Ear Biscuits with Rhett & Link - Ep. 68 Olga Kay - Ear Biscuits

Episode Date: May 8, 2015

Russian-American YouTuber, vlogger, and entrepreneur, Olga Kay, joins Rhett & Link this week to discuss how social media applications like SnapChat and Periscope are helping her reconnect with her audience, her fascinating background of growing up in a poor village in Crimea and joining the circus as a teenager, an emotional story of not seeing her family for seven years after she moved to America to tour with the Ringling Brothers, and a new book she’s in the process of writing about a personal & controversial dating experiment. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This, this, this, this is Mythical. Welcome to Ear Biscuits, I'm Link. And I'm Rhett. Joining us today at the round table of dim lighting is Russian-American YouTuber, vlogger, and entrepreneur, Olga Kay. Known to her fans as Moosh Mommy, Olga was once a professional juggler in the Russian circus

and for Ringling Brothers in the US. Since then, she's made a presence online with a unique ability to juggle multiple platforms. Oh, I see what you did there. She vlogs, performs sketch comedy, collaborates, and she's got a gaming channel, a fashion channel, she Snapchats, Periscopes, I think that's the verb. She's even selling her own socks.

Not like off her feet, she has like a line of socks. Got it. She's Ebay-ing her one pair of socks. No like off her feet. She has like a line of socks. Got it. She's eBaying her one pair of socks. No, she's got a line. If there's a platform out there that's to be worked, Olga K is working it. And she's been on YouTube for nine years, constantly adapting to keep her content fresh and creative.

In the process, she's racked up over one million subscribers across her different channels. We really enjoyed talking to Olga, finding out about her fascinating backstory about growing up in a poor village in Crimea and joining the circus as a teenager. Of course, we had a lot of questions about the circus, including what it was like to clean up after her aunt's flock of trained geese.

Yes, her aunt had a flock of trained geese. I just, I love it when we're able to dig into something like the circus because I mean, our brains just, if there was like a brain map, they'd just be lighting on fire. Lots of circus parts. Oh finally, we get to talk about circus stuff. There's a whole circus section of each one of our brains.

I mean, we talked about the dynamic of her relationship with her mother having to leave Russia. I found that very moving as well. And then we also discussed a potentially controversial new book she's working on that details an experiment of dating a different person each month over the course of a year. That's interesting.

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go to efcollegebreak.com slash Rhett and Link. And now, on to the biscuit. Okay, we are live, guys, we are rolling. We're not live, actually. This is not a live show. Wouldn't that be interesting? Thanks for being on time. You were early.

I keep hearing this thing how I'm the only YouTuber that shows up on time. Is that true? Well, you're the only person who ever came early. That's for sure. For this, yeah. And I would say that I would go as far as to say 90% of people don't show up on time.

But as soon as I learned how to read, I read that quote from Woody Allen, 80% of success is showing up, so I've just been showing up. I don't do anything else, but I show up on time. So you learn to read by reading Woody Allen screenplays? Yep. Let's come back to that. I'm sure we're gonna get to your background and your story,

and I know that Woody Allen screenplays will be an integral part of He's a big part of my development. Learning to read. But it's interesting, if you say that you are someone, and you are because you proved it, somebody who shows up on time, it's usually not an aspect of their personality

that they would have 60,000 unread emails. You watched that video? Yeah. Is that screenshot real or did you fake that? No, no, no. That's absolutely real. It's just sometimes I look at emails and if they don't sense the importance in my brain, I just ignore it and then I forget. And then there's a lot of things that just went under the cracks because I just forgot

to open it. A lot of things. You mean 60,000? 60,000, yeah. That's a lot of cracks. Well, I try to concentrate on important things, something that needs my attention right away. And if it's not something important, then it just goes away.

But you don't go back and you don't do the bulk delete. So 30,000 and that 60,000 is just people saying, you didn't reply to the last email. But you peruse your inbox and you see who it came from and the subject. I do. In the beginning of the email or whatever. Yeah, in the last six months, I actually just moved and I've been enjoying my life.

So I haven't really been paid attention to emails at all. Do you mark, do you start to read it, decide if it's important, and then if it's not important, you mark it as unread? Yes, I mark it as flagged. And then I have to go every night, I have this thing where I have to go back and read all the flagged emails.

That's my system. But then I forget, I never do that either. So you're telling me that the unread emails are legitimately unread because the ones that you've read but didn't read fully or act on, they're read but flagged. Correct. So you have 60,000 bonafide unread emails. The definition of unread here is important

because I'm gonna, I'm sympathizing with Olga here because for me, I can end up, in fact, very recently I had about 2,600 unread emails. But of that 2,600 unread emails, I would say that 2,200 of them, I knew who they were from and what they were about. Like I wasn't just missing emails, it was kind of like, I don't need to look at that right now.

And you do read the first three lines. Yeah, you get all you need. So you get an idea. You get all you need. Okay. But I have changed my system. Here's my phone. Let me do the thumbprint thing.

He has 50 unread emails. That's impossible. And that's just as of today. By the end of today, it will be like five or zero because I cannot, if I look down on my, every time I open my phone, if I were you, I would implode. I would implode.

I have anxiety. That's why I stopped reading that. But I do have a new system now, which came into effect only a week ago. And it's the system where I read the first three lines. And if I'm not interested, I just delete it without even opening. That's my new system. And then I keep only the important ones.

Nothing wrong with that. So my number will stay 60,000 until I go back and delete all of them. Yeah. But the new ones will be under control. Yeah. until I go back and delete all of them. But the new ones will be under control. Yeah. I mean, so psychologically for you,

you're cool with this 60,000 glaring at you. That's like zero to you. Exactly. You know what, I like it, because if I actually recently changed the link system, I currently have 83 unread emails. So I've decided I wanted to get rid of those and I read through a bunch of them

and then I just bulk deleted a bunch of them because I looked at the subject. But now I'm a slave to this little red bubble. It's like, I gotta get that to say zero. It's never going to say zero. It might as well say 60,000. Yeah, last night I got home and I had worked all day and I get home and I eat dinner with the family.

We ate some sushi. I ate spicy tuna for the first time. Lily got me to eat it. Hold on, you ate spicy tuna for the first time? In sushi. Wow. Yes, because it looks like just raw flesh. I mean, they make it look gross on purpose. I don't mean to digress here.

Lily, who just turned 12, she's like, "'Dad, just try it, don't eat the seaweed part. "'I know you don't like that, but just take this off." And I ate it and I was like, you know what? It's good, it must just be the seaweed part. So I liked it. But the point I was making was I spent quality time with my family, we were eating some sushi,

expanding my horizons, thanks to Lily. But then we come back home and everybody goes to their screen and we highly regulate how much screen time our kids have, but they were away all day and they were begging for it. And they get a little bit, you know? But then I go back to the bedroom, lay down on the bed because my phone was dying, plugged it in the wall there

because that's where my phone charger is. And then 20 minutes later, Christy comes in. She's like, what are you doing? I was on my phone. I was like, I couldn't hide it. I was like, well, listen, I'm trying to get that red bubble down. I gotta get that number down to zero on my emails.

We've been shooting all day, I haven't had a chance to go through any emails. I might have something important in here or I gotta get that number down. So see, you're developing an obsession. Yeah, it's like trying to sleep on top of a volcano that's constantly erupting. You cannot win this game.

Let it erupt. Let it, you know, Pompeii. Let it boil people alive. One thing you can do is stop doing what we're doing and just disappear and cut off the internet. Or get a new email address. I mean, if you zeroed it 60 grand. Actually, it. I mean, just if you're at zero to 60 grand. Actually, it's one of the problems because I do have five different email addresses.

Oh, that's a problem. Actually, the email that you used. No, that's an excuse. I have literally 12 email addresses. That 50 is across 12 email addresses. Hmm. I could, yes. I'll always have this problem, but I have a better system now.

