The Bossticks - Maria Menounos On Wellness Advice, Career Longevity, Organization Tips, & Pushing Through Life's Challenges

Episode Date: September 16, 2021

#392: On today's episode we are joined by Maria Menounos. Maria Menounos is an American entertainment reporter, television personality, professional wrestler, author, actress, and businesswoman. She has hosted Extra and E! News, and served as a TV correspondent for Today & Access Hollywood. On today's episode we discuss what it takes to have career longevity, wellness advice, organization, and how to deal with life's curveballs.  To connect with Maria Menounos 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  The Hot Mess Ice Roller is here to help you contour, tighten, and de-puff your facial skin and It's paired alongside the Ice Queen Facial Oil which is packed with anti-oxidants that penetrates quickly to help hydrate, firm, and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, leaving skin soft and supple. To check them out visit www.shopskinnyconfidential.com now.  This episode is brought to you by Pill Club Life is stressful enough, access to healthcare shouldn't be! Luckily, getting birth control is one less thing you have to worry about. With The Pill Club, you'll never have to make a trip to the doctor or wait in line at the pharmacy ever again. Right now when you go the www.thepillclub.com/skinny The Pill Club is offering a $10 donation to Bedsider.org for every listener who becomes a patient. Your donation will help low-income individuals get access to birth control through bedsider.org This episode is brought to you by Framebridge Framebridge makes it easier and more affordable than ever to frame your favorite things-without ever leaving the house. Add a gallery wall to your home office or send the perfect gift. From art prints and diplomas to the photos sitting on your phone, you can Framebridge just about anything. Go to www.framebridge.com and use promo code SKINNY to save an additional 15% off your first order.  This episode is brought to you by Match Dating App Let's talk about dating for a minute. I feel like it's become such a time suck, people are swiping away and not getting serious. You guys need Match --that is where you can find people who put actual effort into their dating lives and they don't waste your time - they're ADULTS. Download the Match app today and you can message your top matches for free!  Match, Adults Date Better. Produced by Dear Media 

The following podcast is a dear media production. We are going to talk about dating for a minute. I feel like it has become such a time suck. People are swiping left and right. I'm seeing it with my friends. Shout out to Weston. And it's hard. I mean, it's really hard to date.

So I'm really excited that we recently partnered with Match dating app. So this is where you can find people who put an actual effort into their dating lives and don't waste your time. They're adults, okay? So when you're ready for an adult relationship and you're over the games, we all know the guys, the girls that play the games, and you're ready for something real. You've got to check out match dating app. Here's the deal with it. If you like someone, they'll know. If you don't, they'll know. I'm sure a lot of you guys know what you want and you're just over the bullshit. And that's okay. Some benefits of this because I checked it out is this app is all about putting actual effort into dating. Personally, if I was

dating, I feel like putting actual effort into dating is hot. Like if you're going to invest in spending your time dating someone, you got to put the effort in. I feel like we all deserve a real man or woman, people who can take care of themselves and other things like plants and dogs and cats. You want someone with nice sheets on their bed that can make you dinner. I know I'm not the best chef on the planet, but everyone knows I can make Michael a mean sandwich with extra pepperosini's. dating games, we've all done them. They're fun when you're super young. But I feel like as we're getting older and we're becoming more efficient and more focused on our time and we're more fully formed and emotionally mature, we want to date differently, which is why I love the match dating app.

So what you're going to do is you're going to download the match app today and you can message your top matches for free. That is an amazing offer you guys for free. So download the match dating app. Okay? You're going to love it. Match. Adult state better. Enjoy. 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 along for the ride.

Get ready for some major realness. Welcome to the skinny confidential, him and her. It is a challenge out there. It is not easy to navigate this world. And, you know, school doesn't prepare you for life. if school prepares you for like maybe career stuff, but, you know, the toolkit to survive and thrive in the world that I didn't feel like I really had. I didn't feel like I had a good enough toolkit emotionally to handle the ups and downs. So I bumped my head. And the reason I bumped my head was probably because I was going to be a voice to be able to help other people through it. And so I

always joke. I'm like, I have to go through all the shit to like figure it out to get to the other side to help people. But it's all good. Hello, hello, hello. That click, was from our guest of the show today, Miss Maria Menunoz. She is so major, you guys. She's an American entertainment reporter, television personality, professional wrestler. Michael picks her brain on that. We almost had a whole wrestling episode of Lauren, Lauren stopped me, but you know, we almost just, the whole thing was almost wrestling. Do you? Author, actress, and businesswoman. She is a wife. She's hosted Extra and E-News. And she's been on today, Access Hollywood. and she's hosted WWE.

Well, let's not forget. This was a trip for me because I, as many of you know, grew up and was a, and being and still I'm a huge Howard Stern fan. And Maria used to guest on the show all the time. And still to this day, they dub over anytime she's, anytime she's, they're doing prank phone calls or, you know, playing anything in the studio. They're always dubbing over her laugh. It's like an iconic laugh, what she does in this episode.

So for me, it was a real trip from, you know, growing up listening to Stern. all the time and hearing her on the show and then obviously having her on this show. It just, it was just trippy for me. You're going to hear her laugh on this podcast, which is, it's so warm and incredible. I mean, Howard thinks it sounds like a dolphin. I find it really endearing and cute, but you're not just going to hear her laugh in this episode. You're going to hear her talk about wrestling, how her mother passed from a brain tumor, how she got a brain tumor herself. You guys, it's such a crazy story, how she got married, how she got her start, her entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial journey. This is a really amazing podcast because it goes kind of everywhere.

Obviously a very multifaceted, multi-talented person, individual, and we really enjoyed talking to her. And before we get into the episode, Lauren has an announcement, a special announcement that I don't really have anything to do with, but that I still will interject myself into. Lauren, take it away. Drum roll, please, Taylor. He's going to forget the drum roll, but drum roll, please. I am so excited to tell you guys what I have been working on. It is in the skincare space. And it has to do with my book, get the fuck out of the sun. You know my book features Kristen Cavalieri, Patrick Starr, Lisa Vanderpump, the Summer Fridays founders, Dom Roberts, Griselle Lim, Stossie Schroeder. I decided that I wanted to take the book a step further.

So I am launching a limited series podcast with Dear Media called Get the Fuck Out of the Sun. And I'm sitting down with some of the top experts in the industry and we're going deep. We're getting into all things, beauty and wellness. So think taboo conversations, lots of realness, and it's all served to you on a pink platter. Here's the deal. We're going to be talking about foods to eat for healthy glowing plump skin. We're going to talk about filler, Botox, meditation, hacks and tools that you can use at home, drugstore finds. I ask all the questions. There's no topic that's off limits, and I'm going to the best of the best. So I definitely want you guys to check it out. The trailer is live. Make sure you subscribe. It's called Get the Fuck Out of the Sun available where all podcasts are, Spotify, iTunes, everything.

