1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,400 Welcome to Touchgrass, a miniseries where I chat with 2 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:06,800 creatives about staying sane while being chronically online. 3 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:10,520 I'm your host Lauren Meisner, and Touchgrass is a miniseries 4 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:13,600 brought to you by Britta where we explore the implications of 5 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:16,560 being chronically online with the creatives who can't escape 6 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:18,720 it. One thing that keeps coming up 7 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:21,880 in these conversations is how important small grounding 8 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:24,920 routines are offline. And for me, one of those 9 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:26,760 routines is drinking enough water. 10 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:29,680 Whether I'm refilling a water bottle for a long walk or taking 11 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:32,680 a break scrolling my For You page, Britta makes it easy for 12 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:35,760 me to stay hydrated and grounded with pure, fresh tasting 13 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:37,840 filtered water straight from any tap. 14 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:40,480 Thank you to Britta for supporting independent media and 15 00:00:40,480 --> 00:00:44,200 helping us take better care of ourselves one refill at a time. 16 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:47,760 Today I'm chatting with creator, advocate and my long time 17 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:51,760 collaborator Rishi Page. In our conversation, Rishi takes 18 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:54,840 me through her experiences as a woman of color in the Australian 19 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:58,520 influencer industry, why she creates purpose like content, 20 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:01,800 and how she supports her mental health through the ups and downs 21 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:04,680 of online advocacy. I'm so excited that we're 22 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:06,800 reuniting. I know we haven't seen each 23 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:08,360 other. Honestly, might be two years. 24 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:11,240 Yeah, Yep. Yep, I think 2:00. 25 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:13,160 Years. Yeah, absolutely. 26 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:16,360 So Rushi and I, we are actually long time collaborators. 27 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,840 I think the first time we collaborated was 2020. 28 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:24,480 Yeah, Yep, 2020, you were the first person to ever write an 29 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:27,680 article on the work that I was doing, so I have always have a 30 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:29,640 special place in my heart for you. 31 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:32,720 Oh my God, that's so. So no. 32 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,160 Well, OK, so this is how Rushi and I know each other. 33 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:38,440 So back when centennialwasmoreofa.com, like 34 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:41,760 we were more of a publication as opposed to a podcast network. 35 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:44,440 I came across Rushi on Instagram. 36 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:46,960 I think at the time you maybe had like 2000 something 37 00:01:46,960 --> 00:01:49,680 followers. You were pretty early on into 38 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:52,560 your journey and I was just obsessed with the content that 39 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:54,400 you were making. You were really focused on 40 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:58,360 beauty content at the time, and I really noticed the series that 41 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:01,240 you were doing called Faces of Australia, where you were 42 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:04,520 collaborating with other women of color in the beauty space and 43 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:07,000 you were creating these collaborative looks together and 44 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:09,960 you were almost doing like mini interviews in the captions. 45 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:11,480 Yeah, yeah. It was, wasn't it? 46 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:14,720 It was like little mini interviews in the caption with a 47 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:16,760 makeup look that we collaborated on. 48 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:18,720 Yeah. Yeah, and I just loved that 49 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:21,680 idea. And so, you know, I reached out, 50 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:24,240 we wrote an article about the work you were doing and your 51 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:26,840 content, and then after that we actually worked on Faces of 52 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:31,360 Australia as a full blown column on our website twice with Rushi. 53 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:34,600 So we essentially work together to build that out into like a 54 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:38,480 full-fledged editorial series. And it was honestly amazing. 55 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:41,040 It was crazy. It was one of the best times of 56 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:42,280 my life. No it honestly. 57 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:44,920 Wasn't it? Got so much organic press for it 58 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:47,320 and we went on panels talking about this. 59 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:48,960 It was. Really, it was crazy. 60 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:52,040 Yeah, so season 3, who wants to do a podcast with us? 61 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:54,640 Let us know. Shameless plug. 62 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:58,320 Yeah, literally. OK, anyways, so let's get into 63 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:00,720 it. I like to start all of these 64 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:03,360 interviews by asking everyone, do you consider yourself 65 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:08,200 chronically online? I thought I was chronically 66 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:11,440 online until I spoke with a lot of my friends and they are 67 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:13,440 chronically online. I'm not. 68 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:15,800 I think I am. I am online a lot. 69 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:19,760 Like I do know what's going on. Obviously it's my responsibility 70 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:22,000 to know a little bit what's going on in the online world. 