So now 60,000 will stay 60,000, but it's kind of like a zero. We already heard that. You'll hear it again. Hey, the bigger problem here is- Me, it's me, just say it. It's you, Link, it's you. Yeah, yeah.

I mean, okay, so the healthy thing is just to move on. Just to rest on the volcano and move on. You guys move on. I'm going to be reading my emails. I was expecting you to say that that was, it was fake. I saw it in the screenshot. She wouldn't fake that? Why would I fake that?

Team Internet, man. Do you know how much Photoshop skills I have to have to fake that? It was a funny joke, except that now it's real, so it was just sad. No, it was still funny. One of the things I always think about is that you were exploring the concept of speaking to your audience. And I think this is something that Rhett and I have talked about. We actually talked about it with Shannon and Candice on the Hey Hey Show and adopting a mindset of speaking to your audience. I've been on YouTube for the last nine years.

So there's a lot of things that I went through where I was so excited and then I developed the brand and then I was just really burned out and I didn't want to do it anymore. And then I still had to keep on going. And I used to be so much more connected to my audience. Before it was just no pressure. I was just talking to this one person.

It's only one person that watches you at a time. Because practically speaking, when you think about it. We're just having a conversation. But you're typically watching a video alone. Alone in a bathroom. On the toilet. Right. Exactly.

Exactly. Right. Or you're. In your room. I mean, it's. Or in the car. Yeah, you're finishing up your day. You're in bed and you watch that video.

So that really made me think of how it's always just one person, and you should never make videos for this giant audience or get overwhelmed because there's a giant audience watching you now. It's always just one person there. And how has that changed things for you? I'm a lot more excited. And what really made me bounce back to my old self is actually Snapchat. Because Snapchat is a very connected experience because you are holding the camera.

And you're not sitting in front of the camera. I always found that even now, nine years later, when I make a video and I'm sitting in front of the camera, I get nervous. I don't know what to say. I don't know how to open my video. It's just this weird thing. But when I do Snapchat, I'm very comfortable because I'm actually holding it and I'm talking to one person. It's like you've grabbed him by the neck.

Pretty much. And that makes me very comfortable. Well, you're in charge at that point, right? Yep. Hey, look at this. Look at this. Look at this. Look at this.

Yeah. It's a control thing. But let right? Hey, look at this, look at this, look at this, look at this. It's a control thing. But let's talk about Snapchat because, I mean, we explored that with Kordor Digital from the standpoint of directing Snapper Hero, but I kind of felt like that was a weird way to, still having not used Snapchat. I just admitted to not watching Snapper Hero,

but I was too late. I thought it was a weird way, weird introduction for us because it's an interpersonal application that you're one step closer to using it, I would imagine, in the way that it's designed. But as an entertainer and an online personality, you're still twisting it a little bit. online personality, you're still twisting it a little bit. So what was your first interaction with Snapchat, maybe as a user? Yeah, so the first time I used it was probably two years ago, and I really-

Two years? Yeah. When was it for you? Well, never, I haven't used it, but I didn't know it's been around that long. Oh no, it's been around forever, and originally it started as a- Did you know that? I would have said 18 months, but I- Oh really? Yeah.

Well, it started off, do you know the origins? It was a sexting app. Well, I knew that everyone thought that, yeah. Yeah, so people only use, so it was never public, but two years it was just a private thing, which I could never use because, I mean, I don't want my nude pictures to disappear after 24 hours. I want them to live on forever. So I never really used that. And then I think two

years ago, it started, I'm actually not sure when I went public where people could follow you, but it took me two years to realize the importance of Snapchat. And I think in the last six months, I started watching, actually when people- But how were you doing it? How were you using it privately? No, I wasn't. So I tried it and I just never used it. Oh, okay. And then once it started opening up to the public and I started watching my other friends watching all these public profiles and I was just so annoyed by them holding the button and then they would always tap on the screen with the other finger. And to me, that was just so annoying.

And like, this is never going to become a thing for me until one morning, I followed a couple of people that I already like. And I started watching it and I started doing it myself. And it was just overnight where I realized that- Who'd you follow? There's a couple of people I follow. Steve Zaragoza is one of my favorite. So, okay. And he was one of the first. So, I'm not sure how long he's been there, but I followed him. I followed the Wasabi Productions and just a bunch of YouTube friends and trying to see what they were doing with it. And they were not really doing much with it because they were not coming from a traditional vlogging everyday world.

They were coming from a sketch world into Snapchat where once in a while they'll post something. And I saw it as an opportunity to vlog because I've done it for so many years. And the reason I stopped vlogging is because I was just so tired of editing. Every night I had to edit all the footage that I've been filming. And Snapchat gave me an opportunity not to edit. And I just have to snap myself for 10 seconds and then it creates a story for you. So at the end of the day, you have a whole file that is all edited together by the app right and link is so confused he's like wait what i'm just being me but also in the but it lasts for 24 like 24 hours but they start to click off so like

each one is like a time release of 24 hours individually. Correct. You didn't accumulate a whole bunch of them and then throw them all up there. It's real time. It's real time. And then what I liked about it, you can draw on your face, which became very interactive and fun, and you can take pictures. So it's not just a video form where people get bored sometimes. It's this visual thing where you see a picture

and then you see a drawing and then you see a video again. Well, you know, it's interesting because the way that you talk about it, which I think is the way that a lot of people are successfully using it now, it really has the potential to sort of push vlogging into this weird place where, you know, vlogging in a controlled atmosphere where it's, I guess.

I would say definitely pure vlogging. Yeah, pure vlogging. But vlogging as kind of a, as an art form. Like a daily vlog, a daily vlog where you're like, come and be a part of my life. It really doesn't make nearly as much sense to do that in an edited video when this kind of creates that for you.

And the good thing is you can, at the end of the day- It goes away though. It goes away. No, but here's the thing. At the end, and a lot of people don't realize that, but at the end of the day, you can save the whole file from your whole day as a QuickTime file and upload it to YouTube if you wanted to. And then it lives on forever.

So it's- As an archive. Yes. Oh, okay. So you can do that. But I just realized that, especially being on YouTube for so long and seeing how audience has been consuming the content, and the more people joining in YouTube,

the less people end up watching particular content because it's oversaturated. And what Snapchat is training people to do is to be there. And if they're not, it's like they're missing something important at the party if they go take a nap or go to bed. So they only have 24 hours to see it. So people come back to the app every three hours to see if something new was posted so they never miss anything. So it's great because your content is getting consumed. And I think it's going to be fantastic for brands because then they'll know for sure that people are going to see the message. Are you making any money through Snapchat or is

this speculative? You don't make money on your everyday posts yet. I don't, but I have done branding content that happened on Snapchat. Right. So it didn't involve Snapchat. You were just working with a brand. Yes. And it just like sometimes we'll tweet to go along with a sponsored promotion on Good Mythical Morning or something like that. Okay. Okay. So that's happening. So that's definitely happening. And I think it's going to be a lot more happening of that.

Because every time I talk to either my managers or networks, they're all talking about Snapchat. So I think all the advertisers are also thinking about Snapchat. So you're moving on to Periscope. I don't even know what it is. So I've heard a lot about it. And last night I was hanging out with Taryn Southern and Flula. And she was like, guys, are you on Periscope? I'm like, oh, gosh.

I was kind of like you guys. I'm like, oh, no, not another app. Yeah, your stomach just drops, right? Yes. I was like, oh, I have to develop something else now and figure out what I do. So I asked her, is that like Snapchat? And she said, yes. And I got so angry because I'm like, I just got into Snapchat.

I can't be doing something else just like Snapchat. Turns out it's actually nothing like Snapchat. So Tarim was wrong. She was a little wrong. And you don't have to hold the button, but it's the most interactive platform I've been on. So it's a platform for live streaming. And you can live stream anywhere. And you see little messages from people popping up right away.

