The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast - Kelly Brabants On How To Turn Your Ideas Into A Business & Change Your Life

Episode Date: September 12, 2022

#495: On today's episode we are joined by Kelly Brabants. Kelly is a Boston girl with Brazilian roots as well as the founder and CEO of Booty By Brabants.  Today Kelly joins the show to discuss how y...ou can turn your ideas into a business and change your life. We also discuss what it takes to take something from nothing and how you can take tactical steps today to start something from scratch.  To connect with Kelly Brabants click HERE To connect with Lauryn Evarts click HERE To connect with Michael Bosstick click HERE Read More on The Skinny Confidential HERE For Detailed Show Notes visit TSCPODCAST.COM To Call the Him & Her Hotline call: 1-833-SKINNYS (754-6697) This episode is brought to you by The Skinny Confidential. We have a very special collaboration coming soon! Stay tuned for Thursday's episode to be the first to know who we're partnering with this month. This episode is brought to you by Sakara Sakara is a wellness company anchored in food as medicine, on a mission to nourish your body through the power of plants. Go to www.sakara.com and use code SKINNY at checkout to recieve 20% off your first order. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp BetterHelp is online therapy that offers video, phone, and even live chat-only therapy sessions. So you don’t have to see anyone on camera if you don’t want to. It's much more affordable than in-person therapy & you can be matched with a therapist in under 48 hours. Our listeners get 10% off their firs month at betterhelp.com/skinny . This episode is brought to you by Nutrafol Nutrafol is the #1 dermatologist-recommended hair growth supplement, clinically shown to improve your hair growth, thickness, and visible scalp coverage. Go to www.nutrafol.com and use code SKINNYHAIR to save $15 off your first month's subscription. This episode is brought to you by Once Upon a Farm Once Upon a Farm is the leading baby food and kids snacks brand offering organic, cold-pressed fruit and veggie pouches, dairy free smoothies, overnight oats, plant rich meals and more. Go to onceuponafarmorganics.com and use code SKINNY at checkout to receive 35% off your first subscription order. This episode is brought to you by Dr. Dennis Gross Help correct and prevent signs of sun aging with Dr. Dennis Gross Vitamin C Lactic for firmer, brighter, stronger skin. The quality of Dr. Dennis Gross ingredients, formulation, and delivery system all add up to you seeing real results– both immediate and long-term. Use code SKINNY at checkout for 20% off your first purchase at www.drdennisgross.com. Produced by Dear Media

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Starting point is 00:00:00 The following podcast is a Dear Media production. All right. So I went to my facialist in San Diego and she's kind of like a medical esthetician. She is aggressive, but she's also careful at the same time. And she just knows her shit when it comes to skincare. And she was telling me, I said, what's like a product that everyone should have in their routine, no matter what skin they have. And she said, vitamin C. She's like, Lauren, you gotta have vitamin C. And that's so interesting because Dr. Dennis Gross has been on our podcast a million times and he always says that too. So if you do have a skincare routine, I would recommend vitamin C. And I can also say that too, after writing my book, Get the Fuck Out of the Sun. So get a vitamin
Starting point is 00:00:44 C because it reduces dark spots and hyperpigmentation. It increases density, which I love. So you get like that really nice feeling skin. It's like bouncy and you get that stronger, firmer looking skin. You guys know what I'm talking about. It also prevents wrinkles and reduces them and it protects against free radical damage. So vitamin C really does it all. Now, the one that Michael and I absolutely love, it should not surprise you, is Dr. Dennis Gross's vitamin C lactic. It's gonna give you firmer, brighter, stronger skin.
Starting point is 00:01:14 And I know that because I use it every day. He just has such great products in general because he's so involved in creating them. And formulations matter. It's the quality of the ingredients, how it's cooked, how it's presented. Dr. Dennis is the five-star chef. He is the chef of skincare. Another thing I would grab since I'm going to give you guys a code is, and I would definitely grab this, is the oil-free moisturizer. It's lightweight, it's bouncy, and it's perfect
Starting point is 00:01:42 for putting on before makeup. So I'll apply it with a damp beauty blender and then do my foundation or concealer on top of it. And it just lays so nicely. It doesn't ball up. So those are the two things you got to grab, okay? You're going to use code SKINNY at checkout for 20% off your first purchase. Visit drdennisgross.com for more information.
Starting point is 00:02:04 Use code SKINNY at checkout for 20% off your first purchase. Visit drdennisgross.com for more information. Use code skinny at checkout for 20% off your first purchase. Get excited if you live in LA because something is coming to Air One. That's right. I am doing a specific special drink that is launching the 15th with Erewhon. Okay. This is a big moment because you guys are going to be able to go in stores and get this cute pink drink that matches your feed. And it has prime premium ingredients in it. Like I got to pick out each ingredient and design it with the Erewhon team. And I'm telling you, you're going to freak. You're going to freak. It tastes good. It looks good. I made sure that the tone of pink was the perfect tone for your TikTok and your Instagram. And it matches with
Starting point is 00:02:57 your ice roller. So it's a whole thing, right? You got your drink, you got the ice roller, you're just de-puffing. I also made sure that the ingredients in this drink were anti-inflammatory. So it's really all the things. And if you're not in LA, don't worry because I believe we're going to be sharing the ingredients and how to make it on the next episode. So definitely tune in. I am so excited to have a custom drink at Air One. They're my favorite grocery store in Los Angeles. They're iconic. And to know that you guys are going to be able to go shop in stores
Starting point is 00:03:30 and go to Air One and get this drink is setting me over the edge. I'm so excited. So definitely be sure to get all the details, like every single detail in the next episode. Okay, it comes out September 15th. So in three days. So definitely make sure that you're listening to the next episode that comes out on September 15th because we're announcing all the details.
Starting point is 00:03:50 On that note, let's get into the episode. 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.
Starting point is 00:04:10 Him and her. I know it's cliche, but I march to the beat of my own drum in everything that I do. With my friends, I've always gone this way and they've always gone that way. Right away, I just said to my dad, I'm dropping out. I was so ashamed to even come back. Like on Thanksgiving, when all your friends come back from school. I didn't even like to go to parties or associate with my high school friends because I felt like a failure, even though deep, deep down in my soul, I knew I was doing this for a greater purpose. Now I have
Starting point is 00:04:36 something to prove and I'm so hungry and I can't fail. So now my option is literally I have to win. You are going to love this episode if you are a hustler and you're just starting out. Maybe you want to own your own business. Maybe you have that entrepreneurial spirit in you, but you're not channeling it right. Because this episode is going to tell you how to channel that entrepreneur in you. We are talking to Kelly Brabant. She is the founder of Booty by Brabant. Let me tell you about it. Okay. So the idea started out with her class. She had a class called Booty by Brabant and her class quickly caught fire as one of the most sought after workout classes in the city of Boston. Since its inception, her workout has
Starting point is 00:05:25 served as a community platform to give back and they've raised over $300,000. Okay, so Kelly had a dream to do clothing that united all women of all shapes, sizes, and ages. So Kelly in this episode is going to tell you how she started out with a dream for this clothing line and how she executed it. She's going to give you tangible takeaways. She is from Boston. I know there's a lot of Boston listeners out there and I'm sure all you guys know her. She is very, very, very well known in Boston. She's taught workout classes forever there and her leggings are sought after. Let me tell you guys, I wore these leggings nine months pregnant. They fit. They looked good.
Starting point is 00:06:08 My ass looked good in them, okay? Nine months pregnant. And now I'm wearing them post-pregnancy. And even Zaza wears them. She got these little nude ones for Zaza. They're so cute. And she gave me like a pink little workout set. And the black leggings are so good.
