From Intern To Global Brand President At NYX & Here's How It's Done

She started by packing boxes as an intern. Now she’s the Global Brand President of NYX Professional Makeup. Denee Pearson joins us for a candid, laugh-out-loud, notes-app-worthy talk about what it really takes to elevate in the beauty industry and in corporate life when you’re building from the ground up.

We get into the career climb the unsexy parts and the strategic parts: how purpose and values can guide better decisions than chasing titles, what “knowing your worth” looks like in real salary negotiation conversations, and why your network matters as much as your résumé. Denee also breaks down a mindset shift we’ve all needed: perfection doesn’t make you promotable, progress does. Hard work is powerful, but only when it’s aligned with what the business actually needs and when you’re brave enough to be seen.

We also talk visibility in the work-from-home era, authentic leadership (yes, even with crop tops), and “actions of manifestation” like acting like the role you want before you have it. Then we switch gears into culture and creativity: NYX campaigns, the Butter Gloss obsession, the NYX Body launch with Meg Thee Stallion, and the beauty trends we think are doing too much.

If you’re serious about career growth, women in leadership, representation in beauty, and building confidence that lasts, press play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s leveling up, and leave us a review with the one move you’re making next.

Transcript

We’re Back, Birthdays, Big Guest

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hi guys, welcome back to another episode of Elevators Podcast. Did you miss us because we missed you? That's right. Hey guys, Amanda Booze here checking in. And I'm Crystal Vega. For those of you who are driving and want to identify our voices, we're here. We're so excited to talk to you guys again. We have a very, very, very special guest in store today. We're gonna be talking about all things elevating, okay? That's right.

SPEAKER_01 0:29

And please, not too much online, girls. Don't attack us too much because we needed a little break, y'all. I know you guys are probably wondering where we have been, but with good reason because we are bringing you this brand new episode with one of the best guests, my girl, Danae Pearson, will be joining us. She is the global brand president of NYX Cosmetics. And I can't wait for us to have this conversation with her. But of course, if you're tapping into the podcast, make sure you guys are like, commenting, subscribing, sharing. This is one you do not want to miss. But girl, have you been? It's been it's been like what, a month or so? It's been more than.

SPEAKER_00 1:05

I know. I'm good. Time is flying. I feel like we say that all the time, and I don't understand what's going on, but it's literally flying. Like every time I look up, it's it's a new day. And I'm like, can we just slow down? But I'm great. Um, I'm I'm really good. Can't complain. I'm finally getting my life together, which I want to talk about on another episode. But I'm excited to be back um to be on today's episode. Excited to talk to Danae and do all the things. How are you? Same. I'm good. And happy belated birthday to us for those who don't know.

SPEAKER_01 1:36

Oh my god, yes, happy belated birthday. I know, I'm like it was our birthdays on April 4th. For those who don't know, and if you guys follow us, make sure you're following us on socials. I'm at Amanda Booze and Crystal is at Crystal Vega, but we did celebrate another year, which honestly, I'm reminded that we started this podcast on our birthdays two years ago. So this is year three for us. So I would like to give us a round of applause. We've been in the saddle doing this podcast thing for three years. So not only was it our birthday, but we are celebrating like our podcast three-year anniversary, girl. That's a big deal.

SPEAKER_00 2:08

I know. Oh my God. And it's hard that so if y'all want to run, like, where they been. Because it's hard being consistent for three years. Like it's very hard. It's a muscle that we have to exercise, but we're back and we have so much in store for y'all. Um, but yeah, three years. Time is just going, honey.

SPEAKER_01 2:26

But we have so much to catch up on, so definitely stay tuned. But you know what? Without further ado, let's get into our brand new episode with our

Meet Danae Pearson And Nyx

SPEAKER_01 2:36

special guest. Okay, guys, you are in for the ultimate treat. I have been talking about this. Crystal and I have been talking about this, and the next guest and I have been talking about this for the longest. We are going to have Danae Pearson on the show, but before she gets on, I have to give you guys my girl's bio. Let me run the resume really quick. Danae is a New Jersey native, Rutgers University graduate, and she also has a master's from FIT. She went from packaging boxes as an intern at Lancombe to becoming the global brand president of NYX Professional Makeup. She's helped scale the industry in this billion-dollar brand, and she's done it while championing on representation, which we love. She's worked with major brands like Netflix, Disney, WNBA, to name a few, and icons like Cardi B and Paris Hilton. Please welcome my favorite girl, one of my favorite boss babes and the chief vibes officer, Danae Pearson, to the show. Hey, Danae.

SPEAKER_04 3:34

Girl, I need you in the morning when I wake up to just be my hype woman. I got you.

SPEAKER_02 3:40

Always, always gonna hype it up and listen.

SPEAKER_01 3:43

I forgot. I forgot I did that myself. Thank you. Of course, you did. And we need to set the record straight as we are starting this podcast. Chris and I have joked around about this all the time, and I'm sure you've heard this so many times. Is it NYX or is it NYX? Let's clear the air first and foremost. Right. Let's just go right into it.

SPEAKER_04 4:02

It's Nyx. Um, it's actually uh a Greek goddess and it's goddess of night, is how it was named. And it's funny because our number one engaging social posts when we post is always like it's Nyx, not NYX, because everybody calls it NYX. Listen, me and sometimes we're just like whatever you want to call us, as long as you have us in your bag, that is okay.

SPEAKER_01 4:26

That's all that matters. I know I used to call it NYX. Listen, I I stand corrected back in the day when I first got put onto the brand. I was like, oh, I love me some NYX, but now I have been educated. It is Nick's.

SPEAKER_04 4:38

As long as you're calling us, we're good. We're good. I love that.

SPEAKER_01 4:42

I love that. Well, we are so excited to have you on the show as girlies that just not only love makeup, we love seeing women that look like ourselves in the position that you are in to make the decisions and just to have the brand just um elevated at its finest.

Sneaking Makeup And Shade Struggles

SPEAKER_01 4:59

So I I want to know like, when did makeup start for you? I know like we all have that moment where we were like in the bathroom playing with makeup, but like everybody has a different story with their introduction of makeup. So, what was that for you?

SPEAKER_04 5:11

Um, I was always the rebellious daughter that my mother wouldn't, my mother was old school, okay, traditional. She was like, there's no makeup until you're 16 years old. I don't know where 16 came from, but that was the number. And I was just like, I like I know what I needed. And so I used to go in and sneak, wear makeup to school, and then come back. And my mother would be like, it doesn't even match you right. Because right, I was in the drugstore, I was buying, I was picking up whatever, and it was kind of my face was like orange and green, all sorts of colors. It wasn't matching. Um, but I just, you know, I wanted to play, like I wanted to always, you know, we're fashion girlies, you know, you it's about creating the look. Um, and it was funny because that was the first time that I started to realize how hard it was to go into a drugstore aisle and find something as simple as a foundation or a concealer because, you know, it was ashy, it was muddy, we were looking orange, like especially in the deeper tones. Um, and so that was kind of like, I was like, okay, we need to, we need to fix this. This this needs to change a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 6:20

Yeah, absolutely. I feel like we all have that same story with our parents, like that we had to hide makeup. For me, I feel like it was like nail polish. Crystal, I don't know what it was for you. I was like, we I couldn't put nail polish on for like a long time.

