Kristin Cavallari on the Business That Set Her Free

23:29I'm interested to understand like what you actually learned about yourself as a founder, like when you were just like this one man band that you couldn't have learned any other way, like what actually happened to inform you and the type of leader and businesswoman that you would eventually become? The learning lessons for me have actually happened later. And I think, I think for me, one of the biggest things is because during COVID, I hired my whole C-suite team, you know, and I got some of the best people and I used recruiters and did the whole thing. And these are the experts. These are the people that have, you know, tons of experience.

24:05And I really felt like they know what's best and they do in a lot of ways. There's a lot that I can, that I can still learn. And especially with like, you know, warehouse functionality and some of these things, I don't really know what I'm doing, right? I'm going to, I'm going to lean on the experts for these things. But when it comes to anything, that's the heartbeat of the company, the marketing, the product, you know, anything customer facing, I have learned that actually, I don't think you need all of these years of experience to be an expert. I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but I would say I do know what's best for my company.

24:42And I think a lot of founders could probably attest to that just because someone has 30 years experience doesn't always mean that they have the answer. So I think you heard Jennifer Fisher say, if you can fund it yourself, don't take outside money. It must've been, I don't know if I was about to launch on Common James or right after I saw an interview that she did. And yeah, she said, if you can do it yourself, do it. And that for some reason just stuck with me. And have you ever even considered raising capital? Yeah, I have. And I do think there may come a time when we do. For me, there is so much more that I still want to do before I bring on an investor.

25:17To me, the reason to bring on an investor is to grow it, to sell it. Right. And I think really for us, what that would mean is open 75 stores. You know, stores are expensive and we continue to open stores. We're about to open Austin, but because it's just me putting money back into the company, it's slow and steady, you know, stores are expensive. And so that would be the reason why I just feel like I'm not quite there yet. Cause there's so much more I want to do still. Fair. No, listen. And I think it's so interesting to like have a business that is actually tracking and doing really well. And for you to be making the decisions and going at your own pace.

25:52That's the thing. It's really not having anyone to answer to is a dream come true for me. Right, well, especially also, I think at this point in your life, when you had three young children, like that's not all you're doing, right? It's not just about the business. And so having an element of flexibility, of not being answerable to shareholders, of making the decisions, of you deciding if and what and when and how is, you know, that's the thing. That's the thing. And it's not like I just have the kids and Uncommon James. I also, how I look at it is I've got two buckets. I've got my family bucket and my work bucket and work almost never spills over into family.

26:28But - And we're going to talk about that. We're going to talk, we'll talk about that. We're going to talk about that. But work, it's not just Uncommon James. I've got the podcast, I'm doing TV things. I've got, tell me, let's actually go through, like what is your professional life? You have the brand and there's a whole team and we're talking a hundred people all in. It's bricks and mortar, it's direct to consumer. and that is, and how much of your time are you like working on that brand every day? I go into the office every single Tuesday and I'm there all day and I'm going to start going, I think now twice a week.

27:00Got it. But I was in Cabo last week with my kids and we were just talking about this and I was up before them on the phone with general contractors for our Austin store and on emails and trying to do all the things, you know? So I am, I'm very much involved and my emails are outrageous, you know? It just sort of is what it is. What do you mean outrageous? it. They stress me out so much. That is the one thing I hate email so much. If I don't look at my phone, I'll come back and it's just, it's hundreds. So what happens on the other three days? So you're two days a week in the office. Yep. And the other three days, what does that look like?

27:30A lot of podcast work. So, and with my podcast, I have an incredible producer, but really I'm the one doing all the prep work. I'm of course, obviously taping the podcast. I do a first pass listen at it. And then I'm going through and approving all of the clips. I mean, I'm doing, I'm doing a lot of it. people don't realize how much work a podcast is. No, they don't. They do not realize. I definitely didn't. But I do think if you're really hands-on with it, and you have a partner, right? You're with Dear Media. Yes, yes. But you have a producer and you're hands-on and you're like in the studio.

