The Bossticks - Bling Empire's Christine Chiu On How To Make It On TV, Asian Culture, Playing The Villain, & More
Episode Date: February 23, 2023#546: Today we are joined on by Christine Chiu. Christine is a mother, philanthropist, business woman, producer, and star of Netflix's Bling Empire. We get into her & her family's experience with BT...S of Bling Empire, racism, differences between American and Asian cultures, male infertility & her journey with IVF, parenthood and raising kids with character and grit, beauty and skincare secrets, and how to throw the most lavish party. To connect with Christine Chiu click HERE To connect with Lauryn Evarts click HERE To connect with Michael Bosstick click HERE Read More on The Skinny Confidential HERE For Detailed Show Notes visit TSCPODCAST.COM To Call the Him & Her Hotline call: 1-833-SKINNYS (754-6697) This episode is brought to you by The Skinny Confidential This episode is brought to you by Arrae Arrae's product line is comprised of three products, Bloat, Calm, & Sleep alchemy capsules to help solve everyday problems that women constantly deal with. Use code SKINNY at arrae.com to get 15% off your first purchase + a free Sleep Mini. This episode is brought to you by nez nez is a new clean, aluminum free, dermatologist tested deodorant brand. Customized for different ""sweat moments,"" nez gives you the right sweat protection and fragrance at the right time. Go to nezcare.com and use code SKINNY for 10% off your entire order. This episode is brought to you by Just Thrive These days, stress seems to hit us from every possible angle in any environment at any time, day after day. Enter Just Calm - the breakthrough new stress and mood support formula from Just Thrive. Yes, the same Just Thrive that produces our favorite probiotic! Get 20% off Just Thrive probiotic + Just Calm supplement dynamic duo bundle or any of their other scientifically proven products at justthrivehealth.com/Skinny or use code SKINNY90 at checkout. This episode is brought to you by Branch Basics The Branch Basics Premium Starter Kit will provide you with everything you need to replace all of your toxic cleaning products in your home. It's really a no-brainer. Go to branchbasics.com and use code SKINNY for 15% off their starter kit. This episode is brought to you by DoorDash You've trusted DoorDash to deliver your restaurant favorites and now you can get grocery delivery that actually delivers, too. Get 50% off your first DoorDash order up to twenty dollars by using code SKINNY at checkout on the app. This episode is brought to you by Beekeepers Naturals Beekeepers Naturals is female-founded and the products are clean and effective, third-party tested for all pesticides, and the brand is dedicated to sustainable beekeeping and helping save the bees. Get 25% off your first order at beekeepersnaturals.com/SKINNY or use code SKINNY at checkout. Produced by Dear Media
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The following podcast is a dear media production.
She's a lifestyle blogger extraordinaire.
Fantastic.
And he's a serial entrepreneur.
A very smart cookie.
And now Lauren Everts and Michael Bostic are bringing you alone for the ride.
Get ready for some major realness.
Welcome to the skinny confidential, him and her.
I've been holding on to The Secret for 10 years.
And, you know, when you're sitting in that interviewing chair and they're grilling you for
hours asking you a bunch of questions. You're tired. You're hungry. You're like super emotional.
Might have been on my period that day. And they broke me. They broke me in that chair and I just
blurted it out. And right afterwards, I felt so bad because, you know, I was putting my husband
on full blast for the world to see and here. I cannot believe it's like one of my biggest
loopers because I didn't mean for it to come out. Christine Chew is
on the skinny confidential him and her podcast today.
I am excited about this interview because we talk about everything.
We talk about cultural differences, how to throw the most lavish party, male infertility,
and IVF.
You guys are going to die when you hear her story.
Parenthood, raising kids with character and grit behind the scenes of Bling Empire on Netflix.
I love this show.
You got to watch it if you haven't.
And her beauty and skincare secrets.
She was such a great guest.
She was one of those guests that you asked back immediately.
We could have gone anywhere with her.
And she was really honest, open, raw and real on this episode.
I know you're going to love it.
So on that note, let's welcome Christine, mother, philanthropist, wife, businesswoman, producer, and star.
And I mean star, of Netflix, bling empire to the skinny confidential him and her show.
This is the skinny confidential him and her.
What is going on on Instagram?
with the llamas. Oh my gosh. I'm obsessed with llamas. They're technically all pockas for like people
who are super snobby about things like this. They basically grew up with baby G because llamas have
this like super immunity to COVID and that's when we were first oh yeah. When we were first
researching like what animals during COVID baby G he's an only child. So he's like bored is all
hell and just and we felt bad and we were bored and we're like what animal can we bring in to
entertain him and to like play with and cuddle with. And we found that llamas had this weird,
rare super immunity to SARS like viruses like COVID. So that's when we started having these
llamas come over. And we would just spend days and nights with the llamas. And, you know,
the original Christmas photos were of these baby llamas. And now they're all toddler llamas like
baby G. So they're like his brothers and sisters. So the llamas actually help.
get rid of the virus?
No, they're just immune.
They're immune to it.
Maybe not fully immune, but it sounds like they have a great resistance.
Yeah, and the scientists were studying the blood, their blood to see how at that time it might
be able to help with some kind of a vaccine.
Oh my gosh.
Yeah.
I've heard a lot of wild things on this show and this one's up there.