SPEAKER_00 6:32

Yeah, my mom was strict about like the nail polish color. Like she would let me go get my nails done, but she was always like light pink, clear, red. My mom ran a strict program. She was not letting me have no makeup. Like, I don't even think I played with makeup until I got to college and I was looking a mess.

SPEAKER_04 6:52

Yeah, because there's a period of time where you have to learn how to use makeup that it's like trial and error, and you go out there looking pretty bad. I'm I'm so glad that the internet and social media didn't exist when I was growing up going through makeup because that stuff it was bad. Like, you know, when you take the picture and the flashback comes and you're a whole nother, your face and your neck look like two different people. Right. It was it was a lot of that.

SPEAKER_00 7:18

It was and then you add that with the lack of you know, variety and complexions and our skin tones and our undertones, like a recipe for a disaster. Okay, so shout out to YouTube and shout out to the brands who are growing and thriving and considering us. We love that.

SPEAKER_01 7:33

Yes, we absolutely do. Now, of course, we have to talk about you being the global brand president. Like,

From Intern To Brand President

SPEAKER_01 7:41

let that sit in for a little bit. Like the you literally started as an intern and became the global brand president of NYX. What we want to talk about that climb. Like, what was that journey like from you starting out with the brand at a like such a young age and breaking out into the beauty industry to literally being like the decision maker?

SPEAKER_00 7:58

And before you enter that, Danae, I want to say that's hard to do, especially like when you're in the same company. It's very hard to get people to take you serious and to and to see your worth. So I would just want to double down on what Amanda is saying. Like, that's huge.

SPEAKER_04 8:13

Yeah. I started at L'Oreal's, like it's been now 24, 25 years ago. And I was still at Rutgers, and I didn't know that I was gonna get into the beauty industry. And um, I started out as an intern in sales. I was uh running some of the makeup artistry shows, you know, like because Longcomb was sold in department stores. So, you know, when you went into the department stores and you'd have like a national makeup artist and they'd have an event and you'd come in and you and you get a consultation and then you would get your makeup done. I was the intern putting those together, having all of the kits and stuff like that. And so we would be on the road and I would see people coming and like really leaving in, like, I don't know what to do. Uh, you know, I need a change, whatever that was. And then they'd leave out after getting their makeup done, a skincare routine, whatever that was, feeling like a brand new person. Like it really shifts. Like, think about when your hair is done, your makeup's done, like just like what you feel like as a woman, the way that you walk, the way that you're talking back to people, you know, like you, you on one. Like your swag is up. And um, I loved what it meant to experience beauty, like what it really did to us, what it, how it built, you know, our worth, our confidence, all of that kind of stuff. And so I I wanted to be a part of it because beauty was beyond just creating cool products, and that's the fun part. But really, what it does and the impact that it has on us as young women, to when we're older women and all of that. So that was my entrance in. Once I, once I saw that, I was like, oh, I'm hooked. I'm in here. You know, I was going to Rutgers for business. I was like, I, you know, I just want to, I want to build brands that I want to create. Um, and so I started there. And um, I, you know, I've been here for 25 years. I've been on different brands. I've been on Longcombe, I've been on Maybelline, you know, I came to Knicks six years ago. And um what I really loved when I came to Knicks, what I really loved about it is I I felt like I had come home. It was very far away. I'm in Los Angeles, you know, I'm from New Jersey. I was living in in New York. And um it feels very far away, but like as a brand and what we stand for and the way that we create and the team that's here, it felt like home. Um, and it felt like I can authentically, you know, show up as myself. And so that's that's what I love, and that's what we try and like build here as the as the head of the brand and with the team and who we put around the table. It's like really important that everybody feels like they can show up authentically as who they are, because I think that's when you create the best, when you're just like being real true to yourself, where you come from, your people, your community. You know, you make the best things.

SPEAKER_01 10:55

I love that you're saying this. As former, a former inter myself and as anyone who's listening, watching, wherever you are, and has been in those spaces where you've kind of started at the bottom and grew with the company, I think that your story is just so inspirational. So, congratulations to you first and foremost. But your story is just so inspirational in that regard. So if you're listening or you're tapping in with elevators, make sure you share this with someone. But also just know that there is room to grow where you are. But girl to girl and sister to sister, I have to ask my girl. Did you know, like stepping into this, that you were always going to be the successful, or do you feel like you kind of figured things out as you went along? Or like what was that like for you?

SPEAKER_04 11:36

No, I never said, you know, like when I think of 20 years ago, or even when I was like, you know, a marketing manager, you know, throughout my career, like each step that I took. I don't know if I ever said, oh, I'm looking to get to this position. Because I also don't know if this is gonna be the end position for me as well. So it's like I've always looked at being the best that I could be. And like, and I always was always about what the purpose of what I wanted to do. Like I was always like, I want to create products that people love. I wanna be, I wanna create brands that are like of the culture that are that are real and true. I want to build teams where we allow the table to be wide, not just with certain profiles. I'm talking about like, you know, typically in organizations, it's only marketing that makes the decisions. Like here at NYX, we're we're an artistry brand. We have makeup artists that sit and they put into the business just as equal as a marketing and a finance person uh does. Um, you know, it's like every time I had a I have a purpose and I'm like, I want to be in a position to make this purpose happen. And then that's how I've been able to elevate, you know, further. And I think like just chasing a title or chasing a dollar isn't the way to do it because you end up um sacrificing things that are not, you know, in your value system. And you never win when you're there. Like you need to be in your purpose, you need to be in your values, you need to be in your passion. Um, and that's when you that, you know, that recipe helps you to succeed. So it's like really focusing on that, and then everything else, the money will come, the opportunities will come, like when you're shining bright and all of that kind of stuff, everything gravitates towards you. So it's more about just like, who am I? What do I want to do? What am I passionate about? And then letting, letting that shine that part.

SPEAKER_00 13:33

Hear you.

Know Your Worth And Negotiate

SPEAKER_00 13:34

But when the money does come, what does that even look like? Because a lot of times what we're being offered is not necessarily what we're worth. So it's like, how do those conversations even happen? Like I know when I first started out on camera at BET, well, actually, when I started out as an intern before I actually went on camera, it was so hard. And I felt very much like, well, I'm gonna take what they're giving me because this is something that I want. But like as I grew and just got older, more mature, all the things started lining up for me. I had to really start having more serious conversations like with myself, like, hey, if you let them, like they're gonna give you you know, less than what you deserve. So it's like, and and that was, you know, growing and like climbing the ladder in one in one company. Um, and I know your your experience is a little different because you were able to like shift between brands. So I think that conversation might be different. But like for us, and I mean, I'm sure you could agree, it was kind of like we had to, we had to fight. I had to fight.

