Trading Secrets - 39: Vanderpump Rules’ Lala Kent on Being a Badass Financially Independent B*tch

Episode Date: February 7, 2022

In this week’s episode of Trading Secrets, Jason sits down with Vanderpump Rules’ Lala Kent and she dishes all about hustling from Utah to LA, then negotiating her salary, how conflict actually makes her money, dealing with trolls on social media, the best advice she’s ever received regarding finances, how she manages her money, and how she’s raising her daughter to be as financially independent as she is. It’s another episode you can’t afford to miss. For All Access Content - join our networking group for less than 30 cents a day! Sponsors: Audible.com/whattodo Babbel.com/tradingsecrets Linkedin.com/secrets Host: Jason Tartick Voice of Viewer: David Arduin Executive Producer: Evan Sahr Produced by Dear Media.

The following podcast is a Dear Media production. Welcome back to another episode of Trading Secrets. We have an exciting guest this week who any Bravo fans will know very well. And if you're not a Bravo fan, you still will certainly recognize her name. Maybe not a real name. Her real name is Lauren Birmingham, but you guys will know her probably by Lala Kent. She grew up in Utah and moved to Hollywood to pursue her dreams, and she has done just that. She rose to fame on Bravo's Vanderpump Rules and has since become a wildly popular media personality.

She's written songs, starred in movies and shows, built a beauty empire, all while managing to keep things pretty damn interesting with her very, very honest attitude. She coined the legendary catchphrase and branded Give Them Lala, which inspired the name of her podcast and more recently, her best-selling book. Lala, thank you so much for being here. We are so excited to have you on Trading Secrets today. Thank you for having me.

I'm excited to be here. I love it. So right when you come on, this is my rule of thumb. I've learned it the hard way. When I have anyone on from Bravo, I immediately call my mom. Mom, before I start doing my research,

give me the rundown. And I did just that. And I told my mom, she's like, oh, she's a badass boss babe. I'm like, all right, all right. We'll get into this then. I like it. I love it. I love your mom. Good stuff.

Well, before we get into that boss babe track, I think you've had a pretty interesting journey. And it started in Salt Lake City. And so for anybody that's familiar with Salt Lake City, you know there's a huge Mormon culture. But I was reading that you actually, like your family didn't really practice Mormon religion. and you guys were kind of, or specifically you were a little bit of an outcast in that space. And I even read an article and saw that you said that growing up, you were bullied. And I saw just some of the things that you've done. And, you know, you kind of operate in this, I'm going to do it.

I'm going to do it my way. You're going to hear what I say. I'm going to live the life I want to live. And that's how things are going to go. Do you think that the person you are today and the business success you've had has been resulted from kind of your childhood of being in that situation? and maybe being a little different than what the norm said was acceptable? I've thought about that many times.

And when I look at who I am today and, you know, the girl that I was when I first moved to LA, the girl I was in high school and just in my school days, you know, I was very timid. I was very insecure. I kind of wanted to fit into the box of, you know, just being comfortable and whatever. everyone else was doing. I wanted to be seen without being seen, if that makes sense. Sure. And, you know, there were so many times that people would say to me, like, you need to change this about you. You know, even moving to L.A., the first manager I ever met with said,

you need to fix your accent. I wasn't aware that I had one. I had that Utah twang, I guess, that we emphasize with, we speak with our job. But there were just so many things and people, so many cooks in the kitchen on telling me who I was supposed to be and what I could fix. to become a somebody. And at one point in time, I just decided if I want to wear hoops as big as my head, that's what we're doing. If I want to wear crop tops, I'm going to speak freely. I just became very comfortable with who I was. And that actually catapulted me into the space where I've always wanted to be. Yeah, I like that. You're just like, I'm going to do it the way that makes sense for me and maybe not the box that you're trying to put me into. And one thing I read,

and when you're doing all this research, Lala, there's only so much you can get from it. So the question's got to come up. But I read that at the age of 12, you've been modeling since then. And then I also read something that at a young age, you paid for a BMW in cash. And we see where you are today, and you're still in the modeling space among many, many, many other areas and industries and companies and media. That list goes on. But did you know from a young age that like modeling, entertainment, and media was going to be your place. And how much success were you having an early age that you were buying a BMW with cash only? Yeah. I always knew I wanted to be in entertainment. There was actually nothing else that I wanted to do. I knew at the age of seven,

I walked into my mom's bathroom and told her, just so you know, when I grow up, I want to be an actress. I want to be well known. And, you know, she gave me a very underwhelming response. I was hoping it would be like the beginning of my E true Hollywood story, you know? It was not that. And for me, it was there, there was no plan B when it came to what I wanted to be when I was older. And I did everything I could. My mom wasn't a stage mom. I was the one that was picking up the phone at the age of 12 trying to get representation in Salt Lake City.

I was the one telling my mom that I had an audition and, you know, She just took me to where I needed to go. And even though Utah is very small and there's not much, I did whatever I could locally and hoped and prayed that I would book things. But it was a struggle. I definitely wasn't, I didn't have the story of every audition or casting that I walked into I was getting. I would get,

they would be few and far between. But I wasn't afraid to get my hands dirty. If someone said, we need a fit model for overstock.com. And even though, you know, I would like to be booking the cover of Vogue, you know, we do what we got to do. So I've just always been a little bit of a hustler. And I know that I've always said my path is going to look different from other people's paths.

