Kathleen Roche Unfiltered

Kathleen Roche from Connecticut Bucket List joins me to talk about a big question right now: is the influencer as we know it changing?

We get honest about what being an influencer actually looks like in 2026, from social media icks and body image pressures to how brand partnerships, travel content, and audience expectations have evolved. Kathleen also shares what’s still on her Connecticut bucket list and how creators are adapting in an oversaturated content world.

If you’ve been wondering whether influencing is declining or simply evolving, this episode gives a real look at the future of creators and digital influence

Transcript

Introduction to Connecticut Unfiltered

SPEAKER_01 0:00

This episode is brought to you by the State of Connecticut and CtmakeitHear.com. From innovators and entrepreneurs to artists and leaders, the people on this show could call anywhere home, but they've chosen Connecticut. In this state, they're building businesses, growing careers, raising families, and creating lives that matter. Here's why they chose Connecticut and why for so many people it's the best place to call home.

SPEAKER_04 0:21

This is the voice behind the Reheated Coffee Club, the Instagram page with 50 plus thousand followers, sharing our state's hidden treasures and the little moments that can make life magical.

SPEAKER_01 0:31

If Connecticut's been showing up on your feed lately, that's not an accident. The version your grandparents remember is long gone. This isn't a drive-thru state anymore. It's a destination. And on this podcast, we talk to the people making that happen. This is Connecticut Unfiltered.

Kathleen Roche: From Bucket List to Influencer

SPEAKER_01 0:51

Welcome to episode two of Connecticut Unfiltered. I am your host, Ellie Doyle from Reheated Coffee Club. And today we have Kathleen Roche. She is the founder of Connecticut Bucket List and a West Hartford native who turned a simple summer bucket list into a full-blown platform and career with over 194,000 followers. Since launching in 2021, she's built one of the most trusted voices in the state, spotlighting hidden gems, local businesses, and experiences that prove Connecticut is a destination. You may have seen her on NBC or News 12 or speaking on panels for the state of Connecticut, or even judging the top 100 pizza spots in the state. She's not just showcasing Connecticut, she is shaping how people experience it. So let's get into it. We have Kathleen. Thank you so much for having me. Before we get started, I have a gift. What? Yes. I'm gonna give a gift to everybody who comes on the podcast just because that's my love language. Oh my gosh, I love that. So um I will say that I didn't get wrapping, so you get an old Christmas. That's sustainable. Yeah, it's sustainable. Thank you. Yeah, we're sustainable queens. So um my goodness. I actually have this made for you. Oh, look, you're the lucky one who even gets the Christmas tag on it. It says to Maisie from who is it from? It's from Han and Her Nana. Oh, Han and Her Nana. Thank you, Han and Hernan. Thanks for having me. Shout out, shout out to her. So I had this made for you. No. No. Stop it. It's gonna be springtime soon. Oh my cheese-it bikini. It is a cheese it bikini. Um, that is for a reason. Oh. Wait, I'm actually obsessed with it. Wait, I'm gonna go change and come back.

SPEAKER_03 2:29

You can wear it over and over.

SPEAKER_01 2:32

So um when me and Kathleen were first starting to become friends, uh, I probably one of our first like real time hanging out, we went to this award show together. Yes, what a time. Yeah, and she was nice enough to let me stay in her hotel room, um, to which we both drank quite a bit that night and woke up in like a puddle of Cheez-Its.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

Yeah. I cheez-Its are my comfort food. So I just Well now, every time I think about Cheez-Its, I think of you. That's beautiful. Yeah, thank you. I did reach out to them. Are these the extra toasty ones? Oh, you know what? They look pretty well toasted. Yeah, pretty well toasted. Yeah. And I'll toast them in the sun.

SPEAKER_01 3:07

So exactly, exactly. Summertime, you'll be bacon in them, and then I'm so excited to wear this. You're gonna look great, you're gonna have something pictures. I did reach out to Cheez Its to see if they would give me like a big like PR box video. Did you ever see the House Bunny? The movie with she's like trying to get in with a sorority house, and the ladies don't like her, and they're like, This is so nice to see you. So nice. That's basically to me. Yeah. They were like, they were like, thank you for being a fan. We can't give PR to everyone. I was like, I will just make my own. Okay, well now I don't feel like eating cheese. No, no, no. We still love you, Cheez It's, but also you flopped. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:47

But sponsor us next time.

SPEAKER_01 3:48

Yeah, for real. Anyway, thank you. That would be absolutely. Thank you so much. Yes, cheers. We have mimosas this morning and coffee. Always coffee, always mimosas. Um so let's get

The Evolution of Connecticut's Image

SPEAKER_01 4:00

into it. Yeah, let's do it.

SPEAKER_00 4:01

So you grew up in Connecticut. I did, yes. I grew up in West Hartford. Um, somehow I'm still here. I never envisioned like living out my life here, but I think that's really a testament to what I try to share every day is that it's such a great state if you know where to look. Um so I did grow up in West Hartford. Um I was very much on the bandwagon that like it's boring, there's nothing to do here. Even though, like, I will say, like, my parents and especially my dad would like bring us on road trips all around the state all the time when we were younger. Um, and I did, I think underneath it all, like appreciate the state, but I feel like anywhere you grow up you're always.

SPEAKER_01 4:37

I was born in Miami, and I was like, uh I have to go out with you guys to Lincoln Road. Like and that was like so cool.

SPEAKER_00 4:44

Right, right. Exactly. I think any kid would be unhappy anywhere. Exactly. So yeah, I I was just like, you know, want to see what what else is out there. So I went I went to school up in Boston at Boston College. Um and then I moved home for the summer after graduation, thinking like, you know, just I'll find a job back in Boston and like get out of here. Um and then so I made that's when I made my personal bucket list, um, just like my notes app of like everything that I wanted to explore before I never came back. Um and I started making my way through it, and I was like, oh my gosh, there are so many amazing things in the state. You know, some places I was revisiting after, you know, my dad and my family had brought me when I was younger, other places I was just discovering for the first time. Um, and I ended up just falling in love with the state. Um and then unrelated, I ended up getting a job here first. Um, but a big part of why I stayed um even when I switched jobs was because of that bucket list. Um that's why I started this is to try to share either with newcomers like yourself to try to, you know, make them see what it could be. Because I feel like a lot of people move here for work and they're like, oh, I'm moving to Connecticut and they don't know the potential that the state could have. Yeah. Or people that are have been living here their whole lives and are still very much on the bandwagon that it sucks. Yeah. Um and if I could like give them one thing that made them a little bit happier to be here, that was my goal.

SPEAKER_01 5:58

So I got a lot of good places to go and saved a lot of videos from your page. Oh my god. Like, especially when I first moved here. Yeah. There's a lot of good stuff. You and Jimmy Official were like the ones that I was like saving things on. Shout out to Jimmy. Yeah, for real. Gotta get him on the pod too. Yeah, he'd be fun. Yeah. Um, and West Hartford changed a lot from when you were growing up. Like Blueback wasn't.

SPEAKER_00 6:18

Yeah, Blueback wasn't a thing. I was actually really upset when they announced they were building Blueback because they used to have Celebrate West Hartford like in a bigger area. And I remember being like, oh, the rides, like I hope they'll be able to get it.

SPEAKER_01 6:30

You're like, but how am I gonna go on the fair scale? How am I gonna get my first kiss up on top?

SPEAKER_00 6:35

Exactly. So I was like, um, they better still have celebrate West Hartford. Yeah. They do, right? They do, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:40

I think I moved here last year, like the week after they did it. Oh, so you'll get to experience it.

SPEAKER_00 6:45

Okay, go to the kettle corn vendor, by the way. We can go together. Yeah. But yeah, that they're they have like the best kettle corn there.

SPEAKER_01 6:51

Hell yeah. Yeah. So that's interesting. So so when you were in Boston, did you know you wanted to come back to Connecticut or was it just because the job?

SPEAKER_00 6:59

It was just because of the job. What was the job? I well, I didn't have one. That was the problem.

SPEAKER_01 7:04

So it was because of lack of jobs. Right.

SPEAKER_00 7:06

It was because of lack of jobs. So I couldn't just afford to like live up there exactly and like live up there and not have an income. So I was like, Is it? It is. Yeah. Um and so I was like, I'll move home until I find a job back up here. So it took me a while to find a job. Like, I one, I didn't know what I wanted to do. I never knew what I wanted to do. So I went to school for psychology just to honor honestly, just to get a piece of paper because that was like, you know, that's the thing that you have to do, really. I mean, you don't have to do. And I like that. I think a lot of the narrative around college is changing right now. Sure. Um, but I felt like I needed the piece of paper. I wanted the the experience of going to college, and I don't regret it. I loved BC. Um but yeah, I got my piece of paper and then I was like, what do I do with it? Yeah. So I was looking at a lot of marketing jobs. Um, and it took me about six months to find a position and ended up being in Connecticut. Um, so I was like, I just have to take this and you know, see where it goes from there.

SPEAKER_01 8:00

So what was the first job?

SPEAKER_00 8:02

I worked for a marketing firm down in New Haven. Um, not a marketing firm. I worked for an architecture firm down in New Haven doing marketing. Okay. Um and that was great. Like I loved the the team that I had there, and um my boss there was fantastic. Um and I just ended up I think I wanted something a little bit more creative. Um, and I had started Bucket List on the side just as a little hobby. Um, and about it's probably like about a year and a half, maybe two years into it, that I ended up getting laid off from that position. And so I was like, let me just see if I can make this work full time. And it ended up working out, and I'm real so grateful for that layoff because I never would have taken that leap to do this full time.

