The Bossticks - Sivan Ayla & Paul Richards On Relationship Advice, Creativity, Routines, & Branding

Starting point is 00:00:00 The following podcast is a dear media production. This episode is brought to you by Peak Tea. I recently found out my blood type. I did a deep dive and I found out that coffee was not serving me. And lucky Michael, he has the same blood type as me. Yeah, and I just get a copy, you know. And Michael is a coffee addict. So we had to find something to replace the 500 cups of coffee that you were drinking a day.

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Starting point is 00:00:47 actually even have a tea bag. It's this stick that you open and pour the tea into your water. You're the best for travel, too. I mean, we bring them everywhere. So how I make it, to get specific with you, is I grab my white frother. And then I fill it with unsweetened almond milk and some cinnamon. And I put the peak tea in the frother and I froth it all up. I'm telling you guys, sun goddess macha will be your new coffee replacement. Like I cannot get enough. So I'll do a cup of coffee in the morning and macha throughout the day. This tea is known to manage unnecessary hunger pains and to support healthy weight management. I am still in the midst of losing about 18 pounds. So this is very helpful. And it's 100% organic.

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Starting point is 00:02:07 She's a lifestyle blogger extraordinaire. Fantastic. And he's a serial entrepreneur. A very smart cookie. And now Lauren Everts and Michael Bostic are bringing you alone for the ride. Get ready for some major realness. Welcome to the skinny confidential, him and her. I know it can be really overwhelming, scary. People can come after you on the internet these days. It's just like nothing's off limits. But for me personally, I feel like I have to remain true to who I am.

Starting point is 00:02:39 Even if it's controversial, even if people don't agree with me, I'm not going to just give in to an opinion because it's the popular one. I often have the most unpopular opinion. I don't just repeat things that are spoon fed to me. Even if that's what everyone wants to hear, I just can't do that. That's just not who I am. Welcome back to the skinny confidential him and her show. We have a fire episode. That clip was from our guests of the show today. And I said guests, Savon and Paul Richards. They are a couple.

Starting point is 00:03:08 They are a mother and father. Savon is an entrepreneur. She's a blogger. She's a content creator. She does it all. And her husband, Paul, helps her on the business side. He is also extremely entrepreneurial. And he's an entertainment lawyer. So this conversation kind of goes everywhere. They have a very big Instagram following. and what I love most about their content is they have community. I think community in 2020 is key. To reintroduce myself, I'm Lauren Everett's Bostick. Today I added Bostick, the creator of the Skinny Confidential. And across from me is my husband who's wearing my silk ponytail holder.

Starting point is 00:03:42 Made it another week without getting divorce papers. Perfect. Happy quarantine. It's been interesting being stuck in a house with you. Is it been what your dreams have been made of? There are actually a lot of pros. like you've been able to help me with the baby, which is awesome. But sometimes you're just like in my way. Don't you just love my presence? Yeah, I like your presence. I don't mind your

Starting point is 00:04:04 presence. I actually like hanging out with you. I thought this was going to take a turn and you're going to bash me, but you're also saying a lot of really nice things. I've loved every minute of being around you in the house in close quarters, stuck in a tiny condo here in West Hollywood with everything going on this year. It's been delightful. Thanks, babe. What else do you like about me? Everything. Everything. So like I said, this is a fun show. It goes everywhere. We ask Savon and Paul, all different kinds of questions. So the reason that I really wanted to interview Savon and Paul is because I feel like Savon is a really good example of an influencer and content creator who's parlayed her content into a business and into a brand. She's building a brand. You can see it from her Instagram aesthetic. You can see it from all her entrepreneurial endeavors. And then her husband, Paul, is such a great counterpart. because he is, and you'll see in this episode, he's very logical, and he has a background as a lawyer. So them together, they're really very much a power couple. Together, they are the founders of Shop TanLines and Lux Unfiltered. Shop TanLines is this amazing bathing suit company that you can wear Mommy and Me bathing suits.

Starting point is 00:05:14 So she has these really, really cool bathing suits and bikinis for babies, which is so hard to find, let me tell you. Zaza actually is a huge fan of her. bathing suits. And her bathing suits, guys, if you're a mom, they have snaps, which is so efficient. And they also co-own the company Lux Unfiltered. And it's basically this self-tanner and these tanner drops that give you this very natural-looking color and hydrate your skin at the same time. I have actually tried this many times, and I can totally tell you the product is amazing if you're looking for a really pretty glow. It's also cruelty-free, gluten-free, silicone-free, paraben-free and vegan. So I feel like she spent a lot of time being very clear on how she

Starting point is 00:05:53 wanted her brand to go. It's impressive and I wanted to bring them on the podcast to show you how couples work together because Michael and I deal with that on a day-to-day basis. With that, let's meet Savon and Paul Richards. This is the skinny confidential, him and her. So we are so excited to have Paul and Savon in the studio. Look at that. I got the headline in billing there. Yeah, you did. The headline. Michael likes the headline too. And you're pregnant. I am baby number two. Congratulations. Thank you. I was so excited that you announced so we could talk about this on the podcast.

Starting point is 00:06:31 I know. I figured you'd have some good juicy questions, me. Yeah. Oh, we have a lot of questions. Your audience has a lot of questions. I'm not surprised. Yeah, I told you they want to know about alcohol, cancel, culture, diet, exercise, weed, wine, baby prep. We got you guys working together.

Starting point is 00:06:48 Sounds like a party. Okay, so let's start from the very beginning. How did you guys meet? Oh, man. Well, we actually went to high school together. I went on one date and then she wasn't interesting. He likes to interject because he likes to throw these little jabs at me. Good. Throw neck. Nege. That's the big. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:07:08 Yeah. Neg. It was just like a little pity date. We were friends. It didn't work out. And then we reconnected after college. And he basically slid into my DM via Facebook Messenger. It was right when Facebook Messenger came out. Yeah. And I had a boyfriend. He was single. He was in San Diego, actually. We reconnected in L.A. He would like come to L.A. every other weekend, find reasons to hang out with me. And my boyfriend was in Ireland at the time.

Starting point is 00:07:33 So I... Why don't we tell him about the first time, the first date? There's no first date. Yeah, tell us about the first date. The first or the second first date. There you go. Oh, okay. So we reconnected as friends.

Starting point is 00:07:46 He picked me up in his like dad's convertible to show off. It was a nice car. I like, I enjoy driving it. Listen, you got to understand, like we have to do what you. whatever we can do to get the, you know, to get the job done. We can't, you know, we got to pull all the stops. I get it. She walks, she comes out of the house in a skimpy little black dress.

Starting point is 00:08:04 I can't. While she has a boyfriend. No, no, no. Oh, and we're just friends. Scandalous. Yeah, exactly. It was like our first, first reunion post high school. Obviously, I was going to look cute.

Starting point is 00:08:14 I wasn't going to show up looking like a slob. So we go to dinner. We had a great time. Both of us had matured. This was before. She could carry a conversation now. Oh, God. Frank Sinatra says it shouldn't be a staring contest.

Starting point is 00:08:28 So it wasn't a staring contest. It was not. It flowed really naturally. And from that point on, we just didn't stop talking. And I had a boyfriend. So it was like sort of secretive, but nothing ever physically happened. I never cheated on him. We were really respectful.

Starting point is 00:08:43 But I could tell that I was more into him than my boyfriend. So after a year of this, I broke up with my boyfriend for no good reason. And then literally the next week we were like together and have been together ever since. So first time she came over was on Thanksgiving and she basically molested me on my parents' couch. Okay. I told you we're going to get close during this session. We're going to start to learn at all. Are you sure it wasn't the other way around?

Starting point is 00:09:09 I'm 100% sure. It was 100% the other way around. No, you seduce me. Yeah. Yeah. Listen, that's that guy's fault for going all the way to Ireland. Like he's not able to hold onto a lady like you by going to Ireland. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:09:20 As soon as I got with Lauren, I was like moved in next. door. I can't, I can't go too far. Oh my God. You were like herpes. I could not get rid of me all. I've been here ever since. You like did move in. Yeah. I mean, listen, there's no, like I wasn't, let alone going to Ireland. I wasn't even going an hour away. I was like, I got in and I'm staying in. Yeah. You were in school in Arizona and you would lie to your parents about being in San Diego. No, I wouldn't lie to them. They're going to hear them. I'm upset. I would come back like I was in Arizona and I'd fly back to San Diego. She was there. My family's from San Diego. We're both from there.

Starting point is 00:09:53 But I just would never tell them I was in town because I was like, I was there to see it was a lying. I just selectively didn't. They thought I was. He admitted the truth. Okay. Okay. So you guys have been together ever since how long until you guys got engaged, married, like give us that sort of family dynamic. We moved in six months into dating.