No, but that honestly makes sense.
And her husband's a doctor, so her husband knows.
Plus, we read the research papers.
So never once there was like, hey, maybe like a dog or a cat, it was just straight.
We're going for the other.
for llamas. I mean, we did on, I don't know if you guys saw on season two, we did try out a couple of different animals. And that was very much for real. We, we tried out a turtle, much too boring, although super cute. But they lived forever, too. Also a good or bad thing. And I don't think they like to travel. We're a traveling family.
I used to have a turtle named Poki, and he got so big and so old. We had to eventually get him adopted for somebody that lived down in the desert because he was just, it was massive.
We don't need your whole story.
Oh, okay.
It was like a 20-something-year-old turtle that was just massive.
Okay, so here's my question.
I am a big fan of your show.
And I want to know, first of all, how it came about,
but how you convinced your husband to go on the show
because it seems like it definitely took some convincing for him.
Oh, yeah.
But you know what?
He's pretty easygoing.
And I think his life is so, like,
although he loves plastic surgery and it's what gets him on.
up in the morning. He's so passionate. He's like a kid in a candy store in the operating room,
but it's also really stressful because, you know, it's a dangerous occupation. And he's
cutting people up. And yes, he like husbands high-five him at the end of it all. And he saves
social lives and marriages. But like he also needs a little fun outlet. So what could be more
fun than making assholes of ourselves on global television? Did you know that the show
was going to be what it is. Like, it's a huge show. And I know the first season absolutely crushed it.
I'm sure the second season did too. It's very popular. Did you guys know going into it that it was
going to be this wild? No, I mean, in all seriousness, because I am a producer on the show as well,
when we were, yeah, I'm an co-executive producer. That's how you do it, Lauren. That's how you do it.
Smart. When we were approached with the concept, it was, I mean, at that time, there wasn't an all Asian,
Asian American ensemble cast on, you know, national television. And this, of course, was Netflix.
This is global television. And so we thought this was such a great opportunity to showcase the many
facets of our diverse backgrounds. And because the docu-series space is so cluttered, we were like,
we really need to make an impact. I mean, we're going to be like dime a dozen if we don't like
nail this. And so both as an on-camera talent and also,
behind the camera producer, I felt like double the pressure to make it really entertaining and
exciting and also like authentic and fun. How did you know to immediately get that producer credit? Because
that's very, very smart. We actually with the creator of Ling Empire, we have been in years of
like different development deals. So we had developed other shows and I love storytelling in any form,
whether it's like fashion or art or television and film,
and we've invested in different projects.
So for me, it was always coming from a perspective of storytelling.
So was your husband on board right away?
To produce it, yes.
To produce it?
To produce it just because you get to have a deeper hand in the storytelling aspect of it.
Because we get to be a part of something that's like greater than just us, you know,
that can possibly make a mark in history, which I think it did.
And, you know, we were new parents and we felt, as you guys know, as parents, you have a different sense of how do I make a difference for the future generation, not my kid's going to be a part of.
And we were in the midst of a lot of anti-Asian hate, I mean, anti-Asians and a lot of Asian hate.
I grew up in very Caucasian communities and so did my husband.
And we both experienced racism and microaggressions and macroaggressions.
And so we thought, you know, why would we say no to something like this?
Looking back, what is something that you can put your finger on that's like, oh, my gosh, you look back on it and it was a microaggression?
You know, making fun of the way the food I would bring to school smells.
I didn't speak English when I was a kid.
I immigrated here from Taiwan.
So I actually was always made fun of for not speaking English.
I remember I would pee in my pants every day at school because I didn't know how to ask to go to the bathroom.
or like I would ask and I would get lost and I didn't find my way back so I would just hold it in and then I would pee in my pants and get made fun of.
And the food that I would bring to school smelled and looked funny.
And, you know, maybe the clothes I was wearing wasn't exactly what everyone else was wearing at that time.
And, you know, my parents didn't look like everyone else's parents.
And so, you know, just growing up, always feeling like you didn't belong.
and I know that as Asian Americans, a lot of us have felt for a very long time that we were like the perpetual visitor.
Although I have an American passport, it didn't feel like I was a part of America.
And so when this project came and it was an opportunity to normalize and popularize Asian and Asian Americans, I was like, heck yeah, we have to.
We have to do it not only for our community, but we have to do it for Baby G and his generations.
And when I was growing up, I never saw people who look like myself on TV. No way. I mean, and I wanted to be blonde with blue eyes. And all of my friends were blonde with blue eyes. It's fake. I don't know blonde with blue eyes. It's fake. I have the eyes are real. I'm convinced there are no more real blondes. There's no. It's extinct. It's extinct. But, you know, it took, it took decades to really appreciate. And even with participating in Bling Empire, I had a new founded love for my own culture.
Did your husband experience similar?
You said that he grew up in a Caucasian neighborhood.
Did he experience the similar upbringing?
In terms of racism, I know he faced a lot of it going through medical school and also going
through his residency and fellowship and in surgery.
At that time, he's a little older than me, but at that time, it was still a very all-white
male-dominated industry.
And so he definitely has stories.
stories to share where he really had to fight extra hard. And he was chief of, chief of surgery,
chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery. So he really worked his way up there. What's his specialty?
