Brandidly Speaking

Why Your Content Isn’t Converting, and What Actually Makes People Care (with Lilliana Vazquez)

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You’re posting consistently, so why isn’t anyone sticking around? 

Most founders think they need better content. In reality, they’re over-editing, overthinking, and filtering out the very thing that makes people care. 

In this episode of Brandidly Speaking, Lilliana Vazquez (former TODAY Show + E! host turned creator) shares what turns content into community, and why it has nothing to do with being perfect. 

We get into the risks of showing up fully, how to handle criticism, and why trying to be liked by everyone is exactly what’s holding you back. 

If your content isn’t translating into connection, this podcast episode delivers the insights you need to craft messages that genuinely resonate with your community. 

New podcast episodes drop every Wednesday, hosted by Cris Gordon, Head of Beauty at MMC.  

🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube 

👍 Follow @Brandidly_Speaking on Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok and MMC on Instagram and LinkedIn. 

📲 We'd love to hear from you: hello@hellommc.com 

SPEAKER_00

And work for an expanding customer.

SPEAKER_01

I'm going to look at that I got started. Oh my gosh, I want to tell my wife speaking to an audience. That's what I learned to say. Is there a type of content that your audience got to support themselves? Yeah, the noble content. I think that perfect has become so predictable that we've got to lean into the unhinged message of like this is how the actual version of branding or marketing or living.

SPEAKER_00

Why do you want to let people into your home that don't align with who you are? It's a brand new day, and you know what that means. It's time for another episode of Brandedly Speaking with your host, Moi, Chris Gordon. Today we sit down with Honor Expert, digital creator, and founder Liliana Vasquez. We talk all about creating an authentic community, how to lean into what makes you uniquely you, and what brands need to do to be culturally relevant today. This is an episode you won't want to miss. All right, Liliana, I'm so excited to have you here today. Thank you so much for joining us. I know that you're like pretty fresh off of a plane. We're here in Austin together. We have a lot of events that actually cross over. You're someone that I have followed for years. As a publicist, listen, like that number one, it's my job. Number two, it's like my thing to find the people that I feel like are great storytellers, whether it's reporters, creators, honor experts. And your career has been extremely impressive. Tell me a little bit about how you got started. Um, oh my gosh, how long do we have?

SPEAKER_01

How long do we have and how patient are people? Um, I would say the way I get some of it is my my career has always looked like this, right? It has never been linear, and I think that that is what makes me really unique in this space. And I've never shied away from that. Um, I started as an account assistant in advertising, and that really taught me about brands a lot, right? Like kind of at the bottom. And then from there, I went to work um for TV. And where you probably saw me was the Today Show or New York Live or e News or GMA. Anything that's been on TV, I've done it. I said I've been on more canceled shows than anybody on the planet. But also, can we just talk about that list? I mean, that is impressive. I mean, when I say that, I don't say it flippantly. The reason I think I don't put as much focus on that part of my career history is because I think that was the part where I was least myself. And there's a lot of reasons for that. I think, you know, a lot of it has to do with just being at a big corporate entity, right? There's so many things you can't do that you want to do. There's so many edits to everything that you do. You're constrained by time, by budgets. And so the focus for me really has been on the last two to three years of my life where I made a really big pivot from legacy media, which is what you're talking about, and how we know each other, right, to this more entrepreneurial venture, which is me as a creator, as a storyteller, and ultimately as an entrepreneur is what I'm doing. And so that's why I kind of like list those things off because there was a time when that was my crowning jewel as a person that I was on the today show, right? I mean, you know, as a publicist, for a brand to get on the today show, it's one of the first asks they probably make of you. And you're like, calm down. We will get there. We will build to that. Yes. Because it's a big deal. It means something about your brand, about the way people buy into it, about the way the market responds to it. And so the Today Show was that for me for a really long time. And then it was e News, right? It was being the first Latina host of e News in the 28-year history. And those are really Which, like, just I'm gonna clap for that.

SPEAKER_00

I'm a first generation Dominican. So, you know, I'm always cheering on my girls.

SPEAKER_01

But we gotta like. And by the way, I'm so happy that I was because then you know who came next? Adrian Bayon. So, like, we went straight from like Mexican Puerto Rican to Puerto Rican, and like what those big jobs have in common, and Access Hollywood, I can't forget about Access, but what all of those jobs had in common was that my future was not in my control. It was up to executive producers, network executives who would say, Oh, I think she's too old, or I don't think she has enough hard news experience. All of the decisions about my career were being made by other people. And so while they're a big deal in the sense of how the world perceived it, it wasn't as big of a deal as what I'm doing now because I hold those keys now.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. And so it's a great point that you make about legacy media versus new age media. We talk to our clients about this all the time because there is no one size fits all. The world is changing so fast. Legacy media obviously still has a place and it's this credibility-building opportunity. There's a lot of ways that you can maximize those exposures. But at the end of the day, there's also a diversification of the style of content that your brand is being featured in. And so when it comes to your page and when you made that pivot, what became important to you when you started to like partner with brands and be able to showcase them?

SPEAKER_01

Well, I think the first and most important thing, and I hate saying this because it's so redundant, but it was really authenticity, but like on steroids. So I started my Instagram account like everybody else. I don't know, like 12 years ago or 14 years ago, whenever Instagram came, we were still using the filters? Yeah, I used I used Nashville. That was my did you have a favorite filter? Nashville was my favorite. Are you kidding? I was a Nashville.

SPEAKER_00

I feel like it made everyone like look really cool, kind of artsy.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, and by the way, we still all use those filters. We just rebranded them under the Teza app. So let's be able to do that. Let's be very clear. Yeah. When Gen Z is like, oh, I don't use filters, I'm like, do you use the Teza app? Because Nashville was basically like the Teza version of what you're using.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, if someone scrolls far enough back in my feed, they're gonna see like a picture of me and my best friend and just like our close-up of our eye when we were just testing out how these filters all worked. But it was a different time.

