Well with Arielle Lorre - 203: Dealing with Haters, Beauty Standards, Mental Health & Growing Up in the Fashion Industry with Kit Keenan

Episode Date: October 17, 2022

In this episode, I'm chatting with Kit Keenan (aka the real Blair Waldorf) about what it's like growing up with a mom in the fashion industry, beauty standards and the pressure of making your passion your career. We also talk about her approach to wellness; moderation vs. strict dieting; mental health and therapy; how to constructively deal with the haters, and so much more.   As our partner, Maude is giving 15% off your first order on all products with the code BLONDE. Head over to getmaude.com/BLONDE.   Visit Clare at www.clare.com/BLONDE to get started and receive 10% off your order.    Visit Houseofmacadamias.com and use code BLONDE20 to receive 20% off your first purchase of their nuts or bars.   For listeners of the show, Calm is offering an exclusive offer of 40% off a Calm Premium subscription at CALM.COM/blonde.   Produced by Dear Media.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The following podcast is a dear media production. Hey, welcome to the Blonde Files podcast. I'm your host, Ariel Lorry, and I'm here to talk all things wellness. From how to achieve optimal health and well-being to the best beauty tips and everything in between, no topic is off limits, and I'm bringing it to you real and unfiltered. I know there is so much information out there, so I'm here to help you navigate it all. Thanks for listening. Let's get into it. Hi, everybody. Welcome to the show. Today, I have a really fun episode. When I was thinking of how to recap this episode, I just remember it being like really fun, easy girl talk. We are talking a lot about wellness and lifestyle and just so many different things. I'm talking to Kit Keenan. So Kit Keenan is often compared to the infamous Blair Waldorf. So of course, I had to ask her in what ways.

her life was similar and in what ways her life was different. You guys probably know I was a big fan of the original gossip girl. She also is best known for being the daughter of fashion designer Cynthia Rowley, but she has an incredible platform of her own now. She was also on The Bachelor for a short time during Matt James's season. And she is kind of the self-proclaimed Martha Stortz stuck in Blair Waldorf's plotline. She co-hosts the mother-daughter. podcast, Ageless, with her mom, Cynthia Rowley. And right now she's really honing in on wellness and cooking. She has a social media series, What's Kit Cooking? And she was just so much fun to talk to. I was really interested in learning about how growing up around the fashion industry and

models and all of that shaped her body image and how that influenced her wellness routines and her wellness approach today. And we talk about how that all has evolved. We talk wellness non-negotiables. We talk about comparison on social media and just in general and so much more. So I think you guys are really going to love this episode. Please enjoy Kit Keenan. Welcome Kit. Hi. Thanks so much for having me. Very excited to talk to you. I have so many different things that I want to cover with you So we're just going to kind of see where it goes. But I thought a good starting place is with this. So people have compared you to Blair Waldorf, like the real life Blair Waldorf. I'm sure you get sick of that. But I am curious like how, because I'm sure that's a character that so many people are familiar with, how was your life similar and how was it different? Well, I definitely have taken the Blair Waldorf like. comparison and used it to my advantage, I think, because she is so iconic. So I take it as a huge compliment.

I will say, I think there's a really big difference between going to high school uptown in New York and going to school downtown. And since I grew up downtown and went to high school downtown in New York, I definitely, I think just like the cattyness and like the gossipiness of high school. portrayed in that show was pretty different for me. I went to Grace Church High School, which is like right by NYU. And I was only the second graduating class at my high school. So when I got to high school, like I didn't have that scary moment with seniors that most freshmen do because there were only sophomores at my school. But I will say like growing up with my mom in the

fashion industry is definitely something that I can relate to the character. flare on and also just like starting to go out really early because I grew up here and just like meeting so many people. I feel like I grew up pretty fast, which is something that I think is portrayed really well in that show. How did growing up with your mom in the fashion industry and I'm sure like you were around it all of the time, how did that shape? kind of who you are today if it did at all. It definitely has shaped, like literally so much about me. Number one, I think there's like just seeing, having your mom be like the breadwinner of your

family is such a unique upbringing. And also like having a mom that was not just the breadwinner, but also like the CEO and such a prolific like entrepreneur is something that's always inspired me. And I appreciate her work so much. And I think there has been times in my life where I was like way more interested in working in fashion. But I actually went to NYU for fashion business. And I, I mean, I saw like the toxic sides and the dark sides of fashion growing up.