Starting point is 00:06:23 If you're looking for like a good legging that holds you in and flatters you, these are it. She is going to tell you in this episode how she was a workout teacher who had an idea, who had a dream and how she turned her dream and her idea into a massive company. This episode is so inspiring. So without further ado, let's meet Kelly of Booty by Bravins. This is the Skinny Confidential, him and her. You were telling me about how on the side of your packaging is the sidewalk that your parents grew up in in Brazil. So my dad's from South Boston, 100% Irish. He was traveling to Brazil in Rio de Janeiro during
Starting point is 00:07:06 carnival season. If you know carnival, it's a huge spectacle in Brazil and it's a huge part of the culture. Halloween themed kind of it for Brazil, where costumes and just crazy club nightlife. And he's at a club right in Ipanema where the Ipanema sidewalk is iconic. My mom walked into a club. She was wearing this little crop top. She was dressed as a hippie. He was dressed up as Frank Sinatra. They locked eyes and they got married after six months. My mom moved to the United States
Starting point is 00:07:34 and they've been married for 33 years now. Hold on. Did he sing her? The girl from Ipanema? No, my dad cannot sing. I don't know how he got her because he couldn't speak a word of Portuguese. She couldn't speak a word of English. Perfect. What the fuck fuck is that it's probably why it moves so fast that sounds amazing i wish i couldn't understand more than all the time oh my god can you imagine if i woke up and you just were talking and i just could shake my head
Starting point is 00:07:58 that's pretty much what happened so they would hire a translator during all their first dates. And then my mom flew to Boston. But now my company, all my leggings are made in Brazil. So my cousin runs my factory in Brazil now. And it's become a whole family affair. So let's go back to your childhood. Your sister's here. You guys are so cute.
Starting point is 00:08:22 I can tell your sister. She's my sidekick. We're 18 months apart. And you guys are from Boston. Yep. How did you grow up? So we grew up in a town like 40 minutes outside of Boston, Easton, Massachusetts. We're one of seven. So we have a huge family, five girls, two boys. And our family is really close. We have an insane family dynamic. Everyone always says we should have a reality television show because we're all very different and have insane personalities. But we grew up really, really close, just small town, working hard. My dad is a very tough, strong personality. And my mom's
Starting point is 00:08:53 spicy Brazilian woman. She stayed home with us, took care of us. And we, yeah, we all went to the same high school. And now it's flashback nine years later. Now my headquarters is in my hometown. Wild. That's a full circle. Yeah. And my fulfillment center and everything. We ship everything out of Easton, Massachusetts. So just because I'm pregnant, I have to know.
Starting point is 00:09:15 Seven children, like when you're in it is a lot. So my mom didn't have all seven. My dad was married previously before. But they were really, it's a whole other podcast situation. The life of the Bray Bansays. Yeah, my dad was married previously before and we just stayed really close to our other siblings. And we see them every Sunday.
Starting point is 00:09:33 We do Sunday dinner. How does your mom manage to have that many kids? Like what's the secret? The secret? Both of them are very family oriented and have always told us since we were kids, your friends, your friends are your family are your best friends and to spend time together and they just always we took a road
Starting point is 00:09:51 trip when we were 13 years old from boston to san francisco and back he piled all of us in a car oh my god is your dad insane he goes i found religion at the end of that trip so yeah that's how we grew up. Your sisters are your best friends. And my mom just loves family so much. She has a big family in Brazil. We would travel every summer as soon as we got out of school. We'd fly to Rio. So we got to spend a lot of time with her side of the family.
Starting point is 00:10:17 And my whole company and my whole business is based on, it were all family run. My brother and my two sisters, my dad, and my mom all work for VVB. I can't even go on a three hour flight. I don't know how he did it. Yeah, and we didn't have, there's no iPads.
Starting point is 00:10:29 We didn't have iPads. Was it like a, it's a huge suburban with like one of those turtle tops. But it wasn't like a, it wasn't like a camper. It should have been a camper.
Starting point is 00:10:38 No, we stayed at 42 hotels. Oh my God. It took him a year and a half to plan. It's, it's probably one of the most like epic stories that
Starting point is 00:10:46 we talk about all the time yeah and it just shows like that really embodies like who we are as people like we do everything together even my boyfriend sometimes gets overwhelmed because he's like it's the weekend what is the what do the brave answers have plans and i'm like i know we have to go it's so-and-so's birthday it's every weekend it's someone's birthday because there's just so many kids and people that That sounds fun, but boy, it's a lot. It's a lot of work. It's not for everybody. Maybe there's like something in the ether that made it so your parents couldn't talk to each other right away so they could like actually find some solitude within the relationship. Totally. We never really thought of it like that,
Starting point is 00:11:17 but yeah. Maybe it was a good thing, like honestly. Okay, so when did you decide that you were going to launch your company? Like, how did the idea even come to you? So I launched it in 2014, but I was a personal trainer prior to that in Boston at Equinox. And my whole background is in dance. I went to school for performing arts. I dropped out my freshman year because my number one dream was just to be a backup dancer for Beyonce. So I was like, a college degree is not necessary for me to get there. But in 2008, it was very frowned upon. All my friends were going to school. And so I was really the only person that I knew of that dropped out freshman year. I lived in a studio apartment in Manhattan, did an internship. You have to talk about that because I think right now we're starting to see
Starting point is 00:12:00 the light of people talking about not going to college thank god because i my one regret is like sorry early days of this show when we would say like maybe don't go to school especially if you have to pay for it and take debt on like we used to get a lot of pushback now i think people are really starting to be like oh i want to know more about how you decided to like break through that with all your friends and the judge huge insecurity I actually was insecure about it until probably three years ago and sometimes I'm still a little insecure that I don't have a college degree but I but I'm not I'm so confident now everything I've been through and I know is the best decision but at the time 2008 I I was so I just was so sure of who I was as a person I've been I'm a very disciplined driven
Starting point is 00:12:47 person on my own I don't know I was just born with it I don't really know why I guess but and from how my dad raised us but I knew that going on this path of school and becoming conforming to this art that the school was kind of handing to us. It just didn't feel creative. I'm a really creative person. I know it's corny, but cliche, but I marched to the beat of my own drum in everything that I do. And so I've always, with my friends, I've always gone this way and they've all always gone that way, even through high school. So it was a shirt. It was right away. I just said to my dad, I'm dropping out. He didn't speak to me for a little bit. And I was so ashamed to even come back on Thanksgiving when all your friends come back from school and all the parents are
Starting point is 00:13:29 like, oh, how's school? How's this? I didn't even like to go to parties or associate with my high school friends because I felt like a failure, even though deep, deep down in my soul, I knew I was doing this for a greater purpose. I wasn't just going to sit on the couch and be a loser and not build something for myself it made me feel like now i have something to prove and i'm so hungry and i can't fail so now my option is literally to i have to win you it seemed like you were really affected by this you you didn't even go to parties no i i did i wish we were friends well you know what's interesting is i should have to san diego i i think about sometimes periodically, especially as we talk to young people,
Starting point is 00:14:08 and young people when I say people getting ready to go to school. And for the longest time, our parents' generation, that was the path to success, right? You go to school, you graduate, you go to college, and college enables you to get a higher paying job, right? That was the new norm. But that's changed so much. And so many of these curriculums have become so outdated that a lot of times you go through the school system and you're actually not prepared for what the real world we all engage in,
Starting point is 00:14:34 you know, how we actually hire and work. You're not ready for it, right? You don't even look at when you look at a resume. So out of all the people that work within this company i don't know where one person went to school i love that you said that on a podcast and i loved that about you both of you and the way you are with you know supporting entrepreneurs but i not to say i mean like i i think that if you go to a good school like it's so important well it could be good right like there's a lot of things that prepare you, but there's also a lot of that system that sets you up to think in a very kind of like, this is the only way to do it.
Starting point is 00:15:10 Narrow-minded thought path. So I encourage all of the hiring managers here to disregard school and make it more about the person and their skillset and their drive. And their experience. For me, dropping out of college and feeling like I was so low and I felt like I was, I felt really lonely. And I think there's stages in your life as an entrepreneur. You always feel a little lonely because you're doing something that no one else is doing. And if you can't have people around you that you can relate to, it just is isolating.
Starting point is 00:15:38 But for me, dropping out, it brought me so low that I had so much room to grow. And I had so much room to grow and I had so much room to build myself up slowly and even though I didn't realize it during the time like as I was doing it I was just doing it was I was my energy was driving me to meet new people work at random restaurants in Manhattan I worked at Saddle Ranch for two years like I was just I slept on a couch for three months because and I had no car in. So I was taking public transportation until I got like chased out of the train station in North Hollywood. And I like run into a Panera bed and I called my dad.