SPEAKER_01 8:41

Yeah, isn't that crazy how like when one door closes, it sounds so cliche, but like another door opens, like you think like, what the fuck am I gonna do? Like I have no income now. But it kind of forces you to do the thing that you've been wanting to do. Yeah. I went into this event on Pratt Street the other day with like women business owners, and there was this one woman who owned a salon. It was called like Rooted or something. Um she was a great speaker, and she was saying that if when you're starting a new venture, when you're starting a business, if you don't feel anxiety, if you don't feel fear, you're

Navigating the Influencer Landscape

SPEAKER_01 9:14

probably it's probably not a good thing. Like it's a hell it's healthy to have that kind of fear. It means that you're on the right path. And I kind of love that because there's no reward without risk, right? Right, absolutely. So, but now you're super successful. Was there like a moment when you were like, oh, this is gonna be a thing? Like, did you was there like a video that got you like 50,000 followers?

SPEAKER_00 9:34

Yeah, I can't remember the exact like video that kind of blew up. Um I do remember TikTok was performing a lot better than Instagram for a while. So I think that's what kind of gave me the confidence to keep doing it at first. Um and then it kind of switched more into Instagram and like I have a love-hate relationship with both of those platforms, but especially TikTok is very hero. It's all run by old white Republican men. Right, right. And I hate that you're always having to just try to like fight to even just stay in the game, never mind, like perform well. Yeah. But that's a whole separate conversation. But um, yeah, so then Instagram started doing a little bit better. Um, I remember at the beginning I was like super like I would keep like in my notes app like lists of like the goals that I wanted to hit. Like once I started to think like wow, this is gonna be more than a hobby, I think. Um I started like tracking the goals, like how many followers I wanted to gain every week. Um and I just remember like surpassing that goal every week, and I was like, what's going on? Like, but this was back in like the golden age where like I know everything performed well. Right. Um I think that has a lot to do with the time that I got into it. There were some Connecticut creators, but not a ton. Um, and then I also entered the scene like right when Instagram was switching completely basically over to Reels. Um, and so I like completely jumped on that and was like, let me just like focus on like what the algorithm wants to see. Um so I think a lot of those factors helped me like take off and perform well in the beginning. Um, but it's always a little bit of a roller coaster. Um, and that's just part of social media. Absolutely. And it's always changing. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 11:00

It's always like their algorithms changing, who owns it is changing, like what's on it is changing, guidelines, and it it it's a whole thing to keep up with.

SPEAKER_00 11:09

Yeah. I mean yeah, what people want to see.

SPEAKER_01 11:11

Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Um,

Influencer Inspiration

SPEAKER_01 11:14

were you really like did you like look up to influencers when you were younger?

SPEAKER_00 11:18

I can't remember like specific influencers. I know I watched like a lot of YouTube videos, um, especially like makeup and you know, fashion and things, and didn't learn much from the fashion part, but I'm working on it. Um You have great fashion. Thank you. I'm trying. Um, but I remember there being like a few like YouTube travel creators, um, and I always wanted to be like when I was younger, people asked me what I wanted to do. I'd be like, well, first I would say I want to play for UConn basketball and go to Harvard, which that wouldn't have really worked together.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

Um like women who dream big.

SPEAKER_00 11:52

Right, right. Didn't accomplish any of those goals. I think I think in sixth or seventh grade I realized I wasn't a great basketball player. Um and Harvard was a little out of reach. Um but you know, Bosch College was the same. Yeah, it's pretty close. Um but then I watched it.

SPEAKER_01 12:06

Buy a Harvard sweater and walk around on the grounds like basically working.

SPEAKER_00 12:08

They sell them everywhere. Yeah. Yeah. Um get them on Sheen. Exactly. I won't shop. No. Right. Harvard sponsor us.

unknown 12:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:18

Yeah, right. But then the other thing that I would say is a travel photographer, um, which also seemed like so ridiculous, and I never like took any concrete steps to get there, but I feel like what I'm doing now is like as close as maybe I could get without like a formal photography training. Like I do get to travel around, even if it's mostly in Connecticut, and like take photos and videos. Um I think that's great. But I used to watch like a lot of travel creators and just be like, wow, like it'd be so cool to do that one day.

SPEAKER_01 12:44

So you I mean you travel quite a bit outside of Connecticut too. I do. So now you're working are you working with like a travel company that sends you to other countries?

SPEAKER_00 12:54

Um I did just host a group trip with Plot Packers, um, which is like a group trip company out of the UK. Um I had done a few of their trips like on my own before, um, and then I was able to host my own um in February to Columbia. So that was incredible and like such a dream come true. Um but yeah, I do sometimes work with like hotel brands or like tours and boards. Um, but I would definitely love to take this page a little bit more into the travel realm.

SPEAKER_01 13:17

Yeah. I mean you're so good at it.

SPEAKER_00 13:18

Thank you, thank you. I do love it. Like travel is one of my biggest passions in life.

SPEAKER_01 13:22

Yeah. I mean, I even saw pictures of you when you were in Columbia and you got like food poisoning. Yeah. You even made that look fun. I was like, I want to be there having food poisoning cafe.

SPEAKER_00 13:31

Oh my god, next time we'll both get food poisoning together.

SPEAKER_01 13:34

Wait, aren't you going to like Rio or or Um Yeah, Sailors Eve?

SPEAKER_00 13:38

I'm I'm gonna go to Rio. I'm so excited. So that's been like a dream for forever.

SPEAKER_01 13:43

So how did how did this company did you reach out to them after you had done a couple trips with them and you were like, hey, I wanna work with you?

SPEAKER_00 13:51

No, they actually reached out to me, which was shocking because I it was never something that I thought I could do.

SPEAKER_01 13:55

Well, they probably saw your videos and they were like, Yeah, they probably saw some content so well.

SPEAKER_00 13:59

Yeah. Um, so that was like so amazing. Um but I think those are just those opportunities that like make you realize what you could be doing because like that's never something I would have tried to reach for before.

SPEAKER_01 14:11

100%.

SPEAKER_00 14:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:12

Um, you're like I'm taking like a sip of coffee and then a sip of my face. I like that's balance alternating.

SPEAKER_00 14:17

That's balanced. It's a balanced breakfast. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:19

So true. At 11 o'clock. Um so growing up, were you on social media outside of you know, bucket list? Like, were you somebody who liked to be on or did you do like the MySpace thing?

SPEAKER_00 14:35

I didn't quite do MySpace, but I remember my parents were like, you can't have any social media um accounts until I don't remember when they said, but um me and my friend like made a Facebook secretly. I know. Um I remember Facebook is where I always found like the hot teachers in like my high school. I was like, that's smart. We had a few teachers that we loved, and they were like, you're only allowed to follow us after you graduate.

SPEAKER_01 14:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:58

And then by that, you know, it had worn off by that point.

SPEAKER_01 15:01

But yeah, I remember there the teachers would be like, I'm not accepting your friend relationship. Um but I had the my I for sure had MySpace, but I'm a few years older than you. I'm you're 29. 29. 29. So when's the big three-o? August. Ooh. What are you doing for your 30th? I'm

Traveling Beyond Connecticut

SPEAKER_01 15:19

going to Croatia. Hell yeah. So excited.

SPEAKER_00 15:21

Are you doing it for a work trip? Is it just pleasure? It's pleasure. I mean, I'm gonna try to see if I can work with them, but yeah, that's you know, a dream. But I did it's something called Sale Croatia. I did it a few years ago. Um, it's funny because I had reached out to like my friend group from college and I was like, guys, for our 30th birthday is because almost all of us have August birthdays. It's so crazy. And one of them is pregnant for the first time and she's due in August with another girl. Like, well, she's not going to Croatia. No, she's not going to Croatia. Um, but so exciting that we'll have another August baby in the girl group. Oh wait, that's really cute. August August, yeah. Um, so I was like a few years ago, I texted them like, guys, for like I'm giving you a heads up. I think in like this was probably like four years ago, for our 30th birthdays, we should all do sail Croatia. It's like a week-long like sailing trip basically around Croatia. I think I know someone who did that. It's yes, it's amazing. There was a bunch of rugby guys in Florida, and I think they did that. Okay, yeah, they probably did. It's pretty, pretty popular. Um, but they were like not super into the idea. Um, and I was like, you know what? Like, I'm just gonna do it. So with me and one of my friends did it a few years ago, and it was such an amazing experience that this year my sister was like, let's like I want to do it. Like, would you do it again? I was like, Yeah, absolutely. So it's kind of ironic and like super special and lucky that I get to also do it for my 30th, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 16:39

Which was the original plan. So it's really cool that even though it's Connecticut bucket list, it's also like expanding outwards towards travel. But also, there's two airports in Connecticut, and I find that the flights here, if one is more expensive at Hartford, you're getting it cheaper at New Haven. If one is more expensive at New Haven, it's cheaper in Hartford. And then if you can't find flights there, you have Boston two hours away, you have New York. I'm flying to Aruba from Jersey because I got dirt cheap tickets. Like we're in such a good spot to travel.

SPEAKER_00 17:06

It's such a good spot. And like I love that I can literally look at like 10 airports because also I I'm going to California in a few weeks, and I was even looking at like random airports like Worcester and stuff were cheaper, and I was like, that's just so close too.

SPEAKER_01 17:18

It's so easy. Yeah. Um so you said that your parents were like, where you're not allowed to have social media. Um were they strict about you getting a phone when phones like first came out?

