Latest / Culture Shock / Bran Flakezz: Internet Fame, Overpriced Jeans, and Oversharing Online

Transcript

Bran Flakezz: Internet Fame, Overpriced Jeans, and Oversharing Online · Culture Shock

• 0:00
  [SPEAKER_03]: On this episode of Culture Shock, please welcome Rand Flakes.
• 0:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: Hi.
• 0:04
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'm already screaming for you.
• 0:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, thank you.
• 0:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you.
• 0:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: I know I'm like waiting for the applause and like, wait, we're over with like three people.
• 0:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: A conversation that no one really asked for.
• 0:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: Let us make some hella, great social clips.
• 0:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: The answers you didn't need to know.
• 0:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: When do you think is oversharing too much?
• 0:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, it depends because there was a lot of videos that I was sharing where like, I would get like 10% of the comments or this is TMI, but 90% of the comments were like, this is amazing.
• 0:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: Please keep going.
• 0:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: Please.
• 0:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: Enjoy the episode.
• 0:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: I bought a $3,000 pair of chrome hard jeans.
• 0:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like that was so stupid.
• 0:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: I thought that DE.
• 0:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, the doll community is cut throat.
• 0:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, if you're shooting your pants in the subway, you don't need to show everyone the skin mark.
• 0:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, you can tell everybody I shit my pants in the subway earlier.
• 0:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: We don't need to see it.
• 0:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: Different strokes for different folks.
• 0:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: Welcome to CultureShark, the non-sensical podcast because, name free other brown, gay, Indian dude to have podcasts.
• 1:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: Not a lot, yeah, slim, slim to none.
• 1:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: Today's guest, I have seen him on social quite often.
• 1:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: You may have seen his relatable videos, his advice, moving from Philly to LA.
• 1:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: Please welcome, brand flakes.
• 1:20
  [SPEAKER_03]: Hi, how are you screaming for you?
• 1:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, thank you.
• 1:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you.
• 1:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: I know I'm like waiting for the applause and like wait We're in a room with like three people, but we're here.
• 1:27
  [SPEAKER_03]: We're here.
• 1:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: We're here.
• 1:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: We're doing the damn thing.
• 1:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: We're here and we're clear.
• 1:30
  [SPEAKER_03]: This table is so gay
• 1:33
  [SPEAKER_03]: I love a wooden table.
• 1:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: I love this.
• 1:35
  [SPEAKER_03]: You love Stiffwood.
• 1:36
  [SPEAKER_03]: I love.
• 1:37
  [SPEAKER_03]: Absolutely.
• 1:39
  [SPEAKER_03]: I also do enjoy a nice thick table.
• 1:41
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
• 1:41
  [SPEAKER_03]: I have taste.
• 1:42
  [SPEAKER_03]: Wow, we're going there.
• 1:43
  [SPEAKER_03]: We're going there.
• 1:43
  [SPEAKER_03]: We'll before we start every podcast.
• 1:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: I say, we need to make sure that we start things off in a good note.
• 1:49
  [SPEAKER_03]: So could you please leave me in a podcast prayer?
• 1:51
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
• 1:52
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, please hold hands, tell me what we're closing eyes.
• 1:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: What are we doing?
• 1:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's close eyes.
• 1:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
• 1:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let us have juicy conversations that are mostly respectful.
• 2:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let us make some hella great social clips.
• 2:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's get some hot takes in there.
• 2:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's get the people thinking.
• 2:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: Amen.
• 2:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: Amen.
• 2:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: I heard hot and I was in.
• 2:14
  [SPEAKER_03]: There you go.
• 2:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: Hot and sexy.
• 2:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: Leave it be.
• 2:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: Oh My bad.
• 2:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: I forgot this entire time.
• 2:20
  [SPEAKER_03]: We've had another girl just as you mentioned There's three of us in here that girl in the corner today.
• 2:26
  [SPEAKER_03]: She is known as the conversation starter She is a good friend of mine and she is also hot and sexy.
• 2:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's welcome Lex Niko Happy to be here.
• 2:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: I also love a big wood table
• 2:41
  [SPEAKER_03]: What type of wood is your favorite?
• 2:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: Oh, you know, tall dark and handsome.
• 2:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: Some brown.
• 2:47
  [SPEAKER_03]: About six inches can hold like a bar for one or two.
• 2:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, you know, it's like a can can do some fine things with my big touch.
• 2:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: Who knew it?
• 2:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: That tables were so sexy.
• 2:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: All right.
• 3:00
  [SPEAKER_03]: I love a discounted, bargain, anyway.
• 3:04
  [SPEAKER_03]: The rules is podcasted very simple.
• 3:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: Now, if Lex ever wants a chime in on our conversation, she has to hit her button.
• 3:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: Lex, can you please hit your button?
• 3:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: Absolutely.
• 3:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: It's new, noxious.
• 3:14
  [SPEAKER_03]: It's great.
• 3:14
  [SPEAKER_03]: Is it?
• 3:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: And if you don't want to answer her question, or you want to gab on just me and you, or you want to answer my question, you can hit our button.
• 3:21
  [SPEAKER_03]: I will never ignore Lex.
• 3:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: I love you.
• 3:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: But ignore me, absolutely.
• 3:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: OK, so can you please also hit this button?
• 3:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: Do you feel like you're on a game show?
• 3:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: I do, and I love game shows.
• 3:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: Name a game show.
• 3:32
  [SPEAKER_03]: Family feud, you were ready.
• 3:34
  [SPEAKER_03]: Now, that's kind of the rules.
• 3:36
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay, are you buckled or you're ready?
• 3:37
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'm buckled and ready to go.
• 3:39
  [SPEAKER_03]: Thank God.
• 3:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: Now, let's begin.
• 3:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
• 3:42
  [SPEAKER_03]: Take me back to the early days of a guy like yourself being in Philadelphia.
• 3:47
  [SPEAKER_03]: What was life like?
• 3:49
  [SPEAKER_03]: Life was good!
• 3:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: I remember my first memories were in college.
• 3:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: I was parting every weekend.
• 3:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: I was getting into my hook-up phase.
• 3:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: Grinder was downloaded and I was skinny.
• 4:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: So, I was a lot happier than, no, I'm kidding, I'm so happy right now, but like in the way department I was happier.
• 4:07
  [SPEAKER_03]: Got it.
• 4:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: That was grinder back then like one gay pretend miles and Pennsylvania as a fellow P.A.
• 4:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: girl.
• 4:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: It was in as, you know, plentiful as it would be in like a city like L.A. or New York, but I didn't have like that much scarcity is that the word, so you were resourceful.
• 4:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I was resourceful for sure.
• 4:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 4:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
• 4:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: I had a next store neighbor that was gay.
• 4:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: Um, we played.
• 4:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: Got it!
• 4:32
  [SPEAKER_03]: Note it!
• 4:33
  [SPEAKER_03]: Now, did you always see yourself in Philadelphia?
• 4:36
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like, did you want out of Pennsylvania?
• 4:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I actually did always see myself.
• 4:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: I would always tell people I wasn't going to move because I was one of the only people doing content creation there, so I was very big fish, little pond energy, but what I started to realize in the last year was I was also getting little pond opportunities.
• 4:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I was like, wait, how many were restaurant openings?
• 4:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: Can I go to?
• 4:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like every time I do something big with a brand or something that's going to get me paid a lot,
• 5:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm frequently traveling to New York if I want to go to a movie premiere.
• 5:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm going to New York and I was just like, I can't do this anymore.
• 5:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I also hate New York.
• 5:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: So if you don't do New York, you do LA or Miami.
• 5:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: The name of the reasons you hate New York.
• 5:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: Overpriced, overcrowded, dirty.
• 5:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: Lex.
• 5:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: I also hate New York because I hate this strong word.
• 5:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: I just like, New York is not my pace.
• 5:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's not my place.
• 5:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: I love LA.
• 5:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: I love the lifestyle here.
• 5:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: I love that it's sunny all the time.
• 5:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: I also am from Canada.
• 5:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's East Coast Energy.
• 5:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm good with traveling for my winter and coming back to the sunshine.
• 5:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I'm aligned.
• 5:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: How about you?
• 5:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: Are you a New Yorkator?
• 5:42
  [SPEAKER_03]: New York on my behalf.
• 5:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: I need grass.
• 5:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, exactly.
• 5:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: Love her.
• 5:47
  [SPEAKER_03]: Love a good visit.
• 5:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: Mm-hmm.
• 5:49
  [SPEAKER_03]: But that was a DC boy and love that.
• 5:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: DC has a great gay community.
• 5:55
  [SPEAKER_03]: Doesn't it?
• 5:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, there's so many gays in DC, I feel like.