SPEAKER_04 14:36

So that's that's very different. I'm talking about creating your goals. I I don't, and this is my personal, you know, everyone has their own thing, your again, your own value system and what's important to you and what you need for yourself or your family. So it's this is personal choice. For me, what I have found is that in what I want to do and where I'm gonna be best at, I try not to let what the money is dictate where I want to go. Now, there is no job that I would take that I would recommend any of my people, my nieces, my godchildren, to take where you are not paid your worth and you need to know your worth and you need to do your homework and you need to create a network so that people are sharing what that should be, and you need to leverage people who will also um uh advocate for you. And that you should never take less than what you're worth. You know, that part uh I don't believe in that. But I do I do think that, you know, in whatever industry, you know, I used to when I when, you know, when I was younger, it was a lot of like doctor, lawyer, that's the way to make good money. Um, and now that that's not even heard of anymore. You know, it's like it's what what are you good at? And then how can you be the best at that? And how can you carve out your own lane and carve out what's needed in that and create from that? But but that's what I'm talking about. You can build financially whatever you need once you once you align yourself. And then of course, there's a lot of work to it. There's a lot of work in building, there's a lot of work in um in uh if if people won't give it to you, how do you create it for yourself? I I I really believe that you have to leverage um others. That's why a network is as important as the experience that you had, like, you know, the people that can can really uh pour into you because um accepting less than what you're worth is not.

SPEAKER_00 16:36

Never. Yeah, it's never gonna be fun. What does doing homework look like for you guys to make sure that you are getting what you feel like you deserve?

SPEAKER_01 16:45

That's a really, really, really good question. I I think one of the things that's important and also make sure you evaluate your friend group and your friend group as it relates to your peers that also are in the same industry. You guys should be like on the phone, having conversations, sharing, like, hey, this is what I was offered. You know, obviously you have to take into account like experience and like different things that another person may have over you and so on and so forth. But I think it's very important for people to have those conversations. And I I I love that you said the whole um thing about, you know, back in the day, Danae, that it's like used to be like being a doctor, being a lawyer. While those are amazing careers, and I think you should actually pursue those. Absolutely. I, you know, coming from a Caribbean background, that was also my story as well. And I feel like something else that I will say was in my background is my mom was always like, we don't talk about salary, we don't talk about money. Like my you know, my family would always say that, but I love now that in this generation we do because I think it's important to share that. So I would say first homework or force first piece of homework would be doing that. And obviously the internet is just like it's your oyster.

SPEAKER_04 17:54

Like that's good, that's good, Amanda, because that's true. I think that there is there's still like a stigma around talking about money, about being able to, you know, with comfort to advocate when it comes to financial conversations. Maybe it would, I is it the way that we were raised or what that looks like. But um, I think getting comfortable with being uncomfortable about talking about that, who how you build your circle and your network is is important. And I think um, you know, if I would go back to my younger years, I feel like, you know, it was about like who who was funny, said who you shared interests with, like who you're sharing, you know, dresses with and who looked cute and all that kind of stuff. And I want your little circle of friends. But but no, I think your circle of friends needs to be people who are challenging you, who are teaching you something different, that have different interests that can that can uh share with you things that you wouldn't have known, that you can share with them and that you that you both like pour into each other. Um and that circle is going to be what's able to take you to the next steps. And, you know, I have, I'm sure you guys have this too. You know, let me call up my homegirl Julie, because she's in education, totally different industry than me. She's her own bosswoman over there. But I know that I can call her with whatever, hey, I'm dealing with this, I'm going to this next position. How did you negotiate over there? How did you navigate that in your politics circle? Let me take some lessons from Julie and apply that to what could happen in beauty. Then I have, of course, my internal network within, you know, that I've worked 20 years with people that I have relationships with. I call them up, like, hey, have you had this situation before? Do you know this person? How can I resonate with them? You know, and it's it's the mixture of that circle. Um, that's that's that's important. And you need just like we talk about having diversity in the workplace, you need diversity of a friend circle too.

SPEAKER_00 19:55

Yeah. You know what? One thing that I want to start doing, in addition to all the things that you guys have talked about, is I'm gonna start asking a man because that gap is still very much there.

SPEAKER_04 20:08

Diversity of your friend circle, you definitely need to call up because I what I will tell you, you know, especially like, you know, working with, you know, women and men, the way that men advocate for themselves, it's like it's they they it's it's a natural thing. Most men, okay, I don't want to start with people, all men, but what I have found is that men are really good at advocating for themselves. They can speak to their potential. So it's not only, you know, I find I'm gonna speak about myself. I find that with myself, I like to put facts on the table. I have done this, I have achieved that, I have accomplished this. That's how I speak when I'm going into an interview. What I find with men is that they speak to what they can do, even if they've never done it before. They're like, oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Read a billion-dollar print. I can do that. Here's why. Here's what I have, here's what I know, here's what, and it's not about what they've achieved. Have they ever done it before? No. Maybe they've never worked, you know, they're they're interviewing for makeup and they've never worked in the makeup space. They've only worked in fragrances, but they will talk about what they can bring there. And that's the way that you have to show up is like, what, who am I? What do I have? What are my what are my characteristics and what can I bring to this company and being comfortable with advocating for yourself, not just for other people, because that's where we shine. Talk about my homegirls, talk about, you know, talk about my family. We are there. We're the first ones uh to ride for them. But we have to have that same energy for ourselves. And it's, you know, we have to exercise that. It's not easy.

SPEAKER_03 21:48

It's not easy.

SPEAKER_01 21:49

That's so, so true. And I think it's really a a mind shift change that a lot of us kind of have to do because it's not like you're not being humble because you want it. Like, you know, you know, pop, pop out and tell who, like, tell everyone what it is that you can do. But I do think there's also something here that I wanted to kind of ask you about as well is like doing that corporate climb and being with this company for over 20 years and becoming the global brand president, how do you like maintain your authenticity with advocating for yourself and then just being who you are with the brand?

Authenticity Beats Perfection At Work

SPEAKER_04 22:23

Again, I think it being a leader, especially these days, you build trust and you build respect by being who you are. And I think that like if everybody is trying to be in the uniform, then really what makes you special? So, like, you know, the way that I dress, for example, my team laughs at me because I come in, I have crop tops, I have cutouts, like let me tell you, I want to be a I want to be cute. I like to be sexy when I come into the office. You know, like who decided what professional dressing looked like? Who made that rule? Um, and I'm in makeup and like, you know, we're there, we got baddies. Our people are baddies. We are, you know, we are coming together. What why can't I have a crop top on? You know? And I think that that's like, it's very endearing for people to see you, you know, show up as truly who you are, to really like own, like, I don't know it all, I'm not perfect. Um, and I'm here, you know, and and and I'm learning too. And I think that that's what rallies people around around you. Um, I think that that's what what creates trust amongst the team. And so that's that's how I um how I like to approach leadership.

SPEAKER_00 23:44

What do you think is the biggest lie women are told about climbing the corporate ladder?

SPEAKER_04 23:50

We all think that we need to be perfect to be in whatever high-level role that we're that we're seeking. And I think that perfection is the death of progress. Um perfection is going to have you uh focused on the wrong thing. When progress is about trying, having the courage to try something, see it out, watch it fail, learn from it, get better, build, build, build. Um, and I think that this idea that you can't make mistakes is not the way to build a business, by the way. All businesses have gone through uh uh things where you've launched, it didn't work, something was wrong, you had to go back and fix it, make it better, and then it becomes the magic. Um, and I think that that goes for, you know, who you are in the workplace. And I and again, like I said, your teams will embrace it. I think your management or your bosses will embrace it. People like real, people who have point of views, um, who um have the resilience to go through things, learn from it, make it better, and still show up every day. And that for me is far more worth it than than that someone who always does it right. Because that person who always does it right, that one time when something is messed up, you you watch yourself break. You know, I've been there because perfection was my my number one thing. Like I always thought that I had to be perfect. And then that one time when something was messed up, I you know, I did I couldn't get out of the bed because I'm like, oh, I'm replaying it in my mind because how could I? And like that's not what this is about. You'll die. Yeah. I used to be like, you'll die trying to be perfect. So I had to let go of that.

