The Bossticks - RHONY's Leah McSweeney On Addiction & Recovery, Housewives Juice, & How To Change Your Iife

Episode Date: August 11, 2022

#486: On today's episode we are joined by Real Housewife Of New York star and cast memeber, Leah McSweeney. Leah Christine McSweeney is an American fashion designer and television personality. She founded the women's streetwear line Married to the Mob in 2004, and has starred on the reality television series The Real Housewives of New York City since 2020. Leah joins the show to discuss her journey with addiction, housewives jucie, and how you can change your life. To connect with Leah McSweeney 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. Get The F*ck Out Of The Sun audio book is now available on all major platforms. Get Routines, Products, Tips, and Insider Secrets from 100+ of the World's Best Skincare Gurus HERE This episode is brought to you by RITUAL Protein powders can be intimidating. But the fact is, we all need protein. Get 10% off during your first 3 months at ritual.com/skinny . This episode is brought to you by InsideTracker When it comes to your health and longevity, you hold nothing back. You understand what it means to push harder, reach farther, and fo the extra mile. That's why InsideTracker provides you with a personalized plan to build strength, speed recovery, and optimize your health for the long haul. For a limited time, get 20% off the entire InsideTracker store at insidetracker.com/SKINNY . This episode is brought to you by Issue Issuu is the all-in-one platform to create and distribute beatuiful digital content, from marketing materials to magazines, to catalogues and portfolios, and more. Get started with Issuu today for FREE or if you sign up for an annual premium account to get 50% off when you go to issuu.com/podcast and use promo code SKINNY at checkout. This episode is brought to you by Recreation Sweat Recreation Sweat is a fitness company born out of necessity in the pandemic. They're all about quick and effective workouts that you can do anywhere without heavy equipment. Get 20% off your first purchase with code SKINNY at checkout. This episode is brought to you by Branch Basics Branch Basics is a non-toxic cleaning product that is fragrance free, biodegradable, baby and pet safe. It is a one concentrate model that makes laundry detergent, hand soap, dish soap, all-purpose cleaner, and bathroom cleaner. Get 15% off all start kits (except the Trial Kit) with code SKINNY at www.branchbasics.com . Produced by Dear Media

The following podcast is a dear media production. Do you want to listen to all the tips, tricks, secrets from beauty insiders? Influencers, podcasters, celebrities, and moi. Well, my book, Get the Fuck Out of the Sun, is now releasing an audiobook format. This is so amazing because whether you're going on a hot girl walk, perhaps you're cleaning your room, sitting under an umbrella by the pool with sunscreen on, driving to work, you can passively multitask. You can listen to Dr. Dennis Gross, Kristen Cavalary, Patrick's star, Mariana Hewitt, Lauren Ireland, Bobby Brown, Justin Anderson, Dr. Barbara Sturm, Chris Limm, Gillian Michaels, Stacey, Schroeder, Omni Song, Amber Filler Up, Amelia Gray, Delilah Bell, Dr. Diamond, to name a few. This book is packed with value. There is absolutely no gatekeeping here. I'm going to tell you all of my favorite products. What order I apply them? Nightly routine, AM routine, oils, serums, all the tips.

cold therapy, dry brushing, shaving your face. It's all in there. And here's what I recommend. Get the book. It's like a beautiful coffee table book. It's so Instagramable. Like put it on your TikTok. It's pink. It's cute. It's fun. And then also get the audio book version. And you can get it wherever audio books are sold. Of course, Audible. I know that's where I listen to my books. And how I listen is I listen when I'm making the bed, when I'm walking, when I'm making coffee. It's such a good way to add value to your life and gain more knowledge. So definitely check it out. the fuck out of the sun, now available in audiobook format. One thing that I was so serious about when I moved to Austin was completely making over my cleaning supply situation. I, after interviewing the owner of symbiotica, found that I was really attracted to when

he was talking about how the home is a place where you're supposed to detox. and to be adding all these chemicals in your cleaning supplies to your home is crazy. And then also, I am going to have a baby who's crawling and he's going to be all over the floor. And then I have a two-year-old who runs around without shoes on. So I think about these things. And I also think about the fact that we have these two little chihuahuas that are so close to the ground, breathing in everything that's on the floor. So I changed everything about my cleaning supplies, a whole makeover. And Branch basics, you can't go wrong. This is non-toxic cleaning products. They're fragrance-free. They're biodegradable. They're baby and pet safe. I researched everything and these were the ones. I have talked to so

many high achievers that have come on this podcast, so many of them use branch basics. And what I found is that toxins are the major cause of endocrine disruption. And especially postpartum, I don't want to be breathing in chemicals, whether it's in my sheets or my dishwasher. Like even think about you use a fork from the dishwasher, all of the stuff that gets on there. If you can switch to non-toxic cleaning, I think it's life-changing. I also found that using toxic cleaning supplies can lead to hormonal acne, painful periods. They even said that there's certain ingredients that can cause nervous system disorders, even asthma. I'm not surprised and I think this has been a long time coming for people to make

over their cleaning cabinet. All right. So we have a discount for you. I used it myself. You get 15% off any starter kit when you use code skinny at branchbasics.com. I would recommend starting with the kit I started with, which is the premium starter kit for all your cleaning needs. Again, that's code skinny for 15% off all starter kits except the trial kit. Check it out. Code Skinny. She's a lifestyle blogger extraordinary. 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'll tell you something that people don't know about the show. Let me just put it this way. Some shows need to be produced more than others. Ours does not. If a producer tries to step in and say anything, the women will be like Like shut the fuck up, get the fuck out of our scene. We are not doing what you want. We do this our way. That's why I respect these bitches.

One thing that I feel like you guys have learned recently about Michael is he's a housewife fan. How is it recently? It's been six years. I've always been a fan. I've always been a fan. Huge fan. Yeah, I always tune in. I've said it.

I pretty much know every franchise. What's your favorite franchise? I told, I've said this on multiple podcasts alone. You've got to pay attention. It's New York because New York, it's just, it's got all the flavors. which is why I was excited today. He loves the dynamic. There's nothing more that you love than a dynamic.

I just love the New York attitude. Like it's so in your face. It's so like I don't give a fuck. It's not, you know, well, the women are polished. That's not what I mean. The show has the edge. It has grit. Yeah, it has grit.

They go for it. Yeah, it has depth. And we're a big fan of all the cast and all the characters. They can all come on. Shit. We'll have Ramon, Bethany Frankel, Lou Anne. Countess Lewin. Open invite.

Open invite. And we got to have Leah McSweeney on. I really, really have a soft spot for Leah because I feel like when she was cast, they wanted to do something different. They wanted to shake it up and evolve the cast. And they sort of went to Leah to do that. She is a total multifaceted person. And I watched her on the show, but I also read her book. She released her first book, Chaos Theory, Finding Meaning in the Madness, one bad decision at a time. And I re-fell in love with her all. over. She talks about her chaos of balancing addiction. She talks about the streetwear world, raves disrupting reality television. She's an entrepreneur, a mom, a pioneer in the fashion industry.

And of course, Real Housewives of New York City. So I wanted to extend the conversation that she had in her book to a podcast. So I invited her on and she was absolutely lovely in person. I really enjoyed her. And we talk about all the things in this episode. We go everywhere. You're going to hear about her childhood, growing up, trauma, addiction, all the things I just mentioned. With that, Leah McSweeney, female entrepreneur, mother living in New York City. She has married to the mob and her latest book. Let's welcome her to the skinny confidential, him and her podcast, and Taylor, you better cue the Real Housewives of New York City music immediately. I'm sex positive and BS negative.

We have Leah on the podcast. I'm so happy you're here. I've wanted you to come on for so long. So happy to be here. Your book's coming out. Thank you. You're making the trip. Of course.

The book is so good. You guys, I have devoured it. I, like, really want to start at the beginning. Okay. Because, first of all, you're so open about how you were expelled from school. Mm-hmm. And you say something in here that's really interesting. And I feel like Michael will appreciate this because he was a horrible student.

You say that you feel like the school system expels people and it's not the right avenue. Yeah. What do you think about that? Obviously, if someone's violent or someone, you know what I mean? That's a little different story. For instance, in my case, I just needed some extra attention and, like, carer. And instead of being expelled, which I was expelled twice. What were the offenses?

Okay. The first offense was really nothing. The first offense was like, basically, I was at this very prestigious all-girl private school in New York. We were there on partial financial aid. We didn't have a famous last name. My class in general was not great. We were all misbehaving, but instead they pointed at me. They pinned it on me and were like, you need to go.

So you were the scapego. I was scapegoated. Sorry, I'm like eating this mint. Is it okay that you, is the reason that they did that? because there was so many rich, wealthy parents. Yeah, they couldn't throw out the girls whose parents were donating 500 grand a year, obviously. Don't want to get that wing taken down. Exactly. Yeah, right.

And who are you going to school with? Are you talking about, like, socialites? Are you talking? Yes. Socialites, like the biggest, like last names. Yes. And they were doing bad shit, too. Yeah. And they just pinned it on you. Totally. So then your parents rip you out of New York City, which I, Michael and I talk about this all the time. And like when is it okay to pull a kid out of school where they're not traumatized? Well, my daughter, we were just visiting Connecticut the other day and we were taking a walk down the street.

My daughter goes, I hate this place. And I go, me too. Why? I think Connecticut looks so pretty. Oh, my God. No, because my daughter's growing up in New York. And we were just taking a walk. Like, we went up there for Easter, even though I'm a Jew now, as you might know.