And even if I have to do fit modeling where they cut my head off and I'm fully glammed, like I also want to be able to be independent financially. So I just stacked my pennies away. And when I was old enough to drive, my mom took me to the dealership. and I put down cash on my on my BMW. It's unbelievable. And I think it for a lot of people like their career and what they do and how they do it,

once the momentum gets built in the access to certain people of credibility, it's easier to slowly build that empire. But when you rewire where really successful people are today, I always find it fascinating that like first leap of faith they made. And so I wanted to see when that was for you. And what I found was that that was at 23. you move to LA. And so when you move to LA, because there's so many people that listen to this

podcast and so many industries, certainly not just entertainment, that have the idea, they have the thought or they've had the dream, but it's that first spark that they haven't done. They haven't committed to it. They haven't been able to make the move. For you, you made the move. And you made it at 23. Did you have at that point, like an secure opportunity or gig lined up when you went to L.A.? Or did you have like an extreme financial safety net? Walk me through what it was like for you to actually say, okay, this is where I grew up, this is where I'm going, because I know that's what it's going to take to take me to the next level. Yeah, the first time I ever moved to LA, I was fresh out of high school. And when I got to LA, it was just not what I thought it would be. I'm a firm

believer in timing. I think the universe has a plan for all of us. And if we trust in that, we'll end up exactly where we're supposed to be. I was way too young the first time. When I went back to Utah, you know, I did live at home. I was able to stack my money away. I didn't have bills to pay. So when I decided at the age of 23 where I said, this is now the time. And there's no excuses. I'm going to grind my ass off and we're going to make this happen. I was lucky enough to have a safety net. Obviously, I had to move out and get a job and really commit to the grind of Los Angeles. It's not what it looks like on TV. It's a lot of work, a lot of competition. And, you know, I was doing fit modeling again here.

I was going on auditions. And I think when Vanderpump Rules presented itself, it was very far from what I saw myself doing. Like, I had watched reality TV shows, but it was never something that I wanted to get into. I grew up in the arts, training in like, you know, singing in choir and musical theater. Like, that was my zone. But I thought this opportunity. has presented itself and what do I have to lose? Let's just see where it takes me. Yeah. And the success you've had on Vanderpumps, wild, we're going to get into kind of what sparked at it and at what age that

happened. Before we do, you mentioned stuff about the arts and singing and entertainment and more acting as opposed to unscripted TV. Did you give that a go? And you talked about auditions. Like what was the success rate? Like how challenging it for someone that's like, okay, I hear auditions. I don't get it. One, how do you get auditions and like how really challenging is it to make it in that space? It's extremely challenging because everyone who has the same dream that I have, they come to Hollywood to fulfill those dreams. And now we have access to computers.

So not only are you going into audition, you're competing with people from all over the place, sending in their auditions through tape. You know, I got myself an agent. I was very successful with callbacks, but it never really went further than that. I would book here and there, but I never had my big break, I guess.

Yeah, and it's a grind and it's expensive. You know, you have to keep up on your headshots. You have to keep up on your acting coach. So we're all just, I mean, I have so much respect for people in their stories when they say they were so passionate about the art that they were willing to sleep in their car. They would rather get new headshots than feed themselves that day.

It's like that is an inspiring story. I love the arts and like I said, I grew up in them. But it's enough. Like I can see why people move home because it's a lot of rejection. And it's a constant, you know, it screws with your mind. It's like, how did this person get it and I didn't? And you have to kind of teach yourself that it's not a personal thing. But I guess I've heard that for every like thousand, every 10,000 auditions, you might get one part.

And that to me is like, holy shit. Yeah, those numbers are nuts. And the one thing, and I'm glad you actually mentioned it when you said, like, you hear who gets the role. And you're just like, what the hell? And I have in my little time of this whole unscripted TV space that I've been in, auditions I've been on, and just people and things I've seen from a distance, I've thought the same. to have this thought process. I'm curious what your take on this is. You see like a Tom Brady, right? Tom Brady is one of the most talented humans in the world when it comes to his hand-eye

coordination, or let's say like a LeBron James, or let's say some of the best singers in the world. There is no discussion that their talent is one in a million. I do feel like, though, in the acting space or hosting space, that they're talented, but it's just not the same. And that it's almost as if there's like this crew of people that for some reason are in with the right people that have networked the right way or they just have something where they just keep getting picked. And you scratch your head and you're like, I just don't see it. Do you feel like that is the same or was the same when you're kind of going through that day-to-day grind trying to get that one in the 10,000 auditions to land?

Yeah, it was always like the same girls would be in the room. The same girl kind of always booked the part. And it was extremely intimidating when I would go into these rooms and it's like, oh, there she is again. And she's literally booked everything that I wanted to book. But after a while, you almost formed this like bond with these people. Because, you know, it was always this one girl and I remember her vividly. And she had been in L.A. since she was eight years old.

Okay? When I heard that, I was like, you deserve all of them. You got this, girl. You've literally given your life. I've been here for five minutes. So you take these parts and you start respecting everybody's art and becoming extremely happy when you see one of your, they're not really your friends because they're obviously competition.

But you do. You have this little bond with each other because you know the grind is real. Right. Exactly. I mean, it makes a lot of sense. It is unmatched and it's probably one of the most competitive places to live not only physically, because literally when you're walking around L.A., it's just the most beautiful people, top to bottom, nonstop, but just mentally. I mean, it becomes a lot, it's a lot to keep up with.