He does great. Everything head to toe, but he does the most like mommy makeovers and bodies.
So breast the bees, boobs, but, belly. Brees, butt. Belly. Pummy tank? Yeah, boobs, butt.
Yeah, yeah. Okay, so you guys come out on the show with the most extravagant party I've ever seen. It's, it's, and like in the best way. Like, it is, it is loud. It is flamboyant. It's amazing. Is that like a normal party in, is that just another day in Beverly Hills? Just amongst us, that party was put together in a week. Because, yes, because we were originally going to do the party at a restaurant.
and the restaurant owner kind of screwed us over last minute.
And we were going to the Super Bowl.
We were landing.
And then we were told that the party at the restaurant was kind of kaput.
So we had...
What's the reason they just didn't want to do anymore?
They didn't want it on film?
They decided to raise the price from $188 per person to $1,000 per person last minute.
And then they wanted like all of these extra fees for like everything you can think of.
And then they like they made the menu.
It was eight courses because eight's a lucky number in Chinese culture.
And they reduced it to four.
And four means death.
Oh.
That was a red flag.
And so like things just changed really quickly while we were in flight to the Super Bowl.
So when we landed, we're like, okay, well, this isn't happening at that restaurant anymore.
We have to find another venue.
And we had one week to do it.
And we couldn't fit the party anywhere.
So I had to basically beg, borrow, steal and all of my contacts to have it there in Beverly Hills, which was like a complete miracle because every store had to sign off on it.
And these are big, you know, conglomerates.
It was on Rodeo, right?
Yeah, too Rodeo.
I mean, this party, okay, you guys have to go watch the first season.
This is like so wild this party.
It's one of the biggest parties I've ever seen.
Just do another one and invite me and then I'll be able to understand it a little bit.
Yes, let's do it. He wants to be carried in like Baby G though, like a prince.
I want to be carried everywhere like that.
Well, will you dress up and do some martial arts dancing?
I will do whatever you tell me.
If you say, hey, you're going to this party and you need me to, I mean, listen, I don't
want to, I don't think you might be a little disappointed in the performance, but I'll try.
Oh, I don't know. I think you guys have like a lot of hidden talents.
I do have some hidden talents. Ask my husband.
Ooh.
This is, my mother. This one from an A.N. to a P.
podcast real quick. My mother's a black belt in
Tonks Udoux. Oh, wow.
Yeah. Oh, I tried to put Baby G in martial arts.
I made it to orange. That's it. I didn't get to a bar.
Well, life stories are happening all day long.
I did ballet when I was three.
She broke a brick with her bare head. It's true.
Okay, so something I think is so interesting about you is your fertility journey.
Yeah. I feel like, and you can speak more eloquently on this than me, but you sort of
kept it a secret that, how do I say this right, that your husband was the person that was having
issues, but everyone thought that it was you. What was that like to showcase on television?
That was, I cannot believe. It's like one of my biggest, at that time, bloopers because I didn't
mean for it to come out. Like, I didn't at all. I've been holding on to the secret for 10 years.
And, you know, when you're sitting in that interviewing chair and they're grilling you for hours,
asking you a bunch of questions.
You're tired.
You're hungry.
You're like super emotional.
Might have been on my period that day.
And I really just, they broke me.
They broke me in that chair and I just blurted it out.
And right afterwards, I felt so bad because, you know,
I was putting my husband on full blast for the world to see and here.
And I went home and I immediately apologized.
And to my surprise, he, like,
embraced me and he was crying and and he thanked me he thanked me for telling the truth and he thanked me
for and he I mean he's smart he's very smart and he knew that male infertility is a very very common
thing he was never ashamed I think his family it was more of a thing to protect his family I thought
I was protecting him he knew that I was really protecting the family because it's it's still a very like
it's a stigmatized, you know, shameful thing it can be for Asian families, especially his.
Well, I think it's important that you have the conversation. And because I think when people think
about fertility issues, they don't always think it's the males. They constantly like blame the women
for this issue. I was talking to a smart doctor friend of mine who actually I'm trying to work to get
on the podcast. And he was saying that men do this little like basic test. And it says like,
oh, can they swim and, you know, are they healthy? But they don't do a test that's called, and I'm going
butcher this, but maybe some of the medical people out there listening. It's called like a cap test.
And they said the sperm can swim really well and be healthy, but if the cap at the head is not pointed,
it can't actually penetrate the egg. So the male may think that he's healthy, but it's not. It's his
issue. And then what happens is the woman gets blamed for the fertility issue when it's actually a
male issue. But people don't talk about it. But I think what I respected so much about you sharing your
journey is you were so vulnerable about it. And you took something that's supposed to be so
taboo and you just took the energy out of it and it shouldn't be taboo.
Mm-mm, shouldn't. And I think it's still very sad that immediately when a couple is struggling,
the first person to be, you know, tested is still the female.
Well, that's what I'm saying. It should be both simultaneously. Why not?
Yeah, but that's what I was saying is the male sometimes gets tested. Like, oh, it swims and you're
healthy, but they don't do that one test to see if it can actually penetrate the egg. So it could actually
look healthy and the male can look healthy. And then what happens is the woman has to carry the
burden thinking that it's her fault when it's actually.
because they don't do this one test.