71 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:27,360 But I do think that TikTok especially, it's got so many 72 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:29,520 worlds in there that I just can't keep up with. 73 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:33,160 So there are times where people are doing, have you seen this? 74 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:36,160 Have you seen this TikTok? And I'm just like, no, no, 75 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:40,760 that's not my algorithm. Yeah, But I think I'm critically 76 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:43,160 online in terms of it's my go to the guy. 77 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:45,960 When I wake up it's the first thing I do, which is scrolling 78 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:50,240 and keeping up to date with the current events and everything. 79 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:52,640 Yeah, and trends and stuff. For your job and everything, 80 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:54,320 yeah, for sure. That makes sense. 81 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:56,760 I mean, I think that's the thing with TikTok or just the Internet 82 00:03:56,760 --> 00:04:00,320 in general right now is that it's so fragmented anyways that 83 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:03,520 you could consider yourself chronically online and you could 84 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:06,920 be very online. But you know, Annabelle might be 85 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:08,560 on a completely different algorithm than you. 86 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:11,280 And everything on that algorithm is going so viral and you're 87 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:13,080 like, I don't even know what you're talking about. 88 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:15,520 So I feel like everyone is chronically online these days, 89 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:18,399 like in their own way and you have to be for your job. 90 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:21,160 Yeah, exactly. Yeah, being a content creator. 91 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:25,280 So even though you are a content creator now, I know that you 92 00:04:25,280 --> 00:04:27,960 initially started your career in teaching. 93 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:31,160 Yes, it feels like a lifetime ago. 94 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:34,400 It feels even wild to even say that because it is so far from 95 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:37,600 who I am today. Like my world is not nothing 96 00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:40,400 like what I was doing and teaching and at uni. 97 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:43,720 Obviously, it was still such an important time of my life 98 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:47,880 because it was teaching me so much about what I'm capable of. 99 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:52,320 First of all, the fact that maybe some of my preconceived 100 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:56,320 ideas of myself, esteem and my capabilities and who I actually 101 00:04:56,320 --> 00:04:59,480 am as a person in high school is completely different to when you 102 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:02,080 actually apply yourself to something you really enjoy. 103 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:05,040 And I did enjoy teaching and I have a lot of respect for 104 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:07,120 teachers. It just wasn't for me. 105 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:13,000 And I could see that it required passion that I lost. 106 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:16,560 And then This is why I say it was really important because 107 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:19,720 then I applied that learning of you need passion in order to 108 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:23,000 keep going to my career now. So tell me how you got into your 109 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:25,880 career now as a content creator, because I actually think one of 110 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:29,760 the most unique things about your career is you were able to 111 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:33,640 essentially go all in on content creation before you even had 112 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:36,160 like 10,000 followers. Yeah, you know what? 113 00:05:36,280 --> 00:05:40,600 It's during 2020 when the pandemic was happening. 114 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:44,720 It was obviously a really devastating time, but it was 115 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:50,880 something that allowed me time. And I think it was how I, you 116 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:52,360 know, we were all sitting at home. 117 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:53,760 Yeah. And we were just sort of 118 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:56,680 consuming content. And that's when a lot of things 119 00:05:56,680 --> 00:05:59,360 were blowing up. And we would just, it was a it 120 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:02,440 was a free space as well to really experiment. 121 00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:06,760 And I think that was something that I owe to that time. 122 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:10,320 Yeah. And changing the journey of my 123 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:13,200 the content and everything was because I experimented and I 124 00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:17,240 tried something new and it worked, Yeah. 125 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:22,360 And at that time, I didn't expect to kind of experiment in 126 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:25,040 the way I did. I didn't actually know that I 127 00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:28,120 could experiment in that way until I just tried it out. 128 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:33,320 And it kind of led to opportunities like yourself. 129 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:35,360 You reach that, which I'll always be grateful for. 130 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:37,280 And, you know, that led to the next one. 131 00:06:37,280 --> 00:06:39,000 And that's how it sort of snowballs. 132 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:40,400 Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. 133 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:42,600 That's very cool. You made a bit of a silver 134 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:44,360 lining during that time, I suppose, for you. 135 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:48,560 Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely. OK, so you started your beauty 136 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:52,000 content creator career though as a Blogger I read. 137 00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:55,080 Yes. You would blog. 138 00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:57,760 It was called I don't want to get this wrong. 139 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:00,240 Lustrous allure. Beauty. 140 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:02,520 Yes. Girl, tell me about. 