SPEAKER_00 17:27

They were. They well, not as strict, I guess, as some parents, but they said for your fifth grade graduation, you can get a phone. Um What was your first cell phone? So this was something that I like regretted because they gave they originally got me like the hot pink like chocolate, I think it was called. Is that like a It was like the one you like kind of slide up? Oh, like the cool girl phone. I think so. I don't remember what the sidekick was. Yeah, I think it was called the chocolate. I always wanted a cool girl phone. I didn't know. But I was like, I don't like it. Because I don't think I think this was like over the summer in like in sixth grade was kind of when you found out which was like the cool girl phones because not a lot of people had them in elementary school. So I was like, I don't really like it. I really want the pink razor.

SPEAKER_01 18:07

Yes. Um the pink razor was the ult the supreme. So if you had the pink razor, you were like, go into the mall with your friends. All the boys were talking to you. You were like on top of the world.

SPEAKER_00 18:20

Yeah, yes. But I actually think it was a little different in my middle school. Like, because then I got to sixth grade and everyone had the pink chocolate. And I was like, what did I do? But no regrets, I loved my razor. There you go. Loved it. I actually still have it. No way. I found some like old pictures on it of when I was like in fifth grade, sixth grade. Yeah. What were those like? They were hilarious. And I saw like found like some of my old texts too. And I like one of them I remember was so funny. I like instead of just being like, I feel like we don't really say goodbye now when we like stop texting people, like it's not that formal. No, it's not. But back in the day, you always said like gotta go, or like TT later, yeah. TTYL. So one of them was like, TTYL, gotta go climb some rocks.

SPEAKER_01 19:00

I was literally probably at the beach just like climbing on some rocks. I was like, this is one thing. Picture you with your little chocolate, like taking like five minutes to type like G2G out with like climbed. Our kids will never know. I know. And you had to pay per text message. It wasn't like unlimited. No. So that G2G, that was you like cared what that person is saying by it was like a whole 10 cents.

SPEAKER_00 19:24

Yeah. And it's sad because some of like the contacts aren't in there for some reason anymore. So we don't even know who that was too. I was like, who was this to? But I had to get a new phone number. Oh my gosh, yes. How did that go? Awful.

SPEAKER_01 19:36

Completely awful. I can't imagine changing my phone number, honestly. It's scary. I have been reaching out to everyone, and what's funny is like my Miami friends are so jaded, like from being taken advantage of our whole lives, that they're they're the only ones that are like, prove this is Ellie. Say something only Ellie would say. So I'm like making up stories, not making up, but remembering stories and messaging all of them. But that is time consuming. It's very time consuming. Yeah. Yeah. Well, nothing's easy in life. It's a good lesson. Yeah. Um, but I had to go through my phone and kind of like text individual people. And so I'm going through all these contacts that I've had for like 20 years, and there's people that are like creepy taxi, don't answer. And like stage five clinger, and like party boat Bobby. Like, I wonder how party boat Bobby was. Yes. I feel like party boat Bobby probably turned into like Cybertruck Bobby, though. This was my Amy. Probably.

SPEAKER_00 20:25

Yeah, but he might still have a boat. That's true. That's true. I guess he was just on a party boat, right? He didn't own the party boat. Maybe he doesn't.

SPEAKER_01 20:32

Maybe he did. I don't know. Who knows how Bobby ended up. It's worth a reach out, I think. Give him my number. We'll get him on Connecticut bucket list.

The Growth of Connecticut Bucket List

SPEAKER_01 20:41

All right. So Connecticut Bucket list, pretty self-explanatory name. Was that what it always was, or did you go through some like rebranding? It always was.

SPEAKER_00 20:47

Yeah. Um, I wanted, I always knew I wanted like Connecticut in the name because I wanted to be like easily recognizable. Sure. Um, and I do think that helped me grow a lot in the beginning because when people like saw me pop up, they kind of immediately knew, knew what I was about without even like going to my page. Um, so I think that helped a lot. Um, then I regretted it for a little bit because I was like, you know, I don't want to niche myself down to just Connecticut. Um, but then I was like, I had to do some like soul searching. I was like, the point of this account is Connecticut love. Like I never want to stray from the heart of it. Sure. And that was one of the reasons I started in the first place because I followed a lot of food accounts, especially that were like loosely Connecticut based, but I would see posts all the time from like New York and Massachusetts and like especially the city. And I would save it and then I would go and I'd be like, oh, this is New York. Like, damn it. Like I wish there was like just an account that was like just Connecticut. Yeah. Um, so now you know I'll post from other places, but like I want the heart and soul of it to always stay Connecticut.

SPEAKER_01 21:43

Well, that's kind of like the podcast, you know. Like I might have people who are no longer living here, but if they grew up here, if they have ties here, if they have like a deep rooted appreciation, it all ties back to Connecticut. Like it can be the heart of the page and it can expand outwards. And I think that everybody appreciates that. Yeah. Because who doesn't Want to see pictures of you in Columbia on a beach when they're in like their third blizzard of the year. Right, right. So I saw you post when you're like, heard it's cold in Connecticut. I was like, damn, bitch. I was like, guys, come with me next time. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You're like, I know, I know a girl who plans trips. I happen to know someone. Um when you're traveling, especially now in like the state of like the United States and how we're kind of like the butt of every not funny joke because it's very real to us. Um, are people nice to Americans?

SPEAKER_00 22:28

They actually are, but I'm also very aware of what our reputation is and completely agree with the horrible things that are said about us. Um, and so I think that when you like when you're traveling, it's important to like go with grace and like also understand that people are going to have questions about politics and things. And like I don't mind answering them and I don't mind telling them, you know, what's going on and and my thoughts on it. Um but they they are very nice. Like they can pretty quickly, I think, tell whether you are in support of what's going on or not. Yeah. And so that will kind of change how they interact with you. So you don't feel like you have to be like, I'm from Canada. No, no, I I don't lie. I'll usually be like, oh my god, sorry. And they'll be like, like, it's not you, you know? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:15

Um it probably also helps that you're with a group of like attractive women who are like kind, and like, you know, if you were going with like a bunch of like broy dudes, I'm sure they'd be like a little bit different. Yeah. Or like a little bit unsure. Yeah. Do people know where Connecticut is when you travel?

SPEAKER_00 23:32

No.

SPEAKER_01 23:32

Are you like it's near New York?

SPEAKER_00 23:34

I usually say Connecticut, and then I'll inevitably see like just like a blank stare on their face and like near New York. And be like, oh okay. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:42

So I usually Well, maybe that's changing because now because of the nation's Pizza Capital thing, it was like the ninth most search place on like skyscanner or something, which is nuts. So I think Connecticut's coming up on the map in a big way. I do.

SPEAKER_00 23:55

I am like so like confident and obsessed with the fact that I think Connecticut is in like its up-and-coming era. Yeah. A lot of what to do with like Anthony Anthony was doing and things with marketing the state in such an innovative way. Um, and I really think that there's so many businesses moving into Connecticut, people moving into Connecticut, um, and we have a lot to offer, and I think people are finally realizing that.

SPEAKER_01 24:16

I know. And there's so much that's like still opening. Like I feel like every week I see like new opening for this, new opening for this. Yeah. And so it just feels like it's only growing. Yeah. And there's

Connecticut Business Grants

SPEAKER_01 24:26

so many like grants for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Did you ever do that grant thing? I did not, no. I'm thinking of doing it. So if if you have a if you have a business, um, I it might just be women-owned, but there's so many opportunities, even if you're not a woman-owned business, they have these programs where you take like a two-week course or something course. I think it's two weeks, and then you can get you can potentially get a $2,500 grant. That's awesome. From like this women-led business organization. Yeah. And then if your business has been established for X amount of years and you there's like some things that you have to look through, like you have to have QuickBooks, you have to have things set up, you have to be a legally licensed LLC. Right. And then you can get $5,000. That's awesome. So like my putless has just applied for this $5,000 grant. And so, you know, it's just there's a lot of things to help people grow their business that I'm like, they only want people to succeed. Yeah. And they're like investing in their people so that they're they want to keep going. Absolutely. When you are traveling, is it um are you mostly with women? Do you travel with men too? Um, I'll travel with anyone. I actually travel alone a lot of the time. Really? Yes. Is that ever scary?

SPEAKER_00 25:28

Um not really. I don't think I've ever traveled like out of the country alone. I would really recommend it. I it's was something that I had wanted to do for a while, but never could get myself like to build up the confidence to do it. Um and then in I think it was like 2022, um, I found a round trip flight to Barcelona for $300. Holy crap. And I was like, I have to do it. Like, I just I have to do it. Um, so I booked it and never looked back. And once you like get there, it's like you'll be calm. Like, I swear, like it's just like a bad, it's like the anticipation that's scarier than the actual thing. Um, but you meet like so many incredible people. Probably a lot of other solo travelers. Yeah, there's so many solo travelers, and um like I've made really good friends solo traveling. Um, and I just think it's such a rewarding experience. And like if it's something that someone can like afford and you know take the time off and are able to do, like, I think everyone should experience it. It'll it'll give you a lot of confidence in yourself and like navigating different situations too.

SPEAKER_01 26:27

That's

Authenticity in Influencing

SPEAKER_01 26:28

amazing. Yeah. You are very confident, especially with what you post online. Like a lot of people in your position wouldn't necessarily show their like political beliefs or like even outside of politics, but you also are brave about posting things like your esthetician and um cosmetic work that's done. Like a lot of women would be afraid of that from like backlash. Do you find that the conversation about um you know filler or Botox, do you get negative comments or is it more positive? It's usually more positive.