And to be clear, everybody, just for those of us that are not as technically savvy as others, this is not going to be a podcast that you find on this channel on our normal podcast. For those of you that are subscribed to this podcast, the Skinny Confidential, Him and Her, it's actually a separate channel for a limited time, limited series. I mean, it'll live forever, but it's a limited run of episodes, and it's on a completely different channel. So you'll actually have to look up on any of your podcast apps, get the fuck out of the sun, subscribe to a new channel, follow a new channel, rate review a new channel, and then listen. It's not that hard. I'm sure you guys listen to other podcasts, probably only Dear Media Podcasts. But make sure that you're not waiting for it on this channel because you won't see it here. You know what I noticed? What?

Since you've been really working out with weights, you're on one. Yeah, I got a lot of testosterone right now. I noticed. You won't leave me alone. Yeah. How are you feeling from last night? I mean. Anyways, yeah. Okay, let's meet Maria. She's an author, a podcaster.

She's an entertainment reporter. All the things. I'm so excited to welcome her to the skinny confidential, him and her show. This is the skinny confidential, him and her. You got engaged on Howard Stern. Yes. I was going to tell you, this is going to be trippy for me because I was NM still, the biggest Howard fan. And I used to drive back and forth between Arizona and San Diego because I went to school

out there. And it was, what year was this? It must have been like mid-2000. Like, it was the heyday, right? So I don't think I've ever heard outside of me and my wife's another woman's laugh more than yours, right? Because I listened all the time and I heard you on the show and like they blended into all the phone calls, you know. Me and Seth Rogan. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. All the time. Oh my God. I love your laugh. It's a trip for me because if I would have thought back then that I'd be sitting here, I just would like, I just, it's weird how life works. It's weird. It's weird. In fact, I got like the most unbelievable compliment the other day on a post I did for Sly Stelone's 75th birthday. And he wrote the most unbelievable jaw-dropping thing, which is crazy because it's his birthday and he took

time to write this beautiful gift for me. But one of the things he said is one of the greatest laughers of all time. I was like, the thing I get shit on the most for in my like family life or like people like always like give me shit is for my laugh. But I'm like, it's an iconic laugh. I like the laugh. It's a branded laugh. It's a branded laugh. Thank you. I love a brand. There are many octaves. So there's evil laugh. It goes really deep. And then there's like the flipper version. I mean, there's too many. It's very embarrassing, but funny. What is it like to get proposed to on Howard Stern? I mean, that is, that is insane. Did you, you had no idea? No. And I know everything. Like, I'm super intuitive and he can't get anything past me.

So like when we first met, I said, honey, don't ever even trust. I hate to cheat on me. I will know. And it will not end well for you. So just call me. If you're in a moment, call me and just let me know. Like, hey, I'm about to do something. And I will let you go. There's plenty of fish in the sea. This is what I told him we first started dating like 8,000 years ago. And so this is the one thing he got by me. I don't know how. I think it was because I was on a book tour and there was so much intensity around it. And there's so much work to do that he snuck it by. And so when he was talking, to me and you'll see in the video, I kind of was like, are you about to propose to me?

And he's like, no. And I'm like, oh, wow, that felt like he's about to propose to me. And it was kind of weird. And then he did. And I dive off the side of the couch. And I'm running from him like he's like the boogeyman about to attack me. And then I thought internally, it was a joke because we had been together for over 20 years, I think, at that point. And when he opened the box, it looked like a trick kind of it lit up and it just looked like a joke and I'm like oh my god people are going to hate him for fucking with me right now because we mess with each other and I'm like he this is going to be really bad for 20 years did you want to be engaged to him or you were like I could take it or leave it Goldie Han Kurt Russell we were we were Goldie and Kurting it I think in the very beginning

I don't think I know in the very beginning I wanted that but we were having so much family turmoil at that time. And then my career took off and we were super busy. And so I didn't have any other thoughts about it at that point. You are so career driven. Like you're such a hustler. I feel like you've really created your own future. Where did you, where did you start? Like, can you pinpoint where you started and where you realized what you wanted to do? I talked about it in therapy this morning, actually. It started. So my parents were immigrants from Greece and they didn't speak the language. My dad had a lot of different jobs, but at some point he started cleaning this nightclub in Boston called the channel. It was Boston's like hard rock nightclub, everybody who's anybody performed there.

I think it held like maybe 1,500, 2,000 people or something. I don't know. It was pretty massive. And we cleaned it every day growing up. In therapy this morning, I was talking about how from the second we could kind of hold a broom and pitch in, we did because it meant we could get the heck out of there. The faster that place got cleaned, the faster we could move on to the next thing, we had to clean and the next thing we had to go clean, which were usually like apartment buildings or office buildings or whatever. And then we could go home finally or go see family or friends. So I learned work ethic there. And then also, I think the interest in entertainment probably started there because there was a stage. And, you know, the B-52s would come in and they'd forget their drums or

whoever was there would leave their equipment behind. And so I would go up on stage and pretend I was performing or whatever. And so I think it all kind of started there. But from the time I was 13, I would tell my dad I was going to move to L.A. someday. And I was going to be on TV and I was going to do all these plans. And then it kind of just manifested. What is the first make it moment? Like, can you remember when you were in L.A. and something happened where it sort of changed the trajectory? Or was it not an epiphany like that? Was it just a slow build? I, well, I think there's, and this is the thing that I always like to share with people. It's never usually one thing. It's like a series of baby steps and baby steps and baby steps. So I would, you know, do little modeling things in Boston or I did

the Miss Massachusetts Teen USA pageant and, you know, those things all were little building blocks that took me to where I had to go and taught me little things along the way that I needed to learn. And then while I was working the Chanel counter, a Lord and Taylor in Boston at Copley Place, my cousin Anthony called me one day and he said, my buddy's coming back from, you know, L.A. is making a movie and you should work on it. And I was like, okay. And so I met this guy, Kevin. And I wrote a list of everything I knew how to do. Because I'm like, I don't know how to produce a movie, but I know how to get free shit. And I know how to, you know, do all these things because I was producing events in my church. And so I made a list of like skills. And he was like, yeah, that's producing. And I was like, oh, cool. I was just going to be a PA. And so I worked on the movie, hustled. And then when it wrapped, someone who worked on the movie sent Kevin a message and said, I'm in L.A.

interning for this place called Channel One News, you should apply. And it was like kind of platform that built so many people, whether it was Anderson Cooper, Serena Ulchel, Lisa Ling. And so Kevin helped me edit together the only two tapes I had from my Emerson College newscasting days, where I was like 40 pounds heavier because I was having lots of pizza in college and maybe some beer or two. And then some current photos. And I got the job at Channel 1 News, long story short, and moved out to L.A. And from there, everything just took off. What do you think the trick is in Hollywood to having such longevity? Because you've had a really

incredible career. And a lot of people, I think, get a hit and then they have no staying power. I think that's tough because it must be different in all industries, right? Like for me, I think you have to, you have to hustle and you have to hustle harder every year. It's like, and you guys know. It doesn't just fall in your life. It doesn't just keep coming because you know. No. No.