but I think studying it in college as well and just like the sustainability issues within the industry and inclusivity or lack thereof really it just kind of made me be like, okay, I can be, I can be so appreciative of the amazing work that comes out of fashion and the creativity and like how awesome of a business owner my mom is without. like contributing in such a direct way. And I think like at the end of the day, social media and being an influencer definitely contributes to that like consume, consume, consume cycle. But I think there's other aspects that I'm definitely avoiding by not working directly in fashion. Yeah. I was going to ask you like if you felt pressure to pursue that path and how social

media either helped or didn't help you, like, feel like you could kind of carve your own path. Because you were doing that all through college, right? Yeah. So, well, number one, like, my mom, my sister and I, our entire lives, like, she never, I think people assume that, like, because my mom works in fashion, she probably wanted us to do the same. and also had more control over our personal style choices and all of that. But my mom was always like run away from the fashion industry. Like she wants us to be our own people.

And I think that also was always shown to me in like how open she was about our style choices growing up. Like she never told us what to wear. And she has like her own vision on style that I think my sister and I don't even have. Like I think my style is way more minimal than my mom's and kind of so is my sisters. But in general, I think she was always just like, I want you guys to like figure it out on your own and find something that you're really passionate about doing.

Like I grew up with two parents that both they ended up like their career was their passion. So that's kind of like it's such an awesome way to grow up. but in another sense, it's also like a lot of pressure because I think just like in general, this idea of work, like your work should be your passion. It's very stressful for people because it's like, well, maybe my passion isn't going to support me financially. And I think it's okay to have that separation between like work and life if your passion doesn't happen to be your work.

like if you can still do it consistently, that's awesome. I mean, it ended up for me that because I was doing social media throughout college and I mean, even starting in high school, like, it just so happens that I get to do. Like, my passion gets to be my job. But I think like as I get older and even just like watching my sister, she's going through the college process right now and all of that, like, I think it's okay to have a separation between like passion and hobbies and that sort of like fun stuff and really what fulfills you and work. They don't have to be the same as long as like you get to do what you love

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I don't know, like people can turn, can get. of following so fast. And if they're smart about it, they can kind of turn themselves into a brand and then turn that into a passion. I mean, having an audience on social media allows you to kind of like pursue your passions that way. So I don't know if you've noticed that at all. I was listening to another interview with you. I think it was from last year. And you were talking about TikTok and you were like, well, I'm kind of like a boomer on it and I'm more of a consumer than a creator. And that's how I felt then too. And I'm like not great at being consistent. with it all right now because it's hard across so many platforms. But I feel like the shift has

been like more onto TikTok and that there's like so much more opportunity there. So how, how do you feel about that? I'm curious. Yeah. I mean, I think there's definitely like that is a major avenue for growth for influencers now. And I think like I'm still definitely getting into my group with it. But for me, like in the past year, I've always shared like my cooking stuff and my recipes as part of my brand online. But I think in the past year, like, I've really been way more consistent with it. And I'm finding that community on TikTok as well, which has been like so fun for me. So for me, I feel like TikTok, like I like sharing the, those little funny kind of behind the scenes moments in my life on there. But also, I love sharing my

recipes because it like opens them up to a bigger audience. Obviously on Instagram, like I, I love that I have my little community of little chefs on there. But it is like, it's only served to the people that follow me pretty much. So on TikTok, being able to like broadcast my recipes to a bigger audience is like super, super fun for me. So I want to get into that and I want to get into like all the wellness things since this is kind of a wellness podcast, but kind of going back to like your upbringing and your exposure to the fashion industry, how did that like shape your approach to wellness and food and all of that if it did? Like I can only imagine being around like models and fashion industry and all of that would get into your subconscious somehow.

like whether you were aware of it or not. I mean, it definitely did. I remember this is like so funny to say, but I remember like when I was little and going to my mom's fittings, like when during fashion week when she'd be doing fittings with models, looking at the models and thinking to myself like, yeah, one day I'm going to like grow big and like long like that and like tall and thin. Like I just thought that's what like grownups looked like. And obviously like my mom, she's super thin, but she like it's she doesn't try.