SPEAKER_00 26:56

Um, I think a lot of the negativity doesn't show up on my page a lot of the time. I think because I think because I probably started my page faceless. Like I was completely faceless because I was terrified to show my face for like the first two years, maybe, or maybe even longer. Oh wow. Um and then I was like, you know what, like I want to try being in can on like in front of the camera a little bit more. Um I think it'll help my page like be more sustainable long term. Yeah. Um, and it's been a learning curve for sure. It's been like I'm still not comfortable in front of the camera, but I'm trying to get there. Um and I've always felt passionate about like I don't want this to just be like if I am showing up as myself online, I don't want to just be like an empty positionless like void. Like, I don't know, like I want to be able to like show my political views and like my stances on different things, and I want to be like authentic and real with things. So um that's why like I'll show cosmetic procedures or like my political beliefs or anything else because those are things that I think for the betterment of society, it's it's best if we are transparent about that.

SPEAKER_01 28:06

Absolutely, and that's kind of like the new age of influencing. Absolutely. And I don't know if you've noticed a shift in like what people want and are actively looking for on your personal platform, but it seems like the influencer that we grew up with is like dead, absolutely gone. It's like all about authenticity, showing the ugly, showing the raw, showing the real, showing up even when you're sick, even when you're tired. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 28:30

And people gravitate towards that.

SPEAKER_02 28:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:32

And I think you do an incredible job of that. Like you are just so real and like naturally comfortable and real with people. I think that's incredible.

SPEAKER_01 28:40

Um well, I never thought that I would be a face-on like content creator, influencer. I was always on the back end of marketing. Um, I had a lot of like body issues growing up. Oh, yeah. We grew up in the age of like Paris Hilton and like size zero is too big, and like Tara Banks and her like America's next top model, and you know, I was never really like skinny in my mind. I was always curvy. Um, and I never wanted to be face on. And then when I became a mom and I was just kind of like really having this deep-rooted appreciation for my body and like what it went through, um, I started being more comfortable with the camera and being like, this is me. And a lot of women and moms, and not even moms, but just people in general kind of resonated with that. Absolutely. Um, and I really appreciate the the um cosmetic procedure videos because you know, that's something that I've even considered now that I get older. I was always someone that's like, I'm never gonna fuck with my face. But now I'm like, maybe I wanna look into like some Botox here. Absolutely. And I'm almost like, even someone who you say is like really I show up and I'm authentic, I get scared about posting that online because I'm afraid of the backlash, like, oh, you're supposed to be so authentic and now you are getting Botox. Like, I'm still a 34-year-old aging woman who wants to feel comfortable behind a camera. And if a little shot of Botox here is gonna make me feel good, why does it affect you? Right, right. Like, why do people feel the need to show up and like talk about someone else's looks?

SPEAKER_00 30:15

Oh, absolutely. I mean, there's so much to say on that topic, but I think please there's there's like um I'm totally for the the idea that like whatever you want to do, you should do it. Like whatever makes you happy, you should do it. As long as you're not hurting yourself or others, like do it. Um, the thing with cosmetic procedures is yeah, I feel like we see so much of it, and there's so many people that are dishonest about it, and you know, it's become such a norm in celebrity culture to look a certain way that I think a lot of people that are like you need to be authentic, are probably just like coming from years of like being beat down by the beauty industry. Doesn't make it okay. Um but that's why like I want to be authentic with it because like I think people being transparent about it is like slowly changing the narrative to be like whatever you get done is fine, like do you, you know? Right. Um and I think it's just about that transparency where it's like if you're gonna get things done and people ask you about it, like you should be transparent about it.

SPEAKER_01 31:11

I agree, I agree. But in the same regard, it's also nobody's fucking business. Exactly. Like if you if you want to show up, if you want to share, you absolutely should. Right. And like I would, right? And I will. Right. But if there was another creator who was like, I'm keeping this for me, 100%. I'm not gonna like think less about it. 100%. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:29

Um I think the issue comes where it's like if you like are denying things. Like if you want to say I don't want to share, yeah, perfect. Like there's a lot of things that like I don't share online, most of my personal life. And some things that I might want to eventually share. And like I want to get more comfortable sharing like my my personality and like things going on in my life, but that's a very scary thing, like to let the internet into your private life. Oh, a hundred percent.

SPEAKER_01 31:50

Yeah, a hundred percent. Um, I mean, you did show your personality a bit in that chicken wing or the it was like the hot cauliflower. Yeah, yeah. And it went crazy viral. You have like over two million hits or something like that. Yeah. So it's clearly people really enjoy your personality.

SPEAKER_00 32:08

Yeah, and that's something I never would have posted, probably even a year ago. And like I even almost didn't post it this time because I was like, it's stupid.

SPEAKER_01 32:14

Like, but it was funny, it was relatable. It was, if you haven't seen it, you should. She does this like hot cauliflower, like the hottest sauce, and you just see like she slowly goes into this like state of just like tearfulness, like chugging milk, like just like absolutely dying. And it's it's hilarious and it's relatable, and it's something that like would stop someone, even if they're not in Connecticut, to want to watch and and enjoy your personality.

Handling Criticism and Trolls

SPEAKER_02 32:37

Yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_00 32:38

Yeah, I I do want to try to to show my personality a little bit more, but yeah, it's I think it's just about getting more comfortable and not caring. Yeah. I think that's a big part of posting on social media. You have to stop caring.

SPEAKER_01 32:49

Yeah. I um I frequently troll my trolls. I love that. I love that. It's my favorite thing to do. I was getting really um upset about it at first, especially, you know, I'm a little more open about my political views than some other content creators. And so I was getting a lot of like death threats, like horrific things. People are insane. Insane. Yeah. Um, if you heard some of the stuff, like I don't even want to say it on here because I don't even want to bring that negative energy. Yeah. But then there was just like a switch that flipped and I stopped giving a shit. Yeah. And so I don't know, recently I posted an interview that I had with channel eight, and somebody commented, I'd never even heard of them before, but they commented something along the lines of claiming you support local while doing anything but is like not cute. Um, Florida girls will do anything for attention.

unknown 33:40

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01 33:41

And so I think these people comment things, these things thinking that we'll never see them. Yeah. Like that we're not real people. But one of my sponsors of the podcast is the Happy Confection, which is a cannabis gummy brand. And so I wrote back to her and I was like, sounds like somebody needs. And then I tagged the happy confection. I love that. They probably do. Yeah. So it's like I you can in this industry that we're in, especially, I don't know about you, but I'm very sensitive. Yes. You have to, you have to just troll them right back, or else it'll kill you and it'll kill your self-esteem.

SPEAKER_00 34:13

A hundred percent. Yeah. That's I used to have like a much thinner skin. Um, and it still affects me. Like I don't read comments a lot of the times because I'm like scared of what I might see, which I know it's bad because I need to be engaging with my audience. Yeah. Um, but it still gives me so much anxiety to like read my comments and like open my DMs. Um, even though like at the end of the day, when I see it, it doesn't bother me that much. But I think it's like just the anxiety of like not knowing what people are gonna be saying or how bad it might be. Um, but that's definitely something that I want to work on. Uh and especially like with the political stuff, like that's what I get the most hate on as well. Oh, absolutely. Um, but like I don't know, like I'm like we're both so like deep rooted in like our issues, like our views. Like I know that I'm right. Like I know that the right thing is to care about other human beings. Absolutely. And if you're gonna argue with me about that, like it's not worth my time to even engage with you.

SPEAKER_01 35:07

A thousand percent. And you're not like putting anything out there that's like nasty against another party. Right. You're literally only spreading positively. Right. So it's like, how are you gonna come back and be negative about that? Right.

SPEAKER_00 35:20

Yeah. So if you if you want to advocate for ice pulling people out of their homes, like that's on your conscience and not on mine. Right. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:29

Well, on that note, we're gonna take a quick break, fill up some drinks, and uh maybe hear a little bit from our sponsors. Sounds good. All right.

Break

SPEAKER_01 35:37

If you're someone who cares about supporting local farms, you should check out Pink Tractor Crew. They're passionate about connecting people with Connecticut agriculture, whether that's finding fresh dairy delivered right to your door or tracking down maple syrup straight from the tap. It's all about supporting local farmers and making fresh food more accessible. You can explore their resources at StantonsBM.com. You know how edibles can feel a little intimidating if you're not exactly sure where to start? That's actually why I love the Happy Confection. A Connecticut brand based in Westbrook, they've made edibles really approachable by creating ratio-based cannabis gummies. So instead of everything hitting the same way, the experience is dialed in depending on what you're looking for. Whether that's relaxing or feeling creative or just unwinding at the end of a day. There's even options for medical card patients looking for higher potencies. Everything is chef crafted with organic ingredients, vegan, gluten-free, and made with strain-specific terpenes so you get a consistent experience without that bitter aftertaste that a lot of gummies can have. They're also queer-owned, women-owned, and family run, and you can find them in over 60 dispensaries across Connecticut. You can find the closest one nearest to you at thehappyconfection.com, and don't forget to sign up for their email lists where you can find out about product launches and deals going on near you. They're called the Happy Confection, and it's cannabis crafted for joy. Looking for insurance is honestly so stressful. Every year when I have to deal with it, I feel like I need a spot after. And that's why I love Keating Agency Insurance in West Hartford. They're a third-generation family business with a real people-first mantra. They do the hard part for you, shopping multiple companies to find the best coverage. They handle home, auto, business, life, and even umbrella policies and can bundle things to save you money. So instead of spiraling online, comparing policies, just call Keating and let them handle

Back From The Break

SPEAKER_01 37:21

it. All right, well, welcome back. Cheers. We are freshly mimosa, although I'm still sipping

Behind the Scenes Of an Influencer

SPEAKER_01 37:27

on mine. Let's talk a little bit about behind the scenes of like being an influencer. Let's do it. Which by the way, can we take back the word influencer? Yes, I would love to. I I would love to. Like, you know how we took back the word cunty. Yes. Like this year. That's my favorite word now. Yes, me too. Although my husband asked me if he could use it, and I was like, no. Yeah, no. It's for the girls. It's for the girls. Yeah. Yes. But like cunty is now like kind of like chic. It's cute. It is chic. Yeah. Girly. Yeah. And I think we can do that with influencer too. I agree. Influencer will be the new cunty. I agree. Perfect. Okay. So do you ever go out now that you're like, I can't disconnect. Like I can't go out without like filming it.

