Latest / Outspoken the Podcast / Steph Claire Smith’s ‘Unintentional’ Bounce Back Promotion

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Steph Claire Smith’s ‘Unintentional’ Bounce Back Promotion · Outspoken the Podcast

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to Outspoken. It's your dose of the
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: hottest influencer and pop culture news twice a week. I'm
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Amy Torber and coming up on today's show. Steph Clare-Smith
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: has been forced to address her changing physique. And Jules
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Neal and her besties take a swipe at her ex-husband.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: But first, UK influencer Saffron Barker has faced backlash for
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: staying quiet after Iran's missile attacks. The Dubai-based YouTuber apologized,
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: saying she'd been on a remote island in Australia with
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: no Wi-Fi. But fans weren't buying it, pointing out she'd
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: posted a steamy shower selfie with her boyfriend a day earlier. Now,
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: so before we get into it, can you give us
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: a quick rundown on what is unfolding in Dubai right now? Well, Dubai,
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: which is really known for its luxury hotels and high-end
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: shopping centers, has been caught up in the escalating conflict
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: in the Middle East. So Following the US and Israel's
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: military attack on Iran over the weekend, Iran hit back
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: firing missiles and drones across the Middle East. Dubai residents
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: have been forced to take shelter as loud explosions were
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: heard across the city, which were the sounds of missiles
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: and drones being shot down by the UAE defences. Now,
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: debris has also hit a number of famous hotels and
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: started a few fires. And Dubai's main international airport terminal
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: was also hit by the debris. with four airport staff injured,
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: and this caused major travel disruptions with flights temporarily halted.
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: The reason that we are talking about this today is
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: because Dubai has become a really popular base for some
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: of the world's top creators. with thousands of influencers based
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: in the city from over 140 countries. In particular, it
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: is a very popular spot for a lot of UK creators,
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: mainly due to the lifestyle, the tax advantages, and also
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: the brand opportunities there. Well, I read a crazy stat
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: that apparently 90% of residents in Dubai are actually foreigners.
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: It really has become a playground for a lot of
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: influencers and also young people. It's very sad to admit,
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: but one of my first thoughts when I saw that
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: the conflict had hit Dubai was, Is our friend of
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: the podcast, YouTuber Saffron Barker, all right? We have spoken
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: in depth about her move to Dubai. She did generate
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: a lot of attention when she made the move from
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: the UK to Dubai with her boyfriend. And despite putting
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: on a brave face, she seems to have been very homesick.
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: So my initial thought was, one, is she okay? And two,
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: does this mean that she'll be moving back to the UK? Well,
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: Saffron was actually holidaying in Australia with her boyfriend at
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: the time these incidents took place. But a lot of
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: her followers were really concerned about her. Yeah, there's a
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: bit of a local element to the story because Saffron
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: arrived in Australia a couple of weeks ago. So she
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: landed in Sydney before heading to the Gold Coast. She
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: then embarked on a road trip to Byron Bay and Noosa.
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: And she has been posting a lot about her travels here.
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: And as you said, Amy, fans are really eager back
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: home For her to make a comment on the incident,
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: particularly because members of her boyfriend, Josh's family, currently live
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: in Dubai.
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: Well, she went really quiet because she'd been posting so
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: much about the trip. And as soon as this happened,
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: suddenly it was radio silence. And a lot of her
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: followers were going on her photos and going, oh my God,
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: oh my God, are you okay? Generally, you'd expect an
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: influencer or media personality to put up a post acknowledging
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: the incident, particularly someone like Saffron, who is actually based
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: in Dubai. In Saffron's case- I think a lot of
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: people were also expecting her to say, hey, well, Josh,
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: his family is okay because I actually live in Dubai.
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: That's the thing.
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: I don't think anyone was expecting her to weigh into
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: any of the politics at play. I think that's kind
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: of unfair to expect influencers to do so. But I
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: think people also just wanted to know if she was
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: okay because for people who don't closely follow her life,
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: like I do, they might not have known that she
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: was actually in Australia and they might have been waiting
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: for her to put up a post being like, don't worry, everyone,
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: we're okay. I think all people wanted was her to
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: acknowledge that she and her family were safe and that
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: they were thinking about everyone.
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: Well, the most bizarre thing was a day after the incident,
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: Saffron finally ended the radio silence and she uploaded a
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: photo of her and her boyfriend, Josh, looking pretty hot
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: and heavy in a shower.
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so they were living it up in this tropical
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: spa with a stunning view. I'm not quite sure where
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: this was in Australia. It looked like it possibly was Noosa.
