WEBVTT - Your potential is your responsibility: The big update 0:00:00.030 --> 0:00:05.280 Hi guys, and welcome back to Too Much. I had 0:00:05.290 --> 0:00:11.340 a completely different intro to today's episode because today's episode 0:00:11.820 --> 0:00:14.000 is a big one. I have a very big announcement, 0:00:14.580 --> 0:00:18.470 but something happened to me this morning that is just 0:00:18.489 --> 0:00:22.730 so fucking typical of my life and the timing of 0:00:22.829 --> 0:00:26.480 it that I Had to include it in this intro. 0:00:27.180 --> 0:00:31.540 I was supposed to record this episode yesterday. But I 0:00:31.600 --> 0:00:36.910 woke up with this fucking rash under my eyes. It 0:00:36.950 --> 0:00:39.750 was like a reaction to something I used. I don't 0:00:39.770 --> 0:00:43.409 really know what it was. But yesterday I assumed it 0:00:43.450 --> 0:00:45.190 was a reaction to some new product that I used 0:00:45.250 --> 0:00:49.110 because I decided to try out three new products because 0:00:49.130 --> 0:00:52.500 I let my ADHD take over on Thursday night. And... 0:00:53.580 --> 0:00:56.340 I was supposed to record this big episode and look 0:00:56.380 --> 0:00:59.330 amazing and I was excited, but I woke up looking 0:00:59.350 --> 0:01:01.730 like I got punched in the face. So I decided 0:01:01.750 --> 0:01:05.130 to pivot last minute and then push the announcement episode 0:01:05.150 --> 0:01:08.050 recording to today. Today is October 10th, 2026, 10-10-26. Today 0:01:08.069 --> 0:01:10.060 also happens to be the day that I wanted to 0:01:10.080 --> 0:01:23.009 get married. when Mr. Right Then and I were supposed 0:01:23.090 --> 0:01:26.450 to get engaged, like this was the planned date. Even 0:01:26.490 --> 0:01:30.350 before we got engaged, this was the date. And when 0:01:30.370 --> 0:01:32.410 we weren't getting engaged, I was kind of like, oh 0:01:32.430 --> 0:01:34.289 my fucking God, I'm going to have to, you know, 0:01:34.330 --> 0:01:36.069 plan a wedding in under a year. This is going 0:01:36.110 --> 0:01:37.710 to be so annoying, but whatever, I can make it happen. 0:01:38.590 --> 0:01:40.290 Because today's the day I wanted. 10 is my lucky 0:01:40.330 --> 0:01:47.010 number and whatever. So I woke up this morning. It 0:01:47.050 --> 0:01:51.150 crossed my mind and I was like, Crazy. Crazy how 0:01:51.230 --> 0:01:55.110 my life has changed in one year. But whatever. It's 0:01:55.140 --> 0:01:59.500 just another day. And then I went to Barry's. And 0:01:59.520 --> 0:02:02.040 there was Mr. Right then. Standing right there when I 0:02:02.060 --> 0:02:08.519 walked in the door. I was just like... As I 0:02:08.520 --> 0:02:11.380 was walking to the studio, I was like, I wonder... 0:02:11.210 --> 0:02:12.549 I bet you he'll be there. I wonder if he'll 0:02:12.570 --> 0:02:15.910 be there. And sure as shit, he was. On the 0:02:15.950 --> 0:02:19.230 day that we were supposed to get married. And on 0:02:19.270 --> 0:02:24.230 the day... that I am announcing one of the biggest 0:02:24.370 --> 0:02:28.790 career changes in my life. That realistically is only happening 0:02:29.190 --> 0:02:34.049 because of that breakup. If that breakup didn't happen, what 0:02:34.070 --> 0:02:38.190 I'm about to tell you would not have happened. So 0:02:38.550 --> 0:02:41.780 just wanted to share that little tidbit of irony and 0:02:41.880 --> 0:02:44.780 kismet and what the fuck is the universe trying to 0:02:44.820 --> 0:02:47.180 tell me? I don't know. Maybe one of you will 0:02:47.200 --> 0:02:48.679 have an answer at the end of this episode once 0:02:48.740 --> 0:02:52.460 I talk about the lead that I am burying. So 0:02:52.500 --> 0:02:55.240 let's go down this motherfucking rabbit hole, shall we? Because 0:02:55.260 --> 0:02:57.560 I've got a lot to say. A little over a 0:02:57.780 --> 0:03:01.820 year and a half ago, I started this podcast from zero. 0:03:03.310 --> 0:03:08.430 No network, no team behind me, no big production company, 0:03:09.210 --> 0:03:13.529 no massive following. In fact, from zero followers. I had 0:03:13.680 --> 0:03:19.040 nobody telling me what to do. Just a microphone, my story, 0:03:19.340 --> 0:03:23.470 my opinions. and the inability to take no for an answer. 