And it's the app created by Twitter. So it's connected to your Twitter already. And people can click on the screen if they like you. And you see all these hearts flying around, so it's really cute for girls. But then the brilliant part about that app, every time you go live and people follow you, they just get a quick notification on your phone saying that she's live. Just click one button, and you're watching the show,

and now you can interact with me. Where does the notification show up? Is it a push notification? Push notification. Just even if your phone's not even awake. Yep. And this is all of our Twitter followers? Twitter, yes.

So if you follow Rhett and Link on Twitter and we enabled Periscope, automatically. They don't automatically follow you, but they're connect, let's say they open their app and they say, and they see who's on the list. So you'll be on the list, suggested list, right away for them. Because they already follow you on Twitter.

Isn't there another app that is doing the same thing via Twitter? People will tweet and then you can watch a live stream right there in their Twitter stream. Is that the same thing? I'm not sure. Because either I have heard about this and I thought and I didn't realize it was called Periscope

or there's another one. The thing I love about this conversation is that a year from now, people are listening to this right now. The right now is a year from now and they're laughing at us in the way that they're like, brow furrowed talking about. Like talking.

If you're right about Snapchat. Hearing somebody talk about the internet, like Brian Jumbo and Katie Couric talking about the internet. Even a year later. You know, if you're right about Snapchat, if now is a year from now, they're laughing at us. They probably, yeah.

Or if you're wrong about Snapchat or Periscope. They're laughing even more, right? They're like, ah, they're like, ah, I do remember that for a second, for an internet second. Oh, oh, oh, it's the one with the Meerkat is the. Meerkat. The Meerkat is the, no, see? No.

It is something different, look guys. Is it? Periscope looks like that. And then the one with the Meerkat is just called Meerkat. Yeah, Meerkat. Oh, it's probably similar. So Meerkat does this, well, I mean, not exactly the same thing, but I was like, hmm, I thought it was called something else.

So what are you doing on Periscope? What have you decided? Last night. So I started last night, and I realized two things. It's a new platform, so everyone is featured. It kind of brings me back to blog TV back in 2008. Everyone is featured. And when you say everyone, you mean?

I mean everyone who has more than five viewers that are watching. And then depending on your popularity, you'll go to the top. And I realized that the titles are very important because a lot of the times when you start broadcasting, it's actually facing this way, so it's not looking at you. So a lot of the times the thumbnails are just the wall or your feet or something that is not your face. The toilet.

The toilet, right. So the titles are very important. And then people just log in. And the discovery on that app is so high. When I was doing a show last night, it was just the 15 minute, I just want to talk to people and see what's going on. And half of those people

were not my fans. It was just people browsing through and they discover you and like, who are you? Oh, we like you. Let's follow you and see what happens. So the discovery is really high.

It's funny because now- Which is one thing on Snapchat is missing for now. Oh, discovery. I'm looking at a graph that shows the percentage of Twitter users using either Periscope or Meerkat and how Meerkat went up and then just recently, March 21st,

all of a sudden Periscope just goes up and passes it. It's like- It just kills it. Because lots of YouTube personalities started to use it. Well, another thing for us to feel guilty about. It just makes me feel, you know what, when you know what we've done, we have created the email red bubble equivalent

of social media, that is what we have just discussed. Full circle it, buddy. You know, and now there's all this pressure, there's all these social media networks that we feel pressure to join, and you know what? The funny thing is, is we're over here just worrying about email. You don't give a crap about your email.

No, screw the email. Yeah, you're worrying about it. Somebody's got their priorities wrong. Yeah, it's telling. And you know, it's a lifestyle. First of all, we gotta take a trip to Russia. We sure do. Like we gotta go down memory lane.

Oh, you should. But before we do, no, you're gonna take us there in like a few seconds. I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding. But, you know, as I said at the top, you know, we go way back. Since the beginning of YouTube. Yeah, can we talk a little bit about it?

Well, my memory of you guys, I met you back in 2009, and we met on the fat dipping video. Fat dipping, yeah. Yeah, fat dipping. That was the beginning of a lot. And you know, I've had a lot of people there. The largest collaboration, in-person YouTube collaboration at to date, up to that date, certainly.

Definitely. I'll keep that as our claim to fame. We brought together more YouTubers for one video in person than anyone up to that point. I'm just gonna go ahead and lay claim to that. I am right behind you there. I'm just gonna go ahead. Wow, Link. I'm gonna go ahead and link claim to that. I am right behind you there. I think you're right, though. Yeah, you were there.

And I've met everyone. You were in the pool for like nine hours. You're right. I did anything for you guys. And I didn't even know who you were. Yeah, but nobody knew. I just showed up. It's like, yeah.

You talk about, I mean, you get the wrinkly stuff on your fingers after like seven minutes in a tub. Like we had you in that swimming pool. We were there forever. Fully closed, mind you. Because that was the point. For, it could have been, you know.

It was all day. Seven hours. Yep. Well, I mean, your flesh started to rot off of your like toes. It's still, I still have problems because of that. But it's a constant reminder of our friendship. But it's a lifestyle to continue to adopt and learn and change constantly.

And there's a commitment to, I don't know if it's reinvent yourself or reinvigorate your creativity. I have to think, and you kind of alluded to this, going through cycles. No, so I want to actually talk about this. This is something that made me think a lot and also be appreciative of the fact that I did stick around for so long. Because there were so many times I wanted to quit. It was just too much work or I couldn't understand how to break through or I was just spending too much money and not making the money back.

It was just like so many setbacks, but I decided to push through until I'm finally like, this is my job now. So the interesting part is before I started YouTube, I was auditioning and I was just a regular actress in LA and it was very difficult to break through for obvious reasons in Hollywood. But then when my YouTube channel started to grow,

I came to my agency and I said, I have 50,000 followers. Maybe we should leverage that and get me an audition in the movie. And he looked at me and he said, if you want to be respected in this business, I don't think you should bring it up, like the whole internet thing. Just hide it. So just hide it. Like, don't, don't, don't, let's not. So that was actually the day I left the agency and I never really regretted it. And I concentrated on building my following for the next five years.

So recently I went to an audition and I haven't auditioned in a long time. So I went in and they were only looking for digital stars to star in their movie. And they brought in some actors. And it was very interesting to observe where the actors were coming in and they were just stating their name and auditioning. And digital stars had to show how many followers they have before they got to audition and how much value they can bring to the project. And you have to be live streaming on Periscope the entire time. Yeah. Through the audition.

Yeah. But it was just interesting how everything is turning around where I feel like it's not fair for both of the talent, traditional actors and digital stars, because now really good actors that don't have a lot of following might not be getting the job just because the digital star has some talent and lots of followers. So it kind of comes a full circle anyway. lots of followers. So it kind of comes a full circle in a way. And, you know, for you finding, making a way for yourself and along with all of us who started around that time, just figuring out how to make a living,

there was the one thing that popped up. It was the Wall Street Journal article where they were like, tell us about that. It was New York Times, right? New York Times, yeah. Oh, the New York Times article. But I know what you're talking about, yeah. article where they were like well tell us about that it was new york times oh the new york times article you're talking about yeah oh you know she's not she's not making any money yeah or you

were saying i'm not making any money well is it actually i can't support myself that's no no i can support myself i feel like i make good enough money it's just i feel that if i was on a tv show and bringing the same type of views, it would be a lot more money. So, and of course, they twisted- So, was it misconstrued? I think it was twisted a little bit in a way. I was just trying to show that YouTube community works really, really hard for their money.

And we're the pioneers of the new platform that the ad dollars are not there yet, but they will be. But they had their own agenda for the article. So it turned out to be like, look at this poor girl working so hard and not making the money. Because that's all I do. I don't do anything else. And I'm happy. I'm not a millionaire, but I'm making a living. Was there a blowback from the article?

From fans or? No, nothing from fans. A lot of people texted me with a lot of respect messages. YouTube was a little disappointed how the article turned out, but lots of agencies started calling saying, we're going to make you more money. Come join us. So a lot of that happened.

