What We Learned At Harvard & The Ideas That Will Change How You Think, Work & Build Your Future

14:36Michael Bosstick:We do something right and we just analyze over and over what we did right and how great we are and how great that was. And we just overstudy, but we ignore what we did wrong. It's too painful to look at. Or for the masochists out there, and this is probably me, something goes wrong and we just only focus on the things that went wrong and how to fix it. And we never take the time to analyze what went right during the win. So if you're somebody listening or watching this and you're building something or you're working a job or you're creating something or you're working with a team, the lesson there that we learned in this particular Harvard case study was you have to analyze the wins just as heavily as you analyze the losses and vice versa.

15:10Michael Bosstick:You want to look at both of them. You want to know what's going right all the time and really study that. And then you want to also study what's really going wrong so that you can find the improvements on things that you need to improve that on the wrong side. But then you can double down again in other areas on the things that were on the right side. So that was a big takeaway for me because, again, I think sometimes companies can focus on one or the other. And it was clear for this one, they focus on both. And that was a huge lesson.

15:31Lauryn Bosstick:I felt like one of the most valuable lessons that I learned there was that if you are a brand or a creator, you have a product line, you have to build an ecosystem. and the way I look at that is an octopus so say like the creator or the entrepreneur is the head each tentacle needs to make sense within that ecosystem you want to build a world so you don't want to just build a bunch of random products or be doing a bunch of random collabs and nothing makes sense like it needs to make sense so like the YouTube should support the show and the show should support a book launch if you're going to write a book and the book should maybe then lead back to a sub stack.

16:10Lauryn Bosstick:Like everything needs to feel like there's a world. And someone who obviously has done an incredible job of doing that is road. When you look at road, you feel like there's a world there. It's all encompassing. It's an ecosystem. And I think what you don't want to do is have a bunch of isolated products. So I've seen people, you know, someone will have a supplement line and then they'll also have a beauty line and then maybe they'll start a clothing brand. And then maybe they'll be working with a bunch of different other collaborators. I think you have to get really focused and almost demonstrate restraint when it comes to what you're saying yes to.

16:48Lauryn Bosstick:And listen, I can totally understand how it can be alluring to have a lot of different options, but you really have to learn what to say no to. So I think you want to make sure that your strategy is an ecosystem and a world and not just random products that feel disjointed.

17:05Michael Bosstick:So there we were running around Boston and Harvard. And one thing I regret that we didn't do, but also don't regret is there was an opportunity to stay in the dorms. And Lauren and I, you know, we didn't, one, I don't think we even realized that going into it. And we each had our own little dorm room as part of the tuition, but we were staying in Boston in a hotel room. And I almost think we should have got the full dorm experience.

17:30Lauryn Bosstick:You just wanted to have sex in the dorm. I feel like you have a weird fantasy about this. You kept wanting to go up to the dorm room. Like if I would have worn a plaid skirt and cosplayed like you're you've got a thing with the dorm.

17:43Michael Bosstick:You know, though, I will say this is where maybe I mean, when I think about my old college days, I would have slept in a in a corner under a under a desk somewhere. But now maybe I'm just gotten a little too fancy where I can't not be in a in a hotel with room service.

17:56Lauryn Bosstick:I think that you don't want to sleep in the dorms ultimately because our dorm rooms were separate and on separate floors. And you might be a little too codependent to sleep on your own.

18:05Michael Bosstick:Well, it just felt a little strange to me because we've been married for so long. We're going to sleep in the same area, but like in different rooms.

18:10Lauryn Bosstick:Let me tell you something about Michael Bostic. He loves a morning chit chat. He wants to come sit down with his coffee and put his head in his hands and his elbows on the bed and do a little goss, talk a little juice, recap what he did last night, talk about finances, whatever the fuck you want to do you could not have been in a separate what's that old rodney

18:32Michael Bosstick:dangerfield movie where he goes back to college you're too young for that carson that's kind of what i felt like what that is yeah carson i don't know who rodney danger you know what you know rodney dangerfield let's get the hell out of the studio okay carson's a fetus um no but i felt like i just i just felt a little bit too old and mature so you just didn't want to do it i just didn't want to do it i'm not i'm not gonna lie i mean i know that maybe that's maybe like a not a nice thing to say, but I just feel like I've come, I've come a long way and I really liked the course, but I was like, do we have to also sleep there?