• 5:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: I miss town.
• 6:00
  [SPEAKER_03]: Town, dance, which... Lexus cultured.
• 6:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: I have a question.
• 6:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
• 6:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: Because you know how there is like ever talks out like there's a West Hollywood gay.
• 6:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: Is there like a Philly gay or a DC gay stereotype?
• 6:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: 10 out of 10.
• 6:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 6:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: 100%.
• 6:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: I mean Philly gays.
• 6:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: They're very clicky.
• 6:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: They all hook up with each other.
• 6:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like if you go out in the Philly gay scene, like let's say you do six months straight of just Philly gay bars, you've probably hooked up with most of the gay community in the city.
• 6:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: um you just named every city yeah pretty much and like there was like like different clicks like there was like we called one click the mean gaze at when we saw them at the bar it was like oh there's the mean gaze like there and what was your group?
• 6:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: my group I just had a best friend and it was just me and him and we would just go out and tear the town it was really funny because he is so handsome and
• 6:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: Every guy would hit on me and would be so mean to him and I was like this is so gay Like they're definitely so threatened by you I was like actually I want to go out with you every single time because I've never felt more proud to be the Duff in the duo I was And he was also sober and I was a blackout So it was like a really really fun balance for us.
• 7:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: We had some great nights, but I had a six-month stand.
• 7:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: How do you sell yourself short?
• 7:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know what, I know what I was good at and where I lacked some technique.
• 7:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: Lex the next year question.
• 7:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: It does, thank you.
• 7:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm very welcome.
• 7:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: This has been informative educational podcasts.
• 7:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: You're very welcome.
• 7:32
  [SPEAKER_03]: Thank you.
• 7:32
  [SPEAKER_03]: Gay people, gay media mafia.
• 7:35
  [SPEAKER_03]: Exactly.
• 7:36
  [SPEAKER_03]: So you didn't download TikTok until 2021.
• 7:39
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 7:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay, he's researched.
• 7:42
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yes.
• 7:43
  [SPEAKER_03]: I got the card.
• 7:45
  [SPEAKER_03]: So what was the,
• 7:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I'm gonna do this moment.
• 7:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: Basically, I really wanted to be on reality TV.
• 7:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: And at that time, they were really starting to cast a lot of people that had a platform on social media.
• 7:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: So it was like, okay, there's only so much personality you can show in a one minute audition tape.
• 8:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I was like, I want two builds, like a little bit of a digital resume on social media so that if they kind of pop into me, they're like, okay, like, let's check his socials.
• 8:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, he's actually really funny.
• 8:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: recording a tape for an audition.
• 8:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's like one minute and the first like 30 seconds you have to spend being like, why would be good on this show?
• 8:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: And it's really hard to show a lot of personality.
• 8:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: But then I got really, really into actually doing content.
• 8:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I was just like, wait, wait, no, this is where the money's at.
• 8:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: So this is what I want to do.
• 8:32
  [SPEAKER_03]: So you think you're funny.
• 8:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't think I'm boring.
• 8:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: I didn't say boring.
• 8:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: Don't put words in my mouth.
• 8:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, I'm not, I try to stay humble, but yes, I do think I can crack a few jokes.
• 8:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think anyone who's had childhood trauma is funny.
• 8:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: Right, right, you don't agree.
• 8:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: I mean, not all gay people are a funny, and they think gay people are funny.
• 8:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: The stress flex does anyway.
• 8:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't think not all gay people have to have a trauma, though.
• 9:02
  [SPEAKER_03]: You know, fax our fax.
• 9:07
  [SPEAKER_03]: You mentioned, I think at one point you said you were posting two videos a day.
• 9:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yes, I don't know how, don't know how either.
• 9:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: What was the, okay, I'm gonna keep doing this.
• 9:20
  [SPEAKER_03]: I don't care about floppy on us.
• 9:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: Things that take off.
• 9:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's just gonna keep happening.
• 9:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, once you get your first viral video, you gotta dope a mean rush.
• 9:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: And once you get your first viral video that translates into a lot of followers, you get an extra dope a mean rush.
• 9:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: Because even last week, my boyfriend posted something.
• 9:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: When viral, he went from 9,000 followers to 18.7,000 followers in three days.
• 9:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I was like, do you know how rarely that happens these days?
• 9:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like back in 2021, that was happening frequently.
• 9:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: But nowadays, it's like you can post a smash hit video on your lucky if you get 50 new followers from it.
• 9:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: they're like, seen it before.
• 9:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: I know this font exactly, but back then it was so much less saturated.
• 10:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I was amazed that when my first viral video happened, which was June by the end of August, I had 80,000 followers.
• 10:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: I was like, oh, this is easy.
• 10:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: I was like, this is great.
• 10:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I mean, listen, now we're five years later.
• 10:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm 1.4 million.
• 10:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's a huge accomplishment.
• 10:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: But it's definitely harder than it was then.
• 10:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: How closely do you pay attention to staff?
• 10:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: You're a big stack girl.
• 10:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm a big stack girl.
• 10:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: I pay attention very closely because I compete with myself.
• 10:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: So every year, I want to out to my performance of last year.
• 10:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: Whether that's like financially, follower wise, view wise, I want to constantly beat myself.
• 10:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's exhausting, but it also is, I feel like part of the reason why I've had a lot of success.
• 10:48
  [SPEAKER_03]: What's the gene and you that does that?
• 10:49
  [SPEAKER_03]: Because mine is like the Indian, like dishonor, like on your family.
• 10:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: Is it the trauma?
• 10:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think it's trauma.
• 10:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: I also think, how can I put this without sounding so self-hating?
• 11:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think I crave validation and a lot of times like I'm not going to lie.
• 11:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: I feel like anyone who does social media for career wants validation some ways.
• 11:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like you want to see your work result in numbers and everything.
• 11:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I'm like, it is a validating feeling when you put a lot of work in and then you see something performing well.
• 11:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: There's so many things.
• 11:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: that are unfulfilling in life, where you work so hard at certain things, and you get no, you know, like reciprocation for it.
• 11:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: I remember when I would work corporate, I'm like, why am I working so hard every single day just to get a promotion once every three years?
• 11:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, this is bullshit.
• 11:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: And the validation doesn't always come in the gay community, 100% mother.
• 11:45
  [SPEAKER_03]: I mean, my mom's great.
• 11:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: I love her.
• 11:47
  [SPEAKER_03]: I love having a white mom.
• 11:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: I love it.
• 11:52
  [SPEAKER_03]: Great.
• 11:53
  [SPEAKER_03]: No, you had a lot of content about dating, partying, oversharing.
• 12:00
  [SPEAKER_03]: When do you think is oversharing too much?
• 12:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: Not for just you, but anybody else, it could name names, I don't know.
• 12:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, it depends because there was a lot of videos that I was sharing where like, I would get like 10% of the comments or this is TMI, but 90% of the comments were like, this is amazing, please keep going.
• 12:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: I definitely think like,
• 12:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: There, there were times where I would like post a video of me literally making out with somebody not as like, did anybody, did it age well, did anyone really need to see that like, no, I was getting better response when I was storytelling, telling, not showing.
• 12:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I think that's really like your fine line, it's like,
• 12:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: Do a great story, Tau, but you don't need to show, like if you're shutting your pants in the subway, you don't need to show everyone this good mark, you know?
• 12:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: You can tell everybody, I shut my pants in the subway earlier.
• 12:51
  [SPEAKER_03]: We don't need to see it.
• 12:52
  [SPEAKER_03]: Different strokes for different folks.
• 12:53
  [SPEAKER_03]: Exactly.
• 12:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: That's different platform that someone won't want that.
• 12:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's my personal line right there.
• 12:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: Skid marks on the subway.
• 12:59
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, like don't show it, but tell everybody.
• 13:00
  [SPEAKER_03]: I want to hear about it, but I don't want to see it.
• 13:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: Mm-hmm.
• 13:04
  [SPEAKER_03]: You know what I mean?
• 13:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: Mm-hmm.
• 13:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 13:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: Do we?
• 13:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: What do we think of the art of just like turning the camera on when we need to like in the moment like those type of girls?
• 13:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think there's a time in a place, you know, like if you just had, you know, a really interesting sexual, I'm writing a buzzer and buzzer and buzzer and I have so many points to make.
• 13:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: Okay, first of all, I think what brand is so good at, yes, is towing that line, but you invite your audience in because
• 13:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: You put out information, you educate, you help them, but you also make it acceptable to be authentically yourself and tell and share that story.
• 13:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I think that's what keeps people coming back because it does feel like a two-way connection.
• 13:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: Instead of you just being like out, out, me, me, me.
• 13:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I think it's very relatable in that sense.
