The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast - Jennifer Stano - Navigating Life, Sexuality, Explant Surgery, & Life In The Fast Lane

Episode Date: August 23, 2024

#743: On today's episode we are sitting down with Jennifer Stano. She is a multi-talented entrepreneur, designer, and influencer, who took the world by storm after moving to Beverly Hills at a young age. In this episode, Jennifer reflects back to her experience on TLC’s “Trophy Wives”, making her way in the blogging scene, plastic surgery, pregnancy, and more. From her recent breast explant journey to navigating sexuality, Jennifer sits down to share her story!   To connect with Jennifer Stano click HERE   To connect with Lauryn Bosstick click HERE To connect with Michael Bosstick click HERE Read More on The Skinny Confidential HERE To Watch the Show click 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 Head to the HIM & HER Show ShopMy page HERE to find all of Michael and Lauryn’s favorite products mentioned on their latest episodes.     This episode is sponsored by First Aid Beauty    Go now to FirstAidBeauty.com/SKINNY and use our promo code SKINNY to get 20% off your order!    This episode is sponsored by ResortPass   Visit Resortpass.com/skinny to get $20 off your first ResortPass experience.   Produced by Dear Media

The following podcast is a Dear Media production. She's a lifestyle blogger extraordinaire. Fantastic. And he's a serial entrepreneur. A very smart cookie. And now Lauren Everts and Michael Bostic are bringing you along for the ride. Get ready for some major realness. Welcome to The Skinny Confidential, him and her.

So I had posted on Instagram that I was thinking of downsizing and somebody messaged me and was like, well, have you heard about breast implant illness? And I was like, no, what's that? And I Googled the symptoms and I was like, this is me. This is me. And I didn't even know it. I didn't know my brain fog or my memory loss or my swollen hands or me just feeling lethargic. I didn't know these. I thought this was just me aging at whatever age it was, 35. Like I had no idea, you know, it becomes part of you. And there's like an attraction thing also, like I worried, you know, would she still be attracted to me? I didn't know what I was going to look like after. Today's episode is one that you guys are so excited for. I have been DM'd and emailed to have Jennifer

Stano on the podcast for years. You may recognize her as one of the OG influencers. I remember reading her blog in like 2009, I want to say, and her life has been like a movie. I seriously think she should make a movie out of her life. If you're unfamiliar with Jennifer, she's a multi-talented entrepreneur, designer, and influencer who took the world by storm after moving to Beverly Hills at a young age. At 24 years old, she married a billionaire, and we get into the whole story of what happened. It's a wild ride. You also may have seen her on the blogging scene. She talks about plastic surgery very openly, pregnancy and more. And recently, she just got a breast explant. We get into all things, navigating sexuality, entrepreneurship, diet, health, fitness, beauty,

everything you want. On that note, Jennifer Stano, welcome to the show. This is the Skinny Confidential, him and her. Okay, I was just telling Jennifer that I have been following you since the inception of your blog, which was when? 2010. 2010. So why I was so attracted to you at the time is I had just launched my blog and there was no bloggers online who were actually being very, very transparent. I felt like everyone was sharing their nail polish color and what shoes they were wearing. And when I found your blog, you were one of the first people I had ever seen talk about plastic surgery, your pregnancies, preeclampsia, like all these different things that no one was talking about. Right. Do you remember that? Yeah, absolutely.

People said my blog was like a train wreck, but it was just so it was everything that was going on in my life just put into words and photos. And it was it was awesome. I just I candidly wanted to share my life because I felt like I was brought into this lifestyle at age 24. That was like so unusual. You know, I grew up at home in New York and I was engaged at 24, moved to Beverly Hills of all places, 90210. And I was in this like huge lifestyle. All of a sudden I was like, I'm going to share this. I'm going to share what all the celebrities are doing and I'm going to put it out there. So everybody knows I'm such like a girl's girl. Like I love just sharing that stuff and having that like community feeling. I remember you like even showed us like you told us how much you weighed, how you maintained your weight. It was

just like very, very different than anything out there. There was nothing like it at the time. I guess to start this podcast off, I would love to get context of you before you were 24 living in Beverly Hills. What was your childhood like? You grew up in New Jersey, right? New York, New York, Westchester, New York. OK, talk to us about that. So I grew up in Westchester, New York, had lots of friends, typical middle class sort of upbringing. My parents got divorced when I was 13, lived with my mom, worked since I was 14, had jobs, all the things. I was working in hair and doing makeup and stuff. And then I started modeling and joined some agencies in Manhattan and that kind of took off. So I did a year of college for fashion design, put that on hold to

concentrate on like the modeling and stuff. So what point do you meet someone living in Beverly Hills? How does that even transpire? So I met my ex through a mutual friend. I was downtown in like Uggs, a t-shirt, leggings, and I was buying material because at the time I wanted to start a swimwear line. And so he was having lunch with the photographer that I was friends with. So he said that, hey, I'm downtown, like I'm in between Florida and New York. Why don't you come meet me for lunch? I'm just finishing up a meeting with a client and the client ended up being the man that became the father of my children looking back now and in retrospect he was obviously older than you you're 24 do you did he was he like in love with you when he first saw you was he like oh my god that's

gonna be my wife like how what is it like being you now looking at 24-year-old you? So it was really crazy. When I met him, I automatically looked at him and was like, this is the man that I'm going to marry. And I remember in my mind being like, don't be so freaking dumb. I just got out of a three-year relationship. And another relationship with somebody I didn't know was the last thing on my mind. But I just had this gut feeling. And so I gave him my email of all

things. Like I didn't even want to give him my phone number because I had just gotten out of a relationship and I wasn't quite sure what was going on. And he was going back to London. Like he was just there for work. And so I gave him my email. We kept in touch. And then I remember like a week or two later, he told me that he just left his wife. I had no idea that he was even married. So. So what happens? You're 24 years old. You like that's that's young. I remember me at 24. Like I knew nothing. Yeah. I feel like. I don't even know what I feel like looking back because my son now is 11. So to think in like a few more years, like 12 or so years, that would be him getting engaged. That's young, you know? And so I remember when, so anyway, so we, we met and he

