From Big Law to Fashion: Mrs. STRIPT on Entrepreneurship, Motherhood, & Reinvention

Welcome back to another episode. I'm your host, Summer Hill, and today I'm here with who y'all have been asking me, asking and asking and asking me to sit down with Ari Davis, Miss Stripped, in her stripped period. How you feeling today, Ari? I'm good. So I think a lot of people don't know, we're LLQ sisters. LLQ is the bomb, huh? I love being in LLQ, yes. So LLQ is a freshman organization. That's where I met Ari my freshman year. What were you a? I think I was a junior. A junior, yeah. And so it's just really cool to see you grow into an entrepreneur. Thank you. Let's get into this story. Okay, so you grew up in D.C. Yes. From this area. Yes, I grew up in D.C. Okay, so what made you stay here and go to school here? Well, honestly, if I was from anywhere, I would have gone to Howard. Like, my dad went to Howard, my mom went to Howard, my aunt, my grandparents, my grandma, my sister. So I was definitely like a Howard baby. I was between Howard and Spelman, and I just felt like, I had grown up going to Howard homecoming. I just felt like Howard was home. So I just happened to be one of the few D.C. people that actually went to Howard. Yeah, because D.C. people are always like, no, I need to leave the city. True, and also, I went to boarding school for high school. Yeah, so I was in McLean. So I stayed there for five days and went home on weekends. So I had already kind of been a little bit removed. More so than I guess like kids who went to school. So that's in Virginia, right? Exactly. Okay, how was boarding school? It was definitely rigorous. Yeah, I wouldn't really suggest it to most people, but it was a cool experience. Like, it was all girls. Okay. But it was definitely intense. Yeah, I went to an all-girls Catholic school when I lived in Toronto. Yeah, you didn't like it? I hated that. Yeah, I didn't like it much. That was the worst experience of my life. Yeah, I was very strict. Yeah, well, yeah. The all-girls part, I think it's good for girls to be in single sex, but definitely I had like a boyfriend at home and that was helpful that I had to like, went to like other people's schools, yeah. Why do you think that's good? I hated it. Like, I would never do that again. I think it's good for girls because girls get to just focus on school and girlhood and friends absent from the pressures from boys. Okay. I think it's also good for all boys. I think single sex education is good. But it's different when you go to boarding school because usually you have a single sex school and like, they have a brother's school. Right, right, right. So it's different. You're definitely isolated when you go to boarding school. Yeah, you are. And you're in a girls' school. But so you don't have any brothers, right? Just sisters? No, just my sister. Okay, so you were already just girls. Very all girls and it was just me. Well, I grew up with my mom, so it was me and my sister and my mom. Yeah. Okay, so girls, girl. Girls, girl. See, I have a brother. I have an older sister too, but I didn't grow up with her. But I grew up very close with my brother. We're only like one year apart. So like, I'm definitely a girls' girl, but I like to roll my sleeves up and hang out with the boys. I feel that. I mean, I was definitely always a tomboy. It's just that I was around all women. Okay. Yeah. That's nice. So, okay, so what'd you study at Howard? My major? I was an econ major. Okay, so then you got into law. Yeah, I always knew I was gonna go to law school. But my dad was an econ major, and I was really into economics as a kid. So I was just like, this is cool. So I did that, and then I went to law school. What kind of law did you do? I did antitrust law. Okay. Which is very specific. It's basically when big companies wanna merge, and to protect society, you prevent them from merging potentially. Because like, if, like Sirius and XM, I think they merged at one point. But let's say there's like, if all the airlines merged, then they would have a monopoly on all of them. Like Google. Exactly. So like, if Google and Apple merged, you'd be like, oh shit, like, there's no competition. So the government will step in and do those companies, and then our firm would represent the company. Okay, okay, okay. But did you like it? Because I know. No. Yeah, it was, because I used to watch your TikTok, and you'd be like, oh my God, I'm back here at another day in the office. Yeah. I actually hated it. Also, I mean, well, being a lawyer is not that interesting as far as the work, right? So like, you can work in a cool field as a lawyer, which I didn't do. Obviously, I worked in antitrust. But the work that you're actually doing isn't that cool, no matter what you're doing, in my opinion. Unless you're doing stuff like, you know, trying to get someone off of death penalty or things that really matter, that feel really like important. But also, the environment was bad. Yeah. Because I was in big law, which is a specific kind of environment. It was just, it's just very toxic. Is it like super corporate? Like, what's the vibe? Yeah, so it's like super corporate, but basically the vibe is set because we represent clients who are like super big and they know that they can go to any of these big law firms. So we're client services. So we're always on because whenever they need us, we have to be there. So we're an international law firm. So like, you're expected to be available at all times. Like, the type- No balance, no boundaries. So how did you start a business and have a child with no balance and no boundaries? Yeah, I think that, so part of it was I got kind of lucky in certain ways because when I started at big law, we were in the pandemic. Okay, remote. So that was like, yeah, that was great. And so it was a slow start. So I got, that time was like my first year in business. I launched Strip actually like three months before I started at big law. Oh, okay, okay, so that was first. Yeah, and so also, you know, the arc of like business. So when you start, it's not as busy as it is now. I couldn't do both now. But yeah, so I had the benefit of it not being as crazy at the time and being remote. But then by like my third year, as you move up, you know, your expectations are more. That's when it really started getting a little hard to balance because I was just not as busy. And