141 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:07,280 This, this is OK. So the name as well. 142 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:11,240 It was thought of on my bed with my best friend and we were 143 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:14,040 thinking of this life that we want to live. 144 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:16,640 And we were thinking, you know, you love beauty, you love 145 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:21,880 creating. Let's make this about make this 146 00:07:21,880 --> 00:07:25,600 feel, you know, like a like an experience, even though the blog 147 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:29,840 didn't really give 100% that, but we wanted it to really 148 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:31,960 capture how I felt. Yeah. 149 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:37,160 And it started honestly just us talking on our bed. 150 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:39,080 And then we were like, let's do it. 151 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:41,840 Let's try and make it. And thank you to WordPress. 152 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:43,800 Yeah, no, literally. That was the time. 153 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:50,040 And yeah, I just created it and just love taking photos of new 154 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:51,600 looks. I was creating, you know, 155 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:55,680 putting outfits together. It was predominantly beauty 156 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:57,680 focus. Like it was, it's like a version 157 00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:00,480 of what I did now. It's like the baby of what I did 158 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:02,360 now. And it was about confidence. 159 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:06,000 It was about restoring confidence and finding love for 160 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:07,760 who you are. And then it was also about 161 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:10,280 styling yourself. And then my favorite beauty 162 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:13,960 products at the time and creating makeup looks glowy skin 163 00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:16,080 like it's all who. It's kind of the core of who I 164 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:20,360 am, but it's a very beginner. Yeah, yeah. 165 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:22,960 Of it. Yeah, it was your. 166 00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:24,800 It was your roots. Yeah, it was your. 167 00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:25,640 Roots that makes. Sense. 168 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:28,040 I love that. OK, so then tell me about your 169 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:31,560 decision to pivot into Instagram and what you're doing now. 170 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:36,360 So pivoting to Instagram, it was because it was that instant 171 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:39,200 gratification of you create something, you post it, and then 172 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:41,919 there's an audience, yeah, that you're building at the time as 173 00:08:41,919 --> 00:08:46,160 well. So I feel like a lot of that 174 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:49,520 shift to Instagram was because it was really enjoyable and it 175 00:08:49,520 --> 00:08:52,040 was like that instant hit of excitement. 176 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:55,800 And even if you know, it didn't get engagement, it was fun. 177 00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:59,960 You know, it was something that was going live and social media 178 00:08:59,960 --> 00:09:03,880 at the time as well. Like, you know, 20/16/2015. 179 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:06,080 It was just different. It just hit different. 180 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:10,640 And I, I just loved doing it for Instagram more than I did the 181 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:11,240 blog. Yeah. 182 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:15,280 And then again, the same thing. It's a different version of what 183 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:20,680 I was doing in 2020 and beyond. It was more maybe a little 184 00:09:20,680 --> 00:09:22,560 confusing. I didn't really know where my 185 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:25,880 place was and what I was doing. Like, I knew I loved beauty. 186 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:28,960 I knew I loved all these things. But I also denied a lot of my 187 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:32,680 passion for beauty, which sounds weird because high school likely 188 00:09:32,680 --> 00:09:34,080 teach you. I know I found sound like I'm 189 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:36,640 really rooted in high school, but it's where a lot of your 190 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:39,440 beliefs about who you can become a birth. 191 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:43,920 So I feel like it was, you know, no one thought that there could 192 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:46,520 be a career in beauty. No, what like it was laughed 193 00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:49,000 about. It was like there's no there's 194 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:51,480 nothing there, you know, something that doesn't have 195 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:54,680 Korea roots or legs. Yeah, or potential. 196 00:09:54,680 --> 00:09:57,760 So it was something that I always loved and I couldn't help 197 00:09:57,760 --> 00:09:59,320 but love. But then this little voice in 198 00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:02,720 the back of my head was always thinking, yeah, but you know, 199 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:04,120 what else can you like? I don't know. 200 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:07,480 It really interfered, I feel So. Yeah. 201 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:09,920 And then I just kind of started to ignore it. 202 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:12,240 And you can't help sometimes, but do what you love. 203 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:16,160 And what brings me to 2020, which was intertwining, like my 204 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:23,560 love for beauty and creativity, creating videos that were maybe 205 00:10:23,560 --> 00:10:26,480 a little bit more high quality as well, not just like using the 206 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:30,080 selfie camera, like, you know, experimenting with being playful 207 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:33,720 And then, you know, waving a message for advocacy as well in 208 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:36,640 there. So on that note, so much of your 209 00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:39,760 content now is driven by advocacy. 210 00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:43,120 Can you tell me about the emotional cost or the mental 211 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:49,120 health cost to putting yourself online out there like that for 212 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:52,160 everyone to see and to absorb your message? 213 00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:55,480 And how do you kind of manage, I suppose, when something like 214 00:10:55,480 --> 00:10:57,080 that gets picked up by the algorithm? 