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: And Saffron captioned the photo, Spa Days With You. And
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: this was at a post that she collaborated with Josh on.
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: That detail is important in a second. So underneath the photo,
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: a follower wrote, are you going to say anything about
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: what's going on in Dubai? And this seemed to cause
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: a bit of an argument in her comment section. There
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: were a lot of fans sticking up for Saffron saying
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: she literally doesn't have to comment on this. It's not
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: going to change a single thing. Another person said, do
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: you think Iran will stop firing missiles if she posts
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: an Instagram story with a laughing face? I agree with
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: what they're saying. Obviously, her comments aren't going to have
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: any sort of impact on the situation unfolding, but I
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: think that people just wanted to hear that she was okay.
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: To be honest, I was a little bit taken aback
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: by the post. It did come across as a bit
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: tone deaf considering what was going on in Dubai. And
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: I became even more confused by Saffron's silence when it
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: came to light that her brother and sister-in-law were also
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: caught up in the conflict. So her sister-in-law Imogen Cribb,
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: who also happens to be a fellow influencer and her
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: business partner, wrote on Instagram, The past 48 hours have
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: been the heaviest thing I've personally ever experienced, and it's
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: just a pin drop into the lives of many of
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: those that face these conflicts on a daily basis. For context,
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: our plane was one of the last flights into Dubai
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: on the 1st of March, where we were met with
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: overhead booms and falling debris from the incepted missiles flying above.
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: Thank you to all my friends and family that have
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: checked in. It means the world. We are safe and
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: continuing to stay informed through official sources only and listening
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: to our government's advice. The uncertainty is the scariest thing
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: But me and my partner and my friends are staying
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: positive and continuing to have faith. I'm glad we all
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: have each other. Imogen went on to thank her friends
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: and said that they were attempting to carry on as normal.
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: I was really confused when I saw Imogen's post because
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: I was like, why are they in Dubai if Saffron's
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: not there? Because generally they come over to visit her.
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: I think they were staying at Saffron and Josh's house
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: while they were over I mean, it's not a big deal.
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: It's kind of like if you live in the UK,
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: going to Dubai is a bit like going to Bali.
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: It's a shorter flight.
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: Well, particularly for influencers who have a lot of money
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: to play with, so they can sort of flit in
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: and flit out when they want.
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: See, I thought differently when I saw Imogen's post because
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: I was like, oh, that's why Saffron hasn't made an
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: official comment about it because she's probably waiting to see
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: if her brother and her sister-in-law-to-be are okay. I mean,
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: that content that she put up, That could have been
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: scheduled content.
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: Well, also, it would be tough when you're in Australia,
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: which for a lot of UK people feels like a
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: million miles away. She might not have been across all
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: of the information at hand or she might not have
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: heard from her family members yet due to the time difference.
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: But she also might not know what she's doing. No
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: one really knows what's going on. Dubai International Airport was closed.
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: I mean, her whole life is in Dubai. She's probably
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: getting pressure from her family to come home.
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: That's the thing.
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: She would have been upset as well.
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: It would be very upsetting to know that your family...
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: And also your partner's family are over there. And then
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: everyone's wanting you to comment straight away. I mean, she's
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: a 25-year-old girl. She probably, you know, and she has
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: been talking a lot about how she feels really unconfident
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: posting online at the moment because people read into everything
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: that she says.
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: Well, she was saying she felt scared to post. And
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: this is the issue that a lot of influencers are
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: becoming too scared to say anything, too scared to share
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: any elements of their life. because they're worried about the backlash. Look,
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: I get all of that. And that's very understandable. But
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: the problem was this post, because the post just looked
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: incredibly tone deaf. And it looked like we're just ignoring this.
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: I mean, as you said, there is some speculation that
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: it was scheduled in.
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: I think once Saffron drops a couple of YouTube videos,
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: we might have more information at hand as what's actually
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: been going on behind the scenes.
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: Look, I totally get where you're coming from. But the
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: issue was the post. So not only did she post
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: that spa photo that came across as a bit tone deaf,
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: but she also uploaded this ad for HelloFresh. Now it
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: was clear it was pre-recorded because it was shot in
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: her house in the UK.
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: Well, that being said, it seemed like Imogen's post put
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: a lot of extra pressure on Saffron to finally say
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: something because two days after the strike, right after that
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: HelloFresh ad, Saffron commented on the incident. So on her
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: Instagram story, she wrote, Hey everyone, sorry, I've been MIA.