19:01Michael Bosstick:I'll just show up. I would have liked a nice

19:03Lauryn Bosstick:dorm where I just could be by myself.

19:05Michael Bosstick:So anyways, um, one of the things that was also incredible that we did and, you know, for people that are interested in AI, starting to think about AI, dear media, our company, we use AI, we're integrating it into other areas and there's a lot of fear around this. And so there's a lot of fear, like, is this going to take my job? Is this going to displace me? Is this going to make things worse? My answer to that is absolutely yes, unless you're somebody who learns how to use these tools. So for example, somebody who was still using the fax machine when email came out, like, yeah, they lost their job.

19:34Michael Bosstick:Somebody who was still using the sickle when the lawnmower came out, they lost their job. Somebody who's just using horses when the car came out, they lost their job. We have to evolve with technology. But what they showed in this course is we got paired into groups. And these groups, we had to create a snack business from scratch using AI. And then we had to create a website with AI and then present to the class.

19:55Lauryn Bosstick:Whose was prettier? Mine or yours?

19:57Michael Bosstick:Yours was prettier, but mine was better.

19:58Lauryn Bosstick:Nope. Don't agree at all. At all. In fact, pull receipts. Mine was better.

20:05Michael Bosstick:Okay. No, yours was a good brand name.

20:08Lauryn Bosstick:Actually, I would like everyone who's listening to...

20:11Michael Bosstick:Wait, let's not derail here. Yours was a good brand name, but I want to finish with...

20:14Lauryn Bosstick:Mine was checked every box, but that's okay.

20:15Michael Bosstick:But the point is, is the professor that taught this AI course, he showcased and pointed out that AI is great, but the potential it can reach when human beings put their minds and creativity together, it can be such an incredible tool, but on its own, it really can't do some of the things. So what it did is they show that it increased the output of creativity and productivity and the speed at which you could do things when human teams got together to use these things. On their own, they're interesting tools, but what they demonstrated is these are not things you necessarily need to be scared of.

20:45Michael Bosstick:They're things you can use together to make better and bigger things as human beings and as a group. And so, you know, for anyone that's out there and they're nervous and they don't know about AI, I highly suggest that you do experiment around. There's so many different ways you can learn now on YouTube and on different platforms, you know, whether on ChatGPT or Claude or Gemini or whatever it is. And it just increases human potential. So that was one of the things we learned. And it'll leave me a lot because, you know, there's a lot of fear around AI.

21:12Lauryn Bosstick:I don't feel fearful about AI. I feel very excited that there's an efficiency that's a robot.

21:17Michael Bosstick:Well, it's also like, you know, imagine if we all still were communicating the way that, you know, we communicated 50 years ago, like just think about the productivity. But what they also showed is that it just creates more opportunity. So, so yeah, so that, that dovetails in, you know, we had an incredible time at Harvard. I would be lying if I said in the beginning, we were both looking at each other saying, do we make the right decision? And at the end, we were both so incredibly grateful to have the experience and to do it. It really rounded out and it taught us a lot.

21:43Lauryn Bosstick:All right. I'm going to tell you guys about something that I've been so into lately, and that is polymarket. Okay. I'm someone that likes to be ahead of the trends. I like to be avant-garde with my thinking. I like to be ahead of the conversation, if you will. I want to spot things early and I want to stay plugged in to what's happening across culture, entertainment with celebrities and so much more. So I know that you will also be into this. Okay. So the way to think about Polymarket is it's the most accurate real-time signal on topics that you already follow. It's kind of like a fortune teller crystal ball, if you will.

22:20Lauryn Bosstick:It moves before the news does. So if you're in the know, you finally can have a place where you can benefit from being ahead of the curve, ahead of the pulse. The markets are on everything, so you can go on there and get all the juice. So if Taylor Swift is going to get married in Manhattan, who will be her bridesmaids? And even the latest AI news. You can even look at like AI advances in the tech market and the most talked about entertainment media trends. Lately, I am checking the odds of AI. So I like to go on there and see what's going to happen with tech and AI and all the things. But don't sleep on the celebrity news either.