But so we're taking a walk down Main Street and she's just like, this is like the worst. This is so boring. I'm like, now you understand what happened to me. And she's like, I do. You seem like a really colorful, eclectic, open-minded person. To be moved from New York City to Connecticut was probably traumatic. It was so traumatic. And my parents will not own it.

They're like, a lot of kids move. A lot of kids would be happy to move to Connecticut. I'm like, are you crazy? It was the most depressing thing. I was like, we went from our view on our balcony. You could see the Empire State Building. Now I'm living in like a barn and the big thing in the town is the $2 movie theater. And I'm supposed to be happy.

I'm used to going to clubs. Like, how old are you at this point when you move to Connecticut? I was about to be 14. And you're used to going to clubs at 14 years old. Yeah. That's wild too. I know. That is crazy.

I mean, looking back on that, are you like, oh, my God, this is crazy? Yeah, because my daughter is about to turn 15 and she's never been in a club. And she lives in Connecticut? No, she lives in. No, we live in Manhattan. She lives in Manhattan. and she took her to Connecticut to drive by. Yeah, to visit my parents because they still live there.

I was going to say, if the daughter hasn't been to a club, then maybe we're going to Connecticut. Yeah, live right. Move there. You want to move to Amish country or like. Well, no, she's about 14. 15. I'm going to rip her out of school and we're going to go become Amish. So it'll be. Listen, honestly, my daughter is such a well adjusted, grounded kid that is just smart about things.

She doesn't, like, I was crazy. But, like, somehow she is not like me. Thank God. Do you talk openly to your daughter about the things you used to do? Now I do, because she's at that age. Of course, it wasn't age appropriate when she was like eight to be like, I did meth. You know what I mean? But when she was 12, I talked to her about alcoholism because I relapsed, you know?

Before I started drinking and I talked to her and was like, I'm going to start drinking again. You've never seen me drink. I think I can do it in a responsible way now. And she was like crying. And then I stopped. Well, the reason I asked you is I had a father that I guess, many would consider at the time. He was the 60s guys.

He was a crazy guy. But he always was very vocal. And he told me, like everything he did, what he experienced. And I remember going through life. And whenever those experiences, whatever I would personally encounter them,

I was like, oh, okay, I kind of had the context. So I never went too crazy because he always talked to me about it, which is why I think. Yeah. And my parents,

they didn't tell us shit. They didn't tell us anything. Because I think that that generation's way of dealing with things was to sweep it under the rug, like it never happened. And it was almost a shame thing. And this generation, I think, is like, this is what I did. I'm owning it. Here's how

I got out of it. Here's the tools. This is what it's like. Meanwhile, my whole family, I come from, like, a long line of alcoholics and drug addicts. But I didn't know that. And also, I didn't know that, like, I had family that had depression. Like, that was a mind, that was a game changer for me. Because I thought I was, like, weird and fucked up. I'm like, no, this is genetic. You talk about how you found that out in rehab. Yes. So what was your first drug? Do you remember? Was it in New York City? Yeah. It was at Roseland Ball. Well, I mean, like weed. That doesn't count. No, I'm talking about more hardcore. Yeah. I was at my first rave at Roseland Ballroom and I sniffed speed. And I- Did you know it was speed? Yeah. And I took like two hits of acid. It was crazy. What is a rave like? I've never been. I mean, they were the best things in the world. Like what? Like it just just, just. like a, it was just like, it was the best. I was addicted to them. I was at a rave every single night if I could be. I mean, it sounds fun. What year was this? That was 96. Okay. Yeah. That was 96.

It was like, like, just such an iconic era, like in New York City also, right? Like, it was just so dope. The music, like, everything was so good. Mus, such good music came out that year. Like, you know, just everything about the 90s was so good. I remember. 60 minutes doing a special on ecstasy. I remember that. And it scared the fuck out of me. And it was like around that time and it was all about raves. Yeah. I'm pretty sure I knew one of it. I think they had kids on there too. Like they had some like ravers that were on there and I think I knew one of them. This girl who was from Connecticut actually.

So the second that you try the drug is it immediate. You're like this is this is fun. I was like I was like addicted to everything. The music, the style of dressing like just all of it. It was a culture. And I'm like, this is where I belong. I found my people. And this is, this, it was such a great escape from what I was feeling, which was like misery in Connecticut. So you get to Connecticut. You go to school. And then you end up in rehab. Yeah. And I remember at our school, there was a lot of girls that went to rehab. And I was always so intrigued. I want to know what rehab is like at 15 years old. Like from from what your day to day is to the other kids that are, there. Did it help?

Tell us like really in depth. There was so much. There was so much drama. Like this one bitch stole my fucking liquid sky t-shirt. Oh my God. Like I'll never forget it. And ended up making out with the guy that I liked. And she was not cute at all. I was so fucking pissed off. I had a crush on one of the counselors. He had tattoos and he had like a syringe tattoo from when he was a junkie like going into his arm. But then he had all these like AA tattoos too. It was like so weird. My room. mate was bulimic and would throw up in the shower. It was so annoying. It was disgusting. I had no, I had no sympathy for her at the time. It was a lot of groups. Like, I cried a lot.

We did a lot of ping pong. We did rock climbing. Group therapy. We would go offsite to, like, AA meetings. I remember one kid, we were watching a movie. I think it was like, I don't, I want to say it was train spotting, but I doubt they would show us that at rehab. But he fucking, it was. It was something that triggered him and he took a chair and, like, threw it at the window, but it didn't go through the window because the windows were probably, like, bulletproof or something. And then later I found out he was waiting on his AIDS test to come back because he was like an intervenous, like drug user. But it was negative. But he shared about that too. It was intense.

Like a lot of kids had been most sexually abused and they talked about it, you know? Like, luckily that's not part of my story. But, you know, anything and everything. Like one girl, the second time when I went back to Karen, I was in extended care with her for like three months. And she was having sex with her brother. I mean, there was a lot of, yeah. And actually one of the counselors was, I don't even know how to say this.

Like he, like, he was, like, touching us. Like, yeah, it was crazy. Like, I want to say he grabbed our pussy, but I don't want to make a Trump reference. But, like, he literally grabbed our vaginas, like, as we were. It was nuts. I think a lot of not, I don't want to say all, but there's, there is a lot of, maybe it not a lot. There are counselors that go into and pray on young women. We've heard this a lot on the show of counselors getting into the business to pray on young girls.

I've never even said that before, but I almost forgot that it had happened. What was the catalyst to finally get you into rehab at that point? Or is this like, hey, your parents turned around? This was the third. That was like the third rehab. I think I was just like, I couldn't, everyone had, this is like after senior year. Everyone had gone off to college. I was like, because my friends were like good at like, like my best friends. Like they were really good at like doing acid and then like going home and going to sleep

afterwards. I'd be like, no, let's keep going for like weeks or days. Like for a week, you know, straight. I'd be gone. And I'm like, I need help. And I finally said to my parents like, okay, now I need to go to rehab. You send me to rehab before, but now I need to go. The first time you went to rehab, you said your parents came for the family weekend and it was so gnarly for them that your dad had to leave.

Yeah. He couldn't. He attended the first day and then he couldn't come back. What did they do? He has his own trauma. Right. They talk about their family history because his mother was an alcoholic. You know what I mean?

So it was bringing stuff up. Yeah, it was too much for him. I mean, I can't imagine as a parent, like, you, it's almost like you have to put your own needs aside and and just focus on your kid, which is so hard too. Yeah. Brings up a lot. A lot. So your third time in rehab, what happened after that?

Did you stay sober for a while? I did. I stayed sober for nine months, but that's because I was basically institutionalized those nine months, because I was at Karen Foundation for three months because I stayed there for the extended care program. Then from there, my parents wouldn't let me come back home. Like, I was like, okay, I've been here for 90 days.

I'm ready to come back to Connecticut. and like get a job and live a normal life. Maybe I'll go to college. I'll help with Daniel and Sarah. That's my brother and sister. I had a list of things I would do. Like feed the cats. Like walk the dogs.

Like, you know, I'm going to help. I'm going to be a good person. I swear. They were like, you're not coming home. That's it. And what was the main reason?

It was like because you were such a problem or they didn't want you to influence the other kids or? I think it was like they couldn't. They were like, there's no way. But after three months after what you've been doing, that you're fine after just. three months. Like, you need longer-term treatment. So they found a program that was two years.

And I was like, there's no way I can do two years of being in a program, but I had no choice because I or else where would I live? So I went to this therapeutic community, which was run by nuns. Okay. Years later, I ended up building a house in that town without even realizing it, which is so full circle. I go. And then I left after a week. I was the only girl there who wasn't court mandated. And I took a Greyhound bus back to New York City and slept on my friend's couch and then found a halfway house to live in. So I lived in a halfway house for then three months. So it was a total of nine months sobriety. And then right before 9-11, I had gotten out of the halfway house. I was living with my grandmother back in the city and I relapsed.

I got a weird like housewives question. When you go through all of this stuff and then you go on the housewives in as maybe more trivial, do you kind of like look at this and be like this is at, you know, when they're fighting over, what you guys are fighting over things? And you've been through these types of experiences. Right. Like a weird kind of, you know what?

Maybe you're just like not, you've been through such hard shit that you're like, this is bullshit. I think that like, that's an interest. I probably should look at it like that. But I also feel like this stuff happened to me so long ago. It's a past life.

Okay. Like, we were just talking before, right? About like, what it's, how cathartic it was, like to write this book.

Because this is stuff I haven't, like, I do carry it with me subconsciously. and maybe in a negative way. But I don't, I don't actively think about this. You know? That makes sense. I look at my childhood as a past life.

