1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:03,240 Elaine Welteroth: Welcome back to She Pivots. I'm Elaine Welterroth. 2 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:16,959 Emily Tisch Sussman: Welcome back to She Pivots, the podcast where we talk 3 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:19,599 Emily Tisch Sussman: with women who dare to pivot out of one career 4 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:24,239 Emily Tisch Sussman: and into something new and explore how their personal lives 5 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:32,320 Emily Tisch Sussman: impacts these decisions. I'm your host, Emily Tish Sussman. Today, 6 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:35,720 Emily Tisch Sussman: in honor of Mother's Day, we're celebrating the strength, resilience 7 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:38,960 Emily Tisch Sussman: and power of mothers by highlighting someone who was working 8 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:43,360 Emily Tisch Sussman: to create a safer, more supportive future for them. Elaine Welterroth. 9 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:47,080 Emily Tisch Sussman: Elaine and I have been orbiting around each other right 10 00:00:47,159 --> 00:00:50,200 Emily Tisch Sussman: when I launched she Pivots. Elaine's ind an instagram live 11 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:52,480 Emily Tisch Sussman: all about pivoting and it was sent to me about 12 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:56,160 Emily Tisch Sussman: one hundred times. And finally we got to connect just 13 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:59,520 Emily Tisch Sussman: the other week when Gotham FC played in LA and 14 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:03,080 Emily Tisch Sussman: we immediately bonded. I invited her to the game with us. 15 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:06,160 Emily Tisch Sussman: It was her first night out since having her second baby, 16 00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:10,160 Emily Tisch Sussman: so despite my jet lag and her sleepless nights, we 17 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:14,120 Emily Tisch Sussman: just clicked. Like Elaine says later in the episode, it 18 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:18,360 Emily Tisch Sussman: felt like we had found each other's pivot Aliens. Elaine 19 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:22,720 Emily Tisch Sussman: is best known from little places like oh, you know, Project. Runway, 20 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:23,399 Emily Tisch Sussman: Teen Vogue and more. 21 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:27,520 Emily Tisch Sussman: Always a trail blazer, Elaine made history as the youngest 22 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:30,319 Emily Tisch Sussman: ever editor in chief of teen Vogue. She left an 23 00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:33,040 Emily Tisch Sussman: indelible mark on the magazine and the industry as a 24 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:36,680 Emily Tisch Sussman: whole when she included coverage of politics and social justice 25 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:41,000 Emily Tisch Sussman: issues and encouraged readers to become specifically engaged. At the 26 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:44,280 Emily Tisch Sussman: height of her career in the magazine world, Elaine made 27 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:48,200 Emily Tisch Sussman: a bold pivot. She left the print media world behind, 28 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:51,919 Emily Tisch Sussman: stepping into a new chapter as a best selling author 29 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,600 Emily Tisch Sussman: of her book More Than Enough and a judge on 30 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:58,440 Emily Tisch Sussman: the iconic show Project Runway. But her most personal and 31 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:02,760 Emily Tisch Sussman: powerful pivot came after her own pregnancy and birth experience. 32 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:07,240 Emily Tisch Sussman: Throughout those nine months, Elaine saw firsthand the deep inequities 33 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:10,919 Emily Tisch Sussman: facing mothers in America. After going from doctor to doctor 34 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:16,000 Emily Tisch Sussman: and being ignored and dismissed, Elaine found Midwhiffery. She finally 35 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:18,800 Emily Tisch Sussman: felt heard and soon had a beautiful birth under the 36 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:21,799 Emily Tisch Sussman: care of for Jula. Then she looked at the statistics. 37 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:25,680 Emily Tisch Sussman: Research suggests that midwiffery care can avert more than eighty 38 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:28,919 Emily Tisch Sussman: percent of maternal and infant debts, and with the maternal 39 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:31,040 Emily Tisch Sussman: health crisis, that didn't seem to look like it was 40 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:35,000 Emily Tisch Sussman: getting any better. Elaine decided to launch birth Fund, a 41 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:38,840 Emily Tisch Sussman: groundbreaking initiative that aims to expand access to safe and 42 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:43,560 Emily Tisch Sussman: affirming birth care, including midwiffery, by connecting families with funders 43 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:47,520 Emily Tisch Sussman: and resources. Elaine's pivot is what this show is all about. 44 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:52,600 Emily Tisch Sussman: Those deeply personal experiences that stir you into action and 45 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:56,560 Emily Tisch Sussman: the professional experiences that came before that help you find 46 00:02:56,680 --> 00:03:00,919 Emily Tisch Sussman: success within your pivot. Without Teen Vogue or Project Runway, 47 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:03,840 Emily Tisch Sussman: she might not have met her investors, Serena Williams and 48 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:09,240 Emily Tisch Sussman: Carly Klass. Everything builds on itself, and motherhood is no exception. 49 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:13,160 Emily Tisch Sussman: Happy Mother's Day to all the amazing moms out there. 50 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:16,520 Emily Tisch Sussman: I hope you enjoyed this special episode with my fellow 51 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:17,600 Emily Tisch Sussman: pivot alien. 52 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:23,239 Elaine Welteroth: My name is Elaine Welterroth and I do a lot 53 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:26,920 Elaine Welteroth: of things. Among them, I'm the founder of birth Fund, 54 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:31,160 Elaine Welteroth: and I am a journalist, author, and television host. 55 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:33,800 Emily Tisch Sussman: Okay, we're going to back up, go all the way back, 56 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:36,360 Emily Tisch Sussman: So tell us about little Elaine, Like, what did you 57 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:37,720 Emily Tisch Sussman: think you were going to be when you grew up? 58 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:39,360 Emily Tisch Sussman: What was her family like? Like, what was it like 59 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:40,800 Emily Tisch Sussman: around when you were growing up. 60 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:44,720 Elaine Welteroth: Yeah, So we grew up in the Bay Area, and 61 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:49,960 Elaine Welteroth: my mom and dad are little opposites. But they've been 62 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:55,280 Elaine Welteroth: together gosh, forty years now, forty two years now actually, 63 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:59,520 Elaine Welteroth: and actually together longer. They've been married for forty two years. 64 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:04,080 Elaine Welteroth: And my dad was a carpenter and my mom was 65 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:07,800 Elaine Welteroth: a desk jockey of sorts. And they worked at the 66 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:10,960 Elaine Welteroth: same company, lockeed Martin, And I say desk jockey of 67 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:13,040 Elaine Welteroth: sorts because because she had one of those jobs like 68 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:15,320 Elaine Welteroth: you don't really know what the heck your mom does 69 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:17,920 Elaine Welteroth: as a kid, you know, and I still don't fully understand. 70 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:21,799 Elaine Welteroth: But they worked at lockeed Martin Missiles and Space Company. 71 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:27,360 Elaine Welteroth: So they met there. My dad's mom was my mom's 72 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:30,760 Elaine Welteroth: like manager, and she introduced them and it was just 73 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:33,360 Elaine Welteroth: like a really sweet love story. But yeah, my dad 74 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:37,760 Elaine Welteroth: is this like white rocker, hippie kind of guy, and 75 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:43,520 Elaine Welteroth: my mom is this like black church going, southern raised 76 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:47,800 Elaine Welteroth: kind of more traditional lady. And they could not be 77 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:53,000 Elaine Welteroth: more opposites, but they produced a household that was incredibly eclectic. Musically, 78 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:55,000 Elaine Welteroth: they bolt what they have in common is music. My 79 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:57,200 Elaine Welteroth: mom's a gospel singer. My dad, as I said, it's 80 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:00,840 Elaine Welteroth: like an acoustic rock guitar player, and my brother is 81 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:04,240 Elaine Welteroth: a punk rocker and so and I was like this 82 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:07,359 Elaine Welteroth: kind of like goodie two shoes, like junior and senior 83 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:12,440 Elaine Welteroth: class president. I ran track, I was a cheerleader, I 84 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:15,120 Elaine Welteroth: like did all the things. So yeah, we were just 85 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:18,760 Elaine Welteroth: a bunch of like we were a study of contrast 86 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:21,800 Elaine Welteroth: for sure. But my household was very liberal and very 87 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:25,760 Elaine Welteroth: open minded, open hearted. My parents were super encouraging of 88 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:29,080 Elaine Welteroth: me and my brother in terms of just exploring our 89 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:32,400 Elaine Welteroth: passions in life, and they didn't put us in any boxes. 90 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:35,800 Elaine Welteroth: You know, we were really we felt really free to 91 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:39,560 Elaine Welteroth: be and explore who we were and what made us happy. 