SPEAKER_00 25:40

Yeah. So what I'm hearing is hard work over perfection.

SPEAKER_04 25:44

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 25:45

But do you think hard work is enough to get like seen by leadership these days?

SPEAKER_04 25:52

It's very nuanced. And and what I do want to recognize is that there are people who work really, really hard, and it doesn't necessarily break through or resonate because it isn't, it's not just hard work, right? It's about knowing what is needed of your team. It's what's no what knowing what's needed of the business. And this is where curiosity needs to meet hard work because there's a lot of people who uh again, myself included, uh I'm not preaching to anybody, but like we're we're working so hard at something, but it's not headed in the direction of where the business is going, you know, what the boss's vision is. So you have to have alignment. And in order to have an alignment, you have to have curiosity, you need to form relationships. Uh, I get again, I'm an advocate of a big network because then you can have people who are like, let me correct you. You've got a lot of hard work, but you're pointing in this, you need to point it over here. And then that's gonna guide you. You've got to make sure that the hard work is going in the right direction.

SPEAKER_01 26:57

I have a question for for for you guys.

Work From Home Versus Visibility

SPEAKER_01 26:59

I I've been hearing so much about like the buzzword of working from home and you know, women being able to get to, you know, optimal levels in their cur corporate career. And I know it's a little different from Crystal and myself being creatives, but when I was working in corporate, visibility was everything. So I kind of wanted to know your take as a global brand precedent. Do you feel like work from home culture helps women elevate to the highest level, or do you think it doesn't really matter?

SPEAKER_04 27:29

I think flexibility is super important. Um, you know, it's it's a new day. Um, and I think that flexibility allows space at moments to be able to think clearly, to be able to uh uh prioritize other things that are very important, that that only space can allow. Especially, you know, in my industry, when you're creating, you need to be around people at times. And then at some point you need to go in and just be able to like have have a moment with yourself. And that happens really well at home. So like I'm a big advocate for flexibility. That said, you know, depending on what your job is and the nature of your industry, there is nothing that can be a face-to-face, you know. Again, as I'm talking, you know, I like I said, I'm an advocate for relationships and for your network. And you have to be able to build that in person. You have to see someone, you know, eye to eye and, you know, be able to be vulnerable and be able to build trust. And that happens, you know, that that connection is a it's a building of a muscle. So you need to be able to do that and to and to do that often. Um, I also work in an industry that's very creative. You're touching product, you know, you're you're building campaigns, you need to be able to put your hands on things. And so that can, you know, that can only happen, you know, in-person spaces. Um, but I don't think that it's right to go one way or the other, only in person um or only at home. I I think that you again you have to manage both. Um but but what I will say about that topic is that it's really important for us to be able to have honest conversations of what does exist, because you know, depending on what industry it is, et cetera, it may be that being in person is what is going to propel you to the top. And we need to be able to say that, and you need to be able to know that you can make the decision on what you want to do with your career, what's what's important to you. But I think us being able to talk candidly and say, hey, this is what what is happening, so that we can all have our have our truth and then know what to do with it is is is important.

SPEAKER_01 29:49

Yeah, I love your take on that. And I do, I do a thousand percent agree that it does really depend on the industry you're in. Like if you're in this space, like you're like you said, like yourself in makeup, you have to see the stuff. You have to see what's going on. I know, Danae, you travel to Vietnam, to Paris, like you're all over, like you're in the chemistry labs, like you're seeing things happen in real time. So I do think that depending on what it is that you do, that that visibility is important. I want to ask actually both of you in all the spaces that we're in.

SPEAKER_00 30:18

I agree. I think it's very subjective to your field, your industry, and like what you're actually doing. A lot of times, like, you know, we like to say, like, yeah, working from home is great because, you know, maybe if you're doing numbers and everything's on your computer, it's right in front of you anyway. So as long as you're performing highly, go for it, right? But like there's also the other side of the sword where you might also be a mom and now your kids are screaming and it's pulling you away from your computer, or your husband thinks, you know, because it's three o'clock, it's lunchtime, and you're like, honey, I'm clocked in, you know? Like it's just so subjective. But I also, you know, understand how out of sight, out of mind. And unfortunately, it's very true, it's just, it's science. It's human. You we're human, out of sight, out of mind. And then on top of that, you add, we're on Zooms and all this stuff in person. I'm very back in, I'm very in the middle about this as well.

SPEAKER_01 31:10

I think to a certain extent, I'm all about like, we gotta get out of our comfort zone. And I'm speaking to myself included, right? I feel like there's some level of comfort when it comes to that. I'm not, and I feel like people are probably working way harder, way, way more at home. I know that that's definitely have has been tested and people are proven that they can continue doing what they're doing. But I do think that there is a level of comfort that I feel like being in person, it's it takes you out of that. Um, and I don't know, that's just that's just me. And I also love collaborating and working amongst people. So I feel like at home, I like Danae, like yourself. Like I grew up as an only child. Now I have other younger siblings, but like growing up by myself, I'm like, I need people. Like I feed off of that. Like, where are the people at? You know what I mean? Like, I want to talk about the latest um song that came out. Like, are you guys feeling this new mixtape? Are you feeling this new song? What's the latest fashions? Like, I want to do that amongst, you know, in and out of meetings. Like, of course. Like, I think that, like, I I love that. And I think that you don't get that at home. That's my honest opinion. So there's a little comfort there that I feel like we gotta get out of. Um, but I think Danae, you being on our podcast, I offers us such a special, a special opportunity that I want to ask you for anybody that's like literally trying to elevate in their

Act Like The Role You Want

SPEAKER_01 32:32

career. If you could give them like a personal focus, like if it's like a focus group, what's something that you would tell someone who's trying to focus in the next six months to really take their career to the next level?

SPEAKER_04 32:45

I think if you're already somewhere and you're looking to get to that next step, get to that promotion, you need to start, it's it's manifestation, like the actions of manifestation. It is, you need to start acting like the job that you want. So it is um, you know, what if I'm a manager and I want to get to a director level, it's like, okay, so what does the director level look like? What are the day-to-day activities? Okay, so if it's presenting more, I'm going to make sure that I find projects in which I'm up there presenting. Um if it's about uh leading a meeting, I'm going to take initiative and say, hey, is there a meeting that I can lead? I'll organize that. I'll put people together. Uh, if it's about, you know, rallying teams and managing people, you know, I'm going to show whether it's indirectly how I can, you know, uh rally people together towards a common goal. I'm going to start acting like a director before I get to a director level so that people are going to almost question, wait, she's she's only a manager. I thought that she was a director because that already they can see in you. And then the, and then when that comes available, they're going to be like, oh, oh yeah, Amanda, she already can present. I watched her present. She can rally teens. I watched her rally teens. Oh, I remember that project that she worked on and she did so well. She's up next is her turn. So I would say really understanding the job that you want and start finding ways to do it. And it, you know, it means going above and beyond the job that you have right now, and you gotta be okay with that.