That leads me to the question of your entrance into this whole world of Vanderpump. Now, anyone who knows Lisa Vanderpump, and that's pretty much anyone walking United States right now, likely knows of Sir, right? And so you go into Sir, and from what I read, you're offered a host this job. And the first thing I'm thinking when I see this is Lala knew exactly what she was doing. She probably got all dialed up, brought her game. It was like, I'm going to go in there, and I am going to impress some people, and this shit is going to happen. Tell me I'm wrong or tell me I'm right. What was the case and what was that story when you walked in? Because that was a life-changing moment for you. It was. I wish that I walked in that way, but, you know, I was

23, maybe 24 at the time. And I was just looking for free cocktails and a hot boy. And I didn't think anything about the show. I went there because my two best friends since childhood in Utah were working there. So I always went there. It was like my go-to on the weekends because I got free food and free drinks. And when you're a struggling actress, you're like free food and drinks, like that's where I'll be. And when that exchange happened, between me and Lisa, it really was like, what's for me to be on a reality TV show? And I knew that the world had changed

because I had just gone to an audition and it was no longer about, you know, the classes that you had taken or where you trained. It was all about how many followers you have on social media. I was not a fan of social media at the time. I didn't see any point in having it. Like, people I care about know what's going on in my world. And the only reason I got it was because I signed up for Vanderpump rules.

Like, that really is what it was. I had this, like, small little account that I posted, like, really stupid shit, too. You know, you walk in, you see these girls who are like 200,000 followers, and you have about 600. What's the point of even staying at that audition? So that night when I met Lisa and she offered me the hostessing job, that with that came a spa on Banderpump rules. In my little drunken state, I was like, screw it.

Why not? Star, like, whatever. You know, I wanted to say that it could affect my acting career, but I didn't have an acting career to speak of. Because that is like the standard, or at least I learned when I got off the Bachelorette, that in the acting actress world, they kind of look down upon reality TV people.

Is that a consistent? Is that correct? Is the stereotype that I've been told true or no? You know, I'm sure it is, but I kind of live in my own world because I'm happy in that space. So even though I'm sure it has put me in a box and I work really hard daily to get out of that box, I just think as much as this world has changed, it's actually pretty amazing because you can do it all. Sure. You know, I don't, I think if you're, yeah, I feel. like if you're feeling boxed in, it's in your own head. Yeah. I mean, if we haven't seen or learned that, at least in the last year, I don't know when we will, because I do think there probably was that

once upon a time stereotype. But then shit like COVID happens. Shit like TikTok pops up. You get people that were juniors at college, like, you know, an Addison Ray just going to school dancing because she's the first one on there. And now she's got every big acting job she wants whenever she wants. So the world has changed drastically, right? One thing I've always been curious. curious about with that show is you have hostess, you have waiters, you have waitresses, but you're also, you're literally the entire talent and entertainment behind a multi, multi, multi million dollar show. Like when they offer you a deal to come on, are you getting paid just as a hostess or do you also get paid as a reality television personality? You know,

it really depends on what season you're coming into. I mean, when you're brand new, I mean, you definitely need that hostess job. You know, it's, I still was having to fit model. I still was having to be a hostess. Like, what I was making on the show was not covering much. Gotcha. And then if you earn your place, then obviously your pay goes up. Right.

So you're renegotiating then season to season to season. Yeah. And is your value in your eyes, like as like anybody that's negotiating, right? So like suppose you're, I don't know, in Microsoft sales, obviously, if you're selling X amount of product and you're doing X amount of things, you have leverage. Like, what determines, like, success in your eyes? Is it, like, feedback from viewers? Is it social media following? Like, how are people negotiating season to season? Is it based on, likeability? How does that work? You know, it's more based on how long you've been on

the show. So if you've been on since day one, you're an OG, you're going to be making more than someone like me who came on season four now i definitely know my worth when it comes to the show but i kind of when i go into negotiation i also think about what feeds my other brands do i feel like i should be making a billion dollars an episode absolutely we should all feel like we deserve a billion dollars a day that attitude is what made you you but i also take into consideration you know, if I'm on television, my other brands remain relevant. And that to me is also a huge deal and worth a lot. So my team, when they go into negotiate, they know where my head's at and we make sure

that everybody leaves happy. And have you ever thought to yourself like maybe this show isn't for me anymore and I might not do another season or at this point do you think you'll always be in as far as you can foresee. You know, I feel like every time a season wraps up, I say this, I'm done with this. I'm not doing it anymore. You know, you leave feeling very drained.

You see the same group of people like all day, every day for four months straight. And you're all very strong personalities. It becomes exhausting. Like, anybody would go insane, right? By the time it's over, it's like, I'd never want to come back here. But then as you have time to kind of cool off,

you know, you're thinking a little bit, more straight. But you know, my life looks so different now. And so many things have changed. And most importantly, my beautiful daughter is in the world. And I need to create a very safe and healthy environment for her. And I know that if, if this, if the show came back for another season, I would really have to do some soul searching and see if it, if it was worth it. You know, because my daughter comes before anything and everything. So I need to make sure that the vibe and the energy of the household is on point. Yeah, that's, that's well said. As things change in like your career and your chapters, so do priorities objectives. And one thing, I think, I think people

think about this from any industry. And this is like, think about an accountant that might live in Ohio that's listening to this or someone like you, Lala, who is in entertainment in L.A. one of the things that people are scared of is actually like confrontation because of the risk of irritating someone or the risk of pissing their boss off and that impacting their next promotion or like you said things have changed in your life is that really what you want to be bringing home or dealing with now that you're in a different situation for you though like it seems based on episodes i've seen and interactions you have you have this strong personality that has created in some sometimes, like, you'll step into, you're not afraid at confrontation. At any point, do you ever worry, like, that accountant in Ohio might about, like, what are the ramifications of these confrontation? What are the viewers, the trolls saying at home? What are the bosses going to say about me pissing off, you know, one of the stars of the show? Like, how do you just approach confrontation and business and your personal life? You know, I feel like my business with

the Give Them Walla brand and then with the show are kind of two different things. And if you're talking about confrontation with an accountant in Ohio, you know, my show rewards me for confrontation and speaking up. You know, I don't want to say that I like confrontation, but I will say that I'm great at it. So it's not something where I leave feeling amazing after it happens, but I know what I signed up for. And my opinions, I'm being paid for my thoughts. So even though when cameras aren't on, I tend to pick my battles a little bit better, whereas when cameras are on,

it's like, well, I have a thought and I'm going to say it. And, you know, if the trolls were paying my bills, then I may give a shit what they think, but they're not. You know, it's like I'm on a show where I, we all with reality TV, we need the trolls because they're the ones that are tuning in every week. they're making the show, get those numbers up. So I don't really let trolls affect me.