92 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:41,800 Elaine Welteroth: And in hindsight, like that was probably one of the 93 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:43,560 Elaine Welteroth: greatest blessings of my childhood. 94 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:47,360 Emily Tisch Sussman: But in a world where value is placed on more 95 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:51,440 Emily Tisch Sussman: traditional metrics of success, like a degree from a top university, 96 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:54,880 Emily Tisch Sussman: Elaine felt like she wasn't prepared in that way. 97 00:05:55,960 --> 00:05:59,279 Elaine Welteroth: It's like I wanted to go to Stanford, that was 98 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:01,679 Elaine Welteroth: like my dreams, well, but I had no freaking idea 99 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:03,719 Elaine Welteroth: how to get there, no freaking idea how to pay 100 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:05,760 Elaine Welteroth: for it, and so then I ended up not even applying, 101 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:08,800 Elaine Welteroth: for example, or like SATs I didn't even know people 102 00:06:08,839 --> 00:06:11,520 Elaine Welteroth: studied for SATs. I didn't know how you study for SATs. 103 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:14,080 Elaine Welteroth: I didn't know when they were happening. I didn't know 104 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:15,800 Elaine Welteroth: how to approach it. I don't know there were tutors. 105 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:17,960 Elaine Welteroth: I didn't know other people were like thinking about this, 106 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:21,040 Elaine Welteroth: and like at my school, we just didn't really there 107 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:24,719 Elaine Welteroth: there was no push or prioritization around things like this. 108 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:28,000 Elaine Welteroth: So even though I pushed myself a lot, there were 109 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:32,920 Elaine Welteroth: things I didn't know that made me feel like unprepared 110 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:35,200 Elaine Welteroth: in certain ways. Like I remember going into my SATs 111 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:37,760 Elaine Welteroth: and having like a full on panic attack, like full 112 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:41,720 Elaine Welteroth: in hindsight, I realized that's probably what it was, and 113 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:46,560 Elaine Welteroth: I just, you know, like I just didn't feel prepared. 114 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:49,120 Elaine Welteroth: I just remember like having this moment of hearing everybody's 115 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:53,039 Elaine Welteroth: pencils racing, and I couldn't even think. I couldn't like 116 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:56,880 Elaine Welteroth: process the question. I was just like so overwhelmed and intimidated, 117 00:06:56,880 --> 00:07:00,600 Elaine Welteroth: and I cried my eyes out when I got home 118 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:03,680 Elaine Welteroth: because I was just I just knew that I bombed and. 119 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:06,000 Elaine Welteroth: I did bomb it. 120 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:09,080 Elaine Welteroth: And then that test score was something that kind of 121 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:11,760 Elaine Welteroth: hit my confidence. And I never even applied to my 122 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:16,960 Elaine Welteroth: dream schools. But listen, life comes full circle. Luckily things 123 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:19,080 Elaine Welteroth: worked out as they should, and I was able to 124 00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:22,600 Elaine Welteroth: do all the things and so much more without having 125 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:24,560 Elaine Welteroth: that Stanford College degree. 126 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:29,400 Emily Tisch Sussman: My thesis in starting this show was thinking about the 127 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:31,440 Emily Tisch Sussman: fact that all of these and I felt like I 128 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:35,360 Emily Tisch Sussman: kept hearing this conversation of new moms, and I kept 129 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:38,720 Emily Tisch Sussman: hearing this refrain of oh, well I did do this, 130 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:41,840 Emily Tisch Sussman: but that's all a waste now. My career was this, 131 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:43,440 Emily Tisch Sussman: but that's all aways now, And I was like, but 132 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:47,160 Emily Tisch Sussman: that can't be true, Like, couldn't this have built us 133 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:50,520 Emily Tisch Sussman: towards what we're in now or what we're ready for 134 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:52,960 Emily Tisch Sussman: the next chapter. So you know, even as you're talking 135 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:54,600 Emily Tisch Sussman: through all of these pieces like you wish you were 136 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:58,160 Emily Tisch Sussman: better prepared for it, it sounds like it did really 137 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:03,120 Emily Tisch Sussman: build within you a lot of confidence and you had 138 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,640 Emily Tisch Sussman: to navigate situations on your own, which I imagine then 139 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:07,680 Emily Tisch Sussman: gave you those skills for later on. 140 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:11,360 Elaine Welteroth: You know what, thank you for that reframe, because it's 141 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:15,320 Elaine Welteroth: incredibly true and healthy. And I let me put it 142 00:08:15,320 --> 00:08:18,760 Elaine Welteroth: this way. In order to navigate your path in life 143 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:21,520 Elaine Welteroth: and in career with a sense of purpose, you have 144 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:24,600 Elaine Welteroth: to nurture that muscle. It's not something you just come 145 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:27,400 Elaine Welteroth: to this world. I mean, even if you do come 146 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:30,600 Elaine Welteroth: to this world knowing exactly who you are and what 147 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:32,600 Elaine Welteroth: you want to be, the world will strip that away 148 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:35,560 Elaine Welteroth: from you. Like little by little, you will get put 149 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:38,319 Elaine Welteroth: in boxes, told what you're able to do, what you're 150 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:40,880 Elaine Welteroth: not supposed to do, what's expected of you, what's not 151 00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:43,920 Elaine Welteroth: expected of you, And like you know, there's this quote, 152 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:47,320 Elaine Welteroth: there's this statistic that I used when I was writing 153 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:50,720 Elaine Welteroth: my book more Than Enough, and it really it's something 154 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:52,920 Elaine Welteroth: that I come back to a lot. It's this idea 155 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:57,640 Elaine Welteroth: that girls' confidence peaks at age nine in this country. 156 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:01,120 Elaine Welteroth: And so I think about myself as a little girl, 157 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:04,320 Elaine Welteroth: and I was super confident, like I wanted to do everything. 158 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:07,400 Elaine Welteroth: I felt like I could do anything, could be good 159 00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:10,760 Elaine Welteroth: at everything, and had tons of friends and was in 160 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:14,040 Elaine Welteroth: all the things. And then I do remember this like 161 00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:17,320 Elaine Welteroth: chipping away. And it wasn't because of my family, It 162 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:19,200 Elaine Welteroth: wasn't because of how I was parented. It was the 163 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:22,480 Elaine Welteroth: world that I was exposed to, and it was the 164 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:26,200 Elaine Welteroth: boyfriends that I was dealing with and the impact they 165 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:29,000 Elaine Welteroth: had on my self esteem. And so I do think 166 00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:34,960 Elaine Welteroth: thankfully like I got the opportunity to strengthen that muscle 167 00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:37,440 Elaine Welteroth: of figuring out how to get back to that confident 168 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:40,800 Elaine Welteroth: girl and how to make decisions that felt right in 169 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:44,559 Elaine Welteroth: my spirit and that felt like purposeful, And you know, 170 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:48,840 Elaine Welteroth: so I feel so blessed that I had the opportunity 171 00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:51,679 Elaine Welteroth: to figure out some things on my own early on 172 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:55,280 Elaine Welteroth: and make some mistakes early on that helped me redirect 173 00:09:55,320 --> 00:10:00,360 Elaine Welteroth: myself again and again back to what feels most true, 174 00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:04,439 Elaine Welteroth: most right, most in alignment with my calling. 175 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:10,440 Emily Tisch Sussman: Without a Stanford degree, but connected to her desires, she 176 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:14,080 Emily Tisch Sussman: graduated from college with the BA in Communications and Journalism. 177 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:19,240 Emily Tisch Sussman: She got to work and applied to her dream publications 178 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:25,120 Emily Tisch Sussman: multiple times. As her former boss at Ebony, Harriet Cole, accounts. 179 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:30,040 Archival: Because she is relentless, and I met her because there 180 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:33,040 Archival: was an on slot of communications from her when she 181 00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:36,559 Archival: had just finished college and wanted to intern with me 182 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:41,160 Archival: when I was working to revitalize Ebony magazine. He said 183 00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:45,200 Archival: it was super professional and focused the entire time, so 184 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:47,200 Archival: I knew I had a winner. I only had to 185 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:50,720 Archival: get her at three thousand miles across the country and 186 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:53,480 Archival: we were talking about the internship, so I had to 187 00:10:53,520 --> 00:10:54,720 Archival: be really created. 