0:03:24.290 --> 0:03:30.070 And today, on October 10th, 2026, what was supposed to 0:03:30.110 --> 0:03:34.000 be my wedding day, instead of walking down the aisle, 0:03:35.400 --> 0:03:38.680 I am here to tell you that Too Much is 0:03:38.720 --> 0:03:43.260 officially an iHeart podcast. And I need you to understand something. 0:03:44.240 --> 0:03:47.760 Nobody handed this to me. Nobody came and knocked on 0:03:47.820 --> 0:03:50.920 my door Nobody tapped me on the shoulder and told 0:03:50.980 --> 0:03:53.720 me it was my turn. I went out and I 0:03:53.760 --> 0:03:58.280 found the opportunity. I opened the door. And when it 0:03:58.320 --> 0:04:04.670 didn't open fast enough, I damn near unhinged it. Because 0:04:04.770 --> 0:04:08.170 one thing about me, I will win. Not because I'm 0:04:08.190 --> 0:04:10.960 the smartest person in the room. Not because I am 0:04:11.000 --> 0:04:13.960 the most connected person in the room. And not because 0:04:14.200 --> 0:04:17.200 everything just happens to work out for me. I will win. 0:04:17.880 --> 0:04:21.790 Because I am fucking relentless. And if you take one 0:04:21.830 --> 0:04:25.230 thing away from this episode, let it be this. You 0:04:25.250 --> 0:04:27.170 do not have to wait for the world to give 0:04:27.210 --> 0:04:32.740 you permission to have the life you want. Sometimes you 0:04:32.779 --> 0:04:35.880 have to look at the life you want, decide that 0:04:35.900 --> 0:04:38.890 it belongs to you, and then go fucking get it. 0:04:39.930 --> 0:04:43.270 Now I could sit here and give you a very 0:04:43.750 --> 0:04:47.770 polished media trained announcement about how exciting this next chapter 0:04:47.830 --> 0:04:50.169 is about to be, but that is not really my 0:04:50.230 --> 0:04:53.510 style because the story of how we got here is 0:04:53.690 --> 0:04:57.330 far better than the announcement itself. And I think there 0:04:57.390 --> 0:05:00.300 is something in this story that every single one of 0:05:00.330 --> 0:05:03.820 you can benefit from hearing. So let's start from the 0:05:03.839 --> 0:05:08.870 beginning with a quick little recap. My podcast career. began 0:05:09.070 --> 0:05:13.410 in June 2023 when I started the Unhinged podcast with 0:05:13.570 --> 0:05:17.650 my co-host. In 18 months, we grew the podcast to 0:05:17.950 --> 0:05:24.099 over 600,000 followers and we had reached millions. But in 0:05:24.120 --> 0:05:28.060 those 18 months, something else also grew. And that was 0:05:28.140 --> 0:05:34.120 the tension between us. As the podcast itself thrived, the 0:05:34.240 --> 0:05:38.870 relationship between my ex-co-host and I completely fell apart. It 0:05:38.890 --> 0:05:43.729 became toxic and by the end of 2024, I realized 0:05:43.830 --> 0:05:47.610 that it was unsustainable and it was not something I 0:05:47.630 --> 0:05:50.430 wanted to be a part of anymore. So I told 0:05:50.450 --> 0:05:55.330 her I wanted out on December 31st, 2024. My plan 0:05:55.390 --> 0:05:57.770 was to start my own podcast, but I was looking 0:05:57.830 --> 0:06:02.830 to amicably part ways with my ex-co-host and decide together 0:06:02.980 --> 0:06:04.979 what we would do with Unhinged, whether that would be 0:06:05.480 --> 0:06:11.109 defied the platforms or just dissolve it altogether. But unfortunately, 0:06:12.029 --> 0:06:15.130 that was not a path my ex-co-host was willing to take. 0:06:15.990 --> 0:06:19.810 And instead, she ghosted me. But I didn't let this 0:06:19.850 --> 0:06:23.250 stop me. I had told her. I told her what 0:06:23.290 --> 0:06:27.710 I wanted to do. And I was going to continue 0:06:27.750 --> 0:06:33.520 to work towards a resolution, amicably, together. But I knew 0:06:33.540 --> 0:06:34.900 that I had to get to