ended up flying back a month later. I was working some shoe thing for Prada Miu Miu. I did like their, their, I don't even know what it's called, their try on thing for market in Manhattan. So he came and we met and we dated, but I remember telling him like, I'm going to take the summer off. Like I need four months to myself as a 24 year old girl to like see what it's like life as an adult. And so we kept in touch and he would fly in and like surprise me from London and like give me a gift and then like leave. And like like it was just such like a big world and things that I was getting brought into and I was like but I'm not quite mentally ready there yet I traveled with my girlfriends and then in September which was four months after we initially

met I remember thinking okay I did the single girl thing like I'm ready like commit you know he came he met my mom and we dated so I kind of had an idea of who this person was. And then I told him like, Hey, I think I'm ready to take our relationship to the next level. Can we say the person's name and give me context? It's up to her. Yeah. Alki. Alki is his name. So Alki, I said to him like, Hey, I'm ready to take this relationship to the next level and see where it goes. So he flew in the next day and proposed. And did you have context of him and who he was and what he was doing or it was just.

Yeah. So he's been acting and he there's, you know, if you were to Google his name, like he's on the internet. So I was able to do some background research on like who this person was. And obviously. The internet only says the nicest of things. Only. But we kept in touch and we traveled and he took me to Greece and like we did, we definitely

did things together before this was like him flying in to propose, but flew into my mom's house and I was sleeping in my own, my old bedroom with him. And he proposed that night. So you're 24, you get an eight carat ring. What happens to your life after this? Like it drastically changes. You moved to Beverly Hills. Like what is that like? Like a dream. I mean, Beverly Hills is a dream period, especially pre, you know, 2019. And I remember my mom, my dad and my grandparents, when they got the call that I was engaged, being like, that's awesome. But to who? Like, nobody knew that I was also dating this person and now engaged.

And a month later, you know, he was in LA and he had children and had to like pack up that life and figure out what he was going to do. And we both wanted to move to LA and he had lived there in the nineties. And so we packed up and I moved for the first time out of my mom's house, cross country to Beverly Hills. And it was crazy. And he bought me a Bentley and all of a sudden I was in this life of like somebody's dream it was like a dream I always wanted to move to LA and I always wanted a Bentley like there was things you know as you're young and growing up like you have dreams like oh I see that I want that when I'm older and like all of a sudden I was living all of these things that I had wanted so badly in my life when you look back and you

had wanted all these things and you were like oh my gosh you have all these things that I had wanted so badly in my life. When you look back and you had wanted all these things and you were like, oh my gosh, you have all these things now. You have the house, you have the Bentley, you have all these different things. Did you feel at that moment that you were happy? You're young or looking back, what is that like? So honestly, like we had a really good relationship. We never bickered. He was 40. So he was 17 years older than me. So he was 42 at the time that we met. And but he was so young at heart. And like we really did have a good relationship. He has his own issues. And ultimately, that's why we ended up separating and are no longer together. But I mean, we traveled. You really have to enjoy the person that you're with if you're spending so muchon-one time with them and traveling the world in these, you know, I was going to his houses. He had houses all over the world. And it's not that I was going to these hotels and mingling with other people. I was with him and his people and his family and his staff. And you really have to like the person that you're spending this time

with to be able to fully be in and enjoy your life too. You know, for me, at least I wouldn't have been able to enjoy my time if it wasn't with somebody I didn't want to be with. What was the juxtaposition between Westchester, New York and Beverly Hills when it comes to all of the things that are going on? Were you shocked to see the plastic surgery and all the different things in LA when you're 24 years old? I mean, they have these things in New York, Lord. No, but this is a different time, Michael. This is not this is 2009. Michael, this is a completely different, right? This is even pre Instagram. Yes. No Instagram. It was different. Am I right that it's totally different worlds? It was totally different. Yeah. I knew only a few girls that had gotten

their boobs done. I being one of them at 18. I had always wanted a nose job. So like he flew me out to his doctor in San Diego and I had my first nose job and I had always wanted a nose job. He flew me out to his doctor in San Diego and I had my first nose job and I went even bigger with my boobs. So I didn't even know what Persian was until I moved to Beverly Hills. So I'm from Westchester, New York. I grew up in White Plains. They call it the second city, but compared to California and Beverly Hills, it's still quite small. I went to preschool through high school with the same group of kids. So, you know, it's much different in LA. Completely different. At what point do you start creating content and how does the internet come into play with this life that you're living? So blogs started to become like a thing. And I thought this would be awesome for me

to just had a lot of time on my hands, by the way, this would be awesome for me to like blog about my life and share this new life that I've been brought into. Whether my plastic surgery blog was like my biggest blog, it had the most hits. And I was like, I'm going to share exactly where I get my injections and what I'm doing and what the celebrities are doing. Cause now I was in this world. Like my dermatologist was Dr. Lancer, Megan Fox goes to Dr. Lancer. There's so many celebrities. And I felt like that was so cool, like being brought into this world. And now I'm here to getting my hair done next to Cameron Diaz. You know, like these were things like I went shopping in Whole Foods on a daily and Halle Berry was there. Like those were things pre Instagram and everything that were like, where am I? It was a total dream. It was completely different. Yeah. So what happens when Instagram launches for you? Because your Instagram was one of the accounts that I felt like went wild. Yeah. My Instagram definitely took off. I just shared everything and anything at that time. It wasn't so like,

I don't think you had to be so perfect back then. And the aesthetic wasn't, you know, how it is today. That fed my blog and my blog fed my Instagram account. And it just, it did really well. It took off. I don't even think stories were there when we all first started having Instagram. But I also feel like, and tell me if I'm wrong, a string for you up even until now has been you've always been really entrepreneurial, no matter how much money you had around you. It seems to me you've always wanted to run your own business. Yeah, I didn't have to work and I chose to like I was starting a swimmer line. It was always something I wanted to do. So now I had the means to do it and I did it and I focused on it and it did so well. I did Mercedes Benz Fashion Week and then I ended up

joining with a girlfriend of mine that I met out there, Lily Galici. So she had a swimmer line. I had a swimmer line. We became friends and we're like, if you can't beat them, join them. So we joined the lines. It became Half Faith Swim Dre and it did so good. It was really such a fun time. So at what point do you start to realize that your marriage is not working and that you want out? So there were things that I like to call main events that happened in my relationship. There was a lot of things that happened in the seven years that we were together, but there were three main events where I had caught him in different situations that I just felt like they really chipped away at the foundation that held us together. And by the third time,