Starting point is 00:10:10 We just had the perfect setup. His parents had bought a house in Hollywood Hills that they were going to remodel. So it was just sitting there empty. It's like you could see it driving from the freeway. It's just like iconic, beautiful home. So it was our first time living together with a significant other. We moved into this house, six months into dating, got dogs. Literally, like, planned our whole future within, like, the first six months of dating.

Starting point is 00:10:31 But we didn't get engaged until what, like five years? Four or five years into dating. He was finishing up lost school. I think it was four years and then we had a two-year engagement. Yeah, two-year engagement. So we were together for like seven-ish years, then got married and then bought our house, had a baby three years later. So we've been together for 10 years now and everything. It'll be 11 in Thanksgiving.

Starting point is 00:10:56 Yeah. The night I'm elicited him. It's all her fault. So at what point did you decide you wanted to be an influencer? How did you get into that? And then how did you, Paul, sort of start to work with Savon? And you guys are now obviously running massive company together. I want to kind of hear that journey.

Starting point is 00:11:15 So I started my blog while I was working on wholesale in downtown. I was working for Nicole Richie's clothing line at the time. and I just wasn't being, I wasn't fulfilled creatively and I felt like I wanted something that was my own that I could just play around with. So I came up with the idea. Yeah, of course he did. He encouraged me to do it. He was like, I think it would be a good idea for you as a creative outlet to try it. And so we were like taking these really horrible photos that are so cringe worthy.

Starting point is 00:11:42 I look back and I'm like mortified. And I didn't do it for money or fame or anything like that. I just did it for fun. And it was around our wedding when things started picking up for me. Years later. Years later. Like four years into blogging. Suddenly I had like a thousand followers.

Starting point is 00:11:58 It was just like I had no readership. And around the wedding, because we got married in Greece, it was kind of like unique content at the time for Instagram, the destination wedding on a remote island that no one had really heard of called Knoxos. So something triggered in the algorithm and we were on the explore page a lot. I started gaining a lot more followers. And when we came home from our honeymoon, He was like, I feel like you need to give this a shot.

Starting point is 00:12:22 Like, either do it or don't because it's taking up a lot of energy. And so I just pursued it. I went for it. Well, that point, you were at, like, after the wet anthrake, you were at 20,000 followers. Yeah, I still was super small. But it just seemed like it was now or never. And so I just went for it. He was kind of like in the background always advising me.

Starting point is 00:12:39 He was trying to strategize with me. He was always there kind of guiding. But he wasn't obviously as actively involved as he is now. And he was always my attorney from day one, obviously. any contract I did, even though I had 20,000 followers and it was like mortifying to tell brands like, oh, here's my contract. He obviously made sure that I was protected and all the good stuff. So from there, it just kind of like grew and evolved and now all very organically, never had like a spontaneous moment that wasn't like going viral one day and then over.

Starting point is 00:13:10 No, no. It was very consistent over. Slow and study. That's the best way to grow in my opinion because Lauren and I talk about all the time like astronaut syndrome. Some people go viral and it happens. and all of a sudden they're like, holy shit, like, look how many people are here. But they haven't, like, grown with them. And so I feel like it's a fleeting audience unless they're able to figure a way to keep that momentum and keep that, you know, whatever made them viral. One thing that I admire about you guys is you've always run it like a business, it seems like. Yes.

Starting point is 00:13:35 I always kept it like professional. Yes. Yes. We've always been that way. I feel like that is something that I've noticed in this field in general is I, because I come from a background of working nine to five in an office setting, I have that. that experience. And I feel like that sets me apart a little bit from people that just go right into Instagram out of college or whatever it is that they're doing. And also having him on the sidelines

Starting point is 00:13:57 kind of like helping to navigate the whole legal side of things. I would never know how to do that. Tell us about the legal side. What you want to know. Just tell us how you set up contracts for her. Do you manage everything that comes in through email? Give us a little peek into that. Maybe talk about like there's a lot of aspiring creators and actually like established creators that probably listen here that maybe don't think about that aspect of the business and like maybe talk about some of the vulnerabilities if you don't think about, you know, the legal aspect. Because, you know, just putting out content and signing contracts and going into these

Starting point is 00:14:31 partnerships, like, you know, these are business relationships and I think a lot of people don't look at them that way. Yeah, I mean, obviously the contract should represent the deal. And whenever you're doing a deal with a brand, I wouldn't say always, but very common for them to overreach and ask for much broader rights than they actually need or want. or plan to use, but the possibility for them to still do it is there. And you will have no recourse if they chose to just go against what maybe they told you they would or wouldn't do.

Starting point is 00:14:58 So it's just important to make sure it all lines up correctly. You know, obviously the most important things to look for in a contract are ownership, who owns the IP, liability, like who is protected, who and what situation. And then obviously the deliverables and the fee. So those are really the most important. Like if you're just going to look at four points, I would say the highlight. And usage. Brands are getting sneaky now

Starting point is 00:15:19 and trying to put down using likeness. And I don't think a lot of people realize what that means when they say like, hey, can I also want you to sign that we're able to use your likeness

Starting point is 00:15:27 for this campaign. It's like, what does that mean and to what extent? You know what I mean? And I just think it's something solely as embodied in the content. Yep.

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Starting point is 00:15:52 It launched October 2020. They sent me one before it launched to try it. I'm obsessed. And you're also going to be obsessed with the humidifier's benefits, okay? It is so amazing for skin, you guys. I notice when I don't sleep with a humidifier next to my bed, my skin is dry. But when I do sleep with my canopy next to my bed, I have this healthy, glowing skin. I've had a real problem because humidifiers are so ugly and bulky and lumbering and they

Starting point is 00:16:19 take up too much space and this one isn't okay it's light it's easy to clean it's the easiest humidifier to use on the market other ones that I was using the mist was coming out and it was actually ruining my lampshade and the velvet on my bed this one you don't see any mist coming out of it visible mist from those traditional humidifiers is actually unhealthy I found out because there's particles and bacteria that are being carried by the water into the air inside canopy they have this anti-microbial filter that catches irritating minerals, bacterias, and other nasty stuff from the water before it's evaporated into your environment. As a man, I love the skin benefits, but even more, it's for the whole family.

Starting point is 00:17:02 You know, there's benefits for everybody. It alleviates coughs, nasal congestion, sinus irritation, and also aids with easier breathing so you get better sleep. I've noticed since we put it next to our bed, I'm sleeping like a baby, and I love it. Okay, go to getcanopy.com to save $25 on your canopy purchase today when you opt into a replacement filter subscription. So you'll get a replacement filter every six weeks right when it's time for a new one for 33% off the individual price.

Starting point is 00:17:27 Plus, you'll receive a free aroma kit to be used with Canopies built-in aroma diffuser, which is a $40 value. Even better, there's a special offer for the skinny confidential him and her listeners. Go to Canopy.com today and use code Skinny 10 for an extra 10% off at checkout. Your skin will thank you. I'm telling you. It'll be plump and dewy. So what would you say is the number one way brands trying to fuck influencers?

Starting point is 00:17:57 I don't know if I would go so far to say that brands are trying to fuck influencers. Or try to, what's the better word? Maybe get more than what they bargained for. I mean, if I was on the other side, I'd be doing the same thing. You just draft a really broad contract and you ask for everything and you'd let the other side come back and make a comment. But a lot of times, a lot of influencers don't even bother making comments. They just accept the agreement as is. And they're not doing what they could.

Starting point is 00:18:20 and they're getting a shittier deal than the brand would agree to if you just asked a question. And the worst thing that could happen is a brand is just going to say, no, we won't make that change. I mean, if you continuously push, push, push, you might break the deal. But if you just go back once and ask the question, I mean, most likely it's not going to break the deal. My next husband is going to be a lawyer. That's so efficient to have a lawyer in-house. My next wife is not going to be an influencer. I think Michael can so go to law school.

Starting point is 00:18:50 Yeah, Michael? I could, listen, I was thinking about it. Like, that would be. If Kim did it. Yeah, Kim did it. You can do it. She set the bar. Honestly, I would not be mad about that.

Starting point is 00:19:00 No, but I mean, listen, my brother-in-law's lawyer is a damn good lawyer. And I've seen what he's had to do to go through. I'm sure what you. It's not as simple as people think to go get a law degree. And then the degree is one thing, but then actually practicing and it's a shitload of word. Law school versus actual practice is completely different. So how do you guys work together on a daily basis? Tell us about that.