SPEAKER_00 38:05

Um yes. But I will say I'm usually I'm usually filming content because I just like love to do it. Like I love capturing moments. I have a horrible memory. So I think a part of it is like I want to remember these like cool moments. And so my instinct is just like to record them. Um so I would say no, I don't often disconnect, but like I don't really want to. Do you feel like you can still be present? Yes. If it's like an actual like shoot that I'm doing for the page, then I'm definitely not as present. Um but if I'm just like out to dent with my friends and I want to take like a few quick clips of things, then I still can be present. Um especially if I'm not like actively uploading it. And also a lot of that stuff never even makes it into content. Like I have like hundreds of thousands of photos and videos on my phone. And most of them will never see the light of day. Yeah. Because I just don't have the time to put it all together. Um but I it's just like something that I love doing, I think. So um yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:01

I mean, you wanted to be a photographer at one point, so it like makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 39:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:04

Um, and fo camera phones are so good now that you almost can be with your phone. Um, do

Friendships and Personal Growth

SPEAKER_01 39:11

your friends get annoyed if you're like always taking content or are they pretty supportive of it?

SPEAKER_00 39:15

They're very supportive. Um, I'm very lucky to have like an amazing group of friends. Um I'm sure they get annoyed sometimes, but they mostly keep it to themselves. Yeah. So um and I try to like bring them along to events or like, you know, things when I can to, you know, show my appreciation and like give back to them a little bit, you know, like it's just a free meal, but it's fun to like take them out.

SPEAKER_01 39:35

It is fun. I feel like our friends get to do like really cool stuff. Like I literally just took one of my friends here to go on Oprah's podcast with me.

SPEAKER_03 39:43

Awesome.

SPEAKER_01 39:44

Because like Michael couldn't go, and I was like, Can I bring my girlfriend? They were like, Yeah, so we stayed overnight in New York City, they paid for it. We had cars pick us up, we went to Oprah, and I'm like, how can you get mad that I'm shooting content? I'm bringing you to Oprah. Yeah. But that's awesome. Is are your friends that you have now, are they from like growing up here?

SPEAKER_00 40:01

I only have one friend that's like still like close in my life. Um, but she is a middle school friend, actually. So we've made it pretty far. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:09

That's awesome. My best friend in the world is from middle school too.

SPEAKER_00 40:12

Oh amazing.

SPEAKER_01 40:13

I feel like if you go through those like transformative years, right, like your ugly years, right? Like, then you're a friends for life. Yeah, yeah. Although we call them our ugly years, but it was probably like the hottest and skinniest we ever were. Speak for yourself. I don't know. Where where did you were you uh, I don't want to say an ugly duckling because I think everybody is beautiful, but did you not have that kind of body image?

SPEAKER_00 40:33

For sure, yeah. I've I mean I've been like overweight my entire life. Really? And fluctuated a lot, but never been, even like a normal weight, never mind, skinny. So it's definitely something that I struggled with and a huge reason why I didn't want to be on camera for like a lot of you know the beginning part of Connecticut Bucket List. Oh wow. Were you like bullied growing up? Um, I wouldn't say it was like outward bullying. I say it was mostly like exclusion.

SPEAKER_01 40:57

Um which is almost even harder. Yeah. Because you're like, I just want to belong, especially when you're in that like hormonal years where everything's awkward. Right. And you literally just want to feel part of something. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:08

And I think that like still shows up a lot in my everyday life. I think I'm very shy in new settings and with people I don't know because I'm like scared to like take up space or like my default is like they don't want to like talk to me or like know me. Cause like especially like even in college, I remember um we were doing like a get to know you like activity, just to like meet the people like on our dorm floor. And like especially the guys, pretty like the girls were pretty nice, but the guys would just like like some of them like would not even talk to me. Like we would just stand there like while we were like doing the like you know, you're supposed to have like it was like speed dating, but like just to make friends. And like they would literally just like ask me one question and just kind of like stare off into the distance.

SPEAKER_01 41:51

You know what though? They probably like now looking at it from like an adult perspective, they probably were feeling just as fucking awkward. Maybe maybe yeah, or if they weren't, they needed a huge dose of reality that they're not that they're they're they need to be lonelier. Yeah, men need to be lonelier. Yeah, well, because I would see them like you know, engaging with everyone else, and when they talked to me, they were just like whatever. Well, not for nothing. You are one of the coolest people I've met in Connecticut, and I love every room that you walk into. Thank you, thank you. I appreciate that. Um, but that is that's yeah. I mean, I feel I definitely feel like the friends that you make when you're younger, if you like stand the test of time, especially if you go to different colleges and you come back, that's like that's family. Yeah, absolutely. You know, it goes beyond friendships.

Influencer Management

SPEAKER_01 42:32

So are you under management or do you manage yourself? I manage myself for better or for worse. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 42:38

Have you been approached by like management? I have, um, and nothing has felt like the right fit yet. That's good. Trust your intuition. Yeah. I would, I would love, it's definitely at the at the point where I either need management or I need an assistant or something just to help me with communications, I guess, or both. Yeah. Um, and I've been kind of deciding which route I'd like to take because that will determine a lot of the future of Connecticut Bucket list. Whether it's if I have management, it's more, I think about me and building myself with with a management company. Whereas if I would hire an assistant, I think I'm on a a quicker route to having Connecticut Bucket list run more on its own without me involved in every single step. Um so I think it's interesting because long term I would love to since I have such a passion for travel and and I would love to get more into lifestyle and brands because there are a lot of small businesses that I would love to support in Connecticut, like my earrings today, are from a creator called Jenny Made These, and I would love to like have more fashion and jewelry and things on my page. Um really cool.

SPEAKER_01 43:36

Are they was that the same girl who uh made the earrings that you wore to the Kramize Awards? Yes, she does fantastic.

SPEAKER_00 43:41

Yeah, she does. Yes. Um so I would love to support more brands, and that's also more sustainable. It's where frankly a lot of the money is because I love working with small businesses, but especially, you know, if this is gonna be my long term career, it needs to be able to be like recession proof and things. And it's not absolutely. So I would love to eventually, you know, work with more travel brands and more lifestyle brands. But since I want to keep the heart and soul of this page, Connecticut, I'd love to eventually build up another page that can kind of do everything. Oh, that's cool. Are you actively working on building up another page? So my personal page right now, I'm I'm trying to post a little bit more on that. Um, but I just don't have like a lot of the time to dedicate to that. So eventually I'd love um Connecticut Bucket list to be able to run without me involved in every step so that I can work on other projects. Gotcha. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:34

Well, um, let everyone know where they can follow your personal account. You can go on my personal account.

SPEAKER_00 44:38

Um, it's just um Kathleen Roach. Okay. So is it Roach or Roach? Um It's Roach. My a lot of people say Roche. I don't really care either way. Um I remember when my mom would tell me like she first married my dad, people would say Roach, and she'd be like, Yep. Roach sounds a little harsh, but I I love it both. Did people call you like cockaroach? No, actually. Oh, you're so lucky. I escaped that. Yeah. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01 45:03

I my my maiden name is Mercado, which means supermarket in Spanish. Yeah. So everyone would be like, hey supermarket. And I was like, I'm not supermarket. Oh no. But it kind of so I'm Hispanic. Yeah. My family's from my dad's from Bolivia. Um, and so Mercado is, you know, a very popular last name in Bolivia and this very Hispanic name. But it was so funny because I went from Ellen Mercado to Ellen Doyle. It's a very different shift. And all my kids look super, super white. So I'm like, I swear you guys are Hispanic.

unknown 45:36

Like, I promise.

SPEAKER_01 45:37

We go out and what's Hardford, and I'm like, and well, Maisie, my six-year-old, she's now at a very multicultural school, and she has like friends of all cultures, and she's like learning Spanish, and she has like a little boyfriend, and she's like, we speak Spanish to each other. I tell him Mano, and he holds my hands. Stop!

SPEAKER_00 45:52

Yeah, that's so cute.

SPEAKER_01 45:53

They make each other like love notes.

SPEAKER_00 45:54

It's very cute. That's one like I wish I was bilingual, like from an early age. Like, I do a lingual. I do a little Spanish, but like I think that's Americ, like one of America's greatest downfalls, not downfall, shortcomings. Yeah. Like other countries. Other countries, especially when I'm traveling, like everyone knows English and their native language wherever they were. So I I feel very blessed to know English and to have that as my native language because especially when you're traveling. Everyone, it's very universal. And I it's like a a huge um advantage to know English. So I'm very lucky too. But I also wish that I knew another language. If you could speak another language, which one would you want to do it? Spanish.