22:57Lauryn Bosstick:What I think is really cool, though, about Polymarket is it's not limited to a category. OK, it has entertainment. It has tech. It has culture. It really is a medley kind of like Chex Mix. It's all in one place and it's all things that people are already talking about. And if you know Michael and I and you know this about us, we like to see things early on. What I really like about it is it really gives you a sharp read on where things are in the market before the news drops. Polymarket is now available in the U.S. App Store. You can trade on culture, entertainment and more all in one place. Download the app and use code SKINNY to get$50 to trade when you make a qualifying$20 deposit.

23:37Lauryn Bosstick:You can go check out the app in the U.S. App Store. That's Polymarket in the U.S. App Store.

23:43Michael Bosstick:Quick break to talk about Arma Colossum. These days, there are so many different supplements, so many different vitamins, so many things you can take for your health and your well-being. I would also say that I might bear some guilt in being somebody who talks about a lot of these companies and supplements. It's because there's so many great products out there. But if I was to think about what is one great product that really provides a ton of bang for your buck, it would be Armor Colostrum. Ever since Lauren and I had the founder of Armor on this podcast and learned all about the incredible benefits of taking colostrum, we have not looked back.

24:11Michael Bosstick:Some of those benefits include strengthened immune health, fortified gut health, healthy metabolism, hair health, skin health, and fueled performance and recovery. What I love about Armor Colostrum is this is all potentially delivered through one simple scoop of their colostrum powder. They come in these individualized travel packets, which we take everywhere, or in these big jugs that you can leave for the home. Our children take it. We take it. Our pets take it. And it's become an absolute staple in our routine. And this is so important because we live in an environment our biology was never designed for.

24:39Michael Bosstick:EMFs, artificial light, seed oils, microplastics, endocrine disruptors, modern stressors, all of these things that we talk about on this show that's not meant to scare you, but it's meant to make you aware. So we need to do everything we can to make sure that we're fortifying our health in the best way possible, and Armor Colostrum can help you do so. So check Armra out if you've been looking for something that packs a lot of punch. Armra Colossum is a great solution for you. And of course, we've worked out a special offer for our audience. Receive 30 % off your first subscription order. Go to armra.com slash skinny or enter skinny to get 30 % off your first subscription order.

25:10Michael Bosstick:That's armra.com slash skinny.

25:13Lauryn Bosstick:For three of my pregnancies, I have taken the same prenatal and that is Ritual. It is the number one bestselling prenatal for a reason. The one that I like is the essential prenatal, and it's clinically proven to deliver key nutrients, including folate, biotin, and vitamin D. We had Gary Brucker on the podcast, and he explained how important it is to have folate when you're pregnant, and it needs to be methylated folate. And Ritual makes sure that it's methylated folate. So a lot of prenatals have folic acid, and you want to look for folate. Ritual does all of this for you, so you don't have to worry about it.

25:51Lauryn Bosstick:You can just concentrate on growing your baby, which is how it should be. Moms Taking Ritual, including me, reported the essential prenatal to be easier to swallow, gentler on the stomach, and just a better experience. I noticed when I used to swallow the prenatal while I was pregnant, it didn't make me want to gag. There's nothing worse when you're pregnant and you have to like swallow a chalky vitamin. This one is easy to swallow. It covers everything you need. and I personally love how it's non-GMO. They don't use any synthetic colorants and all of the ingredients are traceable. So they got you covered.

26:27Lauryn Bosstick:Don't settle for less than evidence-based support. Save 25 % off your first month at ritual.com slash skinny. That's ritual.com slash skinny for 25 % off your first month.

26:38Michael Bosstick:Let's talk about Beekeepers Naturals. If you're not taking Beekeepers Naturals products, what are you doing? Are you living under a rock? We love this company. We've had Carly, the founder of Beekeepers Naturals, on this podcast twice now because what she's doing is absolutely stellar. What we love about this company is they use all natural ingredients and one of the primary ingredients in their products is bee propolis. So what is propolis? Propolis is what bees use to protect their hive from germs. For us, it defends against germs on the spot and supports our immune system with 300 plus essential vitamins, antioxidants, and bioactive compounds.

27:09Michael Bosstick:What I do with these products is I take their propolis immune support throat spray pretty much every day, especially when I travel. I take a couple of sprays on my throat and what this is going to do is going to help viruses from not being able to enter my system. It's going to keep me healthy. It's going to keep my immune system on point. I hate being sick and I know most people do as well. They also have this superfood honey, which is a raw honey formulated with bee pollen and royal jelly. This is going to help support lasting energy, mental clarity, and healthy aging. So instead of slamming coffee all day long, you can take a scoop of superfood honey from beekeepers and pretty much get the same effect, but maybe in a more healthy way without the jitters.