28:02You're like doing that from home. So luckily I have a studio in my house, which is incredible. So I can just walk on out there. But yes, a lot of the times I am prepping because what I'll do is I'll come out to LA and I'll bank, you know, four or five, six podcasts. But yeah, it's a lot of prep work and then the past. But so it's podcast, it's Uncommon James. I just launched a new sparkling juice with protein called Fizzin. I love. I'm working on a - How much protein is in? I should have brought you one. You definitely should have. What was I thinking? It's actually rude not to. We'll send you guys some.

28:33I'm not the protein freak. Like every day I'm like, I'm at 125 grams. Okay, I got you. I can't eat a number of fucking things. You don't need chicken anymore. I'm like, I'm going to do some Fizzin. I'm sitting here with cottage cheese. It's like a cocoa. But I'm also working on, I'm launching a company called True Bakes and it's because I've got cookbooks. So some of my recipes, ready to bake baking mixes that you just add egg and oil or whatever to it. So you're doing the most. I'm doing the most. And why are you doing, like tell me what is it that drives you to doing all of these different things?

29:02Is it about the money? Is it about satisfying different parts of your creativity? Like I really want to understand, like why are you doing all of those things? Great, fair question. I get something different from all of them. My real passion is actually in the health world, I would say. I've had four books, but three of them are cookbooks and they're all very healthy. And when people come up to me on the street, this has happened more when my cookbooks came out, it's been a few years, but people would come up to me and say, I've started cooking how you cook and I've lost 20 pounds. It's like that for me is everything.

29:36And because I have three kids and I've always been so conscious about everything I'm putting in my body and used to be their bodies. Now that they're older, I can only control so much. But when I'm at home, you know, I'm cooking very healthy. And so these recipes that I'm doing for True Bakes, they all have a hidden added benefit. So like my zucchini almond butter blondies, they have zucchini in them. I have green banana muffins with spinach in them and you can't taste it. But so I just want all of this to be really accessible for moms, that specifically for moms, where it's easy to actually get some nutrition in your kids without it becoming this huge battle.

30:09Are you driven by money at all? Absolutely. I would be lying if I said it. I always have been, by the way, my whole life. And I think, so my parents got a divorce in third grade and my dad moved to California. My mom got remarried and we moved to Chicago. And my mom at the time wouldn't give me anything, anything. I remember one time I wanted a$40 pair of jeans and she wouldn't buy it for me. I mean, it drove me crazy at the time, but I'm so thankful now because it taught me that if I wanted something, I was going to have to work for it. I was going to have to make it happen myself. And then I moved to California my freshman year of high school and I moved in with my dad and it was a very different situation.

30:47My dad didn't throw money at me, but it was never an issue. If I wanted money, I could have money. And I didn't, for some reason, I didn't like it. I didn't want to take his money. So I went and got a job when I was 16 because I wanted to, not because I had to. And I remember that was interesting for my dad. My dad kind of brought that up. Like, why are you working? I've just never wanted to take money that wasn't mine. And I saw with my stepmom at the time, they had a very toxic dynamic around money. My dad used to have to give me money in an envelope. He would lie to her about it. And I just knew I never wanted to be in a relationship, an unhappy relationship or a toxic relationship because of money.

31:26To me, I knew at a young age, money was freedom. Money gives you choices. And especially as a woman, I just think it's so important. And so I've always wanted the option to stay or leave.

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32:17Have you had unfortunate money experiences in your life? I'm just thinking you were famous, like so young and had so much more money than like a probably a regular 20 year old would have access to. Well, my dad, I lent my dad money. I mean, hundreds of thousands of dollars in my early twenties that I'll never see, which, you know, listen, is it fine? I don't know. It is what it is. And I've had to grapple with it, you know, and I've ultimately put it to bed and made peace with it. But I think as a parent now, I can't imagine asking my kids for money, especially that amount of money and putting that on them.

32:55And I think at the time I didn't know how to say no to my dad. That's also been sort of like a big life lesson for me. And I've ultimately cut my dad out of my life. So I really figured out how to say no to him, but it was really hard for me when I was younger. And so that's probably like the biggest, the biggest thing that stands out in my mind. In terms of like how you think about teaching your kids about money, is that even something that you're thinking about? Yes. Because you were raised in a very specific way, but very differently between your mother and your father. So now that you, I mean, you're a single mom, like what are you telling your kids?