215 00:10:58,160 --> 00:11:02,880 Yes, So your mental health is definitely tested, especially 216 00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:07,360 when the type of advocacy that you choose to do it could be 217 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:11,360 with mine is body confidence. But it's also, you know, 218 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:16,280 targeting racism and, you know, lived experiences of myself and, 219 00:11:16,880 --> 00:11:19,480 you know, I haven't had any real pushback when it comes to 220 00:11:19,480 --> 00:11:22,240 racism. The conversations have clustered 221 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:24,240 there. But when it comes to body 222 00:11:24,680 --> 00:11:28,080 confidence or even just showcasing body acceptance and 223 00:11:28,080 --> 00:11:32,200 talking about that, you, if you reach an algorithm or if it gets 224 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:35,880 sent out into the world and reaches certain people that 225 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:40,320 don't agree with your messaging very aggressively, don't agree 226 00:11:40,400 --> 00:11:42,840 with that. You have to think of these 227 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:44,800 people. Their words are just 228 00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:47,280 meaningless, like they don't have weight. 229 00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:52,320 Otherwise it can get you. I know for my wedding I didn't 230 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:56,600 expect push back on all like negative comments on my wedding. 231 00:11:56,840 --> 00:12:00,600 I just posted a TikTok randomly. It was just before I went, I was 232 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:05,200 leaving for my wedding and it I, I remember I haven't even read 233 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:07,200 the comments now because I can't, I just because it would 234 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:09,160 ruin something that was really special. 235 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:12,280 I know I could turn them off, but I'm like, whatever. 236 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:17,440 Yeah, I just, I, I it if it teaches you to really take 237 00:12:17,440 --> 00:12:22,280 control of what you allow into your life and what you accept, 238 00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:26,640 what you tolerate and weaving people into where they belong, 239 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:30,240 not really allowing them. It's like a real permission kind 240 00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:33,800 of guided experience when you're online and having to deal with a 241 00:12:33,800 --> 00:12:35,960 lot of the push. Back the trolls. 242 00:12:36,160 --> 00:12:38,400 The trolls, yes. Yes. 243 00:12:38,560 --> 00:12:43,480 I find it's similar, at least with TikTok comments. 244 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:46,920 It used to obviously I can't relate to you know, being a 245 00:12:46,920 --> 00:12:49,160 woman of color and getting comments like that. 246 00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:52,320 But with our TikTok comments, I used to get very triggered when 247 00:12:52,320 --> 00:12:55,600 people would say mean things I would think about like different 248 00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:58,080 hater comments forever. And of course, TikTok can be 249 00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:02,200 such a vile place and it would really, really bother me. 250 00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:07,200 But what I and I don't even know honestly how I got to this 251 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:08,640 place. But a couple of years ago, I 252 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:11,280 just got to the place where I realized the people who are 253 00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:15,040 seeing this content on TikTok, they're seeing like 30 seconds 254 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:16,880 of whatever I'm putting out there. 255 00:13:16,880 --> 00:13:21,160 They don't know me at all. And I find for some reason 256 00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:23,680 something just like flipped in my brain and I'm able to have 257 00:13:23,680 --> 00:13:25,240 that perspective. So I don't look at TikTok 258 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:28,200 comments ever anymore because they don't matter to me because 259 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:31,000 it's not feedback from, you know, people usually. 260 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:33,400 Obviously some people are following us, but like usually 261 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:37,320 people who know who we are, what we stand for and why we're, 262 00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:39,840 we're taking that perspective or whatever it is and that has 263 00:13:39,840 --> 00:13:41,520 helped a lot. Absolutely, yeah. 264 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:45,240 That's, and that's the, I feel like it's the healthiest way to 265 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:48,320 keep pushing forward because otherwise, if you do take the 266 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:52,160 time to allow these people, these voices in you're, you will 267 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:54,600 get set back. I know I've been set back and it 268 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:57,240 just takes time away from you. And they don't deserve to have 269 00:13:57,280 --> 00:14:00,320 any part of that, you know? And it takes time away from what 270 00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:02,160 you're trying to build. Yeah, absolutely. 271 00:14:02,240 --> 00:14:06,680 So being, you know, primarily an Instagram creator and I know 272 00:14:06,680 --> 00:14:09,640 you're also writing columns for different digital publications 273 00:14:09,640 --> 00:14:12,560 and things like that. I imagine in the line of work 274 00:14:12,560 --> 00:14:16,840 that you're in, you can easily fall into comparison syndrome. 275 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:19,520 And you have spoken about that here and there publicly, 276 00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:22,720 especially when you go into body image spirals and things like 277 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:24,880 that. Can you share a little bit about 278 00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:28,960 your experience with comparison syndrome and I guess the work 279 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:31,000 that you've done to get to where you're at now? 280 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:36,120 Absolutely. So I guess it's something that 281 00:14:36,120 --> 00:14:39,000 can creep up to like with when you don't expect it. 282 00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:42,080 I think that's a really big one. You don't really get to choose 283 00:14:42,080 --> 00:14:46,640 when that happens. And I know for myself it really 284 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:49,560 happened when again, you're online a lot and you're doing 285 00:14:49,560 --> 00:14:51,520 the same thing. Like I'm, I didn't do anything 286 00:14:51,520 --> 00:14:54,400 different. But it's, it can just simply be 287 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:57,160 that you feel you're in a vulnerable position in your own 288 00:14:57,160 --> 00:15:00,320 life and then all of a sudden you're seeing what success is 289 00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:02,840 linked to. That was for me anyway. 