I'm not saying I never do, but until they're writing me checks to cash, like I don't really need them around or to care about what they're saying. But my boss is calling me after a conflict and I'm not in trouble for it where I'm sure an accountant in Ohio can't just cause conflict and be like,

you know what, Bob, you really stood your own. We're going to give you a promotion. Right. But I think there's so many like great learning lessons from that takeaway. It's understand exactly what your expectations are to drive value. You understand that confrontation and driving ratings and bringing those trolls to the forefront every single week is what drives value for Lala.

And whether you're the accountant or home, you're in medical sales or whoever you are listening to this, if you don't understand every single day what it takes to actually create the perception of value for your job, you're just not doing yourself. You're not doing yourself a service at all. Yes, you nailed it. That's exactly right. And so, Lala, you start Vanderpump and you kind of make a joke. You got like 600 followers.

Now you have 1.7 million followers. Your engagement is insane. You got a podcast. You got a book. You're going on tour. You have a beauty company, a baby company. I mean, we'll get into some of the companies. But how impactful.

Can you talk a little bit about just the social media aspect of being able to to grow your social media and your brand and how that has fiscally and just the economics behind how it's changed things for you. Oh my gosh. I mean, as much as I want to slam social media, it single-handedly sells all of my products. And I like my social media to to bond me and my followers as stupid and cliche as that may sound. I just feel like we live in this world where nothing is really real and everything tends to be how do we paint a pretty picture that isn't necessarily real life and I think that's why I have such a great fan base and I hate calling them fans. They're more like my people. Those are my people. And they've been so supportive

of everything that I post and they buy my products. Social media is extremely, extremely helpful when it comes to not only selling my products, but, you know, with everything that I go through, whether it's on the show or in my personal life right now, like, I have a bond with my followers. They share stories with me that make me feel less alone. And I think with that and just sharing your life with people, I mean, it makes people want to come to your page and see what you're doing because then they feel less alone. I know that's so cheesy, but like that's how I feel about social media. No, but it's also so real and especially out of LA and especially in like reality TV. I think you see so many manufactured pages where it's perfect, but it's not real and there's not

much authenticity. And I think with that, you see less engagement. And one thing when I saw your social media was blown away, like your engagement numbers are insane. And obviously that is the commitment from your following, your people, your family to you. And I've seen you post, pretty much share it all. I mean, everything from struggles to successes, your baby, things like that, is that kind of what your attitude is to every day that you bring content to social media, just like, I'm going to be as absolutely real with my people so that I can inspire and connect with them so that they can move with me along all these crazy chapters that you endure? Yeah, I think because I'm on a reality TV show and I'm not Angelina Jolie,

like I I'm in a different zone like I'm sharing my life on television and so why would I share my life on television but then when you come to my page it's me looking super hot daily when let's be honest like I rarely put a face on you know we're struggling we're struggling to take the sweatpants off like I think that's important because I know a lot of moms out there are feeling the same way that I'm feeling So I'm trying, I just want to make sure that everything stays organic and you don't go from, you know, Bravo Vanderpump rules to my page and go, this is a completely different person. Yeah, totally. I get that. That's, that's cool. And do you think with your social, is there one place or one forum that you're starting to like put more focus on? Like, I know you're social,

you're not, you don't do too much tweeting, but like of Twitter or TikTok or YouTube or Instagram, Do you have a take on how those are moving or where you want to put more time and effort? You know, Twitter was a really negative space for me. So I got rid of that a really long time ago. I was like, I can't do this whole tweeting thing. And social media overwhelms me. So I'm doing well with the Instagram.

Like I'm only 31, but I act like I'm 98 when it comes to social media. So I got my assistant. She was like, you got to get with the times. It's all about TikTok now. And I was like, I can't keep up. I'm just conquering the Instagram. I know. I'm so glad you called that out because I was going to say, Lala,

you literally just called the Instagram. Like, we're back in 2006. 97, what is this? I'm just conquering Graham. Is that what a cool kid's say? So she tells me that TikTok is the new thing. And I was like, I can't deal. So, like, you take the TikTok.

I'll create the content. Sure. And then you post it and you let me know how it's doing because I cannot obsess over another piece of content and what it's doing. Like it will push me over the edge. But I think that we have like, I think our last TikTok,

I think I only have around like 100,000 followers on TikTok, which sounds like a lot, but compared to my Instagram, small. Yeah. And I think the last video I posted has like over 3 million views. Wow. 3.7.

damn let's go but doesn't that all that also kind of pisses me off like 3.7 million people are watching this like hit the damn follow button like check like give me some love here right what the hell like what even is that but people always think that like for spawncon i call sponsored content spawncon if you have a high following you get more money for sponsored content that's actually not the case. It's your engagement. So the following is really like just for your ego. It's like who's viewing your page? That's where the money is. 1,000%. We've talked about that a lot on the show. We had the CEO of one of the largest social media brand agencies come on. And he talked a lot about that. Like there are some people he's got that have 50 to 100,000 followers that will get paid astronomically more than someone with 2 million followers because it's really like the demographic and the engagement. Like how engaged is your audience? And if anyone's listening, like, and you own a small business and you have a small following, just because you have a small following, as long as that following is, like, connected and engaged

with what you guys are doing, you could find huge success in that space, huge. Fanderpump Rules, I have talked to some of the people from the show, and from what I've heard in the Rumblings, it's one of the best paid shows out there for the cast of any unscripted television show. And so maybe not Jersey Shore, but other than that, it's, like, pretty much top. top three. How do you, like, your financial inflow, like, do you have any, do you outsource it, do you have strategies to how you're managing your finances? Like, what are things you're doing so that I know you're being facetious, but like, so you're not going to Paris and spending all

your money and having no money in your account, like living in all, like, this world of luxury and, and all the things that you're doing. Yeah, I feel really proud of the way that I've handled my finances. And I have to attribute that to how I was raised. My mom was always very smart with money. She always told me no matter what happens in your life, you always work. You always keep your own fun separate from everyone else's. Just be smart. And I have been.