It's very difficult for me to like be around her because I'm like, you literally don't care. And that's just like genetic. I feel like my genes are more from my dad's side. So I have to be like consistent with my workouts and like eating a well balanced diet to feel my best, but my mom is just like literally no thoughts. That's how my parents are too. It's like the same. It's difficult.

But I remember like being in those fittings and thinking to myself like, oh yeah, one day I'm just going to grow up and look like a model. And I remember like that idea kind of like being in my head as I got older and like definitely did not grow to be, you know, 5-11 and like stick thick. So I think that it's definitely like being around that as a child completely changes the way you think about like what the ideal is. But at the same time, for me, like my mom has such a healthy relationship with food and she's super, super active. So I think like having her as a good example and the fact that she is. is like my connection to the fashion industry helped like figure that out a little bit more.

So what is your kind of wellness approach now? Like let's let's break down your whole routine. Well, I like I've definitely gone through periods in my life where like working out especially has definitely been toxic. and like when I, when I graduated from high school, I remember, like, I set a goal for during, like, a new year's resolution, basically. And I was like, I'm going to work out every single day. And I remember I was doing, like, berries and soul cycle and, like, really intense, like, hit workouts many, many times, like, probably four or five times a week, not fueling, like, enough to be.

doing such high intensity cardio. And I really think, like, being in lockdown during the pandemic, like, that kind of just ripped that all away from me. And so since then, I think my entire approach to working out has definitely changed. And I realized that, like, low intensity is the vibe for me. But recently, I've gotten back into weightlifting. Like this summer, honestly, I'm super active in the summer. Like my whole family surfs.

I've surfed my whole life. So I was surfing a lot, like just walking a lot, like being outside. So I wasn't really consistent with like a workout program. But honestly, I'm trying to think of like reasons why I can be excited for fall because I'm such a summer girl. And right now my reason to be excited for fall right now is that I'm going to get back into working out and back into lifting. So I've started lifting again. It feels like so good. Just like progressive overload and like feeling like I can lift heavier and heavier weights

each time. So that has been like super exciting for me. And then food wise, like I feel like when I was younger, like during the whole Tumblr vegan era, like I was definitely into that whole I think the aesthetic side of it, but also like, because I thought it was going to make me look thin and look in my like head at the time good. And again, like, I kind of just like grew out of that. And at this point, it's all about moderation. And at the end of the day, like for me right now, sometimes I will be like, oh my God, I have not been treating myself very well in terms of like what I'm eating. But at the end of the day, I'm like, I'm 23 living in New York City and I want to go out and I want to be with my friends. And that's like my priority right now. So when I cook a lot and like most of my recipes are pretty

healthy and balanced. And when I'm doing that, that feels great. But like on the weekends and like when I'm going out with my friends, Like I just, I would rather be in the present moment and like enjoy spending time with my friends going out to eat whatever. And like I have my whole life to be like a hot Pilates mom. Yes, you do. That's so funny. I feel like in the past few years, people have become more open to things like low intensity workouts and like moderation and obviously like body inclusivity. inclusivity and you see it in fashion and all of that. And I feel like just when it was starting to, like the pendulum was kind of swinging away from this like extreme. Now, I mean, I was talking to

someone earlier about this today. Like you see the Kardashians and people who are getting like so thin. And the amount of influence that they have over beauty standards is like, so I'm kind of curious what that is going to do because like it does, I feel like so many things trickle down from them, which is crazy. But I guess that's always like also everywhere has a different aesthetic. Like an aesthetic in New York was is always different from like an aesthetic in L.A. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And it's different from like the aesthetic in Miami and things like that. I think that's also a good reminder because like I remember like when I lived in L.A. I think like my goal, just like my goal at the time was just to be like as thin as possible.