Yeah. That's like a whole different podcast about that yeah the the offers of how we can make you more money on youtube than you already are and i feel i mean if you compare youtube to hulu i mean youtube is definitely not up there with the hula with the the whole ad money. Right. Right? I mean, yeah, I think, I mean, we've kind of learned how to, it's interesting, having been the subject of different articles, you start learning how to find the truth in media

in a way that before you actually were the subject of them, you just kind of assumed that like, oh, this must be the case. This is how it is, yeah. And what you learn is that, oh, well, I guess what they're trying to say is that it's really difficult to do this. This is not a cush job. It is, yeah.

You got to work for every penny. The bucks literally stops with you. You have to, you know, you're the one who's in control of this whole enterprise and that's not an easy thing and you're not going to necessarily get rich doing it. Yeah. And that was my whole point. Like I, I work 24 seven, I feel like. And, uh, and it's not because I make millions on YouTube. I love what I'm doing and I know there's a lot of great opportunities that will come

from it. So, so that was my whole point. But you know, everyone has their agenda. Yeah. But you had a nice photo shoot as part of it. That was great. I look pretty. Let's, uh, let's talk about Russia. Okay.

So if you tell us where you were born in Russia, we're probably gonna be like, what is it not? If it's not Moscow or St. Petersburg. Actually, you'll be surprised. So that was the case for the last 15 years. But now I feel like everyone knows that place. And I was actually born in Crimea. Oh, really? So yeah. So everyone, because of the conflict that happened there, everyone now knows that area. So I was born there by the Black Sea in a tiny, tiny village. And that's- How black is it? It was like pretty black.

But it's not black at all. Come on. Don't get my hopes up. Is the sea black? You just have to go see it. It's pretty black. No, describe it. I just want to know.

Is it black? The sea is filled with lots of seaweed that is really black. So it is. It does pretty black. No, describe it. I just want to know, is it black? The sea is filled with lots of seaweed that is really black. So it is. It does look black. Yeah. Okay. Don't let me derail you. Go ahead.

Paint a picture of your birth and childhood. Yeah. So, oh, I'm glad you brought the birth. I was born premature. So the fact that I can even speak two languages is shocking to me sometimes. But, um, and the reason I was born premature is because my mom had really a bad heart and the doctors without her knowledge, uh, started giving her medication that will cause the miscarriage because they believe that if she gives birth to me at nine months, she might not make it. birth to me at nine months, she might not make it.

Really? So I was the miscarriage, and I was two months premature, and nobody really thought I'm going to make it, but I made it. So did they, your mom found out at some point that I don't want to be taking this medication, and she stopped? No, she didn't stop. She was just surprised when I came early. But it was because of the medication. That doesn't sound right.

It doesn't, but in Russia, it's anything can happen, I think. Yeah, trust me. I've seen those driving in Russia YouTube montages. Oh gosh. But. So you were, your life was threatened. Yes.

From the get go. And then when I was two years old, somebody left an undistilled vinegar on the floor and I drank it. And I burned a lot of my insides. What? Lots of things happen in Russia. How does this happen? What was that being used for? To clean something?

I think maybe people were cooking and not cooking. I have no idea, but I was two years old, and I was just crawling around, and I found the bottle, and it was open, and I drank it. And then I was in the hospital for a little bit, and all my food consisted of oils that were put in my mouth for like a couple of months. That's all I ate.

So up until I was seven, I was just a very skinny, scared little girl. And I was very shy. And what kind of family are we talking about? So I have a mom and dad and a brother, older brother. And my mom was always very creative. And my dad was always like really hard worker. And my mom was- And what did he do? What did your dad do? My dad, well, he originally, he was a Marine, but then when the family started popping out, he just became a field worker. So you say Marine, like I thought that, so like a Russian Marine is called a Marine too? That's the translation?

Well, I mean, no, this is how you guys will understand it. Okay. Dumb it down, please. She's not speaking Russian. Yeah, I'm not speaking russian right now what's the russian word for marine i don't know it's been a while guys it's been a while since i spoke my dad i think it's my rack very close okay um so then he started working in the field which i feel like my dad always felt like it was not satisfying to his ambitions.

And my mom, she was operating a community center, and she was teaching all the kids in the village different arts, acting, circus. And she always wanted to be in a circus. That's how my whole circus thing comes into play. She always wanted to be in a circus, but because of her heart, she couldn't. But she had a twin sister who was a professional circus performer. Really? And when I was little, when I was five, I said, I have to become a circus performer. So your aunt, what did she do in the circus? She was training geese. Geese? Yes. What can you do with a goose?

Lots of things. Actually, they did a lot of tricks that dogs would do. What? How many geese are we talking about? It was at least 40. A whole flock. It was so many. It was so many geese. 40 geese doing what dogs do?

Yes. They were ringing the bell. They were sliding on their butts on slides. They were doing the figure eights between barriers. They did lots of cool tricks. And so my job when I was 14. They poop everywhere too. They poop.

I actually researched how much they poop. And I think it's 24 times per hour or 12 times per hour. Something like that. It's crazy. And so when I was in the village, we just became so poor. Like my life in the village was very bad. It was 400 people in the village, we just became so poor. Like my life in the village was very bad. It was 400 people in the village. Electricity was turned off every day at 5 p.m. till 5 a.m. So I was doing my homework over, we didn't have candles.

So we had to make our own candles, which would be the olive oil and cloth that we would burn. And I would do homework that way with my dad. Oh, wow. So it was pretty intense. So was this region pretty poor in general? Yes. Even now, I don't even know what's happening there now. But the water would be turned off, and a lot of people survived on their gardening skills. And so we had our own cows and sheep and pigs and lots of vegetables that we grew in our backyard.

So do you consider yourself Ukrainian? I am Russian technically because my parents are Russian. That's another thing. In Russia, it's a little different. Just because I was born in Ukraine, and back then it was not even Ukraine. It was just SSSR, USSR. And so I am Russian. In my passport, I'm yeah. USSR. Yeah. And so I'm Russian. In my

passport, I'm Russian. Right. Yeah. Okay. So, and then Ukraine became... And I speak Russian, too. I don't speak Ukrainian. Okay. And Ukraine became independent when? Like, at some point during your... while you were still there? 90...

Was it 91? Yes. I just left. Okay. Okay, so you didn't necessarily experience that whole thing. I'm sure I did, but I didn't pay attention. I was a kid. Right, okay. Just like, whatever.

Gotcha. So your mom was a, like a fine arts teacher for kids? Yes, like myself. And I spent a lot of time, So she put me also in music school. So my days consisted from going to school in the morning, then coming home, maybe doing the homework, but then go to music school and then go to her community center and see what other people are doing and hopefully get inspired and not get into drugs. And she wished she was with her sister but couldn't do it. She couldn't do it. Yeah, she wished she was with her sister, but couldn't do it. She couldn't do it. Yeah, she wished she was a performer.

So did she train like one goose? Well, no. So my mom always wanted to do an aerial arts, and that's what I wanted to do as well. So when I was 14, the situation in our village became really, really difficult, and we couldn't be there anymore. So we had to... What do you mean? It was just no money. Nobody was getting paid.

There was barely any produce available to buy. And the whole no electricity, no water just became really hard to continue growing your vegetables and everything. So we had to leave and figure out another way. So we joined the circus when I was 14. And by joining the circus, our job was to clean up after the geese. Oh, wow.

Yeah, so that was my job when I was 14. Who is we, like your whole family? Yeah, my mom and my dad and myself. And because your aunt was already working for the circus, so she got you in. She got us in. She got you the job. Correct.

On the ground floor. Working for her, cleaning up got us in. She got you the job. Correct. On the ground floor. Working for her, cleaning up the goose poop. Yes. And the goose poop. And then when I was 14, I realized that I was too old to become a circus performer. Because by 14, you already have your own act. So and I think that's when it started for me that I have to work really, really hard. And it was around the same time when my mom told me that you don't have to go to college as long as you work really, really hard if you want

to be an entertainer. And that just stuck with me my whole life. And I was too old to become a circus performer. So I remember going to school and we would change schools once a month. And I would go to school and then I would- Because you were traveling around? Traveling around so much. So you would be in one place for a month and then you would move. So the circus would come to town for four weeks? Yep. And was this really popular?