• 13:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's my number one answer, me, too.
• 13:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: I just said you're relatable, he's not.
• 13:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: for inviting her.
• 14:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: Then my second point is actually a question because this is something with a lot of the, like, I know with my influencer girly friends that are more like lifestyle.
• 14:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: How do we feel about the girlies that open up the phone and are crying on camera?
• 14:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: Some people love it, some people hate it, I'm so curious for your take.
• 14:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: You want it, you have the floor?
• 14:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: For the, I've talked a lot.
• 14:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: You can go.
• 14:20
  [SPEAKER_03]: Oh, you know, in the moment, it probably feels so good to crown the floor.
• 14:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: Just remember you have to edit that and watch that back.
• 14:27
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 14:27
  [SPEAKER_03]: And that's the part I wonder how, how we feel in that moment after.
• 14:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm not into the opening of it because I feel like it's like oh my god, I'm crying like, let me when I'm like fully in tears, I don't want to.
• 14:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm not thinking about recording myself.
• 14:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm thinking I don't really enjoy the cry.
• 14:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, sometimes I have a therapeutic cry, but like now I'm on a mood stable our name and occasion.
• 14:49
  [SPEAKER_03]: So it's rare for me to cry.
• 14:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: Um, a therapeutic cry.
• 14:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think is like when something really beautiful happens.
• 14:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: Right.
• 14:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: Continue.
• 14:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 14:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: But yeah, that's not my- I'd rather see you cry midway through like you're talking about something and then you get choked up while talking about it So you watch videos with crying and you said you didn't cry the exact time I needed you to
• 15:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: I like to see genuine human behavior and I think when people cry, it's very beautiful when they're talking about something and you kind of see them get choked up because something they're talking about is really emotional and important and
• 15:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's very human and on social media, you're not seeing a lot of things that are real.
• 15:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: Whereas I think sometimes when you start a video off when you're already crying, it's like, did you think in this moment while sobbing?
• 15:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, this will make good content and then you pop it up.
• 15:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that's not always the case.
• 15:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: Do you always have a place to pop it up?
• 15:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: The answer is no.
• 15:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: And sometimes you go to cry again.
• 15:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I prefer a midway cry.
• 15:48
  [SPEAKER_03]: Got it, like a mid roll.
• 15:49
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, got it.
• 15:51
  [SPEAKER_03]: I love that.
• 15:52
  [SPEAKER_03]: Do you?
• 15:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: I do because I understand that sentiment.
• 15:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's like, you're talking about something, whether it's good, bad, sad, but it's like, you're taking, again, you're taking people through the emotion.
• 16:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: Instead of saying, I'm crying, something is bothering, you're something happened and I'm gonna make this something when it could just be an intimate thing that I need to process and deal with.
• 16:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 16:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think sometimes.
• 16:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 16:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes, put the phone down, you know?
• 16:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, touch grass, can you vary?
• 16:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: Anyway, you once talked about hating things about yourself that eventually became a central point to why people connected to you online.
• 16:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: What's their point where the content you made online changed how you see yourself?
• 16:38
  [SPEAKER_03]: Why do I have meaning to answer no?
• 16:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: I feel like I honestly feel like I have always said this like when you approach content, talk about things that you're either really passionate about or really knowledgeable about.
• 16:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like for example, I'm very passionate about like friendship, dynamic, social situations, like weird nuance takes, and I'm very knowledgeable about the creator industry.
• 17:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: So those type of videos I can easily talk about, and I'm very confident in that.
• 17:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: If there's something that I'm not confident in speaking about, I'm not going to speak on it, typically.
• 17:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: I speak on a Valentino.
• 17:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I think I haven't really noticed anything different because I'm like, no, this is something I would have said in real life in a conversation on a thick wooden table and this is something now that I'll talk about online for sure.
• 17:32
  [SPEAKER_03]: Have you seen a change in yourself of how you appreciate your endeavors or your efforts or yourself.
• 17:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: I definitely felt like before this career, I wasn't good at anything because I was like, I can't play sports.
• 17:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm not good at art.
• 17:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: I really don't like anything else, honestly.
• 17:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: And then I realized what I was good at was actually being a conversation starter and being creative.
• 18:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I think recently I've accepted that, like, I am creative.
• 18:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think when you go through like a period of content creation, you kind of go through like, you know, writers block burn out a little bit.
• 18:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: You're like, I'm just not creative.
• 18:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like everyone else is thinking of these things.
• 18:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: And now really I've realized, no, like, I am fucking creative.
• 18:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like I do really cool ideas and concepts of things.
• 18:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I think that's what I've learned about myself.
• 18:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: I've also learned that I'm a very good speaker.
• 18:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: Um, which is crazy because like third grade me was like so terrified on like public speech day and like now I'm like Give me a presentation give me this.
• 18:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: I want a chat.
• 18:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: Literally.
• 18:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: You want the cards?
• 18:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: So yeah, I would say those are the two things that I've learned the most about myself that has kind of surprised me about my endeavors.
• 18:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: Work.
• 18:45
  [UNKNOWN]: Thanks.
• 18:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: Thoughts, Lex.
• 18:47
  [SPEAKER_03]: I mean, I just love you.
• 18:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: I have so many thoughts, but they're all just like a love fest because I was going to also say what I love about Brands contouring like I love that you again take people on the journey.
• 18:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: You're very transparent with your experiences, but you also
• 19:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: Show these moments where you're proud and celebratory of yourself and again I'm talking about somebody who consumes a lot of content and it's like it's nice to see and it makes me feel like it's okay to acknowledge my wins because we've also seen all the work that's gone behind how you've built all of this.
• 19:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: So it's nice to also get those forms of like excitement for yourself and contract congratulatory acceptance.
• 19:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like
• 19:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: I love watching your content.
• 19:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: Can you call me every morning?
• 19:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
• 19:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, can you be my alarm clock?
• 19:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like, but it also makes me feel like I need to reflect on myself and be like, girl, you're doing okay!
• 19:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, for sure.
• 19:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, like, that's doing our best.
• 19:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's nice.
• 19:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're all just doing our best.
• 19:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: I do have a question, though.
• 19:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
• 19:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh.
• 19:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: Let me buzz it me is there something you said you you know you're an expert in the creator economy.
• 19:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know you love speaking.
• 19:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know that you're good at making content and creative.
• 19:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: Is there anything that you want to learn that you haven't ventured into just yet.
• 19:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: What can't brand do?
• 19:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: What can't Brando?
• 19:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: I want to learn how to be less sensitive.
• 20:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: I feel like really impacted by people's opinions as me and very, I want to be more unbothered.
• 20:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like I want to be like, I want to climb a cringe mountain.
• 20:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, not even that.
• 20:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: I just want to be like, okay, yeah.
• 20:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: So someone doesn't agree with my take who cares.
• 20:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: I still made it, and I stand by it.
• 20:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm more like, oh my god, was I wrong?
• 20:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: Should I delete this?
• 20:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, do people not think that social settings are like this?
• 20:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, something deep, you know?
• 20:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: But in my mind, I make every mole-hill amount.
• 20:33
  [SPEAKER_03]: Name three times when it's deep.
• 20:37
  [SPEAKER_03]: When the table's too big.
• 20:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: when that word is long and too long.
• 20:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: You don't need to name any others.
• 20:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: That just kind of did what it needed to.
• 20:49
  [SPEAKER_03]: You were field in 2024.
• 20:52
  [SPEAKER_03]: You had quite a large sum.
• 20:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: First of all, contract effect relations.
• 20:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: Thank you.
• 20:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: Thanks, Flex.
• 20:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: Get the bag.
• 20:58
  [UNKNOWN]: Thank you.
• 21:00
  [SPEAKER_03]: Did you feel any hesitation talking about how much money you make and how people started judging you a little bit differently since that.
• 21:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: I felt a lot of hesitation, and I think something to really note of importance at that time was, I was in between teams, so I actually was not managed by anybody when I made that reveal.
• 21:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: I genuinely think if I had a team during that time, they would have never let me say that, but that was one of those rare, but amazing moments where I trusted my gut.
• 21:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I was met with so much praise and so much like wow good for you and thanks for sharing and I inspired a lot of people and it was really scared to drop that number because I was just like it's not big enough
• 21:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's just like this could come across really crass, really flexy, also very privilege because there's a lot of people that aren't making that kind of money like at the end of the day and the white man.
• 21:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I really was nervous about every different angle that it could go.
• 22:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: And the reception was incredibly positive.
• 22:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: Which you're aware.
• 22:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: When the podcast clip posted, I remember I sat in a long for 20 minutes, and I was like, if the comments are so bad, I have to call Vivian Wu, who's the host of that, until her girl you need to take this down immediately.