That makes total sense. You're almost detached from it. I'm, yes, I'm 40 years old with a 50, I'm 39. But, you know, I'm almost 40. I have like an almost 15 year old, like, you know, I have a totally different life. But reliving it, I've had to relive it by writing it. And then my mom, it was hard for my mom to read that book.

because she knew I was out, but I talked in like, you know, I talk. I mean, listen, I could have put a hundred more war stories in there about going to crack houses and Newark. I mean, like, just the craziest shit that I did. That's not what this book is, you know. But just for my mother to read about some of the things of me getting high and stories and stuff, it was a lot for her. It was a hard time. You talk about in the book how you, you were getting tested by probation officers. Randy. Yeah. My. My. mom. He saved my life in a lot of ways. My mother loved him. If it wasn't for him, because if I didn't have him, they signed me over to the state of Connecticut. Your parents did. My parents did. And he was my probation. He was my probation officer. And he was my guardian, basically. If I fucked up, I would go to juvie. So I was like very, and I, and then when I was doing drugs, I started, you know, using other people's urine to pass the test. Yes, that's what I wanted to ask you about. So, So describe how that even comes about and how you even have this idea and how this even happens.

I mean, I just was, I don't know how I had the idea. It was just like, I need clean urine. So like I had friends at school that I knew had clean urine. And I literally, I wore huge jeans because I was a raver. So I would put it in an actual like one of those little P cup things or a vial that I would get it like science class and put it in my sock and bring it into the bathroom with me. So no one's watching. you go to the bathroom when you do the P test. No. If you could advise parents or, I don't know, even probation officers, how would you handle this looking back and having perspective?

I mean, I don't know. I'm not going to give probation officers advice. Don't put a snitch. Don't get snitch, Lauren. You know that comedian Joey Dia? Yeah, true. I'm still from that generation. Like, fuck bad.

I think Lauren's a big tattel. No, I am a tattletale only when it comes. You're one of the people that got us both kicked out of school. all the time. No, I was not. Oh my God. Are you kidding? I'm not a snitch at all. I want to know what to do if Zaz's hiding pee. I mean, I mean, look, like, you know, with my daughter, like, yeah, like, I know, like, God forbid I have to drug test her one day. I'm standing over her watching her. You know that comedian Joey Diaz, if you're seeing him or her. That sounds familiar. I know. He used to have this probation officer. He told this, this is a random one. It's going to freak you out. But you had a probation officer. He used to

watch and pee because he has to take all these drug tests. He actually went to prison at one point. And he would put this little pouch in the skin of his penis with clean urine on it. Shut up. And then he would pull up and he, that's how he would do it. Hold on. How big is the foreskin of his penis? I've never seen it, but I, but he would put clean urine. He's going to have to Instagram that.

That I want to. Yeah, that is, I don't know. Okay. So it wasn't in the foreskin of like your vagina. It wasn't like hiding under one of the lips. You never went to. I didn't like put it up my pussy. I mean, listen.

But like a lot of people do stuff like that. Obviously. I'm sure. Like isn't it called boo. thing. I don't know. It's like a tampon put it up your asshole. Well, I'm always amazed at like human ingenuity when they come to this kind of stuff. Like people, like even if you watch these documentaries on how people get things in and out of prisons and oh my, it's crazy. You know, like they can, they can get crafty. They use every orthos. You would get really crafty, I feel like. Yeah,

I'm circumcised, though, so I'd have to. Thank you for having that to everybody. Oh, so Joey Diaz isn't circumcised. That's how he can do. Yeah, he tells the story. He actually then tells, he actually ended up having an affair with his probation. It's a whole thing. But you have to listen. Oh, that's kind of hot. Go on YouTube and look it up. It's hilarious.

So inappropriate. Okay. Yeah. So what happens when the probation officer finds out that you're using? He never found out. He never found out. No. And then once I was 16, I think I was a little older than 16 because my mom tricked me.

They both tricked me and kept me on probation longer than I should have been on. Once it was my 16th birthday, I should have been off. And I can't, yeah, I think I stayed on for like a few more months. But you actually were on or they just told you you were on? They just told me I was. Yeah. To scare me. So when you're at 19, when your parents say you're out, you're on your own, you're in a halfway house.

Is that different than a rehab? Yeah. So that's more like a transitional living house. So you can go get a job. Like I got a job at the guest store in Soho. And, you know, you still have like groups, but it's like a couple times a week and it's at night. They do drug test you there. You know, there's a curfew.

Were you committed to being sober? Yeah. And at what point do you meet Rob in this? Probably not until like a year after I got out of that halfway house. And when you, when you meet Rob for the first time, are you like, hi, I'm Leah, I'm an addict? Or was that not even like an identity? No, that wasn't even a thing. It wasn't even like nothing.

Like everybody was like an, like everyone was getting fucked up. It wasn't a big deal. Wasn't a big deal. He probably like like that I was. kind of a bad girl. I bet he did. Yeah. He loved it. Because you know what? He was, this is like kind of bad. I didn't put it in the book, but he was dating a girl for four years when we met. But we fell in love right away. And I said, we were like, it was like love at first sight. Where were you guys? You got to tell us the story. So we met at Max Fish, which is like this really

like famous skate like downtown art bar, like artist bar. And I was with two friends and I was like, oh my God, like, who is that guy? And then I met him again at A-Life, which I talk about in the book. And then I saw him again, which I talked about in the book at this bar that was like empty. And it was just us there. And I was like, hi. And then he wouldn't give me his number. He took mine.

And my cell phone, like, hadn't been paid. So, like, I didn't. And then cell phones were very new at this point, too. He called my landline and, like, left a voicemail of whatever. Was that what it is? A voice message? Yeah. What was on the fucking answering machine?

This is back in the day. I mean, this is like weird, like fucking crazy. And finally, we had a date. And then he told me he had a fucking girlfriend. And I was like, dude, I'm not like doing that. Like, no way. I was like, when you break up with her, I probably saw him a few more times. Like it was like a month over a month stretch.

And then finally I said, no, I can't do this. Like, I really am into you. So like, when you break up with her, you let me know. And the next day he called me. I was getting ready to like go out and party. It was a Sunday night. And I'm like, he's calling me. And my friend was like, answer the phone.

And I answered. And he was like, I told her. And I was like, oh, my God. And I'm like, I can't believe he's choosing me over her because she had her shit together. She was a nice girl. But he wanted the bad girl. When you say you're going out partying at this point, are you using? Are you going out so?

Oh, yeah. So you're, so you're. I had already, once I got out of that halfway house, right before 9-11, I relapse. And then I was like, two days later, 9-11 happens. And I'm like, definitely. I'm getting fucked up. Because it was like in that in the city at that time, it was like this nihilistic almost way of living and partying. Like we don't know if we have tomorrow. Like it was like a very dark weird time. It was fun because the clubs were so good. But like the towers were gone. It was like holes, two big holes in the ground. Like it was just like a weird time in New York. When we were partying like we were like going to live forever. Where were you on 9-11? I was at my grandmother's apartment. What was that like being?

My God, it was so fucking crazy. It was nuts. First of all, my friend Jimmy, rest in peace. He called my landline. My grandmother woke me up. So me and my grandmother lived in a studio apartment, and I slept on the bed, and she slept in the reclining chair, only because she loved the reclining chair.

I would have let her sleep in the bed. You know, she likes to watch TV and fall asleep watching TV. So, and this is my grandmother, not my grandmother who passed away while we were filming this past season on Roney, but my other grandmother who passed away years ago, she's like, Leah, you know, the phone is for you. And he's like, Leah, wake up. Like, they're attacking us.

Like, the world's ending. And I'm like, what the fuck are you talking about? And my grandmother had her remote control. And she was like, why aren't my shows on? What is, what is this? And she kept pressing every channel was the same thing. And I looked, and it was just the towers with one hole in it. You know, and I'm like, oh, it must have been, I didn't even think anything.

I was like, it must have been a drunken helicopter that flew into it. I didn't realize the size. of it, you know, the enormity. And then my mom came by because my mom was in the city that day and she's like, come, come grocery shopping with me. Who goes grocery shopping when this happens? By that time, the second plane hit. So I go downstairs and I'm on 24th Street and 8th Avenue and it's a busy, it's a beautiful day,

like a gorgeous, gorgeous day. Everyone always says that, but it was just an amazing, like a beautiful weather. Everyone on the street is standing still. Can you imagine New York City standing still, looking south on 8th Avenue at the towers? And I looked and they just, there they were with two giant holes with just smoke billowing out of them. And I'm all the way, I'm like, you know, 30 blocks up, but you can see straight down. I go into the grocery store and I'm only there for 15 minutes in the grocery store with my mother. And I come out and all of a sudden I'm walking back towards 8th Avenue.

It's like, you know, just 20 feet right there. And everyone is now not looking up anymore. Everyone's hands are, their heads are in their hands. And I'm like, what, what's going on? Some people are on the floor. And everyone's crying and screaming. And I look and the fucking buildings are gone. They're gone.

It was crazy. I remember when that happened. We were all the way in California watching on the TV. And I don't think people that didn't have the proximity as someone like yourself, it's so hard to contextualize what that even be like. And you go in the city now and you look at those buildings, like unfathletely. to imagine them just crumbling down. It's insane. It's actually insane.

I have friends who have crazy stories, though, that lived right there. I mean, insane. Like, my friend was pregnant and had to fucking run and jump into a boat, like crazy shit. Like, she still has the clothes with all the soot on it. Like, nuts. Like, what, you know, I mean, people, people went through so much that day. Did people shut down in the city or did they connect? We connected.