27:42Michael Bosstick:Think about it like a clean energy supplement, but with natural honey and using bee products. The Royal Jelly is also for cognitive function, mental clarity, and skin health, surprisingly, so it packs a ton of punch for a small investment. So check them out today. Beekeepers Naturals is giving our listeners an exclusive offer. Go to beekeepersnaturals.com slash skinny or enter code skinny to get 20 % off your order. That's B-E-E-K-E-E-P-E-R-S-N-A-T-U-R-A-L-S dot com slash skinny or enter code skinny. Beekeepers Naturals products are also available at Target, Whole Foods, Walmart, Amazon, CVS, and Walgreens.

28:16Lauryn Bosstick:If you have a brand, I have some tips for you, okay? You want to own a word or a sentence. Like, what is what you're owning? So for the Skinny Confidential, what I've decided that I want to own is elevated beauty rituals. That's what we want to own. That's the category we want to own. We're crystal clear on that. And every single thing should go through the funnel of what you're owning. I also think that the best brands have consistency. So iconic brands are repeating the same core idea over and over and over again. So I think a thing to ask yourself would be, what's the word or the sentence that you're known for?

28:54Lauryn Bosstick:And what are you repeating consistently every day? Because the repetition builds the trust and the trust is what you need to sell. You have to have trust. If you don't have trust, and we talked about this on my Instagram stories, if you don't have trust, you don't have a business, in my opinion. I have actually questions that I've written down for the audience to go and sort of like do their own at-home Harvard course. Okay, you can go ask yourself this. If you're a creator, an entrepreneur, or have a product line. Okay, these are the questions. You ready, Michael?

29:25Michael Bosstick:And does it work for somebody who's maybe -

29:26Lauryn Bosstick:Should I do this on you with Dear Media?

29:28Michael Bosstick:Yeah, but is it also, does it work for people that have maybe they're working in an organization too?

29:32Lauryn Bosstick:It could work for anyone. Okay. All right. What is one thing that you're known for? So Carson could even do this too within the company. Like he could be like, I'm a producer and I'm the best producer because I work with Lauren.

29:45Michael Bosstick:My dashingly good handsome looks. No, no, no. We're talking about to your media. I get it. So you would answer this. What is one thing you're known for? And you would say that if within the company, within as a business, as what?

29:59Lauryn Bosstick:So I'll use myself as an example. I just said the Skinny Confidential is known for elevated beauty rituals. What is Dear Media known for?

30:07Michael Bosstick:Podcasts probably, but...

30:08Lauryn Bosstick:I would not say that. That's not what I would say.

30:10Michael Bosstick:Well, I'm saying if you ask most people, they would say podcasts.

30:12Lauryn Bosstick:I would say you elevate female voices in a media space.

30:17Michael Bosstick:I would say we connect the most incredible demographics to the most incredible brands and voices.

30:24Lauryn Bosstick:Okay. It's a little long in the tooth, but that's okay. You just put me on the spot. Okay. What should you stop doing? This is a great question. If you're listening and you're trying to do it all and you're trying to post and you're trying to be everything to everyone or you're in a company and you're trying to do 700 things, what should you stop doing that's going to help you double down on wherever you're most effective? So let's look at your priorities. What should you stop doing?

30:50Michael Bosstick:Well, that applies not only in your business, but personal life as well. And I think a lot of people know what they should stop doing, but they can't. And so I think writing it down on a piece of paper, what you should stop doing and maybe what you should be doing more of like a little T-bar chart. We've done that, you know, for years. I do that all the time. And it's an extremely helpful exercise because in our in our guts, we know what we should be doing less of. I love that question.

31:12Lauryn Bosstick:What deserves 10 times more attention? Okay. In your business, you could apply this like Michael said, in your personal. These are fantastic questions to ask yourself to poke holes in what you're doing.

31:24Michael Bosstick:I've noticed that in businesses, sometimes people want to give the most attention to the things they're most familiar with that makes them the most comfortable, but Sometimes you need to give less. And then sometimes there's things that are really doing well, but are quite boring that you should just do anyways. And I think, again, it's a really relevant exercise. The whole point of this and the whole point of this Harvard course is it's really objective. They take these case studies, like I said, and they show this post-action report, either what's happened and what you think will happen in the future.