• 22:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, this is great.
• 22:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: But I definitely think now in moments of
• 22:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: I guess you could say controversy, that's the first scene that people like to whip out and be like, did you really need to do this ad?
• 22:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: You made this much amount of money like come on and I think that's the funny thing is Is people don't know how much other creators are making like That amount of money that I made fucking incredible amazing amazing The table's tilting that way for all the money
• 22:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: But they have no idea like how much some of their favorite influencers make.
• 22:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like it's disgusting.
• 22:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like I would say some of the top New York City influencers are usually might be making more than some actors and actresses.
• 23:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: And by some I mean a lot, a lot.
• 23:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: name names?
• 23:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: No.
• 23:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: We're good on that.
• 23:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: No.
• 23:14
  [SPEAKER_03]: Has publicly sharing money, talking about funds, cost you anything that it changed any outcomes.
• 23:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: Did it cost you an opportunity of any sort?
• 23:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: If it did, I didn't hear about it.
• 23:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: Um, there's other things that I have heard of costing opportunities, like publicly speaking about, you know, our administration and political things, there are some brands that just won't touch any creator that ever speaks about politics.
• 23:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that I've received in feedback from either losing deals or mentioning to somebody, hey, I want to work with them and someone being like, they like you, but you talked about politics too much.
• 23:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: I've never been met with, oh, you're too transparent because I've never and will never go on record being like,
• 23:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: I made this amount from this specific branch.
• 23:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, I've given a lump sum and you can kind of, you know, if you want to play the guessing game of every brand deal I did in 2024 that led up to that salary, go for it.
• 24:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: You're going to be sitting at your computer for a long time.
• 24:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: But I think that's maybe why I've never heard that, you know, but you know, you never know what's going on in closed door rooms and internal conversations that you're not part of.
• 24:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: If I didn't know about it, I didn't hear about it exactly.
• 24:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: Lex, you got anything?
• 24:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yes!
• 24:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm too Canadian.
• 24:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm like, I want to buzz in, but I want to keep the conversation going over here.
• 24:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's like, send me.
• 24:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: I want to know, not disclosing brand partners, but is there a specific type of partnership that you really enjoy?
• 24:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: Is there one where it's like, it was my concept and idea, and I pitched that partner or a partner's come to you and you're like, wait, I really like this.
• 24:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: Is there like a style or a process that you really enjoy?
• 24:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: free-flowing, easiness.
• 24:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: I just did a partnership with Bonza Pasta and it was off of one of my funny skit videos where I was making fun of a traditional brand deal and I was actually using Bonza's my prop but I didn't say Bonza because like I said I'm never gonna use a brand's name.
• 25:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: I just had a dish of the pasta and I was like protein pasta.
• 25:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: They were like we love the video.
• 25:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: Can you just do a reply to comment and do any freaking kind of video you want?
• 25:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: And it was like,
• 25:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Please, like that's so easy.
• 25:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: Approved on the first round, no concept forms, no bullshit, just straight up.
• 25:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: You don't even have to send over a script to record and we'll watch it and they love it and they add performance so well.
• 25:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's my favorite type of partnership.
• 25:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: That protein pasta hit.
• 25:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: And it does.
• 25:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: I had their rotini last night.
• 25:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: I was like, hmm, rotini, I'm gonna be skinny.
• 25:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: I like that.
• 25:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: No, because it's true, but again, you're like, it performed while I also feel like energetically if you feel so good about it or so normal, it's always going to do better than when it's like, oh my gosh, they've got all these edits, now I'm reading off a script of key messaging.
• 25:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: This is kind of annoying.
• 25:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: It doesn't feel like me anymore.
• 25:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yes.
• 25:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think there's a misconception that the brands partnerships that pay you the most are probably your favorite.
• 26:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: No, they're paying you the most for a reason.
• 26:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: They're going to put you through some hell.
• 26:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: They're going to put you through some rounds and rounds of re-shooting and content approval and they're going to make you work for it.
• 26:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: It seems like no one wants to fucking work these days.
• 26:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: Exactly.
• 26:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: Lex, anything else?
• 26:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: No, I feel good.
• 26:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you.
• 26:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: Oh, content.
• 26:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you, Daddy.
• 26:20
  [SPEAKER_03]: I just wanted to once.
• 26:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: You have quarters.
• 26:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: Call me, Daddy.
• 26:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: Which one?
• 26:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: Me or her?
• 26:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: Me or her?
• 26:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: And the table.
• 26:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: You spoke about people who are entertainment, actors, TV, film, whatever else, yeah, but you you fill in the blanks.
• 26:42
  [SPEAKER_03]: Do you think there's a stigma about people who come from social media making it big this day and age?
• 26:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, a hundred percent.
• 26:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think there's a stigma around the word influencer, and that's why I actually try to avoid that word at all cost.
• 26:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'd much rather be referred to as a creator, or that bitch, or that bitch, or that bitch.
• 27:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: Bye.
• 27:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think this stigma around influencers still very much what an influencer was in 2012, which is, you know, a young attractive girl posting a very privileged luxurious lifestyle and having people look up to them and be like, I want to live like Amy does.
• 27:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, I'm going to do the things that Amy does.
• 27:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: I want to wear her clothes.
• 27:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: I want to go through the coffee shops and travel the way that she does.
• 27:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: And it's like,
• 27:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: that's really not it anymore.
• 27:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: Of course, you can find that subset of people and there are some people who are really good at doing that.
• 27:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: But then a lot of times like those type of creators that I meet are the ones who not to be rude are flopping the hardest on social because now we're looking for social connection and parasocial relationships.
• 27:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: And when your entire feed is just really nicely filtered photos of you and your sneakers and your coffee, who are you?
• 27:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: We don't even know you.
• 27:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: And now people want to follow people that they feel like
• 27:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I think that that word influencer has such a negative stigma attached to it and because we're in a very now we're seeing a lot of creators be on the more Gen Z gen alpha side there are a lot of creators that
• 28:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: are going straight from college right into content creation or in some cases dropping out of high school because they're already starting their TikTok account and there's 16 years old speak on it and there is a lot of like head turned there and be like you haven't even lived real life like you have no idea what it's like
• 28:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: to get up in the morning and go to an office and that's something I really am grateful that I was kind of more towards the latter part of this when I started content I was already 25 years old I was taking the subway to work every single day coming home at 7 p.m. a night being like okay got a film two videos because I don't want to do this life anymore I want to do the other life.
• 28:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: And there's a lot of people now who are doing this that will never know that experience.
• 28:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: They think content creation is very easy and was kind of handed to them.
• 29:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: Not that they didn't work hard for it, but they also didn't know what it was, it like to work hard in my opinion.
• 29:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: I really want to say the real world, but honestly, yeah, the real world.
• 29:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: Do you want to give your tyrospeach to camera about yelling at a girl who's never insreated the way you have?
• 29:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: I want wax to jump in.
• 29:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: Listen, I have thoughts on this because I agree.
• 29:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: I get this feedback.
• 29:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: I also am a content creator now.
• 29:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: I do a lot of hosting, but I get the feedback of, oh my gosh, it's so great to work with you because you've been on the corporate side and you get it.
• 29:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 29:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: And it really is, and I'm not saying that for anybody up and coming, they have to work in the corporate world.
• 29:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: But be professional, understand that everybody has a job to do in a role to play.
• 29:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 29:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: And yes, you're talent.
• 29:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yes, you're here for a reason, but be respectful, recognize that this is a business and learn a little bit, like just trying to understand that dynamic a little bit.
• 29:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: It goes such a long way.
• 29:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: Do you think the corporate baddies make the best online baddies in your opinion?
• 30:03
  [SPEAKER_03]: It sounds like I do because I think they have a really business side of the brain.
• 30:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: And they also, there's like more
• 30:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: Incentive.
• 30:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like for me, I know what it's like to work in nine to five and I know in my personal heart I never wanted to do that again.
• 30:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I'm going to work ten times harder because I want to make sure I never have to go back to an office Whereas people who've never done it, they're like, oh, you know like maybe if this, you know, doesn't work out Maybe I would do a nine to five and maybe they will do it and they'll be like wait This was more for me, but I think a lot of these people would never survive in an office Period
• 30:39
  [SPEAKER_03]: The XL spoke, but Lex spoke even more.
• 30:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: You have a lot of communities you're given back to.
• 30:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: One.
• 30:48
  [SPEAKER_03]: What was the moment you started to give back to a lot of local people?
• 30:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: I think it was restaurants, charities, and communities when you were in Philadelphia.
• 30:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: So in 2023, both my parents who were small business owners closed their businesses.
• 31:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: They were not able to recover from COVID.