And the second that I started getting big checks coming in, I hired a top business manager who keeps my ducks in a row. And, you know, he makes sure that I'm investing in the stock market. He makes sure that I'm putting money away for retirement every single month. So he keeps me on track. And I would definitely advise people because, you know, you come on to a reality show and you kind of get caught up and you're getting these big checks and you forget that this at some point will end.

You know, these shows don't go on forever. So for me, when I first signed on to Vanderpump, it was like, number one, how do we create a business off of this so that I, if or when this show ends, I have something to show for it. And let's just say nothing comes my way for a minute. Like, I want to make sure I'm good and can live a live a good life. So that's really the goal of everything. I want something to leave to my kid. I don't want anybody to be struggling. I want to be able to help out my family if need be. Do you have like a dream or do you work with your business manager to have like a goal of mindset of like, when you could potentially retire, not have to worry about that,

or do you have a certain amount of money that you want to make in a given year? Like, how do you set your goals? And do you have any that are, I guess, like new or fresh goals, especially given a new year? Yeah, I don't think I'll ever stop working because I actually really enjoy it. Like, I don't even feel like I'm working because I love what I do so much. And I feel grateful for that because not many people can say that. So for me, I never sit here and think like, oh, when can,

I retire the old cap. It's like I'm I'm ready to go until I die. And as far as financial goals, they always, I always talk about this because I remember sitting on my couch in Utah and I was like, if I could make $10,000 a month, I would be happy. And then, you know, you look at what you've created and you're like, oh my gosh, I remember that. And now my goal is like so much bigger. and I fully intend on making that happen. But I'm just, like, I'm so grateful for the opportunities that I've taken and just held on to very tight because I'm an independent bitch. And that feels amazing.

Like to be able to have what I have as far as just like my businesses and then be able to be like, you know what, let's take the family on vacay. Let's dip out and do whatever we want. That feels awesome. Yeah, an independent bitch. I feel like that is something you've said on one of your recent episodes, actually. And I think it's, like, important that we touch on this aspect. So because there's a lot of demographic that is business women and females that listen to this podcast.

And so some of the things you said were important. I know you've just recently gone through a breakup, and I don't want to get into the details of that. But one thing you said about just being kind of like this independent bitch is that, you talked a little bit about pre-numps, and you also talked a little bit about financial independence. So for anyone that is listening, that might be struggling with the financial independence, or might be taking advantage of, let's say, leverage in a relationship because they're not making as much. I feel like you could offer some really good wisdom and insight. And I wanted to just kind of like give you the floor to give you your take on just that whole perspective of managing, you know,

where those financial and personal worlds kind of collide. yeah i think a lot of women have fallen in just from what i've seen and people that i've connected with just since i've gone through this who have opened up to me you know you fall into relationships and you're a stay-at-home mom which is beautiful because you know stay-at-home moms have the hardest job in the entire world unfortunately if things go south no one's going to rent you an apartment because you're a stay-at-home mom but i just think having maybe a just a little job like my mom did, that was three days a week, two days a week, that you can shove that money away for a rainy day

that may never come. It's just important to me. And I'm extremely passionate about it. And I think moms need to teach their daughters at a very young age to be doing this. Because I've been saving my money since I was 12 years old. Now, granted, you're not sending your kid to work at 12 years old. But I think to instill these thoughts in them,

at a young age is very important because I'll be honest, I never imagined my life ending up like this. And the fact that I had the means to exit as quickly as I did and as smoothly as I did, I wish that for every woman on the planet. Yeah, so well said. And it starts, like you said, like financial literacy, education, taking care of yourself. And when you do take care yourself when you're not in a position to just like when you're in a toxic like relationship essentially how many people are staying in those relationships because they're stuck and that is like one of the saddest things in the world right i mean that's that's where you don't want to be oh my god that just gave me chills i know they there are some women who have no choice and that to me is heartbreaking and

i will make sure i do anything and everything i can to not only help those women but educate them for sure Yeah. And I think that's such a big part of your story and the impact you could have in just that financial literacy and just not letting leverage and relationship happen like that is so, so important. So keep spreading that world, Lala. I love that. Keep spreading that word. All right, I want to talk a little bit about the podcast. A lot of people start podcasts. They're hotter than ever. Having a successful podcast and monetizing it is really, really hard, right? Like you've got to be in the top 10% of podcasts to even make a dollar. Now you've got to be in the top like 1% of the 1%. to go on tour. And I see that you're going on tour right now. So tell me a little bit about your podcast, the downloads, and how you got in a position to be going to all these cities. And you're not talking about like small-ass cheap venues. You're talking about Dallas, Texas, House of Blues,

like monster venues that huge people have played at and done shows at. Tell me a little bit about that side of your business. Oh, my gosh. You're saying that, I just went into full panic. You're like, I'm not ready. no i'm really excited the podcast started you know with me and my ex and there was no real format to it we just like kind of threw ourselves on a mic and started bantering and people which no disrespect to anybody who puts their heart and soul into their podcast and their formats because i listened to

those shows and they're absolutely epic we didn't do that and you know i guess you just say we got lucky with a successful podcast. Now that I'm solo, the success has really gone through the roof. And I believe it's because of what people are craving these days. We are on our phones 24-7, like I said, seeing things that aren't real. And sometimes it's nice to just listen to something where you feel less alone and you feel like, okay, the world is reality. You know, like things do go bad and I have someone to relate to. So the guests that I bring on are absolutely inspiring and entertaining and I'm hoping to bring that exact same vibe to the tour, except I want to, I want to meet my people.