33:28Yeah. Well, I really value how my mom raised me with money. So my kids don't just get whatever they want. And if they want something, they have to work for it. So good example is last summer, both of my boys created their own little businesses. So one of my boys was washing windows, people's windows. And the other one was washing people's garbage cans because if they want something, they got to go work for it and they got to make it happen. I try to be very hyper aware of that because they are growing up in a very fortunate situation. And I want them to know, this is my money. This is not your money.

33:59And, you know, something as small as they fly coach, I'm flying in first class. That was important to me when they became old enough that they could. It's so difficult to do that, isn't it? No, it's not when they're older. I'm all, bye. Bye guys, have fun back there. See you later. No, I think when they're younger, you know, like small kids. Well, you can't because first of all, I couldn't put my three in the back. I'd be like, please don't fight. Please don't fight. Who knows what's going to happen back there? But now you'll figure it out. They'll be fine. Yeah. And it's good for them. And I think it's, it's little things like that as a parent that make ultimately, I think a big difference in the long run.

34:31So tell me about, like, I understand how you're spending your time in your businesses, but I'm really interested in the way that you look at, you've got three kids, you're single, you've got all of these businesses. How do you even approach financial planning? Like, are you sitting here going like, okay, I expect my podcast to make XYZ and I need to start this new thing. And I have an expectation over there. I'm just interested, like what your relationship looks like to money and how you're figuring out like where you're spending your time. Well, I have a financial advisor who I do meet with, of course, and he helps me with all of that.

35:08But yeah, I mean, I know how much my, I know, I know I have a guarantee for my podcast and then I can, of course, make more. So I know that that is set. I have my salary at Uncommon James. I have these set incomes, which is great. And then anything else I do on top is just icing on the cake. And I know what it takes to live my life annually without changing anything, right? I think that's the beautiful thing of having a financial advisor. I wouldn't be able to do that on my own, but he can sit here and tell me what it takes. And so I know in my head, okay, I've got X amount coming in and it takes X amount to run my life.

35:40But I also am thinking about in 10, 15 years, what that looks like. And so, you know, I do need a certain amount of money if I want to maintain my lifestyle and I do have to keep working. And so that is a driver for me. I have a certain amount in my head that I would like to make, but then I could actually kick back and not have to worry about any money for the rest of my life. You've spoken quite a lot about the need for financial independence. I think it's really interesting because again, it sounds like that wasn't necessarily something that came from your childhood. That's something that you've decided for yourself?

36:13I think it started with seeing my dad and my stepmom in that dynamic and just knowing how unhappy they were together. But she was staying because I don't think she had another option. Which happens to so many women. I know. And I think about that all the time. And I hate that. If I could go out there and help every woman and be like, this is what we have to do. I just, yeah, I knew I never wanted to be in that situation. And especially having a daughter. I mean. And you've never found yourself in that situation? Because again, you've had money from such a young age. I did. I will tell you that what ultimately gave me the confidence to leave my marriage was the success of Uncommon James.

36:52Really? Yeah. That gave me the confidence to be like, yeah, I don't know. I know what I'm doing. And which is interesting because if I didn't have Uncommon James, I could have taken half of his money. Right. But because I had this company, there was a really large asset on our balance sheet. I didn't get anything, which I'm so happy about now, but I don't get any money from my ex-husband. I had to give him half the value of Uncommon James and cash and properties and everything else. Yeah. Isn't that interesting? Yeah. Interesting is one word for it. I was, I was really pissed at the time. And now I'm so thankful because I think for me, I've needed these things in my life to keep going.

37:33and I have found that that is an instance where I was like, I'm going to fight harder. Those little moments push me and I actually come out the other side stronger. What advice would you give to other women that end up like in a situation where obviously there's like financial entanglement, like now having the benefit of hindsight, would you have done anything differently? I don't know what you can do differently. I mean, I will say, I don't believe that just because you're married to someone, you're entitled to half, man or woman, on either side of it. because unless your blood, sweat and tears are in it too and you can prove that you are.