188 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:57,160 Emily Tisch Sussman: Was it always going to be fashion for you or 189 00:10:57,240 --> 00:11:00,520 Emily Tisch Sussman: was it journalism and you found fashion, which was the 190 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:02,600 Emily Tisch Sussman: one you were driving towards. 191 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:06,960 Elaine Welteroth: Such a great question, and the answer is absolutely, it 192 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:10,440 Elaine Welteroth: was about storytelling for me. It was not about necessarily 193 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:14,320 Elaine Welteroth: fashion or beauty. I fell into fashion, beauty and actually 194 00:11:14,520 --> 00:11:19,079 Elaine Welteroth: a beauty and style opportunity, And of course I was 195 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:21,719 Elaine Welteroth: always interested in that. Like, don't get me wrong, I've 196 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:25,880 Elaine Welteroth: always had like a really good eye. I've always I've 197 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:29,720 Elaine Welteroth: always loved style. I definitely have a proclivity towards that. 198 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:33,040 Elaine Welteroth: But really the driving force was I wanted to sell stories. 199 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:35,880 Elaine Welteroth: I wanted to I wanted to write cover stories. That's 200 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:37,960 Elaine Welteroth: what when I was a little girl, I would go 201 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:41,440 Elaine Welteroth: straight to the cover stories section of every magazine. And 202 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:45,640 Elaine Welteroth: I also growing up, I read Essence magazine, which had 203 00:11:45,679 --> 00:11:47,680 Elaine Welteroth: this column from the editor in chief called in the 204 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:53,320 Elaine Welteroth: Spirit from Susan Taylor, and she was like my editorial icon. 205 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:56,280 Elaine Welteroth: I read everything that she wrote. It was always very 206 00:11:56,280 --> 00:12:00,440 Elaine Welteroth: inspirational and spiritual and grounded, but like contextual in this 207 00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:05,160 Elaine Welteroth: really like elevated styleized lifestyle way. And so that's what 208 00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:09,280 Elaine Welteroth: framed my kind of perspective on journalism, the kind of 209 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:12,000 Elaine Welteroth: journalism I wanted to do. But I certainly fell into 210 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:16,079 Elaine Welteroth: the fashion and beauty space and learned so much. I 211 00:12:16,160 --> 00:12:19,000 Elaine Welteroth: will say most people don't know. It's kind of insider baseball, 212 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:23,920 Elaine Welteroth: but being a beauty director is the most common fast 213 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:26,760 Elaine Welteroth: track to becoming an editor in chief. So like, don't 214 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:28,760 Elaine Welteroth: sleep on beauty editors because people think that you're just 215 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:31,120 Elaine Welteroth: sitting there like playing with products at your desk. But 216 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:36,720 Elaine Welteroth: in beauty ads are what power and pay for magazines 217 00:12:37,080 --> 00:12:40,840 Elaine Welteroth: like you know, I mean especially women's magazines. They got 218 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:43,240 Elaine Welteroth: big budgets, and so you are the one who is 219 00:12:43,640 --> 00:12:46,720 Elaine Welteroth: more front facing than most editors. You're going out on 220 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:49,760 Elaine Welteroth: pitch call, sales calls with the sales team, You're learning 221 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:51,280 Elaine Welteroth: how to you know, back in the day, I was 222 00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:55,720 Elaine Welteroth: doing what we now call branded content. So I learned 223 00:12:55,920 --> 00:13:01,320 Elaine Welteroth: so much about the business of storytelling, specifically in publishing, 224 00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:04,880 Elaine Welteroth: from being a beauty editor. And I'm so grateful that 225 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:07,160 Elaine Welteroth: I came up through that path because it's so much 226 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:10,800 Elaine Welteroth: more than lip glass and mascaret. Let me tell you so, 227 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:14,480 Elaine Welteroth: in my perfect world, I would have had the career 228 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:18,440 Elaine Welteroth: trajectory that I had, truly like, which was to touch 229 00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:20,960 Elaine Welteroth: it all, to touch it all, and to come in 230 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:23,720 Elaine Welteroth: through the door of beauty and fashion because again, There's 231 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:26,480 Elaine Welteroth: so many things that you learn along the way. There's 232 00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:28,520 Elaine Welteroth: so many people you get to connect to. Like that 233 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:30,720 Elaine Welteroth: role puts you out in the world way more than 234 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:33,839 Elaine Welteroth: other editorial jobs, you know, Like I had to fight 235 00:13:34,400 --> 00:13:37,560 Elaine Welteroth: as a lowly intern at Ebony to get like front 236 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:41,480 Elaine Welteroth: row seats and access to backstage at all of these shows, 237 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:44,080 Elaine Welteroth: and even that's a skill set, you know. And then 238 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:46,960 Elaine Welteroth: working the rooms at those places and making sure that 239 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:51,200 Elaine Welteroth: the magazine that you represent is properly represented, like there's There's, 240 00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:53,679 Elaine Welteroth: and then the call ins for the I mean, I 241 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:58,360 Elaine Welteroth: literally did twenty five people's jobs before I turned twenty five. 242 00:13:58,679 --> 00:14:01,320 Elaine Welteroth: So it equipped me in so many ways, not just 243 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:06,800 Elaine Welteroth: for success in the magazine world, but for success truly 244 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:10,360 Elaine Welteroth: in anything. I really think any a magazine editor can 245 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:15,080 Elaine Welteroth: run almost anything, Like you truly have to be a 246 00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:17,360 Elaine Welteroth: jack of all trades to be an editor in chief. 247 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:22,320 Emily Tisch Sussman: So you ended up as the editor young of teen Vogue. 248 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:26,440 Emily Tisch Sussman: How did that happen? What changed when you got there? 249 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:28,440 Emily Tisch Sussman: Going given you had done a number of these jobs, 250 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:30,920 Emily Tisch Sussman: but probably not all the jobs once you became the 251 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:32,160 Emily Tisch Sussman: editor in chief teen Vogue? 252 00:14:32,680 --> 00:14:36,080 Elaine Welteroth: Oh yeah, absolutely so, I mean, gosh, there's so much, 253 00:14:36,560 --> 00:14:39,280 Elaine Welteroth: so much ground to cover, but to try to put 254 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:45,040 Elaine Welteroth: it succinctly, I went from Ebony to Glamour to teen 255 00:14:45,120 --> 00:14:50,040 Elaine Welteroth: Vogue as Beauty director, beauty and Health director to editor 256 00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:54,200 Elaine Welteroth: in chief. And that last jump at teen Vogue took 257 00:14:54,280 --> 00:14:58,240 Elaine Welteroth: about I think five or five years or so. I 258 00:14:58,360 --> 00:15:01,480 Elaine Welteroth: was actually the beauty direct or longer than I was 259 00:15:01,480 --> 00:15:06,760 Elaine Welteroth: the editor in chief. I learned the ropes and did 260 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:09,880 Elaine Welteroth: that job, or I learned the ropes at teen Vogue 261 00:15:09,880 --> 00:15:12,520 Elaine Welteroth: through doing that job. First, I came in after Eva Chen, 262 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:17,360 Elaine Welteroth: and a lot of the change that people credit me 263 00:15:17,440 --> 00:15:19,720 Elaine Welteroth: with from my time at teen Vogue as editor in 264 00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:24,600 Elaine Welteroth: chief really happened before, Like the groundwork was laid before 265 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:28,400 Elaine Welteroth: I got appointed. So the first hire that I made 266 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:31,080 Elaine Welteroth: was or one of my first hires was Philip Occarty 267 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:34,480 Elaine Welteroth: who became the digital director, Marie Souter who was the 268 00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:38,080 Elaine Welteroth: creative director, all along with someone I was constantly working 269 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:40,400 Elaine Welteroth: really close with, and we all were promoted together. And 270 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:44,000 Elaine Welteroth: so we had and because of Amy Astley, who was 271 00:15:44,040 --> 00:15:47,360 Elaine Welteroth: the incredible editor in chief at teen Vogue, founding editor 272 00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:51,200 Elaine Welteroth: in chief, she was so incredible as a leader and 273 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:56,680 Elaine Welteroth: that she gave these young people positions of authority and 274 00:15:56,840 --> 00:16:00,720 Elaine Welteroth: trusted us. She guided us, but it was it was 275 00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:03,120 Elaine Welteroth: similar to my parents. Actually it was it was like 276 00:16:03,160 --> 00:16:06,400 Elaine Welteroth: I've had different types of leadership above me, and you know, 277 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:09,440 Elaine Welteroth: I've had another you know leader who or other leaders 278 00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:12,920 Elaine Welteroth: who have been more kind of micromanagy or like on 279 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:15,240 Elaine Welteroth: top of you and have a very clear picture of 280 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:17,600 Elaine Welteroth: exactly what needs to happen, and they tell you and 281 00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:21,280 Elaine Welteroth: you're more executing their direction. But in the case of 282 00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:24,360 Elaine Welteroth: teen Vogue, we had a lot of space to figure 283 00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:26,480 Elaine Welteroth: out what we wanted to say and we were super 284 00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:30,400 Elaine Welteroth: supported in saying that, and that wasn't something I was 285 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:35,120 Elaine Welteroth: necessarily expecting or that I think she, or teen