In my case, we started IVF when I was in my mid-20s, 24-25,
and that's, I mean, that's really young for going through any IVF process.
And I ended up doing seven rounds of IVF.
And it took, I think it took until the fifth or sixth, fifth or six round for them to be like,
you know what, it's the male.
Okay, wait, hold on.
But they couldn't tell before that?
Seven rounds? That is a lot of rounds.
It's a lot of drugs.
It's a lot of drugs. It's a lot of emotions.
It's a lot of bloating.
It's a lot of. There's so many layers to seven times.
I mean, that is like, that's commitment.
Oh, yeah. And that's a lot of, you know, that's, I think more so than the pain because I'm also very needophobic.
Oh, that's a lot.
Which is like so ironic that I married a doctor.
But I have this weird, like I can't go near a needle.
even when giving birth to baby G
they had to gas me
because they can't put a needle through me
She has the same thing
It's called Vasco-Vagal or something
Vasco-Vagel?
I don't know what
Yeah so do I
And like my whole world is spinning
And I go into like a panic attack
When I see needles
She does the same thing
He's like you need to solve this
I'm like I can't solve it
Like it's my vagus nerve
I've tried like hypnosis too
It's I feel the same way
Yeah I mean even just like getting like an IV
No that's what she said
She had a immunity IV or a hangover IV, she loses it.
So, well, I guess you don't know at first you have to do seven times, but the first time, were you so scared?
So when I married my husband, I found out the night of our wedding that he was from this very, you know, historical family and they take their heritage very seriously.
And I was told that night that it was my duty to carry the family line.
And so.
No pressure.
No pressure.
And like, you know, it wasn't like a very romantic.
evening that night after learning about that. That's what I told Lauren. I said, I need you to carry the
family line, Lauren. So I always felt this pressure. And I was, whether it was explicitly or
implicitly instructed to me, my duty in that family, in my family is to reproduce. So from the get-go,
like, that was it. That was top priority. And if I couldn't do it naturally, and I trust me, we tried.
I mean, we tried every, like, eating Persian dates facing the east while the sun was, you know, like all sorts of weird stuff, doing sex in a different position to a different music, to like just all sorts of wonky things.
And then it was IVF.
And that first round, they just, I think they just threw me in with a bunch.
They really didn't analyze my case.
So they gave me drugs that were meant for like a 40-year-old woman.
That first round, they actually burned me out.
They burned all of my eggs.
And there was, I think, the second or the third round, they actually lost my eggs.
So I got-
Like they harvest them and then-
They lost them.
They misplaced them.
And I remember-
What do you do about that?
We were contemplating whether or not to sue at that time.
But I was so, like, emotionally distraught.
I went into depression.
It's like, my eggs, how could you?
When it's like suing them doesn't replace the-
Yeah.
And also, you, you.
maybe don't understand this, but the work that you have to put into even getting those eggs to have
someone lose them, like that's even, it's like you did all this work and then they lost them.
That makes me want to cry for you. That's so gnarly. And there were, I mean, with every round,
there was like a different complication, of course, and a different situation. And fast forward to the
doctor that you see on Dr. Beck, who is so honest.
and so obviously very, very, very intelligent.
And she, like, she just, she wanted to do the impossible.
And we were the impossible case.
I mean, when I say impossible and I don't want to put my husband on full blast again,
but it was an impot.
Like, we're not talking, you know, men have millions of sperm, right?
We're not even talking thousands.
We're not talking hundreds.
We're talking a handful that we, you know, we're working with.
And then it was none.
So we invested in a doctor who, like a crazy scientist guy in Silicon Valley, who was developing even sperm from skin cells.
Wow.
And Baby G did not come from a skin cell.
But, you know, but we got like super high tech and advanced and desperate.
But it was a miracle.
I think it's a combination of, you know, God and science working together with the right timing.
When I travel, I get puffy.
I just get puffy in general.
I'm just like a puffy person.
And whenever I travel, like I did recently, I went to Vegas.
I bring like a bloat kit.
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I have water.
Sometimes I put ginger in there.
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So here's the deal. Last year I went and did all my blood work. Anyone reading my test and I had
multiple doctors do so would think that I had passed the basic health test. When we didn't just check the
basic levels either. We went deep. We measured it against all sorts of levels that we consider to be
healthy and optimal. But something just told me it was still not right or my system was still not right.
I felt off still. Even with the blood work and all of that data and all things pointing to a
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Dr. Dale Joffrey, and sure enough, I needed to fix my gut health. One of the tools that we used to do this
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Well, I imagine even for your husband, the pressure that he must have felt coming from that line, right?
And that family must have been pretty immense for him as well.
He's very good at dealing with stress and pressure, clearly, in his line of work as well.
And I think men have a different way of processing stress maybe.
At least for him, he chandled it really well and put that energy in that expectation of him
somewhere else and did really well with his life.
But it was tough for me because when I married him, I was very ambitious.
I was doing really well in my career.
And I really wanted to continue that trajectory.
And I didn't think that I had to set everything in my life aside.
to reproduce and then commit to like so many years of failure.
I mean, I was a failure to his family.
But so now that his family knows this information,
is there a different energy towards you?
You know, Asian families, at least this one,
very traditional families, a lot is unspoken.
Like it's known, but it's unspoken.
So I...
Remind me the history of the family again?