Like no matter what, that was like the goal. I think it was also like the group that I was hanging out with and whatever. And I was like working out and drinking smoothies and stuff. But like at the end of the day, I was partying so much. And I like my goal in life was literally just to be thin, which is like so bad to admit that that's what it was at the time. And I think moving back to New York, like, as much as the aesthetic here is, like, the fashion industry, like, that older, like, Cape Moss look in some ways. Like, in other ways, I just feel like there's less emphasis in general on how you look here. It's really, like, what I find is it's

more about what value you offer. So sometimes, like, I will, I'll say, like, I'm in L.A. I'm like, maybe a, you know, seven, six or seven here, I could literally be like, I can be a nine on like some good nights. So I just think like reminding yourself that it also has to do with where you are because it's just like if you're in a toxic environment, and that could be in any city, but like in general, if you're around toxic people and in a toxic environment, I think those thoughts like can really affect you and your relationship with like your appearance. Yeah, I always say that about like aging too and like the procedures that people get here versus in New York. And like I, it's like you're in a bubble here. And so I can be really

susceptible to it also. And then I go to New York and or like Europe especially. And I'm like, oh my God, like people who are still taking care of themselves, maybe doing like a little Botox, whatever, but they just look way more like natural and very like at ease with it. I know that's a generalization, but it is, you are so like prone to being influenced from wherever you are and from the people around you. And I think that's such an important point that you made because like everyone wants to be like, you know, clean lifestyle and like this, that and the other and they don't pay attention to necessarily like the people that they're hanging out with. And it's like those inputs like determine how you're going to feel.

Totally. And I think like at the end of the day, it's like make sure you're surrounding yourself with friends and people in your circle that value you for other reasons besides your appearance. because if they're like placing emphasis on your appearance, then you're going to like only, that's what you're going to think about. You know, that's what you are going to find your value in. And like find people that think of you as more than just your appearance and find people that think of themselves as more than just their appearance because otherwise it's just like you're all going to be like in this little like cluster of.

of like trying to one up each other and like who looks better in this way or another. And it's just like so it gets really toxic. Yeah, I was going to say it just like spirals and you're just feeding into it with each other. I often talk on the podcast about how I feel like we are all so connected and reliant on technology. And we are so distracted by things like social media, email, TV, whatever it is, that we can. go through our entire day without being present in our body or our minds whatsoever. And for me, the best thing that I ever did for myself is learn to meditate. And you guys know that I'm a proponent of meditation. It has changed my life in so many ways. But I know that it can also be

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and like not comparing yourself to other people. And I think that's so hard. Like everybody's on social media now, whether they're an influencer or not. So it's hard to like not fall into that trap. I mean, I think like for me, I've just realized that I think a lot of like when you hear

influencers or like social media personalities talk about this, they're often just kind of like, screw the haters, like look at your supporters. But for me, I found like a lot of growth in looking at constructive criticism. And sometimes that will be in like the form of a kind of like mean DM or something like that. And it might not be like coming from like the best place ever from the person that's sending it. But I think like you take those things and think about how you can improve on them.