Starting point is 00:19:20 Like really walk us behind the scenes for people that don't know. Because I know there's so many things behind the scenes that people don't see on Instagram story. Yeah. Well, I actually, when we first started working together officially, it was last October before we launched our brand Lex Unfiltered. So now it's almost a year. It was probably the hardest time in our marriage ever. Like the hardest struggle we've ever been through. And I actually looked deep into your podcast to find the episode of like, where does she talk about how to

Starting point is 00:19:47 work with her husband? because I need some fucking advice. Like, it was bad. And the thing is, is like, we have a very open, honest, respectful relationship where we have no issues confronting each other, getting uncomfortable, addressing conflict. But it's like, this was just so hard because our styles are so different. He's a lawyer. He's type A. He's controlling.

Starting point is 00:20:07 I'm, like, used to being self-employed. I'm used to being a one-woman show. I was a team player and she was like a silent. Yes. He knows how to work with the team. I don't. I've always been just me. And so suddenly.

Starting point is 00:20:18 I have my husband, who is now my business partner, asking me like, well, how are you creating this content? And do you have all the product? What's the plan for this? Just micromanaging me. Not micromanaging, just trying to communicate and be on the same page. Like my interpretation was like, you're trying to tell me what to do. Fuck off. And he was just like, I just need to know, like, how you're going to do this.

Starting point is 00:20:38 Yeah, so we can operate and make sure we're going the right direction. We're all row in the same direction. I am the same way as you and Michael is the same ways, Paul. Yeah. Michael asks questions. I'm like, I just can't do questions before 11. And I really don't want to be asked a question after 3 p.m. I have a very narrow window when you can actually talk business. And like if you ask me if I'm hungry or on my period or I'm taking care of the baby, fuck yourself. Literally.

Starting point is 00:21:04 We talk about, I mean, I think we've talked about it now for four or five years. And what I always tell people is like working with your spouse is one of the hardest things on a relationship, but it's also if you can do it, one of the most rewarding things. But, you know, it's really difficult to do. And I actually suggest that a lot of people don't do it because, you know, there's a lot of dynamics. It can break a lot of relationship. It can and it does. Lauren, no, I mean, I think, you know, people can see our relationship and see this show and maybe think like it's been, it's definitely been the hardest thing in our relationship is like when you turn it off, when you're not talking business, when are you being intimate, when you're like focusing on the kid?

Starting point is 00:21:36 Like, when is it not about work? But when it's so ingrained and you're doing and you're working on something so much together, like it's, it's hard to separate. And I think like it's a testament to a relationship that you guys been able to do it. So what's worked for you guys? We set boundaries. It was a lot of trial and error in the beginning, too. Like we were trying to figure out what we could do because we both obviously were working towards the same goal. We wanted it to find a balance.

Starting point is 00:22:01 And so we said, okay, first things first is boundaries. We have child care until 5 p.m. So we said office hours or 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. After 5 p.m., it's time to be with the baby, decompress, have dinner. I'm not allowed to ask questions. Yeah, no more questions after 5 p.m. And then when we get into bed, forget about it. He gets into bed with his laptop and likes to continue to work while watching TV.

Starting point is 00:22:23 I'm like, don't care. Don't ask me a question just because you're working. Like, I'm now... Wait, are you putting your head back? Weren't you just on your computer two days? This is called emotionally matching and I'm going to start really talking about this. This is the new time batching.

Starting point is 00:22:36 Just because you're stressed about something doesn't mean I have to match your intensity of stress. No, no, no, no. Just because you want to go on QuickBooks at 11 p.m. at fucking night and I'm winding down to meditation music and my salt rock lamp doesn't mean that I want to be on QuickBooks level. No, I'm going to call you out. In the beginning of our relationship,

Starting point is 00:22:53 All she would do is bring that laptop in the bed. Don't, don't start. Let's not, let's get off. I got to chop the legs out of this high horse. This is called, he wants you to emotionally match him. Yep. I've never heard that term, but that's amazing and I'm going to use that for him. But yeah, but also, you know, obviously our business is still very small.

Starting point is 00:23:12 Like basically it's me. Small team, yeah. It's me, you, and we have two employees. Like, and recently just got two employees. Before that, it was literally just me and Sivon running everything. That's hard. I legitimately had nobody else to talk to about anything going on in our business that I could trust or care or would care about what the fuck I'm saying. So who else am I supposed to talk to but my wife who's also my partner?

Starting point is 00:23:33 And at 11 p.m., I don't give a shit. Like, I don't care. I don't care that I'm the business owner. I don't care that I'm your wife. Like, get me out of this conversation. I want to watch my show and peace. And we still deal with that a little bit, but I think he backs off a little bit easier now before I was like a fight. It was like, well, who else is going to deal with that?

Starting point is 00:23:49 Meanwhile, I'm like, wait till the morning. Like, I can't even think straight at 11 p.m. Like, I'm not going to make a good business decision when I'm watching the fucking Kardashians. Like, just don't, you know? So, boundaries really helped. And I think now we're in a good place where we know, like, past 5 p.m., you're going to maybe get an answer out of me. But probably not. It's like, wait until the morning.

Starting point is 00:24:09 But he doesn't write anything down. So he has that to work on. Because you don't remember anything in the morning. Oh, when we're laying in bed, I don't write anything down? Yeah, you don't. This sounds very, very, very familiar. and I feel like a lot of couples can relate. I don't write anything down either because I expect Lauren to remember it.

Starting point is 00:24:25 I told her once. She should remember it. But it is cool how you guys are both pushing the same boulder up the same hill. Because I feel like there's a lot of couples that are pushing different boulders of different hills. And that's overwhelming to me. Well, the flip side is like, you know, I have, and I'm sure you both do. There's couples that we know, and I'm sure you know that are completely separated. But what happens is then, like, they actually, like, you know, they want to talk about these things in business.

Starting point is 00:24:50 and they can never have that conversation with their significant other. And I also think that that is a, that's not a good thing for the relationship either because maybe you want to talk about these things with your wife or your boyfriend or your girlfriend, whatever. And if you can't and that shut down, then you're being suppressed in another way. So it's like, you know, it's this constant give and take thing. And I think you have to respect each other's perspective and understand what conversations are important to your partner. Totally.

Starting point is 00:25:12 One thing that I really admire about you guys' platform is that you've really built a community. Can you guys speak on that? because I know it's something that's like chipping away every single day. It just didn't all come at once. Well, I like to say is they come for Cvonne, but they stay for me. You know what I'm saying? I like to say they come for Lorne and they leave because of me. No, Paul really does like resonate with the audience. They feel for him. They feel like I'm the mean one. I'm the mean wife and he's like the nice poor husband. But the reality is, is we feel like we just live a very relatable life. Yeah, we're super open, honest.

Starting point is 00:25:51 We're not really off limits on any topics. And I think that our audience or my audience really responds well to that. I've always just kind of been an open book and allowing people to either DM or join the Facebook group or send an email to connect with me, I think is really important. I think that just it's customer service to your followers, essentially. So it's like any business. So it on spends like at least an hour every night just going through DMs and responding to people. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:26:17 And I'm sure you do the. same. I mean, you just have to see what the conversations are and what people are responding to, what the feedback is. It's just kind of how you gauge what people are into and what they're interested in. I wouldn't be talking about something on and on if no one cared. So I just feel like it's research, it's customer service to them. And it just kind of gives back to your community and they feel like grateful that or not grateful, but they feel appreciated that they're not just like speaking to an invisible wall. You know what's cool, Michael? You're talking about my shirt? No, not your shirt. I'm actually, it's pretty sweet. I'm not talking about your overalls. I'm not talking about your shirt. I'm actually talking about avocado green mattresses. And why this is cool is because it's a natural mattress. So this is a concept that I was just introduced to, but basically they're more sustainable and responsible. And I just feel like this is an essential piece of a conscious lifestyle. I mean, we spend one third of our life in bed on a mattress. So it's important to know what you're sleeping on. I just think this is.

Starting point is 00:27:23 the year of detoxing. I'm trying to get everything very zen in my house. I want to be more connected to nature. So yeah, with avocado green mattress, you can detox your bed. And then I'm going to move on to my bedroom and my home and just try to really get good energy, good vibes everywhere. And I got to be honest, when I first got with you when you started doing all these different things of the bedroom with like the fountains and the mattresses and the lights and the sound bowls and all the stuff, I was like, okay, there's a little much. But like, honestly, I'm sleeping better than never. Admit you like my sound bowls too. I love everything you're doing. I actually feel very zen-d-out, and I think a lot of men need some help in that area. We don't, you know, we don't always know what we're doing to get the bedroom right. Before me, you were sleeping on a piece of cardboard with no sound bowls. It was bleak. So their mattresses are made of Gautz, which is organic certified cotton and wool, and goals, organic-certified latex. So it's all sustainably sourced from farms that they co-own in India. And this is super interesting. They follow a farm-to-bedroom approach in manufacturing. I am on board. And they're green gold certified, which makes them safer for you, safer for your family.