Is it royalty?
Or what is it?
They were, he's like direct descent of a dynasty.
And I know dynasties are not in existence.
And on the show, of course, they ask you questions in a million ways.
And then they get you to say stuff.
So yes, of course I know that they're not in existence.
But for history buffs and for people who really, and for his family, it's very important.
It's like whatever lineage, you know, your family is from.
And if you're like a direct descendant, he's 24th generation.
So it's like the firstborn.
to the firstborn to the firstborn.
So there's still an unspoken energy of like not approval?
I think that I've done my duty now.
I mean, I, the line did not stop with me.
So, you know, the pressure is off of me.
So here's what I don't understand about IVF.
You've done your duty with me, Lund.
You have duties to do for me.
Here's what I don't understand.
Why do you have to do seven rounds of IVF if you already got the
eggs the fourth round.
Like, I don't get why you had to keep going.
Why do they make you keep going?
And this is just me being ignorant.
So because you didn't have the sperm, you had to keep doing it?
Yeah.
Wow.
So if you had the sperm, you could have stopped at the fourth round.
I think one round, there was one round we were able to implant and it didn't take.
And then the round after that, we both, he and I had to have surgeries.
There was something wrong with, I think by that time, my.
I'm not very good.
I think I block out things that are traumatizing,
but something rotated,
and I had to have surgery,
and then he had to have surgery.
So it was just a bunch of trial and error.
How many total years is this working on this?
10 years.
Wow.
Oh, my.
Wow.
Oh, my gosh.
Baby G.
He really is like baby golden, a golden child.
A miracle.
He's a miracle child.
I mean, and for those who,
and there are a lot of people who have undergone IVF,
I mean, it's like a number scale.
And the older you get, the harder, you know, it is. And I think by that very last round, it really was, like, I think I had like eight eggs, six survived, like four were viable, two were whatever, like, and then one survived. And that one was the one they implanted. And by that time, by that time, to be honest, I was so like not, I wouldn't say over it, but I just, I just,
just I kind of lost hope.
Also, I feel like if that was me, I would almost disassociate.
It's like so painful that you have to just dissociate from it.
So when you, when he took and it happens, one, my question is when they actually implant,
is it the, what is it called?
Embryo.
The embryo.
Does it hurt?
No.
Nothing.
No.
Okay.
So once it's implanted, when do you know that it's taken?
For sure.
I can't remember how many days or weeks you go in and you check.
Okay.
So it's, but it's quick.
It's not like you don't like wait like four months.
But then, of course, with any pregnancy, you're like cleared with IVF, right?
The IVF was successful, but then now you have to have a successful pregnancy.
And that's like, that's like a whole other miracle in it of itself.
And I was on bed rest for one third or two thirds of my pregnancy because I was high risk.
Christine, this is so much work.
Yeah, I was bleeding.
I was at high risk of death.
So I couldn't even get out of bed.
I had to pee in a bucket.
But, you know, by that time, I don't know.
I think by that time, like you said, I disassociated.
And I just, I just said, whatever happens happens.
Like, I've done everything I can and then some.
And I leave it up to God.
And when he's here and he came, was it just the most joyous?
thing that's ever happened.
Oh.
I mean, I...
When I look at that boy, I would do it over a million times.
And all moms say that, but, like, you feel it.
I see him and I cannot help but smile.
And I just, like, I love him so much.
And he happens to be, like, such a funny kid, too.
And says, like, the funniest things.
And it's just, it's a joy.
It's a motherhood's the best.
He needs to meet Zaza.
How old is he?
He's four and a half.
four and a half perfect age difference.
Is he going to be a doctor?
I hope not.
It's so hard being a doctor.
There are like so many other ways to live.
Lauren, you know, like...
Is he an entrepreneur?
When Zaza's 13, we're becoming Amish and moving away to the middle of a mountain somewhere.
He will take very good care.
All right.
Well, Christine, maybe you invited to one of your parties.
We can discuss it.
And we have a lot of couture to hand over.
Oh, you know what?
Oh, she's already sold.
She's just siphoning off our children.
Okay, I have a question that I think you're the perfect person to answer.
How do you plan or how are you raising Baby G in L.A.?
There is so much wealth and so much money and you guys are very, very, very blessed.
And on the show we see that.
Like, I mean, you guys have everything you can ever imagine.
How, what is the conversation like between you and your husband of how you guys plan on raising baby G?
It's an ongoing conversation.
And it's like, it's such my worst fear, even before having baby gene, my worst fear is just to raise a spoiled, entitled, like, uncaring kid.
I think my greatest accomplishment in life would be to be helping to produce like a compassionate person of character.
In L.A., it's very tough.
Too much is at his disposal.
And then as a parent, like, do you, I know this is such a really, really silly question, but it's like,
like a kind of something that parents might have to think about.
Like, do you, if you're able to, if you're flying business class, do you put your kid in
economy to show him that he has to earn his way? Or do you, like, at what point do you, I guess,
restrict privilege? Yep. I talked to a friend of mine who, you know, grew up very humble beginnings
and he made, he did very well for himself. And, you know, he has all the abundance that a person can
have. And he was talking, he was like, how do you, and he used his words, he said, how do you not
raise a little asshole? Because it's the same thing. He's like, how do you enjoy the spoils that
you've worked for in your life that you were able to attain by, you know, hard work and grit and all
those things and character, but not just hand it to your children while still also being able to
enjoy kind of the spoils of life for yourself? And so he's like, it's a very kind of difficult thing,
because you want to raise a young individual with character and grid and you want them to work, you
want to be caring, and you want them to be grounded. And you want to be grounded.
and humble and all these things.