Yeah. We connected. New York was that next day. I remember wearing my I love New York shirt. And just like everyone was like, we were all in the same team that, you know what I mean? We were all New Yorkers. We were all like going to get through it together. Do you think that looking back that that triggered a lot of addicts to relapse?

Probably. But a lot of people stayed sober too. Because I hear that at meetings. People like talk about 9-11. And they'll say they were sober. You relapsed. What was the drug of choice that you relapsed on? I was drinking.

So you just went back to alcohol. Yeah, I mean, like, of course, like, you know, there was like definitely blow in the picture. You're drinking like that was just my thing. Like, I would go do that too. So when you relapse at this point, do you think it's a big deal to yourself? Are you like, eh, it's fine? So at first I did. But then, like, literally, I remember relapsing and being like in my apartment like,

God, why did I do this? Like, dramatic, like on my knees naked, like praying to God. And then 9-11 happened two days later. And I was like, okay, whatever. And so what does it look like when 9-11 happens and you're using? Like afterwards. Yeah, then you're just fucking party like nonstop because you're like what the fuck is happening to my city and what just happened and all thousands of people just died and thousands and thousands of people are now fucked up because they don't have their relatives. Like I don't know.

The city was it was a nihilistic weird, very primal partying. And that was when I met like all these like downtown people too, like these graffiti. writers that Cat always talks about like all those guys, you know? And that's when I met Adrian who owned Mass Appeal and then I started working at Mass Appeal. So it was almost like I was also becoming who I what. I don't know. Like there was some kind of like birth rebirth like during that. Not even rebirth.

It was almost like a huge growth from for me during that time, even though I was drinking. Did you know Rob at this point? I met him in, I think March of that. following year. Okay, so how long did you use this time until you finally stopped? Stopped. I stopped at 27. And what was the catalyst of that? I had a death premonition. Really? Yeah. Tell us about that. I was on the train coming home from work. And at this point, I had Kiki. She was two years old. I had a business that was very successful. And when you were pregnant, what do you do when you find out you're pregnant? Oh, well, it was easy for me to stop

drinking when I was pregnant. That's not always the case for people. I know it's not. We've have people on the podcast that has said it's not easy. For some reason, I just was so the hormones. Like, I was just a happy pregnant woman. Like, I really, like, I was thriving and living. Oh, why don't you rub it in? Sorry, honey. I'm fucking real uncomfortable right now. I got some heartburn. No, I did get a lot of heartburn, though. Okay. The baby's like up my esophagus right now. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Towards the end, it was painful. Are you sure you're not like forgetting some things? No, there was, there was definitely some uncomfortable moments. but emotionally, mentally, I felt so like I had a purpose.

I probably felt great because I wasn't drinking and doing drugs. That makes sense. You know what I mean? Like, that does make sense. Then there was less for me and Rob to argue about because Rob was always on my case about it. Protein oats is all the rage, especially after I work out. And a good protein powder is essential. So Ariel Lor taught me this recipe.

It's basically at like a third of oatmeal and you put it in water and then you put two heaping scoops of protein in it. I add chia seed and hemp seed. And then I cook it up and it becomes sort of like the sticky oatmeal concoction. I put it in a bowl. I put almond milk on top and blueberries. And it's like the perfect post workout snack. And the protein powder that I use, you guessed it. It's ritual's essential protein. It's delicious plant-based protein. They're very serious about their ingredients. Okay. So they have calcium added to the mix. There's a complete amino acid profile. It has essential nutrients in it. It's also not like a grossly sweet protein.

I like my protein to taste good. This one has like delicious handcrafted vanilla flavor. And their vanilla doesn't taste, you know what? It tastes like too sugary sometimes. This one is like very, very understated. It's a harvest Madagascar vanilla bean extract. It's packed with 20 grams of protein per serving. So like I said, I do two scoops in my oatmeal or I'll add it to a shake to get my

protein in, especially after I lift weights. This one has no added sugars or alcohols. It's soy-free, gluten-free, and non-GMO. This protein powder is basically like everything you could want in a protein powder. And it tastes good, the best part. Ready to shake up your protein ritual. All skinny confidential him and her listeners get 10% off during your first three months at ritual.com slash skinny. Ritual even offers a money back guarantee if you're not 100% in love. Visit ritual.com slash skinny for 10% off your first three months today. A lot of people don't get this about me because on the surface I look like one of the coolest cats out there. But I am a huge nerd, big tech nerd. Anything that involves a spreadsheet, a number,

some kind of tech platform, some kind of system where I can implement data and then look at it. I'm all about it, which is why when I found out that I could systemize and nerd out on my health, I was all about it. Many of you guys have asked after I got my blood work done in all my panels talking about all my supplement levels, my vitamin levels, my hormone levels, where I got it done, and then what I did with it after. Well, you can get your blood work from an assortment of different places. Your doctor, you can go into a clinic, all sorts of stuff. And then once you get the data, here's what you do. You take it to Inside Tracker. Inside Tracker is this platform that I use now, where you can track all of your data, all your health levels, all your vitamin levels, and then you can

monitor it and continue to optimize it as you move forward. So many of us go through life and we have no clue what to optimize for because we're not actually measuring. This is how you do. do it. So once you do your blood work, go over to Inside Tracker and implement it. When it comes to your health and longevity, you hold nothing back. You understand what it means to push harder, reach farther, and go the extra mile. This relentless drive runs in your blood. That's why Inside Tracker provides you with a personalized plan to build strength, speed, recovery, and optimize your health for the long haul. Created by leading scientists and aging genetics and biometrics, Inside Tracker analyzes your blood, DNA, and fitness tracking data

to identify where you're optimized and where you're not. You'll get a daily action plan with a personalized guidance on the right exercise, nutrition, and supplementation for your body. And when you connect InsideTracker with your Fitbit or Garmin, you'll also unlock real-time recovery pro tips after you complete your workout. It's like having your own personal trainer and nutritionist in your pocket. For a limited time, get 20% off the entire InsideTracker store. Just go to insidetracker.com forward slash skinny. That's insidetracker.com forward slash skinny. So you're sober during pregnancy. Yeah. You have the baby. Yeah. And then I quickly, like, was not doing great because I have.

postpartum. Which is not talked about enough. So please go off on that. Oh my God. I was miserable. Like I was having intrusive thoughts of like hurting the baby accidentally. What if I by accident throw the baby down the stairs or trip and then fall on the baby and crush her? I mean, and you're like just thinking you're watching a show and then this pops into your head. It's like horrible. Or like I was like making oatmeal and like you see the knives and you're like what if the knife you're like it's so like it couldn't happen. It's like what if the knife like got up and fell out onto the baby? You have these thoughts that are like really weird. It's so weird because also you're taking care of a life that is so like dependent on you and like you're completely fully responsible for this totally vulnerable helpless little thing. You know? And also I literally went from being a teenage delinquent to then like owning a business and being a mom and it kind of all hit me after I had. had her and I was like, uh, like, I didn't know how to deal. Like, I was like, what, like,

what is happening? Like, this is so much. What, I have like, 100 questions about this. What got you out of the postpartum? Was it just like slowly? I mean, it's hard to say because, you know, I quit drinking when she was two. I think I still had postpartum depression when she was like, too. Like, I still, like, it lasted a while. But I also was like newly getting sober. so I didn't. And when I quit drinking, I got, like, for the first two weeks I was okay. And then I had round the clock panic attacks and had to like go on a bunch of medication, which then led me into a whole other issue, which I was overmedicated. And medication is great. I'm on tons of it. But like, it has to help you. Right. You can be on the wrong medication and it is bad. And I was on a lot of wrong medication for a very long time. So I can't tell you when postpartum. But I think the medication. was what helped me get out of it too. And just like her getting older and me finally being able to have a life again.

The intrusive thoughts needs to be talked about more because it's not... No one wants to admit that they've thought about accidentally killing their baby. You know what I mean? It's wild the things that go through your head. You know what strange is like I think everybody, even if you're not pregnant man or woman,

you have those. Like sometimes I'll be sitting around and something crazy will pop in my head. I'm like, that's weird, but you can catch it quicker, I think. But maybe when there's something going on when you're postpartum where you can't catch it as quick.

It's definitely chemical. related because I was having them like so badly recently and then I went on Wilbutrin and it's so much better and I also had a brain scan done owned by Dr. Amit. Yep. And they're the ones

that told me that Willbutrin would probably be really helpful and I fucking went on it and like instantly all the weird negative thoughts that I couldn't get rid of were gone. But here's the difference with postpartum. Yeah. One, you're already in a vulnerable state and

two, there's something that's extra intrusive about the baby being hurt. Of course. Because, like, I could handle it if, like, I'm like, oh, in the car and I'm like, oh, like, I'm going to get in a car accident and my head's going to smash through the window. Yeah. But it's different when it's a baby that you're taking care of. Yeah. And it's your kid.

That makes you feel sick. What I'm saying is it's weird because I think, like you said, all humans have these kind of crazy thoughts. None of us want to admit it. But, like, you know, and I think you see those thoughts come to fruition with people that can't manage them, right? then you see them do terrible things. Yes.

But something's going on, obviously, postpartum when you have the child that makes those thoughts more prominent. Yeah. And harder to control. And I wonder if anyone's really done a study on why that occurs. I'm sure not a lot of people want to talk about it.

Because it's, it's, nobody wants to say, Hey, I felt like looking back, I felt shameful that I was having these intrusive thoughts. And the second I talked about it on the podcast, all these people messaged me.