Yeah, Russia is very different from America. And that's one of the reasons why I quit circuses here in America originally because in Russia, it's a well-respected profession and we don't have tents. We have actual buildings built like the circus. And in fact, when circus is not in town, really big pop stars use it as their stages to do their concerts. So in circus performers, if you're really good, you are one of the celebrities in Russia. You're

always on TV. You're always part of all the pop concerts. So you're just one of the celebrities in Russia. You're always on TV. You're always part of all the pop concerts. So you're just one of the celebrities. And there's multiple circus troops. So we have, it's kind of like, I'll paint it in this way. It's kind of like Maker. We have Maker in Moscow and they represent all the circus performers. And then they send whichever people they want to different cities in Russia. So, and then you go to that city and you work with a group of people and then the next city you go to,

you have no idea who's going to be there. Just depending on what kind of program circus is putting together. So I often would meet people and then we would separate and I'll meet them again like three towns later. But we never knew who's working with who. So it's like, it was like fun.

Oh, some people I've never saw again. So you're actually performing with, getting paired with people. Not in your act, but in the whole program. The whole program. Yeah. Mixing and matching different acts together. Yeah, so it's never the same.

But when you first got there, your aunt was like, clean up the goose poop. That's all I had, yeah. So how long did that last, your aunt was like, clean up the goose poop. That's all I had. So how long did that last? And what was the nature of that? So I think so seven o'clock in the morning, we had to wake up and clean up. And that would take probably two hours to clean up. And then you have to wash the geese. And you don't wash them by hand. You just let them swim in the tub. And then they would come back into the cage and poop again, and you do it again at night. So and then I would go to school, and then we would have rehearsals in between. And then when

I had free time, that's when I started developing my own act, which was juggling. And juggling is something that I never thought I'll be a juggler. I had no passion for juggling. But that was the only thing I was not too old for. And I just rehearsed eight hours a day, and I became really good. Did you have like a master sensei teaching you? My uncle was a juggler, so he was a big help in the beginning. And I would just watch so many performers. I was just so obsessed with the performers and how beautifully they looked on stage in the ring, and how effortless it

all looked. What kind of stuff did you juggle? Just balls and clubs and rings. Just the typical stuff. And you can do how many of those at one time? Five or six. Whoa. So, yeah.

So, I became really good. Five or six more than me. I can juggle one. Yeah. Well, not me. I can juggle one. Yeah, well. Not one, yeah. Not me. I can teach you guys, no? Sure.

That would be a riveting podcast. But what I realized when I came, so I came to this country. So for two years I did that. I traveled all over Russia. And then my aunt got a contract here in America with Ringling Brothers. And I was in the middle of working on my act with my cousin. So originally we were just going to come here for two years and just perform with Ringling Brothers. So I was 16 at that time.

And then my mom and my dad, it was already established that they can't go. So I can come so I can still help cleaning up and then my mom and my dad that was already established that they can't go so i can come so i can still help cleaning up and then um she came as an assistant pretty much plus she she has a juggling act yeah and i was working on travel with this flock of geese yes do you send them out over the ocean they fly their way to america or do you put them in no they're like behind the plane they formation. They fly. Cheaper that way. They were sent. If you can train them.

Go to Athens, Georgia now. That would have been so cool. That would have been great. So yeah, so I traveled with the circus in America and I didn't speak English when I got here. Really? What year was this? 1999. And you were how old? I was 16. 16. Yeah. I didn't speak English when I got here. Really? Yeah. What year was this? 1999. And you were how old? I was 16. 16? Yeah. I didn't speak English. And I remember our program was put together of Russians,

Chinese, Moroccans, French, Italian. So everyone spoke different languages. Oh, wow. And then, but everyone spoke English. And I remember talking to all of my Russian friends and telling them not to ever speak Russian to me. And so I can figure out how to speak English. Once you arrived? Yes. Or in preparation? Once I arrived. So what do you remember?

I mean, when you first got here, what did you feel? The first thing I remember, because somebody told us that we're only going to be getting paid $20 a day. That was the first thing i remember because somebody told us that we're only going to be getting paid twenty dollars a day um that was the first thing i remembered where i was like oh twenty dollars a day that's way more than i ever made in russia but i wonder what how long that's gonna last and i remember it was lasting a lot like for twenty dollars if you buy you know a giant bag of frozen French fries, that lasts you a long time. And I came to Florida. It was Sarasota, a very small town.

So I remember walking around, and it was very quiet and peaceful. And now I'm realizing it's because everyone that retires goes to Sarasota. So that's why it was so quiet and peaceful. And I think my third city was Los Angeles. And our circus was built in the middle of Century City. And in the middle of all this, right next to the mall. So I was 16. I was going to the mall every day.

I was making, I think at that time I was making $250 a week. And my only expenses were my cell phone. And so that was a lot of money for me. Especially coming from Russia, making $250 every two months. So it was a big deal. So my whole life was going to the mall, discovering things on my own, learning English. I remember I was reading words every day, trying to memorize it. And the memory of learning English was I could not figure out the difference between everywhere, everything, every time. To me, that was just one word. I could not figure that out. So you started buying Woody Allen's course.

Yes. I'm like, how can I learn from... Yeah. And the other memories... Oh, this is actually a great story. So I finished my high school in advance because I knew I'm not going to be back for two years. And I didn't speak English, so I couldn't go to school in America. But in America, you guys have this law where you have to be in school until you're 18. And so within the circus, we had a teacher that would teach all the kids all the subjects. And so they come to me and they say, so I'm 16. They come to me and they say, you I'm 16. They come to me and they say, you have to go to school here. I'm like, but I finished my high school. And their excuse was,

well, it wasn't translated. So there's no proof that you actually finished it. So you have to go to school. So I go to school. But because I don't speak English, they evaluate me and they put me in the second grade. The second grade? Yes. At 16, I was in 2 plus 2 and sitting with kids that are 8 years old. Hold on, they put you in a class with second graders? Yes. It's like an Adam Sandler movie. Pretty much.

And I did that for, I think, eight months. And they said, no, it's going to be good for you. You learn how to speak English. Like, I can learn how to speak English in my own trailer. I lived in a trailer, too. On the circus. Like a star trailer. Yeah.

Yeah. Only was like five of us. But you went to second. Second grade. With other kids that were part of the circus? Oh, I was pissed. They sent you to like a public school with second grade. No with the second no no we had our own school within the circus kind of like on the movie set where you'll have your own teacher and everything yeah so i was in the second grade uh so that's a

really fun make some good friends yeah we're still really close yeah so that was um but also in the middle of all of that i had to go to second grade and then i had to rehearse and then i had to clean up after the animals and then i had to do the shows because i was also in the show of all of that, I had to go to second grade, and then I had to rehearse, and then I had to clean up after the animals, and then I had to do the shows because I was also in the show, like pre-shows and different things. So it gave me a lot of really cool insight on how to survive, I guess. Can I make one little sidetrack here? I would be remiss if I didn't ask, worst circus accident that you've personally witnessed? I actually have been personally in one.

Well, tell us that one. And then also tell us the worst, and I hope it didn't involve you. Okay, yeah. So there's two. I have two stories. One of them was when I was 15, and I was rehearsing my act, and my act was not just juggling.

It was me juggling on unsupported ladder, which is a six feet tall ladder that you balance with your body and you climb up every step of the way and then you're on top and you balance. But it's not an A-frame. No. It's just a ladder. You'd prop against a wall. And you don't prop it. So you just balance it. You walk on it. Okay. And so your feet are covering the top step. Not covering, but one is at front and one is behind.

So that's how you keep the ladder in place. And then I would juggle with my cousin back and forth while I'm on top of the ladder. So that was my act, and it was a very unique act. Not many people did that for good reason. But we did it. And one day we're rehearsing something where I was balancing the ladder while balancing something on my head, which means I had to look up and look at that object as I was balancing. A lot of balancing going on. There's like too much. And then I've lost balance. And so I dropped whatever I was balancing on my head. And then I was just trying to flip one of my legs over the step so I can slowly come down the ladder.