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: I'm still in Australia at the moment and have been
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: on an island with zero service, so I've been completely offline.
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: In brackets, my mum's been logged into my account. Whilst
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: I'm not at home in Dubai, my friends and family are,
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: and I'm so incredibly grateful they're safe and sound, and
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: along with everyone else. I truly hope everyone else is
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: safe too. Sending all of my love and thinking of
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: everyone during this time. Thank you so much for all
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: of your lovely DMs. I appreciate them more than you know.
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: This statement left a lot of people scratching their heads
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: because Saffron has been documenting a road trip that she
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: and Josh have been doing from Byron Bay to Noosa.
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: And anyone who has been to those locations know that
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: they very much have Wi-Fi there and they're also not islands.
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: In saying that, yesterday Saffron posted a couple of photos
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: from Fraser Island. So She has been posting things a
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: bit delayed, so perhaps she actually was on an island. Well,
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: she also shared some shots of her camping, so she
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: may have actually been out of range. Are you telling
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: me we're supposed to believe that her mum uploaded that
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: thirst trap photo, though? I mean, that would just be weird,
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: wouldn't it?
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: Well, yeah, she did allude that her mum's been uploading
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: her content for her. I mean, she has a pretty
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: cool relationship with her mum, but.
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: Look, I'm pretty sure Saffron probably uploaded that photo. Let's
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: be honest. And then she went to Fraser Island.
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: The thing that's the giveaway is the fact that she
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: collaborated on the post with her boyfriend, Josh. So it
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: also appeared on his page. So unless he's also got
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: her mum looking after his Instagram as well.
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: Would you really be trusting your mum with your Instagram
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: account when you're 25? I know she's got her boyfriend, Josh, now.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: But back in the day, she was receiving a lot
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: of DMs from footballers. Would you want your mum in
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: your DMs? Well, her mum is her manager. Well, she
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: has spoken about how her mum works for her and
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: essentially manages her. So it would make sense that she
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: would have access to it. I mean, I don't know
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: if Wendy's trawling through all her DMs.
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: I mean, I think she has a pretty open relationship
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: with her mum, that'd said, I don't know how many
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: mums would actually be posting shower photos of their daughter
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: and their boyfriend online. I mean, if that actually has
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: taken place, that's a bit iconic. But Saffron's mum was
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: even trying to go on with the facade. So that
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: same day, Saffron uploaded another photo dump of her trip
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: in Australia so far And in the comment section, her
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: mum wrote, yay, you're back in the world of Wi-Fi.
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: And a follower called them out underneath. She wrote, so
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: you're the one that posted that shower pic, not buying it.
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: Why does it remind me of something our mum would
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: do to try and legitimize things? I actually kind of
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: like that Wendy did that because she's always looking out
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: for her kids. But that just gives it away. A
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: key sign of someone's lying is when they over-explain things.
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: And that's what they've just done there. The only thing
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: that makes me think maybe Wendy did upload that thirst
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: trap is some of the other comments Wendy has left
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: under her children's photos. I don't know if you guys
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: have noticed it, but sometimes Saffron will share these photos,
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: almost like risque photos of her and Josh. And Wendy
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: will be like, love hearts. And this looks amazing. And
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: even on Josh's photos, so he's a model, he'll post
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: all of these shots of him looking ripped on the beach.
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: And she'll put like, looking great or, you know.
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: She's kind of like the mum from Mean Girls. Yeah,
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: she's a cool mum. The cool mum who just goes
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: with the flow. In saying that, in terms of this situation,
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: I think everyone will know that Saffron Barker is one
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: of my favorite YouTubers. And again, not to use a
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: shameless term, but sometimes this girl is in my past basket.
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: If I was her PR manager, I would just say
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: to her, look, next time, just apologize for the delay.
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: Say that you were taking some time away to register
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: and think about what happened. You were waiting to speak
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: to your family and friends due to the time difference.
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: And you're very sad if anyone has been caught up
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: in it. That's all you needed to say.
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: Yeah, this is the thing. I don't think there was
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: anything wrong with her statement. I don't think she needed
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: to put something out instantly, especially when you learn the
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: news that her brother and her friend Imogen are over
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: in Dubai at the moment. It makes it, you know,
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: quite understandable.
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: I think the worst thing she did was tell a
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: bit of a white lie about it. You know what
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: I mean? That's what people are more caught up on now.
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: What I want to know is, Are Josh and Saffron
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: actually going to go back to Dubai or will they
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: be moving straight back to the UK? Surely they'll be
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: going back to the UK for some time. I mean,
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: Saffron has a house over there. I don't think her
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: family will want her back in Dubai for a while.