Well, people have like fucked up thoughts. Like, what would happen if you put a baby in a microwave births, like all the, like, that's what, no, people, yeah, but when you're thinking about your own baby, sure. You know, when my niece was born, I had the intrusive thoughts all over again, as if I had given birth.

And it was so fucked up. I think people don't want to talk about it because they don't want to admit that those thoughts coming to head, but there should be more of a study because there's a reason these thoughts are happening. It has to be hormonal. It has to be, we should talk, we need to talk to, we need to talk to, we need to talk to, he needs to do, he needs to start doing studies on that. Yeah, that's a good one to talk about.

I think a lot of women have that. Okay. So, so, so you're postpartum, your two years in, you start to drink again. I started drinking again very quickly. And my life was just, I mean, from the outside, it looked great. I had this huge apartment. I had a daughter. I have a successful business.

But I was like fucked up inside. Like, I was really miserable. And I was really trying to control the drinking. I was like blackout drinking every time I drank. What did Rob say? He was like not. I mean, he would like film me when I got home and we would argue and like he would film me to show myself but also to kind of scare me with like custody things maybe. You know what I mean? Like luckily we're like, you know, that never happened and I got sober. I had a death premonition. And it was like honestly like the craziest. It was like God. I don't like saying that like God like God speaks. God said basically gave me a message or something because like why don't. other people get messages or get sober, but I think I was open to it also. And maybe it was just my most inner self being like, this is how you have to survive. You need to stop drinking,

you know, like whatever. And maybe your most inner self is God sometimes. But I had a message. I saw my life without me. I saw my parents and my brother and sister. And they were mourning. They were devastated. Their lives were never going to be the same. And I saw Rob and Kiki. and they were like, okay, Rob was like handling it and like here, she wouldn't really remember me because she's two. And I was like, I'm not living to my birthday this year if I don't stop drinking. And then I didn't take a drink for 10 years. So that's what snapped you out of it. Out of the rehabs and everything you went through, that premonition snapped you out of it.

Yeah. And he just, that was it. Yeah. I mean, then I went to, then I started going to meetings and like, you know, that kind of stuff. But yeah. And didn't have a drink for 10 years. Mm-hmm. I want to go back.

So you can talk about what happened with the police officer because that was wild. I know. Like how did that even happen? I know. It's crazy because I always like kind of talk about it with a lot of like irreverence and like levity. Like yeah, I got beat up by the cops. Who cares? Ha-ha.

I won 75 grand. But actually it was like pretty violent and like being like beat up by like three men is like really kind of like traumatizing. But yeah, I was at a club and. the club had been let out and there was like a lot of, it was at the Hammerstein ballroom, so it's like a huge place with thousands of people, you know, so there was like thousands of kids like getting like let out of this place,

whatever. I was like, I think 19 or 20 when this happened. And I was making out with this guy saying goodbye to him. And all of a sudden he's getting beat up by like five police officers. And I had noticed that there were cops kind of trying to clear the street, but I like didn't pay attention too much. They start beating the shit out of him for no reason.

Like no reason. We were just standing there doing nothing. We were kissing. And I had an empty water bottle, a half empty water bottle, plastic. And I just throw it at their direction. It was almost like just an instant, like a reflex. Like I didn't, wasn't thinking about it. And it hit a cop in the back.

And I was like, oh, fuck. And I was like, maybe he didn't notice. He turned around and looked right at me and just lunged at me and fucking clocked me. Jeez. Yep. And I spun around and landed on the sidewalk, like half on the sidewalk, which is the subway grates are there. So I was half off the sidewalk.

And then my half of my upper half was on the sidewalk on the subway grates. And I felt all these people on my back. And I got handcuffed. And then while I'm handcuffed, I had a half ponytail. And the cop grabs my ponytail and slams my head into the ground, the grates. And he goes, see what happens when you fuck with me, you little bitch. and I felt my tooth come out. And they stood me up

and I had been knocked down on the ground so hard that my shoes flew off. So I was barefoot, which even, that was the most disturbing thing to me was being barefoot on like the street in New York. I was like, that was like the worst part. I was like, give me my shoes. And I looked at this female cop

and I'm like, look what he did to my tooth. And she's like, if that was me, I would have knocked all your fucking teeth out. And I was like, oh, I'm fucked. So they take you in? They take me in. A lot of fucked up shit happens when I was locked, like in the cell. Like, there was a giant roach, like a giant waterbug, and I was screaming.

And one of the cops came in and he was like, if you don't shut, if you don't stop screaming, I'm going to take all your clothes off. No way. Yeah. So what did you do? I was like, I just shut up. And then I said to the guy, because the boy, the dude, not boyfriend, but the guy that I liked, whatever, he got, we both got arrested. So he was in the cell next to me. so I could only hold his hand and talk to him.

And he was like, that's so fucked up. I can't believe they just said that to you. Don't worry. I'm here. You know what I mean? Like we were. And then they like wouldn't they like were acting like their cameras were broken because I had like a black eye, you know, and they didn't want to like take my picture.

Then they brought us to central booking. Well, actually they brought in a bunch of people. It was so gross. They had they brought in a pimp who had like explosive diarrhea in one of the cells next to us. It was horrible. It was honestly really horrible. And me and the guy, I'll just call him John. That's not his name.

Me and John, John was like holding my hand. Like, babe, this is so gross. I'm like, this is disgusting. Like, this is so nasty. And the pimp was, like, making all these noises. And he had no shame. Oh, he didn't give a fuck. He did not care.

Then they bring us all the central booking at, like, you know, eight in the morning or 10 in the morning. And I'm, like, getting, like, ready to go in. And you have a psych test? Or like, have you ever thought about harming yourself? And I was like, yeah, I guess. at some point. And they're like,

oh, can't say that. Whoops. Then they bring me to Bellevue Hospital and fucking handcuffed me to a chair in the emergency room of the psych unit and just leave me there.

They just leave me there. Like the cops leave me handcuffed. And some crazy person comes in who's like, I'm here for an x-ray and like the people that work, they were like, yeah, sure you are. Don't worry. Just take your shoelaces out of your shoes.

And he's like, no, I'm here for an x-ray of my elbow. And they're like, no, you're not actually. And they're like, miss, you need to get out of here now. And I'm like, I'm handcuffed. I can't get out of here. And then they like grabbed. They stood in front of me because he started going nuts, you know?

And they grabbed him and then they gave him a shot. And then he was like, like passed out on the gurney. And then finally I went in front of the judge at two in the morning. And this is on the 4th of July, which I found ironic. But, you know, at one point they finally brought me to another precinct after Bellevue. And I was like doing sit-ups. And I was just thinking like, how is this your life, Leah? Like, you need to get it together.

Yeah, but at what point did you realize that the cops also had some accountability to take it? The next. So when, okay, so while this was, while I was being beat up, people were calling 911 about on the cops. When that happens, the civilian complaint review board gets contacted. They contacted me. Then I knew to get a lawyer. The problem is that I got a lawyer that I think they suggested and they tried fucking up the whole lawsuit. and I finally got another lawyer, thank God,

the day before that it was the last day to sue them. So the lawyer goes in and says, they knocked her tooth out, they punched her. Yeah, yeah. You ended up needing a nose job. Is that correct? No, that I just got for fun. Oh, I thought you bought one because I thought the cop broke your nose.

No, no, no, no. He didn't break my nose. He just knocked one of my teeth out. Okay, but on Housewives later, you got that for fun. Yeah, I just had that for fun. I got it. Okay. Okay.

Hey, listen. That sounds kind of good, though. But yeah, no, I just got it for fun. We sued them. I won $75,000. I used it. I had already started married to the mob, my clothing line. I already started it, but I didn't have any, like, capital.

Like, I was just, like, you know, getting by on, like, nothing. I won the $75,000. And what it helped me do was it helped me quit my job, which at the time was working at Rob's store, by the way. and put my full time into the brand. And I bought a computer. And simultaneously, you're not sober at this. I'm not sober. Okay.

So you put the money into your brand. It grew. It fucking like within, yeah. It was, I just hit it the right time, the right place. Thank God for my brand though. Because like, honestly, that was like my education. That was like my MBA. That was my, you know, I got to learn so much through having this.

company. But also, I think what's cool about your brand is it's like you almost content marketed before because you were at the raves. You were hanging out with like the graffiti street artists. So it made sense for you to launch that. And it was the first ever women's streetwear. Is that right? I mean, people like get mad at me when I say that. But like I kind of, but yeah, you said it. So it's fine. You know, in that. Listen, in that genre, it was. Like, of course, there were female brands that came before me that I looked up to. But when it comes to like streetwear, if you want to like get specific, yeah. Well, I also think it's cool because you're very feminine and beautiful and blonde with blue

eyes and it's almost like the just of position. Oh my God. It's funny because people would be like, you're the owner. I'm like, yeah. They would like, yeah, I guess. I was like, okay. Yeah, bitch. Yeah, motherfucker.

Yeah, motherfucker. Bitch, I elevate this shit. So that's my cop story. Thank you, NYPD. So has your experience with the cops been easy? easier since then. Yeah, I mean, I haven't been arrested. And look, there were times where not me specifically, but like I had friends who like needed, we needed the police, you know.

And luckily they were good and they were there. It was an unfortunate. It was an unfortunate. I mean, I also think that there needs to be a little bit. I don't even know what the right word is, but when a male cop is dealing with a woman, it's different, I think. Right. It's like, hi, are you seriously like punching me? like what the fuck and like slamming my head into the subway grades like you psycho well there needs to be

also a lot more like mental health evaluations like for police like you know because they are there's not enough of that they're dealing with a lot of crazy shit they see a lot of crazy shit every day you know so there needs to be a lot more the problem with that like that profession to me is so crazy because one it's extremely dangerous yeah you're dealing with some of the hardest people to deal with in the world you're trying to use judgment but like imagine like you know we you go, you go through the full eight hour workday just in a normal job and you get burned out. Like imagine that job.