38:05Yeah, if you start something together, it's different. That's very different. But if it's just because you were married, I don't agree with that at all. I think those laws need to change. But other than that, I mean, no, I don't know what else I could have done differently. I mean, I'm still so thankful that I started on Common James to begin with. I'm glad I did it all. You know, it just sort of is what it is. But it's kind of amazing and freeing to think that you actually started the very thing that ultimately has given you freedom. Absolutely. The fact that you were able to create a company that meant that you could leave an unhappy relationship that meant that actually you could uncouple yourself from that man and still come out on the other end.

38:47Exactly. With the one who has the asset. Exactly. It's pretty impressive. Thank you. Do you have a relationship with your ex? Just a co-parenting relationship, you know? I'd say that's pretty much it. Did you have to make a lot of trade-offs like during that period? like other trade-offs in terms of like your ambition and the things that you wanted to do? You know, I look at that time period where my life, like right before my divorce, during my divorce, or I guess I should say right before, I felt just so overwhelmed with everything. I was posting, I had launched Uncommon James, I was doing a reality show, I was doing cookbooks.

39:24I had three little kids. My marriage was falling apart. I felt like I couldn't breathe. And so when we finally split, I felt like I could breathe again. Like I had a minute and that felt really nice. And it felt like all of a sudden I had some freedom and it was during COVID also, which I think was a timing. It was a huge blessing. And so I just felt like I could come up for air again. What a gift. I needed that. Yeah, really badly. And I felt like I found myself again. I got my spark back. Like I was a shell of who I was and I didn't even realize it at the time. But then when I started to get my spark back, even my mom and all my friends were like, oh my God, I can't even, you're back.

40:08You're back to your old self. And so that time period felt like just freedom and refinding myself. Which is like, it's huge. And I also, I hired my C-suite level in the exact same time in the height of COVID. Like I think - Because the business was exploding. Exploding, exploding. And so I think the last episode of Very Cavallari aired in March of 2020. I filed for, or we announced our divorce in April of 2020. My C-suite level started in May of 2020. It was just like, boom, boom, boom. The world just shut down. So literally, I don't even know what is happening. And in the same breath then, I think because my C-suite level came in, it allowed, not only did I have a little bit more time now, because at the time, Jay and I did 50-50 with the kids.

40:50That has since changed, but we did at the time. So I had every other week where, Oh my. You could pour yourself into it. What am I doing with all my time? It was amazing. And I also now have people helping me with a company. And so I'm not on emails till 10 p.m. every night. And I just, I just needed it so bad. It was a huge blessing. I really want to talk to you a bit about, you touched on like the way you have the business or your businesses, and then you have your family and one doesn't encroach on the other. Let's talk about that. Let's talk about it. Let's talk about that. How do you think, I mean, again, because, you know, while you've been running this business, you've always had kids, right?

41:29Because you started it when they were really, really little. What does it actually look like running a business that is growing, doing all of these things? What's the reality of how you're able to mother in a way that seemingly like you're making the decisions and you're deciding? So I think we talked about this when you came on my podcast. you can't be the best at everything that you do. That is true. There's just not enough as much time in the day. I have chosen, this might be a little bit different than most of the people who have sat in this chair. I have chosen to be the best mom that I can be and be a good business owner.

42:04And that's the trade-off. I would love to sit here and tell you Uncommon James is a$100 million company and it's not. But I am the best mom and my kids would tell you that also. And that to me was more important than being, you know, the best, the best business owner on the planet. So what does that look like? Like as you say that, because you're essentially saying your trade-off is actually being your professional career. You've decided that actually you're going to put 110 % in to your kids because that's the most important thing. Consciously, what does that decision look like? Like you're saying no to opportunities.

42:39I say no to a lot of opportunities. Yeah. And I think because I live in Tennessee, a lot of things are in LA or New York or wherever they are. And I do say no to a lot. And I also think that's a good thing because it puts everything in perspective. It makes you only do the things that you absolutely want to do. And by the way, I don't know what else I need to be doing. I feel very fulfilled and I feel on the business front, I'm doing everything I want to do. So I don't know what else I would even say yes to. So that's actually been really easy for me to turn down opportunities. I think also my kids are in school all day, right?