I don't think I even cried. I was just like, my heart's done. Like I'm just done. But here I had a one and a half year old and an almost three year old. And I was like, what am I doing? And where am I going with these two babies and this big life? Like, what am I going to do? I ended up, well, this is kind of where I met Danielle. So I was Danielle's client for two years prior. I had Nico at six months and she was running this pet lifestyle center in Beverly Hills where I would take my dogs. I had four dogs, I had two Dobermans and two little ones at the time. And so she was taking care of my two little dogs and we were just clients and it was purely professional. And, you know, I had always noticed women growing up, even as young as like middle school. And I always

wondered like what it would be like or, you know, will I ever get hit on by another female? And I never did until I was in college where I ended up having a little bit of a connection and fling with my best friend in college. But other than that, I've never really experienced what it was like to be in a female relationship. And so I had seen Danielle and I was like, you know, she's really cute. She has half of her head shaved and she's got a tongue ring. So anyone over the age of like 21 with a tongue ring has to be a lesbian. Like that's like what went through my mind. And so I ended up messaging her on the side and kind of just off of like, it wasn't like a professional. It was more like a friendly like, hey, been thinking about you and, you know, would love to like chat or something just to see like where it went. And it ended up going seven hours that night. And we had such a connection that it was like undeniable for me. And so I wasn't sure where this was going to go or what was going to happen. I had no intention on leaving my ex. And I remember going up to him and saying like, hey, you know that I've

always kind of been interested in like what this is with like women. He always used to joke like, oh, my wife's bisexual. And I was like, well, do you mind like if I see what that is? And he was like, as long as I don't have a penis, I don't care. And I was like, OK, like went back, told Danielle. And this kind of opened up like Pandora's box in a sense that it was great while it was great. And then once he saw the connection between us, it was undeniable. And that's where the jealousy started to kick in. And it was ultimately came, I had to make a decision what I was going to do. I think that this is an interesting conversation because I actually think that what you're describing

happens a lot more than people talk about. Like, I think there are actually a lot of women that I've heard off air and on air leaving their husbands for a woman. Have you talked about that on Instagram and have you gotten that response? So sometimes I'll do like a question box on Instagram and I'll get a lot of questions, especially in the beginning. Like, what is that like? So sometimes I'll do like a question box on Instagram and I'll get a lot

of questions, especially in the beginning. Like, what is that like? How did you know? You know, I'm in the same boat. I just think like, yes, there's an element of I really must be bisexual if I'm with a woman enough to be able to be with just a woman, right? Because I have friends that grew up and never even kissed a girl just for fun. Like we had a connection that I didn't even know I could have. You know, it was like my best friend plus somebody I was attracted to all in one. When you're in LA in this high lifestyle with someone who is really well known and then you fall in love with a woman, what was that like? Like was LA, your friends, your family receptive to that? So my family definitely took it a little bit as a

shock. They didn't know that I was bisexual. And so I was kind of like the gem of the family. I had it all going on. I had two kids. I was successful. I lived in Beverly Hills. I had all these things that I think any parent probably hoped for, except for my marriage and my relationship was failing. And I was now coming out in a sense that I'm with a woman. I think more than anything, they were just nervous for my financial security and what this was going to look like. And then of course, for my ex, he's from a very prominent Greek family. And so here I am leaving this man for a woman. Like that's really got to take a toll on his ego. And it did. 2016 was probably the worst year of my life. Because he went wild over it? I mean, wild. We had to like move out of our

Beverly Hills house, which we were going to sell anyways. We moved into a Malibu house, which we were renting right on the water to see if we could reconcile our relationship for two months. And it was just horrible. I had trackers on my car. I couldn't leave the house. I felt like my cell phone was even tapped. I'm sure he was going through it. I felt like I was in jail at that point. So what time did you say enough is enough? So it was, this all happened. I met Danielle in February. In June, I was moving out into Malibu house. June and July, August, he went to Greece and I ended up renting a house in Palisades and moved the kids in and myself. So it was kind of like that span, that time span that all of this went down. And just simultaneously to give Michael and the audience

the full context of what you were going through, talk to us about what you went through with your pregnancies, because what happened to you was wild. So, so, well, I had both of my kids in London. First off, he was he's British, Greek British. So both my kids were born in London. So with Nico, I felt like when I got pregnant is when I started my natural and health-conscious journey. I wasn't aware of chemicals and things and makeup and skincare and products and detergents even until I became pregnant with my first son, Nico. And at that point I changed my world completely. I threw out everything. I went to Whole Foods. I was reading the labels. Yeah. So I gained 75 plus pounds during my pregnancy. I think I stopped getting on a scale when I was like 196 pounds. And mind you, before

that I was like 110. So I gained a lot of weight. It took a mental toll on me. I was living in London, which was amazing, right down the street from Harrods. But I had no friends and no family and no support. So I think I just read books, educated myself, and I gained a lot of weight. I did get a doula. I had a raw placenta smoothie at the hospital with my kids. I literally ate it raw in like a bullet blender with raspberries and blueberries. I didn't know that was an option, Jen.

I thought you could just do the pills. I had to like carry that thing, the placenta out. I only got the pills. I would like a raw placenta smoothie next time if I have another baby. Yeah. I mean, it was awesome. And my kid's father drank it also, which was pretty cool. What does it do for the man?

I don't know. I think he just wanted to feel involved. He's kind of crazy that way. So we both enjoyed it. And I also encapsulated the rest of it too, which I had up until a few years ago. It probably has an expiration on it. And then what happened? Was it post-pregnancy or during pregnancy? So which one? Because I had Danielle and I tried to have a child together, which I lost. So I don't know if you're talking about. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking.