Vogue 286 00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:37,360 Elaine Welteroth: or Vogue in general, has gotten a lot of credit for. 287 00:16:37,520 --> 00:16:39,960 Elaine Welteroth: I think you think you think of that environment as 288 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:43,040 Elaine Welteroth: like devil worst Prada. There's like there must be someone 289 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:46,080 Elaine Welteroth: telling you no and you know, telling what you can 290 00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:48,120 Elaine Welteroth: and can't do. But it was actually the opposite. It 291 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:52,480 Elaine Welteroth: felt very creatively empowering. I remember when I got there, 292 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:54,760 Elaine Welteroth: I was like, what she would just give me like 293 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:59,000 Elaine Welteroth: an okay, Amy Asley okay. That was like her little 294 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:02,160 Elaine Welteroth: sign off on pieces and it would just be like 295 00:17:02,600 --> 00:17:05,600 Elaine Welteroth: positive feedback and aaoka, and I was just like, what 296 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:09,160 Elaine Welteroth: so we can just really do like we can tell 297 00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:11,199 Elaine Welteroth: the stories you want to tell, and so that was 298 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:14,640 Elaine Welteroth: that had had a lot to do with how and 299 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:18,200 Elaine Welteroth: why we were able to find this new direction for 300 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:22,439 Elaine Welteroth: teen Vogue before the moment came where, you know, it 301 00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:26,080 Elaine Welteroth: was like our watershed moment where everybody suddenly realized that 302 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:29,560 Elaine Welteroth: teen Vogue was doing different kinds of work than that 303 00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:31,560 Elaine Welteroth: we had been previously. We used to be kind of 304 00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:36,960 Elaine Welteroth: more fashion and beauty focused for really privileged young kids, 305 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:40,359 Elaine Welteroth: you know, young people, and we saw the world changing 306 00:17:40,359 --> 00:17:42,159 Elaine Welteroth: and we wanted to change with it. We had to 307 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:43,840 Elaine Welteroth: change with it. It was kind of like change, you 308 00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:47,920 Elaine Welteroth: evolve or die. At that point, it was around twenty fifteen, 309 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:51,280 Elaine Welteroth: twenty fourteen, fifteen, sixteen seventeen, like around there, it's like 310 00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:55,160 Elaine Welteroth: the whole world changed so fast. At fourteen years old, 311 00:17:55,280 --> 00:17:57,359 Elaine Welteroth: teen Vogue is growing. 312 00:17:57,040 --> 00:18:01,280 Archival: Up watch a junior fashion bible, geared towards brand conscious teams. 313 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:06,879 Archival: Teen Vogue is evolving seriously on issues ranging from immigration, 314 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:11,800 Archival: the Muslim band, and climate change, even taking on President Trump. 315 00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:13,679 Archival: Teen Vogue is forming and to be this kind of 316 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:17,960 Archival: powerhouse incubator that takes young activists and puts them in 317 00:18:17,960 --> 00:18:19,960 Archival: front of other young people and says you can do 318 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:20,480 Archival: this too. 319 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:23,280 Elaine Welteroth: So it was it was white space. It was a 320 00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:28,240 Elaine Welteroth: missed opportunity, and we wanted to seize the moment to 321 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:31,760 Elaine Welteroth: deepen our connection with our audience and have different kinds 322 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:36,120 Elaine Welteroth: of conversations and expand the intersection a bit to include 323 00:18:36,119 --> 00:18:39,399 Elaine Welteroth: different types of young people. And so we just pushed 324 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:42,280 Elaine Welteroth: the envelope and we were supported in doing so. And 325 00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:44,359 Elaine Welteroth: then by the time I became editor in chief, it 326 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:48,080 Elaine Welteroth: was like a rocket ship because we had been working 327 00:18:48,359 --> 00:18:51,919 Elaine Welteroth: diligently for years to kind of change the kinds of 328 00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:55,439 Elaine Welteroth: storytellers that were coming in and the types of stories 329 00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:58,080 Elaine Welteroth: we were telling, and then we had kind of carte 330 00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:01,520 Elaine Welteroth: blanche to take off. We did. It took off like 331 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:04,880 Elaine Welteroth: a rocket, and suddenly all eyes were on Teen Vogue 332 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:07,800 Elaine Welteroth: and we kind of really met the moment in a 333 00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:11,439 Elaine Welteroth: way that was really palpable, and I think shifted the 334 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:16,080 Elaine Welteroth: trajectory of not just Teen Vogues legacy, but I think 335 00:19:16,119 --> 00:19:21,360 Elaine Welteroth: a number of other magazines and how they saw their responsibility, 336 00:19:21,520 --> 00:19:24,359 Elaine Welteroth: if you will, in terms of having to step up 337 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:29,240 Elaine Welteroth: into some of these conversations and issue areas that maybe 338 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:33,280 Elaine Welteroth: previously they would have seen as like outside of their purview, 339 00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:35,720 Elaine Welteroth: you know, the sort of felt like this church's not 340 00:19:35,960 --> 00:19:37,760 Elaine Welteroth: all magazines. I'm not just and I'm not trying to 341 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:40,440 Elaine Welteroth: take credit or say that teen Vogue is the only 342 00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:42,920 Elaine Welteroth: one that was doing this. Certainly there's so many magazines, 343 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:46,800 Elaine Welteroth: even including Vogue, including you know, Marie Claire Elle. All 344 00:19:46,840 --> 00:19:49,399 Elaine Welteroth: of these women's magazines have never gotten enough credit for 345 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:54,359 Elaine Welteroth: the ways that they have covered news, politics and cultural 346 00:19:54,400 --> 00:19:58,919 Elaine Welteroth: events like all along. But it was never really spotlighted, 347 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:02,560 Elaine Welteroth: and it wasn't totally encouraged. It always felt like, oh, 348 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:05,359 Elaine Welteroth: nice for these pretty ladies with good style to be 349 00:20:05,359 --> 00:20:08,280 Elaine Welteroth: weighing in, but this isn't This isn't your place, you 350 00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:09,800 Elaine Welteroth: know what I mean. There was always that sense that 351 00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:13,480 Elaine Welteroth: it wasn't our place, and we were just like following 352 00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:17,600 Elaine Welteroth: that youthful spirit of the audience that we talked to, 353 00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:20,560 Elaine Welteroth: and like they were like, this is our place, We're 354 00:20:20,600 --> 00:20:22,480 Elaine Welteroth: claiming our space, this is it, you know, And so 355 00:20:22,560 --> 00:20:26,160 Elaine Welteroth: we kind of followed their lead to just own that 356 00:20:26,200 --> 00:20:29,040 Elaine Welteroth: this is where we belong to. We can take up 357 00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:32,320 Elaine Welteroth: space here to young people's perspectives matter too. 358 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:35,760 Emily Tisch Sussman: And the world was changing at the same time, to 359 00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:39,840 Emily Tisch Sussman: your point that the audience was growing and the entire 360 00:20:39,960 --> 00:20:44,000 Emily Tisch Sussman: industry of magazines was moving more online, less in print. 361 00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:47,000 Emily Tisch Sussman: Did you feel that coming? Did you know it was 362 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:48,679 Emily Tisch Sussman: coming to come as a surprise to you? 363 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:49,679 Emily Tisch Sussman: Like? How did you manage that? 364 00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:52,480 Elaine Welteroth: Oh? For sure? I mean the writing was on the 365 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:55,320 Elaine Welteroth: wall from the day I entered the magazine industry, which 366 00:20:55,359 --> 00:20:59,639 Elaine Welteroth: is why I always had plans beyond magazines. And the 367 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:03,399 Elaine Welteroth: reason and thankfully the reason for that is I had 368 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:07,480 Elaine Welteroth: a mentor in my first boss, who modeled a what 369 00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:12,040 Elaine Welteroth: a multifaceted career could look like that leverages the foundation 370 00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:17,040 Elaine Welteroth: of an editorial background, but takes it further. And so 371 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:20,480 Elaine Welteroth: I always joke that like, my first boss was a 372 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:23,280 Elaine Welteroth: multi hyphen it before multi hyphen eating was a thing, 373 00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:28,000 Elaine Welteroth: And so because of her influence on me, I was like, oh, okay, 374 00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:30,919 Elaine Welteroth: this is just the first step. Magazines are just the 375 00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:33,600 Elaine Welteroth: first part of my career, the first chapter and for 376 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:36,080 Elaine Welteroth: the first act rather because there's a lot of chapters 377 00:21:36,119 --> 00:21:38,359 Elaine Welteroth: of that one part of my career, but it was 378 00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:43,080 Elaine Welteroth: the first act, and I always anticipated subsequent acts like 379 00:21:43,119 --> 00:21:45,320 Elaine Welteroth: I never thought this was going to be where I 380 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:48,840 Elaine Welteroth: live and die. I was like there, I was constantly 381 00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:51,720 Elaine Welteroth: checking in with myself like is this the time to run? 382 00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:54,840 Elaine Welteroth: Is this the time to go? Not run? But I was. 383 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:56,840 Elaine Welteroth: I was sort of putting my finger to the wind 384 00:21:56,880 --> 