43:12I have full days where I can do all of the work things. I'm very efficient. I'm very organized. I'm very on top of it. I can be doing 20 things at once and they can be done perfectly. But you're walking out of that office at four o 'clock because you go home earlier. My kids get home at like 3.20 every day. And I'm like, Tuesday, sometimes I will stay a little bit later. Usually sometimes I'm home like 3.45, 4. But no, I mean, I'm like, yeah, I'm pretty adamant about it. I think there are so many ways to come into being a businesswoman and a mother. And there is no one size fits all. And what works for me is very different from what will work for you.

43:48But I do think it's really important to be honest about the things that give and honest about what it actually takes, what your infrastructure looks like, like all of the things, right? Because I'm sure how you were doing things, perhaps even, you know, in the first two, three years of the business is very different from what you're able to do now. So give me an idea of like what it actually looked like for you. Yeah. I mean, and that's the thing is my days are never the same. I mean, I can run you through a Tuesday. Okay. So the day that I go to the office, I wake up and I make breakfast and lunches for my kids.

44:20We are out the door at 7.30. I'm home at 8.05, 8.10. I'm not working out that day. You know, I'm just not, I don't have time for it. I get ready. I'm in the office by like 9 45 I also live 45 minutes away from my office which is I could do brutal it's brutal it's brutal that is not ideal I would build a house in the office it's really not ideal it's a lot of time wasted it's really not not but I can't do I was gonna say you can do phone calls and you can listen to yourself on your podcast you could do that first pass oh wait I don't know why I haven't been doing that well you want to know why because I'm highlighting stuff to take out oh okay fine And you need a hand.

44:58You need a hand. This is it. And I also, but I also value that time to listen to music. Oh, that's so nice. Do you like singing in the car? Yes. Oh, I love singing in the car. I need to check out. Yeah, I need that too. What a glorious 45 minutes you have. But my Tuesdays, I'm in meetings the entire day. Sometimes I'm shoving food in my mouth in between meetings because that's just how it is. Yeah. I will leave usually like 3.15, home by 3.45, 4. And then I'm making dinner. We're off. My kids are also so active right now. I mean, we're in summer break, but right before my boys are playing basketball, my daughter's playing volleyball.

45:29Like we are just on the move constantly. And then I'm in bed like nine, 9.15. Wow. Sleep is the most important thing to me. What a mom. What a girl. I'm not doing any of that. But I'll tell, what time, oh, I think I asked you this too. What time are you going to bed? I'm going to bed. I'm going to bed around, like I like to be in my bed at 10. That's right. Right? Like that's like, but I just am not someone who has ever slept particularly well. Like I can sleep anywhere. Like, you know, it's like I could sleep here, but I don't like have, you know, I'm not very, very good at sleeping, but also I'm not doing all the things that you're doing.

46:03Like I'm not up and making the breakfast and cooking the lunches and ferrying them around. It's like that bit I miss. Like, and that is, you know, again, that's like my truth. I sit and I eat breakfast with my kids and I eat dinner every night with my kids. Even if I'm going out for dinner, it's like, I'm going to sit and like be with them at the table, but I don't cook the dinner. I've thought a million times, I should get a private chef, but I do love cooking. That's also that's like, but that's your passion. I love it. I really understand. So then on the flip side of that, what have you outsourced to be able to, because your company's not small, right?

46:36I've read that your company was like$50 million. Yeah. We're just shy of 50. So you're just shy of$50 million. It's not a small business. There's a hundred staff. What bits of the business are you outsourcing that enables you to be really hands-on at home? Well, first of all, my team is phenomenal. I mean, they really are. But really where I sit within the company is everything product related and marketing. Those are the two areas that I absolutely love. Do you have a CEO? So, okay. I just recently, I am. And I just recently let go of my entire C-suite. What? Yeah. No, you didn't. All of them on the telly, on the, on the, on the show.