I felt like you had like preeclampsia. Why do I feel? Oh, so yes. So when I I think this was with Tino, my second, my ankles and my feet got so big that like I could push into my skin and it would like hold my fingerprint like a Tempur-Pedic mattress. So I think it's called edema. I did not have preeclampsia, but I was close to it. And so they induced me early. I think Tino was maybe 37 weeks in Europe. They tend to do C-sections at 38 and a half weeks. And because my first son was Frank Breach, which means bottom down and feet up, and Tino came six months after, I had to have another C-section, according to them. So yeah, he was born at, I think, 37 weeks. I think he should have baked a little bit more. it's so it's so hard and the weight gain I feel you I mean I'm the same way it's like I felt like

it's it's almost like an identity crisis totally I didn't even want to be social I felt so embarrassed here's all of my beautiful friends that gained like 15 pounds and their pregnancies and looked amazing and then I'm like a house still at like three months post and yeah it takes a takes a toll on you for sure. But I mean, you look amazing now. So whatever you've been doing is working. Thank you. So at what point do you guys decide to move to Boca? So after all of my stuff with the court happened, I had to file for a move away. And because of my ex's erratic behavior in court, they granted it to me.

What did he do in court? He's just kind of not the most well-behaved in court, to say it nicely. Yelling or screaming? For sure. All of the above. And he's gotten thrown out a few times. So I got my move away granted. And I just felt like Florida was going to be an easier life for the change. You could get a lot more for your money. I had family closer there. It was an easier life for the change. There's, you could get a lot more for your money. I had family closer there. It was an easier trip from New York to Florida.

Yeah, I just, it was a really good move for us. The timing was really good. When you get there, at what point of this journey do you decide you're going to explant? I actually, so when we left California, it was 2018. And I was living in New York in the house that I had owned while we built the Florida location. I remember I was going to downsize because here I was with these 500cc implants. And I'm like, I don't really need these big boobs anymore. I want to downsize.

Mine were 400 and they were huge. 500's big. Huge. Well, but I also didn't really have boobs to start with. So I feel like you take yours plus the implant. So I was like a small D for my body. So I had posted on Instagram that I was thinking of downsizing and somebody messaged me and was like, well, have you heard about breast implant illness? And I was like, no, what's that? And I Googled the symptoms and I was like, this is me. This is

me. And I didn't even know it. Like how I didn't know, like my brain fog or my memory loss or my swollen hands or me just feeling like lethargic. I didn't know these my brain fog or my memory loss or my swollen hands or me just feeling like lethargic. I didn't know these. I thought this was just me aging at whatever age it was, 35. Like I had no idea that this was being caused by something. And so overnight I did research and I think I said to Danielle the next day, like, I'm going to remove my implants.

And she was like, what? Why? And I told her and she was like, okay. Like she was just so supportive. And I think that that was really important too, because, you know, it becomes part of you. And there's like an attraction thing also, like I worried, you know, would she still be attracted to me? I didn't know what I was going to look like after, you know, I knew what I looked like before. It's so crazy though. Cause when Lauren went through that, all these, like, I don't know, I want to say this nicely but I couldn't understand

why she was carrying around inflammation because we're so healthy like we're pretty healthy why do you say it nicely just say it let it rip and I and I was like what is I'm like you shouldn't be this age with these symptoms and this tired like now we've had all these podcasts and all these people talking about this but still to this, if you say breast plant illness, like they, people still like discredit it. I think that a big part of the reason I was having problems is I had the textured gummy bear implants and I don't think I needed that, the texture. And I think that it was, I had had them since I was 18. Like it was just time to.

No, but I mean, from the attractive attraction standpoint, like what I, when I, when she told me, I was like, if this helps you time to get them out. No, but I mean, from the attraction standpoint, like when she told me, I was like, if this helps you get rid of the symptoms and helps you get rid of inflammation, like, of course, like I don't want my wife to be running around being inflamed. I don't think a lot of people understand like that if you carry that much inflammation, like you're going to have chronic illness the rest of your life. I didn't even realize I had inflammation until I recently just posted a video of me like six days out from my surgery. And I was obviously five years younger and my face was so swollen and round and just I looked swollen and I never really thought it affected me that way. Also, it was wild looking at it.

When you decided you wanted to get an explant, what were the steps that you took? What was the surgery like? What was the aftermath like? So this was five years ago. So I feel like the whole explant community has really evolved since then. I remember looking up the top doctors for explant surgery and Dr. Lujeen Feng came up as Yolanda Hadid's doctor and Crystal Hefner as well. And I was friendly with Crystal Hefner and I reached out to her. I ended up booking with Dr. Feng right away. And so I think it was maybe like a six month wait period at that time. I had flown to Cincinnati, I think is where she's located, and did my surgery there. And what was it like when you woke up and what was the recovery like?

So going in, I didn't even shed a tear. Like I just felt like this is what I really had to do. And this was what felt right for me. And I was like, I hope just all these random symptoms that I'm feeling go away. And sure enough, the moment I woke up, they did. And I remember the first thing I thought was I could breathe. And I had the first thing she said to me. Yeah. Like I had an M block, which is where they remove the entire capsule. And she had to scrape my ribs as well because they had adhered to my rib cage. And she explained it that like when the scar tissue adheres to your ribs, you're not able to contract as you breathe. And so, so many women don't realize it. She also did a breathing test while I was there. And I think that my lungs

were like that of a 60 year old. Here I'm 35. Like that was really scary. So when you get the explant, I know there's lots of different feelings that you get afterwards. I mean, it's it's like it's a journey. Yes. Right. It's definitely a journey. What what did you feel like throughout that journey? So I felt okay. And I documented the whole thing because I knew that this was such a big deal. Like I was a swimwear model. I modeled my own brand. I lived in Beverly Hills, like a plastic surgery capital world, right? And so here I am removing my boobs that were so much a part of me since I was 18, gave me so much confidence, opportunities in life. And I was totally okay removing them. And I was of me since I was 18, gave me so much confidence, opportunities in life. And I was totally okay removing them. And I was okay with what I was going to look like after.