SPEAKER_00 34:24

I want to double down on what you said. You said, you said actions of manifestation because a lot of times people hear manifest and they're like, yeah, I'm manifesting it. I'm like, no, you're actually sitting on your butt thinking about it. That's not how you manifest. Like, you gotta put action and effort behind your thoughts because your thoughts are just your thoughts inside your head. You have to put the action and the energy into the world.

SPEAKER_04 34:49

Yeah, and those thoughts are really important. You know, every morning saying, I'm gonna be that director. It's it's where your thoughts and your actions meet. And and there you go. And then you get beyond, you get beyond that director.

SPEAKER_00 35:05

Throughout your respective journey, career, what's one lesson that you had to learn the hard way that changed how you move today?

Hard Lessons, Boundaries, Resilience

SPEAKER_00 35:15

Oh, that's good. And let me start thinking.

SPEAKER_01 35:17

I think for me, I'm also learning this currently as an entrepreneur. And I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna lie, okay. Sometimes even saying that, I like cringe a bit because not for anything bad, but more or less because I think people really don't understand how hard it is being an entrepreneur. But I do feel like the lesson I had to learn the hard way, because I came from like working in corporate with like, you know, having BT and all this stuff and working with a team, that no one is gonna come save you. And what I mean by that is I think we think, oh, you know, like we got friends or we know people and this, that, and the third. And yes, you do, but you have to be willing to like do the work and save yourself first. And that's just a lesson I feel like I've I'm like I've had to learn the long the hard way because you know, you feel as though you have like, and your network is amazing. Like I feel like you you have people that are gonna definitely help you out, but you just have to be willing to know that if you're gonna do this thing and do it by yourself, that you're fully capable of doing it. Um, so that's just one lesson that I would say that I feel like I've had to learn the hard way. But it's it's a good lesson to learn as well. Cause I feel like it just literally puts the battery in your back to get hit the ground running and not need anyone else to do it and just do it by yourself.

SPEAKER_04 36:31

For me, I it it requires a bigger um development of you as a person uh to go beyond it, how how to talk to people, how to problem solve when things are on fire and things are always on fire at this level. Can you have the resilience to get calls? You know, every every hour, I can expect that something will go wrong. And what am I going to do with that? How am I able to handle that? How can I show up? How can I organize people to solve those problems? Um it it's not just about knowing, you know, what the right undertones are or knowing how to, you know, create a great marketing plan. I've got to be able to do both. And I it it goes beyond just having a technical skill. It's about developing your character.

SPEAKER_00 37:23

I love that we all have very different perspectives on this question. Um, for me, I think it is very, very simple, but like so powerful. Closing my laptop, my work laptop at a decent hour. And that was very hard for me because I realized that it like I love working. I love working. It's not even funny. Like I come from a family that like my grandfather, he's like 80 something, he still works. Like, that's all I know. So I had to unlearn that. Like I had to unlearn how to like just close a laptop and prioritize myself a little more because I was falling into a space where I was working 10 times harder, like, but staying up late and really messing with my my schedule and like my wellness was actually putting me 20 steps behind. Meanwhile, I'm working super hard, but now I'm 20 steps behind because I closed my laptop at 1 a.m. Now I'm up eating breakfast at 12 p.m. and everything is just thrown off. And it's like it would really, it really threw me for a loop for like a year, up until most recently, where I'm like starting to be an adult now. And I'm like, yeah, no, closing this laptop at eight o'clock, not only because, you know, like, you know, work isn't everything, but also because if I don't, I know the effects it's gonna have on me the next day. So teach us that, Crystal.

SPEAKER_04 38:54

You need to teach me that because I'll close my laptop, I'll pick up my phone, I'll be on there, sending emails, I'll be this is my I need to learn how to turn my mind off.

SPEAKER_01 39:03

I will say, Crystal, I am very proud of you. I called her the other day and she's like, what is it? Because I'm I'm my laptop is closing at nine and my girl is at the gym at 7:30. I was like, Good.

SPEAKER_04 39:15

Yeah, have boundaries. That's this is the phase that I'm in is um learning how to create boundaries in ja throughout everything work, personal life, every family, everything. Like, how do you create these boundaries? I'm not good at it.

SPEAKER_00 39:30

Yeah, it's hard. It's so hard, but when you get it, you perform better when you're actually on. And like I would hear people talk about all this. It's like one of those things where it's like super cliche, and then you do, and you're like, oh, that was a light. You're onto something very hard, y'all.

SPEAKER_01 39:47

That's true. I don't know if it was Obama that said it, but I feel like there it was either like Mark Cuban or Obama, like there's no such thing as work-life balance sometimes. And I was like, you know what, that's real. Like, I feel like a lot of like journalists or people be like, So what's the work-life balance? Sometimes there isn't one. It depends on the season, too. You know what I mean? Like, it depends on the season. There is balance in some seasons, and some seasons it's like, hey, I gotta be working from sunup to sundown. That's just what it is right now.

SPEAKER_00 40:11

Yeah, yeah, yeah. As long as you don't live in that season and you gotta find yourself your way back to your season for sure.

SPEAKER_04 40:17

That's what's where that's where I'm good. I love to travel. Um, and and I will shut off in that sense. I will go travel somewhere. I will sit on a beach for five days and turn off, like just fully just sleep, sleep all day, lay all day, that type of thing. And that brings me my rest, my rejuvenation, and things

Meg, Body Care, Butter Gloss Love

SPEAKER_04 40:40

like that.

SPEAKER_01 40:40

So I have to, I have to give you your props because, and I feel I feel like I've I'm always saying this to you, but I don't know if it's because I'm it's more visible now, but like Knicks is everywhere. I feel like from like the Cardi B Super Bowl campaign to the Paris Hilton to the Love Island to like to I think Bridgerton, WNBA, like everywhere. And I I would love to know for you and your and your perspective is like, is do you have a favorite campaign that you've worked on so far? And second question is was there like a product that you knew was gonna hit before it actually did, like from a campaign?

SPEAKER_04 41:20

Um, so first I first we um we just launched Body. Nyx couldn't do body without the body. So we launched with Meg the Stallion. Um earlier this week.

SPEAKER_03 41:35

Yes, I think.