Starting point is 00:16:10 I'm like, I think I need to get a car. Hold on, hold on, hold on. You lived on someone's couch for three months. Yeah, probably a little bit more than that. Is this while you're building your company or before? Oh no, I was 19. You're 19. So you live on someone's couch.
Starting point is 00:16:23 How does that go? So I was a dance friend that I met while I was doing an internship at Broadway Dance Center in Manhattan. She was originally from California. So she just moved back after the internship was over. And I said, oh, hey, I have my dreams to go to L.A. and be a backup dancer for Beyonce or, you know, Ariana Grande or whatever. Could I just come out and just try it out? I'll just go on a few auditions thinking that I was going to fly out there go to a few auditions genuinely it was very naive of me and I thought I was going to get booked and I was going to prove everyone like hey I am a backup dancer like my
Starting point is 00:16:53 dreams of being a star is you know is happening I proved you all wrong and that's truly what I felt when I went there and it actually the exact opposite happened I didn't book a single job I spent more time working as a waitress because I couldn't even pay my bills there was a day where I went to 7-eleven and got like a protein bar and a monster I'll never forget because I had five dollars in my bank account and I was too ashamed to ask my parents for money because that would be me proving them wrong and it wasn't until my nana passed right before my 21st birthday that I kind of just she was a huge part of my life and like it's a huge part of our
Starting point is 00:17:25 family and I just she kind of always brought us together she was she really was like the glue that kept us together now it's like my dad and when she passed I just took a really good look at myself and I said I was such an insecure person I was always comparing myself to other body types I was constantly being body shamed at auditions. That's so horrible. Maybe you can speak on that about the body shaming in auditions. Well, I didn't have Instagram. I barely, I had a Blackberry. I'm 32.
Starting point is 00:17:53 So when the dance world, you couldn't just post a TikTok and go viral. You really had to be good, but you also had to make connections that for me weren't the right way. That is not how I wanted to get my success. What do you mean? You had to suck penis? What is that? Without being actual.
Starting point is 00:18:11 I mean, I don't know. Like what's, you have to give us like a peek into the audition world. Why are you always going to the darkest places? I love it. Because that's what she, is that what you're saying? I guess. I mean, I don't know for a fact, but what I felt like the networking
Starting point is 00:18:27 was just not the way I network. I truly believe in if you love my product and you love who I am as a person, you're going to gravitate towards me or things are going to happen. I still think you need to network, put yourself out there. But in the dance,
Starting point is 00:18:39 it was just too cutthroat for me in LA. I just didn't fit in. The audition process, I, when I was like 21, would come up here and try to book modeling jobs. I remember this.
Starting point is 00:18:51 And it's brutal. I mean, I only had a little time. I'd be in seven hour cattle calls in like seven inch heels. It's brutal. Standing outside. You're changing in your car.
Starting point is 00:18:59 Oh my gosh. You go in, there's all these girls. The girls that you're up against are like the most perfect. perfect girls from every town. You got every single town's most perfect girl in one spot. And then you have to like stand like meat in front of these people. For me, I never was like modeling's my, that's what I want to do.
Starting point is 00:19:22 I just kind of was like, let's pay the bills. So I wasn't as like attached to the process but you do see girls like crying in the audition room oh it's awful it's so the woman whispered in my ear like you're not gonna fit the costume you're too big and I just and I was with so many people and the first thing I thought of was like I don't want anyone else to hear me I'm so embarrassed it's brutal I can handle it but like did anyone else hear it because that was the most embarrassing thing and nowadays I'm so happy that there is more body inclusivity and I don't I don't know how I don't know I haven't been in the dance world in 10 years but yeah it was it was really intense I just felt like my it's the same thing as why I didn't love college for me I also didn't love
Starting point is 00:19:58 the dance world for me because it your future's in the hands of someone else I couldn't be creative I couldn't freestyle the way I wanted to I couldn't play the I couldn't dance the song that I wanted to. It had to be the artist choosing what I did. And for me, I started to realize I have much more than just to be a backup dancer. I want to be at the front of the stage. I want to be in control. What's so great about now in 2022 is you can like you said, you can go online and you can be the creator of your own future without having someone who is like a movie producer telling you if you can make it or not exactly you have the power to make what you want out of it however hard you want to work it's amazing and and it's a huge thing like even with when i started booty in 2014 i had 200 followers
Starting point is 00:20:41 i had never had a personal instagram which is like something I've been growing into booty I brave and this is like my personal and it's my brand and I know when you switch like Lauren I right away I was like oh my gosh I want to do something like that but my platform when I first started it was really just through my classes like I didn't have that platform or that place to connect and it just slowly grew like grew so after you decide that you take a hard look at your life and what's happening and you decide to launch an Instagram account for dance, not for your product. No. So for the product. So when I moved back from LA, I said, I don't want to dance anymore. I want to do more. So I became a personal trainer and it was truly because I
Starting point is 00:21:20 loved making people feel good. Even through dance, I remember performing and just, I'm such an energy person. I can tell when people are happy. I can tell when they're sad. And I felt through dance and through my movement, it really like I could connect with people. And then with personal training, I could relate so much to body image. I was so fucked.
Starting point is 00:21:39 I don't know if I used to have it. I mean, my mind. Why were you so fucked? My mind, I looked at myself and I still kind of do. I'm working on it with my therapist fucked my mind i looked at myself and i still kind of do i'm working on it with my therapist but i would look at myself like completely different than the way people would look at me and it's taken me a long time to truly love the skin that i'm in but i also think that that's my one of my best qualities because i can relate to all women and when i
Starting point is 00:22:01 train them i can feel their insecurities and I can help lift them up and give them compliments when I know they need one. And through my classes, I'm able to really use my struggles and my insecurities and my things that have held me back. I can use that as a way to help others because I can feel it. If someone's out there and they're struggling with body dysmorphia, how did you, I don't want to say get over it but how did you like see the light I think one was I started surrounding myself around people that didn't always talk about body image or talk about being so perfect all the time or talk about even though you know I love doing all those beauty products I love doing Botox I love I have lip filler I love to eat healthy and I follow all these health and wellness brands but I'm not obsessive over it like I used to be.
Starting point is 00:22:49 And my friends and my family, on Sundays, we're making chocolate chip cookies and we're having a Brazilian feast and we're enjoying life. And we're not obsessing over the body and how we feel. And BBBs always fit me because they're one size. And all my family now wears BBBs. She's wearing them right now. And so we don't harp on it and make it this thing. We talk about being healthy, but it's not. I don't know how to explain it. Me and my friends are just so normal. And we're getting ready and we're drinking wine and we're having fun, but we're not talking
Starting point is 00:23:16 about how... We're not dissecting each other, if that makes sense. Yeah, it's counterintuitive. I had this old driving instructor when I was a kid. My dad was like, listen, if any of you guys are going to go off and start driving, you know, you got to take driving lessons because he didn't want us just running around and then smashing the cars. Right. Which I think is actually probably sound like it was something, it was probably something smart that he did. He did for me and my two sisters. He's like, before you get on the road, like get out there and learn. And this, this driving
Starting point is 00:23:42 instructor basically said, whenever you're crashing or spinning off the road or something like that, you actually don't want to look and fixate on where you don't want to go. You want to look at where you want to end up. And I think what he was saying, because subconsciously you'll actually end up, like if you see a tree and you're going off the road and you stare at that tree, you're going to smash into the tree. So you got to look back on the road. And I think in anything else, like we fixate on these things so much that it actually makes it harder to get rid of these problems, right? Like you think by, oh, I'm going to fixate on my body or my diet or my fitness or my job, whatever.
