling, I don't I don't put red lipstick on to to work out at home.

[01:27:13]

However, on camera, it's it's a big plus.

[01:27:16]

Plus in my book, this just reminded me I am I used to have a beauty blog and I, I remember I just it just came back to me. There was a I just started doing red lips at one point in my life and I think I had a Mac a Mac shade and I wore it out. I started wearing it out when I went out and I was single. I mean, I'm still single, but like, I was always, you know, on a guy hunt.

[01:27:37]

And I got so much attention and there was a point where I was like, OK, I got to like I now I'm just like slutting it up, like I was like going home to do. They were coming up to me, like with the red lip, because it is actual proof that you are confident and you like are good with having attention and you're like comfortable in your own skin. I don't know what it is like. It's you don't see it all the time.

[01:27:58]

And I just still remember I should dig that up of like writing this blog of like, hey ladies. Like this is it's a thing like I don't think men know why. They don't know why, you know, like a straight man isn't like a red lap, like, let me go talk to her. But whatever it was that they were picking up what I was putting down and maybe it was my own inner confidence. But there is something about a red light for sure.

[01:28:16]

When I used to work at the beauty counter, I used to say I used to call it the go get them lip because you you put that lip on and then sis, you go get them. Oh, it was Ruby Woo. Do you know. It's like yeah that that's so I had a heavy ruby woofing. I'd be doing this. I have the best lips of anybody I know. Yeah. I don't even know these desales you you hand all right.

[01:28:40]

You would wear a red. Oh you would have a lighter. Yeah. I'm trying to wear every man and the city hair color. Yeah. A red with like a blue red would look really pretty on you. Yeah I think. OK. All right. Well then I listen I'm going to do it well and then why do we have you, I mean what can we do that's better for our you know. But like what, what do you like, do you like Vente or do you prefer I mean I think we've come such a long way with, like, makeup for people with deeper skin tone.

[01:29:05]

I think that we've come such a long way. And it's like I said, I was in makeup for 16 years and I worked with some of the top cosmetic companies in the world. And I was fortunate enough to be in a position where I was able to really speak with and the people that made decisions in product development and marketing. And, you know, the number of times that I was told, like I say, like, hey, we need this color.

[01:29:31]

Hey, we're not talking to this client. Hey, we could do better. And the feedback was always will those colors don't sell. And I was like, well, yeah, they don't. Because you don't make them. They don't sell because you don't market them. They don't sell because people don't know that you have it, the people that want it. And so I remember that I'm not going to name a name here, but there was a company that I worked for that didn't carry my color.

[01:29:54]

And I'm over here working for the company that doesn't have my foundation.

[01:29:57]

And so I'm sure that was my one of my first cosmetic jobs. And after I left that company, I said, you know what? I'm never going to do that again. That's like I never. I support a brand that doesn't support me and, you know, so that was always something really important to me when I when I worked with different companies and I will say the gift of Fenty and the gift of Rianna and what she did is that so many people in in the prestige market, so prestigious like your brands that you might find in a department store, so many of them didn't speak to women of color, specifically women with deep skin.

[01:30:30]

And so she required that a lot of people level up to to play the game. I actually I'm an ambassador for Riverlands Colonsay Foundation. And what I love about Revlon is Revlon has literally been doing this since the 80s. I think it was like or the 90s. I remember like 1990, I don't know. But I remember I was a little girl and I was with my mom and they used three women of color to market a campaign. And it was the first time I'd ever seen black women used in a beauty campaign.

[01:31:03]

And I remember I looked at my mom and I said, does that mean I could be beautiful, too? Because that was like if you had a cosmetic contract, that was a sign of being beautiful. And I hadn't seen black women do that.

[01:31:18]

It showed why it is beautiful and only white is beautiful.

[01:31:23]

All are beautiful, obviously, but that showed that only white was beautiful. And I remember when I saw these three women of color on the ad, I thought, oh, my God, wait. So this is pretty OK, so I'm pretty too. So yeah. So just in short, to answer your question, I think that now two thousand twenty one or whatever we're in right now, all the days are one, but it's a it's a game changer.

[01:31:44]

I just have I had been in Sephora and I think probably all of twenty twenty and I just happened to walk into a Sephora the other day and I couldn't because it's been now a year and a half, two years since I've been out of the cosmetic game. And they were there. Brands that are a cult staple staple I'm not going to name but stable, huge, huge brands that are massive brands that I've never, never had a foundation for women of color.

[01:32:07]

And now they do. And I just think, wow. So the whole time it was possible.

[01:32:12]

But, you know, it's like I can I can I can keep in the mindset of, oh, my God, but you didn't have it. And so now I just say, OK, so now you do. Thank you. And let's continue to move in this direction.

[01:32:23]

Yeah. And it just it's it's there's you can look at it so like simple like. Yeah. Thanks Brianna for it, but it's like it's so much deeper than that. It's that she made everyone level up. I mean yeah there's other brands, it's not just and it wasn't only Rihanna and various other brands obviously in Revlon that I just spoke to as one of them, of course, cater to to deeper skin tones. But I think that her hitting the market and like the way that she marketed like, hey, I'm talking to black girls and girls that are that have deep skin and everybody else, like she would say, I'm talking to you and you, it was different because before it was I'm talking to women of lighter complexion and yeah, brown girls.