work on too much. 0:06:35.910 --> 0:06:40.720 So within two weeks after letting her know, I created 0:06:40.760 --> 0:06:45.539 the podcast you see here today. The branding, the logo, 0:06:45.940 --> 0:06:50.350 the photo shoot, the name, all of it. It was 0:06:50.400 --> 0:06:53.510 exactly this from day one. If you guys were a 0:06:53.529 --> 0:06:56.010 part of the journey, you know that Unhinged was still 0:06:56.470 --> 0:07:01.489 sitting there. It had gone untouched for the few weeks 0:07:01.529 --> 0:07:04.690 that I was being ignored and ghosted by my ex-co-host. 0:07:05.470 --> 0:07:11.750 But four days before I launched Too Much on January 17th, 2025, 0:07:11.750 --> 0:07:17.060 Unhinged was taken from me. I was locked out of 0:07:17.500 --> 0:07:20.980 all of the accounts and had no access to my 0:07:21.040 --> 0:07:24.660 business that I was a 50-50 partner of. Although this 0:07:24.760 --> 0:07:30.340 was earth shattering and I felt completely out of control 0:07:30.480 --> 0:07:32.800 and confused and at a loss, I moved ahead with 0:07:32.840 --> 0:07:35.910 my launch of Too Much and announced it to the 0:07:35.930 --> 0:07:41.130 world on January 21st, 2025. And when it came to Unhinged, 0:07:41.150 --> 0:07:45.060 I was kind of just like, well, there's only so 0:07:45.100 --> 0:07:48.520 much I can do. I had reached out, I think 0:07:48.540 --> 0:07:51.119 at that point, like six or seven times via email, 0:07:51.560 --> 0:07:55.220 wasn't getting a response. And you can go listen to 0:07:55.240 --> 0:07:58.000 that episode if you want the full story. But what 0:07:58.040 --> 0:08:01.180 you need to know is that on the 17th of January, 0:08:01.760 --> 0:08:13.030 I had no access to anything. The emails, the streaming platforms, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Twitter, YouTube, anything. Nothing. 0:08:13.070 --> 0:08:15.190 And I couldn't recover it. Couldn't do forgot password before 0:08:15.210 --> 0:08:16.810 you go say that because she locked me out of 0:08:16.830 --> 0:08:18.890 the email. So like I literally just couldn't do anything. 0:08:19.420 --> 0:08:24.160 So anyways, I digress. I went ahead with the launch 0:08:24.180 --> 0:08:28.540 and the response from the audience, the small audience that 0:08:28.560 --> 0:08:31.520 I did have, I think I personally had like 16,000 0:08:31.520 --> 0:08:35.469 followers at that point. And I was launching this podcast 0:08:35.670 --> 0:08:40.820 on a platform of zero followers. But the response was 0:08:42.540 --> 0:08:48.959 so gratifying and exciting. And I was filled with love 0:08:49.240 --> 0:08:52.940 and support from those who were around me. So everything 0:08:52.960 --> 0:08:55.770 was going great for about two weeks. And then on 0:08:55.790 --> 0:08:58.890 the morning of February 4th, 2025, I woke up to 0:08:58.929 --> 0:09:01.729 something far worse than just being locked out of the accountants. 0:09:02.250 --> 0:09:04.730 I was wiped from the existence of my own podcast. 0:09:05.370 --> 0:09:10.179 Every episode of Unhinged deleted. Every post that had my 0:09:10.280 --> 0:09:15.040 face in it, every reel, every TikTok, gone. The name 0:09:15.080 --> 0:09:18.319 was changed. The logo was changed. And to top it off, 0:09:18.800 --> 0:09:21.870 there was a new co-host sitting in my chair without 0:09:21.890 --> 0:09:25.750 my permission, without a conversation, and without compensating me for 0:09:25.790 --> 0:09:30.190 my half of the business. Now, this wasn't just a podcast. 0:09:31.220 --> 0:09:36.520 This was a full-fledged business. This was my entire income. 