SPEAKER_04 41:36

And um, it's all set to her, you know, her hit song body adi yaddy yaddy adi. Um so it was very, very fun to um work with um Meg the Stallion. She's um one of the the um oils that we've launched. It's called Caramel Mommy. Um and it smells like caramel and pistachio, and it's really like it's it's very warm and gourmand, and like she said, she's like, I don't I want to eat my this smells so good, I smell like a donut. I want to eat myself. Um so it it this part is really like I'm very excited because we're going into a different category and it's really fun to show up as Nick. We created it just like the same way that we would create makeup, which it's about, you know, like I think glamour, you know, our glam routine has gone beyond just doing our face makeup. You know, now you're like you, it's the finishing touches. It's, you know, it's the a little shimmer on, you know, on the neck. It's like the glow of the arms and you know, it's a full look. Uh, so it was natural for us to, you know, have a full body, a full body makeover. Um, and so we launched oils and we have um body illusions and we have scents. Um, and it's very fun and it's loud and it's bold, it's colorful, um, it it respects different shade tones. Like we have like oils that brighten um from like a fairer skin to a darker skin tone, and and making sure that all of that is taken into account. Like, how would a makeup artist do body for a wide range of skin tones is how we approached it. Um so it's been it's it was very exciting. So that's that's what's on my mind right now, Amanda. Um, but my favorite, like I am, first of all, before I even came to Knicks, I was always a butter gloss girly. Like I every every girl should have a butter gloss in in their bag. It was funny because when we had we had worked on a campaign, like you had said, with with Paris Hilton, and the joke was like I carry a butter gloss, which is accessible, you know, it's somewhere between it's six dollars. It's our six dollar secret weapon. And she's like, I carry a butter gloss even in my birkin. And it it was powerful to me because I'm like, you know, that says a lot. That says that, you know, someone who has a birkin. Or you know, somebody has to as a designer handbag who you can afford any lip gloss from any brand that exists, and you still chose a NYX butter gloss. Why? Because because there's no shades like it, there's no shine like it. And that means that we're giving the best product, you know, at the best price. And that that's value right there. So butter gloss is my girl. She's my favorite. Um, and and I love doing anything around butter gloss like when um last year when uh Love Island was happening, and we were uh, I'm a Love Island, I'm obsessed with Love Island. I don't know if you guys watch Love Island or not, but like I am the person who because you know it airs every single day. There's a new episode. So I would go home every single day. I was we were cheering for Olandria, and there was an episode when her and Nick start getting together, and she applies butter gloss, and he takes it and he puts it in her pocket. She was using Nick's. So as soon as she got off of that island, we we hit her up. We did a campaign with her and Nick, and it was like, I don't know, it was like two or three weeks once uh uh the show was over, and so it was the Nick's Alandria, Nick Alandria, so Nyx Alandria uh collab, and it was really, really fun to work on.

SPEAKER_01 45:23

I've seen that one. That was that was a that was a good that was a good one.

SPEAKER_00 45:26

Well, I love that this is a butter gloss stan episode because baby, we keep on. We keep one on us, okay? And this is not just because you are with us today for real, for real. This is like like real life, like tried and true. I have not, especially in terms of like complexion. For me, everything is hard from my foundation to my concealer and Amanda too, like to my lipstick is always hard. So I don't gotta think about it too much. I got that, and that's my go-to. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

SPEAKER_04 45:59

Yeah, it has the best nudes. I agree, especially for brown girls. It's just like the best nudes.

SPEAKER_01 46:07

The combination with the matte is good too. The matte on top with the with the butter gloss between portion cookie, and I think my other favorite color colors like Mateline. Ooh, I gotta try that one.

SPEAKER_04 46:19

Mine is bit of honey. It has like just a little bit of like peach in it.

Overhyped Makeup Trends Right Now

SPEAKER_01 46:24

I was gonna ask you girls, what is like a beauty trend right now that you feel like is overhyped? Like that you're like, mm, I don't really love that.

SPEAKER_00 46:33

Ooh, I could go. Well, what'd you say? Go ahead, no, get ahead, Dana. You was ready. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_04 46:37

I guess I'm like clean girl makeup. No, absolutely not. We do not need no makeup, makeup is not the trend, okay? We we want to look, we need a little color, okay? It is okay. Now you don't want to look like a cake face. I'm with you. But like, you know, there's nothing wrong with a little little blush here, a little little lip here, a little little lash there. So, like that, that no, there was like a period of time after COVID where it was like, no makeup look, like a really fresh face. You can look fresh with your makeup.

SPEAKER_01 47:15

Put makeup on. Okay, you just have to learn how to apply it. And by the way, clean makeup is makeup because you still gotta put the makeup on.

SPEAKER_04 47:23

Like, in a right, right, right, right. You can do a fresh makeup look with makeup.

SPEAKER_00 47:30

If you're gonna put makeup on, you might as well go all the way with it. It's how I feel. So I'm with you. You know what I think is overhyped right now? What? The bright blush being green all the way under your eye. Why are you in my head? What are you missing okay?

SPEAKER_02 47:44

That is Bob. Are you missing a red?

SPEAKER_00 47:48

Let me tell you something. Let me tell you something. Like the super pink, right? I like a good little pink, but they really dragging it right now, okay? Like they we it's I'm not into it. It's it's being dragged, honey. I agree. I've also always liked pink is a great color corrector for me. So I've always like brought blush like down onto on under my eyes. But if you ever look at like old photos of what makeup used to look like, where the ladies had like really bright red, kind of like clown makeup, no shade, no tea. That's what it reminds me of now. Like when it's really bright under the eye, I'm like, it's giving 1940s, like when they didn't really figure it out yet. I don't love it.

SPEAKER_01 48:27

It's like super high for me. I I don't know if it's the shade, but I feel like it's like, yeah, I don't know. I maybe I'm not doing it right.

SPEAKER_04 48:34

It all depends on the technique, but come, you gotta try different things. It's like fashion, you know? Like you can't just only wear the same, you know, bandage dress that we're that we were always wearing. Like, you gotta switch it up. You gotta be able to do it.

SPEAKER_02 48:49

Listen, let me I miss I miss the easy bandage dresses. We need to bring the bandage dress. Okay. You know, you gotta, you gotta try new things.

SPEAKER_04 48:58

It depends. Like, I feel like that when done, of course, when done well and with the right technique, when it's blended very nicely, like it's kind of like this feminine, soft girl look. You know, you have the right coquette lashes, a little soft lip. Like, you could make it, you can make it, you know, you look like a little Barbie doll. It's cute.

SPEAKER_00 49:22

No, it's very cute when it's done right. Like, it's it's super tea when it's done right. But when it's done wrong, it's like all the way wrong. And I also think it's not that technique is not necessarily for every occasion. Like I love to see it on like artists and stuff, like when the makeup artists like do their thing and it's like really, it's like, oh yeah, yeah, ate. But I can't go to the office like that. Yeah. Me personally. Me personally, objective.

SPEAKER_01 49:48

I agree, but I probably just need a tutorial. Um because here my technique is like when I smile, I put it right here, and that's it. I I just put a little bit. Just a little bit. It's it. That's it. I'm with you. Wait, so what do you think is overhype? Are you saying the the bl the blush under the eyes? My thing is the actual excessiveness of the blush. Like the high pink, like, and it's super, like you can tell that like blush is on. But I think to each his own, because I don't know if I'm a blush girl, but I don't want the blush to like some people who absolutely love blush.

SPEAKER_00 50:19

They're like more, more. I'm with you.

SPEAKER_01 50:22

I I will say a couple trends that I feel like the girls stopped doing that I still do, that I love, is a nice little highlight. I like a little gold highlight, but you just gotta know what's happening.

SPEAKER_02 50:31

I never stopped highlight. I love highlight. I love highlight. Go ignore it.

SPEAKER_00 50:36

I definitely agree though. The girls have at least stopped talking about it. Because I remember when it was a thing, like the not no more, but yeah.

SPEAKER_04 50:44

I will never give up highlight. Uh that's that's the staple. I love when it just glow, when this up here glow, you know, like when you take a picture and this is like a like the cheekbulls is popping. It's it hits in all the right places. You know, I love that.

SPEAKER_00 51:02

That and the brown lip, brown lip probably. Don't let it go away.

SPEAKER_04 51:07

Yes.

Chief Vibes Officer Quick Game

SPEAKER_00 51:08

Okay, so before we let you go, because we know you're busy, we want to play a quick little game. It's called Chief Vibes Officer Check. It's cute. It's it's it's very light. It's very light. So for everybody.