then when I started getting busy, it was like, okay, I was definitely being pulled in a lot of directions. And that definitely felt like as a mom, I was like, oof, like, I don't get to be, like the last podcast I did, I was still working big law. And I remember saying that like, yeah, I feel guilt sometimes. But then obviously I ended up quitting. So yeah. Okay, that is so exciting. Congratulations on that, girl. That is like every entrepreneur's goal is to stop at nine to five and focus fully on their entrepreneurship. So how did you come to that decision? Like, did you say like, I want to have X amount in my bank account or I want to be here? Like, what were your factors? Well, there were some things I wanted to do while I was working in W-2 employment. So I was like, okay, like I wanted to buy my house, buy a rental property, things like that. I had done that. As far as like savings goals, because I was in big law, that's a very like high earning job early. So I was able to save. That wasn't really an issue. There was metrics I had for my business that I wanted to maintain, like a consistent amount of revenue for six months. But honestly, like, it's hard to let go of that nine to five. Yeah, that stability. And I had hit those targets and I was just staying. But realistically, the reason that I ended up leaving big law is because like, I was actually just no longer really a good employee. Yeah, I was not able to, my anxiety was so bad that I wasn't really, it was crippling. And also I was like, I was feeling so shit at work, right? Like I'm so bad at this. And it was like, yeah, just because like, I don't know. That's part of the environment that they breed in big law, right? They always want you to feel like you're not really that good or you're not, no one's ever like big up on you because they want you to feel like you're pushing yourself more and more and more. And like, you're not that good. You're not that good. That's like toxic workplaces in general, right? But, so I had kind of just felt like I'm working on my, from my weaknesses in big law. Whereas as a business owner, I'm working for my strengths and I felt like way more empowered in those spaces. So it was really like, there was no more, I had met the end of the journey on big law. It was just no more for me to do there. So they kind of pushed you out then. Yeah, for sure. So was it like, because the environment was so toxic, that's what was causing anxiety? Yeah, I feel like that. And I felt like, it was really like everything, I always say everything is a line. Like I had gotten this team and I was excited about it because like, oh, like I needed hours. It was always about like balancing, like, okay, you got to get more hours. You have to always be getting your hours, your billables, you want to hit your billables. So I was like, okay, I'm finally gonna be busy. But I mean, they were tearing my ass up on that scene. Yeah, they were just like, the woman who was my manager, she was so bad, the things she would say to me, they were just so condescending and so like negative. So it had just got to the point where I was like, shit. Like, then I got to the point where I was really honestly like, fuck it. Like I got to the point like, I'm just gonna compartmentalize this and be like, I'm not even gonna put my all in this because it doesn't matter. Like, and so when I got to that point, I definitely, I mean, everyone started to notice like that I was totally checked out. And so yeah, it was time to go. And do you think you'd ever go back? Never. Ever? Never, ever. Wow, okay. So then, okay, so a script is already born at this point. And this came from, I know you said like, you had shot your shot to Lululemon. It was like, why don't y'all have full bodysuits? Okay, so tell me how that process went. Yeah, so at the time, that was like four years ago almost, probably actually more than four years ago because this was before I launched. But I was like really into Lululemon. I'm not as into Lululemon now, obviously since the stuff has come out about them being racist. But yeah, so I was a Lululemon girl and I really liked their material. That was always important to me. And so I had pitched them on Twitter, like, you guys really make cool bodysuits because I really liked wearing bodysuits, but there was no good quality ones on the market. So I pitched them. And they just send the automatic response type thing, like, yeah, that's a good idea, da da da. But then I ended up being like, okay, I'll do it myself. You might know him, his name is Kai. He has a clothing brand, kind of big. He has like shoes called Kai. He didn't go to Howard, but he does the lightning strike. He actually just settled a lawsuit with Nike. Oh, cool. Yeah, so he was actually my friend and he was like, you need to do your clothing line. And so he kind of showed me the ropes a little bit. So I was able to, he opened the door for me, right? So then I was able to start the brand. So how does that look? Because there's so many steps into starting a business and starting a clothing line. How do you know what's that? When I started Summertime, somebody told me I had to get trademarked. I didn't even know that. I guess maybe like your law background helps you with some of that. Yeah, well, I think also some people have those type of things confused too, like because they're not in law. So like a lot of people will tell you you need to trademark your stuff. You don't have to trademark anything ever. Yeah. For real? You don't, no. I mean, no, no. Oh. Yeah, because basically, it's good to be trademarked for something, but it doesn't necessarily matter in a lot of ways. That's like, that's a whole conversation. But yeah. But those things, like I say what is important is you do need to establish your LLC and your bank account, stuff like that. 100%, that's important. That was the stuff I did first. And then, I mean, it's just about like being organized and like having to do a million moving parts at a time. But I think because I, at the time, was always working and doing it, I was always busy. Like I was always used to being busy. So I welcome being busy. I like doing a lot of things. Yeah, so I'm comfortable there. But yeah, so it was just about like, you know, one, the business side of it. And then two, I had to like learn actually the clothing aspect of it. And that's a lot of like trial and error, but