290 00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:06,240 And I was starting to kind of paint this picture of, Oh, well, 291 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:09,800 that's how, you know, I'm trying to fight for something of this 292 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:13,400 change, But sometimes it feels too big and too powerful to 293 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:17,520 shift. And so you can get in these head 294 00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:20,880 spaces where you're like, I will just not be the, I will never be 295 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:24,080 this person who will reach these successes. 296 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:27,840 You know, obviously this isn't true, but it's something that 297 00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:31,480 can play with your head. And there's the that's a way the 298 00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:34,560 comparisons can kind of spiral out of control because then you 299 00:15:34,560 --> 00:15:38,440 start looking inward and torturing your own mind a little 300 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:40,080 bit. And it's not you're not being 301 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:43,640 fair to yourself at all. And you're really focused and 302 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:48,920 fixated on a lot of what may not even be true, but it feels very 303 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:52,320 real in the moment. Yeah. 100% like comparison 304 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:54,920 syndrome is like actually the thing that I think I'm battling 305 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:56,960 the most with at the current moment. 306 00:15:57,200 --> 00:16:00,600 And it is so true what you said. It just creeps up and you're 307 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:03,000 like, I don't even know why I'm starting to spiral like this, 308 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:05,240 but it's a horrific feeling. Horrific, horrific. 309 00:16:05,240 --> 00:16:08,240 It's and you can easily, I know and it happens for me now. 310 00:16:08,240 --> 00:16:12,360 I can feel it if I'm scrolling and you know now with the way 311 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:14,920 Instagram's formulated, you don't have to be following 312 00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:16,800 people. Oh my God, I see what? 313 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:18,800 It's so bad. It's crazy. 314 00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:21,200 So, you know, you used to always say, you know, curate a feed 315 00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:24,680 that is suited to you and empowers you and inspires you, 316 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:26,640 but sometimes that's unavoidable. 317 00:16:27,040 --> 00:16:29,880 And so I put the phone down and I find that I have a lot more 318 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:34,000 peace when I just sent to myself again. 319 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:37,080 And remember, OK, what's your story? 320 00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:39,520 What's your lane? Stop looking at other people. 321 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:42,280 That's their story. That is their journey. 322 00:16:42,480 --> 00:16:44,000 And it doesn't take away from yours. 323 00:16:44,200 --> 00:16:48,280 I feel like, you know, it's so easy to fake confidence, you 324 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:52,840 know, get on camera, you can just smile and you can just fake 325 00:16:53,120 --> 00:16:57,960 what you need to to get to that next step or, or even paint a 326 00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:00,640 certain picture of how you want to be branded online. 327 00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:03,600 And you know, sometimes that can be a good thing. 328 00:17:03,600 --> 00:17:06,000 Sometimes it can be a harmful thing because you might not be 329 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:08,319 actually addressing what needs to be addressed. 330 00:17:08,599 --> 00:17:11,560 But you know, I always kind of think if you can access that 331 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:16,920 key, that opens the door for you to get to that next door by 332 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:21,040 really, you know, reaching for that tool of confidence that 333 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:25,280 helps you with your self belief. Yeah, to get that job done. 334 00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:27,680 Whether that's on content, whether that's anything with big 335 00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:29,680 dream that you have. And you know that you can't get 336 00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:33,720 there until you just RIP the Band-Aid off and just go for it. 337 00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:36,960 It's not easy. It's not always something that 338 00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:40,000 can happen. The brain is so complex and you 339 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:41,960 can't just tell it. Oh, just do this. 340 00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:44,400 Just reach for that confidence that you keep in your back 341 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:46,080 pocket. It doesn't work like that. 342 00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:50,480 But I think what I mean is, can you just remember that self 343 00:17:50,480 --> 00:17:53,000 belief that you, if you can reach for that little part of 344 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:58,000 you that says remember who you are, even if it's it's not 345 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:01,000 really 100% solidified, Yeah, you can say remember who you 346 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:03,880 are. I know that I can do this and 347 00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:07,320 just almost gaslight yourself. OK, gaslight yourself that. 348 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:09,520 Might not be the. Best advice of the week. 349 00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:11,080 No, I think it's actually great advice. 350 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:14,120 I completely agree. It's like you just have to take 351 00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:18,360 one little step every day towards whatever goal you're 352 00:18:18,360 --> 00:18:21,120 trying to achieve, even if you feel like you said it's so 353 00:18:21,120 --> 00:18:23,560 insurmountable using how will I ever get there? 354 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:26,160 But there was a part of you that wanted to start, so there was a 355 00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:27,920 part of you that had that self belief. 356 00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:30,040 So how do you find that again? Yeah. 357 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:32,000 Absolutely. You need to find it. 358 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:36,200 And it's as someone who's speaking from the other side of 359 00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:41,880 a really, you know, chaotic kind of ups and downs career, 360 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:46,040 probably the the thing you can really not help yourself with is 361 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:49,200 by stop believing in yourself. And it sounds so cliche, but you 362 00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:53,080 hear every successful person say that self belief is going to be 363 00:18:53,240 --> 00:18:55,680 the reason that you step forward. 