SPEAKER_01 46:35

Yeah. Um I mean you should just go live in South America for like three months.

SPEAKER_00 46:39

You'd pick it up pretty fast. I know. There are like there's a sp like a two or three-week Spanish course um in Guatemala that I really want to go to. That's another dream that is probably for another year, but maybe eventually.

SPEAKER_01 46:52

All the dreams. Yes. This is now the time to do it, because you're 29. You're are you single? I am. So I mean, what's time? What's holding you down? It's true. It's true. Just a deep-rooted love for Connecticut. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. So what is like, because I don't know, I moved here married. What's the dating scene like in Connecticut?

SPEAKER_00 47:11

Um, I can't really give you an update right now because I'm not dating. I like But you have dated here. I have date. I have dated a little bit here. Um I like truly love being single. That's amazing. Um, not saying I wouldn't date in the future, but just not something like on my priority list right now. I don't feel the like there are a lot of people that are just like would love to be in a relationship and just like feel happiest. And I feel like I'm the opposite. Yeah. So we'll see.

Authenticity in Brand Collaborations

SPEAKER_01 47:39

How do you balance talking more about um, you know, your brand and connected bucket list? How do you balance like working with brands and then keeping that audience trust now that we are kind of in this new age of influencing where it's all about authenticity? Um, do you ever feel like you're being a little salesy? Do you turn down stuff if you're like, I don't want to feel like an ad? Do you have creative discretion? Like, talk to me about that.

SPEAKER_00 48:00

Yeah, yeah, I definitely will like vet any brand or business that I work with. Um, even if it's like a local business, like I do want to feature like high quality places. And like I will like read reviews and things before I go places. In an ideal world, I would love to like go someplace and like fully like test it out before I even consider a partnership with them. But time-wise and like money-wise, like it's so expensive to do that. Um, but if I go somewhere and I don't like it, then I won't post it. Um, luckily that rarely happens because I work with mostly small businesses and restaurants in Connecticut. Um, and we have some amazing food here and amazing businesses. So luckily that usually isn't a problem. Um and I've also found that like when I go somewhere and I'm like, I don't know, like it's not my personal cup of tea. Like either the friend that I'm with or like another influencer that I really respect will love it there. And that's one of the biggest things I've learned is like when I first started this account, I originally was gonna be reviewing places because I was tired of seeing things on Instagram and going there and it not being what I expected. Um I had some fun with that in the beginning. And then I realized, like, because I was like, you know, my taste is correct. Like I have good taste, and like, you know, if it plays if I don't like it, you know, it's not it must not be good. But I've realized like that's so not true. Like there are places that I love that I would like ride or die for that again, respected influencers or friends hate, and vice versa. Yeah. So unless it's like a quality issue where I can tell like the food or the product is not of good quality, if it's not just like my taste, then I know it's someone else's.

SPEAKER_01 49:36

Yeah. Very, very well said. I completely agree. I mean, that place, Kava, is a perfect example. Yes. Like when I went, and I didn't even go as a collaboration, I went um for the first time with my daughter because she loved Wicked, and everyone told me the food is garbage, you're gonna hate it. I hate it there. Like, and so I was expecting to like leave with fucking food poisoning or something. Like the way people were talking about this. Oh my gosh. But we had a lovely experience. Yes. Was it like the best Italian food I've ever had in my life? No, right, but it was well worth what we paid. We had a great time. I had chicken parmesan and it was yummy. Yeah. Yes you know, it wasn't 10 out of 10 off the moon, I'm gonna write a review about how good it is. Right. But I would never bash it. No. And it's just everybody's perception is a bit different. And yes, I just I I like to experience things for myself.

SPEAKER_00 50:26

Oh, absolutely. And it's so funny you mentioned that because like that is what I use as an example all the time. Because like that is a hill I'll die. And like I went there multiple times before I ever posted them. I I went before I even started the page, I think. Um, and like I never had a bad experience. Um, and then I've gone, I've worked with them now maybe twice. Um, and like I genuinely enjoy it there. Like, I think the staff is amazing. Like, they they like hand put up all of those decorations and the manager there like designs it himself, which I don't think a lot of people know. Um, and they spend like a million dollars putting these installations together. So, like, yes, the food's gonna be a little bit more expensive, but like you're paying for the experience while you're there. It's not yeah, you're not your everyday Tuesday hangout.

SPEAKER_01 51:05

Like if it wasn't a restaurant, you'd be paying a fee to get in. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 51:08

So you're like, yeah, I mean I can go on about that, but again, and I've had good experiences with the food. So like but I know people, friends that absolutely despise it. So like it's a hill on I'd die on, but right, it's also a hill they'd die on for the for a different reason. So always always try out a place if you're interested. Don't always go by someone's recommendation. I a thousand percent agree.

SPEAKER_01 51:28

Unless it's our recommendation, and then you can listen to us. Yeah, we we're we are correct. All right, we have great taste. Um,

The Role of AI in Content Creation

SPEAKER_01 51:36

how do you feel about using AI in your in your work?

SPEAKER_00 51:41

I and like at what level do you use it? I'm scared of AI, of what it could mean for our society as a whole. And like I think and also the sustainability element. Like I used to be very passionate about sustainability. I feel like the other problems in the world have kind of outweighed a lot of that climate passion. Um, but yeah, it kind of kills me to do that. But I I will use, like, especially for um like scripts and things, like I'll write out my script and then I'll be like, can you make this a little bit better? Um and sometimes I'll use the tweaks and sometimes I won't, but like I can't sit here and say, like, I'm against AI, I don't use it because I do.

SPEAKER_01 52:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 52:19

Um but I try to use it.

SPEAKER_01 52:21

I don't know anyone who doesn't, especially if they run a business at this point. Yeah. Just to the degree of how you use it.

SPEAKER_00 52:27

Yeah. So I guess I I just try to use it responsibly. I try to use it as minimally as possible. And like I also think it's gonna be really easy to like lose all of your like creativity and like thought process and like writing skills to AI. So we're gonna turn into like WALI. Yeah, exactly. So I always make sure to like completely write out whatever I want to do, whether it's a script or like whatever else I'm writing, and like so that I'm still getting those creative juices flowing, like I'm still creating it, and then just to like finesse it, then I'll put it in.

SPEAKER_01 52:58

I don't use it for anything creative, I'll use it for like tweaks or like captions. Yeah. But I think that that is one thing that we need to separate ourselves from AI, is like we need to still maintain our like autonomy as people and humans are in perfections. Like, I feel like the reason why my voiceovers seem really authentic is because like I might stumble on a word or crack up mid-sentence, and like that's not something AI is gonna do. Right. It's like meant to be perfection. Absolutely. In fact, when I'm putting in like a script and like like you said, like asking it to tweak it or whatever, if it changes certain verbiage to like make more sense, I'm like, no, but I liked how I was saying it. Yes, because you're speaking with character and personality, and like nuance, and like it doesn't pick up, it doesn't know like puns and stuff like that, at least not well, or like weird humor. Yes, or like things that I might think are funny that like isn't necessarily like standard comedy. Yes. So I think it's I think people are overusing it, especially in social media, and I think it's really easy to tell like this new age of like flyers going out, like event flyers that are like all AI. And I won't lie, I've done it once or twice, but now that I see it so abundantly, I get the major ick from it.

SPEAKER_00 54:14

Yeah, I hate like there's actually an agency that reached out to me like wanting to manage me. And I went to their Instagram and like they had a few posts where it was clear that the like the visual that they used was AI, and I was like immediately, you know, like if you're a creative agency and you're using AI for your creative post, red flag. Oh my god, what are you doing? Yeah. And it also it just looks icky. I get I get the ick too.

SPEAKER_01 54:36

I get the ick. Majorly.

Marker 18

SPEAKER_01 54:38

Um, do you feel like it's harder to make genuine connections now that you're pretty big? Like, do you feel like people like want something from you? I don't think so.

SPEAKER_00 54:46

Like I've never gotten that sense. Maybe I'm oblivious to it, but I feel like the people like the people that I've made friends with, like I have made like a decent amount of friends since I started the page, and I don't feel like they're ever in it for clout. Clout. Yeah. But I also don't think that I have much clout, so it's like I don't know, maybe I just don't r realize it. But no, I think people are pretty chill in Connecticut. You do.

SPEAKER_01 55:08

You have you for sure have clout.

SPEAKER_00 55:10

I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 55:10

I don't know about that. I think like one of the first times you were texting me, you're like, Do you want to go to this party with me? I think Fred Armistead's gonna be there. I was like, What? Well, he didn't show up, so um no, you you for sure are big. Do people recognize you when you go out?

SPEAKER_00 55:24

Sometimes it's not frequent, but it's cool when it happens. Yeah. But I think it's like a cool balance of like, like when I go anywhere with Jimmy, like he gets recognized. I swear to God, every step we take. Yeah. And he's very loves it. Like I think he loves it. I don't want to speak for him. But like he's very natural about it. Yeah. Um, and I would be so much more awkward about it. Yeah. So I like that it's not all the time, but it's fun once in a while to because you I kind of like when I post, it's just kind of like I don't really think about people seeing it and like digesting it if that makes sense. Like it's just like posting out into the you know, space. Right. And so when people are like, oh, I like saw that video, I'm like, oh, like cool.