Starting point is 00:28:24 And as members of the 1% for the planet, they donate 1% of all revenue to environmental non-profits, which is always a good thing, like to get behind companies that stand for a cause. We love a non-toxic mattress. Visit avocado mattress.com and use the code Skinny 200 for $200 off avocado's new all latex mattress and luxury organic crib mattresses. This is valid now through November 30th, 2020. Happy sleeping. What advice would you give an influencer that's just starting out in 2020 with all the craziness? Buckle up?

Starting point is 00:29:03 Literally buckle up. That's a good one. I mean, I think that just remaining true to yourself, staying authentic. I know it can be really overwhelming, scary. People can come after you on the internet these days. It's just like nothing's off limits. But for me personally, I feel like I have to remain true to who I am. Even if it's controversial, even if people don't.

Starting point is 00:29:24 agree with me. I'm not going to just give in to an opinion because it's the popular one. I often have the most unpopular opinion. And you like to form your own opinion. Yeah, 100%. I don't just repeat things that are spoon fed to me. Even if that's what everyone wants to hear, I just, I can't do that. That's just not who I am. That's a good thing. I mean, we talk about it all the time. I mean, and Lauren and I are obviously outspoken characters and a lot of things. It's like sticking to your convictions and not doing things just because everybody says that's the thing to do, right? Like it's like we're not sheep or people. We have, you know, we're all complex.

Starting point is 00:29:53 We have different things. We have different backgrounds. We have different opinions. We have different reasons why we came to those opinions. And I think like what this medium is done for us is it creates a space where you can start to understand why people came to those opinions. And when you understand and you educate yourself a little bit more, you can empathize a bit more. It's like, oh, okay, like maybe I am wrong.

Starting point is 00:30:11 Maybe I'm right. Like maybe there's a new way to look at things. And that's one thing I don't like about influencer culture, especially this year, is that people are so quick to judge based on a quick image or a quick sound bite or something that they see quickly. And there's very little digging under the surface to figure out like who is this person and what are they actually about. A hundred percent. Not only that, but just allowing someone to take information in themselves or do the time, take the time to learn along with everybody else, the entire world is allowed to have time to learn something, but they expect it to happen overnight

Starting point is 00:30:38 for influencers. Like you just, that drives me nuts. Like I'm sorry. I'm 32 years old. I'm just learning like everyone else at this point. And I can't be expected to come to form an opinion that everyone's going to love overnight just because it's in the news today. Well, here's the other thing that's a problem. I talk about this a lot is why as a society are we going, listen, no offense to either of you Lauren and Sivan, but like why are influencers the first line of defense to figure out what the opinion is on policy setting? We literally had this conversation before you're in the room. Here's the thing. I think it's because you guys are so accessible and people can DM you so quickly. And so something happens in the world. It's like, oh my God, what is Savant thing? What is Lauren thing? It's like,

Starting point is 00:31:18 my wife talks primarily about beauty. Like, we don't need to, she might not know what's going on with this complex policy. The people we should be holding accountable or the people that are actually setting policy or an in-off. It's like those focus on it. 24-7. Exactly. And I don't like that like influencers have become these punching bags. Like, we need to know exactly what they think within 30 minutes to an hour of something happening. Yeah, let's talk about that for a second. When something in the world happens, this is a disclaimer for me. And I feel like you and I are aligned I need a day maybe to wrap my head around what my opinion is. I want to meditate on it.

Starting point is 00:31:52 I want to think about it. I want to think about my words. I want to make sure there's power in my words in a good way that I'm being good intentioned. If something happens, I am not going to just react because people think they want me to react. I'm going to think about something and digest it and take my time. Well, the irony to all that is people will say to people like you, well, you guys have a platform responsibility. But within that, I believe you have a responsibility to use that platform in an informed way that's authentic to you. You can't just use it. Like, we're not going to take this

Starting point is 00:32:24 podcast that's got these listeners and say, okay, something just happened. We're going to answer right away. Like, we need to think about what the responses. Because to these people's point, like, this is a platform. It does have an impact at some level. And the way that we put content out in the world, we have to be thoughtful about it. We can't just do things because everybody else is doing things. And I also find credible things to share. I mean, how many times have we been, have we seen things circulate that are bullshit, that are wrong, misinformed. I don't want to be one of those people spreading wrong information. So you have to take your time in like really digest, process, educate yourself if you don't know. I honestly will be the first one to say. I don't know a lot

Starting point is 00:32:57 about politics. So if I'm going to speak to something, I need to talk to my husband who does know. I need a research. I need to read. I'm not going to be able to speak on it overnight, confidently at least. That's a reasonable perspective and thought process to have. Right. And I think like, nobody could i mean no reasonable thoughtful logical person could hear that and be like oh well she's saying she doesn't understand is maybe not the most informed she still needs to speak on it's like that what are we talking about her right right paul you said that you sort of help i thought this was so smart you said you help savon gather resources where people can make their own decisions yeah like i my opinion on the whole matter is that we shouldn't even since we are experts we're not

Starting point is 00:33:39 we don't know everything there is to know about a topic and we shouldn't be the one speaking to it with conviction at least, I think it's important just to give everybody an opportunity to make their own opinion. And by doing that, you just present different resources for people that they can read upon themselves. Like, you just need to take the time to learn. So you just read different resources and make up your own opinion about the situation and your policy and what should be done and next steps. You do have to stay true to what content is working for you. And my thing is, like, if the content that I'm presenting or you're presenting doesn't work, unfollow. Right. I'm not for you then. It's a really easy concept. What is you guys is, I don't want to say policy, but like strategy when it comes to a troll.

Starting point is 00:34:21 So I typically do not engage. I've always been like, I feel like those people don't deserve my time and my energy. So I usually just block and delete. But I feel like every now and then if it seems like a person who isn't necessarily a troll but just like, I don't know, sometimes I convince myself that I should reply, it never ends. wall and it's a mistake, but every now and then depending on the topic or if it's about my child, I feel like I have to defend myself. And it could be my mood that moment, but typically I just don't engage. I feel like there's nothing good's going to come from that. So I choose not to. Speaking of child, like you said, you're pregnant and you have Capri. Yes. How has it been raising her? Like how, like tell us like the behind the scenes with Capri. So we got very lucky. She's a very easy baby. She has been since the beginning. I think we both spoke about this in the early days of pregnancy and having kids. Like, we had a night nurse. It was a game changer. I don't know that we even really

Starting point is 00:35:20 needed her, to be honest, because our baby slept, like from the beginning. But I wasn't taking a chance. So we have help. We have a night nurse. We had a night nurse. And now my sister watches her Monday through Friday. So we have our working hours. And that's great. But she's just such an easy, fun, full of personality baby. So happy. Her temperament and her demeanors. She's just so sweet. I mean, I'm not a baby person. I'm not like the kind of person that like when you see a baby down the street, I'm like, oh, you know, like I just, it doesn't, doesn't do it for me. But with her, it's like she melts me. I love her. I die for her. I'm excited to have another baby, but I just don't know how I'm going to love it as much as Cabri, like just saying.

Starting point is 00:36:00 And for the beginning, we kept her in a really regimented schedule, which I think helped. Talk about that. Please talk about that. Michael does this with Zaza. No, I try to do it. No, you're so. Nalty. Well, it only works if everyone does it. Well, sometimes, you know, there's sometimes there's things that happen that you can't control. I had to go to a dinner last night with some business partners and I was and I came back and I was like, oh, like, Lauren was like in the bed. The schedule was completely off, completely done. I was like, see she does it when I'm not around, but listen. So how do you guys keep a schedule? I know this is a question that a lot of moms would love to know since you're so schedule oriented like Michael. Speak on that. Well, we've got a lot more lax now that she's older. But at the beginning, you know, my whole thought process was when a baby's born, they're like a blank slate.

Starting point is 00:36:43 And they don't have bad habits yet. So you either reinforce when they do bad behavior and behavior that you don't want them to do again or you stop it and you change it. So any time, you know, from the beginning, she never once slept in our bed. She never once. She's never slept in our bed. Is Zaza slept with you ever? Nope. No.

Starting point is 00:37:01 No. But she'll sleep, like, she slept in the bed last night from like six to eight. but then we move her to the crypt. Okay. Not like all night. Yeah, yeah. The reason that we didn't do that and you guys have to tell me this is the same is that I'm scared like I would roll over on her.