Starting point is 00:24:13 It actually makes it worse. Totally. And I even say in my office, like the word fat is just not allowed. Like, and I know there's, I know that sounds kind of dramatic, but like there are certain words where just like, just don't say them. Like if you, if you can not say it, cause I think that nowadays everyone's talking about body positivity and I think it's great, but I also think it's so talked about where it's, let's just be, let's just chill out. Like if you follow that same thought of, you're exactly right. You're perpetuating the problem more because you're actually amplifying the problem more subconsciously. And I think it has probably also like now scientifically in the world we've talked about this something to do with our hormones and in balancing our hormones right like you keep
Starting point is 00:24:51 this is a problem that's a problem that's a problem it's like that's fucking up your system it's all inside of you yeah i really like what you said about not leading with that because in la it can feel like people associate their identity to what their body looks like. And that's, listen, I'm not saying that's exhausting for me. I can take that. But it's exhausting probably for the person that's doing it. With my first pregnancy, afterwards, all I could talk about, I remember with Michael was like, I feel so fat.
Starting point is 00:25:22 I feel so bloated. I feel so puffy. I just fixated on it and talked about it. And this pregnancy, I've gone into it with like, my body knows what it's doing. I'm going to be just fine. The difference is exponential. So I really like what you just said. Yeah. I think it's so important. And trust me, I have days where I feel so bloated and I'm about to do a photo shoot and I feel so insecure and I don't feel confident, but it's all my mindset. I'm really good at shifting my mindset because I have performance anxiety and it's something I've had my entire life. When I'm about to be
Starting point is 00:25:53 on camera or I'm on a stage teaching a class, wherever it is, I just snap into, it's not about me, it's about them. It's about the people who are watching me. It's about the people who bought a ticket to take my workout class. It's about the people who are watching me. It's about the people who bought a ticket to take my workout class. It's about the listeners who are listening to this podcast. So whatever I'm dealing with, that's the work that I have to do on myself. But I'm good at snapping into this mode of,
Starting point is 00:26:13 it's all a mindset. And then after I'll be like, oh wow, I feel so much better. It's almost healing for me too. I think that is such good advice. Tony Robbins just said whenever he goes on stage, he says that people's biggest fear is public speaking. It's like one of the biggest fears. And he said, if people would just
Starting point is 00:26:29 understand, it's not about them. It's about the audience. He literally said that in different words. I love that. Yeah. He said the same thing. So that's really cool. Well, he says, as soon as you stop focusing on yourself and you start focusing on them, you'll stop thinking about yourself and getting so anxious and nervous and amping yourself up because you're not thinking about yourself anymore. And it's so important. And you guys do that so well. That's nice.
Starting point is 00:26:49 You really make, I just feel like you make your listeners so engaged. I've listened to every single podcast and I'm not trying to flip the interview, but you really do know how to make it about the speaker and also who's listening. You guys care so much. And that's why I was so excited to be on here.
Starting point is 00:27:03 Thank you. That's great. I'm serious. Also, who's listening, you guys care so much. And that's why I was so excited to be on here. Thank you. That's very nice. I'm serious. Every morning without fail, I do my sexed up spa water. I do lemon in it, maybe a little ginger. And then I always, without a doubt, do chlorophyll. And the chlorophyll that I use is by Saqqara. Saqqara is a wellness company anchored in food as medicine on a mission to
Starting point is 00:27:32 nourish your body through the power of plants. So every morning when I wake up, I have my little wellness drops. I put them in. I also use their beauty water. It's super simple. It comes in like a little tincture. I just drop it in my water and we're good to go. And I feel like that's like a healthy, easy, seamless habit that I can just integrate into my day. Also, you should know if you're looking for nutrient dense meals, snacks, supplements, they have it all. So if you're looking to get food delivered to your house, but it's hard to find something that's super healthy, Saqqara's got you covered. It has like plant rich nutritional ingredients that are all about reducing bloat, easing your digestion, to find something that's super healthy, Sakara's got you covered. It has like plant-rich nutritional ingredients that are all about reducing bloat, easing your digestion, clearing your skin,
Starting point is 00:28:10 and boosting energy. We actually had the founders on the podcast and got to interview them and their mission is incredible. Their whole mission is to make you feel your best. So like I said, their whole meal plan has plant-rich ingredients and everything is going to boost your energy. You got to get the chlorophyll and you got to get the beauty drops. And right now Sakara is offering all Skinny Confidential, him and her listeners, 20% off your first order. You're going to go to sakara.com slash skinny or enter code skinny at checkout. That's Sakara, S-A-K-A-R-A dot com slash skinny. You get 20% off your first order. Sakara.com slash skinny. Now a word from our sponsor, BetterHelp. If you're like me and you're on TikTok, you know that therapy is really having a moment. I feel like every single time I look at someone's health routine on the For You page, everyone is talking about therapy. The problem though with
Starting point is 00:29:05 therapy for me always was it was like a whole to-do. You would have to get in the car. You have to drive there. You have to take time out of your day. You have to leave your house. You have to get ready, all the things. But with BetterHelp, you can now seamlessly just go online. That is right, you guys. It's convenient, accessible, affordable, and entirely online. So you get matched with a therapist after filling out a brief survey and you can switch therapist anytime, which is incredible. So if you're going through something or you just want someone to talk to, a sounding board, a different perspective, this is definitely for you. I feel like it's always good to focus on solutions, not the problem. So this should
Starting point is 00:29:45 definitely be a tool in your toolbox. I know that I would have freaked out if I had this when I was like 18 in high school. This would have been such an incredible tool to have. A therapist will help you solve problems and it makes it easier to accomplish your goals. So I'm going to give you a code. When you want to be a better problem solver, a therapy can get you there. You're going to visit betterhelp.com slash skinny today, and you get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp, H-E-L-P dot com slash skinny. You're going to visit betterhelp.com slash skinny today, and you get 10% off your first month.
Starting point is 00:30:18 That's betterhelp, H-E-L-P dot com slash skinny. When you decide to launch your brand, talk to us, right, what the before chunk looked like. Because imagine there's people out there that are listening that want to launch a brand, but they don't know where to start. I mean, you've created this huge thing out of nothing. So what did the before part of that look like? So the before part was basically I was a trainer at Equinox and my friends who were 23, 24 at the time, my age, couldn't afford to do personal training at Equinox. It was too pricey, but I was learning a lot and I was getting really, really fit. And all of my friends would ask me, what am I doing? How's your butt look like this?
Starting point is 00:30:59 I was like a little genetics, but just work out. And so I would train them just on the side for fun or we'd work out together. And I always in a way knew I was going to do my own thing I just didn't know what that was and I say that in a lot of interviews I knew like when I what's happening now isn't surprising I just didn't know what it was going to look like so I would train my friends and then I said why not do like a group exercise class where I can bring all my friends together they can pay five dollars and we can work out in a room for one hour it'd be a dream because it's like my dance background and my fitness my passion for fitness fused into one thing so I called it booty by brabants and at the time
Starting point is 00:31:34 everyone thought it was so corny it was before JLo came out with the song booty and booty is really taboo and I've still flip-flopped on the idea of the name but it's just so authentic to me it's really who I am the name's great I love the name I of the name, but it's just so authentic to me. It's really who I am. The name's great. I love the name. I own the name. The name's amazing. Oh, I own it.
Starting point is 00:31:50 My nickname before I had the company was Booty. Everyone would just call me Booty. And so I called it Booty by Brabants. My last name is Brabants. Hold on. Now that you just said that, our producer Taylor is going to try to check out your ass. He's creeping in the corner. It's not that great.
Starting point is 00:32:00 It's not that great. He's crawling over the screen. I just saw his head creep over this computer. He looks like the... It's not that great. No, no, no. He's crawling over the screen. I just saw his head creep over this computer. He looks like the... It's not that great. No, no, no. But it's natural. So that's important.
Starting point is 00:32:10 A worm. Hopping over. She's like, whiplash. Oh my gosh. She's like, what's this guy doing out there? Go on. So yeah. So I started the workout class.
Starting point is 00:32:19 Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on him. I love him. Oh my gosh. So yeah, I started the workout class and my friends started loving it. I was charging $5. It was a side gig. And it went from teaching one class a week to two to three. And I was still training from like 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Equinox. And I'd run over to downtown Boston, teach a class from 5.30, 6.30, 6.30, 7.30 p.m. And I lived in the North End.