• 12:12
  Speaker 3: And maybe like me, they had the assumption that you're
• 12:16
  Speaker 3: exercising a lot. Yeah. But that's not, it's never, like
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: it's not black and white.
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: Steph Claire Smith has been forced to address her changing physique.
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: The Kik co-founder, who was eight months postpartum, admitted she
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: has been unintentionally promoting bounce-back culture despite campaigning against it
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: with her fitness program. Now, Kate, there's a lot to
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: unpack here. Can you get listeners up to speed with
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: the ethos behind the fitness program Steph co-founded with Laura Henshaw? Yeah, well,
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: the evolution of Kik and its ethos are pretty interesting
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: because Steph and Laura founded the business in 2015 and
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: by launching a clean eating recipe book. Now in 2018,
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: they transitioned to a movement-based app and this year they've
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: rebranded to a holistic wellbeing platform. Now Kik's current tagline
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: is that they celebrate movement for a feeling, not an aesthetic.
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: Now I think it's fair to say for many years,
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: what has set them apart from the competition is the
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: fact that Kik rallies against toxic diet culture and never
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: shares physical transformations. Steph and Laura have been really open
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: about the fact that they were inspired to launch Kik
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: after suffering from disordered eating themselves. Ironically though, Kik was
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: actually called Keep It Cleaner for the first eight years
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: of business. It wasn't until 2023 that it was officially
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: renamed Kik to move away from that problematic connotation of
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: clean eating. That's the thing.
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: I signed up to Kik in 2018. The main reason
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: that I signed up was because I wanted to get
• 13:42
  Speaker 2: abs like Steph, Claire Smith. And I was under the
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: illusion that you were doing the fitness plan that two
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: models did. And in order to look like them, you
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: did these five workouts a week, but now they're messaging,
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: not to say that that was their messaging before, but
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: that was what I.
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: Took from it when I first heard about it. Well,
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: they have been the faces or should I say the
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: bodies of the business. And when they first launched a business,
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: They were working models. So it's fair to say a
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: key motivator for a lot of people to sign up
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: was to try and look like them. I mean, who
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: wouldn't want to have their body?
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: Which is interesting because, I mean, we're going to get
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: into what Steph said on a podcast shortly, but Steph
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: admitted that she has had abs since she was seven
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: years old. And that's just something that she genetically has,
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: which is really interesting because Kayla Edsenis was known for
• 14:27
  Speaker 2: literally sharing her bikini bodyguard off her abs. You know
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: what I mean? We saw so many photos of her
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: abs on Instagram. It was the most desirable moment.
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: Physical feature to have.
• 14:36
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: And I think that's probably part of the reason why
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: in recent years, Steph and Laura have really tried to
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: move away from being the faces of kick. For instance,
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: they used to be in a hundred percent of the
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: workout content, but in 2024, that shifted to just 25%. However,
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: I think it is very much fair to say that
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: the business still very heavily relies on Steph and Laura
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: tapping into their combined 1.7 million followers to promote it,
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: not to mention they're also hosts of the kick pod.
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: So It's hard to take them away from the business.
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: You see them as an entity altogether.
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: Steph and Laura are amazing at marketing Kik because they
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: literally promote Kik on a daily basis on their Instagram accounts.
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: But it's always in a bit of a subtle way.
• 15:17
  Speaker 2: Like they'll be posting about their day-to-day life, but they'll
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: include their workouts and a little link to the workout
• 15:23
  Speaker 2: that they're doing.
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a big part of the content they share.
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: Following the birth of Steph's second child in May... She
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: started sharing body updates for the first 14 days postpartum,
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: and she also documented what she has called her bounce forward.
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: So in a series of Instagrams, she has shared things
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: like her first run and her first workout since having
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: her baby. Now, I want to point out bounce forward
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: isn't a term that Kik has coined themselves. It's a
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: cultural pushback against traditional bounce back messaging around postpartum bodies.
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: It's a really great thing. It promotes healing, growing and
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: long-term well-being over rapid physical recovery. So that's the type
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: of content that Steph was putting out on her socials
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: following the birth.
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: Of her child. I found it fascinating to see how
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: she shared about her postpartum body, particularly because I was
• 16:10
  Speaker 2: only a few weeks away from having my son and
• 16:13
  Speaker 2: I was really intrigued to see the process of your
• 16:15
  Speaker 2: uterus slowly shrinking. Because for me, this is the first
• 16:18
  Speaker 2: time I'd ever really seen what happens and what to expect, which...