that's also like asking questions and also learning on like doing your research. My first, when I first started, I remember going to one of the manufacturers and they were just saying all these things and I just didn't know what the fuck they were talking about. And I was literally like, that night I was like, oh no, no, no. Like I have to know everything that they're talking about because I don't want to ever be in a room where I don't know what people are talking about and it's my shit. So I was like, so I just like learned it. It's not rocket science, but you do learn from experience. You develop relationships and things and you like learn how to like, you know, do things as with time. But like most things are not that hard to learn, right? Would you use like YouTube or how did you? I would just read. Like I learned about like pattern making and all these things, but I do think the best form of learning is asking questions and you have to be really comfortable asking questions and I'm very comfortable asking questions. So I would ask my manufacturers everything. So I'm still asking questions today. Like I'm still learning, but yeah. I literally just Googled it. Like the process of clothing, like a clothing brand. Like how does it get made? Things like that. Things people don't know, right? People, a lot of people just do boutique, right? They just buy the product. But I had to actually get the product made. So I had to learn like, at the time I was trying to find the fabric, right? And I remember I kept getting the patterns made at the same time as finding a fabric. That was a major mistake because every time you use a new fabric, the pattern has to change. Yeah, so that was something I learned. I was just like wasting time, but now I know that. That's some stuff you just learn from doing. Yeah, so how long did the process take from like idea to putting it out in the market? So it was about six months. Oh, that's not long at all. No, no, no. I was definitely like head first. And like your marketing is, I think that's one thing that kind of sets you apart from other people is because you do a lot of community marketing. What made you get into that? Yeah, I mean, for the first launch, the way we rolled out was a disposable camera campaign because it was in the time of the pandemic. So I like sent girls from all over the country disposable cameras and I sent them the body suits. And then they were the ones who posted, they all posted at the same time, we posted the same caption. And I think that like, for me, it was always about like cross pollinating. So I know that like, you want people in your stuff, you want regular people from all different places in your stuff because it just like multiplies, right? Like their friends see it, their friends see it, that's just how the internet works. So marketing was always super important to me from the beginning and like making sure that it was regular girls in it, not celebrities and shit like that. Right. So how did you come up? Cause like you have really good marketing concepts, like the digital, the camera thing that you sent. How do you come up with that? Do you have a team where you do that by yourself? I honestly think that I'm just creative in that way. I think that's just one of my talents, luckily for me, as far as ideas, I've always been really creative since I was a kid. So that's just luck, but I do have a team, but as far as creativity and marketing and the concepts, those are all me. But now we've expanded, so I have like digital marketing, I have a social team, so like they do lots of stuff. They do my email, they do all that. Okay, team, that's so cool. No, it is cool, it's definitely cool. These are things that have been possible because I'm full time now. Yeah, putting it all into it. Exactly. Okay, so what I have seen is that you have really been open about sharing your story on social media, like on TikTok, you vlog and stuff like that, which I think is cool because it allows people to connect with you and feel like personal connection to the clothes that they're wearing too. So you, but I know like during your pregnancy, you didn't tell, you made sure that was hidden. Yes. Why did you do that? Yeah, so when I was pregnant, I hated the whole thing because I was like super into, well, first of all, in general, I'm very into the power of words. Since I was a little kid, I watched The Secret with my aunt and so I'm like super manifestation, predating Twitter manifestation, right? So I'm like super into the power of words. And so I just felt like I didn't want anyone on the internet having anything to say about my unborn child. I was like super protective of that. Like super, like it wasn't just the internet that didn't know, by the way. I didn't even tell the majority of my family. Really? So you didn't come around. Right, so like my family is actually from like Florida and Seattle. Okay. So my post-nuclear family knew, but as far as like my cousins, my aunts, my uncles, none of them knew. So the way they found out was I sent an announcement card. Oh, wow. In the mail. After she was born? After she was born. After I took newborn pictures, everything. So people were definitely- What did they say? How'd they react? Some people reacted better than others. Whose baby is this? Some people were like just like, oh my God, congrats. But other people were hurt. But I kind of felt like if you didn't talk to me in 40 weeks that I was pregnant, then why would I call you to tell you I'm pregnant? They were hurt you didn't tell them? Yes. I could, yeah. I mean, yeah. So how did you respond to that? Well, some of them made me promise to never do that again, but I probably would do it again. But I kind of just was like, told them it wasn't personal. Like I didn't tell anybody, which doesn't really help people feel better, I don't think, but my mom was like, you shouldn't feel that. My mom was so supportive of what I did. So she was like, you don't have to. She's like, yeah, I knew there was going to be hurt. But that doesn't matter. You chose to do what you wanted to do. And like, I didn't want people calling me all the time and asking me. I didn't want all that attention. So I wasn't, I was happy with my decision. And you would do it again? Yeah. And didn't your mom deliver your baby? Yes. That is so special. How did that feel? Yeah, that was cool. She's an OBGYN. So