It's harder for J-Lo now than it ever probably was. It's harder for, you know, you guys now probably than it was five years ago. Every year you have to work harder and harder to maintain and to keep growing. And people don't realize. I think you make it and then that's it. I think it's really good that you point that out because I think people look at you in your career and they're like, oh, it's just like job after job, gig after gig, like easy, easy, easy, but to your point. No, no, no, no, no. It's so different.

And for me now, I'm kind of starting completely over. So it's funny, we were at dinner last night and I go, honey, I kind of have that like those little butterflies in my belly again where I'm like, oh, I am kind of starting anew and it's exciting because they're like little things like, oh, this might not pay. but I'm meeting new people and they're talking and there are new people in the industry that I haven't worked with before and then not to be getting other things. So it's it's kind of like a spider web. You have to keep building and you have to keep hustling and, you know, I remember being in college and having to wait in line at Rite Aid forever for my prescription, especially my birth control. And it was such a bitch because it was every single month. I had to go wait in line, It was a whole process. You got to park the car. That is why I am so excited for the pill club. I have

talked about this before on the Skinny Confidential. This is another product that's selling time. With the pill club, you'll never have to make a trip to the doctor or wait in line at the pharmacy again. This gets me so excited. I cannot even tell you. They provide access to care from the comfort of your home and deliver straight to your door. And here's something that's important too. The packaging is discreet. So you're not going to get this huge package that says Katie's birth control all over it. It's very discreet. So if you want to renew your birth control prescription or you want to switch it, maybe you want to try it for the first time, whatever, the pill club medical team has your back. They're so streamlined, you guys.

And with the pill club, it just makes it easy to get your birth control without scheduling a trip to the doctor's office or even going to the pharmacy in person. The pill club wants to help take the work out of taking care of yourself. You should know the Pill Club carries over 120 FDA approved brands. Most brands of birth control are free with insurance or MediCal. Otherwise, prices start as low as $7 per month without insurance. The Pill Club delivers birth control to your door for free in discrete packaging. And right now, when you go to the pill club.com slash skinny, they're offering a $10 donation to bed cider.org for every single Skinny Confidential listener who becomes a patient.

So your donation is going to help a low-income individual get access to birth control through bedsider.org. That's the pill club.com slash skinny to get your first birth control care package and donate to help more women in need of affordable birth control. Remember the pill club.com slash skinny. You must use the link to make a donation. Enjoy. I always think about this. What is it like to have a script or maybe a teleprompter or whatever notes? from a company and then go from removing that and creating your own narrative because that's very different even though it's essentially similar in what like like i with with e and and with hosting you you have notes you're kind of guided on you know what to do who to interview what to say and what you're

doing now with the podcast is you're kind of owning your own narrative and creating your own thing it's it's different but the same but we we talk about all the time that that's harder like we can do this because it's just, you know, we're shooting the shit. We have a little brief. It's like, it's almost like we're just like getting to know each other. So it's easy. Yeah. I think we would both have a really difficult time doing it that way, like trying to read a teleprompter or a script or like, and you kind of go back and forth. Yeah. I think we're just trying to understand like what the challenges are between both. Well, I, for me, I have been doing that part, like the scripted teleprompter and all that for so long I can do it.

if my eyes closed and blindfolded. Like I know how to do it so easily. It's like a musician that plays guitar. Like he doesn't have to think about it anymore. He just plays. So that's easy. And the interviewing has become easy because I've logged in all the time in the hours. So, you know, for me, when I'm interviewing people, I'm doing a lot of research.

And I am, like my process, I have to have an agenda without having an agenda. and because then somebody feels an agenda and I don't want them to feel that and I'm not going to push my agenda. I'm going to allow it to just unfold and if it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't because you always go in with some kind of thought or question or whatever. And so it's kind of an art form for me because I loved testing the hypothesis of like, can I get what these people want me to get, whatever like E or whoever, without having to be pushy, without having to really go there. And so I would give a genuine interview to someone, and they'd give it to me without me asking.

So it was kind of fun to kind of explore all of that. But in podcasting in my show on Better Together, it's a whole different thing. I'm exploring and I'm curious and I'm able to just go after what I want and not what somebody else tells me is their agenda. So that's the freedom, I think, that all podcast. Caster's love is you get to do what you really want. And so it's authentic to who you are and what you like and what you're curious about. And that's why these things are becoming such successful, you know, venues for people. And then, you know, the big companies are then gobbling them up because it's probably refreshing. Yeah. It's probably very refreshing. Yeah. Is there a point maybe something that you can point to that a Hollywood celebrity gave you advice on that you always go back to? Like, has anyone ever given you? you incredible advice that's a big superstar because I feel like you've interviewed everyone. I have interviewed a lot of people. Heidi Kloom always comes to mind and it wasn't that she had

specific advice, but she's always been such a cool champion. I remember I saw her like two weeks ago at a party and I'm like, do you remember when you grab my agents at the Golden Globes party and we're like, you need to do more with her. And she's like a tag in the bank, she's amazing. I was like, damn Heidi you're awesome but she also gave me a black book that she had created to like organize her her life oh my god that's probably amazing yeah and then another friend of mine lara shuffman who owns harrison shrifman she had given me one so i kind of mixed the two because the other thing that people don't realize when you get into this business is it's a tornado of so much work that's why not everyone can make it it is not hours there's no shifts it's not

You can never go home and never ends. It is completely encompassing. And so I watch a lot of young stars enter the business. And then I jump into kind of mentor because I'm like, oh, yeah, you're losing your shit now, right? You can't keep it all straight. It's too much. It's like fittings and this and that and the pressures of having to be, you know, on and look perfect and all of that. And everyone else judging you the whole time.

Yeah. And so I give them the little shortcuts that I know will kind of help. and the black books always helped me. So I've always given that. I think it's on my website for people and we do it in the newsletters all the time. And then I created like a medical manual for people recently for, you know, because my mom, when she was rushed to the hospital, I wasn't there. So they didn't know what she was allergic to. They didn't know what medications she was on. And so I, to solve for that, created a medical manual where you would put all your info, all your doctors, all your important information on one page. You'd put yours. It's in a book,

in your kitchen. If something was to ever happen, you rip it and you're like, here, go. There's no waiting for the, you know, EMTs to fill out paperwork to take you to the hospital. It's like, fly. You got it. Now do it in the car or in the ambulance. That's a good idea. That's genius. Michael loves stuff like that. He's probably going to have to. Well, I'm worried. Something happens to me. I feel like I don't, I don't even know what you're allergic to. She's like, I can barely remember this guy's middle name. Good luck. And like, when were you born? I'll get it to you.