SPEAKER_01 56:01

Like it's crazy too because like when you actually think about the numbers, like let's talk about that hot cauliflower challenge, hot chicken wing, whatever it was. When you think about between the two platforms, it's probably like close to three or maybe even more million at this point. Yep, like those many eyes around the globe seeing your face. Yeah, like that is a crazy thing to think about.

SPEAKER_00 56:22

Yeah, and it's not something that I can even like comprehend really. Like I don't know, it just seems fake to me. I know, because it doesn't, that's why people comment shit on our pages, because it doesn't feel real.

SPEAKER_01 56:31

Like the internet doesn't feel real. Yeah, but it is, and we're just like regular people living our lives. Right.

SPEAKER_00 56:37

It's crazy. Yeah, and it's funny, like when people will like come up to me, like acquaintances are like, Oh, like I saw you were like in Columbia, I saw you. And I was like, What? And I like forget that, like, yeah, people are actually like seeing the posts that you post.

SPEAKER_01 56:47

Yep. And like I've had people tell me, like, how are you feeling? And I'm like, What? And they're like, You guys were sick last week. I'm like, oh yeah, I do, I do post my life on the internet for everybody.

SPEAKER_00 56:54

Oh my gosh, that cruise thing was insane, by the way.

SPEAKER_01 56:57

My whole family went on uh a cruise in the it was like a New Year's cruise, and everybody got sick, like with the flu. And we had the flu vaccines, but like everybody on the cruise, not just us. And so we were like in the ER on the boat, and like that was like a horrible experience, and like, oh my god, it was so stressful.

SPEAKER_02 57:17

I literally can't imagine.

SPEAKER_01 57:18

It was the least relaxing vacation I had ever taken.

SPEAKER_00 57:21

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 57:22

No, that's I literally told, like, I had a news reporter come to my house to do like a story on it when I came back, and they literally told him I was like, I think it was just my sign to never leave Connecticut again.

unknown 57:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 57:34

At least not like New England.

SPEAKER_00 57:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 57:36

You you deserve a free cruise after that. Yeah. Yeah. Royal Caribbean.

SPEAKER_02 57:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 57:39

Call me. Sponsored by. Um, do people slide into your DMs like and ask you like on dates or like weird things? Um, occasionally, yeah. Or like creepy. I I feel like a lot of them are like bots too.

SPEAKER_00 57:51

I think, yeah, a lot of them are bots. And I wish they weren't because a lot of them are offering me money. I need a sugar baby, and I'm like, I would love that. Oh, to be sugar baby. Like, yeah, if this was legit, for sure. You'll pay me a thousand dollars a day, yes. Give it to me. Yeah, what do you need? Like my big toe.

SPEAKER_01 58:05

You're right. You got it.

SPEAKER_00 58:06

Okay, fine. What do you step in a cake?

SPEAKER_01 58:11

Um, I just got like spammed by two different companies, um, not for sugar daddy baby stuff, but like thinking that they were like a brand collab. No. So if you are an influencer or trying to come up in this content creation world, if someone does not email you with an at in their account name, it's probably a scam. And if they don't have a signature. Yeah. This person, um, I'm like, I'm still seeing if it's maybe real, so I'm not gonna say the name. We are gonna discuss this after because like there's been some that I like literally can't tell. Yeah. Well, the one thing, this is what I did use AI for. I like uploaded the conversation in the email and I'm like, is this a common scam? Because now it can scour the internet. You could do that. Oh, I mean, girl, AI can do anything.

unknown 58:54

Oh my god. AI can do anything. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 58:56

Um, but I'll upload the contract in the conversation and I'll be like, is this a scam? So it scours the internet and it's like, these are the red flags, and then it'll tell you the percentage of likeliness that it's a scam. Wow. So they're like, it's 85% likely that this is a scam.

SPEAKER_02 59:09

No way.

SPEAKER_01 59:10

And so what both of these companies did besides have the at and the official email was that they were saying that they wanted to pay me by check. And while that might not seem suspicious at first, I guess it's a common scam that once you deposit the check, they like claim fraud and then it comes out of your account and they have some way to access your account.

SPEAKER_00 59:28

That's so interesting. Yeah. Yeah, I guess because I I don't know if I'd read that immediately as a red flag, but also like whenever you're working with a legitimate company, I don't think they'd ever say, Hey, is it okay if we pay me by a check? Like you just get it in the mail. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 59:40

You know? It was also just like weird deliverables. It was like $2,000 for two story posts a week. Like not even the post. So I was like, that would be the easiest money I've ever made, but I don't think it's legit.

SPEAKER_00 59:55

Damn.

SPEAKER_01 59:55

So unfortunately, I don't think that's real. Oh, that'd

Exploring Connecticut's Hidden Gems

SPEAKER_01 59:58

be great. What is still on your Connecticut bucket list that you haven't done yet?

SPEAKER_00 1:00:01

There's so much, and there's so much every day. And there's also so there's like hidden gems that I want to check out, but there's also like staples that I've never been to. Like I've never been to Millwrights. Like, okay, we'll have to go together because we die. Yeah. And you're the second person who's talked to me about this in like the past like week and a half. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Yeah. So there are like a lot of Connecticut staples that I just have never made it to. Um, because I feel like when I'm not, it's interesting because I feel like before I started this account and even in the beginning stages, like I was exploring a lot more than I am now. Um, so I feel like a lot of times when I'm not doing like a setup collaboration, I'm like going to like my comfort places that I'm just like is easy and like it doesn't feel like I'm working. Um like Takaria La Grande in West Hartford is like one of my favorite, like just like take out Mexican spots. Nice. Um, I spend a lot of time in the center just going to like the classics, you know, like Zohara, Brico, even Bar Taco. Bartaco gets a lot of hate. They're at Connecticut, they started in Connecticut. Oh, did they? And they're I think it's great. Um so yeah, I feel like I explore a little bit less now. Um, because like especially if I'm like driving a lot for work, I'm like not driving a lot for my personal time. But that's another thing that I want to get more into is like kind of like sparking that passion of exploring Connecticut back and like discovering more hidden gems.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:17

Yeah. And then, you know, you're in this phase of your life where you're independent, you're solo, you're traveling, you're exploring places. Eventually, if you stay in Connecticut, you'll then, you know, if you want kids, I don't even know if you do, but there's like a whole other Connecticut. Yeah. You know, like there's times where I film where it's just me and I'm out and you know, I'm at Mohegan or Foxwoods or whatever, and I'm going to bars and restaurants. And then there's times where I'm with my kids, and I'm like, this is just a totally different world. Yeah. And then there's stuff that we can all do and enjoy together, like the plays. Yeah. Like the incredible, like you and I could go see Beauty and the Beast. I think it's coming at like the bushmal and have a great time.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:54

Same way me and my six-year-old can go and have an equally fun time, just different. Right. But so there's stuff that you could do as an adult, there's stuff that you could do with kids, with all kids of all ages, and then there's stuff you guys can do together as a family.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:06

So it's kind of like cool that you can experience Connecticut in different phases of your life.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:09

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, it's a great point.

The Future of Influencing

SPEAKER_01 1:02:12

So let's talk a little bit more about what being an influencer in 2026 looks like. Because we've taken back the word. Yes. Influencer is the new cunty. Let's do it. Okay. So how a content creator. A content creator? Oh my god, Mike Drop. So good. So good. Um, so what do you think separates creators who last? Because you've been in this game since 2021. That's a that's a bit of the time. Um what do you think separates the ones who last than the ones that get like burnout?

SPEAKER_00 1:02:44

I think you have to like really love it. I think you have to also love social media in general because it's one of those things where you're like kind of always on. Um and I think you have to really like love like the creative aspect of it, or at least some aspect. Like, I know some people like love the storytelling aspect, or like I I'm like the most passionate about like the photography, the photography and videography of it. Like the captions, oh my god, I hate like the scripts are like kind of like a chore. Um but I think you have to find something that you're passionate about, and then um I think it really helps that I work with a lot of small businesses, so I love seeing the success from when a video does do well. Like I know that it's directly supporting the small business in our Connecticut community.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:30

Um, so I think that's a big part of what keeps me going too.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:33

That's awesome. Um, and you know, have I saw that you were kind of on like a brand trip with, but it was like more of an intimate brand trip, you know, with like Rhode Island, and that looked amazing. I think Connecticut should do something like that. Like, why are we not taking bringing people in, taking them to the shoreline? Like it should happen. And like bring people from other, like the surrounding areas in to like bl blog and start talking and have the conversation be around Connecticut. Absolutely. But um, do you feel like that era of like the super luxurious Dubai brand trips with Tarte? Like, do you feel like that's kind of off base and out of touch now?