And I showed myself in these raw moments of being bandaged with my drains, without my drains, with my scar, putting my side by side before and after. I was really okay. I was mentally prepared for what this was going to be and look like. And I really think having, like I said, a supportive partner with you that you know is still going to look at you and think that you're beautiful and attractive was really important. Do you feel, and I don't know if anyone's ever asked you this, but do you feel like maybe removing the implants was like cathartic to almost leaving your old life in Beverly Hills in LA behind. Like it was almost like, it was like, you keep saying that you keep associating the implants with Beverly Hills and the plastic surgery. And it's almost like leaving

there almost was like liberating to like get the breasts out. It's almost like very parallel to your journey. Yeah. In a sense, I never really thought of it that way, but in a sense, yeah. Like I was definitely removing something that I associated with like, oh, I need these boobs. I live in California. I need to, you know, be up to par with everyone else, so to speak. And yeah, but I was totally comfortable and confident with having nothing. I almost felt sexier in a sense without them. And when I received them and I looked at them in my hand, I was like, I felt sad. Like this is what I had in my body. Like how desperate was I to like fit in and have confidence to put this plastic ball in my body.

It was really crazy. When she handed me the ones that she took, I was like, whoa, they're huge. Heavy, yeah, it's heavy. You left your tits behind in LA too. But I guess you're talking about here. It's like a thing, you leave Beverly Hills, you're like, here are my tits. Take them back.

Take them back. I left the blonde hair behind too. I left it behind. I left the brown. At this point when you removed your implants, were you still talking to your ex or are you guys not talking? Are you friends at this point? So we've always had to keep in touch and in communication because of the children. Obviously, he does not live in the States anymore. He lives overseas. So we do share custody in a sense of

I have them full time, but then they go to see him in the summers or after Christmas for like New Year's. So yeah, there's a little bit of communication. Do you want better sleep, way more energy and a strengthened, defined jawline? I have you covered. And I know I have you covered because I have been taping my mouth shut for the last year and a half, every single night. I do not miss a night and it has changed my life. I wake up with brighter eyes. I noticed the masseter muscle in my face has like strengthened. So it's helped define my jawline. And I also noticed I have

so much more energy throughout the day. And this is all proven by researchers and doctors that nasal breathing is the way to go. And this is why I tape my mouth shut. And of course, the mouth tape that I use is by the Skinny Confidential. You guys can now shop mouth tape. It is back in stock. We've sold out four times. You can go to shop skinnyconfidential.com. I highly recommend subscribing. You save 15% and you get free shipping. Just go to shop skinnyconfidential.com. We also just got our caffeinated sunscreen back in stock. So there's all kinds of goodies for you guys on the site, but do not sleep on mouth taping. It has changed my life. I am so passionate about telling everyone I know about mouth taping.

Go to shopskinnyconfidential.com. I had a little staycation a couple weeks ago. Resort Pass is actually local in Austin, and it was so cute. We had the best time. We ate fruit plates. We had ice cream with lots of sprinkles. We also played in the water. There's like a water fountain there. We laid out. we read, we relaxed. We had amazing service. And I would highly recommend it if you're looking to do something fun in Austin. ResortPass provides exclusive day passes to luxury hotel pools, cabanas, and spas without needing to stay overnight. ResortPass partners with over 1,300 of the world's best hotels. The one that I went to was the Omni in Austin, 10 out of 10. Some of their day passes start as low as $25. So definitely go and check it

out because you can literally transform an average day into an escape. I mean, my kids were talking about it all day before we got there and then after we left. They absolutely loved it. It felt like we were in this luxurious hotel, but not spending the night. It was a great way to reconnect, recharge, have fun. We put our phones away. I literally took a couple pictures and then threw my phone in my bag and read my Kindle. And it was absolutely amazing. ResortPass is really the best kept secret. Definitely check out if they're in your town or if you're going to come to Austin, then you have to grab ResortPass. It's such a no-brainer. It's hot here and it's absolutely perfect. Visit resortpass.com slash skinny to get $20 off your first ResortPass experience. That's resortpass.com slash skinny. You and Danielle seem like you guys have a really healthy strong relationship what is that like for

you now like what are the things that you just had noticed such a difference with such a healthy relationship well i mean it's my first female relationship so that was like such a trip to begin with you know like i remember thinking in my bathroom and my vanity, it was all female products all across and like, no longer any men or like, no hair on the floor.

Yeah, that's nice that there's no like, pubes. I would not miss, this is what I would not miss. I would not miss the pube clippings in the toilet.

I would not miss the water that you soft all over the bathroom. If I was gone, you'd be like, where is that? I would not miss the floss that you saw all over the bathroom if i would not miss the floss that you leave and the floss picks that you leave on the fucking counter let's be dead honest in here let's as honest people women are way messier than men have you walked into the bathroom when you come home from a trip and there's stuff in the sink everywhere yeah it's like that meme where they

put the toilet seat down and there's just like chaos everywhere. That's you. And then once every month she'll get a wild hair up her ass like I gotta clean everything to the point and then she'll look over and say oh my God there's a piece of hair there but for weeks on end there's shit piled up everywhere. I saw that. Men are like

more dirty. If someone ran over to our house right now and saw her sink. The sink's not great right now. We have our moments. Yeah. yeah we do i would miss the piles if they were gone okay just as you would miss what what has it been like being in a healthy happy relationship as someone who's like follows you on instagram that's what it looks like right so we do have such a great relationship it's like my best friend and my partner all in one. So that's like awesome. We do everything together. So it's like when there's girls night, like we're still together. It's not me leaving to go out with my girlfriends and she goes out with hers. It's like

we're all together. But when you PMS together, I mean, I'll be so nice right now, but it gets ugly. Like we joke around that we're like getting a divorce every month. And those are the things that you probably don't see on Instagram. We love each other, but we definitely have our PMSing moments. And when we PMS together. But do you feel because you both know what's going on that like, because I feel in the dark when that's going on. I don't know what's happening. I don't even realize like I'm not tracking when I just, it's like something, something's in the air and it's just like, what's happening? But don't even realize like I'm not tracking when I just it's like something something's in the air and it's just like what's happening but don't you maybe like okay we both understand what's happening here so it's easier said than done we do say to each other like aren't you PMSing like we kind of know where each other's schedules are at this point I'm always late so they'll