Or just go, I think if you go to my website, just maria menunos.com, that's on there. So if our audience wants to see a more micro way of how you plan your day, it's on your website. Not how I plan the day. The black book is like input everything you need for someone else to be able to run your life if shit was to go down tomorrow. Explain a little bit more detailed of what you mean like from a really, really detailed level. So it's as detailed as you want it to be. So there are all these pages in there. It can be all your household numbers. Your plumber, your electrician, the pool man, the, you know, person who helps you with, you know, X. It can be your size charts if you have somebody that's helping you with

wardrobe. So in the industry, like there's industry stuff like that, your agents, your lawyers. I wanted to be able to have one place where everything was because I always had such friction trying to figure it all out and access the context. And remember, I have like no memory. Where, what was that person's name? Even if I worked with them a thousand times, I can't remember right now because I'm under so much pressure. So for the mom on the go who, you know, has to figure out all the stuff for her kids. Like you can put everything in one place. There's travel, your airline mileage numbers,

is literally the black book of your life. Your account numbers for direct TV, which most of us don't really have any more. Thank God. Whatever. Roku. Thank you. And so it's kind of like that.

Throughout your career, you've had tons of adversity and struggles with that. How have you been able to bounce back? Because I think there's a lot of people that are listening that especially with quarantine have gone through depression, anxiety, health issues, losing a family member. How have you been able to deal with that? Well, I'm in the throes of dealing with losing my mom. She passed on May 2nd. And so that has been, thanks. That has been really challenging. You know, you go through phases. But I think my show is really

like my best friend through it all. And that's kind of why I pivoted so deeply into health and wellness is out of need. My mom and I both getting brain tumors was like, as the researchers say, lightning striking. So I wanted answers. And I wanted answers in all areas of like the why is, the how's, the who can help us? How can we figure this out and navigate it better than the rest so that I can then share it with other people. I love sharing information. It's like my favorite thing. And when I started to look at the through lines of my life, that's all I've done with all. all of my books and everything. So I have access to the top experts in the world. I've interviewed most of them. And I was like, okay, if we're going to be on this journey, I'm going to get better

right along with whoever's listening. And that was my whole goal to get better in all areas of life, but with a real strong focus on health and wellness, because we were suffering so deeply, the anxiety, the depressions, the fears, the walls you hit in the medical system that, you know, that are so challenging to overcome. So yeah, I got through it through with my show. It was my daily therapy. I call it daily therapy, daily fun. It's a mixture of both. And with incredible healers and therapists, because at different points, I've had to lean on them pretty, pretty heavily to make sure that I'm okay so that I could take care of everybody. Were they ever able to get answers of like how lightning struck twice like that with you and your mom? Like, did they ever

give you any kind of closure or answers, how that could happen? No, it's like extremely rare. I have met online a few people where it's like the dad got it and the daughter got it and you're like, what the frig? Like it's insane. But it's so rare that they can't. So it's just like a freak like occurrence that happened. There's no. It's not genetic. No. Not at all. They're not even connected. That's wild. And let me be clear because a lot of people think I have cancer. I don't have cancer. My mom had cancer. So mine was benign. My brain tumor and my mom's was malignant. my mom's with stage four brain cancer. But through all the work that we did on the show with all these therapists and healers and alternative medicines and stuff, my mom lived almost five years with something

that the average lifespan is like six or 12 months. Wow. So it was incredibly helpful for me to, and it was random. I'd have Diamond Dallas page like wrestler on and somehow he would get, you know, I would get to a facility in Mexico because of him. I forgot you a big wrestling period. Yeah. I used to love, when it's mad, I used to love back when it was WWF, right? I'm 4 and O. I know, you've actually done it, right? How did you know that something was off? Did you wake up one day?

I mean, maybe there's someone listening that feels off. Did you have a headache? Like, how did you know that there was something wrong? So I didn't know. So my mom was for like seven months just exhausted. And this is someone who gets 20,000 steps in a day, like it's nothing. So we were going, you know, to doctor's appointments to see what was wrong with her. At the same time, my uncle was dying of cancer.

So it was a really tough time. So she wasn't kind of everybody's focus was on him. And then she was just taking these doctors appointments. So at the WWE at SummerSlam one day, I spoke to this woman randomly who was telling me about her daughter, daughter-in-law who had glioblastoma. And she was telling me that she was misdiagnosed with multiple sinus infections. and the bell rang in my head because my mom had nonstop sinus infections. And I had been asking doctors constantly, guys, this doesn't make sense.

What could be causing all these sinus infections? It can't be good for her to be on antibiotics all the time. No one said a thing. Sinus nose? Like where? Knows. Okay. And so I always want to let people know because it is something that is very, very overlooked.

And so I said to my mom, I said, hey, I just had this random conversation. Next time, when we get the next set of results, because the next set of results were going to tell us whether she had fibromyalgia. And I was like, my mom doesn't have fibromyalgia. Little did I know it was going to be even worse. And so I said, let's get an MRI. And she goes, why, Maria, you think I have a brain tumor? And I go, no, Mom, I don't think you have a brain tumor.

But let's just rule it out. Well, a couple days later, she had what looked like the signs of a stroke. And she was rushed to the hospital. And we found out she had a brain tumor. So with me, I was having like a lot of headaches. I was on the set of E and I was like, I don't take anything. Like taking even like some pain reliever for like a headache is a big deal for me. And I didn't realize, but I was taking a lot of Tylenol.

I was having a lot of headaches. And I would slur my speech on set and I'd look at them and be like, guys, sorry, it's my stupid brain tumor, cracking jokes. and little did I know, I had one too. So I went to the doctor one day because my ear had been hurting so much that I thought I had an ear infection. I'm like, that's just so weird that at like 37, I have an ear infection. So when I went to the doctor, he's like, you don't have an ear infection. What else do you feel?

It was the first time someone asked me how I was feeling. And I was like, well, I haven't getting a lot of headaches. I'm slurring my speech. Oh, shit. And he goes, what? I go, I know you're going to think I'm crazy. but I think I have a brain tumor like my mom. And he's like, I don't think you're crazy.

I don't like the symptoms you're rattling off. Let's just get an MRI to rule it out. So in the process, we had found out my mom's was growing. So now focus off of me, back on her. My assistant was scheduling MRI appointments, and I kept canceling them and pushing them. I go, this is such a waste. This is my process. I go, this is such a waste of resources.