SPEAKER_01

It was a different time. It was too early for its time. But now Gen Z, sometimes Gen Z is like, oh, I don't do the things that you did. I'm like, no girl, you're doing the exact same thing. You just rebranded it better. So props to you for that. But we're still all doing it. Yeah. Um, but no, so you know, 12 years ago when Instagram first started, I don't know. I started with, you know, a very low amount of followers. And then when I left e News, I had about a hundred thousand followers. And I was able to basically like 5x my followers by actually being me. And the thing that I changed was I started showing up on camera, not as the Liliana that you saw on the Today Show, not as Liliana who you saw on the red carpet at e-news. I started showing up as Liliana, who you saw in the makeup room, right? Liliana who was like in the backseat of an Uber, like going out with her girlfriends. And Liliana, who was very direct and very specific with her girlfriends when they were getting ready for a night out. And when I decided to do that, that is what changed everything for me. So it is not just authenticity, it is like raw, pure authenticity, the kind that you might be scared to share with the real world. That to me is what really moves the needle.

SPEAKER_00

And why do you think people are so scared to share that with the world?

SPEAKER_01

Because you're still scared of yourself, right? I mean, listen, I do a ton of work. Like I have two therapists, and I am so proud of that. And because we are constantly a work in progress, it takes a lot of work and a lot of fearlessness to live your life authentically. And at 45, I can say that I'm barely starting to do that. And there's a million reasons for that. You know, sometimes it's having, you know, the right people to help you do that. Sometimes it's a lot of generational trauma from childhood, especially as immigrants, right? Like our parents worked and suffered harder than anyone you can ever imagine. And so we're still unlearning all of that. And that plays a really big role in how accepting you are of yourself and how accepting you are of what you need to do and what you actually want to do. And so I think as we are a work in progress, pulling all of those filters off and just showing up as yourself, well, what does that do? That gives people the option to not like you. That gives people the option to give you really negative feedback, and that's fucking scary. But what also can happen, and the magic of that, is that you reinforce that you're a pretty awesome person and that the people around you that love you, you will find a lot of other people just like that. And that's to me what we're all kind of like working on is how do you live a more authentic version of yourself? Because I do think that's when you find ultimately the most success in anything that you do.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. And are there any tips that you'd have for someone who's trying to essentially lean into that, but they're not feeling as comfortable? Or maybe vulnerability scares them a little bit, but yeah, maybe steps that they could even take to do that.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Well, I always speak to other creators that are just starting out because I wish that I had myself when I was really starting on this journey. And one thing I do is I said you got to practice talking out loud about the things you don't want to talk about. And instead of doing that on camera, use voice notes. Leave yourself voice notes. When you are feeling like either a really high high and just so excited that it's almost like too much, like how many times have I been told that I'm too much? Leave a voice note. Like that energy, leave it there. And then do the same thing when you're feeling at the worst. And then give yourself a place to go when you're just kind of feeling neutral and stuff. Play those back for yourself. Listen to how you sound. And I think the more comfortable you get with releasing that and putting that somewhere, it doesn't have to be on Instagram. Like, by the way, not everything needs to be an Instagram story. Like, not everything needs to go on TikTok. And so I always say practice in private. And the more comfortable you get with that, then you'll be able to kind of pull that mask off a little bit better. And don't ever speak to the camera like you're speaking to an audience. That's what I learned at the Today Show. You know, if I ever looked in that camera, like I'm gonna look in this camera right now and thought, oh, I'm speaking to like 10 million people, I would crumble up and die. Right. Like I would fall to the floor. I'd be like, oh my God, is my hair perfect? Is my makeup perfect? But if I'm just speaking to one person, like they're my bestie and more on FaceTime, like this is who I want to talk to. This is how I want to talk to you. I don't want to talk to you like I'm performing. Yeah. I want to talk to you like we're friends and we're just like kicking on a couch in Austin sharing what we want other people to know about.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. I love that so much. And I'm someone, I'm a media training expert, and I coach. Uh-oh, I'm scared. How am I doing? You're well, first off, you're like the queen of media. No, but be honest.

SPEAKER_01

No, but trainers have a different lens on it. The way you guys can actually analyze like body language and whatnot. Yes, and how you're able to just really build people to be incredible community. That is a real skill. Like, props to you because not everybody can do that. And that I think is some of the hardest work. Because it's one thing to be able to train yourself, but to train other people, that's a level up skill. Like you're you're exceptional.

SPEAKER_00

Well, thank you. Thank you for saying that. I really appreciate it. But it's such a passion of mine because for me, for executives, founders, brands to be able to tell their story and stand in front of a crowd or get on camera, it's not always second nature to them. Like, there's a lot of people who like clam up the second a camera turns on. But I love that advice so much. And I feel like that's real tactical advice. I give very similar advice when I say, like, just pick up the camera and talk to it and like save it. Or send it to your friends if you feel so inclined. Send it to people that you trust, the people that'll be honest. I always joke about how like I send it to my sister and she's like, girl, say it again.

SPEAKER_01

You know, like it's like I don't have a sister, but I I feel sometimes like I am people's sisters for their outfits.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I don't know. You are my sister for my outfits. Are you kidding? You're such an inspiration. But it's because you have this relatability. And the thing that you just spoke about connecting with people and being able to talk to the camera in a way where it feels like you're speaking directly to someone on FaceTime, that's a talent, but people often think it's harder than it actually is. You know, so they have to kind of like break down the beers. You know, I think a lot of it comes from inner confidence and like some self-worth things that probably stem from a really young age. And so that's like even some of the work that I do is just like, let's find what that is. Let's find what kind of the hangup is, yeah, and let's attack it head on. And and by just calling it out and understanding it and also being able to just like label that emotion and put it aside into a box while you're trying to like test out different ways to show up in the world, that really helps. But if you kind of like push it down and under the service and you're not getting clear about what might be stopping you from feeling comfortable, I mean, you probably know this as best as I do. We look at the camera and then we watch something back and we're like, wow, one of my eyes is a little bit too big. Like, what happened with my hair? You know, it's like it's natural to kind of criticize. But number one, focus on the things that you're saying, the impact that you want to make. Number two, try to look past the things that you're gonna be so critical about, right? It's really not about that. You don't have to have your eyes the same size to make an impact in the world, right? I'm like, we can fix that with eyeliner. Yeah. I'm like also post post-production for fun. But at the end of the day, that is, if that's gonna stop you from making the impact that you want to have on the world, then that's not fair to you. And that's also not fair to the people that you can help through sharing your story, through sharing your advice, your style advice, making people feel confident. If you have a mission in life and that's the one thing holding you back, then it would be a shame to hide your talents from the world. I couldn't agree. And they're not there to worry about if you have like one flyaway hair. Yeah. And so I think that you've done such a good job of connecting with your audience and showing them that vulnerability. I think that connection is clearly important to you. Are there other ways that you're connecting with your community? Are you doing things IRL? Like, what are the things that you're doing as a personal brand?