You know, my fan base, they're incredible. Like do not F with the Give Them Lala squad, they will eat you alive. That's not I don't worry about trolls because I'm like, the Give Them Lala squad is going to handle this bitch in two seconds. But I want to meet them because they have made all of my dreams come true. You know, I used to sit home in Utah and dream about all these things that are happening to me. And because of my people, my dreams are real life. So I just want to make this tour something where we're bonded.

We can interact in person as much as we can, fingers crossed. I want to leave them with a good buzz and feeling inspired. That's pretty cool. And so if someone goes to the show, they can expect to have what? What would you say like kind of like party atmosphere, fun atmosphere, inspirational, inspirational? What's like the vibe going to be? I want it all. I want a crowd surf. No, I'm just kidding. You should. That would be awesome. I want them to come and have it as an epic night out where they can kick back and release a tough work day or situation. You know, get their mind off of the serious things in their life. I want them to leave feeling like they can take over the world. I want them to ask me anything.

This tour, nothing is off the limits. I am mentioning it all. And I'm not even going to feel bad about it. Wow, that's cool. The gloves are off. Lala's ready to throw down. So if someone is listening to this now, now they're super enticed.

where can they go get tickets for that tour and have those gone on sale yet they are on sale and you can get tickets on give them live.com give them live.com the mitts are coming off and la la la is throwing down i love it but la this has been fantastic it's been awesome to hear about your story from salt lake city to where you are today and everything in between it's wildly impressive and here you go get ready to go because you're going on tour whether you're ready or not But we got to get a trading secret from you, Lala, before you take off. What's one trading secret, you know, that someone listening couldn't read the textbook, find in a classroom or Google, just about, you know, maybe career navigation or personal finance? I am very into this trick that my grandfather used to do and my dad used to do. And it's called the envelope, like the envelope trick where you take your paycheck and no matter what, whatever you feel comfortable with, you divide.

your funds into what's going where and always, always, always have a piece of your check go into a spot that you don't touch it unless it's a rainy day. It's simple. Everybody can do it. I don't care if it's five bucks every paycheck. Make sure you do that. That is so well set, especially in the world we're living in right now with inflation and the markets all over the place and the cost living. Like if you're not putting things away for that rainy day, like you just never know. Like that one day for a lot of us that have a lot of our business sourced on on Instagram, when it went out that one day for like eight hours, like, holy shit, how am I going to generate revenue today? It's scary. Not that day too. Right. I went money on the

brand. Exactly. So rainy day fun, Lala, everything from your entertainment run to what you do in media and branding to your business sense. It's been awesome having you here. If people want to find more of you or follow your podcast or your businesses where can they go to do so you can follow me on instagram at la la kent you can follow me on tic talk which i think is at give them wala there we go and you can find the podcast wherever you listen to your podcast and that's also called the give them wala podcast all things give them wala give them wala and i can you know what i'm excited to hear about this tour because it sounds like you're throwing down so if you're listening to and you want to see her, go live, go check it out.

We appreciate you coming on to Trading Secrets, and thank you so much for your time. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it. Take care and good luck. Ding ding, ding. We are closing in the Lala Kent episode with The Curious Canadian,

and I loved Lala's story. I mean, everything from grinding at the young age of 12 to buying her own BMW, taking a shot at L.A. And I was so, so surprised by some of these statistics of that most people only land one job in acting for an audition for every 10,000. There's a lot to cover on this topic. It was educational, informational, and also insightful. But one thing we could all say is Lala has built an incredible community,

business, and just overall mindset for where she's going to go and how she's going to do it. and she's going to do it independently. She referenced that, and I know she's gone through a tough breakup here soon. So there's clearly a lot of emotion and there's a lot of fierce, tenacious, you know, motivation behind what she's doing

and how she's doing it. So David, got to ask you, what'd you think? Yeah, we're going to start with the gloves she was wearing. Absolutely power stance outfit by her. Hair just done to the nines. She had her full face on. and she's wearing the leopard outfit. And she was wearing these gloves that I just,

I was mystified by them. So when the video comes out of this podcast, everyone will know, you got to get some good teasers of the gloves she was wearing. But like the definition of like a power, you know, like a power stance. Yeah. Like she was like a power presence for sure

from head to toe from what she was wearing. And then really just a smart business woman who's been an absolute hustler, like she said from such a young age. Yeah, she's a grinder. She's clearly built an incredible. community. When she showed up with that outfit, man, I was like, oh my gosh. It's like she was dressed to impress. It was like the leopard outfit. So like, funny story, though, her assistant

came on first. And her assistant, maybe I was just like off that day. But I could have swore her assistant was her. And I was like, Lala, what's going on? She's like, oh, no, Lala will be here in a second. And her assistant looked great, like totally professional. And then Lala came and I'm like, oh my God, I'm so underdressed. I'm thinking like this whole scenario needs a huge facelift back here, like my whole like screen and like fake plants. Like I got to step my game up. Well, it's pretty good.