And as I did that, my shoe got cut in one of the steps, which made me very – I was stuck to the ladder. I couldn't do anything. So my only way out was to fall back and see what happens. But as I was falling back, the ladder, because of the weight, it just slid under me. And from six feet tall, I just like landed on my wooden table like this on my head. Yeah, on my head, it was just like, bam. And then an elephant came in and sat on you. Pretty much, right? I was like, no wonder I'm so messed up. But I remember opening

up my eyes and I felt so much pressure in my head and I wasn't sure what was going on. And everyone was around me and they took me to a room. And for the next, and I'm not even kidding, for the next maybe 10 hours, I was asking the same question over and over. The only thing that was important to me is what happened, who saw me, and how did I get into this room. Severe concussion. Yes, severe. And I think I had amnesia. I was diagnosed with amnesia for 40 minutes of that time. So I had no idea what happened.

I was diagnosed with amnesia for 40 minutes of that time, so I had no idea what happened. So then my mom was in there, and then we went back to the hotel, and she came in, and she was so upset that something happened. And she's like, what happened? What day is today? I'm like, I don't know. She's like, what do you mean you don't know? She was so angry. She didn't want to believe that something really bad happened. And so then we went to the hospital, and there was no major cracks.

But I remember I was on medication for probably two years because i had severe headaches wow yeah so when i came to america and we were traveling through before la we went to san mateo um and it was a windy city right right next to sacramento and i remember all the winds really affected my my head really like if it was windy my head. Really? Like if it was windy, my head would be exploding. But that doesn't happen anymore. No, I was good after maybe a year in America, then I was good. And did you stop trying to do that double balance act? Yeah, I really didn't. Yeah. After that, I was never comfortable. And actually, a lot of people don't know this because they always ask me if I want to do live shows on stage. I'm like, no, I have horrible stage fright.

I'm like, but you used to be in the circus. And the whole career as a teenager in the circus, I had a horrible stage fright. So every show was a big deal to me. And I would go and I would shake and I would just freak out and I would do well. How can you shake and juggle? Exactly.

And your hands would get sweaty because you're nervous. So there's like so many things that goes against you. You never turn that corner of nerves. But then once I'm off the stage, I had this adrenaline and I wanted to do it again because now I was like, oh, it wasn't that bad. I can do it again. But then every time the next show rolled around, I was like, oh, gosh, I can't do it. So once I discovered YouTube, it was just the most beautiful platform where I can hide behind the editing. It was just

so great. It was like mistakes didn't matter. You can edit that fall off of the ladder right out. But what's the, so what's the worst that didn't involve you? So the worst, it was in my show with Ringling Brothers. It was a very professional trapeze artist and she always did her act without any support. Like a net? Yeah, no net and no wires connected to her. And she did this trick where she was flying, the trapeze was swinging back and forth and she was hanging off of it on her heels. Not even, when you hang off on your toes.

Like the Achilles tendon kind of thing? Yeah. She was swinging and something went wrong and she just went falling straight down to the ground. And luckily she had a guy who was right underneath her and he pushed her out. So as she fell on him, he just pushed her over. So she damaged her back a lot.

And- But she didn't die. She didn't die, no, no, no. He kept her from hitting head first. Correct. And you saw this, this was in front of a crowd. Yes, it was right in the middle of the show. And I remember our act was right after that.

And I remember this really weary silence and- Did they like just drag her off and keep going or was there like- No, they just, she was there for I think 40 minutes until the ambulance came and made sure nothing was broken. Was she paralyzed? No. Wow.

Yeah, she wasn't. She just really injured her shoulder. And your mom came out and was like, what day is it? Do you remember the day? What's wrong with you? Get up and walk. That actually brings me back to the Russian, you know, culture. It's, you know, there's no like, oh, I don't feel good today. I should probably stay in bed forever.

It's very like, get going and get things done. And vodka. And vodka, yeah. I mean, is that true? Well, it's true for a lot of people. I'm not, I always say I'm not a real Russian because I don't do that. Did the show go on?

I'm sorry to bring up vodka. After, yes. That was a low blow. I was just being stupid. Okay, I'm used to it, Link. Did you have to perform your act after they scraped her off of the ground? Yes, the show went on. Wow. But you know what's

the worst part? So the people sat there for 40 minutes and watched them just put her in traction or whatever? That's why they come, man. It's good for the possibility of that kind of thing happening. They're probably waiting. It's the best circus ever for those people.

But the worst experience in the circus for me was I was in Florida working in one of those family circuses, which is a whole different story when it's not a corporate and it's a family circus. Anything goes, huh? Pretty much. And so on that show... A man with a goat head! Yes.

I mean, it gets weird, right? It gets really weird, yeah. And this is... I'm talking family circuses. I mean, they've been in the circus industry for the last 50 years. Like all of their grandfathers been in the circus.

So it was September 11th. And I remember that happened and we're like, oh, the show is going to get canceled. And it was like three shows that day. And we had to perform. It was like the most bizarre day for anyone.

But people came to watch and we performed. Maybe that's helpful. I don't know. What about side shows? I mean, is that something that, did you get to know? What, the bearded lady?

Do you get to know these people behind the scenes? Is that part of it? Of course you get to know them. You were part of the troupe. Like who, Lizard Man? Luckily I didn't have any of that because I was part of the Ringling Brothers shows that they were trying to do something similar as Cirque du Soleil.

So it was more of a fancier. I mean, we had like a velvet chairs in our circus. Right. It was fancy. I still dream about it sometimes, hoping that we can do it again. It was a great experience for me. When I was 16 through 19, I was traveling with them and it was just everyone's costumes were beautiful and we all became friends and then enemies and then friends again. It's like a giant family

traveling for two years. Right. And then, and how did it, how did you end up staying in the U.S.? So in the U.S., so I've been here for three years with the circus. So they bring you in under a visa. Then I had another agent who, and the thing about visas, so I was not allowed to work in any other circuses other than Ringling Brothers. So then I had an agent who did another visa for me that allowed me to work in lots of different other circuses, but only circuses. You could not work like at McDonald's. And then I applied for green card. And then with green card, you can do anything if you get approved. Right.

Yeah. So, and I stayed. And the sad story about that story is it took me a while to learn how to speak English and then save up some money and do all of the things that I had to do. And I remember I didn't go back home for seven years. So, my mom, I left when I was 16 and my mom let me go because she always wanted me to follow my dreams. And then she thought I'll come back in two years, but I didn't. You didn't see her until you were in your 20s. Yeah. And it was really bizarre. I remember her calling me and I was trying to figure out the

whole like, how do you make enough money so you can travel overseas and do all these things? And I was back before YouTube, I was auditioning for a lot of commercials and I was trying to get commercial work as a juggler. And eventually I did right before YouTube became my full time job. I booked five national commercials. I'm like, oh, this is it. Perfect. Now I'll just sit there and money will come as I develop the whole YouTube thing. But before that, I was an extra on lots of TV shows and movies and that paid like $50 a day. And I was working, I remember working like seven times a week, seven days a week. And I was trying to become a union because once you become

a union, you get paid twice as much. And that was around that time when my mom called me and she said it was a very emotional time when she said um i i don't want to die before i see you and uh i'm gonna start crying um because she has a really bad heart and she was just she just felt like she'll never see me again and so i i finally saved up the money and i went and it was so weird because we would talk on Skype, but we would talk on Skype all the time. But then should we take a break? No. No, OK. Take a break if you need to. And then when I came home, I remember talking to them and it was just this foreign thing because I was already thinking and dreaming in English and talking to my family

I was just like I can't connect like I can't connect to my family and get used to the humor and just just have a normal conversation without trying to remember what words I'm trying to use to communicate my thoughts and but that went away after like two or three days being there and then I just made a decision to always go at least once a year so you've been able to go back every year really i've been going every year now yeah and then um in the last i think four years i started bringing my family here so my mom been coming here she's been here two or three times now and how's her health she um she had a heart surgery um while I was in America. So I flew there for that. I think that was like the third time me visiting after I was already living here.