0:09:37.220 --> 0:09:41.320 And it was a collection of stories that exposed some 0:09:41.360 --> 0:09:43.959 of the most intimate moments of my life. It was 0:09:44.020 --> 0:09:47.770 my baby. I put everything into it. And it was 0:09:48.030 --> 0:09:52.950 the first time I had ever been that authentically myself 0:09:53.290 --> 0:09:56.090 and that vulnerable. And I was doing it in front 0:09:56.110 --> 0:09:59.550 of the whole world. I even mentioned in one of 0:09:59.590 --> 0:10:04.250 the episodes I can't wait for one day when my 0:10:04.330 --> 0:10:07.290 daughter is able to look back and have this like 0:10:07.390 --> 0:10:10.790 time capsule of me, seeing me go through these moments, 0:10:10.850 --> 0:10:14.020 seeing me bear my soul to the world, learn the 0:10:14.100 --> 0:10:16.699 lessons from the horse's mouth when I was going through it. 0:10:18.150 --> 0:10:20.020 She would have the ability at 28 years old to 0:10:20.059 --> 0:10:24.740 go watch her mom also be 28 years old, going 0:10:24.780 --> 0:10:27.800 through a breakup, dealing with a narcissist, going through a 0:10:27.820 --> 0:10:32.350 friendship breakup. And that was erased. It was just taken 0:10:32.390 --> 0:10:34.790 from me. And to top it off, as I was 0:10:34.830 --> 0:10:37.690 trying to execute the split and also launch my own 0:10:37.750 --> 0:10:42.480 podcast with integrity, she went ahead and released an episode 0:10:42.540 --> 0:10:46.600 that was trying to tear me down. and turn an 0:10:46.679 --> 0:10:49.760 audience of hundreds of thousands of people that we had 0:10:49.800 --> 0:10:53.620 built together against me. And I'm sure that everyone who 0:10:53.660 --> 0:10:59.160 was sitting there watching thought they were witnessing the end 0:10:59.200 --> 0:11:02.300 of Emma. But what they didn't know is that they 0:11:02.340 --> 0:11:06.100 were watching my origin story. I had chosen to leave unhinged. 0:11:06.520 --> 0:11:10.310 That is a fact. But I did not choose to 0:11:10.370 --> 0:11:14.350 leave behind the audience and community that I had built. 0:11:15.040 --> 0:11:20.420 And there is something particularly devastating about having to start 0:11:20.500 --> 0:11:22.840 over when you are not finished. When you put years 0:11:22.880 --> 0:11:24.900 of your life into something and suddenly you're standing there 0:11:25.020 --> 0:11:27.939 staring at the wreckage, trying to figure out what the 0:11:28.260 --> 0:11:31.160 fuck you're going to do next. And I think a 0:11:31.210 --> 0:11:34.130 lot of us have experienced some version of that. Maybe 0:11:34.150 --> 0:11:37.110 yours wasn't a podcast. Maybe it was a relationship that 0:11:37.130 --> 0:11:39.490 you thought you were going to marry into. Maybe it 0:11:39.530 --> 0:11:41.910 was a job you thought you were going to retire from. 0:11:42.730 --> 0:11:45.239 Maybe it's a friendship. that you thought was going to 0:11:45.300 --> 0:11:49.199 last forever. Suddenly, the future you thought you were walking 0:11:49.240 --> 0:11:53.890 towards doesn't exist anymore. But here's what I've learned. Just 0:11:53.950 --> 0:11:57.449 because the future that you planned fell apart does not 0:11:57.490 --> 0:12:00.870 mean the one you deserved did too. Because what do 0:12:00.890 --> 0:12:07.140 they say? When you make a plan, God laughs. Don't 0:12:07.160 --> 0:12:10.900 I know that's true? I think the greatest thing that 0:12:10.980 --> 0:12:14.660 I lost in all of this was the illusion that 0:12:14.780 --> 0:12:18.450 I needed somebody else to succeed. So I had two options. 0:12:19.429 --> 0:12:21.969 I could sit there and mourn everything that I lost, 0:12:23.050 --> 0:12:26.090 or I could take everything that I learned and build 0:12:26.110 --> 0:12:29.290 something that nobody could take away from me. I decided 0:12:29.330 --> 0:12:31.010 right then and there, I was not going to spend 0:12:31.150 --> 0:12:35.710 all of my resources wallowing over something that I had lost. 0:12:36.070 --> 0:12:38.380 And I decided to remember what I had. I had 0:12:38.390 --> 0:12:44.200 my voice, my work ethic, my ideas, my stories. And 0:12:44.240 --> 0:12:47.200 my ability to connect with people. She could take away 0:12:47.240 --> 0:12:50.620 the thing I built, but she could never take away 0:12:51.059 --> 0:12:54.640 the person who built it. And that realization changed everything. 