there will be like an overlap somewhere along the way but we try our best to be like, hey, let's like tone it down and remember that we're just PMSing right now. We don't really feel like these heightened emotions and whatever. But sometimes it's just. If I said that to Lauren during the time, which would not go well for me. I said, let's just remember. Honestly, when I'm PMSing, just leave the house for three days. I'm going to say, let's just remember what's going on right now. You're not being yourself. This is heightened emotions. You mentioned earlier your fertility journey with Danielle. Can you talk a little bit about

that and what that's been like? Because that's a huge commitment. I mean, it's a big deal. I don't think people realize how big of a deal a fertility journey is. I don't even realize. I mean, it seems like a lot. Right. So when I first got pregnant with my first son, I was so thin that I was actually having trouble conceiving. And I had to go to a fertility clinic, but I didn't go as far as IVF. I was able to just monitor my cycle. I think I did Clomid and I tried naturally with my ex at the time and we conceived naturally. So I kind of had a little idea of what was involved, but two females trying to have a baby, it's all science, right? It's like love and science.

And we really wanted it to feel like it was both of ours. And so in doing that, we did something that's called reciprocal IVF. And so that was where Danielle did the first part, which is the egg retrieval. And then she had her eggs fertilized. And then once it was into an embryo, it would be put into me and I would be the carrier. So then we would kind of both feel like we were involved in the process. So just so I'm clear, it's someone's sperm, Danielle's egg, and then it would be implanted into you. So essentially I was like the oven.

That's cool. Yeah. So it's like everyone's involved. Everyone's involved. Yeah, that's really cool. And it took our first time. And at 10 weeks, we went for a 10-week checkup. And this would have been when we found out what we were going to have.

And we walked in there and they started the ultrasound. And now I have two children prior. So I kind of know what I'm looking at on the screen and I'm looking at the baby and I'm like, there's no movement on the screen. And Danielle's like, so what's this? What's that? Tell me what's this. And the nurse is like, oh, these are the hands and these are the feet and this is the belly and blah, blah, blah. Five minutes of video footage. Literally, I have that. I'm like, well, I don't see any movement. Like, are you sure that this is okay? And she was like looking and she was like, I don't see a

heartbeat. And like, we both just dropped and like looked at each other. And it's like, nobody wants to hear those words when you're pregnant and you're going in for an ultrasound at 10 weeks. And so what I had was considered a missed miscarriage. So it's when the child just dies inside of you, but there's no external signs of a miscarriage. I had no idea. And I didn't even know what this was. And literally she's like, I guess we'll have to schedule you for a DNC. I didn't even know what a DNC was. Like these are things that they never talk to you about. And so I chose to see if my body would naturally expel of the fetus. And I waited two weeks. And at that point, it still hadn't come out. And then there could be deterioration, which could then lead to

infections. And so I ended up going to get scheduled for a DNC, but I caught COVID at the time. And yeah, it was 2021. So they gave me abortion pills to take at home while I had COVID because I guess when you go under, you can't get, what is it called? Intubated. Intubated. And so I ended up having COVID, took the abortion pills and I bled out so much and I was so weak between the virus and this that I passed out on the toilet with my son standing there. Danielle had just ran to go get me something to eat. And I hit my head. It's going to sound bougie as fuck, but I hit my head on the bidet next to me and it split my head. And so here I am now bleeding. My son's there. He doesn't know if I'm bleeding from my head or what is actually

happening. And it's such a traumatic not only for you, but for your son and for you. Yeah, everyone. It was not a good time at all. And so we had to call the ambulance. I spent three days in the hospital. They had to give me an epidural because again, I had COVID. So they gave me an epidural to perform an emergency DNC. It was just a nightmare. It was not fun at all. One of the most fuck, I mean, that was a terribly fucked up story, but like fucked up things about this whole COVID thing. It's like the way, the way they handled all of these situations is such a mess. Horrible. I lost my uncle during COVID and my aunt was not able to see him in the

hospital for his last hours. It was just that time. I think for everyone was just like, they're going to look back on that time in the future and be like, this was the, one of the dumbest times in human history. I mean, can we talk about the mass?

Whenever I see photos now, I'm just like, what were we thinking with the gloves and the Lysol on the bags? But we don't have to get into that. Oh, trust me. We've got into it on this. They're probably like, move the fuck on. The way that I wore the mask was like, hanging off like a limp dick. I can't, I'm not wearing a mask. I'm messed out. I will never, ever forget or forgive these nutcases during that time. I'll be bringing it up till I'm not wearing a mask. I'm messed out. I will never ever forget or forgive these nutcases during that time. I'll be bringing it up until I'm 100 years old. What about when they would drive in the car with the mask on and you're like,

you're literally in the car alone. I can't. I'm also not going to breathe fiberglass from the mask into my lungs. Like, I'm sorry. No, thanks. Right. Nothing worse than people that wanted medals for being cowards. Next time you come on the podcast, we can discuss that.