Starting point is 00:32:42 And I would just do it every day. And then finally, the classes just blew up and I started teaching like 22 classes a week all throughout Boston. So I tapered down Equinox, like let me just kind of do part-time. So I just did my morning clients. And then as my classes were blowing up, I started to know. I'd never had an Instagram. It wasn't an influencer. I didn't know what an influencer was. I never took pictures of myself. I always wanted to start a brand that I wasn't the face of just because I didn't like taking pictures, which is really ironic and weird. But so I started the class. It blew up in Boston, teaching 21, 22 classes a week. And then I started noticing everyone was kind of dressing like me in the class and not in a weird way. I'm not saying this like in an ego way, but it was just
Starting point is 00:33:23 I always wear a hat and I cut oversized T-shirts. I did this back in the day and it's funny that the style is like that now but and I would wear leggings with like a flannel tied around my waist and high high top dunks or whatever and no one dressed like that but that was kind of my LA vibe coming to Boston and then I'd come into the room and everyone would be just full out hat flannel whole vibe and I'm like this is so cool they're feeling like they're liking my vibe they like me you know what I mean and my class would sell out within like 20 seconds before I would go live and there'd be a line wrapped around and I have videos and pictures it was really crazy and then I'm like okay well I
Starting point is 00:33:59 want to I can't scale this I'm only one person there was no virtual workout classes I'm like I also am a business-minded person I want I to make money also. I'm doing this for fun, but I want to make a living and I want something that I can look back on when I'm 67 years old. And so I was in Brazil and I loved the athleisure. I bought it. My mom bought me a pair of leggings that were one size fits all. They were like this teal color and they had this wave pattern and I wore them and I remember I was living in the north end department I didn't have laundry and I kept on I would always wash them by hands and I'm I don't wash anything by hand like I'm so lazy with that kind of stuff and I would gravitate towards these leggings and if they were dirty I'm like oh no I have to wear them to my class
Starting point is 00:34:39 because they make me feel so confident when I'm standing in front of a room of 50 women and I just loved them so much and I loved that you know whether I was like PMSing or had a skinny day or I felt like bigger I could always wear them because they were one size and they were so stretchy and they just sucked me in and I was at Starbucks and I had a few aha moments or whatever but my number one one I was at Starbucks and this woman hunted me down through Starbucks saying where'd you get those leggings? I need those. I need those.
Starting point is 00:35:06 I love them so much. And I tell this story all the time. And I just said to myself, why don't I make my own? I've never, I don't know anything about fashion. I don't know how to manufacture. I know nothing about fulfillment. I don't know how to run a business. But why wouldn't I just make my own and put this awesome logo on it and sell it to the
Starting point is 00:35:22 girls that take my class? Because they're already dressing like me so if I give them a product that they can look even more like or inspire them to dress you know more like my style then why wouldn't I do that we flew out to Brazil I went to the exact store that I bought those leggings that my mom bought those leggings at she needs the credit and I talked to the owner of the store and I said, hi, I love your leggings. Where do you make them? She goes, I make them myself. And I'm like, well, you can make me 50 pairs in these three colors. And she was like, sure. So she gave me a wholesale price. I brought them back to Easton, Mass. I went to our local embroiderer, embroidered the logo and actually it was a hundred pairs. So I did a hundred pairs. And then I had no Instagram, no social, 200 followers. I had two posts. I think
Starting point is 00:36:04 one was a quote. And I had my friend, cause I didn 200 followers. I had two posts. I think one was a quote and I had my friend, because I didn't want to be the face, stand on the Stairmaster and I took a picture of her butt with the logo. It's still on my Instagram if you scroll down. It's still that fourth photo. I'd never deleted it. And I go, hi guys, after my 10 a.m. class on Saturday in Seaport, I'm going to be selling these in the locker room. So I'm thinking like maybe I'll sell five pairs. After the class, I was so nervous because this is another thing with my dad. I always had to feel like I had to prove him because he was so hard on me out of all the kids. He's just, he sees himself the most in me.
Starting point is 00:36:35 How are you, where are you in the order of kids? I'm the middle. Okay. And so I was like the black sheep of the family. Definitely the one that was, my parents are the hardest on me for sure. That's interesting. They're the hardest on the middle. that's interesting yeah they're hardest on the middle yeah i know they still are it's probably because her dad her dad saw yeah my dad was an entrepreneur he had a car parts um company that was really
Starting point is 00:36:54 successful but so i was like okay the class ends the music ends and in my head i'm like no one's gonna go up to the locker room everyone's gonna leave and i'm gonna take these i'm gonna be so embarrassed bringing this whole duffel bag full of leggings back into my car because no one bought them. And that's all that went through my head. Not like they're going to sell out. And then everyone starts leaving the class before the stretch happened. And I'm like, what are they doing? Everyone's leaving. And they're running up to the locker room just to wait in line. And I sold every single pair of my leggings that day. And I just sat there and started bawling. And I still have women say to me, I was your first person in that locker room. And I sold every single pair of my leggings that day. And I just sat there and started bawling. And I still have women say to me,
Starting point is 00:37:26 I was your first person in that locker room. And I just want you to know, we're so proud of you and for how far you've come. And you're still the same person. We just love seeing the journey. Because I mean, now we've sold half a million pairs of leggings. Yeah, 500,000 pairs of leggings. And you think these leggings,
Starting point is 00:37:42 they're one size fits all, are going to fit me. 100%. You think? Yes. Right now, like I honestly, I wish I brought my other chrome. I thought I brought them, but I'm going to send you a big package. Can you make a bodysuit?
Starting point is 00:37:54 I have a bodysuit. I need a bodysuit. Yes, I'll send you a bodysuit. And I'm working on so many amazing products you're going to love. Just really comfortable bras, oversized t-shirts, great stuff for pregnancy and a maternity collection. You know what's funny? There's like a couple of themes that pop up or like, I would say like little like gems that pop up continuously on this show for people that have been listening a while. And it's, you know, we've interviewed close to 500 people now and,
Starting point is 00:38:18 you know, so many different entrepreneurs. And what we find is the best products, best services, they always start with that person, that founder, that creator, filling a need for themselves, right? It's like always, I think so many people, they sit around like, what's the idea? What's the brand I'm going to create? But, and they bang their head against the wall, not being able to figure it out.
Starting point is 00:38:36 And the stuff that really works is when you're filling a need that you yourself need to fill, right? Like even, like obviously Lauren's got the ice roller, which is she had a need. She had this jaw surgery. You had this story. But but even selfishly like if you even think about dear media this podcast business and company exists because lauren and i when we were doing the podcast didn't find a service or a company or a partner that could do what we wanted them to do so i was like okay well then we'll just create it and then the anticipation that other creators other people might want that type of same thing that we want. Right. And so the
Starting point is 00:39:08 reason I mentioned it is there's a lot of people thinking like, what's my idea? What's my idea? Like whatever you're doing for yourself that you have to kind of like mix mash, put together yourself and you can't really find anywhere else, like create that. That's the thing. A hundred percent. You know, my dream is, would be to be a motivational speaker when I'm older and I can't do burpees and all my workout classes like I do now or have some type of podcast because I have so many young entrepreneurs or just young professionals that look at my journey and really want to, you know, mimic that or do what I'm doing. And I always say like, never do. I never did what anyone else was doing. I didn't have anyone to look at. I made my own path and my
Starting point is 00:39:43 own journey. And then along the way, there was so many resources that I clung on to. It was my dad or other people that were in the business that I would call and have lunch with. And I would just surround myself around like-minded people. But for the most part, I created my own journey. I just went headfirst and made so many mistakes. But I went from my soul and I let my passion drive me. And I don't, not that I don't think think I just don't know if you can't have a successful brand or business if you don't have this passion that drives you when you wake up in the morning and this fear of failure even now it's like the whole thing is like everyone's a winner and like you know it's okay to fail and pick yourself back up but that's not my. Failure is just really not an option.
Starting point is 00:40:26 Now my whole family, I, you know, are employed by BBB, my family in Brazil, we employ 120 seamstresses in Brazil now. And I meet them and I have lunch with them and I, they're real people.
Starting point is 00:40:36 The stakes are higher, but also as like for Kelly Bravance, for who I am and my reputation, like there's no. Well, there's people relying on you. Yeah. And I'm relying on myself to not fail.