00:22:00,760 Elaine Welteroth: and being like, Okay, is this the moment to take 385 00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:03,680 Elaine Welteroth: my leap of faith or do I have more here 386 00:22:03,800 --> 00:22:06,040 Elaine Welteroth: to learn and more here to do? And so I 387 00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:09,400 Elaine Welteroth: was always in dialogue with myself about that, and then, 388 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:12,560 Elaine Welteroth: particularly as it relates to you know, a teen Vogue's audience, 389 00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:15,600 Elaine Welteroth: they were already online by the time I got there 390 00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:19,439 Elaine Welteroth: in twenty twelve, so and when I started, there was 391 00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:22,119 Elaine Welteroth: only one person working on digital and they were working 392 00:22:22,119 --> 00:22:24,840 Elaine Welteroth: on a silo. They were working in a silo on 393 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:28,600 Elaine Welteroth: an island of their own. And then slowly but surely, 394 00:22:28,720 --> 00:22:32,800 Elaine Welteroth: that team and the focus kind of shifted, that balance shifted, 395 00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:35,119 Elaine Welteroth: and so when I became the editor in chief, I 396 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:38,040 Elaine Welteroth: was responsible for all of it, and I was looking 397 00:22:38,119 --> 00:22:40,679 Elaine Welteroth: at teen Vogue as a brand and the opportunities that 398 00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:43,639 Elaine Welteroth: we had to grow, and you know, launched teen Vogue Summit, 399 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:47,160 Elaine Welteroth: which was an experiential piece of the business that didn't 400 00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:50,159 Elaine Welteroth: exist before. But I saw this really incredible community that 401 00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:52,800 Elaine Welteroth: we were galvanizing. I was like, we need to be 402 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:55,879 Elaine Welteroth: bringing them together to connect with each other and to 403 00:22:56,160 --> 00:22:58,119 Elaine Welteroth: you know, have these in person touch points. So there 404 00:22:58,119 --> 00:23:00,760 Elaine Welteroth: were opportunities to grow but it was very clear to 405 00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:03,320 Elaine Welteroth: me that the writing was on the wall around print, 406 00:23:03,680 --> 00:23:07,200 Elaine Welteroth: you know, and there being an expiration date, and so yeah, 407 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:09,520 Elaine Welteroth: I mean it was something that we were frankly having 408 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:13,520 Elaine Welteroth: to plan for and it kind of dovetailed really perfectly 409 00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:16,680 Elaine Welteroth: and a like kind of in a divine, divine time 410 00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:21,000 Elaine Welteroth: for me, because I truly felt like by the time 411 00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:23,880 Elaine Welteroth: we knew that the print side was going to be sunset, 412 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:26,040 Elaine Welteroth: I was like, there is so much more for me 413 00:23:26,119 --> 00:23:29,800 Elaine Welteroth: to do outside of the magazine business. There is something 414 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:33,520 Elaine Welteroth: else calling me, and I it's go time. Like I 415 00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:35,920 Elaine Welteroth: just felt like, you know, when you reach that point 416 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:40,120 Elaine Welteroth: of diminishing returns and you know that you have delivered 417 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:44,040 Elaine Welteroth: against every dream that you had. And then some like 418 00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:47,280 Elaine Welteroth: I am a huge proponent of walking at the top 419 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:50,080 Elaine Welteroth: of your mountaintop, like like walking away when you're at 420 00:23:50,119 --> 00:23:52,560 Elaine Welteroth: the mountaintop, were in terms of what other people's perception 421 00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:56,040 Elaine Welteroth: is of you, and when you know that there is 422 00:23:56,080 --> 00:23:59,840 Elaine Welteroth: another mountaintop for you to climb towards, like get busy, 423 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:02,840 Elaine Welteroth: you know, don't stay, don't stay longer than you need 424 00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:06,399 Elaine Welteroth: to at that first mountaintop. So yeah, I can say 425 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:10,120 Elaine Welteroth: that I felt a sense of completion during my time 426 00:24:10,119 --> 00:24:13,639 Elaine Welteroth: at teen Vogue, like I felt triumphant. I felt like 427 00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:16,160 Elaine Welteroth: we did that, We did that, and then you go. 428 00:24:16,280 --> 00:24:18,840 Elaine Welteroth: And it's the same thing I felt honestly about New 429 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:22,000 Elaine Welteroth: York in general in twenty twenty, Like when I got 430 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:24,840 Elaine Welteroth: after I got married on my stoop during the pandemic, 431 00:24:25,560 --> 00:24:28,080 Elaine Welteroth: I was like, we did that, Like we did that, 432 00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:30,840 Elaine Welteroth: and that that is New York, Like there is no 433 00:24:31,119 --> 00:24:36,080 Elaine Welteroth: higher mountaintop for me here other than this moment of graduation. 434 00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:38,280 Elaine Welteroth: Like this, it felt like a graduation for me, and 435 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:40,040 Elaine Welteroth: I was like, Okay, it's time to set sales for 436 00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:42,840 Elaine Welteroth: new pastures. And that's how I ended up moving it 437 00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:46,480 Elaine Welteroth: to La kind of it seemed impulsively to most people 438 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:48,320 Elaine Welteroth: because I hadn't. It's not something I had talked about. 439 00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:51,760 Elaine Welteroth: But I had always known my New York act would 440 00:24:51,760 --> 00:24:53,439 Elaine Welteroth: come to an end and then there would be an 441 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:55,480 Elaine Welteroth: La Act. I just didn't know when it would happen, 442 00:24:55,560 --> 00:24:58,159 Elaine Welteroth: And similar with Teen Vogue and magazines in general, I 443 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:00,639 Elaine Welteroth: knew that that act would come to it, and I 444 00:25:00,680 --> 00:25:03,200 Elaine Welteroth: just didn't have a sense of the timeline. I didn't 445 00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:06,600 Elaine Welteroth: realize how how quickly all of these things would happen, 446 00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:09,480 Elaine Welteroth: and so I had to move with the momentum, and 447 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:12,600 Elaine Welteroth: I've never I never once looked back. And it's not 448 00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:15,159 Elaine Welteroth: to say it wasn't a hard decision to make. It was. 449 00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:18,440 Elaine Welteroth: It was actually excruciating. In some moments, it was really hard. 450 00:25:19,119 --> 00:25:21,359 Elaine Welteroth: It was it was hard to pull the trigger. But 451 00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:23,800 Elaine Welteroth: the decision in my spirit had already been made that 452 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:26,720 Elaine Welteroth: it was time for me to explore the things that 453 00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:28,760 Elaine Welteroth: had been on my heart and like tugging me. 454 00:25:30,640 --> 00:25:35,000 Emily Tisch Sussman: When teen Vogue moved to strictly digital, Elaine was famously 455 00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:37,879 Emily Tisch Sussman: quoted saying that wasn't the vision that I had for 456 00:25:37,960 --> 00:25:42,000 Emily Tisch Sussman: the future of teen Vogue. So was her exit tied 457 00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:46,160 Emily Tisch Sussman: to Conde Nast decision? After the break? We get the 458 00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:58,359 Emily Tisch Sussman: real answer was the decision to leave teen Vogue tied 459 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:01,280 Emily Tisch Sussman: to the decision to sunset the print. But you felt 460 00:26:01,320 --> 00:26:03,119 Emily Tisch Sussman: like you had closed the chapter or now with someone 461 00:26:03,119 --> 00:26:05,040 Emily Tisch Sussman: else's vision. To take forward. 462 00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:07,919 Elaine Welteroth: I would say yes and no in the sense that 463 00:26:08,359 --> 00:26:15,119 Elaine Welteroth: I was feeling the poll before that decision had been made, 464 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:19,800 Elaine Welteroth: and I felt that sense of completion, like approaching. And 465 00:26:19,920 --> 00:26:22,119 Elaine Welteroth: I remember I even sat down and did a little 466 00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:26,200 Elaine Welteroth: bucket list assignment when I felt like a year before 467 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:29,159 Elaine Welteroth: I actually left, and I wrote some things on that 468 00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:33,520 Elaine Welteroth: list that I really felt called to do before I left, 469 00:26:33,560 --> 00:26:36,040 Elaine Welteroth: and I was like, Okay, when I leave, I want 470 00:26:35,880 --> 00:26:38,880 Elaine Welteroth: to I want to be able to look at this list. 471 00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:41,639 Elaine Welteroth: And no, I did all the things that I that 472 00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:44,520 Elaine Welteroth: were in my heart to do. And so it's interesting 473 00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:47,919 Elaine Welteroth: because in that year that I got those things off 474 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:50,480 Elaine Welteroth: the ground, including like the teen Bok Summit, as I mentioned, 475 00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:54,399 Elaine Welteroth: and also getting Hillary Clinton to guest edit our final issue, 476 00:26:54,560 --> 00:26:55,879 Elaine Welteroth: Like I didn't know that was going to be our 477 00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:58,400 Elaine Welteroth: final issue, but that's a final issue. If I ever 478 00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:00,560 Elaine Welteroth: did one, you know, that's a mic drop right there. 