31:56Michael Bosstick:And then you get to analyze it without being emotionally attached to any of it. So there's a lot of parallels in this course for what's going on either in our businesses or in other people's businesses or in personal lives. But because it's not your thing in your personal life, you can step back and analyze it objectively. And I think that was one of the most important things is to kind of like almost apply the same thing to the things that we're working on for ourselves. Because what happens is you personally get so attached to things, you get emotional about it. But if you look at it from an objective lens and you almost invite other people, like I said earlier, to look at it as well, you're going to find the right answers.

32:28Lauryn Bosstick:What business are you actually building? This is a great question. And to me, it's a sentence answer. I have noticed that when I ask someone what they do, if they are explaining a seven page thesis to me, people tune out. You got to be real compact with what business you're building. I think you should be able to describe it to an Uber driver in, in my opinion, 30 seconds.

32:52Michael Bosstick:Yeah. And if you're pitching yourself or your company or you're pitching yourself for a job and it takes you five minutes to explain people and they're scratching their head wondering what you're talking about, then you need to refine that pitch and you need to get clear for yourself on what it is you actually do and who you actually are.

33:07Lauryn Bosstick:If someone described your brand in one word, what would it be? And this could be for a creator on the internet on Instagram. What would they describe your brand as? Okay. Are you building attention or are you building an asset? That to me was the essence of the whole Harvard course. What are you building? Are you just, and we'll talk about Mr. Beast. There was a whole case study on he has built more attention than I think almost anyone has ever built.

33:33Michael Bosstick:He's the biggest one on the internet. Yeah, for sure. Which is incredible.

33:36Lauryn Bosstick:But at the same time, we really dissected, is he also simultaneously building an asset? And that was really interesting to me to be like, whoa, this is one of the biggest creators in the world. And they still, even though they have so much attention, they need to examine their business and look at it as an asset.

33:56Michael Bosstick:Well, this ties into, if you want to jump a little bit into what we just did at Cannes, I know there's some more questions we go up there, but it dovetails into many people aspire now to have a career in entertainment, whether they want to do a podcast, they want to be an influencer, they want to get into the creator economy, they want to create a streaming, whatever it may be. And it's this whole new wave of people making a living. What you have to be conscious of is that, to Lauren's point, attention is great. You want to go viral. You want to get people to follow your content, but at the end of it, you have to have a plan to actually own an asset.

34:29Michael Bosstick:If you're, if you're taking all of your time to build something online and then you're renting your time out to brands or you're renting your time out to the audience and you don't have anything to show for it for the end of the day, what I mean show for it is, do you have a company? Are you part of a brand? Do you have equity in something? Do you have, you know, a constant affiliate, like whatever it may be. You know, if, if you, if you think about Lauren and I's particular career, and I'm happy to pull back the curtain here. We started creating online content, her with her blog and social channels, me with the podcast.

34:58Michael Bosstick:And what that's translated to over the years is owned assets. Dear Media, the company that we run and own that produces and owns many other shows, her blog or her brand, The Skinny Confidential, and that asset and that product line, investments like whether it's Loon & Water or Array or Bobby Formula or whatever it may be, we've leveraged the attention online and the income there. And then we've translated into assets so that we're not in a position where if the lights turn off tomorrow, we're sitting there saying, okay, what next? And I think a lot of creators and celebrities and influencers, people that are getting into this space, they need to think about how to translate that attention into owned assets that'll take them into later life.

35:38Lauryn Bosstick:That was a turn on. Why? That was hot. That was a good one. Pull that clip. Put that clip on TikTok. That was a good one.

35:45Michael Bosstick:So let's translate into what we did. So we just got back from France. Everyone's talking about Cannes Lion. I'll be honest about Cannes Lion. I'll just be dead honest. I've done it for the last four or five years. It seems to get bigger and bigger every year. I've spent a lot of time in the South of France for many years. I typically avoid Cannes like the plague for many reasons. It's a beautiful place, but it's crowded and slammed. This particular year, there was a heat wave. There's every single person from LA and New York and in the same city all at once. They're sweating on each other. They're holding fans.