• 31:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: I dad owned a corner store deli and it was just really hard for him actually not finding customers but finding workers.
• 31:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: people didn't want to work on the front lines, they did not want to work behind a counter, they didn't want to be exposed to anything, so they just were choosing not to apply for the positions and he lost a lot of his workers during that time.
• 31:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: And a lot of people had also partners that they needed to go support and, you know, just be with.
• 31:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: So he lost a lot of workers and closed down his business and sold it.
• 31:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: And my mom, who was only a children's thrift store, also was not able to survive COVID.
• 31:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: So, when I noticed how much that affected both of them, I really wanted to use my platform to save other people because in some ways I felt like I couldn't save my parents.
• 31:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that was really motivating for me then to go out there and say, okay, who can I help, who's on the risk of closing that maybe a push from social media can help them not have to do that?
• 32:01
  [SPEAKER_03]: Is there any way you feel like you've supported your parents?
• 32:03
  [SPEAKER_03]: Since that time or how does that really change?
• 32:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay, I didn't disagree.
• 32:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, my mom, I just took my mom to Italy and Paris like she's good now.
• 32:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: She loves that.
• 32:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: She doesn't have to go that first store
• 32:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: What do your parents feel about the career you are in now?
• 32:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: Some parents don't understand different generations.
• 32:26
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, how was that relationship with your parents?
• 32:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: Really good.
• 32:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think my mom was definitely like, I don't want to say shockingly supportive because it's not that she didn't support me making content.
• 32:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: was skeptical of like, can you really make a sustainable career off of this?
• 32:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I was shocked when I told her I wanted to quit my nine to five job that she was like, I don't know much about this, but like, if you're hot on social media right now, like maybe you should strike while the iron's hot, you know, like, what if in a year and no one cares about you, do you think you're going to reflect back on this and be like, damn, I wish I tried it when I had the chance.
• 32:59
  [SPEAKER_03]: Mom, mom knows best.
• 33:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and I was shocked that she gave me that advice because I thought she was going to be more of like the
• 33:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: What do you mean you're going to get rid of your health insurance and your benefits?
• 33:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: This is never going to work out.
• 33:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: Not her reaction at all, so I was very shocked.
• 33:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think they just worry about, when they have worries, I think they just worry about making sure that I'm safe and not posting too much online and making sure that I'm mentally okay with all the opinions that people will have on you and just kind of some of the pain points that come in being, and I guess you could say the public eye.
• 33:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: The struggle is me agreeing.
• 33:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: Okay, fear.
• 33:36
  [SPEAKER_03]: I just was waiting for the next comment.
• 33:38
  [SPEAKER_03]: Sorry, I'm the author.
• 33:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: Let her know.
• 33:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: I just comment, is there any lesson that you learned about entrepreneurship through your parents' journeys?
• 33:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, number one I would say what I learned through them is you have to put the work in.
• 33:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, it was not normal in my childhood neighborhood to see a mom working 60 hour plus weeks.
• 34:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like that was most of the kids in my neighborhood had stayed home moms that were let alone not even working part-time or full-time.
• 34:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: And my parents really inspired me to be hard workers and they showed me that if you really work hard you can find success, so I definitely learned that from them.
• 34:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: I also just feel like I learned like basic relationship builders and business like my mom was so close to her customers.
• 34:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like she was like almost a therapist at some point.
• 34:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that really did help people come back more and more because they wanted to go into the store and have that experience.
• 34:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I was like, I want you build a very safe community the way that my mom did in her business.
• 34:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that definitely helped me.
• 34:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think build a strong business because I was really good at networking.
• 34:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: And she really taught me that.
• 34:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: or her tips on networking.
• 34:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: Just be personal with people, get to know them outside of just a business transaction, get to know their family, get to know where they're going on vacation this week, or what are they coming in the store and shopping for?
• 35:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: What do they need and what is how's that translate into their real life?
• 35:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh my gosh, you're shopping for Invinclos, like you just had a baby, just really getting to know people and not just being so handshake, surface level of like, okay, here's my content, here's your money, you know, type of thing.
• 35:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: Lex, I can just feel the presence.
• 35:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: Mom is not transactional and I love that.
• 35:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: We love that.
• 35:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: You started an account called Brats with Brand.
• 35:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: Oh, yes, yes, love it.
• 35:34
  [SPEAKER_03]: What has the response been on making your Brats account?
• 35:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think it's been great, you know, I went into this like, and I still treated it as like, this is my hobby.
• 35:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: And there was a concern where I was like, do I wanna bring this to social?
• 35:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: Cause like, I don't really want this to turn into another job, but I don't like, really, if it does, great.
• 35:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: If I somehow get a brand deal from Brats with Brand, period.
• 35:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: But I actually, when I was younger, had a Brats photography account on this website called Flickr, if it's called Ancient History.
• 36:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: The drop of Flickr.
• 36:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 36:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: Let it let it.
• 36:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: So there was a huge brass community on Flaker, which was a photo website owned by Yahoo.
• 36:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: I have something to exist actually.
• 36:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 36:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that community really moved over to Instagram when Instagram became a thing.
• 36:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: And at that same moment it was when I went to college.
• 36:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I left all my brass styles in my mom's house.
• 36:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: I wasn't doing that anymore.
• 36:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I really like lost that kind of hobby just because I was doing different things.
• 36:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: I was being an adult and
• 36:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: I really have always loved dolls, and I genuinely believe in what I call doll therapy.
• 36:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like when I feel anxious, I grab a doll and I grab a brush and I just brush their hair.
• 36:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I can lose sight of all time.
• 36:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: And when I started therapy in 2023, she was like, you have no hobbies.
• 36:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: She was like,
• 36:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: You are feeling so anxious right now because your whole life is digital content and that is not sustainable She's like you were so good at what you do.
• 36:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm not telling you to quit But if you want it to sustain for a long time you have to do something that makes you turn off your phone And when you think of hobbies like oh my god, I have to learn how to play pickle ball I have to go out there and do you know learn how to play an instrument join a right club No, I literally could just pick up a doll and have fun and photographing them and editing the photos has been so fun
• 37:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: Last Sunday I spent my entire day just doing stuff with dolls and I had the best fucking time I swear I put me in a good mood So yeah, and just having that community.
• 37:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's really hard on brand flakes page because I don't have a niche So it's hard sometimes because I'm like fuck I could talk about so many things It's nice to have just like a social account that is called to trade it on one thing and there's such an intense community of Brats doll lovers and just doll lovers in general So it's been a blast so no haters on the brats
• 37:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, the doll community is cut throat.
• 37:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, so I'm sure there will be drama soon.
• 37:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: I've already been seeing like, not about me, thank God.
• 37:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: But like, there's a lot of AI Brats artwork being made right now.
• 37:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: We're like, people want to make art that looks like a Brats song.
• 37:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, make it an AI.
• 38:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: And there are people of the Brats community who are like, fuck, no, there is no place for Brats AI art in the community.
• 38:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm like, period, stand on it.
• 38:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: But they don't get a chance.
• 38:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: Definitely be drama.
• 38:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: People are a catty for sure.
• 38:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: I had to learn more about this interview.
• 38:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: I didn't know there was drama in the doll.
• 38:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: I told my god when I was in high school and was doing this, I would like get into fights with other doll creators.
• 38:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: They would be nasty to like your doll looks so fucking greasy in their photo.
• 38:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know how greasy they are.
• 38:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: You definitely have a dirty doll den.
• 38:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, we're dragging the doll.
• 38:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: We're dragging the doll.
• 38:35
  [SPEAKER_03]: Almost like basement Barbie.
• 38:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like a mustie.
• 38:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: So they're like, your doll puppy's little mustie is shit.
• 38:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, yeah, people got vicious.
• 38:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: Me and my polypoc, it's kind of garden.
• 38:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: Had nothing on that.
• 38:48
  [SPEAKER_03]: Geez.
• 38:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: Now, going back to giving back, yeah.
• 38:53
  [SPEAKER_03]: You're very aware that you're white, of course.
• 38:55
  [SPEAKER_03]: Very much so, you know.
• 38:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: And you, oh, I've got my eyes, so I've got my eyesight still intact.
• 39:02
  [SPEAKER_03]: It's 2020.
• 39:03
  [SPEAKER_03]: You have a lot of people who very much backed your support for other people of color, other communities.
• 39:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: What has the relationship been like for those you've worked
• 39:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: It's been great.
• 39:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think I've, you know, I come from a marginalized group of people as well being in the LGBTQ community and I know how isolating that can feel and I really felt like a lot of times I was focusing on helping black women because I feel like black women have been some of my biggest cheerleaders in my life.
• 39:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: I also think there is one thing that I don't like.