47:16Did you do this as part of a, you gotta go. It sounds like it, right? You know what? It really is. Who lets go of all of this C-suite at once? Like I'm like, do you need me to come? Make sure I do something. If you want to, I would be more than happy to have you come. I'm really panicked for you. Yeah, it was time. And I am not going to re - So I let my COO go about a year ago and then hired my VP of merch, who I am promoting to CMO. She's phenomenal. I just let go of my CFO and my CMO, my marketing. And I - Why? What is the reason? Um, they're all terrible. I don't want you to talk about individuals.

47:54If I can't justify why I'm paying you. Yeah. I'd say if I'm doing your job, not finance, but I still have three people on the finance team. I think with marketing, I'm so passionate about it. I love it so much that I'm so involved with it. And we have a huge, most of our team is on the marketing team and they're incredible. And I just, I realized we don't have a need for that role anymore. I won't be rehiring that. And we had four people on finance. We're a small company. Yeah. That's outrageous. And you would have to take a step back and really evaluate everything. I'm trying to just trim all the fat right now.

48:36Right. I'm like reeling everything in because I was a little lax about things for a while. And when I'm sitting here looking at everything, I'm trying to really evaluate, to evaluate where's all this money going?

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50:02I love that you're talking about this because I do think there comes a period in any company, I've had this, certainly at Good American, but in other businesses where you look around and you go, what happened? Like, what is this swell? I brought people in who brought people in to bring other people in. And now, you know, there used to be 15 of us who did this and now there's 57. And I do understand that. So you got to a point actually where you were just like, this is not the company that I want to run. I sort of stepped away for a few years, if I'm being completely honest. And about a year ago, I started getting really involved again.

50:40And I've just been taking it all in, seeing it all. And yes, now I'm cleaning the house. What was the reason you stepped away? Time, quite honestly. And you know, because you hire these people, these experts who have all this experience and you think, great, I can lean on them. And I was still designing all the jewelry and I still was doing all product related things, developing skincare and doing all these things. but I wasn't involved in the day-to-day like I am now or like I was. And it makes a difference. It makes a difference. And when I started to get more involved again, yeah, it was, it is, it's like you wake up and you're like, hang on a second.

51:15How did we get here? And why are we spending so much money? And cause you know, the thing is too, because it is my money. It's just me. Right. And no one is going to appreciate your money the same way that you do. And it even like looking at softwares and apps that we're using. I'm like, what is going on? Everyone has all their own apps. I'm like, Hey, we got to, we got to allocate those guys. Like this is crazy. And so I just think periodically you have to take an assessment of what's going on and reel everybody in. Honestly, I think that that's such a great piece of advice because again, I feel like I've done that systematically in almost every company that I've ever been a part of.

51:53And there comes a point where you really have to make a decision about what type of business you want to run. And if you're very clear about that and you're in it day to day, like you do know, like you, you build it. What's interesting is like, you have to then be willing to go back in and do it. So I think that's why I didn't for so long, because I knew it was going to make my workload a lot more. And that scared me a little bit, but ultimately this is my baby. You know, I care the most and I am so passionate about it. For me, that's been the trickiest part that was like allocating all of my time on the business front and it scared me, but now I'm so fired up about it and it's exactly what I needed.

52:33And we also talked about this, the same people who get you from 50 million are not the same that get you to a hundred million. And unfortunately in business, sometimes I do think you need fresh blood. You need to kind of shake things up a little bit and you outgrow people. It's just the nature of the beast. Yeah. Is there anything in you, the struggles with those decisions? Yes, because when I personally like someone, it makes it really hard. I had to let someone go recently and it was really hard because I really loved her. But ultimately, I have to do what's best for the business. I'd say that's one of the hardest things about owning a business is having to make decisions sometimes solely based on the business and removing your emotion from it.

53:11How are you thinking about growth differently? I guess like in this chapter of your life, both in the business, but also personally? Yeah, there's this pressure now, right? For the growth. When you launch, you're like in la-la land. Like, this is exciting. Like, again, I never even thought about it. But now it's like, you always just feel it. It's always on your shoulders. And part of selling excites me to let go of that. Like, just let that go. I do feel this pressure to continue to grow. And I do want to be a$100 million company one day. I just, I don't know. Because again, it's allocating my time.