Starting point is 00:37:15 We just don't want her to. Dependency. Yeah, we don't want her to like only want to sleep with us because obviously for obvious reasons. But we never wanted to be like a co-parent or not a co-parenting, a co-sleeping household. We just felt like that wasn't our style and everyone that does it regrets it. They're always like, don't do it. Don't do it. Like we have 12 year olds in our bed.

Starting point is 00:37:35 So we were like, okay, never doing that. But it makes me sad because I want to cuddle her. And now she's at that age where she's a little older. She's not going to suffocate. I'm not going to roll over her. We take nats with her. We cuddle with her in the morning. It's not the same.

Starting point is 00:37:49 But yeah, I get it. So what was the schedule when she was a baby? Honestly, I have to go back and check because it changes as they get older. Every other week we got a text, like the whole family. And it was from Paul. And it was like updated schedule feedings from eight. 12, three, four ounces, two ounces, one ounce, nap. Literally down to the hour of every day, how many ounces, formula or breast milk.

Starting point is 00:38:16 We had the luxury of Cvonne pumping. So, you know, obviously it wasn't on-demand feeding either. So we got to regimen exactly when the meal time was, which also, I feel, plays a huge part in their sleeping pattern because they sleep a lot better on a full stomach. So you got to make sure they're fed right before they go down for a nap or right down for nighttime. And we just plan everything accordingly. And then obviously you see where they're supposed, how much food they're supposed to be eating in one time and one sitting and you just keep amping it up. Based on their age and their weight.

Starting point is 00:38:45 So he would like do this whole calculation of how much, how many ounces she needed. And because like he said, I was pumping, we knew exactly how much she was consuming. It wasn't like she was on my boob and we're like, oh, I wonder how much she ate. So she was super, super scheduled and it just worked. Like she slipped. She slept like an angel. She still sleeps like an angel. It's so easy.

Starting point is 00:39:04 but on the flip side of it is she's not flexible whatsoever. She's not in her room with her sound machine with her pitch block. She's a very, very specific situation. Very specific. Like needs all her things. So if we want to go to- I think you got to pick like, I mean,

Starting point is 00:39:18 that's the problem is like it all comes with the cost. And what I always say on this podcast is like, like if there was a number less than zero that I could care about like how people think we should parent like that would be the number. But I also think on the flip side of that is like any parent that wants to do things their way like all the power to you. Like I support any way. anybody thinks they should parent and whatever works for you. And like everything comes with the

Starting point is 00:39:38 cause because it's being regimented, obviously, like, obviously they can get anal in some ways and say like, no, like I'm this, but also being lax, then it's the exact opposite of that where it's like, the way that I think about it and why I like the schedule is born and I, his lives are chaotic. And so if I know exactly when the baby's going to be sleeping and eating and up, it's like, I can maximize as much time as possible with her where if it's like all over the place, there could be times where I just miss time with her because I'm working and she's sleeping or vice, universe, vice versa. So they all comes, but like parents should just do their thing. Absolutely. Everyone's situation is differently. We got judged hard for that. Like our whole family

Starting point is 00:40:13 was like, you guys are crazy or neurotic. Like, what are you doing? That's not how babies work. Babies have their own like attitude or whatever. Like everyone's different. Yeah. Like you can't control a baby. And Paul's like, watch me. And it worked. I mean, I'm not going to lie. Like it was a pain in the ass in the beginning, but it's just really nice that we have a sleeping baby who's easy. Every night at 7.30, she goes to bed, and we have our time. Every day, she goes to bed at 12.30. She sleeps for an hour and a half. Yeah. It's predictable. That sounds similar to Zaza. She goes to bed at 7.32. I like a schedule, but sometimes I like to throw a wrench in it and he freaks out. You both have maternal energy. And I don't mean that in like a mean way. It's actually complimentary.

Starting point is 00:40:56 You both have, like, you've helped me a lot with, like, the mothering side, too, which is weird to say. All right. Okay. No, you have. Like, how Paul sent you the text of, like, every, like, Michael's like that, too. He, like, I told Michael before the baby was born, I'm like, I have a friend that's husband doesn't change diapers. And he just couldn't comprehend that. Well, it sounded, I mean, it sounded strange to me because I'm like, what do you mean?

Starting point is 00:41:22 Like, if Lauren's not around or, like, I'm there. Like, what am I going to let the baby sit in, like, her own? shit or your hand like what would you like it didn't make sense like I mean I get I think you know and also like I love my kid I want to be a supportive and my wife want to be as supportive as possible it's I don't know maybe I just don't get the how I don't get how men come to that conclusion I think it has to do with you know you know how men and women were raised and how they thought the dynamic work before but like that's been so blended over the years that like the dynamics have changed you know it's not like I don't expect my wife to sit at home and play milkmaid with my daughter and I also don't think that I'm like

Starting point is 00:41:55 the guy that's the breadwinner running or like I think I think It's like we're both. Like we went to dinner with this with this couple. And it's a friend of ours. And they were like, you know, they set specific times when people have responsibilities. I'm like, if Lauren and I see the baby upset or needing something, like we both are trying to help each other out.

Starting point is 00:42:09 Like it's as simple as it is. Same for us. Yeah, exactly. We're on the same page. But the schedule does help with everything you mentioned. Like it's just nice to know when you have time to do whatever you want to do. And basically I just know that until she goes to bed, I either I'm working or I'm taking care of her.

Starting point is 00:42:23 That's my day. And it's fine. Like it's different than what it was. was before, and I could fuck around all day if I wanted, or I could sit on the couch and DM for two hours, but now it's not a thing. So it's fine. I think I'm more productive. You don't sound upset about it at all. It's fine. Everyone, DM'd, or not DM'd, everyone questioned in the question box about how you guys keep it sexy and spicy. Well, post-pregnancy or lube was really great. Oh, I'm glad you like it. Must say, staple. I feel like no one tells you that. My doctor told me that. He was like, FYI, like, if you don't

Starting point is 00:42:56 usually just don't have sex after pregnancy because it's just, it's not going to feel nice. So the loop is great. But I mean, how do you keep it sexy? Well, obviously you're doing something. You're knocked up again. I know. Quarantine baby. Yeah, quarantine helped a little bit with that. Nothing else to do. Does Paul schedule sex? No. No. But sometimes you'll walk into the room with candles lit and lightly playing Barry Mandelow music. Yeah. He does schedule it low key because he'll try to set the mood. And then I feel like when you do that, like I'm immediately like, no. You are so fucking lazy with the mood.

Starting point is 00:43:33 Where is my Barry Manilow? Oh, great. Yeah, I'm like, let's just get this thing going. It's like these lazy guys are just like, bend oh, it's like put some effort into it. I will say adding a child into the mix is like then it kind of like adds a new extension. Like, okay, you got to like get it in here. Got to get it. Got the babies asleep.

Starting point is 00:43:50 Yeah. That's a little bit of like. Your windows closed. Yeah. I had a weird. This is maybe too much information on the podcast. But like the baby was so young and like at one point, especially when we travel, like, it'd be in the same room. And I'm like, I didn't want it to like look at me or watch us. You know what I mean? I was like, but at the same time, like would they comprehend? And I start thinking like if she grows up like, will she have some weird image of me in a weird position with her mother? The dog has been on your face when I give you a blowjob. Get over it. Get over it. That's going to be the new headline like dogs involved with the skin and confidential sex.

Starting point is 00:44:18 Okay. I can't wait to hear this answer from each of you and I'm sure it's different. What are your exact and you know I need exact. morning routines? Morning routines. So I'm not a morning person. And having a child has forced me to have to be like functioning in the morning. So I'm getting a little bit better. You've gotten a lot better. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:44:40 I basically don't want to be spoken to in the morning. So that still stands. Like I don't want to talk. And I don't want when my eyes open first thing to be like, what you want for breakfast? Like I don't want that. It's so terrible that I'm up and running. And I'm like, oh, honey, what do you want for breakfast today? Fuck you, Paul.

Starting point is 00:44:54 Like, what? I haven't even brushed my teeth yet. And he's like asking what kind of eggs I want. I just, I can't. I need a moment. Like, I get up between 7 and 7.30. And he's never in the bed because he has to get up and make the milk before babies away. Because, you know, schedule.

Starting point is 00:45:10 So I get up on myself. I have the dogs. I always do my skincare first thing. Do you want those details? Okay. So, yeah. In the morning, I don't do any soap. It dries out my skin.