• 39:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: I do feel like queer culture often rips off culture from black women and I've never, I kind of almost want to work against that stigma and be like, I want to help you.
• 39:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't want to steal from you and use the amazing catch phrases that you've come up with and the amazing pop culture things that you've come up with as just my benefit to make money.
• 39:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm like, let's maybe change that narrative because there's so many unfortunate situations where queer people are ripping off black culture.
• 40:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: Um, so that was really a focus of mine.
• 40:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: It was just giving back to a community that has been nothing but supportive to me and also trying to take away some of the bad stigmas that I feel like have been caused in my community.
• 40:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: Um, so I really wanted to definitely reverse that, but there was never a time where I was like, oh, I'm only going to help lack businesses.
• 40:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, you also don't want to come across as performative and using like,
• 40:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, I helped to black business.
• 40:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: Everyone follow me now.
• 40:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like I'm such a good person.
• 40:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like it was never a solid it was never about that.
• 40:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: It was more just helping small businesses, which inspiration came from my parents and also trying to step out of my box and help businesses that, you know, are owned by marginalized communities and are really trying to make it because I feel like I'm such a blessed person that I came from a marginalized community was able to make my own business from having a platform.
• 40:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: Just letting that, like, sit in.
• 40:59
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
• 41:00
  [SPEAKER_03]: Sometimes you're letting so- Let it moisturize.
• 41:02
  [SPEAKER_03]: Let it.
• 41:03
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yes, let the melon and also soak in.
• 41:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: Your audience has watched you be extremely open about dating.
• 41:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
• 41:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: Why the laugh?
• 41:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Because I was like, I was like doing too much back in the day.
• 41:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: And what's your life outlook like now that you are in a relationship and living with someone?
• 41:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 41:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: And it's a different time, it's such a different time.
• 41:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't regret anything though.
• 41:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: I had so much fun, genuinely, I went through shy phase of like really not knowing how to date and really being uncomfortable with my own skin to my first relationship where I learned so much about myself and then my whole phase after that first relationship into basically like married.
• 42:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: I wanna talk about this because I feel like I'm a huge advocate.
• 42:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: Can we just have a moment and talk about the importance of having a hoe phase?
• 42:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: Not because you have to be a hoe.
• 42:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: I could talk about that.
• 42:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: You put that out of the day.
• 42:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: Talk about it.
• 42:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: Talk about it.
• 42:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: I love a hoe phase.
• 42:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, oh my god, this is gonna sound like such bad advice.
• 42:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: But there is just something so fun in being in an era where you are not putting pressure on yourself to fall in love.
• 42:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: it's really that it a whole thing doesn't need to be oh I'm catching bodies every single weekend coming for me catching what are you a cheerleader exactly I mean for me that was kind of the direction was going in but it's really nice to kind of just be like no I'm going on dates and people are like oh do you like him I'm like
• 42:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: No, I'm not doing that.
• 42:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, liberated.
• 42:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm having fun.
• 42:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm learning about myself.
• 42:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm fucking really hot people, and I'm not getting caught up in feelings that I used to always find myself getting caught up in.
• 43:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I think you find the right person when you're in your homophase, because you are having so much fun that you find someone you're like, wow, you are actually worth leaving this really fun air in my life because you are amazing.
• 43:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's exactly what happened to me.
• 43:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: You know, it's all fun and games until you say, I'm for the streets and the streets say, go home.
• 43:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: We don't want you or the streets say, you have glimitia.
• 43:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: Different different.
• 43:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: Different.
• 43:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: The only things I was catching was the two men who sent me back home.
• 43:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I was like, I don't want to date you either.
• 43:30
  [SPEAKER_03]: Oh, it's almost like when you're single, I'm single.
• 43:33
  [SPEAKER_03]: So I didn't even count the one.
• 43:35
  [SPEAKER_03]: Some people have all the luck.
• 43:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: I know.
• 43:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: Andy.
• 43:38
  [SPEAKER_03]: All two?
• 43:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's down.
• 43:41
  [SPEAKER_03]: Wait, hold on, we're not done with you.
• 43:43
  [SPEAKER_03]: Have you had a home face?
• 43:45
  [SPEAKER_03]: Girl, look at me.
• 43:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: Does this face, do I look like I give home face?
• 43:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: No.
• 43:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, but I think you should, you look like a lot of people would want you in their home face.
• 44:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: Got it.
• 44:01
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, you know, I don't always strike when the iron's hot.
• 44:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: I let the iron just bring me the food to my table.
• 44:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: So you, I'm not had a home face.
• 44:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: I mean, I haven't had a home face.
• 44:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: Re-between the lines.
• 44:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
• 44:14
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
• 44:14
  [SPEAKER_03]: We'll let you off the hook.
• 44:15
  [UNKNOWN]: Okay.
• 44:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: You know, I just don't, I don't chase.
• 44:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: I attract you.
• 44:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 44:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: Because when I chase, I fumble.
• 44:21
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 44:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: Why do you think I'm a serious relationship data anyway?
• 44:26
  [SPEAKER_03]: So your boyfriend got to see you online.
• 44:30
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yes.
• 44:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: Do you feel that it is difficult to date online when you have an established social following photos, pictures, and you feel like you're being cat-fished?
• 44:42
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, by the four photos they have on their profile.
• 44:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: um with him it wasn't and he had a lot of photos and the second we started talking we were face timing immediately so it's like you know you're just as hot as you look like online maybe even hotter.
• 44:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: She knew what she was getting into.
• 45:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah and just the sweetest.
• 45:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: I know he's the nicest person over and fuck us yeah.
• 45:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: Oh, car drag.
• 45:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: You originally had dreams, as you said, of working, being in reality TV, you were even as far as cast and Netflix's.
• 45:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: Let me get this right.
• 45:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: 20 something's Austin.
• 45:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: I wasn't cast.
• 45:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I was in the final round.
• 45:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: Do a cast for the finals.
• 45:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 45:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: You were part of that pool.
• 45:26
  [SPEAKER_03]: You made it that far.
• 45:27
  [SPEAKER_03]: I can't watch that.
• 45:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: It was a shitty show.
• 45:30
  [SPEAKER_03]: So anyway, no, you are involved with the Unwell games coming up.
• 45:36
  [SPEAKER_03]: I am.
• 45:39
  [SPEAKER_03]: What flavor of reality TV does this scratch in it for?
• 45:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think people who want to watch
• 45:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: hookups, drama, but also just fun-living people that you can tell made a deep connection with one another.
• 46:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: and you lived your best life?
• 46:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: I did live my best life.
• 46:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm not gonna lie, it was an experience that at first I was very hesitant about.
• 46:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I was leaning towards not doing it and most of my guidance in my inner business circle were like, yeah, you might not want to do this.
• 46:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that is just because when you create a platform off of telling your own story, it feels very risky and is very risky to then hand off the narrative to somebody else.
• 46:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: So it doesn't matter what the show is.
• 46:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's just, hey, you're very used to editing your own story and now you're putting the hands and somebody else.
• 46:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: And when I did it, I was just like, I'm so glad I did this because this is not just an experience that is digital.
• 46:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: This is actually a life experience.
• 46:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I was looking around and Canada where we filmed.
• 46:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I was like, this is so fucking cool.
• 46:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm with people who I probably wouldn't have met otherwise, and we're having just this unique experience that only we're having.
• 46:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that is like a fun moment that no matter what this goes online, I'm grateful for this and in 20, 30 years whenever social media is done for me, I'm gonna look back and be like, wow, that was really fun.
• 47:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: And any negative feedback that happened really didn't matter because that was a positive life experience that I'll have for the rest of my life.
• 47:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's really like being in control.
• 47:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: I do love being in control most of the day.
• 47:26
  [SPEAKER_03]: Lex, any thoughts on Canada?
• 47:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: First of all, I love Canada.
• 47:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: Wait, where did you film in Canada?
• 47:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: Calgary.
• 47:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: Ah, yeah.
• 47:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: Beautiful, wonderful people.
• 47:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: But another question, on reality TV, do you have maybe two questions?
• 47:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: First question, what was your first experience with reality TV where you're like, this is for me?
• 47:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 47:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: And then second, what is your reality TV comfort watch?
• 47:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: Okay, so I grew up, I guess I'll start with your second question.
• 47:53
  [SPEAKER_03]: I grew up watching survivor big brother in the challenge and it's so funny.
• 47:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: I actually feel like a lot of those shows really influenced my real life because what I found fascinating about those shows in particular and why gravitate towards more reality competition is I really like watching people make decisions.
• 48:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: I like watching the human behavior of people analyzing other people and making a decision, and especially when those decisions are incentivized, which in most cases is you want to win, you want to win money.