[01:33:01]

We got a little something for you, too. But she, like she flipped the script and she Brown girls, I'm talking to you and everybody else. I got you, too. And so just that narrative in the marketing is really wasn't the product people. Some people had it, but the way that she marketed, I think really required people to level up their game.

[01:33:18]

And then it trickled, like you said, like if you really think big picture, it trickles down to girls like young girls. Like, it's it's not just makeup, it's representation across the board. So it's just like, yeah, I'd, I'd love that. Like, the needle is moving because just of your story of being a little girl and like not knowing like this is like whatever I am, whatever skin color or what body type, whatever like isn't represented like how are you supposed to know.

[01:33:41]

So anyway but we get that's a whole nother conversation. But I just, I love what she's done for her and with the laundry and just she she found these ways to make a difference in the world like consumer products. You know, this is a this is a Rihanna and Beyonce stand.

[01:33:55]

I was just about to say, this is Rihanna and Beyonce and two of my two most idolized women. So this is this is very exciting for me.

[01:34:05]

We're we're excited to have you. Before we let you go, we would love to hear about your organization and then we'll tell everybody where they can find you. But, yeah, we would love to hear about speak. Yeah. So I created speak. It was actually just after the murder of George Floyd, I wanted to create a space where people could come and share their stories safely and equally as safe. I wanted to create a space where people could come and just listen.

[01:34:35]

And it just started as like an idea. This thing. I just felt like I wanted to be able to to use my platform for good, and I wanted to create, again, a safe space for people to come and tell their stories. I think that what divides us as a human race is the inability to see our likeness is the we focus a lot on the ways that how we are different. And I think our differences are what makes us unique.

[01:35:03]

But we. Spend as much time focusing on what our commonalities are, or rather even understanding our differences so that we can have more understanding, more empathy with one another. And so I actually like one of my first guests, was actually Venus Williams. Don't even ask how that happened. I have no idea how that happened.

[01:35:23]

And she came on and she was just so incredible in her story and talked about when she got to Wimbledon, her and Serena, their first time. And they're so excited and they look around and then they're the only two black girls and the experience they had and the heat that they had received. I think that people look at these, look at celebrities and you think, oh, well, you know, they made it. If they made it like you're making excuses, why can't you make it?

[01:35:48]

And when you peel back the layers and you hear the stories and what they went through to get to where they are, then I think that there's there's more understanding. Six time gold medalist Allyson Felix was on Carmen was one of the guests as well. And to hear his story and how he's dealt with adversity and been so triumphant in his life, in his career, so inspiring recently I had on Cynthia Revo and again, she talked about, you know, she is a classically trained singer.

[01:36:18]

And for her to just looking for roles like I have this vessel, I have this skill, but no one's not a lot of there's only so many roles that people are telling where the lead is a black female. And so, you know, I've been really fortunate to to have these people to come speak and share their story speaks actually an acronym. So speak. I think in order to speak, you must be willing to surrender. You have to know your power because you're power.

[01:36:51]

You sit in it and it's what what fuels you. You have to lead with empathy and love when you I always look for guests that are willing to tell their story. Yes.

[01:37:00]

But their story and their experience is coming from a place of love. I think that the only thing that can drive out hate is love. Hate is fueled by more hate, hate, love, hate. It seeks it. And so the only thing that can can can kill the breath that hate needs is love. And so when you lead with love, you lead with empathy. You must be authentic in your experience, in your word, and you have to have the knowledge and the experience to back it, so speak a K.

[01:37:26]

And so that's just an Instagram series on my Instagram channel. And yeah, it's just been really it's been really rewarding to to hear people's the my followers, to hear their feedback and how they are inspired by by someone, by someone else's story.

[01:37:46]

I just I love what you're doing and your your energy is infectious and the interviews are great. So keep it up. I can't wait to watch more. Yeah. Will you tell people what your Instagram handle is and how they can find you?

[01:37:59]

I'm sure every person is going to go for those words like social media person in that I know your Twitter. I should pay more attention to my Facebook, but you're doing a lot. My Instagram is too, like the music tune to you and E number to tune tune to Tuesday.

[01:38:19]

You will find it about just like three of you guys will figure it out. I'm just not good at it. Yeah, it'll be in our in our description of everything also. Anything else. Obviously we can find you on the peloton app phone. See you on the leaderboard. Right. Yeah. That's what they always see you on the leaderboard. Thank you so much. This was such a pleasure. Yeah. Thank you again today for joining us.

[01:38:41]

We really appreciate you talking to you.

[01:38:44]

Thank you so much for having me. I had so much fun. This is a great conversation when you guys know where to find us girls got a podcast, Dotcom Get Mirch and tickets to our virtual live show on February 11th at Girls Got a podcast and Instagram Ashe has Ranaghat Greenberg on Instagram. Girls in our score. Got you on Twitter. Newcomb's girl's got to eat. We'll see you next week. How are you, Weeki?