364 00:18:55,680 --> 00:18:59,000 And it's going to also be the reason that will it will undo 365 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:02,280 you if you stop. Yes, you could be taking only a 366 00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:06,240 tiny step forward because you're moving at a pace that takes you 367 00:19:06,240 --> 00:19:09,120 to where you need to be. And I know that when you're not 368 00:19:09,120 --> 00:19:11,600 there, you just do nothing. You don't want to do anything. 369 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:16,720 You just simply rattled in this I can't kind of mindset and it's 370 00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:19,040 never going to serve you. No. 371 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:22,960 How do you get yourself out of that I can't mentality when you 372 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:26,880 feel down in the dumps? Like that, it's easier said than 373 00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:28,880 done, but you sometimes have to sit in it. 374 00:19:29,120 --> 00:19:33,640 You have to understand the root of where it's all coming from 375 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:39,560 and you need to almost sometimes force yourself a little bit to 376 00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:43,800 remember the positive things about you, remember why you're 377 00:19:43,800 --> 00:19:46,040 here. I think that really helped me. 378 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:48,920 You know, every kind word that was ever said about you within 379 00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:51,880 your career in content, like any, any of my peers that have 380 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:53,720 said well done, you know, they're not just saying it for 381 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:55,240 any reason. You know, you have to remember 382 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:57,200 why did they do that? They because they believe that I 383 00:19:57,200 --> 00:20:02,680 can do what I'm set out to do. And you will slowly, it's like a 384 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:04,320 muscle that you're strengthening. 385 00:20:04,680 --> 00:20:07,480 And I think once you start to really strengthen it, you fall 386 00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:10,960 back on it as opposed to falling back on that negativity, 387 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:12,600 negativity. Absolutely. 388 00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:14,920 I'm working on that a lot. I think something that really 389 00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:17,840 helped me at the beginning of this year when I was starting to 390 00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:22,120 spiral about like, Oh my God, look at how cursed 2025 felt for 391 00:20:22,120 --> 00:20:23,600 me and the business and everything is. 392 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:26,720 I just wrote a list of all of the huge wins that we had in 393 00:20:26,720 --> 00:20:30,200 2025 and I was like, OK, this might not be the longest list. 394 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:33,120 This might not be everything I wanted to achieve, but look at 395 00:20:33,120 --> 00:20:35,760 all the things that still happened even though my brain is 396 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:38,480 telling me it was a bad year. OK, so I wanted to pivot and 397 00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:42,160 chat with you a little bit about your experience being an Indian 398 00:20:42,160 --> 00:20:45,720 woman, posting yourself online. That was something that we spoke 399 00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:48,480 about a lot when we were doing Faces of Australia together, and 400 00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:51,280 that was obviously a huge part of that series is in your 401 00:20:51,280 --> 00:20:54,280 advocacy work with that series. So can you tell me a bit about 402 00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:58,440 your experience with that? I guess being an Indian woman 403 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:04,320 online and, you know, growing up in Australia, yeah, I'm, I just 404 00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:08,680 feel like you're you're definitely part of the minority 405 00:21:08,760 --> 00:21:14,160 and it doesn't have to be this awful story attached to it. 406 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:18,320 I honestly see it is an opportunity to be bigger, to be 407 00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:21,440 louder, to be so loud that they have to listen. 408 00:21:21,440 --> 00:21:25,040 And I think that's a really exciting thing that's been 409 00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:28,320 proven by what I've been able to create online. 410 00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:31,080 You know, you keep talking, you keep saying, no, I did. 411 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:33,760 I demand this space. You know, at some point 412 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:36,120 someone's going to turn around and say, hey, I'm opening this 413 00:21:36,120 --> 00:21:38,480 door. And I've felt that experience 414 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:41,640 and I've been lucky to and fortunate to have some 415 00:21:41,640 --> 00:21:45,080 experiences that I could only dream of the I'm from a small 416 00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:46,680 town. It's not so much a small town 417 00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:49,920 anymore, but, and some of the things that have happened for 418 00:21:49,920 --> 00:21:53,120 me, I could never have dreamed of, not only just because being 419 00:21:53,120 --> 00:21:56,840 from a small town, but because these things did not exist for 420 00:21:56,840 --> 00:21:59,520 someone who looked like me. And I know we've heard that a 421 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:03,320 lot, but I don't think people understand the capacity or the 422 00:22:03,440 --> 00:22:07,240 significance behind representation for people of 423 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:10,240 color being Indian as well. You know, there's a lot of 424 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:14,680 stigma around Indian culture and then there's a lot of 425 00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:18,800 appropriation as well. So it's really, it's really 426 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:22,400 fulfilling. And I'm so I'm just so full of 427 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:27,360 pride that I get to be a voice. Not everybody's voice, but I can 428 00:22:27,360 --> 00:22:32,160 be my own voice and get to share my experiences and also learn 429 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:34,440 from others. You know, I have people that I 430 00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:36,560 learned from based on my community. 431 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:39,800 And, you know, I didn't grow up with a lot of Indian 432 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:42,800 representation, but also people around me. 433 00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:47,000 And so it's really nice getting to learn from other people. 