0:12:55.780 --> 0:12:59.800 And don't get me wrong. I got angry. I got 0:12:59.840 --> 0:13:02.660 a lawyer. I did the thing. I tried to do 0:13:02.700 --> 0:13:05.540 it by the book. I went after what was rightfully mine. 0:13:06.440 --> 0:13:09.280 But the worst part of it was that I couldn't 0:13:09.300 --> 0:13:14.380 even tell anyone about it. I went 14 weeks. fighting 0:13:15.679 --> 0:13:19.850 to get what I deserved, all the while putting out episodes, 0:13:20.670 --> 0:13:24.250 keeping a smile on my face, pretending everything was fine 0:13:24.470 --> 0:13:27.349 so that I could connect with my new audience and 0:13:27.390 --> 0:13:31.619 do something meaningful with my podcast and not capitalize on 0:13:31.660 --> 0:13:35.340 this drama to grow it. I was living two lives, 0:13:36.240 --> 0:13:39.040 one that was fighting for it and one that was 0:13:39.080 --> 0:13:41.559 building a new one. And I did that for four months. 0:13:42.520 --> 0:13:44.830 If you know the story... Again, you can go back 0:13:44.870 --> 0:13:46.890 and watch the episode. I can link it in the description. 0:13:47.510 --> 0:13:53.290 But eventually she offered me $ 5, 000 for the entire platform, everything, 0:13:53.390 --> 0:13:57.490 all the followers, the metadata, everything. And I said, no deal. 0:13:58.550 --> 0:14:01.209 And I went public with the story. And from there, 0:14:02.550 --> 0:14:06.089 this podcast turned into a rocket ship. The day after, actually, 0:14:06.130 --> 0:14:10.460 I released that story, I was called up by one 0:14:10.480 --> 0:14:13.220 of the biggest talent agencies in the world. And they said, 0:14:13.240 --> 0:14:17.980 we want you. And that was a huge moment for me. 0:14:18.000 --> 0:14:23.810 And from there, I just realized you actually have something here. 0:14:24.410 --> 0:14:28.670 This is important. You have the opportunity to change lives. 0:14:29.650 --> 0:14:32.130 You're going to do it on your own. And no 0:14:32.250 --> 0:14:36.000 one can ever take this from you again. Growing this 0:14:36.060 --> 0:14:40.160 community has tested me in ways that I never thought 0:14:40.840 --> 0:14:43.680 was possible. And I have learned so much in these 0:14:43.720 --> 0:14:47.190 past 18 months. But I think one of the biggest 0:14:47.250 --> 0:14:49.950 lessons I have learned that kicks me in the ass 0:14:50.130 --> 0:14:52.650 every single morning when I wake up is that when 0:14:52.690 --> 0:14:56.030 you are building something, you are only going to get 0:14:56.210 --> 0:15:00.330 out what you put in. If you don't do the work, 0:15:00.750 --> 0:15:02.630 no one else is there to do it for you. 0:15:03.250 --> 0:15:05.650 And if the work isn't done, the needle will not move. 0:15:06.100 --> 0:15:09.440 It is as simple as that. If you want to succeed, 0:15:09.540 --> 0:15:12.700 if you want what you are building to grow, it's 0:15:12.760 --> 0:15:16.460 up to you. You will get out what you put in, 0:15:17.620 --> 0:15:20.220 if you are relentless. And I think one of the 0:15:20.280 --> 0:15:23.590 biggest disservices that we do to ourselves, especially as women, 0:15:24.590 --> 0:15:29.970 is convincing ourselves that if we work hard enough, eventually 0:15:30.030 --> 0:15:33.110 someone will notice. That if we're good enough, someone will 0:15:33.150 --> 0:15:37.170 reward us. If we are talented enough, someone will discover us. 0:15:37.860 --> 0:15:41.040 If we're deserving enough, someone will choose us. And I'm 0:15:41.100 --> 0:15:43.660 sorry to But since when did we decide that the 0:15:43.700 --> 0:15:47.240 trajectory of our lives should be determined by someone else's 0:15:47.360 --> 0:15:51.020 ability to recognize our potential? You could be the most 0:15:51.130 --> 0:15:54.130 talented person in the world, but if you are sitting 0:15:54.150 --> 0:15:57.510 there quietly waiting in the corner for someone to discover you, 0:15:58.270 --> 0:16:02.590 you are quite literally putting your future in someone else's hands. 