She had heart surgery and it's better. They definitely saved her heart, but it's not perfect. And what was her experience visiting here for the first time? It's also very interesting because... Was she proud of you? She's so proud. And she doesn't speak English. And she watches my videos every day.

And she's like, make a video in Russian. I was like, oh my gosh, I barely have time to make a video in English. So she watches my videos all the time. The only thing she can recognize is like... She's like, don't say those words. Because she knows those are bad. And then I would be like, okay, fine. I was like, it's funny, mom.

It's funny. There's another interesting thing. I love to curse in English. But when I start cursing in Russian, I feel so awkward because I think it's the length. Like, I have so much respect, I guess, for elders in Russia because I grew up, you know. Just give us a couple right now. In Russian? Yeah, and we won't even bleep them.

Oh, I can't even say it because Russians, the way they curse, there's so much passion. It's kind of like the way I curse when I curse in English. But when I say it, I just feel like a little girl who is like, my parents are watching. We won't know the difference. It's like time travel. It's like.

Oh, wow. It's pretty intense. How sure about it? But the way I say it It's kind of like I just don't want to be a cat Yeah you like You lose eye contact Yeah

When you should like Totally be pointing in my face Yeah but I'll be like Shut the f*** up Like I have Like I have that Yeah that's good That's in me

But in Russian I just Like I just Am this little girl That's what you said To me Shut the f*** No

Yeah actually The second thing Was shut the f*** up Yes Okay Yeah I have to translate now a little bit um but yeah so my mom when she came here um she doesn't speak english and what about eat goose and die say that one okay um yes it doesn't have the same meaning i don't know oh you know sometimes it just doesn't have the same meaning. I don't know. You know, sometimes it just doesn't translate the way you want it to.

Eat, poop, and die? You just can't? Yes. How do you say goose? I'm actually not that bad. It's just I haven't spoken Russian in like a week. So I forget. Goose.

Goose. Yeah, it's the same word. That's why. Goose? Goose is goose in Russian? No, it's goose. Goosey. Goosey. Goosey.

Goosey is a plural for geese. Anyways, we'll do a Russian lesson some other time. Some other time. Some other time when I know Russian a little better. But so when she came here, she was surprised of how beautiful everything was and how everyone was so polite and sweet. I'm like, wait, what do you think of us here in America? And I just realized that there is something cultural that happens if you are in that country.

The other countries are painted in a different light. And so when they come and experience that for themselves, it's like a little disconnect. So for her, it was a negative light. Yeah, I think so. I think it goes for every country. And when she came here, I was like, everyone's so nice and sweet. Wait a second. Yeah, it's whatever the stereotype.

Yeah, it's like whatever news feed you, and then you kind of take that. But they're not in Crimea now. No, so now she lives in Siberia. Whoa. Yeah, with Siberia. Safe, but cold. Very cold. So inberia is the place where my mom and dad were from and then uh because of my mom's health we had to move to a warmer

climate um so that's why we were in crimea and then she moved back to siberia but i know i don't think it's really affecting her health that much so i'm not sure what that was all about but um but she lives in siberia so when i go to visit i either go to siberia or i go where my brother is at which is saint petersburg and then i'll just bring my whole family to saint petersburg because that's a little more fun yeah to explore and not so cold and not so cold yeah and it's just beautiful um but she comes here and she loves it here and she loves loves my dog. She loves to walk around. She watches me make videos.

It makes no sense to her, but she supports it. Because at one point I remember I think my aunt would say something like, why wouldn't she just get a real job? And then once I started making enough money to actually support my family, that's when my mom said, I think that's her real job. I think this is what she does. So what's next? What are you, besides Periscope and Snapchat, experimentations?

I'm definitely going to be my next best friend. Well, a couple of things. So one of the things, I've launched a nikai sock company also last year and i ran into a couple of problems with manufacturing because i decided to do everything on my own and uh but now i finally back on track so um i'm releasing lots of new designs and uh with that i'm developing an animated show around those characters as well yeah and the other thing, and that's something I actually haven't talked to anyone about, but I'm writing a book about my dating experiment.

This is a breaking news on Ear Biscuits? Pretty much. You have not vlogged or periscoped or Snapchatted this? I'll say this. I've mentioned on Twitter that I'm writing a book, but I've never said what it's all about.

Well, tell us all about it. People just assume that it's a book about Olga K becoming Olga K on YouTube. But it's actually about my dating experiment. And originally, it started off an experiment for myself because I've always been in long-term relationships. So, it's how long can one person date Toby Turner? Yes. And before Toby. So, I've dated somebody for a long time. And then before Toby, I was single for two years. Okay. And when I say single, I mean, nothing happened, but I dated my YouTube channel. I was working 24 seven. And I remember waking up one morning,

I was like, oh, it's been two years and I haven't had a single date and that's how Toby came into the picture and then we dated on and off for a year and then after we broke up um I was single for another eight months I'm like oh there goes another two years and why is this happening to me so I started questioning myself why am I not dating around because people do ask me out but I never go I never say yes and I realized that I was terrified of dating I can't do that I'm a relationship type I'm only gonna date somebody who I immediately feel the connection with and that person not around I'm just gonna hang out and if it's gonna be two years three years fine and then I started thinking even deeper where I thought okay well what if I

start having children what is this one with the men that I, of my dreams, what is one thing that I regret? And it was not to date around. So, but then I started thinking how much I hate dating. So I had to come up with an experiment where it gives me an out. Okay. So in the experiment contains of me dating for a year, nothing serious. It's just getting out of my system. So, I never say I regret not to date around. And I was going to date nine guys and one girl before I settled down. Okay. Are you in the middle of this right now? Yes. I'm almost done. And I would only date each person for one month only. And I tell them up front that this is what I'm doing.

This is an experiment. That's an experiment. And if they're down, then we'll not play games, not do this whole thing. I text you and you text me five days later. We just date and see where it goes. And then once the month comes to an end, we both go separate ways and there's no hard feelings. We both know it's coming. Let's just have fun.

And you're like on the dates taking notes in your phone for your book. Usually I do it after. I try to be respectful. Do we know any of these people that have been in this round? The answer is no and nobody will know anybody's names.

Oh, so you're going to keep all no, and nobody will know anybody's names. Oh, so it's gonna be anonymous. You're gonna keep all that private. So yeah, everyone is private and- Have you dated a girl yet? No, it's coming up. And, okay, now my brain is flooded with questions. Yes, please ask, please. Okay, wow, okay, I don't, I don't-

So I'm on chapter eight. And you're writing. Oh, you're writing as you go. Are you writing as you go? Yes. And what is the nature of the stuff that you're learning? What you're looking for in the men is one thing. So you're learning about yourself. Absolutely.

And also about dating in general because I've never really done it. I've're learning about yourself. Absolutely. And also about dating in general, because I've never really done it. I've always been in relationships. It's kind of like, I like you. Let's date for five years. That's been my life in the past. So I've never really dated around. And I've always been so picky. And if a guy showed interest, there's something like control freak in me. If the guy showed interest, I would always be not interested. I was like, oh, I'm not attracted to that unless I was attracted first and then he met me halfway and then we ended up dating.

Okay. So this actually changed a lot where I was going out on dates with people that I was not fully attracted to, but I was just want to see where it would go. So you would intentionally pick someone for one month that I'm not even attracted to this guy. Not intentionally, but they would be like, hey, let's go out.

I'm like, I would usually not go out with you, but yeah, totally, I'm part of this experiment right now. Let's see what happens. Do you wanna be number four? Yeah, do you wanna be number four? Okay, so what happened with that date guy? So lots of different things happen with different people, but what I've learned about myself... Did you find yourself being attracted to that guy

that you wouldn't have said yes to? Yes. So the more... Here's an interesting thing about people. If you spend enough time with them, you learn to love them in a way. Like you discover little things that are not there at first. Are you living together too?