Imagine you have to. I'm not defending all cops. No, of course. You have to look at dead bodies. You have to look at children who've been molested, abused, starved. You have to see just the fucking like lowest shit ever. Like the most horrific parts of the human experience. You have to see.

Well, then you have the public, which is listen. Yeah, the public who's like, fuck you. We hate you. Well, yeah. And you have to perform perfectly all. the time. Right. Can't make any mistakes. It's a very hot topic, you know, and I think that in New York City, we're seeing. Well, you see it now. The blowback. Yeah, of course. In an LA, too, right? Yeah. It's one of the reasons that I, we bailed out of it. Right. It's whether, however you feel

about the police, whatever, that's not the, but there is got to be some kind of acknowledgement of the danger that exists when there's not policing. And also it's like not like obviously in every group of people, there's going to be some bad people in that group. group, it doesn't mean the entire group is bad. And of course, we're living in such an extreme type of world and everything is so polarized that it's like, you know, it's just, it's just, then all cops are terrible. Well, I feel like the cop that obviously punched you like that is maybe somebody that sucks and maybe shouldn't be a cop, right? Yeah. But I feel bad because a guy like that gives the good one such a bad name. And there's a lot of guys, girls too, that go into that

profession that want to help and be good. Yeah. Look, I will say the NYPD, listen, there's plenty of fucked up. Like, I've, there are a, it's a, the union is crazy. They get away with a lot of stuff. There's that code that's the wall of blue or whatever it's called. Like, you never, you know, you can't call,

you can't call out any of your other cops for doing anything because then you look bad, you know? So I don't know where, what it's like in other places, but like, yeah, the NYPD, I don't know. I have a, you know, I have a... Yeah, they knocked your fucking tooth out. Yeah, I have a weird relationship with them. Yeah.

It is, though, with every single thing, there's good and bad. Yeah, of course. You're not going to get all good and you're not going to get all bad. That's kind of like, you're so right. Everyone wants to be so black and white and extreme about it. And it's like sometimes there's a lot of gray. Yep. My fear, though, is like the amount of ridicule, especially now that they go through.

Like, imagine the crop of people that are going to go into that job at this point. Who wants to be a cop? Yeah. I mean, exactly. So now I fear we're going to get even worse. I know. Right? Because it's like going into politics.

Like people say, oh, you should go into politics. Like, you'd have to, there's not a number in the world that I would go into politics for, right? And that's the problem. That's why all politicians are terrible. Yes. You get people that would, like, rational people that are like, I don't, I'm going to go into something else. I'm going to finance. That's why.

I'm just a fucking podcast. Right. Yeah. No, no, no. That's why I like Andrew Yang. I like Andrew Yang. Yang. I want to know after 10 years of sobriety was that when you.

you were approached by housewives. So I started drinking again. Before housewives? Yes. Okay. Mm-hmm. And then was approached. You were friends with Tinsley?

Is that why you were approached? No, no, no, no. Different. Yeah. I had the same facialist as Bethany Frankl. And so Bethany started following me on Instagram because, like, on my podcast that I had years ago, I had this thing called Fuckboy of the Week. And I gave her ex.

fuck boy of the week. And I guess she found out and then started following me because she liked that. And then I started following her and whatever. We're just following each other. We didn't have any kind of relationship. But my facialist called me one day and was like, okay, Bethany Frankl's my client, which I had never known. I've been going to her forever. Do we need to go to the facialist? You can't talk about a facialist on this podcast. I'm not telling her it. Her name is Ingrid's She's amazing. Go look her up. She's wonderful. So she's like, oh, Bethany wants me to ask you, would you mind if she gives your name to the real housewives people? I was like, yeah, sure, but they're never going to pick me.

Like, I'm not rich. Like, I'm not from the Upper East Side. I actually can't stand the Upper East Side. I'm like, and then in my, in my, in my, like, casting thing, I said, I'm anti-socialite. And I was like, oh, I'm never making it on that show. But here I am. So the drinking had nothing to do with the Housewives. No.

But I will say that like, you know, I don't know, maybe, maybe I, who knows? Maybe I would have like quit sooner. Maybe I wouldn't have if it wasn't for the show. Because once I found out I was going to do the show, I was like, oh, fuck and I'm drinking. This is going to be bad. Like, you know, but I couldn't stop. When you decided you were going to start drinking and you had the conversation with your daughter, did you know it was going to be a recipe for disaster?

No. I really truly, like any good alcoholic, forgotten. all the crazy times or bad times and was like, I'm in such a, but listen, I was in such a different place and I just, I had stopped going to meetings, like all those things. Like, I had stopped doing all those things to keep reminding myself of what I am. I did truly think, okay, let me try it and see if I can do this in a way that's not so harmful. And it works for like a couple months. Yeah, that's what I always wondered. Does it, does it work for a little bit of amount of time? But like, literally only like a month.

And then it was like, I'm drinking so much to the point where I'm puking all over Williamsburg and flashing everyone and, you know, putting shit up my nose. So it's like it went downhill quick. So when you get on Housewives. Yeah, I was like, oh, fuck. And everything is filmed. Yeah. What was the moment that you watched Housewives where you were like, oh. I quit before the show aired.

Okay. quit the show. No, I quit drinking before the show aired. I stopped drinking on March 31st. The show aired April 2nd. But, okay, so I actually remember you being sober in the beginning. And then we saw you start drinking wine, maybe. No, because what happened was like I was struggling with drinking. You know what I mean? Like, so maybe in the beginning of the show, I said, I'm not drinking today. But then like I drank, but I had already been drinking for months before. you know and then like I drank the entire season we stopped filming the pandemic happens in March I stopped drinking March 31st and then the show airs April 2nd is what I'm trying to say so it's not like I watched it's not like I watched the show and was like I'm so fucked up I need to stop it got it when you were on the show at the Tiki Torch scenes iconic it is iconic that was a great one I mean yeah I have no regrets

Lauren, I love it when our partners are generous with their codes. And this one's a whopper, 50% off. If you are somebody that creates content online, which means if you're a person that is living and breathing, because everybody's creating stuff online now, whether you're creating a resume, online content, social content, whatever it may be, whether you work with a team or you work with yourself, you're constantly obviously creating stuff that goes online. It's where we live now, which is why I love issue. First impressions are everything nowadays.

And just creating mediocre content, especially in an age when everyone's creating content, is just a no-go. You can't do it anymore. Those days are gone. So what is issue? Issue is the all-in-one platform to create and distribute beautiful digital content from marketing material to magazines, to catalogs, to portfolios, and more. You make it once and distribute it everywhere without reformatting. Your content is already optimized for engagement and ready to share. Also, it works seamlessly with all the tools that many of us already use like Canva, Dropbox, InDesign, etc. Like I said, it helps everyone from creators to marketers, to designers, really anyone that wants to make content that stands out, which if you're online, is every.

everybody. And if you're skeptical, like I said, this is an extremely generous offer, but you can also start using issue for free. They also offer premium features that give you a more customized experience. Get started with issue today for free, or if you sign up for an annual premium account to get 50% off when you go to issue.com slash podcast and use promo code skinny. That's I-S-S-U-U-com slash podcast and use promo code skinny at checkout for your free account or 50% off your annual premium account. That's issue.com slash podcast with promo code. Skinny. Enjoy. Recreational sweat. This is a fitness company born out of necessity in the pandemic. Okay. Run to their website and get their resistant bands. These bands, first of all, come in the

cutest colors. I like a cute color of a resistant band. I don't want like a color that's like burnt orange. You know what I mean? I want something cute. And this one comes in like a navy green, a black and a gray. It's a three piece set. and they have a light, medium, and heavy one. So when I work out at home and I want to do a quick sweat, I have these resistant bands and I can decide if I want to go hard or heavy. So these resistant bands are so legit. They're non-slip.

There's nothing worse when they slip off your legs or, like, fold over onto your legs. These ones are really designed to grip your legs perfectly without, like, bending over. You guys know what I mean. And they come in a cute mesh bag, and they're so aesthetically pleasing. Just go look, I'm telling you. Also, you should know they have tons of fitness accessories. That's just the one that I like the best. And they also have a digital workout guide that makes exercise accessible without a gym membership and heavy equipment. If you are saying, I can't work out, I can't find the time, I have to drive to the gym, this is for you. You can literally work out anywhere and do a quick, efficient workout without heavy equipment.

If you're on the site and you're looking for more equipment too, they also have an amazing jump rope. Michael and I love the jump rope for lymphatic. They have like this 30-day jump rope challenge that teaches you how to jump rope. So if you want some cardio and you want to get some lymphatic in, check out their jump rope. But don't forget whatever you do to get those resistant bands. Like if you want to take your workout anywhere, I use these when I travel to L.A. I use them in a hotel room. Literally I laid on a towel and did a workout on a towel with these bands.

They're so easy to fit in your luggage. They're the move. grab the jump rope, the bands, and you're in business. Use Code Skinny at checkout for 20% off your first purchase. That's RecreationSwet.com for more information and you get 20% off with Code Skinny. Honestly, I got to say, I am a real housewife connoisseur. And that scene was like amazing in so many different ways. Thanks. The tempo of it. Yeah, it was good. The left, like, it was so good because I think New York is so used to being like this group of women and you came in. And you came in. like threw a bomb on it. Yeah, I didn't even mean to. And it was like, you're so just a position

for the show and like it's exactly what it needed. Thank you. And to see you at her house that she's so like anal and all the place mats are out. Yeah, I know. Straus match like the. Yeah, here comes Leah. You know, like the picnic table. And then you came out and just like burned it to the ground. No, like literally actually. What was that like during and after? I think I was like really feeling weird about being there. I like didn't like that Hampton's party we went to the night before. It was like very weird. I don't know if you remember.