• 48:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: So those were always my comfort shows, and I feel like I got really savvy myself, and I was like, I could play a game really, really well.
• 48:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: Um, so three years ago, I did a bar stool reality show on YouTube called Project Verified.
• 48:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: It was very much like that.
• 48:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: It was 10 people in a house every day, loaded somebody off.
• 48:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I made it all the way to the finale, got second place, which I got first.
• 48:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: But still had a bitter jury against me just kidding.
• 48:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: Um, so that was when I was like, okay, I could freaking do this, but that was also when I realized, oh, I have no control over the situation.
• 49:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that I did not have that much of a positive experience after it was not the deep fun experience that I had on unwell where there was no eliminations, there was no strategy, you competing competitions, but they were like glorified carnival games and it was a lot more just relaxing and also you realize when you start filming shows the crew really makes her break the experience like on unwell everyone was so comforting, they were so kind.
• 49:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: Um, they really wanted to make you feel protected and seen, and that made the experience so positive.
• 49:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know this, you're in TV, sometime.
• 49:39
  [SPEAKER_03]: You had another question, you're supposed to answer Ms.
• 49:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: Girl.
• 49:41
  [SPEAKER_03]: Oh, what was that?
• 49:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: You see your first experience with reality TV is for me.
• 49:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: When I did the project fair, if I'd show.
• 49:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, when I did that, I was like, okay, this is fun.
• 49:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't really want this experience again, but I still enjoy being on camera and being in a confessional booth and just having those things.
• 49:59
  [SPEAKER_03]: I loved Tila's a killer shot of love.
• 50:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: Right, Michael's rock of love.
• 50:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: My VH1 arrow was stopped.
• 50:04
  [SPEAKER_03]: He told me it's great.
• 50:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: I love money.
• 50:07
  [SPEAKER_03]: So good.
• 50:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: You know, just just a little thing.
• 50:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: I know, Ball.
• 50:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: Now, sometimes you'll be sitting here in this podcast, saying, hey, that was a really dumb question you asked.
• 50:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: Well, we have a whole segment of them.
• 50:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay, love, love.
• 50:20
  [SPEAKER_03]: Now it's time for really dumb questions.
• 50:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I know.
• 50:24
  [SPEAKER_03]: So, first question.
• 50:26
  [SPEAKER_03]: Now, you obviously made a lot of purchases.
• 50:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: I keep up with your purchases.
• 50:30
  [SPEAKER_03]: I love the jewelry.
• 50:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: Thank you.
• 50:32
  [SPEAKER_03]: What is the most ridiculous purchase you've made since becoming successful in line that your retail brand would judge yourself for?
• 50:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think the first thing comes to mind is I bought a $3,000 pair of chrome hard jeans.
• 50:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like that was so stupid.
• 50:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like dumb as thing that I never purchased.
• 50:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: I look back on that.
• 50:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: I was like, what the fuck was I thinking?
• 50:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: How long do you wear them?
• 50:51
  [SPEAKER_03]: Well, I gained 20 pounds, so I've worn them once.
• 50:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: I will say, though, it was a good time to wear them.
• 50:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: I wore them to 2025 Coachella, and I looked amazing.
• 51:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: And they are really cute jeans.
• 51:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: And when I get skinny again, they will 100% be getting $300 per wear because if I wear them 10 times, that's how much they would cost.
• 51:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: Good at math.
• 51:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: But that is the first thing that comes to mind.
• 51:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: I was like, that was really stupid.
• 51:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: You know, I wanted a pair of $500 diesel jeans
• 51:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, you won't catch me.
• 51:24
  [SPEAKER_03]: I got it.
• 51:26
  [SPEAKER_03]: What is for screen time on your phone?
• 51:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: And can you publicly admit what it is?
• 51:30
  [SPEAKER_03]: Because you don't know.
• 51:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: I would say it's typically around like the seven hour mark.
• 51:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: What is too much?
• 51:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: So the average person, they should sleep eight hours a day.
• 51:43
  [SPEAKER_03]: All right, Dr.
• 51:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: Eight to nine.
• 51:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: So that means you're awake typically for 15 hours.
• 51:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: So if you're having screen time that is like in the 10 or plus, you're spending two thirds or more of your day on your phone.
• 51:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's not okay.
• 51:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: You shouldn't be doing it.
• 51:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: You're not living life at that point.
• 51:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: So seven hours is your spending half of your day on your phone.
• 52:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: Is that great?
• 52:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: Probably not, but is that unfortunately very realistic considering our phones are most of the times our main form of communication right now?
• 52:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: Social media for me, it's my job.
• 52:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: So all things considered could be worse.
• 52:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's not a dumb question, by the way.
• 52:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's really juicy.
• 52:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: Very welcome.
• 52:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: It's a great one.
• 52:24
  [SPEAKER_03]: Who lies more?
• 52:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: Men on dating apps or influencers who say they generally love a product.
• 52:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I'm that is also not a dumb question.
• 52:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's a hard question.
• 52:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's take the floor.
• 52:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's the floor is yours.
• 52:43
  [SPEAKER_03]: Oh, she said back.
• 52:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: Oh, men on dating apps because why are you on a dating app to begin with?
• 52:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: And then you don't even want to have a conversation or make a date.
• 52:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's the biggest lie of them all.
• 52:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 52:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: I actually don't care if you want to get to no brand work with a brand promote a brand but like a man on a dating and I'm saying a straight man I don't know about the gay community, but a straight man on a dating app nobody lies more because why are we even here?
• 53:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: You see that she says she knows nothing about the gay community.
• 53:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: Mm-hmm.
• 53:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: Also, I don't like I'm gonna find a loophole here.
• 53:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Okay, so maybe an influencer who says I genuinely love this product Maybe they're lying in the sense that
• 53:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: They don't love the product, but like I love that any product that's gonna pay me.
• 53:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I love it now Yeah, so I love it.
• 53:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: I do love it.
• 53:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: I do love it.
• 53:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's paying my rent this month.
• 53:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: I love this shit.
• 53:32
  [SPEAKER_03]: I love this shit Well, that was a fun segment.
• 53:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: That was it.
• 53:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: Well, I mean if you want more, I can give you more
• 53:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: Take it, give me two more.
• 53:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: Do you have two more?
• 53:42
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I can give you whatever you want.
• 53:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: Give me two more.
• 53:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: We're having some pasta, man.
• 53:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: What is, what's the worst free product you've ever gotten at your doorstep?
• 53:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: You know what, next segment.
• 53:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: He said we're done.
• 53:55
  [SPEAKER_03]: There you go.
• 53:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: Cut the cameras.
• 53:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: Well, actually not cutting lex, because it's now time for your time to shine.
• 54:01
  [SPEAKER_03]: You have three minutes to ask, Brian, what every like, because now time for questions from the Pina Gallery.
• 54:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: On Interrupted.
• 54:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: Goodness.
• 54:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: Nervous for you.
• 54:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: Don't be nervous for me.
• 54:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: I actually had one question, because I feel like you are in a very large season of change right now.
• 54:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: You've just moved.
• 54:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: You're entering this new era.
• 54:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: What's exciting you right now?
• 54:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: truly living in LA.
• 54:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: I have never been, this is going to sound so bad.
• 54:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: I've never been excited to get out of bed, like ever.
• 54:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: And right now, I actually get so excited to get out of bed and get my day started.
• 54:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: That is not who I've been.
• 54:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: So really just like enjoying the sunshine, enjoying meaning people, and enjoying just like all the opportunities here, that has been very, very exciting
• 54:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: Okay, I love this.
• 54:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: Is there something in the short term that you've been here that you're like, oh my God, I'm becoming an L.A. piece of shit.
• 54:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh my God, I mean, my $10 lot taste for sure.
• 55:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: How typically I tell my boyfriend that's fucking Valle the car.
• 55:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's the one.
• 55:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: Big Valle person, I,
• 55:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: The hype I go to for like the famous TikTok restaurants and you know shit that doesn't even taste that good but it looks good on the TikTok video I definitely subscribe and what are you missing from Philly?
• 55:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: I miss surprised you.
• 55:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: I do miss the food.
• 55:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, the food and Philly is fucking amazing and the food in LA
• 55:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: is not that good.
• 55:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: T. Okay, I never had a Philly cheese steak.
• 55:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh.
• 55:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: Is there somewhere that anyone has told you in LA that you can get a reliable one?
• 55:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: I haven't had it, but I've heard that it's great sunny.
• 55:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: Sunnis beats Ria.
• 55:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: I will eventually get there and I will make a video about it.
• 55:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: So you won't.
• 55:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: Okay, love that, thank you.
• 55:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: Of course.
• 55:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: Do I keep going?