Starting point is 00:45:21 So I just rinse with cool water. I use vitamin C serums, either summer Fridays, Ola Hendrickson, vitamin C is always my first step. And then most recently, since we've launched number 12, I do bronzing face drops in the morning. And because I'm an experience of Tanner, I use it on its own. I don't mix it with my moisturizer at all. So I apply that. I do my chapstick. I do my dry shampoo, make myself look presentable. And then I head to the kitchen where Paul makes me breakfast. And we have to have two eggs every single morning. It's like a requirement. Baby hates it. Most complete source of protein.

Starting point is 00:45:56 Whatever. So then I have my two eggs. And then I usually play with Capri for a little bit until my sister gets there at 830. And we have to listen to classical music because. Well, now that you're pregnant. Now that I'm growing a baby, I have to listen to classical music every morning. What do you think it makes the baby smarter? Ask him.

Starting point is 00:46:13 More zen? The classical music offsets the trolls on social media. There you go. For the baby. It's good vibes. Yeah, it's compensating for everything. They say that classical music, you know, Mozart, you know, all the mathematical rhythms and whatnot is supposed to be good for brain development, even for a baby. And it's supposed to be relaxing and calming.

Starting point is 00:46:32 I'm all about classical music. Taylor, did your mom play classical music for you when you were a little? Not even remotely. So keep listening to it. Oh, my God. So, yeah. So then once my sister gets there at 830, I then go and I get ready for the day. I change.

Starting point is 00:46:48 I do a little makeup. I kind of map out like what my content's going to look like for the day. I check my calendar. I then can play on my phone, check Instagram, check emails. I'm really good about not looking at emails and getting like a merced and work first thing when I open my eyes. I just, it honestly doesn't even cross my mind. It's like the last thing on my mind. So I let myself really have like a chill morning. And then after getting ready, I usually go into the office around like 9.30. And from there, it's just obviously work day. But it's not a really intricate morning routine. There's nothing that like I can't live without. And you're very specific about your try.

Starting point is 00:47:23 Yes. So with chai, when I'm pregnant, my taste buds are all over the place. So right now I'm actually on a coffee kick, which is strange because normally I'm all about chai. My favorite chai is Big Train. It's like this giant powder that's super sugary. It's horrible for you. So thank God my days buds aren't wanting that right now. I usually love an ice chai in the morning with almond milk. Right now I'm drinking homemade iced coffee. It's like vanilla with almond milk. Ice ligaro. Yeah, ice legero. It's an espresso. It's like super easy, two steps. delicious and I don't have to go out and buy coffee, which is lovely. But yeah, I do my coffee every single morning for sure. And what's yours? I can't wait to hear this. I don't even know what he does in the morning because I'm sleeping. Okay, I can't wait to hear. I wake up every day basically at 630 a. Okay, okay. Not 631. Not pretty much 630. And then I just get a hop out of bed. I use a bathroom, brush my teeth, change. No skin care. No skin care. And then go into the kitchen, start the the water for the bottle, usually get the bottle on at 6.50. So it's ready at 7 o'clock. And then while

Starting point is 00:48:31 I'm waiting for the bottle, I'll jump on the computer, answer any like urgent emails or on my phone or whatever. Then baby usually wakes up between 7 and 7.30. And I'm just on call during that time. And then go in there, pick her up, change her diaper, read her a story. She's a good husband. Yeah, he has a good husband. He's great. Read her a story while she drinks her bottle. And then we brush her teeth and then we go and find Mama. You don't brush saw his teeth in the morning. I brushed him last night. She's got two teeth right now, Lord. She's got two

Starting point is 00:49:00 fucking teeth. They told us he's supposed to brush the teeth. I do it at night in the bath. No, you need to be reading your story like Paul. We didn't brush her teeth either for a while just because she wasn't interested at all. But it is good to form that. Her two teeth may be equal like three-fourths of one tooth

Starting point is 00:49:16 right now. Taylor, did your mom brush your teeth when you were a little? No. So brush your teeth. Okay, so let's talk a little bit about this question that I keep getting asked about weed. Oh, my God. Everyone wants to know about weed with you guys. So I... What happened with weed?

Starting point is 00:49:35 They just said to ask them about weed. It's funny because every now and then like Paul and I will smoke a joint and all stories it, which gives him a heart attack. But people love it. They just feel like... It's legal here, right? Yeah. Yeah. I don't even know, is it?

Starting point is 00:49:48 Yes. So whatever, I don't care one way or another. But people are super interested in it. And there's really not much to say about it. It's his dad's fault. Like, I was never, I never smoked anything in my life until I started dating Paul. And his dad is, like, a pusher. And he just wanted to get high with me.

Starting point is 00:50:04 My entire life, my dad has just pushed marijuana on it. And it's like smoke weed instead of drinking, like this whole life. It was his, like, mission in life to get me high. And one day I just gave in and I passed out. So I thought it was really horrible. And then, I don't know. I guess, like, there's different types. We have some really, really funny videos of Svon really high.

Starting point is 00:50:23 Yeah, we should share some of this. We do have some really funny videos, I will admit. Why is it a lot? Why are people need to know? I think people are just surprised that we do it. Because he's like super uptight and like I've never really spoken about it. We just kind of show it every now and then. So people are just really intrigued by it.

Starting point is 00:50:40 But I don't know why. I don't find it that interested. We just occasionally smoke. And obviously she's not smoking while she's pregnant. Yeah. I got you hitting the THC gold pen once in a while too. Listen, I do what I got to do. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:50:52 You take like C. You got like a whole elixir situation going on. Yeah, I mean, I'm not a big, like, substance user in any kind of case, but like I've also not squeamish. You know what I mean? Like I'm not like going to worry about it or think about it. Yeah. People have done worse.

Starting point is 00:51:05 You like a whiskey. Yeah. Tquila whiskey. No, I mean, the problem with me and marijuana, I don't really smoke, like, really ever is I don't like feeling slow. And for whatever reason, I know there's different strains and different ways to do it. I probably need to educate myself. And like, there's probably people write in to show me how to do it.

Starting point is 00:51:19 And I'll probably get inundated with joints and weed. But I've always just felt like, I love. like to be quick and so for whatever reason weed that's me provide uppers. Or you prefer uppers. Can you give him, can you text them a layout of the strands? Yeah, like that's why I like liquor and tequila for some reason. Like I know it's a downer, but it acts as an upper for me. No, but there's strands of weed that give you energy. It's why I've also never done cocaine. A lot of people find that surprising because I'm already like an out there wild character. But I feel like if I did that, I'd be like, I would fucking

Starting point is 00:51:43 love it. I would fucking love it. I know it. And so I just go too nuts. So I can't do it. You have an addictive personality? No, I don't have an addictive personality, but I just like to go fast and I'm already like, you know, fast-paced person. And so I think like, oh, shit, if it was like a speed or cocaine, like I would fucking go nuts. And I know that. So I don't, I stay away from, but with weed, like it does the opposite. It makes me feel slow and tired and passes me out. Maybe I've done the wrong thing. So I just don't really do it. It does that to me too when I just smoke, but I like to do like what cross, cross whatever. What's it called? Cross-fated. I like to be cross-fated. I like to drink and smoke. And then it's great. When I was younger in

Starting point is 00:52:18 college and I did that, like I would just get the spins and throw up everywhere and just be done. We do very little, too. Like, we're not smoking. Like, we share, we split half a joint. Yeah. They're both very big lightweights. What would your audience be? What would something that would surprise them about you guys that you don't show on social media?

Starting point is 00:52:35 I don't even know. I feel like we literally show everything. Someone asked us this recently. We're like, we don't hide anything. There's literally nothing. I mean, can you think of anything? That's pretty cool. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:52:47 Like, you really get like the real deal with us. Obviously, if I had a camera following me all day, you'd see conversation, but that's all that people are really missing. I feel like I document literally everything. Okay, tell us about your diet and exercise tips pre-pregnancy and how you got back into shape because you were just telling me that you got into really great shape before you were pregnant with number two. Yes. So during my pregnancy, the first time I made sure that I was eating and exercising really well. I just kept it super clean, consistent, drinking a lot of water, moving my body every single day, post-pregnancy. During your pregnancy, you were working out

Starting point is 00:53:21 like four times a week or something. Yeah, I was super active. Like, I kept things really normal while I was pregnant just because I wanted to make the transition into postpartum just as easy as possible. Postpartum, once I was cleared, I started my personal trainer again. I did Pilates. And I kind of have like this whole mentality of just balance in general. Like I will eat clean majority of the time, but at night, I love to have a gummy bear or a chocolate bar or whatever, a glass of wine or two or three. So I kind of feel like it just has, you have to find like a balance in moderation. And everything. Everybody's body is different to him and reacts. Yeah. And I just don't believe in depriving yourself. Like I feel like if you're craving real pasta, have real pasta, just work out the next day.