Like I was like eyes wide shut. Like I felt very uncomfortable. Like I like the Hamptons, but I hang out in Emigancet, not Southampton. It's like a little different, you know? Like I was just like, this is not my type of people. Like this is not who I want to chill with. You know, this is fucking weirdoville. And I was like, it's a pressure cooker when you're in that situation and then drinking, you know, like, so by the time, then the tiki torches, I was like just, fuck these fucking tiki torches. Like, I hate these things, you know? Then I was like drinking. And then I was just like, fuck this. Like, this is, I don't know, something just went in my head and I was like, I need to explode and take my clothes off and throw tiki torches. I just, I don't know. Something came over me. I can't. I was waste.

did, but I also was just like, still like, I hate these teaky torches. I hate this South Hampton shit. I hate that party we went to. I just want to fucking, like, lose it. Who was the most mad at you besides Ramona the next day? Honestly, nobody was really mad at me. They probably liked it because it made a good show. Probably. Like, they're like, oh, less work for us. And how did the audience respond when they saw it? Oh, they loved it. Yeah. I mean, it was, it's a scene. I couldn't believe it. Like, I was like, whoa, like, rewatching it or like watching it. it. I was like, oh, my God. It was primal. Yeah, it was exactly. It was very primal. That was like me, very primal. Like, the thing is like, this is sometimes how I explain me being drunk. It's like I want, it's like the primal Leah, you know, but there's all these rules, obviously, that you have to follow in society and, you know, etiquette and whatever, just dealing with people. You're not going to just take your clothes off at a party and just start throwing teaky torches. but like maybe back in the day, like as a cavewoman or something, I would have been acting like that. When you get sober on housewives, there's like a whole different layer of stuff that you have to go through. Yeah. I mean, you guys were dealing with race last season.

Oh, right. I mean, that was like, that was so different than what the audience was used to. Yeah. I mean, that was a whole thing. Mm-hmm. And then also you were dealing with your grandmother's death. Oh, God. That was like, that was the difficult part for me.

Everything else was like, whatever. How did you navigate all of that with the pandemic and COVID? With the pandemic. I mean, you know, I tried my best. It was hard. I was like trying out different depression medications during that time and then trying to film and also being like, I'm trying to get the women to understand Ebony's side, but I'm also trying to get Ebony to chill out low for the women and then not knowing like where I stand and like not really feeling like I had any friends on the show because like Durinda and Tinsley are gone.

And those were the two I was closest with. It was fucked up. And also, like, I didn't really want to do it. Like, I didn't want to do the show. No. Why? Because I was depressed. Who wants to be...

Yeah. Who wants to be filming? But it's your job. But it was my second season. So I wasn't, like, as used to it as maybe someone else would have been. And I couldn't, like, compartmentalize things, you know? So I was just, like, I tried my best. What's something that would surprise the audience about how?

housewives that you guys have to do. The most surprising thing is probably that, like, what you don't see is the crazier shit. You cannot say that to me. Sorry. What? Like, what do you mean what we don't see? How is it crazy? Like, the stuff that's just not kosher for television.

New York is the best. So, like, how can he get crazier? It just does. I do feel like your cast is. Michael loves housewives. It has alcohol problems. Maybe. Maybe.

You said it. But, for some reason, they, yeah, for some reason, like, New York gets the drunkest. God, this isn't going to get me in trouble. I mean, I think, I always tell Lauren, I think like your cast is the most interesting because it seems like all the people are so different, but they have a ton of depth. Yes. Like they're all complicated.

Yes. Yeah. It's not like so surface. I actually like it for a different reason than that. I like New York the best because they say straight to the person's face what they're thinking. So with all the other cast, they say it in their confessional. I know. You guys say it's like.

With Ramona's annoying, you'll say it straight to her face. I like love that. Exactly. That's what's so attractive to me about New York. We're not trying. We're not trying to like, like, look like the best or look like the, I don't know. Like I feel like with Beverly Hills, like everyone's like our lives are perfect. Robotic. Yeah, exactly. Even though I like watching it.

But like New York, I'm just like fucking we all. We let it all hang loose. I mean, I like, cannot wait for the next season. I have to admit. Whenever that happens. You guys didn't have a reunion. Nope. Why?

Scheduling issues. Is that really the real reason? That's the only reason I know. Also, like, with COVID and everything in quarantine. I mean, I think that it was because, like, we didn't have great ratings. And then they were like, what are we going to do? There's nothing to even talk about or like, I don't know. This is what I'm assuming.

Did anyone have great ratings with the COVID stuff? It was very awkward to watch. This is what I think is the reason. Yeah. We couldn't do anything. The New York was shut down. We couldn't even eat in restaurants. Yeah, it's like manufactured.

Like, where do we? It was horrible. There's two parts. I think that there was a lot of heavy topics to cover. And I think people, as you know, tune into the show to space out. And so it's like escapeism. And that the show was like very heavy topics this time. But also I think that the reason Jersey has such high ratings is because they show the men.

And let me tell you what I mean. No, I don't know. Okay, go on. Listen, I don't want to see the men in every season and every show. There's something about the men in Jersey that adds depth to the show because they're kind of catty too to each other and they have like their own like like women's group. Yeah, they have their own little thing going. Some shows need to be produced more than others. Ours does not.

Okay. Okay. If a producer tries to step in and say anything, the women will be like shut the fuck up. Get the fuck out of our scene. We are not doing what you want. We do this our way. That's why I respect these bitches. I think that comes across.

When Sonia said she has a fat pussy, I was like, God, I love the show. Yeah. I know. It's like, it is not produced. It's not. That's the thing about New York. It's not. Okay, so maybe it's just like, we need more escapism.

We just need more escapism. We need more women. You know what I mean? There was only five of us. I do like to see who you guys are dating, whether it's a man or a woman. I wasn't dating. I was, I had, no one's dating during a pandemic. I mean, I have a crush now.

but like I haven't been dating. Why can't you date your boxing coach? He's so cute. Oh my God. Are you crazy? He's so cute. You're so funny. He's so sweet.

He's the best, but he's like my soul family. I mean, he's special. He is. Can he be a housewife though? Like I would like if like he was like more on housewives. Oh, me too.

You know where I think a lot of these like, I mean the content business obviously. Like I think a lot of these companies get in trouble is they forget the reason that the audience is there in the first place and they try to put things into shows that shouldn't be there. Yeah, she, you know, I think like when they come into producer, like, let, let you guys be who you actually are. But when you start interjecting weird storylines or things that shouldn't be in there, things that

people aren't really looking for in a housewives franchise. Right. It goes astray and it's like, the audience is like, what the fuck is this? It's not what I came to watch. Totally. It's the same thing. Like, you know, we produce a lot of podcasts. Right.

Right. And I always tell people, like, remember why people are listening in the first place. They're not, some people don't have to have a hot take on everything. Totally. Oh my God. Right. I know. It's like, you know, it doesn't always.

You don't need to comment on everything. I'm such a big believer in that. Like, because there are some people where I'm like, just shut the fuck up. People do it to us all the time, but like, what is your take on this?

I'm like, my take is I don't, I'm not the guy for the take on that particular thing. Exactly. Not all the time. Not everyone needs to have a take. Yeah. There's sometimes better people equipped to,

to handle certain topics. Or not everyone needs to have a statement. Not to mention, they forget that the audience doesn't want that take from certain people. Yeah. Also, I'll say this too. Sometimes something happens where I do feel like,

okay, I should give my take, but I don't give my take right away. I need space and time to think about my opinion. Yes. Instead of just looking at what everyone else is doing and forming, like, their opinion. Like, for instance, I don't have a take on Will Smith slapping Chris Rock. I just don't have a take on it. Well, he should have put like his back foot. I don't have a take on that.

I just don't. You know what? I don't have a take on it either. Yeah. Yeah. Like they can figure it out. You don't have a take on everything. I like that.

you decided to convert to Judaism. Yes. How does that even happen? It's so interesting. I'm Jewish now, which is so great. And I'm so happy. Congratulations. Thank you. From a young age at Catholic school, I didn't feel, I felt like I was praying to God.

But I always questioned people, I don't know, I don't mean to like, then I'm not meaning to be disrespectful at all. But the Jesus thing, I didn't believe, like, I believe he was a person. But I just, there was a lot of things I questioned about Catholicism, you know. And I just, as I got older, I realized I was praying to the same God that the Jews pray to. And I also then read a book called The Red Tent when I was like 20. That again, I was like, I feel connected to Judaism. Then I started working in the garment district.

And I had business partners who were like religious Jews and there were rabbis there all the time. I learned about all the holidays and all the traditions and everything. And even asked a rabbi to be my spiritual coach. but he couldn't because he was like very like orthodox and I was dressed slutty, whatever. Then I took a couple years out and started going to a Harrah Krishna temple, which is very Jewish of me actually in a lot of ways. Finally, the February before COVID, right, the month before COVID, I was at a dinner party and I was with like a few friends and I said to my friends,

I am converting, I'm doing this. And they're like, are you serious about it? And I'm like, I am. And they're like, we're going to give you rabbi's names. And that was it. And you love it. I love it. That's cool.