36:23Michael Bosstick:I say all that to not diminish the event, but to talk just about how chaotic Can is. So typically when we go out there, we try to make a little bit of vacation of it. We stay out in Antibes or somewhere else, and then we drive in. We see some friends that we have in France, and we have a good time. This year we spoke, or I spoke, on two panels. One, Lauren and I did an ad week panel called the Bostic Blueprint for Success, which we'll talk about. And then I did a roundtable discussion with Time Magazine and the CEO of Pinterest. And then we had a couple of meetings out there in Metzibill, but we did not fully immerse ourself into the full can lion because no matter how great the opportunity, it's just, it's just, it's a lot.

37:04Michael Bosstick:It's too much for me.

37:05Lauryn Bosstick:But we did have fun. We drank a lot of rosé. We had a lot of special mommy and daddy time. We ate a lot of good food, but it was a lot of work.

37:16Michael Bosstick:It was a lot of work. And a lot of work. What I found interesting this time is there was, you know, for years, it's been a big focus on advertisers and brands and more traditional media platforms. This year, it was all about audience building and creators. And I thought that was a real shift. Quick break to talk about branch basics. Here's the thing. If you're listening or watching this show, it's likely because you take your health and wellness seriously. You're interested in the cutting edge things that are making us better, perform better, feel better. So if you're someone who's paying attention to all of these things, what your family's eating, what you're eating, what's going on in your skin, what's in your environment, you probably also care about the ingredients in your cleaning products.

37:53Michael Bosstick:Or if you don't, you really should. I know that ever since Lauren and I met the founders of Branch Basics on this podcast and learned all about the harmful chemical cleaning supplies that we're using in our house prior to switching to Branch Basics, our heads were totally spinning. This is why when we learned about Branch Basics, we immediately made the switch and have not looked back. And Branch Basics is disrupting the cleaning space in a few really intentional ways. They fully disclose all ingredients on their packaging, which is something most conventional cleaning brands still don't do. In a clear, accessible way, everything is fragrance-free and made with human-safe ingredients designed for everyday use across your home.

38:24Michael Bosstick:And here's the good news. Branch Basics is now available everywhere you shop at Target, Target.com, Amazon, and of course, branchbasics.com. Tossing the toxins has never been more convenient. For anyone grabbing the premium starter kit, you can still get 15 % off at branchbasics.com with our code SKINNY. The premium starter kit comes with the concentrate and refillable bottles for your surface cleaners, including all-purpose bathroom, streak-free foaming hand wash, and laundry. It also comes with oxygen boost for extra stubborn stains or pots and pans, laundry, bathroom tile, and more. This kit is a great way to kickstart your human-safe cleaning routine.

38:55Michael Bosstick:Just use code SKINNY for 15 % off the premium starter kit at branchbasics.com. After you purchase when they ask where you heard about them, please make sure to mention our show.

39:02Lauryn Bosstick:All right, if you've tried everything to lose weight and you still feel stuck, this summer can be different. Weight Loss by HERS is designed to support you reaching your goals with access to affordable range of FDA-approved GLP-1 medications, including the Wegovi pill and the Wegovi pen. If you have been waiting for the right time to tackle your weight loss goals, this is it. HERS now offers access to an affordable range of FDA-approved GLP-1 medications. Everything is 100 % online through HERS. So here's what happens. You'll connect with a licensed provider who will determine if the treatment is right for you.

39:36Lauryn Bosstick:If prescribed, your medication is delivered right to your door. No insurance necessary. And it doesn't stop there. Weight loss by HERS goes beyond medication by offering access to 24-7 messaging with your care team. Ready to reach your goals? Visit 4hers.com slash skinny to get personalized, affordable care that gets you. That's F-O-R-H-E-R-S dot com slash skinny. Forhers.com slash skinny. Weight loss by HERS is not available in all 50 states. Wegovi is the registered trademark of Novo Nordisk AS. To get started and learn more, including important safety information, Wegovi clinical study information, and restrictions, visit Forhers.com.

40:14Lauryn Bosstick:That's Forhers.com.

40:16Michael Bosstick:Quick break to talk about free nicotine. I've been talking about nicotine now for the last few months on this show, and that's because nicotine sometimes gets a bad rap. Of course, it's an addictive chemical that you have to be careful with. But did you know it can also help with cognition, with focus, with performance? It has been shown to have an assortment of different health benefits that people don't think about because, again, nicotine is also a chemical that can be addictive. But a lot of things can be addictive, social media, porn, alcohol, a lot of vices that we use on a day-to-day basis.

