QUESTION EVERYTHING

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

Special Drop! Listen to Chasing Sleep here: https://link.chtbl.com/a_-vQyo6 Katie Lowes + Adam Shapiro explore the fascinating relationship with sleep and the far-reaching effects of sleep on our quality of life.  Through engaging conversations with sleep experts and everyday people, they’ll uncover the intriguing connections between sleep and intimacy, parenting, creativity, work, and even our dreams.  The podcast aims to help listeners understand the importance of getting quality sleep and how to get more of it.

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

We talk frequently about what it means to be a mother on this podcast. But what about what it means to be a father? And how do our relationships with our father’s impact us? Co-host of the Today show, anchor at NBC and author of the book "Pops: Learning to Be a Son and a Father." joins PRETTYSMART to talk about fatherhood, parenting and what his relationship with his dad has taught him about himself. He shares: Why we need to stop expecting people to become something they have no examples of. Why the hard times in his life have become what fuels him to be so successful. How the father/son bond has evolved for him over the years. The universal thing he's learned from interviewing so many dads over the years. His relationship with Al Roker and what his mentorship means to him. Why bringing his son to Take Your Child to Work Day made him so emotional. How he is breaking the generational curse and what he is doing differently with his own kids. What changed for him once he stopped molding his values to others and figured out what mattered most to him. The magic of silence and stillness and how that has helped him both personally and professionally. Follow Craig on Instagram @craigmelvinnbc and grab his book here!  Thank you to today’s podcast partner: OUAI: 15% off site wide when you use the code: PRETTYSMART

Nine months before Rosa Parks kicked off the bus boycotts, Claudette Colvin was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. She was fifteen. In 1912, women’s rights activists organized a massive march in support of women’s suffrage. Leading them up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan was not one of the mothers of the movement, but a teenage Chinese immigrant named Mabel Ping-Hua Lee. Half a century before the better-known movements for workers’ rights began, over 1,500 girls—some as young as ten—walked out of factories in Lowell, Massachusetts, demanding safer working conditions and higher wages in one of the nation’s first-ever labor strikes. The untold story of the people who have helped spark America’s most transformative social movements throughout history: teenage girls. Young women have been disenfranchised and discounted, but the true retelling of major social movements in America reveals their might: they have ignited almost every single one. Mattie Kahn is an award-winning writer and editor. Her work has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Vox, and more. She was the culture director at Glamour, where she covered women’s issues and politics, and a staff editor at Elle.  She joins the pod to talk all about her new book, “Young and Restless: The Girls Who Sparked America’s Revolutions.”   She shares: Why she always believed she could be and do whatever she wanted in life. How she felt as a teenage girl and her thoughts on teenage girls today. What it means to be an activist and why change so often occurs because of teenage girls. Why things aren’t as bad as they might seem, The positive and negative impacts of social media on activism. Why it’s important to cultivate a community of women of all ages and generations around you. How to get involved in making change without feeling overwhelmed. How to keep hope alive even when it seems hard.  Why teenage girls can get away with more than women when it comes to activism. The impact of friendships on activism. Follow Mattie on IG @matkahn Get a copy of Mattie’s book here  Vaulted affiliate program for you to sign up through: https://vaulted.com/gold-affiliate-program/

POP STARS x FEMINISM: Today we will explore the stories of pop stars who have left an indelible mark on women and feminism. We are diving into their groundbreaking songs, their personal journeys, and the cultural shifts they've inspired. We are going through the eras. How did their music, their life experiences, their clothing/makeup, the way they dance and the way they talk about sex impact culture at the time? And did feminism become commodified? Is it a requirement to be a feminist if you’re a pop star? We are going through the eras: Diana Ross, Cher, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Spice Girls, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Pink, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Lana Del Ray, Katie Perry, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Lizzo, Due Lipa, Billie Eilish. Breaking it all down is Audra Heinrich, a writer + reporter who who specializes in feature writing about politics, entertainment, and cultural moments and movements. Her work has been published in: Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, Teen Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, Bustle, Them., Cosmopolitan, Glamour. She holds an M.A. in American Journalism from New York University and a B.A. in English Literature and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies from The Ohio State University. In addition to her writing career, she has also amassed years of experience as a part-time political organizer. After co-founding the New York City chapter of Women’s March in 2017.  And you all know writers are MY pop stars, so Audra is a pop star in my eyes. Follow here here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audraheinrichs/ Website: https://www.audraheinrichs.com/