• 16:24
  Speaker 2: is a good thing, but also a bad thing because
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: I noticed with Steph after a handful of days, she
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: was looking quite similar to what she did before.
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: She was pregnant. That's the thing with this type of content.
• 16:35
  Speaker 1: It's only natural for you to compare yourself. And as
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: we've touched on, Steph is a model. She has a
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: enviable physique and she exercised a lot during her pregnancy. Now,
• 16:46
  Speaker 1: in terms of content, I think it's fair to say
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: that in the last couple of weeks in particular, she
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: has been posting a lot of content that features her body.
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: So late last week, she created a reel for a
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: paid partnership with Bras and Things. And in the video,
• 17:01
  Speaker 1: Steph modeled the brand's new relaxed wire bra. And as
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: you'd expect with an ad promoting underwear, She appeared just
• 17:08
  Speaker 1: in her underwear in the video and she essentially showed
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: off her body at every angle.
• 17:13
  Speaker 2: Which is something that she did a lot of before
• 17:14
  Speaker 2: she had her kids and also after having her kids.
• 17:16
  Speaker 2: So this isn't out of the normal for her to
• 17:18
  Speaker 2: post this sort of content. She used to be a
• 17:20
  Speaker 2: swimwear model.
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: Yeah, she's a long-term ambassador with bras and things. Now,
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: at the time of recording, the video has been viewed
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: over 400,000 times and it attracted a lot of comments.
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: So one person wrote, Holy moly, what babies? You are
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: in incredible shape. Such an inspiration. Another said, mama looks incredible.
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: Someone else added, wow, you look amazing. If you did
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: a new diet or a new workout plan you are following,
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: please tell me because the difference is crazy.
• 17:46
  Speaker 2: Another follower commented, please show me your ab and stomach workout.
• 17:50
  Speaker 2: I'm six months postpartum after two babies and I need
• 17:53
  Speaker 2: to get mine back, please. Now Steph responded saying, it's
• 17:56
  Speaker 2: mostly genetics love. My stomach has always been my leanest
• 17:59
  Speaker 2: body part. I have had visible abs since I was
• 18:01
  Speaker 2: a kid. Go gentle on yourself. So It was reassuring
• 18:04
  Speaker 2: that she commented something like that.
• 18:06
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: And as I mentioned, this was just one of a
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: couple of videos that Steph posted where her body featured
• 18:11
  Speaker 1: in it. So another one was a reel that she
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: shot of her workout. So she was doing a kick
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: Pilates class and she was wearing a sports bra and
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: bike shorts on again. This is quite typical content that
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: Steph shares. Now, there were a lot of comments also
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: about her body on that post. Michelle Andrews from Shameless commented, mate,
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: you look unreal. Someone else says, what is your diet?
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: You look amazing. Another said, I pray after a mom
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: of two, I look as good as you.
• 18:36
  Speaker 2: Now, Steph addressed the growing commentary about her body on
• 18:39
  Speaker 2: her podcast on Monday, and she revealed that she's been
• 18:42
  Speaker 2: thinking about her body image a lot and felt like
• 18:45
  Speaker 2: she needed to speak openly about it after receiving a
• 18:48
  Speaker 2: question from a follower asking if she was going to
• 18:50
  Speaker 2: talk about her weight loss. Now, she said that she
• 18:53
  Speaker 2: knows her body has changed and has been receiving comments
• 18:56
  Speaker 2: from people in her life as well as online. She
• 18:59
  Speaker 2: then reminded her listeners to be careful with their comments
• 19:01
  Speaker 2: as what may seem like a compliment can trigger people
• 19:04
  Speaker 2: who have suffered from distorted eating. She said, fortunately, in
• 19:07
  Speaker 2: this instance, it hadn't triggered her negatively. However, she spoke
• 19:11
  Speaker 2: through her concerns of missing the current body she's in
• 19:14
  Speaker 2: if her weight does fluctuate again. She then admitted that
• 19:17
  Speaker 2: despite receiving so many comments about how strong she looks,
• 19:20
  Speaker 2: that she hasn't done strength training in months. Let's take
• 19:23
  Speaker 2: a listen.
• 19:25
  Speaker 4: I have not been doing much strength training. I've honestly
• 19:28
  Speaker 4: barely been even doing my Pilates or anything.
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: So I don't feel, I don't feel strong. I don't
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: feel that.