0:16:03.790 --> 0:16:06.830 Someone who might not actually ever walk into that room. 0:16:07.630 --> 0:16:11.150 Your potential is your responsibility. And I know I've spent 0:16:11.170 --> 0:16:13.790 a lot of my life being hyper independent. And as 0:16:13.850 --> 0:16:17.630 I have grown this platform, I have learned that just 0:16:17.700 --> 0:16:20.520 because I'm capable of doing everything on my own doesn't 0:16:20.560 --> 0:16:22.520 mean that I should have to. But there is one 0:16:22.540 --> 0:16:25.260 part of my independence that I am not willing to 0:16:25.300 --> 0:16:28.580 apologize for. And that is that I will never wait 0:16:28.600 --> 0:16:30.760 around for someone to rescue me. I will accept help. 0:16:30.940 --> 0:16:34.020 I will ask questions. I will collaborate. I will let 0:16:34.040 --> 0:16:36.540 people open doors for me. But I am not going 0:16:36.580 --> 0:16:39.040 to sit outside that door waiting for someone to remember 0:16:39.070 --> 0:16:41.260 that I am there. And I think that is the 0:16:41.380 --> 0:16:44.680 point that I got to over this past summer. I 0:16:44.700 --> 0:16:49.180 started to feel very stagnant in the business and the podcast. 0:16:49.360 --> 0:16:50.940 I felt like I was putting so much in, but 0:16:50.960 --> 0:16:55.060 I wasn't getting enough out. And I realized that I 0:16:56.100 --> 0:16:59.160 think I finally needed support. You know, I had a network. 0:17:00.260 --> 0:17:04.220 I had an agency. But unfortunately, the truth is that 0:17:05.300 --> 0:17:13.030 no one was moving at the speed and pace the gravity, 0:17:13.450 --> 0:17:16.410 the strength that I needed them to. I wanted something 0:17:16.450 --> 0:17:20.450 to change. And I know damn well that nothing changes 0:17:20.750 --> 0:17:23.790 unless something changes. So I made a change. And the 0:17:23.830 --> 0:17:27.460 first thing I did was leave the agency that I 0:17:27.500 --> 0:17:31.520 was signed with and decided to start working independently. Because 0:17:31.540 --> 0:17:35.960 the unfortunate truth is that nobody is going to fight 0:17:36.060 --> 0:17:39.070 harder for your future than somebody who has to live 0:17:39.109 --> 0:17:42.440 in it. And that somebody should be you. So I fought. 0:17:43.320 --> 0:17:46.520 I decided to take my future back into my own hands. 0:17:47.440 --> 0:17:49.650 Which brings me to the story of how I ended 0:17:49.730 --> 0:17:54.649 up at iHeart Podcasts. Because this entire deal started with 0:17:54.670 --> 0:17:57.510 something that had nothing to do with podcasts or agents. 0:17:58.390 --> 0:18:02.810 It started with me going on a date. Imagine that. 0:18:03.830 --> 0:18:12.219 So without getting too much into the date itself, What 0:18:12.260 --> 0:18:20.949 I will say is that through another string of extremely 0:18:21.030 --> 0:18:25.730 kismet events, I was asked to go to an event 0:18:26.130 --> 0:18:30.510 with a man that I had met about a year ago. 0:18:30.990 --> 0:18:34.720 We bumped into each other in Cannes. He lives, you know, 0:18:34.760 --> 0:18:36.820 in a few different cities and he happened to be 0:18:36.859 --> 0:18:39.100 in the city and he asked me to be his 0:18:39.619 --> 0:18:42.109 plus one. to an event that his company was throwing. 0:18:43.170 --> 0:18:47.830 So of course I accepted. I, A, wanted to go 0:18:47.890 --> 0:18:49.930 on a date with him, but B, I knew it 0:18:49.950 --> 0:18:51.689 was going to be very good for my career. And 0:18:51.750 --> 0:18:53.830 he actually acknowledged that as well. He said that to 0:18:53.869 --> 0:18:57.580 me in the proposal. He said, I think it would 0:18:57.600 --> 0:19:00.740 be great for you to be at. And I really 0:19:00.760 --> 0:19:02.740 appreciated that he was even looking out for my future 0:19:02.820 --> 0:19:08.750 and my goals. So I said, fuck yeah. And I 0:19:08.770 --> 0:19:11.830 got the sickest dress ever. And part of me almost 0:19:11.910 --> 0:19:15.190 actually texted him to warn him about my dress because 0:19:15.390 --> 0:19:18.540 it was a wow dress for sure. And then I 0:19:18.540 --> 0:19:21.340 was like, you know what? If he is going to 0:19:21.359 --> 0:19:23.659 want to be with me, he's just going to have 0:19:23.680 --> 0:19:26.340 to get used to this. This is not something that 0:19:27.160 --> 0:19:30.919 I will apologize for or I'll warn people about. This 0:19:30.980 --> 0:19:33.950 is me. This dress is me. So I didn't say 0:19:33.990 --> 0:19:36.050 anything and I showed up and he immediately was like, 0:19:36.630 --> 0:19:39.210 you look stunning. Didn't even bat an eye at the 0:19:39.230 --> 0:19:40.310 fact that I was in a gown and he was 0:19:40.350 --> 0:19:44.300 in jeans. Neither did I. I didn't care. I felt great. 0:19:44.340 --> 0:19:48.869 I looked great. I was so excited. And this was 0:19:48.930 --> 0:19:51.310 also right when I started my sober curiosity. So I 0:19:51.350 --> 0:19:53.590 hadn't been drinking. I wasn't planning on drinking that night. 0:19:54.430 --> 0:19:57.710 So I was clear-headed. My skin looked good. I felt amazing. 0:19:58.880 --> 0:20:01.359 And we walked into this event. And he had to 0:20:01.400 --> 0:20:03.459 work the room because, like I said, it was his 0:20:03.500 --> 0:20:06.820 company throwing it. So we walked in. We took a 0:20:06.840 --> 0:20:09.380 couple photos together. And then we parted ways. We would 0:20:09.400 --> 0:20:11.260 go about like 20, 30 minutes and then we'd find 0:20:11.280 --> 0:20:13.620 each other again. And it was honestly a fantastic dynamic. 0:20:14.359 --> 0:20:17.810 While I was out on my own, I was walking 0:20:17.830 --> 0:20:21.369 through the crowd and I heard someone say NSYNC or 0:20:21.390 --> 0:20:25.330 Backstreet Boys. And I whipped my head around. I don't 0:20:25.350 --> 0:20:28.610 know why. I just, I don't know. It was just 0:20:28.630 --> 0:20:32.080 a reflex. And it was these two guys and they 0:20:32.100 --> 0:20:35.000 look at me and see my reaction. And I was like, oh, sorry. 0:20:36.180 --> 0:20:39.160 But which one? And they both told me their answers. 0:20:40.340 --> 0:20:43.400 And one of them and I had started up a conversation. And, 0:20:43.500 --> 0:20:45.619 you know, he was married. It was platonic. It was 0:20:45.680 --> 0:20:49.010 not anything flirty. It was really like a networking opportunity, 0:20:49.070 --> 0:20:52.990 it felt like. And as we start talking, he asks 0:20:53.030 --> 0:20:54.570 what I do. And I say, I have a podcast. 0:20:54.890 --> 0:21:00.650 And he says, oh, I work for iHeart. And without 0:21:00.690 --> 0:21:06.359 even thinking, I just looked him in the eye and 0:21:06.380 --> 0:21:11.770 I said, great, you want me? And he was a 0:21:11.780 --> 0:21:13.540 little taken aback and he was like, are you looking? 0:21:13.600 --> 0:21:15.100 And I was like, well, you know what? I'm looking 0:21:15.130 --> 0:21:18.659 to grow. And obviously iHeart is the biggest name in 0:21:18.700 --> 0:21:21.480 the game when it comes to podcasts. So yeah, I'm looking. 0:21:22.359 --> 0:21:25.300 The conversation continued. I gave the strongest and quickest elevator 0:21:25.320 --> 0:21:29.660 pitch of my life. And within five minutes, we decided 0:21:29.680 --> 0:21:35.540 to exchange numbers. And he said, let's talk. I later 0:21:35.580 --> 0:21:38.869 also found out that my date had planned to introduce us, 0:21:39.450 --> 0:21:42.679 but somehow I got to him first. So that was 0:21:42.720 --> 0:21:45.680 a Thursday. I think later that night I sent him 0:21:45.700 --> 0:21:50.300 a text immediately, my name and the podcast link. I 0:21:50.340 --> 0:21:52.359 sent him the Instagram so he'd see that it was legit, 0:21:52.380 --> 0:21:56.030 that there was followers. The next day he responded. He said, 0:21:56.050 --> 0:21:59.929 it was great meeting you. You know, let's, let's chat 0:21:59.970 --> 0:22:02.830 more about getting you over to iHeart. And I had 0:22:02.910 --> 0:22:04.970 two options there. I could have just been like, yeah, 0:22:06.130 --> 0:22:10.300 You know, let's definitely chat. Let's whatever. Kick it forward. 