Sex therapist Vanessa Marin and her husband, Xander join PRETTYSMART to discuss their mission to help people have more (and better!) sex. They share:  What made them decide to start working together and helping others improve their sex lives. What is off limits for them when it comes to talking about sex publicly. Their philosophy on why sex is so important in relationships. What it really means to have great sex. Why we are all afraid to talk about sex.  How sex changes as we age.  The two different sex drive types and how they impact our sex lives.  Ways to open up to your partner about sex (and prompts to help you feel more comfortable doing so!)  How to get your partner to initiate more.  If it’s normal to squirt or not during sex.  How to bring new relationship energy back to your sex life. What to do if you’ve been faking your orgasms.  How to communicate any sexual fantasies you might have.  The impact the porn industry has had on our sex lives and how we all think about sex.  Why you should reframe the way you think about the number of sexual partners you’ve had. Follow Vanessa and Xander on IG Here  Buy their book “Sex Talks: The Five Conversations That Will Transform Your Love Life” Here  Vaulted affiliate program for you to sign up through: https://vaulted.com/gold-affiliate-program/ Cozy Earth: Up to 35% off site wide when you use the code PRETTYSMART

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

Grammy Award–winning artist Kelly Rowland and educator Jessica McKay join the podcast to talk about motherhood and share their children’s book Always with You, Always with Me. They discuss: The inspiration behind the book and the struggles of being a working mom. Why representation in books and media is so important (and what happens when there is a lack of it).  Mom guilt and how they work through it.  How writing this book impacted how they think about their own mothers. Jessica’s inspiring views on flipping the narrative around motherhood + career How Kelly was able to forgive her mom after she passed away. How motherhood changed them.  Why Kelly thinks girl groups are necessary.  The most fun Kelly’s ever had in the entertainment industry (Coachella with Beyonce).  The biggest misconceptions about fame.  Kelly’s breast augmentation and how she would talk to her own kids/nieces about it. How they knew their husbands were the one.  Order their children’s book Always with You, Always with Me: https://www.amazon.com/Always-You-Me-Kelly-Rowland/dp/0593465512 Thank you to today’s podcast partner: OUAI: 15% off site wide when you use the code: PRETTYSMART Vaulted affiliate program for you to sign up through: https://vaulted.com/gold-affiliate-program/

Author Angela Garbes joins the pod today to dive deep into her book “Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change” and discusses the economic, political and ideological systems that have shaped the way our society sees care work. She shares: Why care work and mothering is so undervalued in American society. How lack of compensation for care workers is a uniquely American problem. Mothering as a verb instead of a noun How the majority of Americans believe in more support for domestic workers/why our government does not represent us any longer. How both the wealth of our country and our views on care workers comes from slavery.  The surprising median wage that nannies in America make and why we need to look at our own biases when it comes to paying them. Why being a care worker is life changing work. Why mothering is the earliest public health intervention we could have. How to remain hopeful when it comes to making changes to the system. If she thinks we will ever see paid family leave in America and what we have to do to get there. Follow Angela: https://www.instagram.com/angelagarbes/ Buy Angela’s Book: https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Labor-Mothering-Social-Change/dp/0062937367 Thank you to today’s podcast partners!  OUAI: 15% off site wide when you use the code: PRETTYSMART Cozy Earth: Up to 35% off site wide when you use the code PRETTYSMART