• 19:33
  Speaker 4: So when people make that comment, I think I want
• 19:36
  Speaker 4: to remind people that everyone's genetics are really different. I
• 19:39
  Speaker 4: know for a fact that my body looks strong, even
• 19:41
  Speaker 4: when I don't feel strong. Like I've honestly had abs
• 19:44
  Speaker 4: since I was eight, as in visible.
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: Abs since I was like eight.
• 19:48
  Speaker 4: And I just really want to to talk about it
• 19:51
  Speaker 4: and remind people of that.
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: Now, Steph also went on to say that she hoped
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: her speaking on the topic wouldn't trigger anyone else. Let's
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: take a listen.
• 20:00
  Speaker 4: I don't want anyone to compare themselves to me. I
• 20:02
  Speaker 4: don't want to, I don't want to be sharing this.
• 20:06
  Speaker 4: And I really, really hope that it doesn't like trigger
• 20:10
  Speaker 4: anyone in anything that I'm saying. I'm trying to be
• 20:12
  Speaker 4: really conscious of what I'm saying. But there are just
• 20:14
  Speaker 4: so many factors in my life right now that are
• 20:16
  Speaker 4: probably making an impact, including like, which is something I
• 20:21
  Speaker 4: haven't really spoken about, but I'm on medication right now
• 20:22
  Speaker 4: that could be contributing as well. Like there's always things
• 20:26
  Speaker 4: like factors and stuff like that to consider. So I,
• 20:29
  Speaker 4: and again, I might not forever be on that medication.
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: I may be, I may not be.
• 20:33
  Speaker 4: So I just, I just want to just be really
• 20:35
  Speaker 4: honest with you guys about what's going on. I'm not
• 20:38
  Speaker 4: like training back in the gym five, that's not what
• 20:41
  Speaker 4: has happened here. I don't want anyone to think that
• 20:43
  Speaker 4: I'm trying to look a certain way. The last thing
• 20:46
  Speaker 4: I want to do is feed into the bounce back culture.
• 20:48
  Speaker 4: It's something that I'm really against. And I hate that
• 20:52
  Speaker 4: some of the attention I'm getting makes me feel like
• 20:54
  Speaker 4: I am adding to that culture because it's very unintentional.
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: It's like not at all what I want to be doing.
• 21:00
  Speaker 4: And so I just, yeah, I just felt like talking
• 21:03
  Speaker 4: about it today.
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: Now, after Steph shared her thoughts, about her body image,
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: Laura explained that the pair had gone back and forth
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: about whether they would speak about the topic on the
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: podcast as it contradicted Kik's values about not commenting on
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: other people's bodies. Let's take a listen to what they said.
• 21:23
  Speaker 3: Where we landed was it's not black and white. No,
• 21:26
  Speaker 3: it's not. And I think especially within what we do,
• 21:29
  Speaker 3: like Kik is a health and wellness brand and app
• 21:33
  Speaker 3: and we have workouts on the app, right?
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: Mm-hmm.
• 21:35
  Speaker 3: And I think what we spoke about is if you
• 21:38
  Speaker 3: were saying that I am doing these workouts.
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: By my program. By my program. Because that's how I've
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: got this. Exactly right. Yeah, very different.
• 21:48
  Speaker 3: Then that is very different to this conversation.
• 21:52
  Speaker 2: I thought that was an interesting sentiment because as someone
• 21:54
  Speaker 2: who does closely follow Steph Clare-Smith's Instagram account and has
• 21:57
  Speaker 2: been for a number of years, Steph often does share
• 22:00
  Speaker 2: about the kick workouts that she's doing. So by posting
• 22:04
  Speaker 2: about them... is that she kind of is essentially saying,
• 22:07
  Speaker 2: I've got this body from doing these workouts. Or is
• 22:09
  Speaker 2: that a bit unfair?
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: Well, that's exactly what I was yelling at my phone
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: when I listened to this interview. I mean, she touched
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: on that she may have unintentionally promoted bounce back culture.
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: But we need to remember, Steph Claire Smith is a
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: very intelligent woman. She has set up this incredible business
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: that makes a lot of money. And the messaging of
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: Kik is incredibly clever. It's very of its time. It's
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: all about body positivity. It's not about the aesthetic. It's
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: about moving your body to feel good. But then she
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: posts content that is in complete contradiction to it because
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: she is known for posting body checks. I feel sorry
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: for Kik's co-founder, Laura Henshaw, because I do think her
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: messaging aligns with what Kik puts out there. And she
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: went on to say that since she's experienced postpartum herself
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: and is more informed on the topic, she is so
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: much angrier about the bounce back culture and And it
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: was quite interesting because she made this comment that there
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: are a lot of creators online who sell really expensive
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: fitness programs that don't acknowledge the factors that contribute to
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: them looking the way they do, for example, genetics, whether
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: they're breastfeeding, hormones, et cetera. I almost felt like they
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: were taking aim at Rachel Dillon without naming her. And
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: let's take a little bit more of a listen.