I mean, obviously take this with a grain of salt. But like, you know, people have criticized me for like sharing my recipes online because I'm not a professionally trained chef. And like at first I was like, oh my God. Like, do I need to like go to, you know, culinary school in order to be sharing this stuff online? And like I felt insecure about it. But then like it made me think critically about like the people that have taught me how to cook,

which is my mom, my grandma and my great grandma who have all been amazing cooks and none of them went to culinary school. And when you think about those things critically, but also like take into account like, oh yeah, maybe I can improve on my knife skills or like whatever it is to make it to just level up. my content and like level up the value that I'm giving to my audience, that's great. And like sometimes it might not be said in like the nicest way ever. But at the end of the day, like think critically about those things instead of or what I like to do is think critically about the quote unquote hate messages that I get and think about like,

okay, does any of this have any merit? or I mean, are you just calling me like ugly or like whatever because like that's not helpful. But like if there's any sort of like mean criticism that you think has some sort of merit, think critically about it and then like maybe reassess what you can have grip on. I was listening to an episode that you did with your mom on your podcast and you guys were talking about this. And she said something really smart, which was I think she said like if you accept your flaws or like your shortcomings or whatever it is, you're like outsmarting the haters.

And I thought that was such a good way to put it. And that's something that I've kind of tried to do. Like when I started sharing on social media like years ago when I started this whole thing, I kind of thought about like what are the things that people would come for me for? And like, and then I would just be really open about those. And it's like nobody can really say anything. I feel like it's almost disarming in a way because then it's like, well, what, well, now how do we like attack you? You know? Yeah. And I mean, there's always some.

They're always going to have something to say. Oh, yeah. But like that, I think that attitude of like thinking about like where your, where your flaws are, where you're like Achilles heel is is is super helpful. Because then like when people come to you with it, you can always just like address that situation. And also like still like find some confidence in that that like you are self aware enough to know, oh what? You know, I didn't go to culinary school. But like I'm still going to I still am helping so many people by like sharing my love for cooking and like getting people to young people to want to cook. That's amazing.

If that is like my brings me the most joy in life. So like if I'm finding joy from doing it and there are. so many people that come to me and say, I love your recipes and it, like, inspires me to cook at home. Amazing. Like, at the end of the day, think about your why and, like, why you're sharing your life in the first place. And, like, if it is just to, like, have clout and fame, like, then, like, you're kind of screwed because, like, there will be bad things said about you. And, like, I don't know if that's why, if that's a big enough why to like want to continue. Yeah, I just feel like that's not sustainable, especially because people think that like

cloud or fame is going to feel one way and it doesn't feel like it's not a fulfilling thing where like you could have less clout, less fame, less followers, whatever it is, but be doing something like meaningful that's providing value for other people. And that's like way more fulfilling at the end of the day. I think that's such a weird criticism that people give you that you're not a classically trained chef or whatever because, I mean, I think that's, like, actually more helpful because you make recipes that are realistic. Other people can make them and you're, like, showing people that, like, you don't have to be a trained chef to be able to cook. Yeah, exactly. And I mean, again, that's like one thing. Yeah.

That's been said. But like at the same time, it does make me think about like, oh, yeah, I could improve in this in this area. But yeah, I think it's just like it's one of those things that you have to take with a grain of salt. But also like think about it critically. Do you find that people on TikTok are still, I don't read my comments on TikTok. So do you find that it's more toxic than Instagram? Or do you feel like now that you're kind of building a community there, like you get. more support. I remember like when I first started posting on TikTok, I remember saying to like friends and stuff like, oh my God, I think it's way worse on there. Like they hate stuff. And I still think it's like, it's definitely worse than Instagram. But I don't know. I think it's like it's just something that you like have to live with, you know? Which is kind of crazy now. Like that that's just become.

the culture that like it's almost I mean I will admit sometimes I find like some people's comments really funny when they're like being snarky or whatever but yeah it seems like it's almost like cool to say something like really shitty because then people see your comment and they like it and it's like a whole other form of like cloud chasing almost yeah if you you know Victoria Paris, that ticotker. Sounds familiar. New York based TikToker, but she, like, makes these videos where she'll be like, you could literally post, like, a photo of, or a video of, like, you and your dad on Father's Day, and people would be like, lucky for you, you have a father, like, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,