40:40Michael Bosstick:The way that I personally choose to consume free nicotine is when I need to perform, when I need to focus, when I need to lock in, when I need to get things done. And I've used nicotine for years as a tool in this way. They also say it can help against cognitive decline. For me and my family, this is something I have to think about. My grandmother was someone who suffered from cognition decline and eventually passionate, so it's something that's on the back of my mind always as well. But like I said, I use free nicotine when I need to perform, when I need to get things done, when I do this podcast, and when I really need to lock in.

41:07Michael Bosstick:What I love about free nicotine is they have industry-leading strengths that range a wide variety of strengths, from 3 milligrams to 15 milligrams. I personally like to sit anywhere between the 6 to 9 milligrams, and my favorite flavors are the mint and the watermelon. But again, if you're just starting out, maybe you want to try with the three. If you're a hero, if maybe you want to go to the 15, whatever's right for you. Because free exists for the ones who want to stay sharp when it counts. It comes in discreet slim pouches for anywhere smoking can't, vaping won't, and dip shouldn't. And like I said, it's for people that want to explore different ways to perform at the highest level.

41:38Michael Bosstick:So check them out when you're ready to lock in, when you're ready to focus, when you're ready to really get things done. Free nicotine can be a great tool. Of course, use it responsibly. Check them out. Try free nicotine pouches today at freepouch.com and use code SKINNY for 25 % off for new customers only. that's frepouch.com look what we've got here the new mint roller we did a new colorway it's baby

42:00Lauryn Bosstick:pink it matches with your ice roller and this for me is everything when it comes to travel so how i use this is if i'm traveling or i'm running out the door and i want to use ice on my face so i keep these in my freezer or my fridge just depends on what i'm feeling and then i'll throw it in my bag. So one side is a contour, which is amazing. So you're going to feel nice and tight and lifted and sculpted when you use this. And then the other side, bite size, is an ice roller. So this one you could use on your neck so you can feel refreshed and de-puffed in the morning. I am obsessed with this because it's compact.

42:42Lauryn Bosstick:It's like a compact ice roller that you can just throw in your purse. if you have not tried our mint roller. Go grab it now. Also, it comes in a little dust bag that we designed, which is so fun. You are all set to be tight, sculpted, and de-puffed with the Skinny Confidential mint roller. Go to shopskinnyconfidential.com to shop the limited colorway now. The creator and the talent is being put in the driver's seat. And you guys, this is so important if you're a creator or an influencer, take your leverage and use it right now. It is shifting. And we talked about this in the course too. There used to be this gatekeeper guard that was walking through the halls that wouldn't let you through.

43:25Lauryn Bosstick:And now the power is transferring to the creator. And that's a really exciting time. And if you are strategic and smart about how you lay out your ecosystem, there is opportunity to not only make a lot of money, sure, but to make a real legacy for yourself. And if I were advising my kids right now and they were creators, I would tell them the sky is the limit here. Create your ecosystem, lay your foundation, build your brand. Everyone can have a personal brand.

43:58Michael Bosstick:Or if you're a business or a brand right now, you have to recognize where the attention and landscape is shifting to, right? For example, I don't even call this a podcast anymore. I just call it a show. I've said that for years now. I just did an article with Inc. And we talked all about how this, if you're bored, you could search Inc. and Dear Media and you could see what we're talking about here. But basically, this business was never set up to be a podcast business. It was set up to produce shows that aggregate attention that then drive to assets that we own, whether it be products or services or subscription or live events or whatever.

44:29Michael Bosstick:And if you're a brand and you're wondering where the landscape is going and where things are shifting out from under you, you have to recognize as traditional mediums decline and these creators and celebrities and people that are producing their own content as one man shops become more and more popular and start to kind of own their own communities. You need to be ahead of that investment because what happened when we started Dear Media, the early days were people saying, what the hell is a podcast? Why would you do a podcast? And then it was brands saying, oh, I need to figure out how to do that.