• 55:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: I was going to say your time is up, but you know, you can't give a nod there.
• 56:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, give me one more, I'm, oh my gosh, I don't know now, now I'm stopped.
• 56:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: No, give me your number one piece of dating advice that you've learned from being with Jason.
• 56:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: It shouldn't be hard.
• 56:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: My relationship is genuinely the most easy part of my life.
• 56:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: And there are so many people that I talk to, where I feel like they're a big stress in life, is their relationship.
• 56:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: And it also especially shouldn't be hard in the beginning.
• 56:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: It should be, you don't have any shared bills, you don't have any kids, and you don't have a house together yet.
• 56:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: Why the fuck are you guys fighting every single day?
• 56:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: Save that shit for 15 years.
• 56:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: And hopefully 15 years are not funny about that stuff.
• 56:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: You're just having regular obstacles with it, but that is the best piece of advice I can give.
• 56:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's like, if it feels that hard now, it's going to be that hard later.
• 56:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: Not like this table.
• 56:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, not hard in a good way, like the table.
• 56:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for my time, Andy.
• 56:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: Oh, she said, she said, resize.
• 56:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: We have to ask.
• 56:59
  [SPEAKER_03]: Time is, time is up to you.
• 57:01
  [SPEAKER_03]: Thank you.
• 57:01
  [SPEAKER_03]: My time.
• 57:01
  [SPEAKER_03]: Thank you.
• 57:03
  [SPEAKER_03]: Time for our last segment.
• 57:04
  [SPEAKER_03]: Oh, here we go.
• 57:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: Our last segment is a doozy.
• 57:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: Now, sometimes in life, you're like, God damn, I got to get it.
• 57:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: It's not on my chest.
• 57:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: I got screaming to the ether.
• 57:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: Is there anything you have to get off your chest?
• 57:14
  [SPEAKER_03]: Of course.
• 57:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: This is how you just let it rip.
• 57:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: You want to rip one?
• 57:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: Here in studio?
• 57:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: What's rip?
• 57:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: let it be.
• 57:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: Say what you mean and mean what you say.
• 57:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think that is the ultimate reason I get pissed off with people these days is they let's give an example.
• 57:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: They say they don't want to be friends with somebody anymore yet they consistently hang out with them and then complain about them to you.
• 57:41
  [SPEAKER_03]: So if you say you don't fuck with that person, stop fucking with them.
• 57:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: Stand with this man.
• 57:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 57:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I guess that's the overall arching message here is
• 57:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: don't complain about your life and simultaneously make no changes.
• 57:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: Nothing comes from doing if you do nothing, nothing will change.
• 57:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: Okay?
• 57:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: So change what you are upset about and if you're not acknowledged and have the self-awareness of, yeah, this sucks when I'm going to keep doing that and be real about it.
• 58:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'll respect you 10 times more than if you're going to complain about it.
• 58:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: And if you confront them about it and they tell you nothing after because they're afraid to tell you things, then what?
• 58:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: Then what?
• 58:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: If you can't handle the heat, don't walk into the fucking kitchen.
• 58:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm sorry, I don't want to be friends with yes men.
• 58:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't want to be friends with people that are going to agree with every fucking thing I do and hype me up on things that I shouldn't be being hyped up for.
• 58:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: I want real friends.
• 58:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: And in return, I'm going to be a real friend.
• 58:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: If an outfit looks like shit on you, I'm going to tell you it looks like shit on you.
• 58:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: Because I think a real friend would rather you walk out and not look like a clown than let you because they're too scared to offend you.
• 58:43
  [SPEAKER_03]: As I tell my friends, you may not like what I say, but I'll never tell a lie.
• 58:47
  [SPEAKER_03]: There you go.
• 58:47
  [SPEAKER_03]: See what you're just saying, John Mayer.
• 58:49
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'll cheers to that.
• 58:51
  [SPEAKER_03]: Cheers to that.
• 58:52
  [SPEAKER_03]: Lex.
• 58:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: Those are bars.
• 58:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: I feel very strongly about this topic.
• 58:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: When you get what you have to go through chest legs, ribbit.
• 59:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: I just think healthy confrontation is actually a sign of real friendship, and you should be able to say and speak on the hard truths knowing that the person is not gonna end the friendship, be mad at you for it, resent you for it, because it means more if I can be honest and real with you, than if I can just nod my head and appease you.
• 59:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: Can I write that on sub-stack today?
• 59:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: Absolutely.
• 59:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: And you won't be mad that I stole it from you?
• 59:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: No.
• 59:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's my sub-sac note for the day.
• 59:24
  [SPEAKER_03]: Let it be known on camera, beholden, that this verbal contract just happened.
• 59:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: Or when I'm reading a agreement, she has nothing else to say.
• 59:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: No, I feel good.
• 59:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you.
• 59:34
  [SPEAKER_03]: It was like a call in response here.
• 59:36
  [SPEAKER_03]: Sabrina, Madonna, 100%, 100%.
• 59:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: Well, wait, I have one more question.
• 59:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: What is everybody's next dream holiday?
• 59:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm a dual-leap girl, so I'm always dreaming of holiday.
• 59:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: A vacation vacanza.
• 59:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, I really, I've already been, but I want to go again and do it differently.
• 59:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: I want to go to Greece.
• 59:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: I went to Greece when I was 23, and it was mekano's Greece.
• 1:00:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that was very much the place where you should be when you're 23 and so forth.
• 1:00:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: Now that I'm 30 and basically married, I want to do like more of like this.
• 1:00:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yes, go to Hidra, pause.
• 1:00:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: Exactly.
• 1:00:14
  [SPEAKER_03]: Beautiful.
• 1:00:14
  [SPEAKER_03]: Put me on a beach.
• 1:00:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I'm with that.
• 1:00:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: Love.
• 1:00:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: That's it.
• 1:00:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I just want to be sun in the pond in the sand.
• 1:00:20
  [SPEAKER_03]: easy.
• 1:00:21
  [SPEAKER_03]: I want to be Cheryl Crowe.
• 1:00:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: Do you wear speedos?
• 1:00:24
  [SPEAKER_03]: Do you speedos, occasionally?
• 1:00:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: Occasionally.
• 1:00:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: Hell yeah.
• 1:00:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: The pens on the time of day.
• 1:00:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: I do like to like dissect if someone's a speedo gay.
• 1:00:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm not.
• 1:00:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't think anyone wants to see that.
• 1:00:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: But I'm sure you look great in the speedo.
• 1:00:37
  [SPEAKER_03]: Confidence is not always there for me, but sometimes yes.
• 1:00:39
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
• 1:00:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: Amazing.
• 1:00:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: Well, the only thing I have to get off my chest is that
• 1:00:43
  [SPEAKER_03]: I don't love the word influencer.
• 1:00:45
  [SPEAKER_03]: There we go, we're aligned.
• 1:00:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: You know, just call it what it is.
• 1:00:49
  [SPEAKER_03]: Give me 20, 10s of what people said, oh, he's a lifestyle blogger.
• 1:00:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: Oh, she is a children's expert on reading books online.
• 1:01:01
  [SPEAKER_03]: Give them their business, speak on what they are.
• 1:01:03
  [SPEAKER_03]: I feel like the wood influencer just groups him into, they haven't made it yet.
• 1:01:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: They haven't figured it out.
• 1:01:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: Give me back the, oh, we're experiencing what we call the Renaissance of YouTuber.
• 1:01:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: People used to call YouTuber.
• 1:01:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, you haven't made it yet.
• 1:01:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: Now it's influencer.
• 1:01:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I'm sorry.
• 1:01:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: I can call it a TikTok or two.
• 1:01:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's a good point.
• 1:01:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: You can tell me, I hate the word influencer.
• 1:01:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: Name reasons?
• 1:01:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: Basically what I said earlier, I think there's a negative stigma to have to show it and I also don't consider myself an influencer.
• 1:01:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think I'm more of a conversation starter.
• 1:01:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't really like, I'm not selling eyelashes, you know, or like, let me see a glue.
• 1:01:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like that's just not what I'm, you know, doing at all.
• 1:01:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: Lex.
• 1:01:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: I was like, well, with this new Brats account.
• 1:01:48
  [SPEAKER_03]: With this new Brats.
• 1:01:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, as her mother, but as his manager.
• 1:01:53
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yes.
• 1:01:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: And that is the time for brand flakes.
• 1:01:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: Give it up.
• 1:01:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: Thank you for coming on culture shock.
• 1:01:59
  [SPEAKER_03]: And you excited for everyone to see you on unwell games.
• 1:02:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm very excited, but also nervous as we should be.
• 1:02:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: And we'll let you be the judge.
• 1:02:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: Bye bye now.