and just, like, take everything, like, so offensively. And so, like, I remember, like, I posted one, one, like recipe that had pesto in it and like it was just like a pesto that I bought from whole foods. Like it wasn't like a homemade pesto. And I remember like I was getting comments being like, I can't believe you posted this recipe with like a store bought pesto. You're not a real chef. Like all this stuff. And like in those cases like you just you have to laugh. Like it's just not that serious. And like one of my friends, Eli Rallo, she's also like a New York based TikToker. And she posted something. She was like, there's no matter what you share and especially on TikTok, like there are going to be people who have something like who have something negative to say about it. You could post the

exact opposite version of what you posted. And like people would still take offense to it or not take offense, but like they would find something to criticize about it. And so you just need to be, like, confident in the content that you're putting out because there's always going to be someone that has something to say. Yeah. Like, if you're trying to please everyone, like, you're just going to fail. That reminds me of last year I posted on Instagram, actually, it was me recreating a Martha Story recipe. So not even my recipe. It was for a one pot pasta where, like, you put the pasta and, like, some olive oil and water and, like, garter.

and like garlic, crushed red pepper, tomatoes, whatever. There were a bunch of different things. You put it in like the skillet, pour a couple cups of water, and then you cook it all in one, and it makes like a creamy sauce because the pasta water is like cooking it down. And it went viral. And I have never seen so many hate comments like in my life where I was like, guys, like this isn't even my recipe. like why people like attacking me like crazy all you know like mostly italians were like their Italians are rolling in their graves like saying all this stuff and i was like wow like who knew and then i noticed

actually on some recipes that i posted following that like all the ones that would go viral were ones that like i don't know like people had issues with and i think that was part of it because it got a lot of engagement. So I was like, thanks, guys. But it was so crazy. I was like, Jesus. My, literally my, like, my Italian grandmother who like, like immigrated from Italy, like, she uses crushed garlic, like from like a, like a, like a jar.

Like in a jar. Like a jar. Yeah. And I remember like I posted something. Somebody was like, you couldn't just mince the garlic yourself. And I was like, I could. But like, this just makes it so much easier and like it doesn't really taste any different. So this is what I'm going to do.

Oh, my God. There's always something. Always something. There was another one where it was like a restaurant. It was like a hack for cutting avocados, like the way that they do it in restaurants. And I reposted the reel or like I did it myself posted a reel. And I was like, I saw this hack in like the New York Times, whatever. And somebody commented and they were like, this isn't yours.

This was from chef so and so on New York Times. And I was like, well, yeah, I like wrote it in the comment. And they were like, well, nobody reads the comments anyway. So you're trying to steal this as your own. And I was like, oh my God. I don't know what it is. I think people just need to feel like they are like either taking someone down or like morally superior or superior in some way. Yeah.

So crazy. There needs to be like a whole like psychology, like college level like psychology class on hate commenters. Yeah. I was talking to a plastic surgeon this morning who was on my show and he was talking about hate that he gets. And he was saying like, I wonder if in the future. If there was no way to be anonymous, like if people would still do it because I think that that is such a big part of it. like it's anonymity and zero accountability. Like somebody can just make a burner account and like go around all day commenting.

But would they ever say that to your face? Like if they had to stand there in front of you and say that, probably not. Never. No. I don't think so. Because like it doesn't even happen. It doesn't happen in real life, you know? Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Like if you see somebody on the street, they don't come up to you and like give you shit for not being trained chef. Yeah. But people just think it's okay. And I think people forget that there's a person like behind whatever account it is that they're commenting on. Yeah. Crazy. Okay. So what are some of your wellness non-negotiables right now? For me, I'm really getting back into lifting. So I'm trying to lift three times a week, which has been like, It's just making me feel so like accomplished and strong right now.