434 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:50,560 I get people messaging me and saying, you know, you, you might 435 00:22:50,560 --> 00:22:53,120 look like this, this person. And I'm like, oh, I want to know 436 00:22:53,120 --> 00:22:55,360 who that person is. Or, you know, they teach me 437 00:22:55,360 --> 00:22:58,360 about my roots, you know, as I'm unraveling a lot about that. 438 00:22:58,360 --> 00:23:00,760 And then it's really cool. Oh, that's so sweet. 439 00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:03,840 I did want to go back to something you said though, where 440 00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:07,040 you said people are opening different doors for you because 441 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:10,840 obviously I've known you now for six years, girl, no one's 442 00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:13,480 opening doors for you are smashing those doors down. 443 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:15,320 You need to give yourself more credit. 444 00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:18,240 You are honestly such a huge success story. 445 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:22,320 Like genuinely what I said earlier in the episode, I do not 446 00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:26,960 know any other creator who has a niche following like yours and 447 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:29,480 could go at it, you know, full time. 448 00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:31,400 Like that's a huge accomplishment. 449 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:35,480 Thanks, Lauren. It's it's it's very it's a 450 00:23:35,480 --> 00:23:38,080 challenge. I don't really know what to say. 451 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:43,440 I don't know if there is this method to take to get to that 452 00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:46,640 that point. But I think it really is about 453 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:51,160 honoring who you are and having the respect to the self respect 454 00:23:51,160 --> 00:23:55,720 to say, no, I deserve to be in this space and to make change 455 00:23:55,720 --> 00:23:59,280 from the inside out. And I think when I look back, I 456 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:03,800 think that's how I've been able to sort of weave in some of 457 00:24:03,800 --> 00:24:06,480 these really exciting opportunities, but also 458 00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:10,160 celebrate and champion what you actually really love about 459 00:24:10,160 --> 00:24:14,160 yourself and love what you do. And you don't be ashamed of it. 460 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:16,880 And it's been a journey that I've experienced the shame and 461 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:19,720 the love and linking the two together and actually going, you 462 00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:21,920 know what I actually do love? Would I? 463 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:25,440 Would I create the things that make me feel good are the things 464 00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:28,880 that take me to that next step. So for anyone who is interested 465 00:24:28,880 --> 00:24:31,280 in becoming a content creator, that is. 466 00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:35,040 I mean, it's been definitely an aspirational career for a long 467 00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:38,280 time, but even more so now. I feel like the TikTok algorithm 468 00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:41,720 is filled with people teaching each other how to, you know, 469 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:45,880 make this a full time thing, how to be a UGC creator, how to 470 00:24:46,040 --> 00:24:48,200 build your following, all this kind of stuff. 471 00:24:48,360 --> 00:24:51,520 Can you give the audience a little bit of advice? 472 00:24:51,840 --> 00:24:54,120 If you were starting out now, what would you do? 473 00:24:55,000 --> 00:25:01,320 OK, so I think what I would do is really hone in on what makes 474 00:25:01,320 --> 00:25:03,360 you giddy inside. I know that sounds a bit 475 00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:06,400 bizarre, but it's got to feel good from within. 476 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:08,200 You know, when you get those great ideas and you're like, Oh 477 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:12,040 my gosh, I have to execute this like this is I can't take 478 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:16,000 another step until this is done. That's what you have to really 479 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:19,760 act on because as soon as you love what you do, you're going 480 00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:22,920 to create something that is almost not addictive, but you're 481 00:25:22,920 --> 00:25:25,200 going to just want to keep persisting in that. 482 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:28,840 And that persistence is what will keep you in the game and 483 00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:33,880 keep you wanting to learn more. And it's all linked to adapt, 484 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:37,000 Adapting to how the content world changes. 485 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:40,040 That's very difficult sometimes, especially when you transition 486 00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:43,040 from Instagram to TikTok. Identify gaps within the 487 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:44,560 industry. I know that's a very hard and a 488 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:47,920 very over saturated industry, but if you can identify the gaps 489 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:52,600 and fill them, that's a great way to stand out, yeah. 490 00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:56,160 I think what you've done that's so amazing with your building 491 00:25:56,160 --> 00:26:00,920 your audience is that you have focused on building an audience 492 00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:03,360 that feels like a community. And I know community is like 493 00:26:03,360 --> 00:26:06,640 such a buzzword, but really the way that I see it with you is 494 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:12,400 you are speaking to a specific demographic, a specific group of 495 00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:14,280 people. And that's what you keep your 496 00:26:14,280 --> 00:26:17,040 content focused on. And I feel like your content is 497 00:26:17,040 --> 00:26:20,520 audience first as opposed to brand first or as opposed to 498 00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:23,080 followers first. And I see that so often with 499 00:26:23,360 --> 00:26:27,120 people that are trying to become full time creators or build a 500 00:26:27,120 --> 00:26:29,520 following or whatever is they're focused on the number they're 501 00:26:29,520 --> 00:26:31,160 focused on. How can I make this content look 502 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:32,920 really good for the brand that just sent me this? 503 00:26:33,120 --> 00:26:36,840 And for you, it all ties back, it feels like at least to OK, 504 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:39,400 what am I putting forward for my community? 