• 23:20
  Speaker 3: There's kind of maybe an inferred thing that like through
• 23:23
  Speaker 3: doing these workouts, but that's why I think it's really
• 23:26
  Speaker 3: important you have spoken about it.
• 23:29
  Speaker 2: It's kind of reminding me of when Steph Klessmith copped
• 23:32
  Speaker 2: a lot of backlash when she was paid to promote
• 23:34
  Speaker 2: sun cream. And people were like, hold on a second.
• 23:36
  Speaker 2: We remember the message that you used to push about
• 23:39
  Speaker 2: sun tanning and that you would lather yourself up with
• 23:42
  Speaker 2: oils and sunbake for hours in the sun. That is
• 23:44
  Speaker 2: the difficulty when you have been in the public eye
• 23:47
  Speaker 2: for over 10 years. And a lot of people have
• 23:50
  Speaker 2: followed your life very closely. People remember the type of
• 23:53
  Speaker 2: messaging that you used to put out. It doesn't mean
• 23:55
  Speaker 2: that you can't change and evolve though.
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: Yeah, but the difference is that Steph's body checks have
• 23:59
  Speaker 1: continued throughout having Kik.
• 24:01
  Speaker 2: I listened to this full segment of the Kik pod
• 24:03
  Speaker 2: and my head felt like it was going to explode
• 24:06
  Speaker 2: because it was just so utterly confusing. I think there
• 24:08
  Speaker 2: were just so many contradictions throughout it. And it's like
• 24:11
  Speaker 2: they can't quite wrap their heads around it either. They're
• 24:14
  Speaker 2: trying to be so politically correct and say the right things.
• 24:17
  Speaker 1: But that's the thing. It doesn't come across as authentic
• 24:20
  Speaker 1: when as a listener, you can pick up on the
• 24:22
  Speaker 1: fact that they're second guessing what they're saying. And I mean,
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: there was a point where Laura spoke about how triggering
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: she found it when people shared weekly body checks, but
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: then she suddenly backtracked and said, oh, I like the
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: ones where people show their uterus retracting. That's really interesting
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: because obviously that's what Steph shared originally when she gave birth.
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: So I think there is a bit of conflict between
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: what Laura and Steph actually feel is appropriate to share.
• 24:48
  Speaker 1: And the issue is that they have their own personal
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: platforms that can contradict a kicks messaging in saying all
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: of that let's throw to this grab from Laura because
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: I could almost see the cogs turning in her head
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: trying to word this so it didn't offend Steph let's
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: take a listen.
• 25:06
  Speaker 3: And so when I was reflecting on that and then
• 25:08
  Speaker 3: I've looked at what you've been posting, like if you
• 25:11
  Speaker 3: ever in the past kind of few weeks, if you've
• 25:14
  Speaker 3: posted any video where you're not like completely covered, people
• 25:18
  Speaker 3: are saying you look strong. And maybe like me, they
• 25:21
  Speaker 3: had the assumption that you're exercising a lot. Yeah. But
• 25:25
  Speaker 3: that's not, it's never, like it's not black and white
• 25:27
  Speaker 3: and that's not the context why I think it was
• 25:29
  Speaker 3: really important that you speak about it.
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: I'm interested to hear your thoughts, Sophie, on how this
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: podcast came across because for someone who has PR and
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: media background, it sounded like damage control to me, particularly
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: after quite a number of Steph's recent reels elicited this
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: praising of bounce back culture.
• 25:48
  Speaker 2: That is exactly what it felt like. The thing that
• 25:51
  Speaker 2: kind of didn't sit well with me was Steph was
• 25:53
  Speaker 2: almost playing the victim as if she was offended by
• 25:56
  Speaker 2: all of the comments from people saying, you look fantastic.
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I get the vibe they were sitting around in
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: this meeting going, we're in a bit of a pickle here.
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: Even though it may not be intentional, Steph looks like
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: she's been promoting bounce back culture. How are we going
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: to get around it? What can we do? Hi guys,
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: so we are about to go on a super yacht today.
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: Jules Neal has taken a swipe at her ex-husband whilst
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: appearing in a TikTok video alongside the who's who of Perth.