I always knew, since I was a kid, I always said like, well, I was going to deliver my baby. And so like, she, it actually had just been like Omicron. I just, the variant. Oh, right, right, right. So like, the day before I got to the hospital, they had said we only got one guest. And she was technically a guest. So she actually just like snuck in, which maybe I shouldn't say on here, but she snuck in. And she, but like, she knows all the people there, right? So it wasn't really sneaking in, but she was very excited. I mean, very into it. It was, it was very cool. Like very much what I'd want to do. And what I wish for anyone who's an OBGYN. Yeah, that's beautiful. Yeah. So how has motherhood been? It's like the best thing ever, really. I love being a mom. For sure. It's the most rewarding thing ever? Yeah, I think that, well, you know, most rewarding thing for me is, it's a different kind of category, I think. Cause I really am so about my business and goals and achieving them. And, it's just different than that with a kid. It's like, you're a kid. So, it's just like an experience that I think, if you want, I mean, I don't want to say everyone should experience, but I just think it's like, it's meant, you're meant to see a child grow from you. And like, that is something that is just a human experience that I feel like, before you have a child, you really don't know so much about life. It's just crazy. Like, you really don't. And I feel like it's a connection with so many people in the world now. Cause like, I feel connected to everyone who's a parent. Like in that community. Yeah. Is it true? I ask every parent this, like, my parents have always told me like, you don't know love until you have a child. A hundred percent. Really? Yeah. I mean, it's just a different kind of love because, before you, you might be really close to your sibling. For example, I say that's probably like the closest comparison. If you're really, really close to your sibling. Some people are closer than others, but like, still different. But like, I think it's just different because most people, for their child, they would like die for their child. Right? No questions. And I think that's a different level of love than you have probably for anybody else on earth. Aw, you should have brought her. I know. She would have ruined it. She would have been all over this place. Yeah. She would have ruined it. That is so sweet. I love that. Did you experience like any postpartum or anything like that? Yeah, definitely. I definitely had postpartum depression, which at the time of being in it, I wasn't really aware of it as much. I knew I was unhappy, but like, yeah. Also, yeah, it's just like hard. I mean, some people it's easier for others. Then, but like for me, it was like, it takes time to like get back to your body. And obviously I run a clothing brand, so that was on the face of, and so I had so much downtime of like, not feeling like myself. And everything is so new with the first child. You don't know anything. So it was definitely like hard. How did you like get yourself through that? Well, I just like, you just like keep going. Like when you have a baby, a newborn, like there's no giving up really. I mean, her life depends on you. Literally. But I know you have a lot of friend and family support around you. 100%. Both your child and your business. So how important, and I was, I came to a panel you were talking on one day, and you were talking about the friend support within your business. So can you talk about that? Like how important that has been to you? Yeah, like I'm so lucky because I have great friends. I mean, it's part luck, part discretion, which I think people struggle with sometimes. But I think that like, I hear a lot about people who don't get support from their friends and like, or their families, stuff like that. Like lots of resentment there. And like, I've never felt that. For me, I've only ever asked one thing of my friends. When I first launched, I put in my close friends, like, can you guys all go follow the strip page? Because I didn't want to have zero followers when I went out, right? And ever since then, I have not asked them for nothing. Really? I don't ask them to post. They do all of that for fun? Yeah, I don't ask them to post. Oh, that's sweet. I don't ask them, I don't have to do none of that shit with my friends. Like it's a given. Like, you know, I have, they're naturally supportive, but also, what's important that some people don't understand is that, your friends, your brand has to be bigger than people supporting you because of your friends. My friends actually wear my stuff all the time. My friends love my brand. So it's natural for them to support it. So partly, sometimes people don't get support from their friends because like, what they're doing, their friends just don't like. And that, your friends don't have to be your audience, right? But for me, my friends love my brand. And so it works, it's just natural. Yeah. That's true because like, my friends do not watch my show. Oh really? And how do you feel about that? It pisses me off. Really? Yeah. I tell them, I'm like, if you don't watch an episode, we're not friends anymore. I have told, I have made that announcement several times, but I want them to watch it because they want to watch it. But then somebody told me, they're like, that's not your audience. I'm like, okay, true. That could, that could be it. Yeah. I mean, it's different. I could see, I could see like, for example, my friends might not watch this full episode, but if this isn't my thing, this is your thing. So I could see why you would want your friends. But they'll share it. But they'll a hundred percent share it. They'll share it. And they'll comment and they'll watch the clip. You know, they'll watch the short clip. Yeah. Maybe not the whole thing. They do watch the short clip. I'd be like, you got to sit down the whole hour. I feel that though. But see, I do think your friends probably could, in the morning, at least put it on 2X speed and come on, listen to it while you're getting dressed. Yeah. No, some do. Some of them do. But some of them have never watched one single episode. And I'm like, we're not friends. Yeah. We are not friends at all. I can feel why you say that. Because they could watch one. Yeah, one. Yeah. And then let me know what you think. Yeah. But you just talked