479 00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:05,480 Elaine Welteroth: If I was going to manufacture my my drop moment, 480 00:27:05,720 --> 00:27:08,320 Elaine Welteroth: it would have looked exactly like the one that I had, 481 00:27:08,680 --> 00:27:12,520 Elaine Welteroth: but it wasn't necessarily that orchestrated, if you will. I 482 00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:15,600 Elaine Welteroth: think at some point it became clear, okay, like where 483 00:27:15,680 --> 00:27:18,320 Elaine Welteroth: what I'm feeling is lining up with what feels like 484 00:27:18,359 --> 00:27:21,560 Elaine Welteroth: it makes the most sense as well from a business perspective, 485 00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:26,000 Elaine Welteroth: like I felt like expansion energy. I felt like I 486 00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:30,439 Elaine Welteroth: am only growing and expanding and wanting and capable of 487 00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:33,399 Elaine Welteroth: doing even more. I don't think it makes sense to 488 00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:37,159 Elaine Welteroth: stay somewhere that is shrinking. It just it just didn't 489 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:40,160 Elaine Welteroth: make sense. I felt like my territory was getting smaller 490 00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:44,240 Elaine Welteroth: as I was expanding, and I just needed my territory 491 00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:46,320 Elaine Welteroth: to continue expanding, and the only way for me to 492 00:27:46,359 --> 00:27:50,679 Elaine Welteroth: do that was to expand it myself and build my 493 00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:51,720 Elaine Welteroth: own path forward. 494 00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:54,800 Emily Tisch Sussman: Yeah, So I think getting into the weeds here a 495 00:27:54,840 --> 00:27:56,200 Emily Tisch Sussman: little bit as helpful because I think a lot of 496 00:27:56,240 --> 00:27:59,080 Emily Tisch Sussman: people struggle with the idea of when to leave, when 497 00:27:59,119 --> 00:28:02,840 Emily Tisch Sussman: to move, especially if you're doing okay, Like if you're 498 00:28:02,840 --> 00:28:06,120 Emily Tisch Sussman: not actually forced out, why leave? Like if it's still 499 00:28:06,160 --> 00:28:09,679 Emily Tisch Sussman: going okay? So, how did you it sounds I think 500 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:11,200 Emily Tisch Sussman: feel like you've talked to this a little bit already, 501 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:13,040 Emily Tisch Sussman: like how did you know it was the right time? 502 00:28:13,440 --> 00:28:17,520 Emily Tisch Sussman: But how much did you have planned? Oubt in specifics? 503 00:28:17,560 --> 00:28:21,600 Emily Tisch Sussman: And also next game project Runway, which is like a 504 00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:26,080 Emily Tisch Sussman: dream job for so many But was that the thing 505 00:28:26,119 --> 00:28:29,080 Emily Tisch Sussman: that paid the bills? Was that the thing that brought 506 00:28:29,119 --> 00:28:31,960 Emily Tisch Sussman: you joy? Was it both? Was it neither? 507 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:35,560 Elaine Welteroth: Okay, there's so much here. I love the way your 508 00:28:35,600 --> 00:28:37,679 Elaine Welteroth: mind works. I love the questions you asked. All right, 509 00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:39,840 Elaine Welteroth: let me let me try to go back and answer 510 00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:42,880 Elaine Welteroth: them in order, because you you're absolutely right that there's 511 00:28:42,880 --> 00:28:45,760 Elaine Welteroth: so many people who are in their own lives and 512 00:28:45,800 --> 00:28:48,360 Elaine Welteroth: careers thinking how do I know it's time to move. 513 00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:51,720 Elaine Welteroth: Do I leave? Do I stay? So the piece of 514 00:28:51,760 --> 00:28:57,880 Elaine Welteroth: advice that I got that was incredibly helpful, if not instrumental, 515 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:01,080 Elaine Welteroth: to some of these pivot pivot moments of mine in 516 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:04,920 Elaine Welteroth: my careers and in relationships, by the way, is to 517 00:29:05,120 --> 00:29:11,160 Elaine Welteroth: identify the point of diminishing returns, which means essentially, are 518 00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:16,280 Elaine Welteroth: you giving more than you can ever get back from this? 519 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:19,760 Elaine Welteroth: Or is there more for you to give and for 520 00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:21,560 Elaine Welteroth: you to have an ROI on right like, is there 521 00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:23,440 Elaine Welteroth: more for you to learn? Is there more for you 522 00:29:23,480 --> 00:29:26,600 Elaine Welteroth: to do? And so many times when I thought I 523 00:29:26,720 --> 00:29:29,600 Elaine Welteroth: was ready to quit, I would ask myself that question 524 00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:32,040 Elaine Welteroth: and I would realize that there was actually more for 525 00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:34,400 Elaine Welteroth: me to do or there was more for me to learn. 526 00:29:34,720 --> 00:29:38,800 Elaine Welteroth: And so I think that is a helpful question to 527 00:29:38,920 --> 00:29:44,200 Elaine Welteroth: ask to help distinguish between am I burnt out? Or 528 00:29:44,360 --> 00:29:47,760 Elaine Welteroth: am I actually ready to move on to my next thing? 529 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:50,760 Elaine Welteroth: And if the answer is you already move on to 530 00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:53,560 Elaine Welteroth: your next thing, I would say you don't do it 531 00:29:53,600 --> 00:29:58,120 Elaine Welteroth: without your game plan. And I had a solid game 532 00:29:58,160 --> 00:30:01,640 Elaine Welteroth: plan and I had checks up through April of the 533 00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:06,760 Elaine Welteroth: following year. I was gung ho about my financial goals. 534 00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:09,640 Elaine Welteroth: I wanted to make sure that I could make more 535 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:12,240 Elaine Welteroth: than what I was making at Conde Nas before I 536 00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:14,800 Elaine Welteroth: left Conde Nas. And I one of the things that 537 00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:17,120 Elaine Welteroth: I learned towards the end of my tenure there was 538 00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:19,320 Elaine Welteroth: that like all these speaking engagements I was doing for 539 00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:22,600 Elaine Welteroth: free for teen Vogue, people are getting paid for, paid 540 00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:26,480 Elaine Welteroth: very well for. And so a paid speaking opportunity came 541 00:30:26,520 --> 00:30:29,600 Elaine Welteroth: to me in kind of like my final chapter at 542 00:30:29,640 --> 00:30:33,000 Elaine Welteroth: teen Vogue. And normally, like we're trained to just hand 543 00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:36,040 Elaine Welteroth: those over to our supervisor to get approval on them, 544 00:30:36,080 --> 00:30:39,080 Elaine Welteroth: and of course you cannot accept any payment. But in 545 00:30:39,120 --> 00:30:40,600 Elaine Welteroth: this case, I was like, well, I don't think I'm 546 00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:43,520 Elaine Welteroth: going to be here when this speaking engagement has happened, 547 00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:45,480 Elaine Welteroth: and I'm really I'm giving you like the real tea 548 00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:48,239 Elaine Welteroth: right now, Emily, Yeah, ANSI tea. And so I was like, 549 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:51,160 Elaine Welteroth: you know, I'm not going to ask for permission because 550 00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:53,440 Elaine Welteroth: I'm not going to be here, and why would I 551 00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:55,080 Elaine Welteroth: not take this check What? 552 00:30:55,560 --> 00:30:58,040 Elaine Welteroth: And so I started to realize like, once I said 553 00:30:58,120 --> 00:31:00,800 Elaine Welteroth: yes to that one, then I realized all these other 554 00:31:00,840 --> 00:31:04,160 Elaine Welteroth: opportunities that I was not getting offered a paycheck for 555 00:31:04,360 --> 00:31:06,920 Elaine Welteroth: I would and could be getting a paycheck for if 556 00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:09,200 Elaine Welteroth: I was a free agent, and so I was quickly 557 00:31:09,240 --> 00:31:11,240 Elaine Welteroth: doing the math on that and realizing there was a 558 00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:14,640 Elaine Welteroth: lot of opportunity. I also had a book deal. I 559 00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:17,400 Elaine Welteroth: had a book that had been writing itself inside of me, 560 00:31:18,080 --> 00:31:21,120 Elaine Welteroth: and my first goal was to sell a book deal 561 00:31:21,280 --> 00:31:24,480 Elaine Welteroth: with a great advance for teen Vogue. And before I 562 00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:26,400 Elaine Welteroth: ever even said the word that I wanted to write 563 00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:28,680 Elaine Welteroth: a book, but at every one of the meetings, they 564 00:31:28,680 --> 00:31:30,800 Elaine Welteroth: were like, great, great, great, thank you for this pitch 565 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:33,160 Elaine Welteroth: for teen vogues book. What about your book? And it 566 00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:35,680 Elaine Welteroth: was such an uncomfortable thing because I was like what what? What? Like? 567 00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:38,680 Elaine Welteroth: I mean, I was such a I was so programmed. 568 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:40,880 Elaine Welteroth: I was like and I was like a boy. I 569 00:31:40,920 --> 00:31:43,280 Elaine Welteroth: was like wait what me? What? No? I was on 570 00:31:43,440 --> 00:31:46,280 Elaine Welteroth: I was so associated with the brand that I was 571 00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:50,920 Elaine Welteroth: representing that it felt almost like insane. It felt almost 572 00:31:50,960 --> 00:31:55,840 Elaine Welteroth: disloyal or just wrong fundamentally for me to explore opportunities 573 00:31:55,880 --> 00:31:58,240 Elaine Welteroth: for myself. But it was a mindset that I had 574 00:31:58,240 --> 00:32:01,360 Elaine Welteroth: to break. I had to shift that. And after I 575 00:32:01,400 --> 00:32:04,360 Elaine Welteroth: got a successful book deal for teen Vogue, they told 576 00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:07,320 Elaine Welteroth: me just know. When I was leaving, they said to me, 577 00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:11,400 Elaine Welteroth: just know, we have allocated a budget for your book. 578 00:32:11,440 --> 00:32:14,240 Elaine Welteroth: We want your book, and I was like, I mean, 579 00:32:14,280 --> 00:32:16,680 Elaine Welteroth: this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be 580 00:32:16,800 --> 00:32:19,880 Elaine Welteroth: in that position, and I know I have a book 581 00:32:19,920 --> 00:32:22,120 Elaine Welteroth: in me that I've I always thought I would write 582 00:32:22,360 --> 00:32:25,480 Elaine Welteroth: multiple books because of my mentor again going back to 583 00:32:25,480 --> 00:32:27,320 Elaine Welteroth: the model that she set for me, the blueprint that 584 00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:29,840 Elaine Welteroth: she handed me, that was what she did. I just 585 00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:32,240 Elaine Welteroth: didn't think I would have those kinds of opportunities that soon. 586 00:32:32,520 --> 00:32:34,600 Elaine Welteroth: If anything, I had to get over my imposter syndrome 587 00:32:34,680 --> 00:32:37,280 Elaine Welteroth: like I deserve, like I deserve to write a book 588 00:32:37,320 --> 00:32:39,400 Elaine Welteroth: at this or I'm you know, I'm worth what you're 589 00:32:39,640 --> 00:32:41,920 Elaine Welteroth: willing to give me to write this book. But that 590 00:32:42,120 --> 00:32:44,560 Elaine Welteroth: was my main thing. Emily, Like, it's so funny to 591 00:32:44,600 --> 00:32:46,200 Elaine Welteroth: hear you talk about project or a way like that, 592 00:32:46,240 --> 00:32:49,200 Elaine Welteroth: because when I tell you, that was so not even 593 00:32:49,240 --> 00:32:52,520 Elaine Welteroth: on my radar, and it wasn't even something that was 594 00:32:52,520 --> 00:32:56,160 Elaine Welteroth: a hell yes for me at first, because I was like, wait, 595 00:32:56,640 --> 00:32:59,160 Elaine Welteroth: I just I had my own reservations about it at first, 596 00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:02,920 Elaine Welteroth: and I had to get over some of the reservations 597 00:33:02,920 --> 00:33:06,240 Elaine Welteroth: that I had, and especially also because for me, this 598 00:33:06,360 --> 00:33:08,920 Elaine Welteroth: was my book writing era, like I left to write 599 00:33:08,960 --> 00:33:11,680 Elaine Welteroth: a book and to build into the I knew I 600 00:33:11,720 --> 00:33:14,600 Elaine Welteroth: wanted to work in television though I always knew that 601 00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:17,280 Elaine Welteroth: I wanted to work in television, but I was imagining 602 00:33:17,320 --> 00:33:21,480 Elaine Welteroth: writing as a writer in a writer's room or creating 603 00:33:21,520 --> 00:33:25,680 Elaine Welteroth: my own shows. Like I didn't see myself as talent necessarily, 604 00:33:26,320 --> 00:33:28,680 Elaine Welteroth: So when this came, I was like, it felt like 605 00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:30,880 Elaine Welteroth: too unserious, if that makes any sense. 