So going through all of this, there are a lot of people listening who are going through fertility treatments or have had miscarriages. I guess, I don't know if there's advice, but what did you sort of learn throughout this entire process? What I learned was that I think the statistics are like one in four women have a missed miscarriage or miscarriage and that is really high. And I don't think that a lot of women talk about it, whether it's because they're embarrassed and feel like they've done something wrong to not be able to carry or to

have lost this child. I just think talking about the experience more and sharing that is definitely helpful for everyone that's going through IVF and fertility period. That's kind of helped us is just sharing our story. We created a YouTube and we kind of told everyone and showed the whole thing. So was IVF difficult? So I think it's emotionally takes like an emotional toll, especially for like Danielle in the first part, I did a whole different thing, which was just preparing my body to carry, which is more like progesterone and some other shots. And the needles are like this big. I heard. Have to go on your butt. It's like a baseball bat. It's huge. It wasn't so bad, especially if you use an ice pack and numb the area. But for her, you have to go on birth control first to get yourself on like the specific cycle. Then you

have to do these hormones and injections every day.'s deaf it's a lot i give a lot of women so much credit that are going through this multiple times there's women that are like oh fifth time ivf eighth time ivf i'm like how i can do it we have a friend that did it christine chu came on um she was in bling empire show Bling Empire, and she did it 13 times. Yeah. So much credit. 13 times. So wearing. But she got her miracle baby. Well, then it's worth it. Yeah. So I would love to talk about what you're working on now, because what you're doing is absolutely amazing for so many women. So talk to us about where this idea transpired, what it is, all the things. So I just launched my what I call passion project turned life project,

original self on the 8th. So I did it on 88 Lionsgate. And it is a company geared and focused around explant and mastectomies. And I feel like there's really no companies out there that have tapped into this market and really focused on the explant girlies and mastectomy women. Now, mastectomies have been around forever and so have bras and things and prosthetics, but they're like up to here, full coverage. They look so matronly and frumpy. And I just felt like this cannot be the only solution for girls who have removed their breasts or implants and now have to wear a bra with prosthetics. So I thought I'm going to create one. I used to have a swimmer line and I could do this, like what's creating a bra. And so I, I know how to sew and I took a few bras and started to make them together and sew them together and bought

a few prosthetics that are already out there and cut them and sew them and made them into what I wanted them to be and created this bra. And so I call this the OG bra. It's the first and the original one. And it's made to hold different inserts. And I have three different inserts that I sell on the site. The thickest is our maxi boost. And that's actually what I wear and I have on because I'm left with nothing. And this gives me like what I feel like is a nice full

B or C. And then I have a mini size insert that's for women who have explanted and have maybe like a little bit of tissue, the mini size, which is more for like if you want just like a boost and you still have a little bit of boob left. What has the response been to this? Because this is a really unique niche category. It's been so well received. I mean, I've only sent out product to a few influencers. Candice, our mutual friend Candice loves it. Candice has been amazing. She explanted too, just so you guys know, and she loves it. Yeah. And she's such an advocate for women who are going through that, including the mastectomy community. And she, I mean, the videos and the candid footage that she shares, like she has been

so incredible. And so as all of the other girls that I have sent the bra to, like their videos of them and how happy they are to like feel that volume and fullness and have cleavage again and be able to wear like a deep V-neck shirt with this bra. Like that's just, that's done it for me. This is why I did it. I did it as much for me as I did for them. I think this is like very, very innovative. I'm very excited about it. And maybe at the end we can give a code. I didn't even ask you. Absolutely. I do have to ask you this. There's something that I would just love to know that you're really passionate about. That's clean, non-toxic. I think you, and you mentioned this

earlier in the episode, were one of the first influencers that I saw that started to clean out. You mentioned ingredients, going to Whole Foods, just really cleaning out. What are the products that you use on a daily basis to maintain that clean lifestyle? So I've loved Symbiotica for a really long time since Chervine came out with the first product, which was like astaxanthin and like EPA or something. I've followed their journey this whole time, and I still genuinely love and use their products. I also started using this company called Rho, R-H-O, and I use their liquid NAD. I really like their products. I don't really like to do needles and IVs. So anything that I can get that's like already, you know, done into a liquid, I try to.

Wellness, beauty, what are your tips? You have so many tips on your Instagram. So I think my favorite most kept secret that I have is going to be this product called Nano Blur. You know, when you go out at night to a club or a restaurant and you see girls and they just look like they have glaze on their face with their makeup so this literally it's like the last step of your makeup and you pat it on and I hope I look matte right now but it's supposed to just keep you completely matte and it has never failed me and that is I never really talk about it because I never wanted to sell out but I'm not going to keep it. So that's my number one makeup tip is like pat that on at the last stage. I think they used it in the show Euphoria. I had read it somewhere and that's how I found it. Hair, nails, morning routine. What are all your little go to's that you do? So I actually have given my nails a break for the past six or seven months. I haven't even had like a manicure. I do it myself. And they became so hard from not wearing gels and not having tips or anything. And I felt like I just really wanted to have a break for my nails. So I've gone completely natural for like seven months, not even a clear top coat. You could just shine them up with some olive oil and like massage it in there. Michael's like,

what are you guys talking about? Michael, just get with the program. Get some olive oil. Because what? Because I don't know. You don't know about nails. Do they get brittle or something if you do stuff like this?

Yeah. They're like paper thin. Yeah, they get paper thin when you put gel on them. Yeah. So I do that and I'll massage some like cuticle oil or whatever on it.

I feel like you have all these concoctions on your Instagram like different waters and things. I'm always just doing something even for beauty. I will say one thing that I do, and this is just what I do. I'm not giving medical advice. I wear a waist trainer to bed every single night. So wait, so this is not Lycra. It's not. It's literally mesh. And I don't wear it. Like it's not so, so tight,

but it's enough to like hold me in and keep me in. And I feel like my waist is almost back to pre-baby. I measured it the other day and it was 23.5 inches. It was 23 before kids. What? You have to text me the link to this so I can put it in the show. And it's not sponsored. Like I pay for all of my products from them.

But is it like a waist trainer that's like a tight one that like kind of makes you sweat? Or is it like a waist trainer that's like a corset situation? It's like a corset. It buttons up with one zipper and it's made out of mesh. And it's like I can stretch it and it's breathable. Some people say you're not supposed to do it. But I believe that like if you have water running down rocks long enough, the water is going to carve its mark into the rock.

And that's how I feel like it is with my body. If I wear it long enough, it's going to shape my body and keep my waist tiny. That makes sense. I did after I had both my kids, I did belly binding where they come and they bind you like, like there's like a technique and it makes such a difference for the uterus shrinking back.

Sorry, Michael, just go with it. You forgot. I bound your belly. Oh, okay. He wants to put his little two cents.

I learned how to do it. I learned how to tie the thing. You did. Okay. So, so I, I can see how doing it every night in a little way. Like it doesn't sound like it's extravagant.