You're a guy and you have plants in the office. So that's a step. But I will say, um, I agree too because I've seen Banner Pump before, uh, because Ashley washes it. And she did look different in the interview than what she looks on TV. But you can tell that's not her first rodeo with a podcast, uh, interview. or an acting job. I think one of the facts I'm going to spit out here

that blew me away from the episode was she said, and I didn't know if she was being serious or not, but is it true? Do you think you have to audition for 10,000? I mean, it's not, I don't think possible, but you should prepare to audition for 10,000 different auditions

before you get a part? Yeah, when she said 10,000 auditions for one role, that shook me. I was like, what? That seems like a lot. However, I do, like, obviously she knows. She's living and doing it every day, And I know, like, from people that are out there, how hard it is to make it in L.A.

And they'll do anything. And even when you do make it, you're making like $200 sometimes for a full day shoot to be in a commercial. Or you're in the background and you're not getting paid that often. And to make it is just like such a grind. The other thing I find interesting is that we talked about this. In L.A., when you're a reality TV star, like actors and actresses, like you're, you know, you're like they look down upon you, right? Right. But what's changing now is internationally, that's not the case. Like in UK and some areas in South America, like unscripted television, reality stars are like it. Like in UK, reality stars are like the A-List celebrities. It's crazy. Yeah, you ever seen too hot to handle UK edition?

I haven't. Oh, you should. But I met someone this weekend from Love is Blind. Yes. And they, I think, yeah, yeah. That show crushes. Any Netflix show crushes Their following is from

The majority of their following And Love is Blind is From UK and South America Which is like totally different than The Bachelor Right, we're all Canada America So Now do you think that has to just do with the platform that it's on? Platform maybe timing with COVID and everything

And reach You know there's like such a huge reach Maybe that was it. I don't know I don't know It's funny because she didn't You know it may sound like she just stumbled into her success, but she was talking about doing cold calling for representation at age 12.

I thought that was like an incredible takeaway of just like the mindset of a hustler that she had at the young age. And then I got a question because she said she put down cash. I don't know if she put down cash or bought her first car, her BMW with cash. Just from like a one-on-one investing point of view, what's your takeaway on best way to approach? And it's going to vary for everybody. Well, let's take the majority of people.

who are listening right now, what would your best advice be if you're going to buy a BMW? Would you suggest paying for it in cash if you could financing it or leasing it? That's a good question. So I think in general her point was at a young age, she was a grinder, right? She knew what she wanted super early and she was working full time to do it. And so at 16 or something, I think her point was I had the cash to go buy a BMW and I did. I bought it. But I would say right now with interest rates so low, it almost doesn't, like I don't know

what incentive there is to not be financing your car. They're offering like three, four years at zero percent. And interest rates are going to go up. Like we know that interest rate hikes are coming. The Fed has talked about it. So you're going to probably see that in the car market as well. Those rates are going to increase. But right now, like, money's free. So I personally would finance it. Now, if you're leasing a car, obviously it's a whole different story. The other thing that's fascinating right now, David, is because of all the supply chain issues. There are a lot of people, especially in highly demanded cards, like a G-wagon that are, for the first time in almost, like, ever, cars are appreciating. They're not depreciating.

So I know a buddy who has a 2016 G-wagon, 40,000 miles, bought it in 2016, new, brand-new. And he's just about to flip it right now. And he's going to, because of the demand of G-wagons, he's going to make money on the purchase. You don't see that in the car industry. Yeah, I actually saw that on scrolling on some social media platform like I do, that companies and dealerships are dealing with people coming and paying over asking price on cars for the first time because the demand is so high. Yeah. And they just like don't even know how to react because I've never seen it before. So, okay, team finance over team lease.

We got to get, we should get a car dealer on here though or a car owner on here to give you like every tip and trick when you walk into a car dealership because there are so many damn angles. I mean, it's crazy how many angles they are. One thing I was told is that if you have a lease right now, you have the option to buy it out. It's all based on time value money. So what they're saying is cars are going at such a premium that buy your lease out and you could actually resell it at a higher dollar amount given the market

and the supply chain issues. I might have to do that. I'm creeping up on year two of my lease. So one thing I got to ask, and I'm going to ask everybody who's on this restart happy hour call right now watching this recap live, which is just terrifying to have an audience because I'm usually doing this in my sweatpants. You're still in your sweatpants. What are you talking? No, I know. I go to work in my sweatpants. Hockey coach life. She said that when she met Lisa Vanderpom for the

first time, she wasn't starstruck because she doesn't get starstruck. So I got a question for you, and I'm going to ask everybody this is kickoff happy hour when this recap is over. Who is someone that you have met that you've been Starstruck by. And if you've never been Starstruck, who do you think would be that person to make you Starstruck? So everyone think about that. I'm going to go to you and then you're going to go to me. Yeah. So right now, guys, just so you know, as we are recording this, we are live with all access networking members. And we're going to wrap this up here soon. And then we're going to have just a little happy hour and kick it off and talk to everyone and see what people are up to and what they're working on and how we can help. So if you have any

interest in joining that, the link is in the podcast description. But Starstruck, when you ask me this question, David, that was the first thing I thought about was when Caitlin invited me to go to the Tiger Woods Celebrity Golf Outing. And seeing Tiger Woods was the most, like, insane thing, like live in person walking shoulder to shoulder with him. I was freaking out. The other story, I don't think I've ever told this story, is after we went to the party, and Mark Wahlberg was like staring down Caitlin. Like, I don't care what you say. Mark Wahlberg was fucking giving her the eyes. And she was right next to me. And he was like right there.

And it was like lock. It was like deadlock. There was no blinking. And I'm literally under the table, Googling. Like, is Mark Wahlberg married? Like, what the hell is ridiculous? And I mean, it was insane. So I remember then to Mark Wahlberg, but I was just like, oh my God, smart, what am I going to do?