SPEAKER_01

Totally. I mean, I will share this. I respond personally to probably 95% of the DMs that I get. And I have close to 600,000 followers on Instagram. And they're not followers. These are my people. This is our community that we have built together because I don't exist without that foundation. Like I am not able to do the things that I love to do, to create the content that I want to create, to attend events like South by Southwest and speak at panels or to go on GMA without that. Now, am I at the core of that? 100%. Am I showing up with pure excellence for everything that I do and every opportunity? Yes. But my community is priceless to me. I'm nothing without that community. And so I'm working on creating more IRL events. It's hard because my community is everywhere, right? And so I'm like, how am I gonna get them all to LA? You know, like what's your key demo? I mean, so my key demo is I would say women aged 35 to 50. Okay. Um, a lot of moms, a lot of working moms, um, because we're trying to kind of figure it out. I never say balance it all because that's garbage. No such thing. I've got four kids, and I'm like, okay, I don't know who decided that that's what we were all gonna wear. We're balancing it all, we're doing it all. Yeah, no, literally straight lies. Um, and so how we're gonna figure it out, I I mean, my dream would be to take them all to Mexico City and do something there because I'm so incredibly proud to be Latina and I love Mexico so much. My mom is from Guadalajara, so that's kind of like the dream. Um, but I think for me, it's really moving from just communicating with them and connecting with them. So I send them voice notes. Literally, people will respond back and be like, Did you just send me a voice note? They're like, is that real? Yeah. And it's makes my day because sometimes people will send me a DM that is so thoughtful, so heartfelt, and everyone is busy. I don't care what you do, you are busy. So if somebody takes a minute and a half or two minutes to support something that I do, whether it's by like through a link or whether it's to send me a DM, you do deserve a response back from me. Now, I don't know that I can do that at scale, but I will continue to do that as long as I can because I don't care how many followers I have, I care about the people that care about me. And if they're sending me a really thoughtful response to a project that I did or how something I sold them made them feel, I am responding back. I will at least send you a DM back. And sometimes I will send you a voice note because some of these people have made me cry in my car. And I just need them to know how much it meant that they shared that with me. And so I never stop communicating with them. I want them to feel as special as they make me feel because again, like I am here because I have a community that is rock solid and that will show up for me no matter how controversial I get on social media, no matter how polarizing something I say is, like at the end of the day, they are my ride or die crew. And why do you think that that's so valuable to brands who partner with you? Um, because you know exactly what you're getting. Uh, I'm not trying to pretend to be somebody. I am not going to show up one way in a video for you and differently in a video for myself. And I think as creators are coming up through this business, especially young creators, sometimes you don't really know what you're buying because they themselves are discovering who they are. Um, you know, going back to kind of showing up with excellence, you're never gonna get like a low lift reel from me. Um, I've been in so many brand partnerships that have gone out to, you know, say 10 or 15 creators. And then I look at the deliverables that other peers have turned in, and I know why I get my rate. I know why people don't say no to the contracts that we put out there. And that is because I'm not delivering like somebody that has 600,000 followers. I'm delivering like somebody that has 60 followers. And I care so deeply about my output that brands are never gonna be like, well, I don't know. She might like not put her best into this or it might not be great. Now, listen, I can't control the performance because we are all subject to Instagram algorithm. But what I can do is control the output. So I'm never just gonna deliver you a real if you just ask for real. I'm gonna support that authentically and organically in the weeks leading up to the partnership and in the months following the partnership because I'm not partnering with you unless I care about you and unless I actually like your product. And so to me, you're not just buying the deliverables, you are buying a relationship with me. And that doesn't end when our contract for six months ends. And so that's why brands want to work with me. That's why I've been able to maintain this, and that's why I was able to, you know, eventually really like stop doing the things that I no longer wanted to do and really focus on this as my main job, my main career.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. And you know, it's funny because from the PR side, this is something that we advise brands on all the time. There was a time where all that mattered really was the following count. And then the pendulum kind of swings, right? Everything kind of comes back around like bell bottoms. It's you know, we can swing.

SPEAKER_01

They're not back. I'm gonna, I'm gonna hold firm. I'm holding for I know I have kept my skinny jeans in solidarity. See what I meant about polarizing. I am like, it's gonna come back. I know. I just saw so many reels from Paris Fashion Week about the skinny jean being back, but it is not the same skinny jean from Old Navy that I wore in 2006. Y'all, it has changed. We are styling it differently, but I will hold firm on this until I'm proven wrong.

SPEAKER_00

I know, but listen, like everything, we hope it comes back. And here's the thing that I talk about all the time. What's interesting in the world of creators and brands partnering with creators is that piece that you just spoke about. The fact that at the end of the day, it's about the quality of what they are doing. It's about the fact that there's this organic relationship ahead of time because the consumer is just too smart, right? Like they're they just like, they're like sniffing it out. They're like, no, when something is just paid, or they know. And they're not mad that a creator is getting paid. What they get upset about is if a creator comes off like a sellout, and then that ultimately isn't good for the creator or the brand. And so, even from the brand side, navigating the people that are naturally a fit for your brand has become more important than ever because it's really about the quality of the connection that you have. Like I want my brands to have a connection with their creators that they're working with, to also take feedback from their creators. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Well, that goes both ways, by the way, because I actually think those are the most successful partnerships, is when the brand gives me feedback, but when the brand is also open to receiving feedback from me. And that can come at different stages of a brand deal, right? It doesn't have to all happen at the beginning. It can happen after. It can happen six months later if we're all at dinner. I'm like, hey, you know what? Like, I saw the numbers on that. It didn't perform that well. What could I have done differently as a creator? Or share with me a case study on a brand deal that worked really well with XYZ creator. But I think it has to really be symbiotic. Like we have to be working together because at the end of the day, we are both running businesses. And that's when I do not shy away from the fact that I am a business. Now, do I hold myself accountable for the links that I share and for the products that I recommend? A hundred percent, just like any business would. Um, but I think that at the end of the day, if you don't talk about it like it's a business, then it's a hobby. I'm not here for a hobby, right? Like I am looking to build wealth for my son, like I'm looking to build wealth for my mom and my brother. Like as first generation, that is what we are doing. We don't just like stop at us, right? It's gotta go back, it's gotta go forward. And that's a big thing. Like I'm buying houses for my aunt or my aunt. Yeah, but really, I'm paying off mortgages, I'm paying off student loans, like I'm bailing people out of jail. Okay, let's be very honest about this. But we have to do that, and that's a big boulder to shove up a hill. And so I am running a business, but I'm not running a business that I'm not proud of. And that goes back to me never sharing something that I'm like, ugh, this would never work. You know, like was there a time in my career when I needed to take a check? Yeah, of course. But I did that when I was on TV too, right? Everybody has those building moments, but where I am now, I get to be pickier, you know, and I and I hope that the brands that I work with really understand how valuable they are to me and how much I want to work with them because I wouldn't have said yes. Yeah, you know, otherwise.