SPEAKER_01 51:22

Wait, wait, before we before we get into it, guys. Where did the chief vibes officer come from? We we gotta know the or the the or the origin story.

SPEAKER_04 51:31

Oh, that that's my second job. I am the chief vibes officer. I create the moods, okay? I am the planner. I know how to put together the events, the trips, you know, what's the right places, where's the what's the places to stay in? Where can we sit on the beach and have like all of the mood and the ambiance, the music, the setting, the outfits, the art? Look, me.

SPEAKER_00 51:57

Oh, Danae, we yeah, we definitely need to get together in Miami.

SPEAKER_01 51:59

So I'll make three vibe officer vibe. Now, for those listening and watching, you know this is a reputable source for all the answers.

SPEAKER_00 52:10

Okay, so what is your go-to getting ready song? What's the name of the song?

SPEAKER_04 52:15

It's like working on the weekend like usual. I haven't turned my taxes because I'm too turned up. That's me right now.

SPEAKER_02 52:26

That's me right now.

SPEAKER_04 52:27

I had to file an extension. No, we're all going to jail because ain't none of us do our taxes. No, same. I filed an extension. Okay. So I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_00 52:38

No, same, same, same. We're like, all right, we just need a couple more weeks.

SPEAKER_01 52:41

Wait, let's give it a second. If you're a part of the IRS, please exit the podcast. I filed an extension. What is a song that I've really been loving right now? Oh my goodness. I can't think of one. But honestly, I I seen something funny on the internet the other day, and it was saying that all the old older people are loving the T.I. song. I like the new T.I. song too. I don't know what it, I don't know what it is about the song, but I like it. Um, I don't know. What am I listening to right now, though? I don't know. I didn't even know T.I.

SPEAKER_00 53:11

had a song. Home. He does a brand new rock.

SPEAKER_01 53:13

I don't really know what I'm listening to. Oh my goodness. I gotta get my summer playlist up. Please send us some songs, y'all. Please. Wait, what do you have?

SPEAKER_04 53:21

You need to put on Cardi because her album is. Hello. Let me tell you, that is a motivation album.

SPEAKER_01 53:26

That may be it. Because Cardi has been in her concert. Oh my gosh. She looks like she killed it.

SPEAKER_04 53:32

Her album is like.

SPEAKER_00 53:34

I need to sit down and listen to her album.

SPEAKER_04 53:36

Our woman, yes.

SPEAKER_00 53:38

I'm stuck on Bad Bunny's album right now. I'm gonna get it together. Once I'm done with him wearing that down, I'm gonna go over to Cardi. I'm obsessed with him. Okay, you can only leave the house with one of these things. And you have to pick one concealer, lip gloss, or blush. Which one are you leaving with?

SPEAKER_02 53:58

Lip gloss.

SPEAKER_00 53:58

I'm gonna say concealer. Concealer. Yes. But I got dark bags. If I didn't have dark bags, it would probably be lip gloss. But I need me some concealer, honey. Same as a good thing.

SPEAKER_01 54:09

I was like concealer for me because I I want to look like I was up. Like I feel like sometimes, depending on the like if it was a late night, I just want a little concealer.

SPEAKER_00 54:16

So just a little. I agree. Okay. Eurosummer, south of France, or European winter. What do you guys think? This is a good one.

SPEAKER_04 54:25

Eurosummer? There's no question. No question. There's nothing beats a Euro summer. I'm with y'all.

SPEAKER_01 54:31

What's your favorite place in in for a Euro summer to travel to?

SPEAKER_04 54:35

Italy. That's my favorite. I love Italy. Love it. Country. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 54:42

I feel like we're all gonna have the same answer for this one.

SPEAKER_00 54:45

Okay, okay. Carry-on girly or overpacker.

SPEAKER_04 54:49

Overpacker. Sorry.

SPEAKER_01 54:52

Sadly, I'm overpacker. I every time I pack, I'm like, girl, please take something out. This is really sad.

SPEAKER_04 54:59

I'm it's like overpack where I'm sitting on the suitcase. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 55:04

Same.

SPEAKER_04 55:05

It's bad. It's bad. I'm like, can I tell you?

SPEAKER_01 55:11

Let me tell y'all something. There's been a lot of like people who have been bashing people who overpack. However, I love that when I'm on the trip and I'm with some friends or with anyone, they're like, Do you have this? I have it. Because like, that's what you need. You need one friend to overpack so that you have like a clothespin or you have things that you didn't think about, like a sewing kit. Like, you know, there's things that some people don't think about. But if you overpack, I have everything.

SPEAKER_00 55:35

So you know what? I hate sharing my stuff on vacation. I'm not gonna lie. Only because let me let me explain. Let me explain. I put my shit back. And not everybody is responsible. Let me tell you something. Every time on a girl's trip, if you hand it over, you ain't never getting it back. And I hate it because then I'll go looking for it. And like now when I need it, I don't have it. Bring your own stuff, okay?

SPEAKER_01 55:59

Yeah. It depends on what it is. Like perfume, lotion, like things like that. Yes. But like Yeah, yeah. It depends.

SPEAKER_00 56:06

You know what's the one thing that gets lost for me? Tweezers. And I always got it, like a good pair of tweezers. Let me use your tweezers for my last shit.

SPEAKER_01 56:13

I never get them back. Danae, we know you love traveling. And you're a foodie, right? D's a foodie. Yes. Best place to have vibes and best place for good food.

SPEAKER_04 56:25

Best city for turnout vibes. For me, you can't go wrong with London. Uh that city has a lot of I I love London. For vibes, for vibes only. Um best city for food, Mexico City.

SPEAKER_01 56:42

Oh, that's on my list. So bad. It's on my list.

SPEAKER_04 56:46

But best, but my favorite place still remains Best Beach Vibes. I love Tulloon. I'm so happy that everybody has stopped going there. So that we could have our old Tulloon back. I have my place where I stay, where there's not a lot of people, and it's just like the jungle meets the beach. It's so sexy. It's sexy. At night, the candles are lit, the full moon's out. You know, I'm that's that's my vibe.

SPEAKER_00 57:15

With you, I am happy. They because they done ran it down and now they ran out. But now we can go back and it can be the old t loom, peaceful when nobody was there. I mean, okay. Solo travel or girls trip?

SPEAKER_04 57:28

Girls trip.

SPEAKER_00 57:29

Girls trip.

SPEAKER_01 57:29

I want a solo travel. I wanted to be opposite. Listen, I'm going to be I wanted to be the opposite of y'all so bad. But no excuse me. Honestly, I feel like I've done so many girls' trips, and I feel like I have a fear of traveling by myself, which is why I want to like try to challenge myself to go on a solo trip. So if anyone's listening or watching and you have some solo trip recommendations, I'm talking two, three days. I can't do anything past that. Please send them in the comments. I want to go on a solo trip.

SPEAKER_04 58:00

Go to Paris. Paris is you need to be in a walking city. Go to Paris.

SPEAKER_01 58:05

And every time I watch Emily in Paris, I'm like, oh, why didn't I just live here?

SPEAKER_04 58:10

Go, you go shop, you go to some of the museums, you go have something at the cafe. Like Yes.

SPEAKER_01 58:17

I'm gonna go on a I'm gonna go on a solo Paris trip when Danae is there.

SPEAKER_04 58:21

Yeah, there you go. And then your two days is up, I'll be there. Perfect.