about like discernment when picking friends. Like, how does that look to you? Yeah. I mean, I think like, you have to be friends with people for the right reasons. Well, it's, it's so many things that go into being, having good friends. One, like, you have to be good to your friends. Most important. And I think I'm good to my friends. And we all are, have our own strengths and weaknesses, right? But like, you have to be good to your friends. You have to be friends with people for the right reasons. I'm not friends with my friends for anything, but that we're friends. I don't use them for anything. They're not, they're not, I'm not, it's not an opportunity for me. So some people are friends with people for opportunity, right? And that's not going to be a real friendship. And then also I think like, when people do you wrong, you have to cut them off. I mean, that's a part of discretion. You have to separate yourself from people who are not good for you. So for me, I've actually not really fallen out with many friends in life. I've fallen out with a few, but I do think that like, I've had one experience with someone who I felt like didn't support strip from the beginning. I could just feel this weird jealousy, animosity, maybe a little competition. I don't believe you can be in competition with your friends. So I just never spoke to that person again. Oh really? It's like, that's what, that's what somebody told me the other day. They were like, they want to see you doing well, but not better than them. Right. So a lot of friends like kind of just fall into the background. Yeah. Why are you being weird like that? Yeah. But they'll have an issue with anyone successful. So like, they'll just never probably be friends with anybody. It's not just you. Yeah. So you're good with boundaries then? I think so. I mean, I'm not very confrontational with my friends. So I kind of let shit slide. I don't really, but I don't really have a lot of, I don't really get bothered by it much when it comes to my friends. I think that's another thing. This new era on the internet of like, it has to be very flagrant for me to cut somebody off. But I think a lot of women are always talking about how they'll just cut a friend off for nothing. Like she didn't come to my birthday party or she didn't do this. I'm like, I don't really take that much personal. I really take like real issues seriously. Like competition, jealousy, talking shit. No, no, no. Like little things I kind of brush off because I'm like, whatever, right? Like life. But I think that's another thing some of us have to work on is like really deciding when it's worth cutting somebody off because women will forgive men for a lot of things. That part. Yeah. So they have to start forgiving their friends. Yeah. Or cutting them in off too. Right. Cutting them off. Right. Yeah. That's the hard part. It's like, cause whenever I feel like, whenever I'm enforcing a boundary, I feel bad. Yeah. Why do I feel bad for enforcing what's necessary? See, I have to start probably enforcing boundaries. I'm probably more so just like, whatever. So you don't confront stuff? No. Really? Unless it's like so bad, but you, my friends will tell you like, I don't confront nothing with my friends only. With everybody else I do. Oh, that's the thing. It's just my friends. Like strangers, acquaintances, men. Very confrontational. When's your birthday? January 28th. I'm an Aquarius. Okay. Yeah. I'm very confrontational. Yeah. Me too. No, to anyone. Oh, but to your friends too. It's a good thing. I don't like that. Yeah. You should be like that. I need to be more confrontational, but yeah, it does feel bad establishing boundaries. Cause it's not something we're taught to really do. Yeah. I hope that that does not last forever. I'm hoping that it's just like, just because I've just started doing that, that I feel bad, but hopefully down the line, I don't feel bad anymore. Yeah, you won't, you won't. Okay, so let's get into beauty. So, I know you get Botox. Yes, tell me about that. That is a transition. I'm just so curious. Does it hurt? Getting it? Yeah. No. Wait, what do you mean getting it? Cause you know, there's like, when you get it, it doesn't kick in right away. Oh, so it hurts later? Never hurts. Oh, it doesn't hurt at all? Never hurts. But yeah, cause some people, you know, there's a pinch with the needle. Oh, okay. So you just squeeze your face, and then you relax. But it's, I have a high pain tolerance, but also it's like literally a baby needle. Tiny, tiny needle. Yeah, I've seen it. Like, yeah, Botox is a butterfly needle. It's so tiny. What is the benefit? Like, long term? So, well, long term, it's preventative. So like, I started, I don't know, I'm, what am I, 29? So I started maybe a year and a half ago. Okay. Basically when I started seeing wrinkles when I was raising my eyebrows. But, yeah. So basically, it paralyzes the muscle groups, so that you can't move them. So then, if you can't move them, you can't create those wrinkles. And over time, those wrinkles create lines, and those lines stay. So, personally, I'm a huge fan. And I also think that it just makes you look kept and snatched. It does. And, I am, I will say, last weekend in Atlanta, I went out with my friends, and the girl at the bar, was like, are you 21? And she didn't ask my friends, and none of them had Botox. So I was like, it's the Botox. Is it possible, let's say you already have lines, will the Botox get rid of it? Yes. You start early enough, it will get rid of the lines, yeah. But you have to start early. And how often do you have to do it? So, your muscles actually get weaker over time from paralyzing them. So, you can start kinda going longer, but at our age, like when you're starting young, I don't go more than every six months. But, when you start, your muscles are stronger still, so you might have to go every four months. So you definitely recommend it? A hundred percent, I recommend it. Wow. I love it, personally. I want to, but I'm scared. I think it just makes you look snatched. Well, the good thing is, it's kind of low risk. If you don't like it, you just let it fade away. Oh, it'll like dissolve? yeah. So over time, it weakens. So you know when your Botox is fading, and it's so crazy, I'll be like, ugh, something's not right. I just don't feel good. And then I'm like, oh, I gotta get my Botox. And then when you