0:22:11.320 --> 0:22:15.300 But instead, I decided to take action. And I said, 0:22:15.320 --> 0:22:19.320 I would love to. Let's meet for coffee over the 0:22:19.340 --> 0:22:22.340 next couple of weeks. What's your availability? He let me 0:22:22.380 --> 0:22:25.199 know that he was leaving for Greece the next Friday. 0:22:26.300 --> 0:22:28.080 So he said we can either do early next week, 0:22:28.359 --> 0:22:30.580 because this was now a Friday, or we could wait 0:22:30.600 --> 0:22:33.399 till I'm back from Greece. And my response quite literally 0:22:33.420 --> 0:22:36.020 to this man I just met was, Well, I'm a 0:22:36.100 --> 0:22:38.290 strike while the iron's hot kind of a girl, so 0:22:39.010 --> 0:22:42.170 let's do early next week. He said, how's Monday at 0:22:42.170 --> 0:22:45.690 9.30 a.m.? I said, done. See you there. I didn't 0:22:45.710 --> 0:22:47.869 know what was going to come of this meeting, but 0:22:48.150 --> 0:22:50.100 I knew that I was not going to fumble it. 0:22:50.770 --> 0:22:53.250 I didn't do any prep. I didn't write any notes. 0:22:53.510 --> 0:22:58.119 I didn't rehearse any big speech. I just said to myself, 0:22:59.119 --> 0:23:04.350 you are the brand. Every fiber matters. of too much 0:23:04.670 --> 0:23:08.389 is your DNA. That is all it is made of. 0:23:09.290 --> 0:23:11.450 Every move I have made over the last 18 months 0:23:11.550 --> 0:23:14.410 has just been this gut check of, does this feel right? 0:23:14.570 --> 0:23:18.810 Is this you? If so, hit send, post, do it, 0:23:18.970 --> 0:23:24.270 say it. If not, don't. I am the brand. So 0:23:24.290 --> 0:23:25.830 I walked into this meeting and I just said, I'm 0:23:25.930 --> 0:23:28.350 just going to be myself. Of course, it was pouring 0:23:28.369 --> 0:23:31.170 rain that day. And, you know, I was trying to 0:23:31.190 --> 0:23:33.390 figure out what to wear and I wanted it again, 0:23:33.570 --> 0:23:39.690 to just exude Emma. So low rise jeans, pointy toe 0:23:39.730 --> 0:23:45.229 heels that could fucking cut diamonds, a white tank with 0:23:45.310 --> 0:23:50.060 no bra, and a blazer. I looked great. I felt great. 0:23:50.859 --> 0:23:53.360 I woke up. I got my ass there. I brought 0:23:53.380 --> 0:23:57.880 my celery juice. And naturally, I poured my celery juice 0:23:57.940 --> 0:24:00.790 all over my shirt as I'm walking. And I was like, 0:24:00.810 --> 0:24:02.590 you got to be fucking kidding me. Thank God I 0:24:02.630 --> 0:24:05.110 was getting there like 10 minutes early. So I get 0:24:05.150 --> 0:24:06.950 to the place we were meeting at. I run to 0:24:06.970 --> 0:24:10.720 the bathroom and I was like, we're not going to 0:24:10.740 --> 0:24:12.460 risk trying to get this off. And I thought on 0:24:12.480 --> 0:24:15.700 my feet and I flipped my shirt around. So it 0:24:15.740 --> 0:24:19.340 was backwards. It wasn't the exact look I was going for, 0:24:19.380 --> 0:24:21.540 but fuck it. Who cares? At least it was a 0:24:21.580 --> 0:24:23.780 clean shirt because fuck if I would go into this 0:24:24.220 --> 0:24:27.439 meeting with a stain on my shirt. But he didn't 0:24:27.460 --> 0:24:30.730 know it was backwards. So I went into the meeting 0:24:31.090 --> 0:24:35.929 and I've never felt more relaxed. I just talked and 0:24:35.950 --> 0:24:39.710 I told him about what I had built, how I 0:24:39.780 --> 0:24:45.159 got here, how I took everything that I wanted. I 0:24:45.940 --> 0:24:48.979 went after every opportunity. I saw openings and I just 0:24:49.100 --> 0:24:51.460 went for it. And it brought me to this point. 0:24:52.520 --> 0:24:54.760 And then I looked him dead in the eye and 0:24:54.800 --> 0:24:59.460 I said, I am going to rule the world. And 0:24:59.520 --> 0:25:02.480 I am not going to stop or sleep until I do. 0:25:03.540 --> 0:25:07.359 And then even then, I'm going to keep going. One 0:25:07.400 --> 0:25:09.920