But if they're exposed to a different lifestyle
than maybe you were when you're growing up,
it's hard, right?
Like maybe live in a bigger house,
flying business, some people buy even better, right?
The difficulty also for growing up in privileged areas
is you could be the most on top of it parent in the world.
You could be the most grounded parents,
but then you're also surrounding them
with a lot of other friends and kids
with that kind of privilege as well.
And so it's hard, right?
And I don't know if anybody fully has the answer.
I think it requires,
a lot of conversation and a lot of context, right?
And a lot of understanding of like, hey, this is not yours.
This is mom and dads, right?
How they get there.
I don't know.
I mean, our kids are still young, but we'll see.
Yeah, I think you are onto something.
I think it does take constant explanation and you have to go out of your way to explain.
Even at a very young age, he understands.
I mean, for us, it's really important to instill work ethic because both my
husband and I, although we both grew up in a very blessed, fortunate settings, both sets of parents
were hardworking. As long as you're showing them by action and by example, I think that's a good
first step and then explaining. But Baby G is also a little, he's a little smart for his age.
So sometimes he'll, we'll say, like, you know, we have these nice things because we work for them,
because you work for it and we're paying for the house and the food and all of your
clothes and he'll be like, well, I don't want nice clothes. I want simple clothes. I'm like, what,
that wasn't my point? Or like, we'll say, like, you know, you get to have this nice cake
because mama and dadda work really hard. And he'll be like, oh, I don't need the cake. I'll have
crackers. I'm like, what? Okay, is he fucking with me? Like, what's happening here? Why is he not
getting the point? But I think deep down he does because sporadically, he'll say things like,
can I share with this person? Or I'll see little, I don't know.
if you guys see in your kids like little signs of empathy and just caring for someone else,
whether they're sad or maybe they're little cold or just little signs. I read this quote on
Instagram and it's so true. And it says, ever notice the more you remove synthetic and toxic
sense from your life, the more sensitive you are to them. Sense changing our whole entire life to
non-toxic. I'm so sensitive. So what I did like to set the foundation of this in my home was I switched
all of my cleaning products to branch basics. I am obsessed, you guys. It's non-toxic,
hypoallergenic, free of fragrance, hormone disruptors, and harmful preservatives, but most importantly,
it's baby and pet safe. I started to really take note of the products I was using because
Zazzo, when she was a baby, was crawling on the floor. So I switched everything to branch basics.
It could not be easier. I'm obsessed with this brand. They make it so simple for you.
They have this premium starter kit, so they send it to you in the mail, and it provides you with everything
you need to replace all your toxic cleaning products. So all the toxic cleaning products in your home
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It's fragrance-free, which I love. And once you run out, the only thing you need to repurchase is the
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It's clean and it's cost-effective. Most importantly, you don't have to go do all this research.
They've essentially done it for you. And if you have a baby like me, who's close to
of the ground or a dog that's like sniffing the ground. You want to go non-toxic. And once you switch,
you will never go back. Like I said, you'll be so sensitive to anything that's super toxic. So if you
want to do the fragrance-free non-toxic hypoallergenic route, you have to check them out. We have a
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there is nothing worse than when you're about to dig into something and something's missing.
Like say you're about to eat a hamburger and you don't have mustard or ketchup, but no fear.
DoorDash grocery delivery is here.
This is going to get you what you want right when you need it.
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But you know what it's even more about?
Saving time.
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I know when I was pregnant with towns, I would always want this specific cashew butter
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All you have to do is try the grocery delivery from DoorDash.
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I am all about the delivery life, especially since moving to Austin.
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Quick break to discuss beekeepers naturals.
It is so important to Lauren and I to be functioning at our highest level every single
day.
We have two kids under three years old.
We're running businesses.
We're hosting the show.
Speaking to guests every week.
We're going to the gym.
We're traveling.
Da, da, da, da, da.
And we are not the only ones.
Everyone is busy.
Everyone is trying to be the best version of themselves and get it all in.
You'll have other people tell you, slow down, take it easy.
You can't do it all.
I do not believe any of that, and I try to prove those people wrong every single day.
Because of this, we need to be the healthiest and most energized versions of ourselves every single week.
One of the tools that we can't live without is Propolis.
If you've been listening for a while, you have heard us talk about the Beekeepers Naturals
Propolis.
We've had Carly, who's the founder of Beekeepers Naturals on this show, talking about the many benefits of bee propolis,
and all the benefits it can offer our system, especially our immune system.
Here's why it's so powerful.
First, it's natural.