get your Botox, you feel, so much better. No way. It just snatches your face. Because you can see a difference. Hell yeah. It snatches your face, and it makes your skin really taut. So like very bouncy and shiny. And it just like, you just get to that point in life, where, first of all, once you start getting it, you can recognize it in others. Okay. And you kind of just like, all the women that you think of, that are the kept women, that have the nice thing, and they smell good, and they look good, they're getting Botox. They're kept. So can you recognize like, can you look at someone, and be like, oh, you need some Botox right here? That is one of the downsides. When you start getting Botox, I start looking at people, and saying, oh, those wrinkles. But I don't feel, I just look at like, oh girl. Don't say it out loud. It's not like, I never say it out loud. Okay. Because it's really not a problem. Nothing's wrong with wrinkles. Nothing's wrong with aging. I just have a preference for it. But once you start getting it, you do notice it in others. Like I notice everyone's, when they, everyone's expression wrinkles. Oh my God, now I'm feeling insecure. You shouldn't. You have very good, very great skin. You don't have a lot of wrinkles. You have a good forehead. I literally wanted to, and I called the place. Yeah. When she told me that price, I said, I'm gonna have to call you back in a few years. No, I feel that. No, no, but see, when you raise your eyebrows, you don't have any wrinkles. Oh, I don't. And also, I have a special scenario, where, you can't tell now, because I can't really raise them, but, they go so high up. Your eyebrows? my face is just naturally so expressive. Okay. So like, they didn't need all that movement. It was like, it was like, it was giving, oh my God. To me, I was just like, this is too much. Really? Yeah, but some people just naturally don't get that. Like, I have a friend that's way older than me. She doesn't even get, she has so much forehead too. So when she raises them, it's like unaffected. Okay, you don't really tell. Right. So where do you get it? On your face? I get my forehead. I get my crow's feet. And this time, I got my chin, too. Yeah, I got my chin this time. Wow. Is there something that you do for under eye, because I do have under eye bags. So for under eye bags, you can get filler. Mm. Which is also, I've gotten filler, too. But you don't have, now filler is, last, way longer than Botox. So I've only gotten filler once, and never got it again, but filler is a game changer for under eye. Also, there's other things. That's where you got it? Yeah, I got, well, I didn't have bags, but I had, I got mid cheek filler, because I, over time, you're, as you get older, your collagen decreases. So you're losing it, naturally, every year. So like, I had like these little dents right here. And so I filled those in, but they work wonderfully for under eyes. There's other things you can do for under eyes, too. But, nothing is really gonna be better than filler. Girl, you literally look the same, as when I met you junior, or your junior year. That's what I'm going for. That's the point? Freezing time. Okay. I love that for you. Okay, another, another hard transition. So, you were just in the Washington Post. Yes. And Essence. Yeah. Congratulations. Thank you. How does that feel? Very cool. Washington Post was like, a huge deal for me. Yeah. Especially just being from DC, and it being like, such a major publication. Mm-hmm. I was like, wow, this is so cool. I feel like, you know, just growing up, physical paper was still, really a big thing. And I know like, anytime someone, in your life, is in the paper, everyone gets the copies, and it's like a thing, big thing. So like, it was so exciting. So, what did that process look like? They reached out to you, or what? so this girl reached out to me, Jordan, who wrote the article. And she reached out, and said like, oh, I wanna write a story on the Washington Post, for you. And I was like, oh my God, this is so cool. Because, when we had did the Goodwill collab, like, I had, pitched to, I had done a press releases, to see if anyone wanted to come. And no one came, and I was just like, all right. And it ended up being huge, So it ended up being huge, and then, she had heard about it. And so, she ended up, writing about it. But yeah, she reached out to me, and then she came to the pop-up. One thing I will say, that's cool, when you're on that level of publication, is just like, the seriousness. Yeah. So, she came to the pop-up, she stayed the whole pop-up. She interviewed, customers, she interviewed, girls I worked with, she interviewed my tennis coach, that does my tennis club, she interviewed club members. And it was a major fact checking process. So like, it's just like, a different level. And then, we didn't know when the publication date, was gonna be. And then, she just told me one day, when I was on my flight to LA, and I was like, oh shit. That is so cool. Yeah. Do you have it? Do you have the newspaper? Yeah, so I also didn't know, it was gonna be in the physical paper. Like, I thought it was just gonna be, and then I think, we don't know why, they chose me for it. But, it ended up that Sunday, after it dropped, because I think it dropped on Thursday. On Sunday, it ended up being, like, on the cover of the Metro section. That is so cool. Yeah, it was super cool. Who, what's your, like, who's your, what magazine do you wanna be in? Okay, so, next, I would like, well, I guess this is a newspaper, but of course, I would love to be in the New York Times. I mean, that would be huge. Magazine, like, obviously, Vogue would be massive. Yeah. Vogue would be massive. But, I appreciate being in any publication. I think it's so cool. I mean, Essence is, I guess the last black publication, right? Mm-hmm. I have so much appreciation and admiration for Essence. But, yeah. Ebony. Yeah, and I'm like, I don't know. They say, like, one is, I think Essence is the only one in print. Oh, okay, okay. So, I don't know, but I think, of course, like, any publication is a big deal to me. Wow, that's amazing. Yeah, I'm so excited for that. So, okay, so you have your tennis club, too. Yeah. How did that get started? Like, you've just merged these two so flawlessly. Thank you. Yeah, I mean, honestly, I think, what helps when you do these things is, like, to do things