I'm probably just dehydrated. So I'm drinking more coconut water because it's like, maybe you're dehydrated. That is such an overheard L.A. thing to say. Yeah. So I did it. And then one Friday night, it was actually the day, I think the day before I was going to take my parents to Mexico. I went in because she was like, there's an appointment I have on the calendar for 9 p.m. tonight for an MRI. And I go, who gets an MRI Friday night at 9 p.m.? I go, I'm free. So screw it. We'll go do it. And I knew that day. I was like, oh, God. So I said to my husband, I go, brace yourself. We're not going to get good news. I can feel it.

And he goes, okay, we drove my mom and dad to Mexico. I finished setting up their like apartment because they were going to be there for two weeks and finished putting like the last razor in the drawer, went out to the balcony and I get the call. And my doctor's like, I don't know how to tell you this. He's like, but and I go, I know what you're going to say. And he goes, what? I go, I have a brain tumor, right? And he goes, yep. And I was like, okay. And I'm like taking notes like, okay, what kind is it? Uh-huh, uh-huh. You think it's a meningioma. Okay, got to see the neurosurgeon. cool email the neurosurgeon. You're calm like this as you're going through it.

Yeah. And I email the neurosurgeon. I said, hey, I need an appointment. And they go for your mom, right? And I go, nope, this one's for me. And that was kind of the beginning of that whole journey, which was insane. What's going through your mind? I mean, as I imagine that calm telling the story, but this is a very, this is a very stressful thing to hear,

especially as you're going through it with your mom, right? Because you're probably extremely worried about her mostly. And then now you got you'd think about what's going through your mind during this whole time. Well, the only way I can equate it is if you're a mom, you're going to worry about your kid more than you're going to worry about yourself. So my mom was like my kid. So for me, I was more worried about her because when they say a tumor, when it comes back, generally you're not in a good situation. And they don't look at you like they're going to make it. So I was really terrified for her.

For me, my instant reaction, I texted my best friend. And I go, holy shit, I just found out I have a brain tumor. Don't tell anybody. I haven't told Kevin yet. He's at the grocery store. I'm going to wait until he comes back. And she still hates me for that. If it not news you want to keep. Yeah. Oh, you don't know. You don't really know what to do with that. Yeah, it's a lot of information. Did you tell your mom during all this or were you like, I didn't, you don't want to stress her out. That was the other thing. I didn't tell my parents anything. So I went out to the parking lot and I just, and I filmed every second of this. And I'm working on a documentary about it because I film everything for a lot of reasons. One, I want to remember.

exactly the truth. I have a real huge, like, thing about being fair and presenting things as truthfully as possible. And I know our memory plays tricks on us. And so I film everything. I'm also, you know, a journalist. So I've learned to turn the camera on. And at Channel 1, we did a lot of that. And so turn the camera on. And I was like, holy shit, my first thoughts are, am I ever going to work again? Is anyone, or am I going to be a liability for people? How am I going to pay for everybody's treatments. How am I going to handle all of this? And I called up my lawyer, who's like my brother. And I was like, hey, this is what's happening. I'm like, do I have to worry like about this? And he's like, let's just keep it close to the vest for now. Let's get through

surgery. And then we can worry about everything after. And so I decided that I was going to go through this with our mantra we've always had in our home, which was comedy must rule. In our worst moments, We always try to make things as comedic as possible. And it definitely served me because when you already have a malignant tumor in your life, you know, you don't want any more pain to come on your family. So I kept it a secret for my parents. We told them two nights before surgery. And this way we could kind of lessen the blow as much as possible. And the same neurosurgeon operated on me.

But the crazy part was when I had the consultation, I'm like, oh, okay, so this is probably benign. They don't know until they go in. I go, so it's going to be so much easier than my mom, right? And he goes, nope. And I go, what? And he's like, no. He's like, yours is way riskier. And I'm like, because of where it was and what it was wrapped around and all this stuff.

And so I had almost eight hour long surgery. Hers was like four hours. And when I came out, I wasn't okay. And it took a long time. It affected the balance nerves. So I wasn't able to walk and I had to use a walker. And my eyes were going like all crazy. and we didn't know if that was going to stop and I was going to have to wear eye patches, like the pirate that I was going to be. But I was quickly designing things in my head in the hospital. I was like, okay, I'm going to like Beyonce this. I'm going to create like an alter ego and I'm going to wear these cool boots and I'm going to have my patch and I'm going to make this work. And so that was kind of what I was doing. Was it painful? Because I know sometimes people will come and talk on the podcast and they've got this crazy surgery and they'll say it's not painful. Yeah. Well, when you're in the hospital, they pump you with enough.

stuff to not feel it. And then Kevin was a really great taker and my best friend took a month off to be with me and she and he were really good at like chasing the pain. After that initial period, I mean, I got off the pain stuff pretty quickly because I was scared. I don't like to be on them very long. It wasn't painful initially. Yeah, I mean, there is, yeah, there's some pain and, you know, you're woozy and there's, you know, the balanced stuff. I haven't gone back to that moment in a while. But yeah, it was not awesome. Does it does because of what you and your mother both had together bring you closer together? And I mean, it's almost like having someone hold your hand through the whole process that understands.

So a lot of people said that. And it was a really hard thing at the time to admit to, but no. Because my mom didn't know what the heck was happening. Unfortunately, she was at surgery. She didn't even understand I was having brain surgery because she had so much radiation damage. And she just, I mean, she was, she was not there. And in recent times as she was coming out of that damage, she was like, I can't believe I don't remember that. I can't believe that I was able to be there for you.

So. I mean, maybe that's a gift, though, so she didn't have to be so stressed out because I feel like stress grows things. Yep. So that might have been a good thing. It was. If there's someone listening right now and they don't feel good, what are things that people need to look for? And also I would love to know you're not wearing headphones. Is that because, and I'm just wondering if that's because I didn't know what's supposed to.

No, no, no. No, okay. I was wondering if that was a strategic thing that you didn't want to wear headphones. I do keep my phone. I'm like, should I take mine off? No, when I'm asleep, I keep my phone like off like all that stuff and far away from me too. Because I definitely, I try to be mindful of that. I don't use it to my ear.

I always have it on speaker. Oh, you and Lord will get along swimmingly. Yeah, I'm not going to sacrifice. She's that person in the public place. with the Black. No, that's because I don't think it's good for you. Dr. Black told me no. He was like, nope.

Oh, God. So for anybody listening. There's a lot of things that I got to go through with this one. Yeah. It's funny, after the Today Show did a segment on, there were so many people who wrote me that they found out they had tumors because of my stories. So yes, you might have people in your audience that are listening right now who are having headaches and maybe, you know, sinus infections or ear pain or dizziness.