Starting point is 00:54:02 It's like not that serious. So for me, I just kind of kept that mindset the whole time. And I would say I was telling you earlier a years where I really felt like my body was sort of back to pre-pregnancy. Weight-wise, my bone structure kind of went back to being more like narrow than the wide, the width it was for pregnancy. And then shortly after that, I got pregnant again. So here we are. And with baby number two, I haven't been as strict with my diet. I feel like between quarantine and just the second pregnancy, I've been craving different things. So I haven't been as strict on myself. I've been eating more carbs, a little bit more sugar. Also, exercising during quarantine has been a nightmare for me because you can't go to the gym. You can't go to a class. And I have zero

Starting point is 00:54:43 discipline. So I can't do at home workouts. It's like it's really miserable for me. I would love for both of you guys to speak on some of the pain points and struggles that you guys have gone through throughout this whole business. And it could be anything from like one for me is like I have a real problem delegating. I had to sort of get over that. What are some hurdles that you can share with our audience? You want to start? Working with Suvon. Oh, God, you're such a dick.

Starting point is 00:55:12 I mean, really, it's just adapting a relationship to be able to deal with that. you know, Sivon is a very particular person and she can have an attitude at times if she's not in the mood or is hungry or just doesn't feel like it. Just another day. Yeah. So just, you know, learning not even having even thicker skin than I had before just being married to her in the workplace because we're just in contact 24-7, obviously we spent, especially in quarantine. Like legitimately we, I don't, I can't remember being away from Sivon for longer than like two hours. hours. For the last like six months. Learning to work with each other and not take everything too seriously, really. Yeah. And also when he's a lawyer and you try to argue with him, it's my worst nightmare because he tears everything I say apart. My arguments aren't logical or rational. You know, like it's just sometimes like it's just you don't find any sort of common ground and you just have to move on. And it's like we typically in our marriage personally, we don't like to

Starting point is 00:56:12 just move on from things or brush him under the rug. Like we like to come to a resolution. We confront things, like head on and then just move forward after that and not have to think about it ever again. Just hash it out, get uncomfortable. Say what you need to say. Sometimes it gets nasty. But like in business, sometimes you're just like, we're not getting anywhere. So let's just fucking drop it and move on. And then it's fine.

Starting point is 00:56:32 It's worked because it's not personal. But I think once it's like personal, it's a whole different way to deal with it. Rachel Zoe said on a podcast that that's very similar to what you said. That one of her things is like, what did she? She said it was a word. I forgot. It was like she just moves on. She doesn't hold on to a grudge and let it stir and let it fester and get all this resentment. They move on and they move forward.

Starting point is 00:56:54 It's necessary, especially when you work with your significant other. There's so many things we could argue about. Like when we first hired our employees, I was like, fuck, how are we going to even work like this? They're going to think we're crazy because all we do is bicker all day about the dumbest shit. But it's not like we're mad and heated. It's just, you know, like common husband wife bickering and arguing. But it's just you have to have thick skin and you can't be so sensitive. That's the thing.

Starting point is 00:57:19 I'm not sensitive. He can be sensitive. So we're like trying to figure out what day he can handle my attitude and what days he can't. You guys do a really good job. Tell us about how you came up with the ideas for both of your brands and how it's sort of how you decided how you were going to lay them both out. Tell us like the behind the scenes, the nitty gritty. So Lux Unfiltered came about as an idea when I realized that I was. getting two questions asked on Instagram 24-7. One was, how do you edit your photos? And two

Starting point is 00:57:49 was, how are you so tan? And what the common ground there was, I was editing myself to look tan. I wasn't as tan in person as I was online. May you usually kept a pretty good tan. I mean, I'm pretty tan person year-round because I really, I love to be tan always. But the reality it was is I was editing myself to look more tan. And that was because there was no product that I loved. everything was either orange or streaky or dried my skin out. Just everything I hated about salt tanner was just a problem. Lauren has like somebody with a paint booth that comes over once a while. Look at this fucking shit.

Starting point is 00:58:20 I didn't use Savon's lotion last night. And so I have a thick band around my arm. Savon's made me get a few spray tanning. And I do. I use your cream all the time. So I should have used it. So go on. Well, the thing is with our cream is it's gradual.

Starting point is 00:58:37 And because it's hydrating, it's, natural looking color. It doesn't give you like an intense color the moment you apply it. So it's, it's buildable and you have to like give it a couple days to really achieve the color. Like if you wanted that color today, you'd probably have to use it for five days straight. So I get it. Sometimes a spray tan is necessary. Sometimes an express whatever is necessary. But for me, I wanted something you could use daily. That was not only going to give you color, but also hydrate your skin and give you some good skin care benefits. So we formulated this product while I was pregnant. So we also realized that we wanted it to be clean. Initially,

Starting point is 00:59:09 It wasn't at the top of my list to make it clean, but I felt like being pregnant, I wanted to feel safe using it. So we had a checklist of things. And so we managed to achieve that. We got the color we liked, the formulation of being super hydrating, easy to apply, not streaky, doesn't transfer to your bedding or your clothes. Everything I just disliked about self-tanner. So we created this product number 32. And it's been almost a year since we launched it. And we just released number 12, which is the face drops.

Starting point is 00:59:38 So same sort of concept, really clean. We kept it fragrance free, no added colors, nothing artificial. And it's just supposed to be a subtle, natural-looking colors. I think she asked how you got the idea for the brand. Oh. No. No. But I both.

Starting point is 00:59:54 Tell me everything about it. I got on tangent. You were on QBC there. No. So me, I was like, shit. I was like, maybe I go. You know what I was just thinking when you were talking? I'm like, oh, my God, Michael's been asking me about getting a tan.

Starting point is 01:00:08 you should use her cream. Well, I look like a sheet of paper. I look terrible. If I stood against that wall, you wouldn't even see me anymore. No, you should use her cream. That's actually, guys can use it. Yeah, they do. We have men that use it.

Starting point is 01:00:20 I feel like I would streak it all over the place and look like a freak. What are three tips that you do with tanning? Like, what are the three tips? Do you have to wash your hands after? Do you have to wash your feet? So, first off, for anyone who's new, I would say, use regular lotion on your hands, your knees, your feet, your elbows, all those hard-to-reach areas that are,

Starting point is 01:00:38 like typically. And it's more sensitive. It's like the skin on those areas of your body are drier. They just absorb faster so you can screw it up faster and easier. Put regular lotion all over your hands, your knees, your feet, then apply number 32 over it. So it'll blend easier. Second tip, always wash your hands immediately. So soap and water, like really, really get in there and not just like a bullshit wash. Like get in there with soap. And then keep your skin hydrated. So even if you're not going to use a self-tanner every single day, make sure your skin is staying really hydrated and moisturize so that way doesn't crack and then you don't get that weird like splotchy splotchy like lizard skin essentially but yeah that's it's great for men a lot of men love it and

Starting point is 01:01:16 Taylor don't accidentally take this home and use it to beat your meat because we don't want you to have like an orange carrot with streets on your dick I feel like that's a great practical joke honestly Taylor I wouldn't I wouldn't put it by I'm just picturing that too what that looks like I don't know why you want to put yourself I once did get a self-tanned and it was so intense. Remember that when Wesen and I had the contest where we were getting in shape and we were going to take a picture? I wouldn't got a self-tan. It was after I thought, holy shit.

Starting point is 01:01:46 It was so dark. And you're right. I slept in the shoes without washing him and they were ruined. Wait, so can you pull a photo of that so I can use that? It doesn't exist. Listen, I think at one point in time many men have gone either to a tanning salon or a self-tanner and then I tried to do it. It's like it never works out well for us. That's good though.

Starting point is 01:02:02 You can use her product. actually I never thought to put it on you but you are complaining listen I want to be honest with you I don't care anymore I'm already married and have the kid I like what you're stuck with how I look like it's I am what I am now I'm not going anywhere nobody else wants me that's not progressive you should try to be the best person I'm gonna slowly let myself go over then I don't care either I'm gonna let myself go how would you feel no she's can't you got you got to keep you tight but but see it's so unfair I feel like we put effort in 24 7 and men just get to walk around bare face like this like it's unfair. Paul, I'm going to send Savon a skincare routine that I gave to Michael. Yes. Simple and easy. I will say that like once, I mean, obviously I've had the benefit of like sitting down with a lot of different doctors and skincare people, which is why I always give like when Lauren's like,

Starting point is 01:02:49 what do you tell your guy friends? I'm like, listen, I've had to sit through a lot of these interviews with like people that do nothing but inundate me with skin information. I'm like, okay, I'd have to be kind of a dope to not pick up some of it. But like once you figure out what is actually working, it doesn't be this crazy thing. It's kind of like just like getting up shaving, brushing your teeth, and all that. Look at you giving skin advice to Paul. But I'm saying it's, but that's only because it's been beaten in my head with a drill for, what, five years now, you know? Not even just from you, but, like, having these conversations.