606 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:32,479 Emily Tisch Sussman: Yeah, I was gonna ask, what are you What were 607 00:33:32,520 --> 00:33:33,440 Emily Tisch Sussman: your reservations? 608 00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:36,040 Elaine Welteroth: Yeah, I felt like maybe it was it would it 609 00:33:36,080 --> 00:33:39,400 Elaine Welteroth: wouldn't I wouldn't be taken seriously in some of the 610 00:33:39,440 --> 00:33:41,920 Elaine Welteroth: other things that I wanted to do if I was 611 00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:44,040 Elaine Welteroth: a judge on Project Runway. But at the same time, 612 00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:47,120 Elaine Welteroth: thank god, the counsel around me was like, girl, you 613 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:50,880 Elaine Welteroth: are tripping. This is an incredible opportunity. Do this, do 614 00:33:51,040 --> 00:33:53,200 Elaine Welteroth: this show. And I never, to be honest, I never 615 00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:55,400 Elaine Welteroth: watched Project Runway. So I also felt a little bit 616 00:33:55,480 --> 00:33:59,320 Elaine Welteroth: like a imposter syndrome. I had some imposter syndrome about it. 617 00:33:59,320 --> 00:34:02,240 Elaine Welteroth: But you know what, Emily, I had never read teen 618 00:34:02,280 --> 00:34:05,320 Elaine Welteroth: Vogue before I became an editor at teen Vogue, so 619 00:34:05,360 --> 00:34:07,760 Elaine Welteroth: I had it there too. I think, I honestly think 620 00:34:07,800 --> 00:34:10,360 Elaine Welteroth: imposter syndrome is a sign that you are on the 621 00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:14,359 Elaine Welteroth: right track of growth and you are being pulled into 622 00:34:14,440 --> 00:34:17,640 Elaine Welteroth: uncomfortable territory. It does not mean you are not qualified. 623 00:34:17,640 --> 00:34:19,399 Elaine Welteroth: It doesn't mean that you don't belong there. It doesn't 624 00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:21,960 Elaine Welteroth: mean that you shouldn't do it. It just means that you're 625 00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:25,080 Elaine Welteroth: being called to territory that is new and now is 626 00:34:25,080 --> 00:34:27,040 Elaine Welteroth: the time to explore it. And so I think there 627 00:34:27,120 --> 00:34:28,960 Elaine Welteroth: was some of those some of that was coming up 628 00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:32,560 Elaine Welteroth: for me, but ultimately it was the best thing because 629 00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:35,920 Elaine Welteroth: it was in every way like the perfect timing and 630 00:34:36,040 --> 00:34:39,120 Elaine Welteroth: also just an incredible experience, like I got to do 631 00:34:39,200 --> 00:34:42,759 Elaine Welteroth: this with my friends. Carly called me and convinced me 632 00:34:42,800 --> 00:34:45,719 Elaine Welteroth: to do it. She's like, we have to do this together. Brandon. 633 00:34:46,320 --> 00:34:48,640 Elaine Welteroth: It was like me, Carly and Brandon, and then also 634 00:34:48,800 --> 00:34:50,960 Elaine Welteroth: of course Christian, We're just like, we're going to do 635 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:53,120 Elaine Welteroth: this together. We have no idea if this is going 636 00:34:53,200 --> 00:34:56,759 Elaine Welteroth: to like work or not. And it turned out to 637 00:34:56,800 --> 00:34:59,439 Elaine Welteroth: be my fun job. You ever seen anything like this 638 00:35:00,200 --> 00:35:05,440 Elaine Welteroth: Project Runway history face and first this season on Project 639 00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:12,799 Elaine Welteroth: run you took us to another galaxy. This was my 640 00:35:13,120 --> 00:35:17,480 Elaine Welteroth: favorite love of the Runway hands. I fell in love 641 00:35:17,640 --> 00:35:21,040 Elaine Welteroth: with everything about Project Runway, including the fans, Like, can 642 00:35:21,080 --> 00:35:23,000 Elaine Welteroth: I just tell you the Project Runway fans are the 643 00:35:23,040 --> 00:35:24,840 Elaine Welteroth: best fans in the world, which is why I smiled 644 00:35:24,840 --> 00:35:27,000 Elaine Welteroth: and so big when you said you love Project Run. 645 00:35:27,040 --> 00:35:29,360 Elaine Welteroth: I was like, you're my people. You're my people, and 646 00:35:29,440 --> 00:35:32,760 Elaine Welteroth: so it was an incredible experience and one that served 647 00:35:32,800 --> 00:35:36,680 Elaine Welteroth: my larger goals. I guess in the sense that the 648 00:35:36,719 --> 00:35:39,440 Elaine Welteroth: timing really worked out well because it aired as soon 649 00:35:39,480 --> 00:35:41,719 Elaine Welteroth: as my like a couple months before my book came out, 650 00:35:41,800 --> 00:35:45,440 Elaine Welteroth: So it was like this marketing platform for my first book, 651 00:35:45,600 --> 00:35:46,959 Elaine Welteroth: and then on top of it, there were a number 652 00:35:46,960 --> 00:35:48,479 Elaine Welteroth: of other things I was working on. I was doing 653 00:35:48,560 --> 00:35:52,040 Elaine Welteroth: tons of speaking opportunities, doing a lot of brand partnerships, 654 00:35:52,040 --> 00:35:54,120 Elaine Welteroth: so it was really again it was like I am 655 00:35:54,160 --> 00:36:00,560 Elaine Welteroth: building this portfolio business for myself that really does mimic 656 00:36:00,760 --> 00:36:03,640 Elaine Welteroth: exactly what I was doing at a magazine for many years, 657 00:36:03,640 --> 00:36:06,160 Elaine Welteroth: because if you think about the role of a magazine editor, 658 00:36:06,680 --> 00:36:10,040 Elaine Welteroth: especially a front facing one, you're doing TV, you're doing 659 00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:13,919 Elaine Welteroth: sales calls, you're doing branded content, you're managing a creative team, 660 00:36:13,960 --> 00:36:16,000 Elaine Welteroth: You're doing all of the things that I was doing 661 00:36:16,560 --> 00:36:19,920 Elaine Welteroth: for every magazine I worked for, especially at the as 662 00:36:19,960 --> 00:36:22,040 Elaine Welteroth: an editor in chief. At the end, are all the 663 00:36:22,040 --> 00:36:23,440 Elaine Welteroth: things I do for myself now. 664 00:36:25,560 --> 00:36:29,120 Emily Tisch Sussman: When we come back Elaine talks about how everything she 665 00:36:29,160 --> 00:36:31,600 Emily Tisch Sussman: has done on her career has built her to the 666 00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:48,319 Emily Tisch Sussman: moment she is in now, despite some major pivots. Elaine's 667 00:36:48,360 --> 00:36:51,319 Emily Tisch Sussman: biggest pivot found her when she became pregnant for the 668 00:36:51,360 --> 00:36:54,360 Emily Tisch Sussman: first time at thirty five, and she was confronted with 669 00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:57,440 Emily Tisch Sussman: the horrible reality that is the maternal health crisis. 670 00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:01,600 Archival: The Committee will come to order without objection. The Chair 671 00:37:01,640 --> 00:37:04,080 Archival: is authorized to declare a recess of the Committee at 672 00:37:04,080 --> 00:37:08,040 Archival: any time. I now recognize myself for an opening statement. 673 00:37:09,080 --> 00:37:14,160 Archival: Our nation is facing a maternal health crisis across the globe. 674 00:37:14,239 --> 00:37:19,160 Archival: Our maternal mortality rate ranks the absolute worst among similar 675 00:37:19,800 --> 00:37:23,080 Archival: developed nations and fifty fifth overall. 676 00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:26,880 Elaine Welteroth: No matter your socioeconomic position, you can't as a black woman, 677 00:37:27,080 --> 00:37:30,400 Elaine Welteroth: escape the risk of becoming a statistic And I never 678 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:35,279 Elaine Welteroth: really understood how real and true that is until it 679 00:37:35,400 --> 00:37:38,600 Elaine Welteroth: was my turn. One thing to read the statistics, it's 680 00:37:38,680 --> 00:37:42,839 Elaine Welteroth: another to recognize how close you are to becoming worry. 681 00:37:42,840 --> 00:37:45,200 Archival: It's a maternal morbidity rate in the United States right 682 00:37:45,239 --> 00:37:47,680 Archival: now that is disproportionately affecting black women. 683 00:37:47,719 --> 00:37:50,480 Archival: The US maternal Morbidity rate is the highest out of 684 00:37:50,520 --> 00:37:52,160 Archival: all industrialized nations. 685 00:37:52,600 --> 00:37:56,480 Emily Tisch Sussman: Soon a lane turned to midwiffery and finally felt heard 686 00:37:56,640 --> 00:38:01,600 Emily Tisch Sussman: after hearing truly unbelievable things from doctor these. 687 00:38:00,840 --> 00:38:03,239 Elaine Welteroth: Doctors that I went to, I went in and I 688 00:38:03,760 --> 00:38:07,080 Elaine Welteroth: asked my questions with a smile. Eventually the doctor stands 689 00:38:07,120 --> 00:38:09,879 Elaine Welteroth: up with their clipboard and they start to walk out 690 00:38:09,920 --> 00:38:12,879 Elaine Welteroth: in the middle of our conversation. The doctor just said, 691 00:38:13,680 --> 00:38:17,720 Elaine Welteroth: you've exceeded our two to three question max per visit. 692 00:38:18,280 --> 00:38:20,600 Elaine Welteroth: I've allowed you to ask additional questions. I've given you 693 00:38:20,640 --> 00:38:21,160 Elaine Welteroth: some grace. 694 00:38:22,040 --> 00:38:25,840 Emily Tisch Sussman: After giving birth to her first baby, Elaine was changed 695 00:38:26,040 --> 00:38:28,799 Emily Tisch Sussman: and knew she could do something about it. So she 696 00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:32,320 Emily Tisch Sussman: started birth Fund as a way to connect women to 697 00:38:32,400 --> 00:38:36,399 Emily Tisch Sussman: midwifery care at little to no cost, providing an end 698 00:38:36,440 --> 00:38:39,360 Emily Tisch Sussman: to end solution to fix the maternal health crisis. 699 00:38:43,760 --> 00:38:48,400 Elaine Welteroth: You know what, I would say that most people think 700 00:38:48,880 --> 00:38:52,280 Elaine Welteroth: of my big pivot as the one from teen Vogue 701 00:38:52,680 --> 00:38:57,360 Elaine Welteroth: to everything that came after, and that was definitely my 702 00:38:57,520 --> 00:39:01,960 Elaine Welteroth: first big pivot, And I think about this stage of 703 00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:05,400 Elaine Welteroth: my career now is actually not at all like a pivot. 