53:46If I was in the office every day, I think we could easily do it. Of course. And that's not just crediting my team whatsoever. Again, I just think as the founder, when you live and breathe this, and I think it's an energy, right? It trickles down to everybody and everyone can feel it. And when you're fired up and excited, everyone is. And I just think, again, I just can't do it right now. How much pressure do you feel from the outside? Because again, I think when you look at where you started, you're the one who's kind of like the shiny bright star that has this like fantastic business and a big career still.

54:19And I wonder if there's any part of you that's like, I have to like keep that up, you know? No, and I can honestly tell you that. I would be okay. I mean, this is not going to happen, but if the world fell apart, right? An uncommon James, just, I would be okay just being like, I don't know. I couldn't do it anymore. I don't want to do it anymore because I want to be home and just travel the world and whatever it may be. I would be okay with that. I think because I've experienced enough failure publicly that that doesn't scare me, which thank God, because I would not want that to be my driver. No, totally.

54:53What would you say to somebody that is sitting at home and listening to your story and hearing the way that you have slowly built this business that really feels so intrinsically like you and you've had like great moments with it and you've had moments where you know you've needed to step back in. For someone who's kind have already decided like what she's supposed to be doing, what her destiny is. What's your advice? I would say go for it and just give it 110%. And I, I think, you know, I didn't even go to college, right? Like I don't have any degree whatsoever. I do have passion and drive and an incredible work ethic.

55:33And I think if you have those things, you can do anything, truly anything. and you can't let some no's stop you. You can't let people get in your head and tell you not to do it. Listen, people are always going to tell you no and you can't let that stop you. And I think, I hope that I can be inspiring and show people that if I can do it, you can do it, truly. Like if I can create a business and make it work for me, you can do it. I also think you have to, we're living in this society now where unless you're a$250 million business, it's like you're not successful. I make a salary every year from Uncommon James.

56:09It's a really good salary. I am making money every single year. That's a good thing. That's a great thing. It's more than a good thing. Exactly. It's a great thing. Like to me, that's successful. I don't think that every business needs to be like a unicorn or it needs to be something so insane that the whole world knows about. You could literally have a business that pays you, that pays a couple of people, that gives you a nice life. And like that is not just good, it's enormously successful. Exactly. enormously successful. Yeah. And so don't let society tell you that you're not successful. Looking back, is there anything that, and this is not about regret, is there anything that you would do differently?

56:45You've been such an open book. You had the bloody show. You've, you know, again, you've lived your life in this very open way. Are there things that you're like, ah, I would probably not do that. My career as a whole. I mean, I've essentially grown up in front of the public. I've done and said really stupid things, but I was growing up as a kid, or I'm also just figuring it out. I've never been a 39 year old woman before. Like I'm still figuring it out. You know what I mean? Like we're all figuring it out. And I think learning how to have more grace for everybody in general, I think is really important.

57:16I've had to learn that myself, but it's just, it's a wild ride. I will say this. When I look back at my life, while there's been a lot of hard times and things I'm not proud of, it's been a really great life. I've had a lot of fun. I've gotten to do really cool, amazing things, meet incredible people. I've got three of the most amazing kids on the planet. I have creative freedom. Like I'm doing the thing and I'm really proud of that. And I'm really thankful every single day for that. Oh, what a great place to be. I have one last question for you before I move to rapid fire. What are you still aspiring to now in your life?

57:4910 years ago, it would have been such a different answer. Right now for me, what really fills my cup is my kids. Like truly. And I think we were talking before we started rolling. I have five more years with my oldest Camden in the house. That wrecks me when I think about it. I've got eight years total with all of them. And to some people, that probably sounds like a lot of time. You know how fast that goes as a mom. And so I am trying to just take it all in, be around as much as possible. And by the way, they also already want to be with their friends all the time. So like my time with them is pretty precious.