It's made by bees, and Propolis contains.
antioxidants, vitamin C, zinc, iron, B vitamins, all the things you need to support the human
immune system. It's literally the defender of the hive that bees use to protect their hives from
bacteria that might harm them. Beekeepers Natural products is of course made with all clean ingredients,
certified keto, paleo, gluten-free, and natural, no artificial colors, preservatives, fillers,
gluten, GMOs, or refined sugars. I keep one in my bag. I keep one on my desk at home. I keep one in
the car, at my desk in the office, in the studio. I use it every single time we travel and every single
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skinny or ender code skinny to get 20% off your first order. That's B-E-K-E-E-E-P-E-E-P-E-E-R-S-N-A-T-E-E-E-KE-E-KE-E-KE-E-KE-E-KE-E-KE-E-KE-R-A-L-L-L-L-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-K-E.
How was it for you to skyrocket to sort of fame from this show?
Like, what is that experience like for you?
Like, I'm sure your Instagram following went off the charts
because I remember when this aired, it's like it was all the buzz.
You guys are doing season three, right?
We already did season three.
Oh, okay.
I've watched season.
I've watched all of them.
Oh, yeah.
Okay, yeah.
So, that was three.
Four.
You're doing season four?
Can you say?
Who knows?
I don't know.
They have to do season four.
The show is so good.
I honestly, you guys, I totally recommend everyone go watch it.
How is that for you when you skyrocket?
I don't remember skyrocketing.
I don't, like, I'm just, I'm the same.
Because I think my husband and I before the show, like some of the other cast members
maybe were a little bit more private before the show.
But my husband and I have always been kind of like a little bit out there just because
the nature of our business and we haven't really, our life hasn't really changed.
we were gradual yeah we were doing all the same things i don't like i really don't feel that tick i just
remember because i came off a little villainy and bitchy off of season one i think people were less
prone to walk up to me to say hi but like in two and three now everyone says hi to me in public
but season one you have to have a villain to make things interesting right yes she's a producer
What you have to the villain?
We always talk.
By the way, if I ever did reality television, I want to be the villain.
You're going to be the villain?
Yeah, I want to like, it's fine.
You're like acting.
I don't know if I can sign up.
I don't know if I can be the husband.
No, I don't know if I could be on reality television.
I don't think that I think feel like I'm boring.
But I want to be the villain.
It's nice to have like that ultra ego come out and play a little bit.
Yes.
Like stuff you would never say, you're like, I'm going to go for it.
So how much of it actually is real?
Or is it all real and they just pull clips and edit it?
together? I don't think reality television is ever 100% real, right? So you think it's like exaggerated
versions of super, super, of course. For me, I can speak only really for myself. Season one, I did sign up
to play this like, you know, that TV show dynasty. So they wanted Anna and I to have that dynamic.
And I was like, fun, let's do it. Like, why not? And we have to, we have to set ourselves apart from the rest
the reality TV shows, why not like give it our all? So I did sign up to do that and I was spicier than
real life on the show season one. And to be honest, I regretted it a little bit because,
and I know people like to say never regret anything in life, but I regret it because I think,
well, no, I think I had a moment of reflection and I said, yes, that character helped contribute
to like the pizzazz of the show. But, I think I had a moment of reflection. But, I said, yes, that character helped contribute to,
When people hated that character, they weren't hating me.
And I want people to make an opinion on the authentic version of me.
So whether you love me or hate me, at least at the end of the day, I want it to be really me.
Sure.
So seasons two and three, I was just like, ah, screw it.
I'm going to just be me.
And then you can really form your own opinion.
But do you think you needed to kind of be that in season one for the show to pick up the way it did?
Oh, yeah.
Nicely, nice doesn't get anyone anywhere.
Yeah, because you know these shows come out, some people that go.
on these shows, they don't want to kind of push the envelope.
But what happens is it just comes off as boring television
that you don't ever hear from those shows again, right?
It's almost like, oh, it's too nice.
It's too, like, kind of groomed, if that makes sense.
And it was harmless.
It was, like, harmless poking at each other.
And, like, you know.
And what's it like in real life?
Are you guys friends in real life?
Do you have a conversation and say,
hey, we're going to really go out of each other, but we're good?
Are you guys, like, not acquaintances in real life?
All of the friendships have taken, like, different turns throughout the process.
as with, I'm sure, most reality shows.
In the beginning, some of us knew each other, some of us knew of each other.
I was introduced to some people, but we made an effort to hang out more in advance of
the show coming out.
So, I mean, it just would be more authentic.
In real life, I didn't hang out with any of them because we're just in different circles.
And I knew of Anna and I only met her once or twice, maybe three times prior to the show.
And I thought she was like an interesting lady, but, you know, I liked the dynamic they wanted us to have.
And I thought that was fun.
And we hung out after the show.
So I thought she was like totally in on it too.
But I think what happened was the popularity towards her swayed so much that like she started to believe there was a rivalry between us, which I thought was so ridiculous.
And I had to like show them pictures.
I'm like, remember we went out to eat afterwards?
I like hung out at your house.
There's like, we're not fighting.
This is just for fun.
And I think by then she had forgotten.
So she held a grudge.
And she was weird after that.
But I really love Kevin, who's become like my, really like my little brother.
And I really like his girlfriend, Devon.
I think she's such a great addition in his life.
I thought he was going to, for a second, I thought he was going to get with him.
Yeah.
That chemistry was real.
They did have some.
thing there, whether it was playful or, and I like him.
Like, she's fun.
She, I call her the mass apologizer because before every season, she'll, like, call
everyone and say, like, I'm sorry for what I said, like, when I was filming, if I said
anything.
So I appreciate that.