Starting point is 00:40:44 Like I don't want to mess up. I to and I'm okay with you know failures here and there of course they make me stronger most of my journey has been a failure like mistakes but in the long term it's you really just have to have this confidence that you will do anything to win one size fits all so talk to me about that because that's unique and different. And you're also launching a plus size collection as well. I launched it three years ago and it's very successful. Yeah, it's been growing. You already have it. Yeah. So it's curvy. It's the curvy collection. So is the curvy collection one size fits all as well? Yep. So our slogan is numbers don't define us. And it goes back to my phobia of trying on jeans back in high
Starting point is 00:41:25 school. And I just hated that I would go from a size 24 to a size 28 or 26. Even now, and it's such a topic that I wanted to hit on because I hope that it resonates to whoever's listening. About a week ago, I'm in a new relationship. It's like the whole love weight thing. I put on a few pounds of my jeans from last summer. They just don fit me and I was so discouraged I was like you know what we're going to brunch and I'm putting them on I was so upset and I'm like no I'm better than this I'm taking them off and putting on my boobies like I'm putting on my leggings I'm sorry I know you like my boyfriend only sees me in leggings all the time and I tried to put on jeans but it's just these I put them on they slide right on no matter what stage of life I'm in and it makes me feel so good and secure that I just want people to feel that way and I think that
Starting point is 00:42:08 the numbers thing was something it was it's very challenging to to create a legging that is so universal so the production and the amount of silhouettes that I go I go to Brazil four times a year and work on just a million samples and silhouettes to make sure that really does because when you're saying it's one size fits all you need to make sure it's one size fits all. And we've had an amazing success rate. It's like the modern day sisterhood of the traveling pants. It's funny because you sent me a pair and I looked at them and I was like, I'm not going to be able to wear these right now because I'm pregnant. And I put them in my drawer and like saved them.
Starting point is 00:42:42 But you're telling me you think like it's fine. 100%. And you sent Zaza some of you guys. She has little baby leggings. I need to send her the pink and all the cute little green colors. You know what though? Her colors are not as pink. Because you're more neutral.
Starting point is 00:42:56 She's more neutral. She wears a lot of neutrals. Like baby blues. Spencer mood for the day. She's so cute. So I want to know because i think i would get in trouble if i didn't ask you this what your wellness practices are in the morning in the night what what you gravitate toward food wise like what are the things that you have in your toolbox that
Starting point is 00:43:15 you think make you feel really healthy the first thing is sleep a lot of entrepreneurs and business owners they you know i think people preach i'm people preach not being up at five in the morning and working all day long. Now I think it's so refreshing to see that people are taking care of themselves because self-care is huge for me. I have to have eight hours of sleep. I need to sleep and wake up, have my coffee. I drink tons of water. It's obnoxious how much water I drink. And I get lymphatic drainage massage twice a week.
Starting point is 00:43:46 And it's like a non-negotiable. I go at seven. It's big in Brazil, huh? It's hugenoxious how much water I drink. And I get lymphatic drainage massage twice a week. And it's like a non-negotiable. I go at seven. It's big in Brazil, huh? It's huge in Brazil. And so we were like raised on that being something very important. So I get a lymphatic drainage massage in Boston twice a week. I go to my chiropractor once a month. But for day to day, I wake up seven o'clock, which is late for most people think I'm up like six but I my
Starting point is 00:44:05 days are long because I teach night classes um I wake up at seven have my coffee sit I have to just like sit and chill I'm not a big I want to get better at meditating I want to do all those things but my my I'm in the I'm grinding right now and I don't have time I wake up I'm looking at my phone as much as that's not you know the best thing but I'm looking at my phone as much as that's not the best thing, but I'm looking at my phone, answering emails, answering texts. My whole team responds. I just constantly have to be available once I wake up pretty much. Then I go to the gym, I go to my office and I have a smoothie. I'll have a lettuce wrap, which is like chicken and pineapple, or I'll just have my smoothie and I just work all day, like meetings and meetings and meetings just nonstop until I
Starting point is 00:44:44 have about 30 minutes to quickly freshen up my makeup. And then I jump on camera in my virtual studio and I do live classes online. One thing that is very different in my postpartum recovery is my hair. Because with Zaza, I wasn't supplementing. I wasn't doing my scalp massage or my microneedling. And with Townes, I've been supplementing. I've been microneedling my hairline. I've been doing scalp massage and it just makes a difference. I also sometimes do like a scalp serum when I do the massage and it's incredible. The supplements that I'm taking for my hair health is Nutrafol. You know this because I have raved about this forever. So Nutrafol is the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement. And it's actually clinically shown to improve your hair growth thickness and your scalp coverage.
Starting point is 00:45:35 But what I notice, and this is like random, is I notice that with Zaza, my hair would shed everywhere. So I would see like hair on my pillow, silk pillowcase to be specific. I would see it in the shower, just like pieces of hair shedding. And now with Nutrafol, I do not see that at all. And if I was going to see it, postpartum would be the time. Another important thing to mention is this is natural, it's drug free and it's medical grade ingredients. And 86% of women reported hair growth in over six months. So if you have trouble growing your hair, if you have hair shedding like I do, even if you have your hair falling out,
Starting point is 00:46:17 this is an incredible supplement to check out. You can grow thicker, healthier hair and support the Skinny Confidential Him and Her Show by going to Nutrafol.com and entering the promo code skinny hair. You save $15 off your first month subscription with code skinny hair. This is their best offer anywhere and it's only available to U.S. customers for a limited time. You get free shipping on every order too, which is amazing. Get $15 off at Nutrafol.com spelled N-U-T-R-A-F-O-L.com promo code skinny hair. Let me tell you, we do not want to get stuck with a hungry toddler. I come armed with snacks, with food, everything, especially because we're on the go right now.
Starting point is 00:47:05 Like I got to be stocked in my diaper bag, in my purse, in my clutch, in my car, all the things. I have all different kinds of things. It's like a plethora of snacks that I offer her. And one of the snacks is Once Upon a Farm. So they have these overnight oats that are absolutely incredible that she loves. And it's genius because it's on the go. And that's probably the one that I would start with. And if you're unfamiliar with Once Upon a Farm, they're the leading baby food and kids snack brand. They offer organic cold pressed fruit and veggie pouches, dairy free smoothies, overnight oats, plant rich meals and more. And everything is made with whole farm fresh ingredients with no added sugars,
Starting point is 00:47:45 concentrates, or anything artificial. Another thing that's amazing is their subscription offering is fully customizable. So you can pick and choose from their wide variety of blends or meals and you can switch it up before delivery. So I always go with the overnight oats. I definitely would recommend those. And when I'm picking out other snacks, I'll go to their meal section on their site and I'll get her like the quinoa, pineapple, cauliflower, and coconut milk meal, which is delicious. I've even tried it myself. And then they also have this other one that's like sweet potato, raspberry, and coconut butter. So go on their site, stalk their site. If you have toddlers, it's great if you have a picky eater and it's great for on the go.
Starting point is 00:48:25 Everything, of course, is organic, non-GMO, unsweetened, and made with no preservatives or artificial ingredients. So I think you're going to love it if you're a parent. It's fresh, it's nutritional, delicious, convenient, all the things. It's found at retailers nationwide and online. You can get started today and enjoy an additional 35% off your first subscription order. You're going to use code SKINNY at onceuponafarmorganics.com. That's onceuponafarmorganics.com. What did your company look like when it started compared to now, growth-wise? So my company was in my apartment in the north end for a year and then it moved to my parents basement and then once we we launched Shopify December 5th 2015 it was
Starting point is 00:49:13 about a year of doing it in my apartment in my parents basement and then finally once we got to a point where like okay I can hire my brother so my brother quit his job to help all fulfillment shit you have like six siblings i know you're doing this you're doing operations oh my dad can you imagine if we had six siblings oh my dad's like the coach my dad's like all right team you're doing this you're doing that he he says he's like bill belichick how many kids do i need to have to get this business fucking started god oh he you he's my dad's not dumb but yeah so my brother started working for us and then it was three people and my mom would fold and inspect every pair of leggings as it came in from brazil
Starting point is 00:49:47 and we had a 300 square foot little storage unit and that's when we were doing 20 orders a day so it wasn't anything crazy and then it kind of slowly grew and my dad owned owns a plaza he's owned it for 40 years in the center of our hometown and it's commercial real estate and there's like a dunkin donuts there's a restaurant but we grew up in that plaza my mom had a little tanning boutique back in the day with the tanning of Rio it was called Rio tanning boutique and she sold bikinis and so it's very it's kind of ironic that this is all happening for us but so now it's 11 our warehouse is 11,000 square feet and we have 55 employees so yeah it's really crazy and we're shipping out you know a lot of orders a day and so i am able to give everyone a full-time job and yeah it's crazy and so i
Starting point is 00:50:32 started my workout app and then then the pandemic a long time i mean two seven years seven eight nine years so it'll be nine years from the first sale because you-com. So e-com was 2015. During the pandemic, what? Was it good? So during the pandemic, I blew up. Not a blew up, like a million followers, but for me, my version of blowing up, my supply chain clearly wasn't ready. I gained about 60,000 followers in less than five months.