I just had my first Passover. It was great. Hannah was there. You're doing too what works for you on your own terms. And that's the other thing. I think part of it is about reclaiming my life, having my own thing. I don't know. It's just a beautiful religion.

You mentioned mental health earlier. You went to Dr. Amen. Yeah. If someone's out there who's struggling and listening, you mentioned like overprescribing. What are some things? like anything that you use in your toolbox that you think has really helped with anxiety and depression.

Oh my God. I have a lot of things. I've tried it all. You know, exercise is such a huge, huge part of it. Like getting your... Boxing with maybe your boyfriend. Boxing with my future husband. No.

Yes, boxing. I actually started boxing when I first got sober in 2009. Finding an exercise routine or a new sport that you can pick up and do. But those natural endorphins are not. No joke. I also, I do a gratitude list like every morning or night depending and I send it. I have a person that I like text it back and forth. I meditate, which I started doing. That's kind of a recent thing and that I was doing for anxiety. And it really fucking works. Then I stopped doing it for like a week and then I started feeling weird. And I'm like, all right, let me go back and do it. I have an app, the Sam Harris app, not to like plug him, but whatever. That's what I use. He's great. Exercise. meditation, like therapy. And also you have to advocate for yourself with these doctors because every doctor, you can go to five doctors and they're going to give you five different medications that they think you should be on. So if something is not working for you, of course,

you have to give it like a week or two. But if you're feeling worse than before and they keep trying to give you more of it, do not fuck that because I've lost like seven months out of my life doing that with a doctor. You have to advocate for yourself. Be like be your own guru. Do you have to be your own fucking guru too? You can't just listen to everyone else. I mean, there's some incredible doctors, but I think it's valid in that profession to also say how much we don't know yet still.

Well, because every brain is different. Every brain is dealing. Oh, you know, I actually recently am doing this gene thing where you take a test, they swab your cheeks, and then they tell you which depression or anxiety or mood stabilizer you should be on. Even though I think I'm on a good combo right now, but I'm just, I'm trying, I'm making sure all my.

That's the other thing. It's smart to test. Smart to do your blood, smart to do your genes, your hormone, like all of that stuff. Because we're all made up differently. And that's why I think so many people have such a hard time accepting a one size fits all approach when it comes to medicine. Right. Because something that may work for you, may not work for Lauren or me.

Exactly. And also when I talk about this in the book, going to the mental hospital was like the best thing I ever did because when I was there, well, first of all, the doctor there, the head of the place, took me off all this medication that I was on. Then I also saw the difference between what I have, which whatever, I don't like, I'm supposedly bipolar too, but I don't like labels because I feel like they like are like hurtful and harmful sometimes. The difference between what I had and then some other people in the hospital had was like they could not just like they couldn't tell the difference between reality and delusion, you know, and luckily I can. And I realized in that moment that they were

things in my power that I could do to keep me and my mental health in a good place. Some stuff is out of my control, but there are some things that are in my control, like who I surround myself with, what kind of relationships I get into, what kind of men I have. sex with. What I eat, when I decide to go to sleep, how much I exercise. You know, there's all these things that I can do. And am I still going to have to deal with my depression and anxiety and whatever bipolar two issues? I have yes, I, yes, but there are certain things that will make it a lot better and they're in my power. That's a great note to end on. But before you go, I have the main question. Can you and Kat Marnell start a podcast together? Please. Are you guys going to do it for us?

Yes. If you make that call, we'll do it. You two together? Because hold on. It's chaos theory. Me and my sister tried to do a podcast and sell it to you guys and we were. You tried to sell it to here? I think so.

I think I had a meeting with, I think I had a Zoom meeting with two people. And they were like, no. And it was and it's a dope. It's a dope fucking concept. I wonder who that. I wasn't there. Fire them. No, I'm kidding.

Yeah. Okay. They're fired. Tell me, get me their names. They're demoted or fired. I'm totally kidding. We need a chaos theory podcast. What if,

What if in like a week you're like, oh shit those people got fired they're out of a job No, I would know I don't want them fired. I'm just kidding. I don't want to happen.

Chaos theory podcast. I'm telling you. Yeah. You know, with you your sister and Kat. Well, listen, I can have,

I can do two podcasts. One with my sister, which is called mental verse. And then one with Kat that's called chaos theory. Please. I'm totally into it. How to murder your life

with chaos, a side of chaos theory. Fucking, the rats that are on her. She's talking about the cockroach, the roach. The roach can make an appearance. I know.

The pimp that's shitting? The pimp with the explosive diarrhea. I mean, you get the pimp with explosive diarrhea and it's a good. Yeah. I will pitch the podcast. I'm telling you, I would die for a podcast.

Bring Julia Fox on. Oh yeah, of course. I heard you know her too. Like get, get everyone on. Get the street artist on. Let's go. Let's fucking go. It would be a chaotic.

But we need a new, you know, this would be a, we need a New York office, though. Listen, that's on my. It's on the way. Yeah. You know, it's funny is. Hurry to fuck up. I need them to do a podcast. Obviously, like, L.A. was the first.

And then we had our ambition there. But then the pandemic hit and I was like, okay, I'm going to pump the brakes. Yeah. And then selfishly, I was like, I just need to get the hell out of LA. So we came here. But it's still, it's on the horizon. You can have Louana. You know why?

Because I still say this confidently. New York City is still my favorite city in the world. Thank you. Mine too. And I think it's going to come back just the same if not stronger. I don't think the same for L.A. I just, I'm sorry. I grew up in California.

But I think New York will. always be New York because of the people. Exactly. It might take some time. Yeah, it's going to get the crime under control in both places. Oh my God, it's crazy. Even with all the crime, even with the taxes, even with everything, I'm like, I'm not leaving

here. This is where I want my daughter to grow up. This is where I want to be. Let's bring it full circle and say their good housewives is going to come back in New York full circle too. Yes. And of course it is. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Because I'll need that. It's coming back. Don't worry.

Married to the mob, where can you get your clothing line, your book? We're going to do a giveaway for your sweater called, Bitch I'm Elevated. No, bitch, I elevate the shit. Bitch, I'm elevated. It's a pregnancy brain. Bitch, I elevate the shit. What color is the sweater? I think there's a tie-dye one.

I can't, yeah, there's a few different colors. Can we do a signed copy of your book and a tie-dye? Bitch, I elevate this shit? Yes. That was such a good line. Yes. All you guys have to do is follow at Leah Mom. Okay. And then at Married to the Mob is my streetwear line. And then there's Happy Place,

which is my sustainable sleepwear line, which we have amazing robes. I'm going to send you guys stuff. You're going to love it. And there's like baby blankets and shit. Send me like an extra large right now. So I can just wrap it around the stomach. You're going to be very cozy in it. I love it. Where can everyone find all of your stuff? You can just go on my Instagram and there's literally links to everything. So at Leah Mob on Instagram is probably the best place to go. I loved your book. You guys. I would definitely recommend it. to everyone who is listening. There's a lot of stuff that we didn't even talk about on this podcast. If I don't see you on Housewives next season, I'm going to like, no, you need to come talk to me.

Okay. Or you need your own podcast. Well, why need, we're doing a podcast regardless. Leah, thank you so much for coming on. Thank you for having me on. Really appreciate it. Attention all teachers. Or maybe you know a teacher. Maybe there's a teacher in your family. I am doing clear the list. So what you're going to do is you're going to head to my ladies Instagram at Boston Bostic and you're going to tell me about why we should clear your list. So we are posting it on our social and we are trying to get your list cleared. Okay. Tell us about you if you're a teacher, your boyfriend, your girlfriend, your husband, whatever it is. Tell us about all the teachers. I think this is a fun way to engage the community. And if you don't know what clear the list is,

it's an incredible program to get teachers the supplies that they need. All you have to do, like I said, is go to at Lorne Bostic and tell me about why I need to clear your list on my latest post. On that note, make sure you check out Leah McSweeney's book, Chaos Theory. It's on Amazon and it's a good one. See you next time. One thing that I was so serious about when I moved to Austin was completely making over my cleaning supply situation. I, after interviewing the owner of symbiotica, found that I was really attracted to when he was talking about how the home is a place where you're supposed to detox. And to be

adding all these chemicals in your cleaning supplies to your home is crazy. And then also, I am going to have a baby who's crawling and he's going to be all over the floor. And then I have a two-year-old who runs around without shoes on. So I think about these things. And I also think about the fact that we have these two little chihuahuas that are so close to the ground, breathing in everything that's on the floor. So I changed everything about my cleaning supplies, a whole makeover. And branch basics, you can't go wrong. This is non-toxic cleaning products. They're fragrance-free, they're biodegradable, their baby and pet safe. I researched everything and these were the ones. I have talked to so many high achievers that have come on this podcast, so many of them use branch basics.

And what I found is that toxins are the major cause of endocrine disruption. And especially postpartum, I don't want to be breathing in chemicals, whether it's in my sheets or my dishwasher. Like even think about you use a fork from the dishwasher, all of the stuff that gets on there. If you can switch to non-toxic cleaning, I think it's life-changing. I also found that using toxic cleaning supplies can lead to hormonal acne, painful periods. They even said that there's certain ingredients that can cause nervous system disorders, even asthma. I'm not surprised.

and I think this has been a long time coming for people to make over their cleaning cabinet. All right. So we have a discount for you. I used it myself. You get 15% off any starter kit when you use code skinny at branch basics.com. I would recommend starting with the kit I started with, which is the premium starter kit for all your cleaning needs. Again, that's code skinny for 15% off all starter kits except the trial kit. Check it out, code skinny.