505 00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:41,520 And that's not to say that you don't do sponsored content or 506 00:26:41,520 --> 00:26:45,680 you don't post PR and things like that, but you maintain that 507 00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:48,080 kind of through line of and that is literally what people mean 508 00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:50,800 when they say authenticity. Like it's authentically always 509 00:26:51,040 --> 00:26:53,720 coming back to your message and who you are and who you are 510 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:55,680 specifically trying to speak to. And that's how you've built a 511 00:26:55,680 --> 00:26:57,800 community that's actually, it's so engaged. 512 00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:00,360 That's. It's true. 513 00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:03,840 It's nice to hear that, yeah, the the steps that you take 514 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:07,360 unknowingly as well and kind of reading like that because I 515 00:27:07,360 --> 00:27:08,920 guess again, like you'll do that. 516 00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:10,680 You'll find that in your own journey. 517 00:27:10,680 --> 00:27:13,480 You'll find how you engage with the community. 518 00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:17,800 I think people getting into something that I am trying to do 519 00:27:18,040 --> 00:27:22,840 is letting the community know me a little bit more. 520 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:27,840 And I think, you know, if you can get your personality out 521 00:27:27,840 --> 00:27:30,200 there a little bit, it's not something that I'm the best at. 522 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:33,440 I really do try to kind of get better at that. 523 00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:36,760 But it's it's something that can allow your audience to get to 524 00:27:36,760 --> 00:27:40,280 know you and what you love and how you operate, your humor, 525 00:27:40,280 --> 00:27:43,200 everything. And you can really connect on a 526 00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:45,360 deeper level if you're doing it that way. 527 00:27:45,600 --> 00:27:48,600 I also think don't be disheartened like what you were 528 00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:51,240 saying before with numbers, don't be disheartened by numbers 529 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:56,240 and let them control your way of moving forward or pivoting or 530 00:27:56,240 --> 00:27:59,280 trying new things. Because there's times where some 531 00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:02,800 of my lowest performing content, but I loved, I've put it out 532 00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:04,400 there, but I've loved it so much. 533 00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:05,760 Like I was like, yeah, I love that. 534 00:28:05,760 --> 00:28:07,000 I don't care what anyone else thinks. 535 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:09,400 I love that. And I'm going to put that out 536 00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:12,640 there and I'm not going to delete it because I like it. 537 00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:16,480 And I really think it benefits you because there's times where 538 00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:21,000 I've had that content briefed to me and it might not have, I know 539 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:24,560 it might not have done well online, but it's been the reason 540 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:26,480 why you might get that next job. Yeah. 541 00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:28,680 And you know what? It's all part of your portfolio. 542 00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:31,160 Like not every piece of content is gonna outperform everything 543 00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:33,400 else you've ever done, right? Like it's all part of it. 544 00:28:33,480 --> 00:28:35,560 Yeah, it's. OK, so the last thing I would 545 00:28:35,560 --> 00:28:39,600 love to hear from you is when you are dealing with all the 546 00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:41,120 different things we spoke about, right? 547 00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:45,560 Spiraling comparison syndrome, Nasty comments, yes. 548 00:28:45,640 --> 00:28:48,160 How do you touch grass? Who? 549 00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:56,040 I think honestly, spending time with myself, you know, I need 550 00:28:56,040 --> 00:29:00,240 me, I need me a lot. And I think that's a really 551 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:05,160 great thing in order to heal from some of what social media. 552 00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:07,240 I'm not saying social media is a horrible place, by the way, but 553 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:11,200 it's something that you, when you need a break, you know, lean 554 00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:14,160 on yourself a little bit because it's also part of trusting you, 555 00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:18,000 you as being your healer. I also love taking myself out 556 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:22,640 for lunches, coffees, dinners, just doing those kind of solo 557 00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:24,720 acts of affection towards myself. 558 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:28,000 That's that's that's important. I love it. 559 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:31,960 I love being with me. And I also, you know, I love 560 00:29:31,960 --> 00:29:34,640 hanging out with my husband. Sounds so weird to say so, but 561 00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:38,360 like, I love the word husband. Not yeah, yeah, yes, hanging 562 00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:40,720 out. But hanging out with my husband 563 00:29:40,720 --> 00:29:44,560 and spending time with friends, like actually getting that human 564 00:29:44,560 --> 00:29:48,200 to human connection is really important to me, as well as 565 00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:50,520 hanging out with my cat. That's so sweet. 566 00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:53,080 A little biscuit. No, really, it's just like 567 00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:56,120 getting out into reality, which I know is literally where the 568 00:29:56,120 --> 00:29:57,920 saying comes from, like go touch grass. 569 00:29:57,920 --> 00:29:59,960 But it's so true. Like sometimes when I'm in that 570 00:29:59,960 --> 00:30:03,640 headspace, it's like I just need to go to the park or the mall, 571 00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:06,040 like somewhere where there's tons of people and nobody knows 572 00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:07,640 who I am. Nobody's in my comments section 573 00:30:07,640 --> 00:30:10,200 from here. Nobody at this mall has seen my 574 00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:12,080 comments section. They have not seen my content. 575 00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:13,280 They're not being mean to me, you know? 576 00:30:13,280 --> 00:30:15,440 And it makes a huge difference. Absolutely. 577 00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:19,840 Yeah, I agree wholeheartedly. So special. 578 00:30:19,880 --> 00:30:23,320 I loved it and thank you for taking the time and flying here. 579 00:30:23,560 --> 00:30:24,440 Of course. That's so nice. 580 00:30:26,120 --> 00:30:30,240 We'll always fly for you. Centennial World Podcast Network 581 00:30:30,240 --> 00:30:33,080 operates on Gadigal land. We would like to acknowledge the 582 00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:36,320 Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of this 583 00:30:36,320 --> 00:30:39,880 land, and pay our respects to elders both past and present.