Starting point is 00:50:59 Because you were doing virtual workouts. And I was just in my apartment and I had so many people on my payroll and we weren't for about two weeks, all my stores. So I was just in my apartment and I had so many people on my payroll and we weren't for about two weeks, all my stores. So I have brick and mortar stores throughout Boston and Linfield, Massachusetts, Legacy Place. I had a store in the Prudential Center in Boston.
Starting point is 00:51:14 All my stores closed down during COVID and online sales just for like a week and a half just plummeted. And I think it was just people were nervous. I wasn't posting as much. And I see the direct sales when I'm posting and I'm active. I see the sales. I'm very engaged with my customers. So we sat in a conference room.
Starting point is 00:51:32 My dad just looks at us and goes, kids, just know for the next three months, we're not going to have any sales. So we're just going to pay everyone. And luckily, we've done well. And we have enough cash flow to make sure no one gets a paycheck. I paid every single one of my employees through the entire pandemic, even my store employees. But then the sales must have gone up because everyone's sitting around in their leggings. So March 27th, my life completely changed, which is really interesting. I went on live and I got 2000 people to view my
Starting point is 00:51:59 class. I dropped something on April 7th and it sold out in minutes. We did our biggest sale day to date in less than two hours. So it changed the game for us. So yeah, I get so nervous talking about it because people think that I was an overnight success. And then when the TikTok leggings came out way after that, they were stealing all of my photos. Yeah, the whole TikTok trend happened after this. I'm jumping all around.
Starting point is 00:52:22 Michael doesn't have context of the TikTok scandal. The texture leggings and the whole booty. I had a lot. I consider myself a well-rounded person but I might be a little lost on this one. Tell them about the TikTok. What if I came in and was like, listen, I knew everything about it. I was just like, let me tell you what happened.
Starting point is 00:52:40 I don't know about that scandal. You do know a lot about housewives. But wouldn't it be kind of alarming if I came in and was like, I know everything about that scandal You do know a lot about housewives But wouldn't it be kind of alarming if I came in and was like I know everything about that scandal The cellulite reducing leggings But I mean I don't even want to give light to it that much Because it's so ridiculous But I think you can relate to it with this ice roller
Starting point is 00:52:58 You have such a great quality ice roller But there's probably sometimes people are like Oh I can get it for $5 on Amazon People are trying to basically rip i can get it for five dollars on amazon basically rip it then get it for five dollars yeah this is this is and so people with me they're like my price point i'm like well no everything's ethically made don't you don't have to yeah i don't oh i don't i didn't even address it one time my strategy so this is vintage but i ran and we still like have control of this called Jetbed. And this is like a side business. But we make beds. You're full of like the vintage nostalgia stories today.
Starting point is 00:53:29 No, because trust me, this is a relevant story. This is one I wish it was one of those things. Can you just shut up, Lauren? I didn't understand you, so I could meditate. But go on. Tell her to shut it down. So anyways. Watch out, people are going to yell.
Starting point is 00:53:43 He told her to shut up on air. Anyways. So we, watch out, people are going to yell. He told her to shut up on air. Anyways, so we made this product and it was considered a higher end product, right? So it was a niche of customers
Starting point is 00:53:52 that could afford it. It was obviously people that are flying in private aircraft. But there was competitor products that came out that were much cheaper, manufactured,
Starting point is 00:54:00 not nearly as nice. And it's fine. It always happens. Oh my gosh. And that's fine. There's a place. I always say there's high, medium, low. There's price points for everything gosh and that's fine like there's a place like i always say like there's high medium low like there's price points for everything by the way if there's not a price then i'm doing something wrong because
Starting point is 00:54:09 no one's trying to compete side thing you've been pricing you don't ever want to be in the middle but anyways right right so we get into a whole business podcast so but yeah people would come to me be like well why would i ever buy this there's a competitor that's so much cheaper and i'm like listen of course you want to buy the cheap shit go buy the cheap shit and you're gonna get what you pay for yes yeah and so like i think it's it's funny like there's a competitor that's so much cheaper. And I'm like, listen, of course, you want to buy the cheap shit, go buy the cheap shit. And you're going to get what you pay for. Yes. And so like, I think it's funny. Like there's always, like we get the same thing with the ice roll.
Starting point is 00:54:29 It's like, oh, I can get this on Amazon for $5. Like, good, go buy the cheap. It's nothing. I packed this in my suitcase and I did it this morning. Literally. And I said to Liz, I'm like, I want, I can relate in so many ways what you're doing and how much love and like attention
Starting point is 00:54:44 you put into your packaging and the way it's made and the way you market it and your photo shoots all that costs money like everything that i do to make this product amazing it costs money i can't charge spent $19.99 for a pair of leggings that's what they sell on amazon and i said you get what you pay for you're not you're not yeah and you're not buying into a community you're not buying into a brand and that's what i i would take that i would buy from a brand a community something you're not buying into a brand. And that's what I would take that. I would buy from a brand, a community, something that actually has purpose, someone that is thoughtful with their packaging, the way they communicate to their customers, that rather than just buy shit leggings from Amazon that are going to be see-through and rip in two days.
Starting point is 00:55:17 There's nothing wrong with creating premium products that reflect that price. I mean, people, and this is where consumers have the choice, if you want to buy something less expensive or more expensive. And it's not you know i think we got this weird place like everything has to be affordable for everybody so you know you can create a really quality product that may cost you a little extra to make and like yeah you're gonna have to spend a little here's my thing too go buy the cheaper ice roller on amazon go buy the cheaper botox go buy the cheaper legging but you're gonna end up spending more in the long run we say it every because if you get cheap botox go buy the cheaper legging but you're gonna end up spending more in the long run we say it every because if you get cheap botox in your face you're gonna have to go get it fixed if you buy a
Starting point is 00:55:51 cheap product you're gonna probably if you love it end up buying the more expensive so my thing is like rip the band-aid off if you really love it invest the money into something that's really worth it and just not spend an extra 10 15 whatever the extra is 100 and i think it's so important for like any people that want to start a business that are listening to not just slap your name on something don't just white label something because it resonates through your customers can know if it's thoughtful, if you put energy into it, if you love it, if you've spent all your time and your energy and your money. I reinvested all of my money to better my product. Every single year, I put it into my product.
Starting point is 00:56:35 And I think that my customers, the reason why they're so loyal is that they trust me now over nine years that I'm not just slapping my name on something. Unless I'm going to wear it every day and be obsessed with it, I would never sell it sell it well that's where people get pissed right if you take a shitty product and slap a label on it and it's a piece of shit but it's expensive but if you put in a bunch of energy and time and build a quality product I don't think people mind investing
Starting point is 00:56:56 no not at all and I that's why my customers are so loyal and they just they'll buy every single drop I do because one they love the quality but, they just believe in the product. And I love supporting other brands that I can feel that have the same attention and love for what they do. It's just a different thing. But yeah, so with the texture and the leggings in Brazil, after the pandemic, we opened up a second factory. Wow. Yeah. So cool. They solely just make BB.
Starting point is 00:57:21 And so, yeah, we grew a lot. And then during my virtual classes, everyone was asking for an app. So I started an app and I started an energy drink company. You are busy. It's called Body by Bravance. Yeah, it sounds busier than it is, but it really is just a lifestyle all-in-one toolkit, like you always say. It really is. It's the leggings.