No, no, there's no time for that. Just dating, yeah. And it just depending on the chemistry, the only difference between all these different guys were depending on the chemistry, we either spend four dates in a month together or 15. So you really hit it off with a couple of people. And was it difficult with some of these guys who maybe you hit it off with to be like,

oh, okay, I got to continue this experiment. It was. Meaning I have to cut it off at the end of this month. Yeah, it was difficult. Were there tears with some of these people, like a legitimate breakup? Yeah, there is some interesting, we'll just have to wait for the book, but there's some interesting thing that happened that I was not expecting. And it was just, for just for me it was just like fun kind of like fun and games in a way and see what we can learn from this and then it's all fun and games until someone falls in love

yeah it became emotional at one point but and you're dating this person on the side and i mean it was like i'll just tell you this i'm not to tell you a lot, but it became emotional and I still had to break it off and move on. And what happened with the next person was very interesting to learn because when you have- I could tell. When you have, yeah, when you have feelings for somebody and then you date somebody else, it's such a weird, bizarre experience.

And how does it- And the whole time I was just apologizing. I was like, I'm sorry, this is so horrible. I'm sorry this is happening. But everyone knows. So everyone knows what they're getting into. And how does that impact it? You know, knowing up front, you know...

How would it impact you? Well, I'm a married man. I'm a committed man. I'm a married man. I would imagine... I want to date a married man. So how... Like, I come to you... The answer is no. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding man. I'm a committed man. I'm a married man. I would imagine. I want to date a married man. So how, like I come to you. The answer is no, Olga. I'm just kidding.

Thanks for asking. I'm flattered that you asked. I'm just kidding. I would imagine that it would be reduced to, okay, this is just going to be a physical relationship and some guy would be like, oh, I've got a free ticket to a physical relationship for a month

and then it's over. Thank you. It's not going to, you know. So here's the thing with that. So the first guy that I really wanted to date was a guy that I never had a relationship with him, but we had a little something going on and he is known as the biggest player. So he was the first guy I went to because that's exactly what I thought. I was like, I'm already kind of comfortable with him.

This is going to be my first guy. So we just see where it goes and it goes physical, great. And he's a player. So for him, it's going to be like, it's a physical thing. And then he's out. And he turned me down because he said he would not ever be part of something like that. And so I've been turned down. He has standards.

Yeah, he has standards. And I was just like, what? not ever be part of something like that. And so I've been turned down. He has standards. Yeah, he has standards. And I was just like, what? And that's when I learned that the bigger your ego is, the more you deal with things like that. Because it's their ego. The girl cannot be in control of something like that. If that's the, they're the ones who are in control.

That's a good point. I mean, there's also something else at work is that why put your heart out there to be, you know, just to get hooked and then know that there's an out. Like there's an expiration date on this. And that's another thing I've learned is when you date somebody for a month, it's actually a perfect time to get to know somebody and have fun. And then if you date them a little longer than that, then that's when it becomes where i think i have feelings and what's going on so that's why for me so the longer part of the story is um and that's how people kind of been taking that as oh they were probably faking it or they're not being themselves when they date you and so i've decided to not tell people that it's an experiment and just go through dating and see where that ends.

And the truth is, I feel like people are playing way more games when they don't know it's part of the experiment. How many people have you done that with? Just one. Oh, man. Did you apologize? And you've been through that already. Yeah. That doesn't sound right.

And that was just so, and for me it was so frustrating. I was like, oh, this is what it's like to date in LA. Nothing happens and everyone is playing games and everyone is just waiting for something to happen and nothing happens and then you're like, oh gosh. Well listen, we're gonna get the whole book out of you if you let us.

So let's just make a deal that once you get this thing all down, that we come back, you know, we want to read it and talk about it. But yeah, super intrigued. When do you expect for that to be done and out? So I'm still, so before I even wanted to, you know, shop for a book deal or anything, I wanted to finish most of it. So I'm kind of getting to the close, and so I'm just starting to see

if somebody would be interested in a story like that. And then hopefully, I mean, books, I'm learning that it takes a while to get them out. So hopefully in the next year. Okay. Yeah. Well, we will be anticipating that. Oh yes, you'll be getting a copy. All right, we'll hold you to it.

Thanks for hanging out with us and making this biscuit. It's time to sign the table. Oh gosh, I've been waiting for this. There you go, there's your marker. Thanks Olga, I know we gave you a hard time, but it was a lot of fun. It was great, you guys. It was so great.

And there you have it, our Ear Biscuit with Olga Kay. Let Olga know how much you enjoyed that Ear Biscuit. Use hashtag Ear Biscuits on Twitter. Her handle is at Olga Kay, just like it sounds, O-L-G-A-K-A-Y. You know, speak to her. It means a lot. When you tweet at her with the hashtag Ear Biscuits, she is reminded how good of a choice it was

to come and spend this time with us today, even though we maybe pressed a little too hard about that circus thing. Yeah, I mean, the, because we were talking about it like the sideshow, like Lizard Man, I mean, like I guess some circuses have sideshows, that wasn't, but not really,

that's not really the circus thing anymore. Well, it's the side show. It's not the show, it's the side show. I don't even know if those exist anymore. Like there's a tent circus going up, I saw it on the way in today. Yeah. And there's not gonna be like a side show stages there,

but if you go to Venice Beach, Oh, you can see like the world's smallest duck. Yeah, there's a permanent side show. I don't think that's actually a thing. No, it's not like the state fair booths. It's like Lizard Man. Really? At Venice Beach, yeah, like there's a sword swallower

and he's just, he's there swallowing the swords. And it makes me think of the one person that we've met that I'm sure has been in the closest thing to like freak show or side show, Catman. Remember when we did commercial Kings, we went and we made a tourism commercial for the town of Tonopah in the middle of nowhere,

the desert. And we found out that this guy who calls himself Catman, if you just search Catman on the internet, all these amazing pictures of a man whose face is tattooed that this guy who calls himself Catman, if you just search Catman on the internet, all these amazing pictures of a man whose face is tattooed with like stripes like a tiger, he shaved his teeth down into points, he had piercings all over his body.

May he rest in peace. Yeah, he passed away. He passed away last year, I think. We met him in a diner. He didn't have like a sideshow. He was just like living in hiding. Not in hiding, but he was like isolated. I guess he wanted to get away from people, right?

Right, well, I think he had made a number of appearances and he was just like, you know, I'm a cat. I didn't do this so you would, you know, come pay to see me. I did it because I just, I wanna be a cat. And he was an interesting dude. I mean, but he was very nice. Incredibly nice. Incredibly nice.

Incredibly nice. Nicer than most cats. He was a gentile. He was very nice. He was as nice as in dog. He was very, he talked, he had this like Zen-like quality in the way that he talked. He did.

And it was just so, he actually altered his lip to make it look like a cat lip. He did. Do you remember that? He had lots of surgical stuff going on. And there were surgical- Whiskers. He actually altered his lip to make it look like a cat lip. He did. Do you remember that? He had lots of surgical stuff going on. And there were surgical- Whiskers. Whiskers that he could screw in and make them-

I'm not interested in doing that personally, but it was pretty cool to see somebody who did. I think another thing, I'm looking forward to seeing how this book idea of Olga's is received. And also interested to see that now that she's talked about it, how that's going to affect. My theory is that people will contact her because she hasn't really talked about this publicly.

People will contact her and say, I want to be next in line for your experiment. You know that's going to happen. Yeah, I found it interesting how she's kind of changed the parameters that she went on, how much she disclosed at the top of each month with each date or not. So yeah, hopefully that comes together for you.

Book publishers, reach out to Olga. I think she's accepting offers. Yes. And we're accepting your ears every week. You can count on us. We will not reject them. We will not count on us. We will not reject them. We will not reject your ears. We are not rejecting them.

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