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: The hairstylist turned influencer recently moved back to Perth in
• 26:26
  Speaker 1: the wake of her very public marriage breakdown to Brisbane
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: Lions player Lockie Neal. Now, Jules won the support from
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: the entire nation after speaking out about the unimaginable betrayal
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: she experienced at the hands of her husband and best friend,
• 26:40
  Speaker 1: Tess Crosley.
• 26:41
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and in recent months, the mum of two has
• 26:43
  Speaker 2: been using her social media to share her side of
• 26:46
  Speaker 2: the story. with a lot of people labelling her moves
• 26:49
  Speaker 2: as iconic. And this week, she used social media again
• 26:53
  Speaker 2: to post a rather blunt public swipe at her ex-husband.
• 26:57
  Speaker 2: So in the video, Jules appeared alongside Perth Influencers Jackie Alexander,
• 27:01
  Speaker 2: Rani Bransbury and the partner of Fremantle player Lizzie Brayshaw.
• 27:06
  Speaker 2: And they created one of those trending videos where people
• 27:08
  Speaker 2: respond to questions with mock outrage with Jason Derulo's song,
• 27:13
  Speaker 2: Whatcha Say, in the background. So in the video, Jules
• 27:16
  Speaker 2: is sitting at a cafe when she's confronted with the statement,
• 27:19
  Speaker 2: you really are good at picking a husband. And she
• 27:22
  Speaker 2: responded by throwing her hands in the air and slamming
• 27:24
  Speaker 2: them down on the table as she pretended to storm off.
• 27:28
  Speaker 2: And at that point, Jason Derulo was singing, when the
• 27:30
  Speaker 2: roof caved in and the truth came out, I just
• 27:33
  Speaker 2: didn't know what to do.
• 27:34
  Speaker 1: Now, Lizzie Brayshaw was next to feature in the video
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: and she pretended to slap the table and walk off
• 27:39
  Speaker 1: to the comment, being a wag is not a career move.
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: While Jackie Alexander looked disgusted at the statement, why didn't
• 27:46
  Speaker 1: you marry someone your own age? While Rani was met
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: with the comment, was being into girls just a phase? Now,
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: this clip has gone viral with more than 366,000 views.
• 27:56
  Speaker 2: I actually didn't even know that these four women were friends.
• 27:59
  Speaker 2: That's what blew my mind the most. I mean, it
• 28:01
  Speaker 2: makes sense that they are all probably getting invited to
• 28:04
  Speaker 2: these events in Perth.
• 28:06
  Speaker 1: Well, I knew that Jackie and Rani were friends, but
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: not all the others.
• 28:09
  Speaker 2: The comment section was pretty funny. Someone said, the premiers
• 28:11
  Speaker 2: I'd vote for in Perth, whilst another said, I'm obsessed
• 28:14
  Speaker 2: with Jules. So she's still winning a lot of fans.
• 28:17
  Speaker 2: I wonder if she continues posting in this manner.
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: About Lockie, whether.
• 28:22
  Speaker 2: the tide will sort of turn a bit and people
• 28:23
  Speaker 2: will be like, get over it.
• 28:25
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that this has an expiry date and
• 28:27
  Speaker 1: it's probably coming up soon. But at the moment, I'm
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: still very much enjoying it. Well, that is where we're
• 28:31
  Speaker 1: going to leave things today. If you enjoy the show,
• 28:34
  Speaker 1: we would love it if you could leave us a
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: five-star review. Also, if you want to hear more content
• 28:38
  Speaker 1: from us, we drop a bonus episode every Thursday for
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: Outspoken Plus subscribers. If you want to sign up, it's
• 28:44
  Speaker 1: only $ 5. 99 a month and all the details to do
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: so are in the show notes.
• 28:48
  Speaker 2: Also, if you haven't already, make sure you tune into
• 28:51
  Speaker 2: episode two of the Mums Group. In it, we speak
• 28:54
  Speaker 2: about a new profession of professional baby namers. So people
• 28:57
  Speaker 2: are paying upwards of $ 10, 000 to have people name their babies.
• 29:01
  Speaker 2: I mean, they're coming up with some pretty bizarre names.
• 29:04
  Speaker 2: We also spoke about the village and whether that is
• 29:07
  Speaker 2: still a thing in 2026 for a lot of new mums.
• 29:10
  Speaker 2: So please check that one out and leave a review.
• 29:13
  Speaker 2: This episode was recorded on the traditional land of the
• 29:15
  Speaker 2: Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains. We pay respect to
• 29:17
  Speaker 2: elders past and present.