SPEAKER_00

And you know, it's so interesting when you call it, you know, call it out and say this is a business. I think that we're now entering this kind of stage of media of openness with our community where we can just say the thing and there's a reality behind the fact that like this is a business and people need to get paid for the time and the work that they're putting in, but also it's because it costs you money to run this machine. Can we talk a little bit about what that actually means? If someone who has over half a million followers, this is a machine, this is a business. You probably have things in place, whether it's systems and team and you know, softwares that you're using. Like, what does it really take to power that machine?

SPEAKER_01

I'm so happy that you asked that because I think there is such a lack of transparency among creators, especially among female creators, where you do not pull back the curtain. And I'm not really sure why. I think that that has a lot to do with what I call like scarcity mentality, is that if you share what you're doing, you are deathly and deeply afraid that somebody else is gonna come for yours. That is not how I operate. Like what's mine is mine. It's already been given to me, it's already been destined for me. You cannot take it, right? That's how I operate. And so for me, building a team has cost a lot of money. And I say a team because it is not just me. When I was at the Today Show doing a lot of what I was doing, it was just me. And there were days when I would just like break down in my hallway and I was like, I can't do it by myself. And then I remember somebody said, nobody's asking you to. Why are you doing that? I was like, I have no idea. So team Liliana is a lot of people. It's two managers, one specifically in more like legacy media, right? So like all my TV opportunities, and then one is more in like the digital creator space. So that's two managers, meaning I pay manager fees to two people. So if I get there from agencies or they're in-house? Um, no, they're agencies, both agencies. But let's just like break that number down. So if I make $100, right, $10 is going to one manager and $15 is going to another. So I didn't just like make $100, it's minus that, right? Then I also run a team who helps me with affiliate conversion because that's a really big part of my business. And that is something that came later. So this team has a retainer that I pay every single month. They also commission off of benchmarks. So if I hit a certain goal on any affiliate platform, what they're gonna do is then take commission from that, right? Then I have a publicist who helps me book podcasts, get on panels, attend events that I want to be at, network with the right people, show up in front of the right brands. That's a key piece too. That is not cheap. Then I have multiple assistants that I use depending on what project I'm working on, right? So those are people that I can call into action in New York when I'm in LA. Those are people that I could call into action here in Austin if I needed, uh like somebody here on the ground. Then there's the photographers, the videographers, and the stylists that I often have to hire because I can't possibly do it all. Yeah. And I am just like scratching barely the tip of the iceberg here, right? That is a lot of mouths to feed.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And that is what it takes for me to put up that like two-minute reel where I'm telling you by this, not this. And that's what people don't see, right? They think, because you see me on camera, you're like, it's just her. Oh, I forgot the editors. Oh my gosh, the editors, right? Multiple editors, because you cannot produce at scale if you are doing it all. It is impossible. The graphic designers who I often hire to like help me with really cool graphics, and I want to work on a project that's for a brand. So it is a lot. And that is the behind-the-scenes structure that you never see put forward.

SPEAKER_00

And how much of it is like you're editing your own stuff on Capcut versus getting it all done at this, at this point in your career. Have you out like have you are those editors doing like the lying share of it? Yeah. Are you still like, oh, I'm like, I'm editing some because I love it? Like, where is that?

SPEAKER_01

I mean, I was editing, I was editing on the flight. In the 30 minutes I had on my Southwest flight to Austin, I was editing a brand reel. So it really just depends where you catch me in my workflow. I am a perfectionist. And so I will outsource what I call like the line cut of something. But when it comes back, and it's really about like putting up the right B-roll or the right overlays or like really calling out the right messaging when it comes to text on screen, a lot of that is me. I have a really hard time delegating. I'm trying to get better. Um, but a lot of the kind of like raw stuff is pretty much an editor. And then anything that you see that like is really feels like very special is me because I want it to have my DNA.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I love that. The same way you're like in your DMs, like voice noting people. So it's like you're still able to kind of keep that connection to your community. I'm not using AI to voice note people.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Yet, I mean, maybe one day. You know, I mean, every day I'm like, but I'm not gonna do that with AI. And then the next day I'm like, but maybe, because it's getting so good. And listen, I am not against AI in any way. I think you have to be really smart about it and use it to really kind of like fine-tune those things that you can't do yourself, you know, and you just help you scale. But I am a little scared of it. I'm not gonna lie. Oh, I'm a little scared of it too. Everyone's a little scared, but some of the things that I have used have been incredible. Like Google Gemini has changed my creative process.

SPEAKER_00

Yes. And also it helps, AI really helps a lot of businesses scale in a capacity where they can like systemize some of their things on the back end. Now they have all these tools and resources. So it's gonna make you more efficient and able to do your job and be able to be there for brands in a bigger way. Then I'm all for it. I have it's been so funny to see people on Instagram where it's like that trend where everyone's like, AI is gonna take my job, and then it's like someone sweeping and someone like cleaning their office, and they're like, when? When? When is it taking my take it? Literally taking me with all my kids. I'm like, when is it when is it gonna take this job? We're changing diapers here, is AI gonna go ahead and change. No, they definitely do not want that. They definitely do not want that. Well, let's talk a little bit about the lifestyle and fashion advice that you give. I love your advice. You do a lot of different segments on your page, and I think that it's really valuable to your audience for so many different reasons. But is there a type of content that your audience gravitates towards the most?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, the no b content. Um, the tell it like it is, the kind of like the sister content. Um the first series that really popped off for me and went viral was called This Not This. And my first video that I made was 12 seconds long, and I went through four different looks. So you can imagine how direct I was. And there's no gray area for me when it comes to fashion. Um, sometimes there is, as I'm trying new things, like barrel jeans, right? Sometimes, but there's certain things that I'm like, for this season, for this moment, it's black or white. And people will challenge me and be like, well, what about this? And I'm like, nope, still not this. Um, so that went viral, I think, because we were living in a world where I think people were too guarded or too scared to really give their real opinion. Um, you know, I think back to like the Joan Rivers days on Fashion Police. And was Joan a little mean sometimes? Yeah, but she cared about you. And am I a mean? No, not really. I'm just maybe telling you something you're not ready to hear. And it's that readiness is what is triggering you. Not what I'm saying. That's different. What I'm saying is probably true, you just might not be ready to hear. And by the way, I hear things all the time that I'm not ready to hear. And it takes me a hot second to get there. But that directness and I would say I take away decision fatigue. Like if you're in your closet and you're just, but I have this red top and I have this red top. I hope that my reel is playing back for you, being like, not the one with the keyhole neckline.

unknown

Don't do that.