If you look up, my thing is. is if something's not working right, if you're feeling something, it's for a reason. Our bodies are really smart. They tell us. And so if you really just follow the pain as an investigator and search without like freaking yourself out on Google, you know, it's, it's kind of helpful to be able to go to the doctor and say, hey, I'm having X, Y, and C. So I keep a pain journal in my phone. And the pain journal will document when and where, like what's happening. So on this date, I had this, on this date, then I can kind of see a pattern. Oh, I get rashes every time I eat this. Okay, maybe I'm allergic to this. Or I'm getting these certain pains. Maybe I should ask my doctor what this could be and get

checked. I think that we always disregard our health so quickly. I always say like our car makes noises and we rush it to the mechanic. Our bodies make noises and we're like, sh, I'm busy. And then we don't deal with it until it's too late or until it's a deeper problem. And a lot of people also don't want to know. But trust me, it's going to be way worse for you if you procrastinate and don't deal with it in the beginning stages. There's a lot of people also that think like mind over matter, right?

They're like, if I don't believe it or give it energy, then it's not going to manifest. But I don't know how much I believe that or not. I think that that is, listen, if you have a positive mindset, my dad's type one diabetic for 50 plus years. And I think his mindset has been really integral to the disease not taking hold of him the way it does with other people. My mom, the same thing. My mom was super positive, super happy through this whole journey. She never said, why is me? She never cried.

She never had any of that. So yes, I think it's a helpful factor. But there's also the denial part. You can't deny what's going on. Your body's making noises for a reason. So just listen to them and be on top of your appointments and make sure, like, I keep a list of of my appointments in my calendar in my notes section. And I know the dates I did my last mammogram or my last gyno appointment or my last, you know, MRI. And I just make sure I'm staying on top of them.

You're so organized. Oh my God. I can't even do one second a day for my daughter. It's like takes one second to put a photo in. And it's like that gives me anxiety. You're so organized. I am faux organized. I fight my demons of disorganization as much as possible. I really have a hard time, but I really work at it. You're so busy. You obviously have so much going on with your family. How do you make time for your relationship? It sounds like you have a very solid foundation with your husband.

If you follow along on Instagram stories and our podcast, you know we recently moved to Austin. And one of the things that I wanted to do when we moved to Austin was make it a sanctuary. So in L.A., our house was very much Bachelor Patty. It was cute, but it lacked warmth. And what I mean by that is I wanted to bring more pictures of our family in. I wanted to make it a little bit more homey. And so I got inspired by my mother-in-law to do a family tree wall. And I want to do it all in black and white.

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your first order. That's framebridge.com promo code skinny, framebridge.com promo code skinny. Well, I'm lucky that he and I are on the same page with everything and we've been together so long and we kind of started in this business together. I had a psychic who told us that we were like Mr. and Mrs. Smith and we're just like backs of the, just fighting constantly, like fighting all the wars and dealing with all the drama. And so I don't think we know how to live other than to survive and we really thrive in the bad times somehow, unfortunately. And fortunately, that's a good thing. Yeah, it's, it's, you know, it's both sometimes. But, you know, it's been a long five years. So now we're like home alone for the first time in our lives. We've always had people living with us, whether it's my parents or broken wings or whatever. And it's very odd. So we're adjusting to a new life where I can wake up every day and it can be about what I want to do and not taking care of everybody. That's really never been the case. I've always had to work and take care of everybody. And now it's like, Huh, this is a new sensation. So it's very strange.

What's your morning routine? I'm sure you have one. My morning routine, well, I have a night routine that's definite. I pray every night and I do my grateful list every night. If I'm exhausted, sometimes it might be the shorter version where I'm like, hey, God, can you remember last night's prayers and like, I'll throw the shortened version? But I always do that. And then my morning changes all the time. So my morning routine now has been wake up.

play with Winnie, my little poodle. She's such a little bee. I love her so much. And she just puts me in such a good state. So my goal in the morning is to start in a good state and to say today is going to be a great day and to be just feeling good things. So she makes me happy. My shepherd max makes me happy. And then I'll either go kind of do a hike with him through the neighborhood or I'll kind of, you know, just jump in the shower and get started in the day. I got to ask you this. I forgot that you were a wrestler and into wrestling, and I find it so fascinating because you've had such a, like a, eclectic life. Yeah. How do you, like, how does that come about?

And like, what triggers that interest? Because that's a, that's an interesting pivot to make, right? Yeah. Well, I want to be a race car driver now. So there's a new pivot. I have no doubt you can do it, right? I frigging love driving. And I'm like, oh, okay.

I'm like, am I too old to not like to be able to do it because I might be scared now? No, I really like that for you because it's just, it's not expected. I feel like you need new change. challenges in life. And I like starting over because that gives you that like burn in the belly. But I started feeling it yesterday anyway. So I'm like, oh, I think I'll be okay. But why, why wrestling and specifically WWE? I loved it. Growing up, I watched it. I'm going to fuck up and say WWF because that's how I do it as. Yeah. So I watched WWF with my dad growing up. My mom used to be like, so like just horrified by us. But we loved it. And then as an adult, I continued watching it when

it became WWE, obviously. And I remember having a conversation with my publicists at the time when they were bringing in guest hosts from Monday Night Raw. And I'm like, I want to do that. And he's like, okay. And we kind of put it on our bucket list. We're going to like figure this out. And then one day he calls me and he's like, you're going to die. I haven't even talked to them yet. They called me. They want you to host Monday Night Raw. And I'm like, okay, cool. Tell them on one condition. Now I have conditions. I go, tell them one condition. He goes, what? And I go, I want to wrestle. And so the backstory is back before I made it to Channel 1, there was a moment where Kevin and I were going to go to the WWE. He wanted to write and I was going to

wrestle, but I was also bigger then and like stronger. And so obviously Channel 1 came and we went that way. So I had this like little desire to do it. And they didn't really think I was serious. So then I hired this wrestling coach in the valley in Van Nuys. His name was Rick Drazen. He just passed recently. And he and I worked in his backyard ring. And I trained and trained. And then when I got to my first WWE event, I'm like, I know what to wrestle. I know how to do it. Let's do it. And they like move on the fly. Like you don't need to like prepare and do all this stuff with them. I got in the ring. They're like, hmm, okay, taught me a new move called the sunset flip. And that night I did it. You did it that night? Oh yeah. Oh my God. Oh yeah. Most of the matches,

like it was like a 10 minute like, okay, we're going to do this, this, this, this, and this. the choreography, boom, go. And I'm like, holy fucking shit. I want like 20 years to prep. How did it go? I work really well under pressure. And the girls are so amazing that they make you look amazing. And also talk about like an engaged fan base. It's the, I mean, Lauren, it's a wildest thing. The electricity is incredible. Yeah. I mean, think about like the superstars it's made and also like that business, I mean, that that's an empire right there. Right. Yeah. Is the rock cool? Awesome. I smile what the rock is cooking. I love him. No, my WrestleMania was his return to WWE. So I have a photo with him.