And it's just like giving me so much life. So living for that. And then I've been drinking athletic greens in the morning, which I'm such a good of them. Oh my God. Amazing. And I feel like for me also I've really been trying to walk a ton because it's getting cold in New York. So literally like every day for our lunch break, my friend that like works a corporate job and I go for a walk for 30 minutes and it is like life changing because otherwise like I work from home all day long and like talk to myself and talk to a tripod all day long. So like getting outside and going for a walk is like the biggest game changer for me and also like getting son of

my face life changing. That is one thing that I miss about living in L.A. is like I would go on these like two hour long walks every morning like up hills, downhills, like whatever. And I definitely don't get that as much in New York. But we walk everywhere here too. So it's okay. Yeah. That is one of the nice things about L.A. Like I can go for a walk at seven, come back at like 830, 845. and like before I even start my day have all of that done. But it is, I think especially if you're working in social media or like you're working from home, so many people are now, you can be like towards the end of the day and realize that you haven't even gone outside.

Yeah. You haven't even walked. Yeah. And it does make you feel so much better just to take a couple breaks. And it like not only helps, I feel like with your. body, but with your mind. And I love that you're lifting too and like switching it up because I think that that people underestimate how good it feels. Like whether you have, I don't know, fallen off a routine and like stopped working out or if you're just doing something that is not

that's just become kind of like wrote. I feel like switching it up in that way. It feels so good. I stopped working out for a few months because I got my boots done and I just started again. Oh my God. And I'm the same way. I'm like. exciting though. Like it makes it, it's like a whole new energy and like you have a totally new set of goals. And like at first you might go in and be like, oh my God, I feel so weak right now. And like this is pathetic. But then eventually it's like, oh my God, I get to like work towards something again, which obviously feeling like you're in a good routine is great. But like it can get kind of boring or just like that you're not really progressing. And like when you do quote unquote fall off like you get to get back. on and it's such, like, you get that, like, workout high again that, like, you never really feel as much when you're, like, in such a, such a, like, hardcore consistent routine. Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's so true.

Are there any trends that you want to see go away? Hmm. Okay. I have to think about that. I will say quickly because I, I'm just, like, thinking about this, the wellness trends thing. I think like when you asked me that question, I really, like I thought about the walking, the lifting, pathotic greens, of course. But I honestly think like at this point in my life, like, I'm not really that focused on the physical aspects of wellness. Like, I'm really trying to focus on my mental

wellness. And I just think that's like something that didn't really come to mind for me when you asked. But I think because like I feel pretty able and I'm getting back into working out and it doesn't feel like it's like super difficult for me. I think like right now I'm just really focused on like working through certain difficulties that I've had for my whole life in therapy that like I never think of as wellness. But like, It's so, it's way harder than getting back into the gym and lifting. So like, I think that's really been my goal for like the past year. And I'm like getting places.

I mean, you're never like 100% well mentally, I think. There's always like certain things that you can be working on. But for me, that's like a huge like consistency. in therapy has been a game changer for me. And especially like for somebody who has really avoidant tendencies, like, I found myself certain weeks being like, oh my God, I like really don't want to go. Like I really just like, I don't want to talk about it. And like I don't want to get into it. And I remember I like didn't see my therapist for like two weeks like around fashion week. And I remember like our first session back, I literally sat down and I was like, Kristen,

I don't want to do this right now. Like I don't, I want, I was like having a fine time just like totally avoiding everything. And now I'm like, okay, let's get back to it. And it's just like, it's the same as working out. It's about consistency. So that's something that I didn't think about when you asked, but that's a huge part of my non-negotiables. I, too, am back in therapy just as of a couple weeks ago. And I'm like, what was I doing with my life before I was doing this? Trying to navigate some of this stuff alone, big proponent of therapy. I mean, if people can do it, like, so amazing to have like a neutral person just help you, help guide you through all of the stuff that we're all facing. So tell everybody where they can find you, find all your recipes

and all of that. Yes. So you guys can follow me on Instagram for TikTok and they're both just my name, Kate Keenan. And we'll link it below too. Thank you so much for coming on. Thank you so much. I hope you enjoyed that episode. If you liked it and if you like the show in general, please take a second to rate, review, and subscribe. It goes a long way, and it's actually the best way to support the show. Also, if you want to see more about each episode, you can head over to The Blonde Files podcast on Instagram. I'm always posting about each episode there or over on my personal page at Area Lorry.

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