SPEAKER_01

And it's because you watch me talk about it on a reel. Um, so that's the content that really went viral. And then, you know, what's really happening lately is I'm seeing a shift as we're moving towards stuff that's not so kind of like that. It's more of like these they call them yapping videos in the car.

SPEAKER_00

I Oh, don't I know it? The young girls on my team are like, okay, just put up a camera and just yap. Yeah. I'm like, yap, huh? I've been doing that for years, right? They're like, people want to hear that murder.

SPEAKER_01

And and let I'm like, okay. Yeah. They're like, so it's like Gen Z yapping, not our yapping. Because we could talk for six hours. Oh, yeah. I'm like, yapping, okay, cool. Do you have three hours? Yes. No, exactly. Like I always say to my cousins, like, we could sit like gomadas and talk for three hours. Who's gonna edit that? Nobody wants to edit that yap. But, you know, that's really, I think, what has worked recently. I posted the day after Bad Bunny performed at the Super Bowl. And I woke up and I had this feeling that I could not shake, which was that I'm not gonna be the same again. Something was released, something was unearthed watching that performance with some of my closest friends in my home with my son. I'm like getting goosebumps thinking about it, that I just remember waking up that day and be like, it's never gonna be the same again. And I felt that again when I saw a gap with their young Miko commercial. And I'm like, that would never have happened. And by the way, Bad Bunny would have never happened without Ricky Martin. And I talked about this in that, you know, I did a podcast about Ricky's career and Bad Bunny's career and the intersectionality of the two of them. And, you know, Ricky Martin walks so Bad Bunny could run. And I talked about how growing up, I couldn't even listen to Latin music in front of my friends because it was kind of embarrassing for me. And I didn't want them to know that I was as Latina as I was, and that's who I could be in my home, and that's who I could be with my cousins, and that's who I could be with my Theos and Theas. That's not Liliana who I could be at school. And it certainly wasn't Liliana who could be exist like that at work. And so this idea of kind of like taking off that filter, right? And I think Michelle Obama called it code switching in her book. I didn't have that language for it when I was growing up, but I did this yapping reel talking about how for the first time I felt like I could turn all of that off and I would be great. And that video went viral. And I had never really done a video like that that wasn't about fashion. It wasn't about telling somebody to do something. It was really revealing how I was feeling and how this impacted me as a little girl, and how that impacts that little girl that still shows up today. And I realized there's a lot of magic in that, you know? And so I'm looking to push myself to lean more into that because that's actually the hardest content for me to do.

SPEAKER_00

It is, and it's so hard for so many people. I mean, I, like you, have a lot of similarities in kind of like my own personal life when I was younger. I got into beauty because I was a young girl in a very predominantly white town. And when I went to CVS for the first time, I was like looking around. I was like in my very early, like preteens, and I'm like, I don't know what to get. Like, what's for my hair? And what is like anything for my skin tone? And I felt just really, really like left out. I was out of place. And the beauty industry holds a big responsibility, as does the fashion industry, for the way that women feel about themselves. They tell the story about how you should feel before you've even learned how to tell your own story. And I think that it's really hard when someone's still trying to identify who they are in their life and they're trying to understand like, am I showing up and just trying to like straighten my hair so that it's like not too curly and I'm going and I'm getting a relaxer because I was in the Dominican salon literally every week with my hands.

SPEAKER_01

And so There's nothing quite like a Dominican salon. Oh girl, there is nothing like Dominican. Find a friend to take you. Find a friend. Find a friend who's been there before. Best blowout you'll ever get in your life, by the way. The way they yank. Oh. I think I lost all the nerve endings in my scalp. But your hair will never be so smooth and shiny. In your life. In your life. In your life. Seriously.

SPEAKER_00

Bless the Dominican salons. My God. So it's like the best. It's a place of community. It's a place where women can be themselves. And so for us as like young girls to try and find our pockets of support in a places where we can feel ourselves. But the bigger goal that we have now as women is like, how can we make sure that the world is really allowing the young women to feel like they have belonging in a mass way? And just to be vulnerable on camera, to share that story so that others who feel like that but haven't had the courage to say it can connect with you, is really brave. And listen, I wish it didn't have to be so brave. Totally. Right. Like that's the reality. I wish it, but it, but it does. And at the end of the day, like until one day, it doesn't have to be something that's like such a brave thing. Like then we still have work to do, and that's okay because there's people that are like fighting the good fight and and standing up for that. And I think that it's a real testament to what you're building and to the authenticity that you have with your community because that connection is just so important. So I just wanted to say, like, especially the little girl and me, to be able to have the ability to see someone like you talking about these things openly when you have such a platform. It's not like someone said, This is your responsibility. Now go out there and say, but you decided that you would use your platform for like good, you know, and and for having something to say. And I think that what I also really admire is that we work in seemingly, you know, I don't want to say like they're rapid industries, but like beauty and fashion, about how you look. They're soft industries. Yes. Yeah. And they really actually stand for a lot more than that, right? And so to be able to say, like, this is not just going to be a platform that is about this or that style. It's also going to be a place where I can share things so that people can learn how to be the best version of themselves or maybe feel a little bit more connected or feeling like they belong. Yeah. It's like amazing.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you. No, and I think, you know, I'm doing a lot more in that space because how can I show up as like a half version of myself online when my friends are like, but you're out here like volunteering and you're out here protesting like in LA on a hundred-degree day. Like, why am I not seeing that? And it's funny, that's the second time in my life that that question was asked. The first time was my very dear friend Preston Conrad, who was my co-host on QVC. The reason I showed up on camera authentically the first time when I finally did that like 12-second reel was because Preston was like, I don't want to see this like perfectly manicured version of perfect. I want to see you. And I did that. And then when my friend started saying, But you're doing all this volunteer work, you're raising so much money for talk about it. And I did. And I talk about it in a time where it is really hard to talk about. People don't want to talk about politics on their account because they don't want to lose brand deals, right? They don't want to lose followers. That is just fear. Like, you actually kind of do want to lose those followers because why do you want to let people into your home that don't align with who you are? And I think of it that way because that's what you're doing when you allow people into your space. And I cultivate and curate a very specific space. And I'm like, if you think all of these really horrible thoughts about Mexicans and Puerto Ricans and immigrants, or you think this way about motherhood or children or women in the workforce, you are not allowed into my home. And my home exists digitally, right? It's my platform. I don't want that, is not energy that I want in my space. And so it's almost like a I call it Olympia. Like it's almost like Olympia. Like they used to like roll an egg on me growing up. Anybody that's like let you know will know what this is. Um, but it's kind of that. That's what this like political moment has been for me because did I lose like 9,000 followers in a week? Yes. But have I gained 9,000 plus back in the last six months? Also, yes.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. You know? And do you feel like there's a brands, even big brands, that are in support of that too? Or is it a lot harder for them? Or there are a few that kind of like rise to the top and they're starting to kind of take a stand?