Oh my God, your laugh. I can't even deal with it. It's amazing. I was so kidding. Back when he was the villain and it was Stone Cold Steve Austin hit. And they have like Triple H and Generation X and all Sean Michaels. Michael used to Stone Cold Stunner me in sixth grade.

No way. Yes. Way. Hey, I got kicked out of school in third grade because I accidentally, I did a sweet chin music on the tetherball court to my little sister. It didn't mean to hit her actually. I meant to do, you know, like the Sean Marcus kick. Yeah.

I accidentally kicked her in the jaw. And I had to beg her all damn like, Jordan, please don't tell on me. I'm on my last strike here at this school. They're going to kick me out. And then I pissed her off and she told on me, and they didn't mean to obviously kick them. They're going to play this Michael Bosset kicks his sister. But I was obsessed. I had like wrestling parties.

Oh, we used to wrestle growing up with all my cousins and they were guys. And they used to like beat the crap out of me. And they're like, we're just making you tough. And I was like, okay. Do they still do those like hardcore matches? I mean, yeah. If you see Shane McMahon, I mean, he's diving off. like a 20 foot cage and into a table in front of me.

And I think he's really dead. And I'm like, are you okay? Is this for real or not? I'm so confused. Because people think it's all fake, but like, this is a lot of physical strength. I mean, well,

I watched the movie, so I feel like I'm a professional. And that is a gnarly, that is a gnarly career. Yeah. Well, that's a thing. So I,

and they all knew what a respect I had for them. So I was always their cheerleader in the entertainment industry. Because people were like, it's big and blah, I'm like, guys. These people, the older generation, ended up dead in motel rooms alone, the painkillers from the pain, because it was real. You know, matches might have been, you know, decided on, but the physicality is real. And I said, they have to command an audience of 40,000 people and shift script instantly if it's not working.

I said, the greats could like knock out anybody. They memorize pages and pages and pages and pages of monologue. you can't even, they're such incredible entertainers. And they're the kindest humans you'll come across. So at the end of a WrestleMania where they've done five days of autograph signings and matches and this and that and they're exhausted. Traveling to different cities. They'll stay for an hour or more with a make a wish kid after when they're drenched

and sweat, exhausted, beaten, bloodied, and they will give that kid everything they have. Wow. And I've watched it. Did you see that documentary on Jake the Snake? Did you watch that? I'm sure I have. I don't remember. I don't know how recently he came.

I've seen so many of them. It's like, you know, because he, you know, his life got dark for a while now he's been doing different interviews. Yeah, exactly. Diamond Dallas Page helped him. I know that you love your wrestling conversation, but I need to get the beauty and wellness secrets. Michael. That's fine. Michael Starstalk over the wrestling.

I mean, this is like your stone cold stunning this, this podcast. Well, because I just think it's, it's, it's, it's fascinating. It's fascinating. It's this whole. It's this whole fascinating world to me that people... Oh my God, that is so cool. You have to post this when the podcast goes like so that people can see this. But last thing I'll say, like you can see, like, if you see someone like The Rock now,

like the work ethic you have to learn coming up in wrestling. Like I imagine it's still challenging for him, but I imagine like some of it feels easy compared to like all the stress and strain that he had to go through when he was doing all the wrestling stuff. That's a shitload of work. Oh, yeah. I mean, people don't realize they drive to every. city. So you finish a match. You're exhausted. Now you get a drive however many hours and book your

own travel, hotels, whatever. They have to do everything. There's no assistance. There's no. It's a lot. It's a lot. I give them so much credit. We won't lose you here. I promise one. We can come. We can come back to the other stuff. No, I have. She's like, I heard enough of wrestling from this guy. No, I love the wrestling talk. I just have beauty and wellness and healthy diet secrets that I need to know. I can't ask. Okay. Your diet. You look incredible. I feel like you've always looked incredible. What are some secrets?

What's your diet? What's your fitness? I feel like I've definitely had a window these last five years that has not been awesome. You look amazing. But most people don't get to see that stuff where you're like, oh, okay, stuff's kind of going south and weird. But I think I cut sugar recently because my A1C levels were getting out of whack. I think some of that was due to stress with my mom.

So I cut sugar and that was really helpful. And I eat as well as I can, but I still have cellulite. I still enjoy my onion rings and my french fries and my cheeseburgers and I have to pay for it. So it's there and that's it. What about fitness? Fitness. I love being outside. I'm not like some crazy, you know, workout person.

I will take Max for a good walk through the hills and stuff. And so I get my little fitness in there. I have a Peloton. I like doing my hikes on there. And I used to do some Pilates. I haven't really done anything in a while. It's actually not good. But I have muscle memories.

So then everybody who wants to hate me. I've been working out since I was 13 a lot. So things can change very, very quickly for me. That's how Michael is. He reminds me every single day. People get mad when you say the muscle memory thing because it's like, it's true though. Michael will work out once and I get cut. Yeah. Fuck you both.

No, but I think. I did last twice and my lats are already like and Kevin was like, oh, I was like, oh, yeah, maybe I'll do a couple more. Okay. Oh my God. You guys are so. Well, I think like I was telling her, we have a young kid right now. I was like, I'm going to tell this this kid like ages like 15 to 25.

Like that's what if you could really like work hard, your body will keep it. I can't wait to see you tell her that. her take the information to heart. And it's genes too. Like I have my dad's body. My dad was always ripped. He never worked out in his life. And I got my mom's like hips and thighs and stuff. So listen, you just got to make do with what you have. Nobody's perfect. The only thing, you know, I'll say that the cool thing I realized recently is like I grew up in a time where you had to be so terrified if you showed a sec, like an ounce of cellulite. Oh my God. God forbid. Star Magazine got a hold of a bikini photo.

and that was like what it was. And Kevin and I just recently were like, whoa, that doesn't happen anymore. They can't do that. Isn't that so cool? Yeah, it is cool. I remember being a little girl and being in the checkout line and seeing National Enquirer. And I remember being like, oh, my God, they'd get every bad angle that you could possibly get. And now it's inappropriate.

Yeah. And now I feel like we're so lucky that we're able to control our own narrative. If we want to show our cellulite and talk about it like this with podcast and Instagram, we can just share it ourselves. You do that now is a major publication in like bash a woman's body or even a man's body. You cannot. I like that. It's really that. That was a big deal that I realized that the other day with him.

I'm like, oh, things have changed so much. Yeah, I remember that. I remember being little and seeing that magazine and being like, wow, this is really fucked up how they will just do anything for press. Beauty secrets. You have beautiful eyebrows. Thanks. Oh, I just got them done from Anastasia. I can tell.