Like, what am I going to do? Staring him back? What I got him done? So Mark Wahlberg and Tiger Woods, like, would shell shocked. Yeah. A couple questions. Did you get any words in with Tiger? Like, did you guys like?

No, it was Chris Harrison and him walking the whole time. And I was like talking with Chris and him. And he was like, I was like nodding along. Like he'd make a comment. Be like, yeah, yeah, yeah. I got a, oh, we got a picture with Tiger. I asked him for a picture. He's like, yeah, yeah, come over.

Me and Caitlin and him got a picture. He was nice about that. Can I get a height check on Mark Wahlberg? Hightjack. Over. Short. Short. Shorter than you're expecting.

Yeah, but jacked. Absolutely jacked. And when he came into that party, he had, it was like a suitcase. I was like, this is fucking, like, he would show up with like a suitcase. It was all like blinged out, like platinum. And I was like, what's in there? And he opens it up into this happy hour. It was all, it was all like really, really expensive wine that he brings in the suitcase.

But the guys from wedding crashes were there, you know, Owen Wilson. Yeah, Owen Wilson. No, Owen Wilson. What's Owen Wilson's brother's name? Oh, yes. The other Wilson. He's in wedding crashes too.

What's wrong with us? Luke. Luke Wilson. Comment section coming up huge there. He was beauty. I mean, he had like everyone was dressed up. He had like a trucker hat and he had a tooth picket and he was like super nice, just casual as all hell.

So that was, yeah, it was a wild one. How about you? Have you ever been starstruck? Yeah. When I was 15, I met Mario Lemieux. For those who don't know, he's what I consider the greatest hockey player of all time. And I was just like 15 year old me.

He was just starstruck. His only time where someone said something to me and I actually didn't respond because my jaw was on the floor. Like the true essence of your job being on the floor. Now, if I met Justin Bieber, if I met Justin Bieber, I would just probably play it off like we're boys.

Like, we've been boys for like 10 years. You think Justin Bieber would be boys with you? What's that? You think he would be boys with you? Yes. I do. Like, you, that's pretty confident. Yeah.

I've put a lot of manifesting into, like, what happens when I meet him, and, like, it'll just be like, oh, yeah, Justin, man, what's up? Like, how we doing? All right. What else? Lala Kent? Anything else before we wrap up? Yeah, I think we got it.

I think we got to, I got to ask one more question. Let's see. I'm just going to say this. I'm just going to put it out there. Okay. Two things I really liked about the episode. You could tell how proud she was to be a mom. A couple things that she said, which is kind of a new age outlook, like,

mother should be. helping their daughter save money at 12 years old, always have a rainy day fun, all the respect to stay-at-home moms, but she says if things go south, that stay-at-home mom job doesn't get you an apartment to live in after. I just thought it was really, like, interesting perspective. And it's so interesting because you know a person of that nature of celebrity doesn't get asked on the questions that you asked her. And just the simple question of asking her about her personal finances and anything that she's done to navigate it, she like got this massive smile on her face. And you could tell, like, no one's ever asked me such a simple human being, a real life question.

And her response was, you could tell her. She said, I'm proud of how I handle my finances. And I just thought that was really cool. Yeah, she's a very, like, just a really impressive person. I thought a lot of the wisdom she gave was inspiring. And I think just in general, her outlook on things is incredible. And anyone that's in the business entrepreneurial world can learn from her. I thought it was fascinating how she said she steps into conflict strictly because creating conflict on the show means success and added value to her.

Like that was because I was like, you always step into contact. You're always stirring shit up. She's like, that's because that drives ratings. And if I can drive ratings, I'm adding value to the show. And it brings back to anyone here, no matter what you're doing, what are you doing to add value to your boss or the company you work for? and are you doing that day in and day out? Because she's doing it.

She's intentional with what she's doing and how she's doing it. And it's paying off big time for her. So she's... Just don't get into conflict like Chenet on the season of The Bachelor if you're watching that because it's horrendous. Why? What's horrendous about it? And let's wrap.

Chenet? Yeah, I haven't seen... I've watched four minutes last night. Oh, man. It's just bad. It's just promoting bad things, bad behavior. I've never seen someone. It's the most...

We talked about it last week on the recap. It's the most evidence I've ever needed to know that she is a producer plant. She is paid or at least being promoted at a rate that is strictly for the producers. They're just teeing her up with these scenes. I texted you the one scene like, oh, there happens to be a camera beside the bed that she was taking a nap on. And they happen to be talking about her in the other room. She happens to put her ear next to the wall to hear what they're talking about.

And it's all on camera. It's just too much. And people in the chat are saying the shrimp gate. I saw the shrimp gate online on Twitter. I don't know what it is yet because I haven't watched the full episode. David, what I'm going to do is watch the full episode, and I'll confirm your conspiracy comment here. We'll see. And we'll also have to bring Bachelor Data back on because Bachelor Data has been analyzing the following of this season.

It's fascinating to see that the following is extremely slower than people anticipated. I don't know what's going on with that. But let's wrap it up. Lala Kent from Bravo, Vanderpump Rules, a businesswoman, a very, very intelligent person who brings the spice when she needs to because the spice is what drives ratings and she knows what's going to drive success for her. And I love the way she takes care of herself. I love the way that she's so proud of saying like, I'm an independent bitch and I'm going to do what I want, how I want, because I've created my own wealth. She is someone we can all learn from

La La Kent. We hope that you guys enjoyed this episode. And if you have any interest in joining our networking group, we have a bunch of people here. We're going live with right as I wrap up. The link is in the bio and give us five stars. If you haven't already, we're watching that feedback. We appreciate it. And we hope that this episode of Trading Secrets was another one that you could not afford to miss. dream