SPEAKER_01

I think there's both types. Um, I'll speak about the first kind. I think there are the first kind which are just to me privately saying, like, I love you so much for this. And I'm talking about the people that sign the checks, right? I'm not talking about like the president of XYZ global beauty company. It's the people that sign the checks who are contracting me for deliverables in the beauty space or in the fashion space. They're saying, and by the way, sometimes they their parents are immigrants or they're immigrants. So to them, it's really important because they're like, I'm gonna spend my dollars with this person. And so sometimes you get that, and then sometimes you get feedback that's like, we cast you specifically because of this story. Not because of this conversion, which is amazing, by the way, but because of this, because we want to work with talent like this. Then you have brands that are very afraid because of what their board of directors looks like, because of what their investor profile looks like. And I have been up for something that was very large. It was a big six-figure deal, and we were like right at the end. And, you know, I basically went dark on fashion and beauty content during the ice raids that happened in LA and in Minneapolis. And it was at the point where that brand was making a decision, and I shifted my platform and really became a place of advocacy and awareness. And I didn't get that deal. Now, did they say I didn't get that deal? No, but you know what? Like at 45, I can read a room really well. And I also trust my gut more than I trust anything in this entire world. I didn't get that deal because I was so anti-ICE and anti-Trump. And that was not something that was gonna fly over that executive team. And they did not want to go into a deal with somebody that had all of these posts on their grid. By the way, that lives because I need you to know who you're gonna have dinner with. I need you to know who's gonna dress you. I need you to know who we're gonna like get in bed with at night. And so I lost that deal. But you know what? I'm gonna make back that money tenfold. And do I want to be working with that brand? Not right now.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Maybe there'll come a time where they're like, actually, we wanna be brave too. Yeah. And we want to hire somebody like you.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. And I think that that's the thing about the word authenticity, it's so funny because so many people say now, like, authenticity, the word itself has become so overrated. Yes. Because it's kind of like, what does it actually mean to be authentic? And some brands, even if they're not ready because of 10 million reasons, and even if they're being coached by whether it's PR teams or managers or their internal teams, that there is some level of risk that they're gonna have to take to make some type of stand. Listen, it's okay if they're not ready, but the reality is as a creator, if you're going to live really authentically, then you actually have to do it, or else the consumer or the follower, they are really getting way too smart. They're starting to like call you out on it.

SPEAKER_01

Like, I mean, you saw that happen during this last, like during all of the ice news that we were saying. I mean, there were so many creators that were called out in the comments, and what did they do? They turned off their comments. And that's because I think people want to connect with a person. I don't care if you are on the left or on the right, right? But like we weren't talking about left or right issues. We were talking about humanity, we were talking about things that impact your children. And I just think there were so many moms that were like, no, no, no, no, no. I can't bring up a child in this world if I can't if I don't speak out about this. And I think that's what shifted. When we saw like our neighbors being shot, like it's okay to say you don't agree with that. I'm not saying that you have to take a political, but just take a human stance and be like, that's not okay. Yeah, you know, but creators are scared or or they're not scared and they believe what they believe. But then go for it. Yeah. Then tell me that you're okay with that so that I know to shop somewhere else. Yeah. Or to follow somebody else.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. You know? Yeah. And I think that at the end of the day, audience craves certain things. Do you think that there's something that audiences are craving today that they maybe weren't like 10 years ago?

SPEAKER_01

That's a really interesting question because if I knew the answer to that question, I would be a billionaire. Um, but what I think they're craving more than anything is that sense of intimacy, right? It's that FaceTime connection. It's that you're a real person that talks to me like I'm a real person. You know, when I first started on the Today show, every person that was a guest on that show in the fashion space was an editor. I remember Nina Garcia was somebody that always came on and who still comes on all the time. And there was a moment where I was like, I'm never gonna get booked on this show because I'm not Nina Garcia. I'm not an editor at Elle or I'm not an associate editor at Vogue. And I was never gonna be those things. That was never gonna be in the cards for me. And guess what? Like, I probably did 30 X more appearances than Nina Garcia ever has in her life on network TV talking about fashion. Um, but I think what I did was I created that intimacy and I created that connection. I didn't speak to you like I was talking down to you. I spoke to you like I was talking with you. We were having a conversation about something. And so I think that's what people still crave today. You know, that and don't waste my fucking time. Yeah, yeah. Like, don't wait, don't, don't waste my time. That time has become more valuable than ever. Yeah. I mean, people are tuning out of social media because they're like, you're not deserving of my time, right? I'd rather go like knit with my girlfriends over wine than watch a bunch of people like talk at me on social.