44:55Michael Bosstick:And by the time they figured out now, it's like, oh shit, I need to be there. I haven't done that. But guess what? It is way more expensive now than it was when people were saying, what's a podcast? So if you're an early brand right now and you're wondering where to deploy budget, this is still the golden era before the big dogs come in and start overspending everybody. And it's starting to happen. And it segues into what we were talking about on that Adweek panel. Lauren and I were discussing the transition from people who create maybe their own content or have built an online hobby and aggregated some attention into building a real business.

45:26Michael Bosstick:And I hope that we could talk about it now because many people that are listening or watching that are on that same path can do the exact same thing.

45:33Lauryn Bosstick:The ad week panel for me was about letting the audience know that the space is not oversaturated. That is a weak, limp dick excuse for not starting. If that is your excuse of why you haven't launched something, I would really look in the mirror and examine if this is an excuse or actually in a reality. There is. It's not oversaturated. You're dealing with the world. You can come in with a unique point of view that is only yours and you can give your own spin on it. And one thing I like to do is I like to share my processes with people, whether it's my process for public speaking or my process for how I run my calendar or my process of how I talk to ChatGPT to be wildly efficient throughout the day.

46:17Lauryn Bosstick:I share my unique processes with the audience and I hope that there is a tangible takeaway. You giving your own point of view will never be oversaturated. So to me, that when we talk about the Bostick blueprint, it was to let everyone who was listening know that it's not too busy. It's not too chaotic. It's not can that there's space for everyone. What did you feel like you were talking about at the Bostick blueprint?

46:41Michael Bosstick:Well, there was like when I was I was thinking as we were speaking, one of the things that I noticed in the Harvard course was there was a lot of discussion trying to analyze like that it was people analyze kind of like step one and step two and what I realize most people don't do and what and what I think a benefit that people should do more of and could do more of is we get so fixated on the thing we want to happen next in a relationship in a business how we're building our brands how we're speaking to an audience we have an idea of like if I do this then this other thing will happen but what separates the goods from the greats is it's not only thinking what will happen next, it's after that next thing happens, what will happen after that.

47:22Michael Bosstick:And after that, it's almost like around the corner. And so part of the ad week panel was structured around like, how do you, how do you go from point a to point Z? And I think the only way you can do that is you have to start to like, if you're, if you're just getting started right now, um, as a creator or somebody who's building a business, you obviously have to think what's my next thing that I can do on the, on my list to get my thing done. But you have to also say, if I do that and accomplish that, then what's next and what's next and what's next. And when Lauren and I think about anything, we always think about it through the lens of where we want to end up.

47:57Michael Bosstick:So when she started the Skinny Confidential, she knew she wanted to set it up to be a brand and a product line and a book at one point. So then she worked backwards. When I started Dear Media, I knew I wanted to be a holding company that had all these different assets and live events and shows and these things. So then I worked back into the steps. It doesn't mean you have to figure it all out on day one, but you have to play the course through. And I think what's happening right now, especially for a lot of young people and people that are just getting going, is they're thinking like, how do I go viral?

48:27Michael Bosstick:Or how do I get that job? Or how do I go? They're not then thinking like, okay, and after that happens, what's next and next and next. And so, you know, one of the things we learned in the Harvard course is you have to kind of be able to see around the bends. And the only way you can do that is to kind of have a plan of where you want to go?

48:40Lauryn Bosstick:Well, that is what we learned at Harvard and the Bostick Blueprint all in one. We are going to be doing more solo episodes. We're so thrilled to get on the mic and just riff. It could be just Michael or just me or something together, but we would love to hear you guys' feedback. Let us know on our latest post or DM us about what you want to hear when it comes to solo episodes. I think we have one coming on marriage.

49:05Michael Bosstick:We're going to start sharing a lot more real-time updates, what's going on in our life, what we're working on, what's working, what's not working, what we're thinking about, what we think of things. I kind of just gave you a little bit of appeal of what I think about Can. Again, no shade, but goddamn, it was hot over there and a lot of people.

49:19Lauryn Bosstick:We also have video on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube where you can see Michael's hairline live in the flesh and how handsome he is.

49:26Michael Bosstick:Spotify, Apple, YouTube, everywhere now. Basically, the show is just a show and you get to choose audio or video anywhere you please.

49:33Lauryn Bosstick:Thank you so much to Professor Anita and Harvard Business School for giving us an incredible experience. Thank you to Adweek. And with that, we'll see you next time.