Starting point is 01:03:14 It's not that hard. I mean. So what's your routine, Michael? Yeah, say your routine. Well, I don't really have much of a routine. I do use vitamin C all the time. I have to, I have to. Say your routine.

Starting point is 01:03:22 Because vitamin C is good for people like me with deep-set eyes and they get dark. He likes Dr. Dennis gross products. I thought I love Dr. Dennis. Yeah. I love L-A. And it looks masculine on his tray. And honestly, Dr. Dennis is just so fucking cool that, like, he could sell me anything. I started him with the Dr. Dennis gross vitamin C.

Starting point is 01:03:39 I will. Yeah. It's so easy. I'm telling you. It's so easy. And it just helps, like, it just helps the skin look brighter. I do get the, like, the bags. Yeah, I used to like the vitamin C, Dr. Dennis stuff.

Starting point is 01:03:50 And tell him why he should get Botox, please. I know you got baby unit. Yeah, yeah. I get during quarantine. I wasn't able to get it for a while. And my face basically fell off. And I looked terrible. And so I got some.

Starting point is 01:04:00 But no, I think, like, again, I had so many conversations. with doctors and I realized like, okay, like one, it would barely notice, but it's a preventative thing, right? Like, it's like, you, like, this doesn't get rid of my lines. I think I'm too far gone. No, no, you're good. I mean, you would get, what it does is basically just freezes it in place, you know? But you got to go to somebody knows what the fuck they're doing. Yes.

Starting point is 01:04:18 I love that the men are talking Botox right now. This is like a dream. I mean, I don't want to look like shit. I mean, I was just, I mean, I don't let's go. You care. You care. You care. You can do what you can.

Starting point is 01:04:27 Michael and Paul talking Botox. I'm so glad you can. Guys have such colorful. conversations about preventative aging. Yeah, I think a lot of guys think it's like a, it's like a non-masculine thing to do. Well, I can see how they would think that. And I'm like, all right, dude. Or they don't understand it and they think it's like an appearance altering thing. Do you have gum in your mouth? Yeah, but I just, I know how to talk on a mic. I've been doing this for a long time. Oh, so shove that under your tongue. Yeah, I know. I just heard a chew. I heard one chew.

Starting point is 01:04:54 Don't worry about how I do this. I'm sorry you guys got to go through this. So to now tell us about shop tan lines because I think it's genius that you created a product that's for, mommy and me. And it's cool. Yes. So that actually, like you just said, it basically stemmed from Mommy and Me, the whole concept when we were going on a vacation with Capri was our first one ever. And I was just trying to find a basic black one piece for her, nothing frilly, sparkly, princess, just, you know, simple. And it didn't exist. And I found one on Amazon. It was like $4. And it was horrible quality. The fit was bad. The fabric. Everything was just horrible. So we thought that this was like a great opportunity to create something that filled a need for kids to have cute, elevated basics.

Starting point is 01:05:37 And then the mommy and me element obviously just sold me because I just had a baby. And so that was cute to me. But for me, everything is just about simplicity and finding good classic fits that work for postpartum bodies, something you feel supported in, something that makes you feel super confident. So the bathing suit that you guys sent Zaza and now you just gave her one is so cute. And you're right. It is very hard to find stuff that is not so. princessy. I know. It's just like there's and I don't understand why all kids suits don't have snaps at the bottom. Coming from a dad who changes diapers, he will not put her in a suit that's not tan lines because he's like, why doesn't the suit have snaps at the bottom? It's so annoying and

Starting point is 01:06:17 frustrating, especially if you're taking the baby swimming. Like every time you get out of the water, you're supposed to change the diaper. Like, do you have to get them naked every time? And it's like wet and it's like hard to pull on and off. So ours, we put snaps at the bottom. So you can easily change the diaper or whatever. And it's like a piece. a cake and it's just such a lifesaver. I don't even think about that. Zaza squirrels around all the time when I'm trying to do that. She's kicking all over the place and flopping and flipping and it's hard.

Starting point is 01:06:38 Just get them in a bathing suit. Well, they gifted her a bathing suit. So she'll wear that one this weekend. You have the snaps. Yeah, it's hard. She's kicking around and. Can you leave our audience with in each of you a book, a podcast, a resource that's brought you a lot of value?

Starting point is 01:06:52 The skinny confidential. That's nice. First prize. That's nice. Yeah. It could be anything, something in your business, something for your kids. Or just a resource that you found valuable that you think others would find valuable as well. I need to think about this.

Starting point is 01:07:07 You just wrote a post. I was just reading it on books to read. Oh, well, I mean, I read for fun. That's okay. Like, give it to us. I love fun books. I read mostly for fun too. I think people think sometimes that I'm like reading all these crazy books.

Starting point is 01:07:19 I'm like, no, I read like a lot of fiction and stuff to get my head out of the craziness of everything else. That's just how I am with books. Like I read it to disconnect. It's like like garbage TV, just mindless entertainment, essentially. I just read a really good one. It was interesting. I'm surprised it's not made into movie. Have you heard of Verity? No. I think the author is Colleen Hoover. Okay. She has a lot of books, but I recently just read this and it kept me on the edge of my seat. It was a thriller, which I never really read really read and like scared a little bit, which is so fun to go through. I've never felt it that way reading a book. So super entertaining, loved it. Past the time. I read it in like two days. Loved it. But I don't really read anything like educational or self.

Starting point is 01:07:59 improvement. I try, but I feel like I'm just like I have ADD and I'm zoned down in two seconds. You know what? There's no right way to read. You read what you want. I think that's great. Michael, like you said, loves fiction. I think a lot of people think that if it's not like a self-help or a nonfiction or history book, like it's not valuable. But like what I always argue when it comes to fiction books is like that those, that's some of the hardest writing to accomplish in a compelling way because you have to make it up, but you have to still use real life examples and instances in order to get that fiction across. It still be used as teaching moments too.

Starting point is 01:08:31 Exactly. Or learning moments. Yeah. So I read like a lot of historical fiction and I find that it's valuable because you're learning something but you're doing in an entertaining way. It's not so dry. But they still have to use like real instances and real people to frame out what they're doing.

Starting point is 01:08:43 So I think the writing is a little bit more compelling sometimes. Paul, what's yours? So with the election coming up, I would say ballotpedia.com. Oh. Why is that funny? This is good. I need these tips. It's just a good resource online where you can learn about the different

Starting point is 01:08:57 bills that are propositions that are being presented on the upcoming ballot. And they, I think they show sides, both sides, liberal and conservative. And it just kind of gives you an unbiased dialogue on a topic for you to make your own opinion. That is a great one. Thank you guys for coming on. Can you pimp yourself out? Share your Instagram handles where everyone can find all your business stuff. I know you're doing with honors. We're both doing the with honors masterclass. Pimp yourself out. That was really fun. My blog is. is just my name at sivanela.com, and you can find me on Instagram at Sivanela. Our brands are Lex Unfiltered and ShopTanlines.com as well.

Starting point is 01:09:37 And get the bathing suit with the snaps. It's all about the snaps. Do not fuck around without snaps. Thank you for having us. And Paul, what's yours? Pimp yourself out. Is it P. Ridge 12? I don't even know what is.

Starting point is 01:09:48 He doesn't know his Instagram. I like that, though. We're going to link it all out anyway. Don't worry. We'll find you. I like that. You guys can come back anytime. Thank you so much for coming on.

Starting point is 01:09:56 I hope we answered all the audience. This questions about weed working together. I feel like we should interview you guys next. Please, please do. We might get into a fight on air. It's happened before. I love it. Yeah, pretty much happens every week.

Starting point is 01:10:09 Thank you guys for coming on. Thanks for having us. Wait, don't go. Did you love this episode with Savon and Paul? If you loved it, tell us your favorite part of this episode on my latest Instagram at The Skinny Confidential. And one lucky person will win my Elamist Times skinny confidential stickers. They are so cute and cheeky, I'm telling you.

Starting point is 01:10:29 Let me know your favorite part, like I said, of this episode on my latest Instagram at The Skinny Confidential. Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing the podcast. As always, we appreciate your support.

The Bossticks - Sivan Ayla & Paul Richards On Relationship Advice, Creativity, Routines, & Branding

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