SPEAKER_00

No, it's so true. And I think that it's interesting in the world of fashion and beauty and building that connection. How are you still able to build that connection through your content? Like, what are specific things you're doing, even in like the little edits? Is it like something that you're analyzing on your own page on how you can continue to build connection, but continue to give the type of content that you also give?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I mean, you have to look at your community like a focus group and don't be afraid to ask them what they want. Do you want more of this? Do you want less of this? Do you like when I do this? Do you hate when I do that? And I'm not saying Are you doing it through polls? Like more specifically, like how are you asking those questions? So, yes, I use polls all the time. I use polls for engagement, but I also use polls for extraction, right? So I want to know what they like. I have a broadcast channel that has about 13,000 subscribers to it. I ask them a lot of questions. To me, that is basically a free focus group. And you've worked in this business long enough to know that like that's really expensive to run. Like when I worked at NBC and they would focus group a show or a top, I'd be like, that costs a lot of money. Yeah. Well, I now have that on my phone in a broadcast channel. So don't be afraid to ask them what they want. Now, I'm not saying take every suggestion, but if you see something coming up over and over again and it's not something you've thought about, give it a second. Like let it marinate a little bit and see, hey, should I shift to include this? Because those are the people that are gonna be really honest with you because I hope that you've been really honest with them. Like people have given me a million great ideas in the broadcast channel or via a poll. Or just if you build a community where they feel like they want to talk to you, they just send you a DM. They're like, I mean, somebody sent me an idea for a podcast the other day, and I was like, that's literally genius. Genius. And so mine your community for that because again, it's reciprocal, right? We're helping each other craft that content. So don't be afraid to go to them, but only go to them if you actually want to listen to them. I'll give you an example of when I failed miserably at this. I was at LTK Con and I was hosting LTK Con and I polled them on what outfit I should wear to moderate the day's events. And they overwhelmingly said A, and I wore B. And you know what? They called me out for it. They're like, why are you wasting my time? If you're not actually going to take my suggestions.

SPEAKER_00

This is why we're soul sisters, because I literally tell brands all the time, too, from the brand side. I'm like, you can't build a community and then not listen to what they have to say. Or if the reason that you're building a community is only to make money or to sell them something right away, they're gonna know. And so it's like it's so funny because I'm like, really? Come on, they're gonna know. It's so obvious. The consumer is way too smart. You need to actually be building something because you have something to offer them outside of the thing that you're looking for them to purchase from you. And so brands need to start to think about what is their offer? What are they actually offering them? And it's interesting that you use the broadcast channel and you do it so well. And I also, and I love that you do because I always give bad advice, especially to like creators and people that have a personal brand. But we've also suggested broadcast channel for from the brand side. And it could be a little bit different in how you leverage it because there's usually somebody that needs to really be at the helm and be nurturing that community. But what do you think that brands have to do to have a successful broadcast channel so that they have that kind of like think tank?

SPEAKER_01

So I think that first of all, I think you have to give it to somebody that's not also working on product. So I think you really have to separate how you staff and how you attach people to the broadcast channel. Because I don't want somebody in the broadcast channel that is also responsible for ROI on that lipstick. Because you have different sets of like metrics for how you see that being a success. And so I think you've got to separate what that role looks like. Um people that like kind of work different sides of their brain almost in their roles. Yes, 100%. It could be a community manager that you put in that role versus like somebody that's on the product team, the someone that's on the go-to-market team. I think you'd have to break that up because otherwise you'd start to kind of like shade the goal of that broadcast channel. So I think that's one. I think what I've seen some brands do very well is giving their employees the camera. And that to me, I love to see that. I'm like, yes, show me what the intern is doing in the closet. What is she doing? Like, yes, I love hearing from your higher-ups at South by Southwest, but like, no, what is your college intern Vanessa doing? Like, I want to know what she's doing because I feel like I'm being let in. You know, Substack is also a really important tool. Um, it's something that I'm using. Mine's actually called off camera specifically for that reason. This is a that I'm not gonna say on Instagram, or I might say it, or I might touch it on Instagram, but I'm gonna go much deeper. Like I talked about Megan Markle on Substack. Why? Because I'm not gonna go there on Instagram. Like it's too polarizing, and like that's just not what my audience wants to hear from me. So I did it on Substack. I reviewed the show. This is how I feel, this is my critique of it, this is what I think she could do better, this is what I think she did great. And so I think use the tools that you have instead of just kind of, you know, if you're looking at your communications like pie chart, yes, Instagram slash social takes up a huge part of it. But what are some of the other things that you can use to really diversify what the communication looks like for it and have different people running what that communication strategy looks like for each of those things because they are not all the same. The voice that you speak about your brand on Substack will and should look very different than the voice you speak to on TikTok.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. I give that advice all the time too, in terms of putting people in their highest and best, right? It's like we want to, as we're building brands and as we're really thinking about how we nurture our team, we want to make sure that we're putting the people in their highest and best. And they're not gonna be doing something that they love every second of the day. Of course not. But if 80% of what they're doing, they love and is in their highest and best, then as a as a leader or as a brand, you're winning because you're really putting them in the place that they're where they need to be. And oftentimes you'll find that by just asking your employees what they love to do and what they hate to do, you usually find that there's like two people that in, if they just flip-flopped their roles, they'd be so much happier. Yeah. And it's like such a simple shift. So I love that advice for from the brand side too. And I think that brands can learn from the fact that they need to have a discerning eye around their own internal talent in today's day and age because there is someone that maybe is like behind the scenes, but that would be amazing on cameras, like the funny one. We're even learning that at MMC. Really? Oh my God, there's just such funny people at the organization. And it's so, and I'm I'm not shy. I'm not, I'm not afraid of the camera. But I'm also like, there's other people that are so funny, and now they're starting to like warm up and get out from like behind the desk and show their like humor. And I'm like, the world needs to see this. They need to see that there's real people behind the work that we are servicing. And I think that ends up helping brands in the end connect with even their service agents. Totally. I couldn't agree more.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, I think there's so much reality and realness in that presentation. And it's it's the same way that you connect with your favorite creators. You you kind of want to understand like, what is the DNA behind this brand? Who works there? You know, especially now, I think it's so important, especially brands that are doing a really good job with, you know, D DEI, show me, right? Like, because I'm gonna go support you because I wanna see what does that like United Colors of Bellet Benetton poster look like? That's what it should look like. And I want to see people doing that. So pull back the curtain in the same way that we as creators do. I think brands should a hundred percent be doing it. And also, I mean, it just to me feels so much more real. Yeah. Because, and like, show me the office. I want to see the office. I know.