SPEAKER_00 58:30

Okay, now tell me if this is a red flag or green flag, a man who wears lip balm. Green flag for me. Green flag. Very green flag. Don't be crusty and dusty.

SPEAKER_04 58:41

Like, let's get these lips together.

SPEAKER_01 58:43

Right. We need green flag, yes. We love a man that takes care of himself.

unknown 58:47

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 58:47

And if he doesn't, ladies, help him out. He may not know the products.

SPEAKER_00 58:53

Okay.

Travel Shifts And That Girl Rituals

SPEAKER_00 58:54

Now lastly, a trip that changed your perspective on life.

SPEAKER_02 59:00

Who's gonna answer? Oh, I was letting the I was letting the cheap vibe obstacle first.

SPEAKER_04 59:06

I would say Cambodia. Um The sun rises and sunsets in Cambodia and some of the, you know, some of like the ruins and things like that. It's just really, really beautiful. The people are beautiful. Um, you know, the culture is built on just like peace and and and grounding and all that kind of stuff. And I just, I don't know, I really loved it.

SPEAKER_00 59:31

Sold. I need to go. I've never been.

SPEAKER_04 59:33

Yeah. It was like, yeah, it was like a soul trip. That's that's what it felt like.

SPEAKER_01 59:38

I want to go there as well. I would have to if okay, so I will say answer this, but I also do think that there's so much places that I would love to experience that I feel like I could even tap into this even more. But I just went to Japan for my birthday, and I feel like it was it was life-changing in a way where it helped me reflect on how like the people of Japan live. They like literally take pride in their city. It's like super clean. And you could think of like a New York City, but like super clean. And everyone is like not taking up too much space, you know what I mean? Like they're cognizant of people around them. And I think that that was one thing that I really admired about. Like, I didn't hear not one horn honk. Everybody was super polite and like kind and like aware of the people around them that it made you think like the world is not only about you, you know what I mean? Like, there's other people that exist and that you should acknowledge and also be able to like make love where they live as well because it's part of you know their their heritage and where they're from. Like I just I love the culture. I love it.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:41

Yeah, their culture is built on respect.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:43

Um, and so it's the respect of people, the respect of places, and that kind of stuff is refreshing. You're like, we need to bring this back home sometimes. I know.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:52

I'm like, I'm like, wow. So we're basically saying anywhere out of America. Got it. Sadly. I do love though. I feel I feel similar. Um, I studied abroad in Italy in college, and I think that just changed my whole perspective on like the way we live here, just so many different things outside of it being beautiful, just the appreciation for things that are happening outside of what we feel like is like our world, you know. Sometimes we're so caught up in ourselves and and our world and these things that are happening, and like taking that trip was like, ah, like there's so much more happening out there than just me and my little problems, you know? So yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:29

And the food is really good, and the wine, and like it doesn't help, it doesn't hurt that everything there is gorgeous. Every place you go, it's like a scene out of a movie.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:40

That is amazing.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:41

I wish I did. I wish I went to study abroad in Italy. That is the same.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:46

That's amazing.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:47

Amazing. It was.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:48

It was a little scary, but it was good. I love that. Wait, really quick last question before we all go. I think I would love for us to talk about what we do to feel like that girl for a really big moment. Like if there's like a certain ritual or something that you do to kind of pour into yourself, just to remind yourself of who you are, what does that look like for each of us?

SPEAKER_00 1:02:08

Yeah, I think for me, it's like making sure that I do the things for myself that I feel like I might have been pushing off. Like getting that that thing done, whether it's like going to the gym or like taking my vitamins in the morning, that makes me feel like, okay, cool. I put me first, check, now I'm ready to take over the award, take over the world. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:26

Yeah. Honestly, though, it's gonna be something similar. Like, I think it's anything that just allows me to like get back into myself. I take the longest showers. Like I could sit, I can stand in a shower for an hour, like and just sit with my thoughts. I have the best ideas there. I find that I have clarity there. I have like these oils, like lavender oils and eucalyptus oils that I put in there, it just like opens me up. And it's just like, I don't know, it's like a safe space. I love warm water, all of those things like that. Having the right like uh shower routine, going in, I agree, going to the gym, feeling like you've accomplished something, having your hair, your makeup just right, but taking your time with it. Like, not those times where you know when you're Russian and and you're frantic, like no, where it becomes like a routine where you're like really like like taking the moment in. After that, you can't tell me nothing. I'm walking up in that room, like you, Amanda.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:25

I love that. Um, for me, I similar to what you guys are saying, like I love kind of like pouring back in myself by working out. I could say in the sauna, I know you're not supposed to be in there past 30 minutes. I could be in there for like forever.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:38

30 minutes, you can stay past 30 minutes. I can't.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:40

Are you okay? I am. I don't know what it is. I love just I don't know what it is about being in there and just sweating profusely, but I just feel like it's like I'm getting like renewed. I just love it. I love it. I can't explain it. So I would say that, but on top of that, I would also say like affirmations and prayer, like consistently like reminding myself of who I am, what I am, what I can do, um, and kind of getting rid of like that imposter syndrome, like just telling myself nothing but positive things um right before like big moments is very, very important for me. Um so yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:16

Yeah, I can see that. You know, me, I you know, I have a crew of girls, it's like 10 of us. And like any time that we get together and we have like, I'm not talking about like going just to party or something, but like where we have a moment where it's like a girl's lunch or a girl's weekend, and we get to sit and talk and just like build and laugh and like cry sometimes. And just there's something about sisterhood that I think anytime that you leave, you feel renewed. Um, so those moments, I will tell you that I'm always at my best after that. And I try and like make that, you know, nobody has enough time. It's a lot of us and stuff like that, but try and make enough moments in the year where we can just have that like coming back together, feel getting to your roots, getting to your girls who have you like your safety net. Nobody knows. It's like where you can really be a hundred percent yourself. You know, like we have partners, we have parents, we have family, all you know, at work and stuff like that. And there's people who are, but there's nothing like your sisters, nothing.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:21

Friends are healing, friends are soulmates. Like I have that same same group of girls in my crew, and literally, I feel like there's one thing to have a partner and your man, and you feel like you could tell them, but I feel like there's nothing like being amongst your girls because I feel like you could be your most vulnerable, even more vulnerable than with your partner, to be honest. Um, so I just love that that we kind of all share that and have that girl group um connection. We it's needed, it's needed. It's needed.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:50

Thank you so much for coming on elevators for extra time, your wisdom. I know the listeners were at home taking notes on like every You were saying. I know I definitely was. So we appreciate you very much for coming on. Thank you guys. Thank you, Danae. Of course. Thank you. When you come back to Miami, I will be planning on it. Okay. I want to use these vibes. I got you.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:15

I got you. Let's do it.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:17

The vibes and the next body care. Because we got to get right for summer.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:21

Yeah, we're going to have your skin glowing. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:23

Right, right. Well, thank you so much, Danae. Have a great day. We appreciate you. Um, can't wait to connect again.

Final Takeaways And How To Connect

SPEAKER_00 1:06:30

Thank you guys so much for joining us on another episode of Elevators. Make sure you tune in next week, same time. More elevating, more growth, and more life, y'all. Like, comment, subscribe. Make sure you leave us a voice note on Speakpipe. We want to hear from you. But until then, bye. Bye, guys.