that are extensions of yourself. Mm-hmm. Because, it's my brand. So, I play tennis. I've played tennis since I was a kid, and I had just got back a couple years ago, like, actually, going frequently. And then, of course, we had tennis skirts. And so, then I was just like, let's do a tennis club, because we could get more girls out here, and it would just be fun. And my tennis coach was with it, and so, we just did the tennis club. And it was, like, an immediate success. Because, everyone's into tennis right now. So, it's a fun, girly sport. It is. It is fun. So, then you did it in Atlanta, too. Yeah, and I did it in Atlanta. That was really cool. The one in Atlanta was a huge turnout, too. And it was also, that's also our second biggest market. So, we anticipated it being big. really? Yeah. Atlanta is our second biggest to the DMV. So, we anticipated it being big, but it was cool. It was a different vibe, because it was, like, nighttime. We had, like, happy hours. Oh, okay. I love that. So, what are you going to do next? what's your next big thing? Like, as far as the club, or just, like, in general? In general? In general, I'm working on expanding. I want to be a one-stop shop, as far as, like, you can get everything from us. So, you know, we just drop smooth collections. So, that's kind of, like, a lighter weight, everyday, more comfortable thing. Because, like, I want to be able to wear everything, that I like to wear, but it's my own stuff. So, that's like, t-shirts, the crease leggings, just, like, softer. I like that skirt. Yeah, the maxi skirt is cute. I, so, that we just dropped, and we have to, immediately sold out. we have to. Yeah, it sold out so fast. But, we're working on restocking. The girls are definitely on my line about that, but, we're working on that. And then, we're working on, everything. I mean, we're working, we want to do denim, we want to do swim, we want to do everything. But, really, I want to do, like, more, like, merch. So, one thing that people know that are strip customers, is like, we have really cool branding, because they get the stickers, they know how our stuff works, but like, if you didn't do that, you might not know that, like, we have, really cool branding, and really cool merch. But, we just, like, haven't expanded into that. And I'm a, I like, I'm a tomboy. So, like, I like to wear, graphic tees. I like to wear jeans, and stuff like that. I like to wear hats. So, I want, like, this next year, to really emerge, as, really, like, a merchy, streetwear brand, as well. Because, I think that'll just, like, open a lot of opportunities, for collaborations, and stuff. And also, I just think it's, a reflection of myself, and where I think, the brand should go. Wow, that is so cool to me, that you have really just, taken this, and run with it. And like, every drop, you sell out. Yeah. Quick. Yeah, we sell out fast. But, yeah, that's a goal, but also, we have to, we have stuff on the site, at all times, too. Because I know, people forget that. Because like, our mainline stuff, our black stuff, the goal is to always, be on the site. Okay. But our colors, and stuff like that, the limited releases, those sell out fast. How does that feel, when you sell out? It's cool, I mean, it's like, as a business person, it's cool, right? Especially, because consumers think, it's cool, people think it's cool. But it's also, as a business person, like, it's almost like, a hard place, because it's like, you lose the opportunity, of more customers. So, it's a balance, but, it's sometimes, it's inevitable, because, the stuff, that you're releasing now, you've been working on, for months, right? And by the time, you release it, or at least for us, we are grown. Like, we keep growing so much, so that like, you can't really, you're going to sell out, because we haven't met, the demand yet, because we're a little bit, you know, just like the natural cycle, of how things work. So, it's cool, because then, we get to drop more pieces, and keep seeing, how far we can go, as far as, demand. Okay. Yeah. So, what's your, like, what's the, thing about, entrepreneurship, that you have, taken away from all of this? Like, your one, overlining thing? One, overlining thing? Like, if I were to tell somebody, about entrepreneurship? Yes. Well, I would say two things. I would say like, the most important thing, is that, it should feel, like an extension of, who you are, and your brand, and authentic. I think authenticity, is always going to work. It's always going to sell. Especially, because you can't let yourself down, if you're doing something, you actually believe in, and you support, right? But two, I think that, entrepreneurship, is all about being, a solutionist. Like, that doesn't matter, if you're in clothes, whatever. Any form of business, there's always, issues. Like, always. No data. That's just always, that's because you're working, with so many moving parts, right? There's so much in the supply chain, of people who can mess things up. So, you just have to be ready, to like, always have solutions. And like, I embrace it. I don't, I'm not, like I said, I have words, I don't like to talk bad, I don't like to feel bad. So, I'm always just like, okay, how can we, what are we gonna do? How are we gonna spin it? Yeah, so that's one thing, in entrepreneurship, you're always problem solving. So, if you're not a person, who's comfortable in that, or comfortable in the pressure of that, entrepreneurship, would be hard for you. Yeah. That makes sense. Yeah. Okay, and I need to know about, these travels, because your trip to, Japan. Yes. And then, New Mexico City. Yes. Okay, first of all, that food. Oh yeah. In both spots, it looks so good. Yeah, yeah. And I wanna go to Tokyo, in April. Yeah, that's a great time to go. I need to hear about, these trips. Yeah, I feel like, when we talked about, postpartum, I felt like, travel has always been, so important to me. And, because I had to take like, two years down, but you have the baby, that takes a year, and then you have to get back to yourself, and spend a year. I felt like I had lost time, like I was like, I gotta make up, like I like to travel. Travel is like, most important thing to me, other than, like second most important thing to me, like the most important thing. Tokyo is amazing, I had actually gone before, but when I went before, it was a little colder, I went