SPEAKER_00 1:04:05

I it definitely is out of touch. But I think that, and I think people want to see less of it, but I think people will always want to kind of like oggle over things that are that we can never have. It's almost like escapism. Exactly. It's escapism, and it's just kind of like I'll still watch like people unbox their like Birkins and stuff. Yeah. Even though I have no interest in I never will be able to afford it. Yeah. And I don't necessarily support anyone having that much wealth. Yeah. But it's still fascinating to watch. It's just like a whole different world. Yeah. So I think there will always be a little bit of interest in like the typical influencer brand trip or influencer itself, just a little bit less.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:44

Yeah. Yeah, I agree with that. Um, I am guilty of watching like these really lavish unboxings and stuff. But I get way more excited if I find like a brand found like a single mom with five kids and like took her on a luxurious trip to wherever. Like, I will engage way more with that. And I feel like that's a lot more like in touch with like the climate that we're in, is trying to support those who have less. Absolutely. Rather than the people who are already super rich and don't need any more free stuff. Absolutely. Yeah. So, but I I yeah, I mean, I think that there's a lot less of that. I at least I see it a lot less on my feed. I don't know if it's just because I'm engaging less with it.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:23

Yeah, yeah. I I uh can't say I see a lot of it either. Yeah. Yeah. And I did love the idea of like the local brand trip. Like I think local brand trips are brilliant. Yeah, it's it's such a great idea. And I went with Stone Acre Hospitality, which is like a restaurant group and they own like an inn and things in Newport. Um, and like just the kindest couple owns it. Um and so it's kind of great to see the like faces behind a restaurant group, even though it's like a smaller one, it's not like this big chain. I think a lot of times when we hear the word restaurant group or any type of larger successful business, you kind of think it must be very corporate and very cold. Um But just to like see the people behind the brand. Yeah. Um, and it was great. They like um worked with a local creator and worked with a bunch of local brands and even like bigger brands like Reebok and stuff, like gifted us some little things. And it was just like so fun to like support local, but also some bigger brands. It's like a great middle ground, I think.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:19

Well, it only benefits bigger brands to also support local because those are your consumers. Those are people who are buying your brand. Right. Um, I think I think it would be so fun. Like something in like Mystic, maybe like the Griswold or something. Is it called the Griswold? I think it's The Grizzlies. Yeah, or it's Essex. Yeah. Like there's just so many cool spots at getting like a group of maybe like eight or ten creators from like the surrounding New England states to be like, maybe you should be talking about Connecticut more. Yeah. Maybe this is a destination.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:48

Yeah, and it's show it's showing people that like, oh, like this is happening in Connecticut too. Like you can go on brand trips in your home state.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:53

Yeah. So is there anything exciting we can expect from Connecticut Bucket list for 2026? Anything coming up that you can give us a little teaser about?

SPEAKER_02 1:07:00

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:01

Or any cool brand collabs that are coming up. Wait, I have to think about this.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:10

I hate I hate this because I always go like completely blank. When people are like, even when people ask me like, what's your favorite restaurant? Or like, where have you been recently? I'm like, I've never been to a restaurant. I I don't know. Um what is food? Um well actually to later today I'm going to a kickoff of the Lichfield Restaurant Week. So that would be fun to help promote that. Um, I think I'm just gonna start trying to go to a lot more events and kind of broaden the area that I'm covering too. I I always get a lot of people writing in about um writing in, what is this like? A radio show. Dear Kathleen, yeah, I write to you from the confines of my basement.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:52

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:53

Get a lot of people faxing me over recommendations um uh of wanting to get me more into like the northeastern part of the state or things that are less covered, and I'd love to get out there and explore those areas more because they are kind of forgotten a lot of the time, um, even though there are some great gems out there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:11

Yeah, absolutely. Um, so I

Social media "ICKs"

SPEAKER_01 1:08:14

want to play a game to end this. All right. Um, and it's our social media icks. Because there are so many. Yes. Um, would you like to kick us off, or do you want me to kick us off?

SPEAKER_00 1:08:25

I can kick it off. All right, what's an ick? Um, well, this is my own personal ick, but I hate recording voiceovers because I hate the sound of my voice. Oh, you have such a pretty voice. The first few times I did it, I think I try to be a little bit more realistic with my voice now, but I would I would do it so much different, so differently that like one of my friends was like, Oh, you you have like AI doing your voiceovers. I was like, no, that's actually me, but I sound so different.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:49

So mine is when Chat GPT wrote your voiceover because there are like certain ChatGPT phrases that are like I can clock like that. Like I know if you had Chat GPT, write it. When it's like, and honestly, or like we're talking about yeah, like I know you don't talk like that in real life.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:06

Yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:07

Just talk like yourself.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:08

Yep. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:09

All right, what's yours?

SPEAKER_00 1:09:11

Um, mine is filming strangers in public that don't know they're being filmed. Not necessarily like pans of like a room or like an event, but like talking one-on-one with someone that doesn't know that they're on camera. I hate that. Especially when it's like you're doing like a good deed for them, or like, you know, there are those like viral videos where people are like helping homeless people, and it's like, did you ask for their consent to like film them in their like worst moments in life?

SPEAKER_01 1:09:34

Ugh, yeah. So I hate that. Honestly, sometimes I get the ick from when people are like doing a good deed and then filming it. Yeah. Cause I'm like, there's one side of it that you're like, okay, maybe that's for like awareness of what's going on, but the other one is like, look at me giving all this money to this person who like I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:50

Yeah, I think it that will goes both ways because like one point, like I get it because it's like inspiring other people, and like their views are probably helping fund their charitable acts. Yeah. But then it's like it depends, like, do you have their consent? I think is most important part.

unknown 1:10:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:03

But yeah, it's it's interesting. All of these like different social media things that like we have to think about now, like the moral, the moral aspect of it.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:11

Yeah. Um, another ick for me is like the super quick cuts where you can't see anything going on. And I feel like it's just like I don't even have ADHD, but I feel like it's making me get it. I'm like, what I what am I looking at? Right.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:23

Yeah. I I hate the ones that are like are like that specifically so that they either want you to like download the video or like try to screenshot or like rewatch it. Like if it's like they'll only include like the brand name or like the restaurant name for like a second. And I know that this is like bait just to like get me to watch and I can't really see it. Makes me angry. Yeah. Um, like so obviously staged pranks. Oh yeah. I'm like this is like bad acting. Bad acting, but like people buy it. Like then you read the comments and like people are all over it. Yeah. I'm like, you guys need like we need like social media literacy. Yeah. Like you need to be able to see like what's fake and what's real. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:59

Um, I have one that's like probably gonna get me some hate. Yeah. Because I have straight men friends that are influencers and I and I love them, but there's a specific type of straight man that does not belong on my for you page. Oh, a hundred percent. That's like like showing his new haircut and like you just know that that person is so condescending and cocky in real life. Oh, yeah. And like Instagram is like for the girls, yeah. It is for the girls, and for the nice guys, yeah. Yeah, like mostly for the girls. Yeah, for the confluencers.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:28

What do we call it? The content creators. Content creators, confluencers. That doesn't blow. Content influencer might be like in OnlyFans. Um crazy transitions between the clips. Like if you're like doing it, like it can be done in an artsy way, I guess, but it's just like you like twirl it out, or you like a bunch of crazy stuff. I'm like, you don't need to do that.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:50

Yeah, we're good. So I almost feel like with that, you either have to go so exaggerative that it's like ridiculous kind of like with it. Yes. Yes, exactly. Honestly, like cheese it's does sometimes. Exactly. I feel like if you're halfway going, people are just like, is this a PowerPoint presentation from 2009? Right, right. And it just that's not really the vibe. You have to like either fully commit, you can't like dip your toes into it. Right. Anyway. Those are our icks. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:16

There's probably more. There's so many more. There's a lot. Wait, quickly, people are still using FaceTune. Can we not do that? Oh. I'm like, I can tell that your eyes are not neon and your teeth are not glowing white. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:28

Just be your authentic self. Be authentic. And that's what's selling these days is the authentic death of the 2000s, the early 2000s influencer, and the rebirth is like the authenticity and the raw and and the cunt influence. No, the content creators and the content creators. That's copyrighted. Trademark. Yeah. Um, and then

Non Profit SHOUT OUT

SPEAKER_01 1:12:54

I want to end every episode with giving the option for my guest to do a shout-out to a nonprofit that you like if you have one. Yes, I do.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:02

Um I'm gonna go with Gather55 slash hands on Hartford. Love them. Um, I think that's a really unique way to give back to your community because you can just go dine at this restaurant called Gather 55 in Hartford if you haven't heard of them. Um, but basically every meal that you eat there goes to giving back. Um they have a whole really cool business model. Um, they do like pay what you can. So the whole idea is that, you know, if you are homeless or you're just um food insecure, you can come in and enjoy a meal without the stigma around it, um, and you just pay whatever you can. Um and they don't do tipping there. All of your tips are directly donated to their organization. So and the food is incredible. They have guest chefs, like incredible guest chefs from all across the state, um, that will like design a few dishes for the menu every month.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:49

Yeah, I love eating there. Um, I think their menu is so cool because it's different chefs. Yep, you can get like every kind of cuisine. Yes. So, like, I went with a girlfriend and we had a meal there, and I had like a Peruvian lomo dish. Yeah. And she had like this insane like French dish. Yeah. And I'm like, in what restaurant can you get like chef curated meals but from different cultures? Yep. And I love their message and I love what they're doing. Yeah. Um, that's a great one. Yeah. That's a really good one. Thank you so much for being on Connecticut Unfiltered. Thank you so much for having me. This was so cool.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:22

Congratulations on everything that you built here. It's amazing. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:25

And um, for more information about um Connecticut Bucket list and what Kathleen's doing, um, she will be tagged in all these videos. So make sure to give her a follow if you don't already. I'm sure you do. You should if you don't. Um, and thanks for being the best part about Reheated Coffee Club. Thanks for having me. Well

Contact and Subscribe

SPEAKER_01 1:14:46

this podcast is kept caffeinated by Sola Karaoke, the Happy Confection, Pink Tractor Crew, and Keating Agency Insurance. Thank you for listening to Connecticut Unfiltered. If you like the conversation, please make sure to like, subscribe, follow, and share, and keep the conversation going about how we can make Connecticut more than just the drive-through state.