And in this last season, I was really surprised that, I was really surprised.
I was blindsided that kind of everyone tried to gang up on me or take me down.
I thought that was a little...
I think, though, with every single season,
they try to take someone down.
Like, I'm a huge housewife watcher,
which, by the way, you would be so good
on Housewives of Beverly House. I would never
survive on that show.
I don't know. I feel like you
would slay. Why, you think that's just...
The women there are too tough? No.
Like, the Bravo universe
is like...
It's intense. It's like...
Yeah, but you would be a whole other universe.
I mean, I would cast you if I was a
producer. I would love to see you on Housewife.
wise of Beverly Hills. Before you go, I have to ask you your beauty secrets because you're beautiful,
your hair is shiny, like your skin is glowing. What are some products that you use that you cannot live
without that our audience can maybe go grab? Let me get my notebook out. You could use a little shine
and... Oh, stop. You guys are gorgeous. I hate to say this, but I slept in my makeup.
Oh my God. I love her own. We're coming in a few years.
makeup sometimes sometimes you sleep in your makeup.
We're coming off New Year's.
Give everyone a break.
Your makeup does not look like something.
The biggest Zit right now.
No, I don't see that.
I'm just lucky because I have a cheat sheet and his name is Dr. Chu.
So I ask him to help me curate and then then I just, I just use like, I'm a spot user if that makes sense.
Like I don't just stick to one thing all the time.
I like to use a couple of different things.
and sometimes I split products on my face.
Like sometimes one side of my face behaves in the other doesn't
or the top behaves in the bottom doesn't.
And I don't need to use one product all over the face.
So I think I'm very lucky that I have a lot of stuff to play with.
What's your number one brand?
Right now, because I'm getting older,
I would say TNS essential serum is a pretty good one.
You're on that.
I am?
Yes, my facelist just put you on that TNS.
I am.
Yes, it's the syrup.
It's growth hormone.
It's good.
Yeah, I'll show it to you.
I just use the stuff.
She gives me.
She's your cheat sheet.
Yeah, her and everybody that comes on the show.
I'm not kidding.
I keep mental notes.
And the mask all the time, whenever possible.
What's your favorite mask?
Do you have a brand?
I love trying new masks.
So if you go to Korea Town, you can buy like masks for a dollar or like $2.
We don't go there.
I stock up and I just pop different things on and then stuff that I really like.
I go back and buy more.
And then I also use like medical.
grade masks. So I use
like those type of really cool
K beauty masks and then stuff
from my husband's office. Okay, so
here is the move. I'm gifting you an ice roller.
You're going to love it.
But this is what you do with the ice roller.
But this also looks like a sex toy.
It does look like a sex toy. Tell your husband it's not
for his ass. Wait.
Wait, is this a twofer?
You know what's really funny that you say that? I actually
designed it after a dildo. Like I sent a
dildo to the person who
The material.
The silica.
So it's really funny that you say that.
This is what you do.
Take your masks, your medical grade mask, or your regular one.
Put it on and then ice roll over it.
And look like you?
Yes.
It's the holy grail for puffiness.
If you're puffy, put the mask on and ice roll over it.
You're going to love it.
I am going to do this like in the car.
And you brought me mochina, which I did really quick before you go.
What is this?
Okay.
I'm not an investor.
It's really cute.
It's like east meets west.
It's like I love mochies and I love donuts.
And it's basically a mix.
It's a mix of both.
I have sex.
I love it.
Okay.
Mochi nut.
That is this way, learn.
Yeah.
I'll take care of those.
Wait, open it.
Okay, you got to show us.
Once you have one, oh my gosh.
I know, but how do we stay as slim as you and eat mochi nuts and have wine?
What's the trick?
There's this thing called Amscalt.
Does that really work?
Yes.
Definitely.
Oh my God.
Those are beautiful.
What a chic thing to bring to the podcast.
Look at these things.
This is such a good thing to bring to.
bring, though, like to someone's house. This is beautiful. Taylor and I will get after those things.
This is gorgeous. Oh, it tastes really good. Okay, so I need to try M-sculpt. You don't need anything.
But if you want to, it works. Oh, yeah. And does your husband do it? The machine does it
itself? It's a machine. So you just go and you lay there. You strap it on. You listen to your
podcast. Uh-huh. Catch up on all of it. Christine, you're amazing. There needs to be a season
for and putting it out there into the ether.
Where can everyone find you?
Where can they stalk you on Instagram?
Reach out if they have questions.
Tell us.
I am usually found at Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery.
At the southeast corner of Wilshire and Beverly Drive, eating mochi nut strapped on to an
Enstval machine.
So if you want to stop by and say hi.
And what's your Instagram?
Christine Chu and that's C-H-I-U.
Thank you for coming on.
Thanks for having me.
Is it over?
It's over.
No.
I know.
It's fun, right?
We could do it again sometimes.
You can come anytime you want.
Come back when your next season comes out.
You guys are getting your next season.
Wait, don't go.
We want to know who you want to hear next on the Skinny Confidential him and her show.
We are always taking your feedback and making lists of who you guys want to hear on the show.
So let me know on my latest post at Lauren Bostic and make sure you've rated and reviewed the show on iTunes.
And we'll see you on Monday with a solo episode.
Something different.
and Michael.