for New Years, a month, many years ago. And then this time, I went in spring, and April's a great time, because you're gonna be, in the cherry blossoms. Yes. And it'll be a little bit warmer, than when I went, but March was still really good. Was it cold? It was chilly, sometimes less, than others, but like comfortably, like comfortably chilly. April will be a little warmer, though. Okay. But, it's like, Tokyo is like, the coolest place ever. I've been a lot of places, I love Tokyo. Did you stay in Tokyo, or you moved on? I went to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Kyoto. Okay, and Tokyo was your favorite? Yeah, because I like, cities. Like, I like big city, Osaka's cool too, mostly for thrifting. Okay. I mean, it's a crazy, crazy, thrift experience. It's just like, hard to understand, so you go, it's just like streets, and streets, and streets of, thrifting, but like designers. Is it good price? Yeah, it's like, so it just depends on like, you have to really, understand how, designer, pricing works, right? So like, there are certain things, that just hold value, so well. It really doesn't matter, where you get them in the world. You can get them, free of tax, which is an advantage, but like, if you're gonna think, you're gonna go to Tokyo, and get like, a Chanel double flap, for like a good price, like, it's not realistic, because, those are so in demand, you can, they can, you know, so it's a little different. That level of, anything, that goes for watches, bags, anything, street wear, if it's to a point, where it's so, so in demand, it's not much wiggle room. But it won't be like, jaw dropping, right? Osaka's better than Tokyo, as far as price points, but it's also not even, just about price, it's also about like, for me, it was like, I wanted to find rare stuff. I wanted to find things, that like, I can't find, and the benefit is, if you shop in Tokyo, they don't sell online, so you know, that like, yeah, you know like, someone can't come and get it, from these stores. That's cool. So did you find some rare pieces? Yeah, I got like, this really cool, and the things that I got, that were more rare, like, they were a major, they were, a great price point, comparatively, yeah. So like, I got two Chanel bags, I got, I went, I got two Chanel bags, I got a Celine bag, I got, I actually got a lot of shit, honestly. So what'd you just, brought an empty suitcase? So, I tried to do that, but I also ended up, buying another one. Okay. Cause that's what, when I went to San Tropez, I'm like, I have to buy another suitcase. Yeah, I just bought one. Like, there's no way. And then, okay, how was Mexico City? Mexico City is also, one of my favorite cities, because it, not for shopping, but, for the food, so like, it's actually the largest city, in the Western Hemisphere. People don't know, but, it's huge. It's way bigger than, New York City. As, the population and size, and all that. I don't know about size, but definitely population. But, it's amazing, like, one thing that they prioritize, is, putting trees everywhere, they have parks everywhere. So there's like, it looks like, Europe, kind of. Obviously Spain, Concord. But there's like, parks everywhere. People are nice. I was worried like, about safety and stuff, but like, I wore all my jewelry everywhere, I had no issues. Oh really? Yeah, I was comfortable, in the areas that I was in. And then, yeah, it's just like, gorgeous. Like, everywhere you walk, you just want to take pictures. Please tell me about the food. The food there is so good, and what's cool about Mexico City, and Tokyo actually, is that, it's not expensive. For us. For them, it might be, but, for us it's like, so inexpensive. Like, you, I went to like, Michelin Star, super, super fancy, restaurant, that was good as shit. But, it was, the most expensive meal I had, but that was like, only $200. Really? Whereas here, that probably would have been like, a $600 meal, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, but realistically, we weren't spending $200 on most meals, we were spending like, great prices. And the food was top, top tier. So, where you going next? So, next, you know, my intern is actually studying abroad, in Milan. Oh wow. So, I want to meet her in Europe, probably in, either next month, or October. I want to squeeze Europe in, one last time, I love Europe. But, I'm definitely going to meet her, because I want her, to go somewhere with her. Either, like, Como, or I want to go like, I love South of France, you know, just one. It's my favorite. I love South of France. That's probably my favorite place in the world, at this point. Yeah, yeah, no, like, it's hard when you just like, like, I'm not one of those people that's like, I got to see 100 million countries. I do want to see things, but, when I like something, I like to go back. Oh, you go back? I will 100% go back, because like, I don't operate from like, scarcity. Like, you know, like, you can go anywhere. You can also go back to places, you like. I'm not trying to like, reach a number. Right. So, I will go back to South of France, for sure. I love Nice, it was my favorite. Oh, Nice is beautiful. Yeah, I love Nice. Have you been to Saint-Tropez? I didn't go to Saint-Tropez. You, yeah, you like that one the best? Yes. Okay. When I saw, when I went to Saint-Tropez, I was like, I don't even need to go back to Nice, ever again. Oh, really? I will always go back to Saint-Tropez. So then, I'll go to South of France, and check out Saint-Tropez. And Lake Como is very beautiful, too. Yeah. Just have your transportation, arranged. Right, that's kind of how I felt about, Amalfi Coast. Yes, but it's worse. Oh yeah, that's why, I'm not as interested in Lake Como, honestly. It's pretty. But she's just in Milan, so I'm like, it's so close. It's right there, it's right there. But I really, she's never been to South of France, so I think we might go there. I love South of France. Yeah. And the food in Saint-Tropez, like the food in Nice, to me, was okay, but Saint-Tropez food. It was crazy. Girl, what? Yeah. Loved it. Loved it bad. But no, but I, I just really appreciate you, for being here today. for sure. And chatting with me, and taking some time. We both got on our strip, or whatever. Serious. And new things coming soon. So we're looking forward to it, but the girlies had to see Miss Strip. So, Miss Strip, everybody. Thank you.