Starting point is 00:57:40 It's the motivation for me. It's the workout that I give. It's the connections, the friendship that I give my customers. It's the leggings. It's the motivation for me. It's the workout that I give. It's the connections, the friendship that I give my customers. It's the great product. And now with this natural energy drink, it's a whole lifestyle brand to really, you can drink the water while you're teaching classes, while you're seeing me wear leggings, and you can wear them too. And we're connected in that way.
Starting point is 00:57:59 It's stuff you're doing regardless. I'm doing it regardless. And I'm like, I'd rather just give you a better product because during the pandemic, I was using another powdered supplement and it didn't have stevia. It had the sucralose. And it was something that my nutritionist was like, do not have anything with sucralose.
Starting point is 00:58:13 And I just wanted to start another business because I made a great return on my, during the pandemic, I made good money. And instead of just letting it sit there, I was like, let me start another company. It's fun. I have a blast branding and doing this kind of stuff if our audience was going to start with one piece in your collection i'm going to go ahead and recommend just because where i'm at in my journey the black
Starting point is 00:58:34 legging because i'm looking at it right now i'm feeling it it's great quality where where would you tell them to start our croco skin black okay yeah and i would say if it's if you're listening to this and it's what you're it's warm my sister is right next to me she's wearing the croco skin black bike shorts there are top five products every woman who wears them they're obsessed so the croco skin black bike shorts the croco skin leggings but my favorite are the chrome graphite i didn't pack them with me they're my number one workout so if i'm taking a barry's class if i'm teaching a class on stage or a big event i'm always wearing my chrome graphite i didn't pack them with me they're my number one workout so if i'm taking a barry's class if i'm teaching a class on stage or a big event i'm always wearing my chrome graphite leggings which is black super high waisted i'm going to send them to you because you're going
Starting point is 00:59:12 to love the stretch on them there are shorts or like leggings okay i think we got to wait a couple months for sure okay but croco skin is our trade like it's our trademarked pattern and we have it in like 50 colors now i think what you're doing is so cool. The way we got in touch is because the Skinny Confidential community and probably a lot of your community dropped into my DMs and was like, you have to interview her. I can see why. Can we do a giveaway? Of course. Okay. Let's do a bunch of your favorites. Can you make a favorite? Yep. I'll make a favorites with all the energy and I'll add the energy drink. I'll do the water bottle.
Starting point is 00:59:45 I'll do all my workout bands that I actually just made. I love it. I'll make a whole little workout kit. Can we include the pants that I like? Of course.
Starting point is 00:59:52 We'll do all of it. Well, I'll give you this. Okay. But I'll do a whole thing and we can just ship it out from our, from Easton, Mass. All you have to do is follow.
Starting point is 00:59:59 Tell us your name. Bray Bants. Tell us how to spell it. B-O-O-T-Y B-Y and then my last name is Bray Bants. B--A-B-A-N-T-S. Perfect. So all you have to do is to follow and then let us know your favorite part of that episode of this episode on my latest post at Lauren Bostic. And what's the code if people
Starting point is 01:00:18 want to shop? Code skinny. Code skinny. You guys go on her site. Tell us your site everywhere where they can find you. Just bootybybravance.com. You can find us there and we ship really fast. One to two day priority shipping on all orders. Yeah. Congratulations on all the success.
Starting point is 01:00:31 Yeah, really cool. Thank you so much. This opportunity is insane. This is crazy, guys. I listen to you every day on my car ride. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
Starting point is 01:00:39 No, I love it. Every podcast. Are you saying that we contributed to this? No, I'm just kidding. Michael, careful. Careful. No, I appreciate that. You podcast. Are you saying that we contributed to that? No, I'm just kidding. Michael, careful. No, I appreciate that. You're my escape on my mornings
Starting point is 01:00:49 when I wanted to and out of my business and I just like my work stuff and I listen to you guys. It's so inspiring. Well, you know, I think, thank you. But also like we get to talk to people like you, right? We get to have all these different great people. And so, you know.
Starting point is 01:00:59 When I hear a podcast like this too, this is the reason that we created this platform is to share the stories that you don't hear. Instead of like the person coming out of college and like getting the degree and like this is a different way to go. And I think to showcase this on a platform is so important. Thank you. There's so many people out there that are like, why don't I feel, why don't I fit into this college equation? Totally. I'm so happy we discussed that because that was probably my number one insecurity.
Starting point is 01:01:26 So it's very full circle. And I feel really proud to be able to talk about it and feel heard by you guys. And hopefully there's someone out there that's listening that can be inspired by my story. And listen, I don't want to discourage people that are on the college path because it is the right path for many. But it's finally... It's not one size fits all. It's not one size. Yeah, It's not one size fits all. It's not one size.
Starting point is 01:01:46 Yeah, that is not one size fits all. All my siblings went to college and they're super successful. It's just, it depends on what, just follow your heart. I was a terrible student. I struggled in school all the time. I never felt like I,
Starting point is 01:01:57 I never felt like I was getting what I needed from school. And it's not, and it's not the school's fault. It's just, I just didn't fit in that kind of place, right? It's not for everybody. Yeah. But that's conversations happening more and more now. For the longest time, it's just I just didn't fit in that kind of place right it's not for everybody but that's conversations
Starting point is 01:02:06 happening more and more now for the longest time it was like you go to this then you go to school you couldn't even talk about it I was yeah I hated even being asked
Starting point is 01:02:13 the question this is so fun it's not one size fits all guys but her leggings are go check her out one more time Instagram handle and let's close out with that
Starting point is 01:02:23 it's at bootyby by Ray Vance. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thanks for coming on, you guys. Thank you for making the flight. Thank you. Do you want to win some of Kelly's leggings? All you have to do is follow me on TikTok at Lauren Bostic.
Starting point is 01:02:36 And tell us your favorite part of this episode on my latest Instagram at Lauren Bostic. Super easy. And I'm telling you, you're going to love these leggings, especially the black ones. You're like going to fall in love with them. I'm telling you, they're a go-to pair in my closet. Hope you guys love this episode and be sure you stalk Kelly on Instagram. All right. So I went to my facialist in San Diego and she's kind of like a medical esthetician. She is aggressive, but she's also careful at the same time. And she just knows her shit when it comes to skincare. And she was telling me, I said, what's like a product that everyone should have in their routine, no matter what skin they have. And she said, vitamin C. She's like, Lauren,
Starting point is 01:03:20 you got to have vitamin C. And that's so interesting because Dr. Dennis Gross has been on our podcast a million times, and he always says that too. So, you gotta have vitamin C. And that's so interesting because Dr. Dennis Gross has been on our podcast a million times and he always says that too. So if you do have a skincare routine, I would recommend vitamin C. And I can also say that too after writing my book, Get the Fuck Out of the Sun. So get a vitamin C
Starting point is 01:03:38 because it reduces dark spots and hyperpigmentation. It increases density, which I love. So you get like that really nice feeling skin. It's like bouncy and you get that stronger, firmer looking skin. You guys know what I'm talking about. It also prevents wrinkles and reduces them and it protects against free radical damage. So vitamin C really does it all. Now, the one that Michael and I absolutely love, it should not surprise you, is Dr. Dennis Gross's Vitamin C Lactic. It's going to give you firmer, brighter, stronger skin. And I know that because I use it every day.
Starting point is 01:04:09 He just has such great products in general because he's so involved in creating them. And formulations matter. It's the quality of the ingredients, how it's cooked, how it's presented. Like Dr. Dennis is the five-star chef. He is the chef of skincare. Okay. Another thing I would grab since I'm going to give you guys a code is, and I would definitely grab this, is the oil-free moisturizer. It's lightweight, it's bouncy, and it's perfect for putting on before makeup. So I'll apply it with a damp beauty blender and then do my foundation or concealer on top of it. And it just lays so nicely. It doesn't ball up. So those are the two things you got to grab. Okay.
Starting point is 01:04:51 You're going to use code skinny at checkout for 20% off your first purchase. Visit drdennisgross.com for more information. Use code skinny at checkout for 20% off your first purchase.

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