That's the first thing I noticed when I walked in. She just did them. Eye brows. They look so good. You know what's so funny? And I said this on my stories the other day when she did them at her house. I said, Kim and I have talked about this so many times. We'll be like, oh, our brows actually look fine.

But we know we kind of need them because we know when we go to her, it instantly gives you like this like fresh look. And so we were cracking up about it. I think I need to go to her. Yeah. Now that I'm looking at your eyebrows, they look so good. You should. Have you ever had her on the show? No.

Oh, my God. You should. I'll connect you. Yeah. I would love to have her on the show. She's the best. Yeah, we've never had brows on the show. She's an amazing human.

what a story. I mean, talk about grit and hustle and building. Her and her daughter are amazing. They've created an incredible brand. I'm not surprised that she did your eyebrows. Yeah. What's your favorite Kardashian? Don't lie. Kim. Ah, that was quick. Yeah. Usually people say Chris. Who said Chris? Oh, shit. Well, here's the problem. I love all of them. I mean, I love Chloe. I love Courtney. I feel like I've been closer with Kim all of these years and Chris, of course, too. But yeah, they're all. They're all cool. They're all great. Who came on here and said, Chris? I love Courtney. I mean, I've been on here and said, right away. Someone came on here. Oh. I forgot who it was. I think it was. Oh, Harouche. She said Kim.

Chris. Okay. So if you were to leave our audience with a book, a podcast or a resource that's brought you a lot of value. Ooh, a book, it would be asking it is given. Esther Hicks. Oh, I haven't heard of that. What? No, I have to read that. I've never heard of that. Like, life changing. It's the common thread through my show every day. Like, we're always talking about the laws of attraction and how to manifest what you want and really fine-tuning your connection with, you know, source and all of that. It's unbelievable. It's very challenging read, too. So you have to be patient with yourself. My husband is still trying to, like, decode all of this, but I've had five years with it where I'm listening to her, I'm reading her. I'm, I'm, you know, and then Gabby

Bernstein actually is like the new version of that. So if you listen to Gabby, she's, she's that kind of same guidance. Love Gabby. Hi Gabby. I am going to buy this. It's 559. I buy all my books off thrift books instead of Amazon. I like they used.

I've never even heard of thrift books. Well, I just like, I like, like, library books. And I like it a little used. Okay. I don't know why. I like that. It smells good. Okay.

I'm going to buy that. Is there any podcasts that you love that you listen to? Podcast. You know, it's so funny when you make them, it's so hard to listen to me. Yeah, I get that. You were on Edmy Lett, though. Yes. You got to listen to that.

That one. Yeah. Ed was great. I mean, there are so many great ones. I am blinking right now. Well, Ed MyLed, I feel like they should go listen to you on Ed My Latt. Yeah. Ed MyLat's the best.

He's the reason I'm here. Yeah. If you were going to jump into your show and start, like, which up, like, you know, new listener, go through the list. Actually, go listen to every one of them. But if you were going to pick like one or two where they could jump in right away. Oh, gosh. We have so many good ones.

I had a really great one with Deepak Chopra recently. Ooh. And I know you've probably heard him a million times a million ways. but this interview was so aha for me and so blew my mind that it's definitely worth going in and listening to any of the Gabby Bernstein's have been amazing. I think if Shauna Nequest was incredible, Aaron Falconer was really incredible to. Dr. Rao, Dr. Rao had a really cool parable he talked about on this episode where he's like, good thing, bad thing, who knows? You know, we always like judge what's happening in our lives. And we really don't really.

realize that they're like, it's like little things that are all kind of connecting for our own good, right? Whether it's bad in that moment, it might be good later. So there was a parable of a guy in the village whose son became paralyzed and the whole village came around. They're like, oh, you poor thing, your son, he'll never marry, he'll never live a normal life. And he said to them, good thing, bad thing, who knows? You know, at some point later, the war came. He, you know, the whole village, all the boys are being drafted and they came back and they go, you're so lucky. Your son can't be drafted. He's not going to die. You're going to have him forever. And he goes, good thing, bad thing. Who knows? You just never know. You have to look at things like a little bit more

neutral, I think. Anyway, he's an incredible listen to you as well. But I have to say every episode, we're always like, holy shit, how did we top the last one? And it's not me. It's these incredible people that come on that bring so much to the table that help us in our everyday lives. because it is a challenge out there. It is not easy to navigate this world. And, you know, school doesn't prepare you for life. School prepares you for like maybe career stuff. But, you know, the toolkit to survive and thrive in the world that I didn't feel like I really

had. I didn't feel like I had a good enough toolkit emotionally to handle the ups and downs. So I bumped my head. And the reason I bumped my head was probably because I was going to be a voice to be able to help other people through it. And so I always joke. I'm like, I have to go through all the shit. to like figure it out to get to the other side to help people but it's all good I'm definitely

stronger than I ever thought I was I'm going to say that your podcast also is very good because you're an incredible interviewer so that I mean all the skills that you've learned with all the careers that you've had and all the different jobs I mean it really is perfect for a successful podcast thanks yeah I work really hard on them she's a great podcaster great well you've done you're a pro you've done my favorite thing I'm going to say this at the end of the episode maybe no one's listening is to podcast with another podcaster because it's so seamless. Sometimes it's like pulling teeth. You never know. Not with podcasters. No. No. It's interesting. I mean, it's not interesting. We have a lot to say.

Yeah. It's just very, it's very natural. Everyone go listen to your podcast, pimp yourself out. Tell us the name where they can find it, your Instagram, where they can get all the black book stuff. I want to go find us. Social Security, home, dry, all the things. Give us your whole sheet. Give us your medical sheet. together with Maria Menounos, your daily life improvement show, daily therapy, daily fun. You can find it on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, wherever podcasts are. We're there. You can go to Maria Menunos.com and there you will find the medical manual. I'm pretty sure the Black Book is there too because I've given that out many times.

And anything else that you want to find out. And Instagram? Oh, at Maria Menunos. And if you don't know how to spell Minunos, Tiffany in sixth grade taught me. It's me, noun, OS. Noun like plural, adverb, adjective, noun. Me, noun. I love you, Brandon.

You're listening. Amazing. Thank you. Come back anytime. Taylor, let's pull all the clips of her laugh and end with that. Thank you so much for coming on. Come back anytime you want. Thank you.

I'm giving away something big. Something I've never given away on this podcast, and that is an ice roller. Someone is going to win an ice roller. I do not do a lot of giveaways for the ice roller. So listen up. It's so easy to enter. All you have to do is rate it, give it a review on Apple Podcast. So easy.

And then leave a little sun emoji on my latest Instagram so I know who entered. One ice roller giving it away. I think you're going to love it. If you want to shop the skinny confidential product, you can go to shop skinnyconfidential.com. Make sure you're subscribed and you rated the podcast. Get the fuck out of the sun. Cheers.