QUESTION EVERYTHING

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

Worried about a friend? Or unsure of how to support someone going through a hard time?  In honor Mental Health Awareness month, Danielle partnered with LaurelBox to create a free digital download to help us connect with and support friends going through a hard time. Here are 15 Questions: FREE DIGITAL DOWNLOAD: HTTPS://WWW.LAURELBOX.COM/PRODUCTS/GRIEF-SUPPORT-GUIDE-FREE-DIGITAL-DOWNLOAD Laurel Box is a female founded business – created by cousins Denise Wolfe and Johanna Mutz. They create heartfelt, personalized sympathy gifts for people who’ve experienced loss, to help nourish the hearts and support people going through a difficult season of life. We discuss:  How to show up for someone going through a hard time What to say to someone in grief, morning, or struggling  How Johanna’s miscarriage played a role in creating LaurelBox While LaurelBox gifts are physical, they serve a much more emotional purpose. The language around grief  The purpose of gift giving  Shop LaurelBox: https://www.laurelbox.com/ Follow LaurelBox: https://www.instagram.com/laurelbox/ OUAI: 15% off site wide when you use the code: PRETTYSMART Cozy Earth: Up to 35% off site wide when you use the code PRETTYSMART

Danielle Prescod is the author of the bestselling book Token Black Girl and cofounder of 2BG Consulting which aims to help fashion and beauty brands and influencers on their anti-racism journeys.  Before she moved out of NYC to New Orleans and published her book, she was a fifteen-year veteran of the beauty and fashion industry, most recently the style director of BET.com and previously held positions at Nylon, Elle, InStyle. She went to school in Greenwich, Connecticut, and was one of just three Black girls in her graduating class. She writes: “I remember that the reality of Blackness settled onto me like a terminal illness. I desperately wondered how I could get rid of it so I could just be like everyone else. It distressed me that I would never be ‘cured’ of it and could never escape it.” She says it all got worse when she went to work in the fashion and beauty space. Her dieting became an eating disorder and her trendy workplaces re-created the racial traumas of her youth.  So much of Danielle’s book is about identity— the one you assume but also the one the world assumes for you.  She writes “Your identity and self-awareness evolves slowly over time, both subtly and overtly in how you decide to show up in the world. But it can also be dictated, unfairly at times, by how the world sees you. that’s especially true “if you find yourself to be a woman – and even more so if you find yourself to be a woman of color.”  Follow @danielleprescod and on TikTok @danielleprescod7 Purchase her book: bit.ly/3BxvshU

Hollywood stylist and co-founder of “The Period Company,” Karla Welch joins PRETTYSMART to share her journey as both a stylist to the stars and as an entrepreneur. She shares:  How she went from working in restaurants to working in fashion. Why she believes she’s always surrounded by a little bit of magic (and how that mindset has helped her). The stories behind some of the iconic looks she’s created for some of the biggest stars (Hailey + Justin Bieber, Olivia Wilde, Sarah Paulson, Tracee Ellis Ross to name a few!) Her creative process behind dressing some of Hollywood’s biggest stars + how she uses creativity as her compass. How she knows when she’s got the right look on a client.  What it was like being one of the first stylists to collaborate with big brands.  Saying “YES” versus saying “NO” How to attach your style to your story. What inspired her to create “The Period Company” and their mission to end period poverty.  Follow Karla: https://www.instagram.com/karlawelchstylist/?hl=en Support The Period Company: https://tinyurl.com/mryab98t Danielle’s 1st Look Episode (NBC): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbOfn0nJN2A&t=247s https://theouai.com/: Use code PRETTYSMART for 15% off your entire purchase

Steph Jagger is a bestselling author, life coach, and speaker. Her grandmother had dementia and her mother, early onset Alzheimer’s. Steph says “my biggest fear is the fact that I live inside of a lineage of forgetfulness. I don’t want to forget. I want to remember.” We spend decades building a life and wanting to remember it all. We save photos, we take home movies. In her new memoir Everything Left to Remember, she explores what’s left when our memories are taken from us. We discuss:  What we learn about our own stories through our families stories. What do we lose when we lose our memories? Conscious Grieving vs. Unconscious Despair  MOTHERING: The 4 archetypes of mother: QUESTION: what will I allow to be created through me? The 1 question Steph wished she asked her mother before her Alzheimer’s diagnosis How to have hard conversations (anger vs. aggression) How tapping into her “inner mystic” allowed her to witness her mother’s journey in awe  How love and loss shapes us What it’s like to be with a person you know you are going to lose Deep remembrance Bully energy and how to combat it (intimacy + connection) What it looks and feels like when women forget themselves + shapeshifting.  "Pain travels through families until someone is ready to feel it.” How to determine what pain is yours and what is someone else’s to bear. Owning mortality, and how that makes you live differently.  Buy Steph’s Book: https://tinyurl.com/339zppbn Follow Steph: https://www.instagram.com/stephjagger/ Thank you to our sponsor of this episode: GREENPAN: go to GreenPan.us and use promo code PRETTYSMART and you’ll receive 30% OFF YOUR ENTIRE ORDER plus free shipping on orders over $99.