58:19And if I died today, I could look back and be like, I did it. I really did it. I think I want to travel the world, but I think I'll do that later in life. I would like to get married again. Dating has, you know, slipped by. That is one area that's really suffered, but I'm okay with that because it's working kids right now. And I know this is a phase and that won't be forever. And when the right guy is supposed to come into my life, he will, but yeah. I love that. I have absolutely no doubt. I'm going to take you to some rapid fire. What is the one healthy habit or routine that you swear by? I feel like I have a lot, but okay.

58:55Give me the good ones. I want to know. Well, I really think the infrared sauna and meditating in the sauna is... Meditating in the sauna. In the sauna. So kill two birds with one stone. I only do 20 minutes, so it's quick. But the physical detox, it's also because I'm meditating. It feels like a mental detox as well. That for me is something I can't go without. How often are you in the sauna? Only probably three days a week, but it makes a difference. Meditating really, as much as we all hear it and say it, I can tell a huge difference when I'm active and when I'm not. Yeah. Yeah. Do you have like a specific meditation that you go to?

59:31So I used to love Headspace. And then because I've done a lot of hypnotherapy now, it's more of a visualization. But hypnotherapy essentially is a deep meditation and it's a visualization. And so I think because I've done a lot of that, I sort of tap into that. And it's three days a week for you that you're meditating or three days a week in the sauna? Both. I wish I could meditate every day. No, no, no. I could. I never get to it more than three or four times a week, but similar to you, I 100 % know when I go without. Like I start getting like the edges of me start fraying. Exactly. Yeah. Huge difference.

1:00:05Way more frisal. What's something 17 year old. I'm laughing at my own question. Actually, this is very sweet and heartfelt. What is something 17 year old you desperately needed to hear? That I am enough. That I am whole. I was such a mess. I was so insecure and I was overcompensating for that, which is why people thought I was so confident on the show, but I was not at all. What's something that you spent your life thinking you needed, but you realized you actually did not need it at all? Any sort of outside validation from anybody. Everything that we need comes from within. This is a fucking question from the fucking team.

1:00:46I'm just blaming you lot right now. I'm scared. It's a really good one. I really rate you bitches. Everybody's like, oh. I'm going to point to whoever I think did it. I was going to actually change the ending of it, but we're going to do both. I'm going to do both. Lauren, Heidi or Spencer, who would you call first if you needed a favor? I'll never live any of this down. A favor. A favor. Well, Heidi, I talk to the most for sure. So I guess I would say Heidi. Cute. Depends on the favor, I guess. Depends on what you need. Yeah, hang on. What do I need? What is a book that changed your life? The Four Agreements.

1:01:22I think it's a book I've read, I don't know, 15 times over the years. but I think if you can really apply these four things, it really makes a difference in your life. It's an easy read. I think everyone can read it. Have you read it? I've read it so many times. I even have the little mini version in my bag, which I think is so cute. I just think it's a good book for everybody. And I think everything in it, it's so true. When you can apply it, it makes a difference. It's heaven. Christine, thank you so much. Thank you. You're a diamond. So good.

1:01:53If you're loving this podcast, be sure to click follow on your favorite listening platform. While you're there, give us a review and a five-star rating and share an episode you loved with a friend. We'll be so grateful. Aspire with Emma Greed is presented by Odyssey. I'm your host, Emma Greed. Our executive producers are Ashley McShan, Derek Brown, and me. Executive producers from Odyssey are Asha Saluja and Leah Rees-Dennis. Producer, KK Sublime. Stephen Key is our senior producer. Sound design and engineering by Bill Shultz. Angela Peluso is our booker. Original music by Charles Black. Video production by Phil Sweetek and Carlos Delgado.

1:02:32Social media by Olivia Homan, Catherine Bale. Special thanks to Brittany Smith, Sydney Ford, my teams at The Lead Company and WME. Josephina Francis, Hilary Schuff, Eric Donnelly, Kate Hutchinson-Rose, Tim Meikle, Evan Cox, Kurt Courtney, Andrew Steele, Sean Cherry, and Lauren Vieira. If you have questions for me, you can DM me at Aspire with Emma Greed. Greed is spelled G-R-E-D-E. That's Aspire, A-S-P-I-R-E with Emma Greed. Or you can submit a question to me on my website, emmagreed.me.

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