No, it sounds, it sounds like you're like zipping something up. Yeah. Would make a difference, especially after you've had kids because the uterus does expand. Yeah, totally. And I never, I thought I was going to have one more child, honestly. And so I never went and had like a mini tummy tuck or a tummy tuck to like make my muscles go back together. So I still have that space. I feel like this just helps keep me everything in. And another thing I do is castor oil on my stomach before I do it. So I sleep in only cotton

and I'll put it on my stomach all over. Then I'll put my cotton like PJ outfit on top and then I'll put the corset on top of that. Danielle knows when that castor oil comes out and you put on that waist trainer not to fuck with you. I got to get you some mouth tape. unavailable it's like a do not disturb yes she's gonna love that along with my red light mask yeah yeah i put on my lip tape he tried to talk to me last night i was like nope call a friend listen i don't you know i don't i don't just need the the mouth it's actually honestly sometimes better if you tape that thing up i'm gonna get mount like vagina tape so that is gone too before it's like old like chastity belts but before you go what is in jennifer stano's bag and this is a beautiful bag if you're not if you're listening and you're not watching explain what it is it is a patent

leather chanel i don't know what is classic flap jumbo maybe it's huge it's bright orange coral red yeah coral is a good one coral yeah orange orangey i like the color i like the color too i mean where do i begin oh my god no give us it'll take us an hour this is for tiktok show us what's in your bag okay live out of of that bag. So I always have a mirror with me. And I say mirror, that's like the few things I say that sounds very New York is a mirror. And it has a little bit of like powder for shine. So I just dab that on. Always have to have a mirror.

My biggest fear is like having a booger or something stuck in your teeth. So without fail, I will always have a mirror. Michael, you should carry that around because Michael has a perpetual pepper in his tooth every day. If I had a mirror, that wouldn't happen. That pepper could. Lauren, I came in the studio and you had a little friend hanging out of your mouth. That was beef jerky. Okay. I always carry some sort of supplements. So like the Symbiotica glutathione. That's the best glutathione, by the way. I have my collagen pure, and then I always still suffer with like gut issues and bloating. And so I will always have like a prebiotic, probiotic, probiotic on me. This one's the Trebiotic Axis.

Trebiotic hand sanitizer mist thing. Matches with your mirror. We just keep it in there. Of course, the selenite stick for good energy. I loves it. I try not to wear a lot of perfume because of like fragrance. So a friend of mine made this like fragrance so a friend of mine made this like essential oil perfume that's all natural so i keep this on me eye drops

do you know typology it's like an all-natural skincare brand from france oh my god i'm obsessed with their line and like this is their lip like it's glass everything is in like glass and amazing so this is like a lip oil cute i love knowing people's in bags i traveled with this oh that's cool stop she has a mic i did and i busted it out at the beach too danielle's like what are you rolling and i'm like my face this is gonna make all the water go out i love it that is so cute my wallet hair clip this is the nano blur i was telling you I love it. That is so cute. My wallet, a hair clip. This is the nano blur I was telling you about. Love it. You have to show your wallet off to everyone. They're going to want to see that. Yellow Chanel. Very cute with the orange. It's more of a lime green, Lord. Okay. Oh, phone charger. I see you have these also. Those are the best. I can't live

without it. A purse. Do you ever use these? Yes. I mean. You got to have one of those. That was like elegant women on Instagram. Like one of the things elegant women carry is a purse carrier. Yeah. Because some, you know, nicer restaurants. You just put that on the table, right?

Right. Nicer restaurants will have like a bag caddy for you and like bring it to your table. But when they don't, what are you doing with your huge bag? And like the waiters knock into it. Phone, obviously. Before you go, tell us, you've lived a wild and crazy life. Looking back at your age now with what you've gone through, what advice would you tell your younger self? Not to care so much what other people are going to think of you. I think that's always been something that I've struggled with is what is

someone going to think of me? What are they going to say if I do this? What if I fail? What are they going to say about me? And I think that that's just something that so many people struggle with is like, what are people going to think of me if I do this, if I don't do this, if I say this, if I wear this? So I would tell my younger self not to care so much because at the end of the day, it's really not even going to matter, especially all of the internet people that have their internet muscles. If they ever saw you in person, they would say nothing to your face. I think for you, that's very on brand because I feel like you've come so full circle to not caring what anyone thinks and you're living your life on your own terms. And I think that's what's so inspiring about you. I got so torn apart in 2016 that I think that created the thickest skin that you could possibly have. So yeah, it does create a thick skin and you start

to be like, what else can you say? You've said it all. And it's all out there. Like, what are you going to say that's not already there? It creates resilience. I mean, listen, it's a great quality to have when you literally don't care what anyone else thinks. Jennifer, where can everyone find your Instagram, shop the bras, see what you guys are doing on your YouTube, pimp yourself out? So you can follow me at Jennifer Stano And my company's name is Original Self and the acronym is OGSLF. So I use both domains, but OGSLF.com. Do you want to do a code? We could do Code Skinny. Okay. What do you want to do? It's up to you. We could give 15 or 20. What do you want to do? Let's do 15% off. Code Skinny, 15% off. If I were you guys, the one that I have on the table looks amazing. This is the one that i have on the table looks amazing

this is yeah this is the one you're wearing right now i do yeah i have it on so if you guys want to see what it looks like you can go to the youtube channel jennifer's wearing it i'm sure you can also go on instagram and see it michael's copying a feel of the bra so michael's popping a boner i'm gonna throw this on tonight and we can give it a test ride. Yeah, we can try it out. We're going to Miami this weekend. Yeah, we're going alone. Alone. We're going to have some fun in Miami.

You guys go follow Jennifer. She's very honest, very real. I really like following you. I've been following you, like I said, since like 2010, which is wild. Thank you for coming on. Come back anytime. Thank you for having me.

Wait, don't go. We sold out of mouth tape four times. We just got back in stock. Go to shopskinnyconfidential.com and grab yours. I would highly recommend going on the subscribe feature. I'm actually on and subscribed to my own mouth tape because I don't want it to sell out. Head to shopskinnyconfidential.com.