SPEAKER_00

Something about seeing, like, oh, I said I was like, we need to like this beauty closet and this kind of like packing, non-organized lady caught. I want to see what the chaotic.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, okay, we need to send out a hundred of these packages by tomorrow. Yes, exactly. The messy aesthetic is what I want to see, but not the curated messy. Yeah. I want to see like the real. Yeah, I want you to see, I want to see you packing PR packages. Yes, with a hundred post-its everywhere, being like, this color, not this color.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I want to see that. Well, it kind of brings me to cultural relevance in general because you've set up the intersection of media, culture, and consumer trends. And obviously, there's a lot that brands need to do now to stay culturally relevant, and whether it's tapping into content, whether it's putting their team in front of the camera, but what do you think is kind of the secret sauce today, not five years ago, not even three years ago today, in this extremely challenging and rapidly changing landscape that brands need to do to stay culturally relevant?

SPEAKER_01

Um I would say that you need to, okay, instead of trying to sell me or communicate some type of solution, right? We're always trying to like say, like, what's the solution? Or this provides the perfect solution for that. So instead of trying to sell the solution, I think the connection happens in sharing the struggle. Why and how and how many, versus this will solve all of your problems because it's the perfect red lipstick. Tell me about the struggle to find the perfect, or why do we struggle? Is it because we all have different skin tones and there's actually no perfect red? That's way infinitely more interesting to me than this very one note monotone, this is going to fix everything for you.

SPEAKER_00

And any brand can do that at no matter how big or small they are. They can figure out almost like an educational pillar of like pulling back that curtain and showing them what it actually takes.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. There's, you know, there's it's back to what where we started. There's vulnerability in struggle and there's storytelling in that. And if you really understand how to chart that and kind of like package that in a way that creates connection, then I think you're gonna have a customer, right? Or you're gonna have a community, which is what I hope we're all working towards. And, you know, I think that perfect has become so predictable that we've got to lean into the unhinged, messy, just like this is how it actually is version of branding or marketing or living.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, that's like people love my content the most. And it's like me and my four kids, and it's crazy. And I'm like, where are we going? Like, look, like I forgot someone's shoe. Yeah. And it's so funny because I'm like, is this really like what's resonating? Because they want to see a woman who's like, you know, now an executive at a company raising four kids, doing a million things, and it's like, I think there's vulnerability in that. And it could be a little scary to show because you're like, oh my God, people are gonna think that I'm just wild. But at the same time, it's like, but I am kind of wild. I'm still doing it, you know? It's like, and I'm still showing up and I'm waking up for work and I'm putting on my makeup and I'm like doing the thing while also raising kids and getting two hours of sleep. It's like that's the reality of like behind the scenes of my life, and you do such a good job in that. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01

I'm trying to be better at it because I do still have like, you know, so much of my success when I left e News was in the unlearning. You know, you are really trained, and I'm not, and I don't take that training for granted because it made me want to be perfect at the things that matter, which is the scripting, right? Like being able to write, being able to storytell, being table, being able to edit. Those hard skills that I learned in a network newsroom are really valuable. The part that wasn't as valuable is showing up as a host or a correspondent or a journalist. That forces you to put on a mask, remove all emotion, remove all vulnerability, and effectively perform, right? And that's the unlearning that I had to do. And it's hard because it's it, you're deprogramming years and years and years of showing up like that on camera. But that really is what made the biggest difference, not just for myself in terms of like acceptance for who I am, but in the way that my audience finds me and connects with me.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, well, I love it. And I share just such a deep connection with you on the lover storytelling. To me, that's like everything. I even, my kids, I'm like, guys, gotta learn how to tell a good story. So, you know, I'm like, listen to watch patrol stories all day. Love. But I listen, I love it because encouraging people to understand how to tell their story at any age and a brand at any stage to understand their story and to understand how they're gonna tell it and what that means for them is a critical skill at the end of the day. People connect to stories.

SPEAKER_01

A hundred percent. It was the first thing that was told to me when I was auditioning for a job as a QBC host. And in our world, nobody sells stronger and better than those QBC hosts. They are the GOATs. I do not care what you say about QBC. You may not have never shopped a day in your life, but nobody is a better marketer and storyteller than a host on QBC. And that was the first thing they said to me day one of like audition class, which was we do not sell, we storytell.

SPEAKER_00

So good. All right, well, gold. Now we're gonna finish up with some rapid fire. Oh no, brand. All right. Hold on a second. Let me like get ready. Just like get ready. Do some things. One answer, don't think too much about it, all right? What's your one holy grail product? If you lost it tomorrow, you'd replace it immediately. My curling iron. From GHD. Inspired, yeah. What's one product or trend you're officially breaking up with and never buying again?

SPEAKER_01

Okay, it's not about never buying it again, but what I'm trying to break up with is Botox. I was actually thinking of getting into Botox. It's a conversation phenomenal. I'm trying, I don't think it can happen. I'm 45, okay? There are things that I need to do. I just want to do it less. How's that? Okay. Okay. Good. I like it. Founder-led brand or celebrity brand.

SPEAKER_00

Founder-led. Organic influencer seating or paid partnerships. Mmm. Can they be a hybrid? Do we have budget for both? I love it. Answer a question with a question. She's a smart woman. Virality or longevity? Longevity. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01

Not even a not even close. Big budget campaign or scrappy idea with cultural relevance. Scrappy idea with cultural relevance because then it turns into the young Miko Gap commercial. Yes. All right. What's the most overrated word in marketing right now? We said it a hundred times. Drink every time we said authenticity. One word that'll define the next era of fashion brands. Ooh, that's a great question.

SPEAKER_00

Um brand tomorrow, what's the first thing you'd obsess over? It's a great question. Perfect timing.

SPEAKER_01

Um fit. All right. Well, Liliana, where can we find you? How can we support you? You can find me on Instagram. I'm at Liliana Vasquez, and you can also find me on Substack. It's called Off Camera, and we just hit number 92 on the rising fashion and beauty Substacks out of all of the Substacks that could ever exist. We're in the top hundred, so I'm congratulating.

SPEAKER_00

I'm so proud of you. That's amazing. Thanks for sitting with us today. So great, what a joy. You dropped so much knowledge. This is so valuable. You have no idea how much you're helping our community. So thank you for just being honest and open and vulnerable and talking to us brandedly. That's what we're all about. Thank you. All right. Wonderful. That's a wrap.

SPEAKER_01

This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or positions of MMC or any of its affiliates. Guest appearances do not constitute an endorsement.