704 00:39:05,480 --> 00:39:09,719 Elaine Welteroth: It feels like a culmination moment in my career. It 705 00:39:09,760 --> 00:39:14,919 Elaine Welteroth: feels like literally every single thing I've ever done, every 706 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:19,560 Elaine Welteroth: opportunity that I've had every person that I've met, every 707 00:39:19,680 --> 00:39:24,360 Elaine Welteroth: skill that I've acquired, has all been for this, like 708 00:39:24,840 --> 00:39:28,160 Elaine Welteroth: it comes together in the creation and the birth of 709 00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:34,160 Elaine Welteroth: Birth Fund, because I find that it's a very untraditional 710 00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:37,879 Elaine Welteroth: path to a nonprofit and even that I don't even 711 00:39:37,920 --> 00:39:40,000 Elaine Welteroth: really think of it as a nonprofit. I think of 712 00:39:40,120 --> 00:39:43,520 Elaine Welteroth: it as a venture with many legs and will it 713 00:39:43,560 --> 00:39:45,960 Elaine Welteroth: will have pivots over time and it will look different 714 00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:49,520 Elaine Welteroth: over time. But it's starting as a nonprofit and I'm 715 00:39:49,680 --> 00:39:52,439 Elaine Welteroth: not a nonprofit person. It's in a health space. I'm 716 00:39:52,480 --> 00:39:56,360 Elaine Welteroth: not a public health person at all. Even if you 717 00:39:56,480 --> 00:39:59,680 Elaine Welteroth: asked me what a midwife was like four years ago, 718 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:02,920 Elaine Welteroth: I would not have had an intelligent answer. So I 719 00:40:02,960 --> 00:40:06,120 Elaine Welteroth: am a newcomer in every way to this space. But 720 00:40:06,280 --> 00:40:08,799 Elaine Welteroth: it's because of all the things that I have done 721 00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:12,279 Elaine Welteroth: in my life that uniquely equip me to meet this 722 00:40:12,400 --> 00:40:16,560 Elaine Welteroth: moment with such charge and which set with such vision 723 00:40:16,680 --> 00:40:19,920 Elaine Welteroth: and conviction. Because it's not dissimilar from what I did 724 00:40:19,920 --> 00:40:22,879 Elaine Welteroth: at teen Vogue or any magazine job I ever had. 725 00:40:22,960 --> 00:40:26,200 Elaine Welteroth: Right like it in a lot of ways is rooted 726 00:40:26,280 --> 00:40:31,040 Elaine Welteroth: in storytelling, and you know, cause related or impact storytelling. 727 00:40:31,160 --> 00:40:33,000 Elaine Welteroth: That's what I did at teen Vogue. That's what I've 728 00:40:33,040 --> 00:40:35,000 Elaine Welteroth: done my whole career. That's what I do at Team 729 00:40:35,040 --> 00:40:38,160 Elaine Welteroth: at Proderick Greenway at the talk like this in all 730 00:40:38,200 --> 00:40:41,000 Elaine Welteroth: the people that I've ever worked with, including Serena Williams, 731 00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:44,280 Elaine Welteroth: who by the way, was the very first cover star 732 00:40:44,760 --> 00:40:46,960 Elaine Welteroth: that I had the opportunity to work with when I 733 00:40:47,040 --> 00:40:49,640 Elaine Welteroth: was an intern at Ebony. That was the very first. 734 00:40:49,760 --> 00:40:53,680 Elaine Welteroth: It's like a full circle moment. So truly, truly, building 735 00:40:53,760 --> 00:40:55,719 Elaine Welteroth: Birth Fund has felt like a full circle moment in 736 00:40:56,400 --> 00:41:00,440 Elaine Welteroth: every way possible, Serena Williams being one of our unders 737 00:41:00,440 --> 00:41:03,160 Elaine Welteroth: and being able to call on her with this because 738 00:41:03,200 --> 00:41:06,680 Elaine Welteroth: I know that we have this shared experience of navigating 739 00:41:06,719 --> 00:41:11,680 Elaine Welteroth: the maternal healthcare system and not having great experiences. You know, 740 00:41:11,800 --> 00:41:14,600 Elaine Welteroth: her story was part of what opened my eyes to 741 00:41:14,719 --> 00:41:17,960 Elaine Welteroth: this issue area that honestly wasn't really on my radar 742 00:41:18,080 --> 00:41:19,839 Elaine Welteroth: in a very real way, and I don't think it's 743 00:41:19,840 --> 00:41:22,879 Elaine Welteroth: on many people's radars in a very real way until 744 00:41:23,080 --> 00:41:25,319 Elaine Welteroth: your life is on the line, and by then it's 745 00:41:25,360 --> 00:41:28,799 Elaine Welteroth: often too late. And so I saw this opportunity from 746 00:41:28,840 --> 00:41:32,160 Elaine Welteroth: a storytelling perspective to reach people and meet people where 747 00:41:32,160 --> 00:41:36,719 Elaine Welteroth: they're at before it's too late, and to raise not 748 00:41:36,800 --> 00:41:42,040 Elaine Welteroth: just awareness, but to rally resources and galvanize a community 749 00:41:42,120 --> 00:41:45,920 Elaine Welteroth: around solutions, because that, to me, is where the real 750 00:41:45,960 --> 00:41:49,799 Elaine Welteroth: opportunity is for storytelling. Because at this point, for the 751 00:41:49,840 --> 00:41:52,160 Elaine Welteroth: most part, it is on our radar. We do know 752 00:41:52,200 --> 00:41:55,360 Elaine Welteroth: that there's you know, discrepancies around maternal outcomes. We know 753 00:41:55,520 --> 00:41:58,760 Elaine Welteroth: that we've all heard sad stories of a mother dying, 754 00:41:58,760 --> 00:42:01,160 Elaine Welteroth: but we think of this as as like kind of 755 00:42:01,200 --> 00:42:03,759 Elaine Welteroth: one offs or things that can't happen to us. But 756 00:42:03,920 --> 00:42:07,600 Elaine Welteroth: once we realize the magnitude of the issue. If for 757 00:42:07,680 --> 00:42:10,000 Elaine Welteroth: those who do realize the magnitude of the issue, they're 758 00:42:10,040 --> 00:42:13,680 Elaine Welteroth: often overwhelmed by how depressing it is and by how 759 00:42:13,719 --> 00:42:16,719 Elaine Welteroth: complex the issue is. And so to me, the opportunity 760 00:42:16,800 --> 00:42:22,320 Elaine Welteroth: was to really find the solution that will fuel people 761 00:42:22,560 --> 00:42:25,440 Elaine Welteroth: to get activated around this, and a solution that can 762 00:42:25,480 --> 00:42:29,400 Elaine Welteroth: meet people where they're at, a solution that leans into 763 00:42:29,880 --> 00:42:34,640 Elaine Welteroth: positive birth stories and outcomes and can leverage people's hope 764 00:42:34,800 --> 00:42:38,200 Elaine Welteroth: and joy around the idea of giving birth on their 765 00:42:38,239 --> 00:42:42,239 Elaine Welteroth: own terms. And that all is wrapped up in Midwiffree 766 00:42:42,960 --> 00:42:45,480 Elaine Welteroth: And my personal experience is really what led me to 767 00:42:45,560 --> 00:42:49,000 Elaine Welteroth: this work. I again would never have thought if you 768 00:42:49,040 --> 00:42:50,759 Elaine Welteroth: asked me five years ago, if I would have thought 769 00:42:50,800 --> 00:42:54,359 Elaine Welteroth: I would be starting a maternal health focused venture, let 770 00:42:54,360 --> 00:42:57,040 Elaine Welteroth: alone nonprofit. I would have been like, not my ministry, 771 00:42:57,280 --> 00:42:59,600 Elaine Welteroth: Like not the thing I know a lot about. But 772 00:43:00,280 --> 00:43:03,799 Elaine Welteroth: turns out that by the lived experience of becoming a 773 00:43:03,880 --> 00:43:08,640 Elaine Welteroth: mother in this country radicalizes you. It opens your eyes 774 00:43:08,760 --> 00:43:11,719 Elaine Welteroth: and your mind and your heart in a way that 775 00:43:11,760 --> 00:43:17,560 Elaine Welteroth: nothing else can. And experiencing firsthand just how broken this 776 00:43:17,719 --> 00:43:21,160 Elaine Welteroth: medical system is, particularly you know, the maternal health system 777 00:43:21,200 --> 00:43:24,680 Elaine Welteroth: as it relates to how women are treated, I felt 778 00:43:24,719 --> 00:43:28,080 Elaine Welteroth: convicted to do something about it. Like I couldn't just 779 00:43:28,480 --> 00:43:31,120 Elaine Welteroth: and it couldn't just stop at advocacy, It couldn't just 780 00:43:31,120 --> 00:43:34,360 Elaine Welteroth: stop at just me telling my story about how discovering 781 00:43:34,440 --> 00:43:39,040 Elaine Welteroth: MIDWI free change my trajectory that I was on, not 782 00:43:39,080 --> 00:43:41,440 Elaine Welteroth: just as a pregnant woman, but as like a woman 783 00:43:41,440 --> 00:43:44,600 Elaine Welteroth: in this world. It truly acquainted me with my power 784 00:43:45,080 --> 00:43:47,759 Elaine Welteroth: in a way nothing else has, you know, Having this 785 00:43:47,880 --> 00:43:52,080 Elaine Welteroth: home birth with these midwives truly, truly, truly was life changing. 786 00:43:52,239 --> 00:43:55,239 Elaine Welteroth: And so I felt convicted and compelled to make sure 787 00:43:55,280 --> 00:43:59,239 Elaine Welteroth: that any families who felt that their lives were on 788 00:43:59,320 --> 00:44:02,960 Elaine Welteroth: the line, who needed support and did not know where 789 00:44:02,960 --> 00:44:05,920 Elaine Welteroth: to turn, or who did not have the financial resources 790 00:44:05,960 --> 00:44:08,520 Elaine Welteroth: to access mid with free care, that money could not 791 00:44:08,600 --> 00:44:10,240 Elaine Welteroth: be the thing standing in the way of them getting 792 00:44:10,239 --> 00:44:13,440 Elaine Welteroth: this kind of care that is so revolutionary, that is 793 00:44:13,480 --> 00:44:17,440 Elaine Welteroth: so sacred, that is so life saving in many cases. 794 00:44:18,120 --> 00:44:20,840 Elaine Welteroth: And so that's kind of that's the why and how 795 00:44:21,480 --> 00:44:24,360 Elaine Welteroth: that I got to starting Birth Fund. And we're now 796 00:44:24,400 --> 00:44:27,359 Elaine Welteroth: a year old, which is crazy in a way because 797 00:44:27,360 --> 00:44:29,440 Elaine Welteroth: it feels like I've been doing this forever. In one 798 00:44:29,480 --> 00:44:31,520 Elaine Welteroth: breath and then another breath, it's like I feel like 799 00:44:31,560 --> 00:44:34,120 Elaine Welteroth: I was just pregnant two seconds ago and going through 800 00:44:34,239 --> 00:44:38,279 Elaine Welteroth: the really dizzying maze of trying to find good care 801 00:44:38,640 --> 00:44:42,320 Elaine Welteroth: like so many people are. But we've accomplished so much, 802 00:44:42,560 --> 00:44:45,200 Elaine Welteroth: and yet there's so much more to do, and it 803 00:44:45,360 --> 00:44:48,680 Elaine Welteroth: just feels like again one of those things that fulfills 804 00:44:48,719 --> 00:44:52,440 Elaine Welteroth: the life the life's work category. Like if I look 805 00:44:52,480 --> 00:44:55,439 Elaine Welteroth: at my portfolio, of all the things that I do 806 00:44:55,719 --> 00:44:58,960 Elaine Welteroth: for a living, birth Fund takes up probably the most 807 00:44:59,120 --> 00:45:02,480 Elaine Welteroth: time for me right now, makes the least I literally 808 00:45:02,480 --> 00:45:06,080 Elaine Welteroth: do not pay myself, but it fulfills the biggest part 809 00:45:06,160 --> 00:45:07,480 Elaine Welteroth: of my soul's purpose. 810 00:45:08,440 --> 00:45:11,080 Emily Tisch Sussman: What is something that it could be something we've discussed already, 811 00:45:11,160 --> 00:45:13,680 Emily Tisch Sussman: or could be something totally different. What is something that 812 00:45:13,719 --> 00:45:15,800 Emily Tisch Sussman: at the time you saw it's a real low point, 813 00:45:16,760 --> 00:45:19,640 Emily Tisch Sussman: and now you see it as having really launched you 814 00:45:19,960 --> 00:45:23,520 Emily Tisch Sussman: into the success you are today. I would say the 815 00:45:23,719 --> 00:45:29,320 Emily Tisch Sussman: low point that launched me was feeling extremely lost in college, 816 00:45:29,400 --> 00:45:32,200 Emily Tisch Sussman: right before I was getting ready to graduate and like 817 00:45:32,480 --> 00:45:35,520 Emily Tisch Sussman: launch myself into the world. I felt like that was 818 00:45:35,520 --> 00:45:39,080 Emily Tisch Sussman: the rubber meets the road moment, where like You've had 819 00:45:39,120 --> 00:45:42,080 Emily Tisch Sussman: all this time to kind of supposedly figure out what 820 00:45:42,120 --> 00:45:43,719 Emily Tisch Sussman: you want to do and who you're going to be, 821 00:45:44,160 --> 00:45:45,759 Emily Tisch Sussman: and then all of a sudden, it's like this is 822 00:45:46,040 --> 00:45:48,960 Emily Tisch Sussman: a very real deadline, Like no, but for real, now, 823 00:45:49,000 --> 00:45:49,640 Emily Tisch Sussman: who are you going to be? 824 00:45:49,680 --> 00:45:51,600 Elaine Welteroth: What are you going to do? That was the most 825 00:45:51,640 --> 00:45:56,040 Elaine Welteroth: daunting crossroads of my life, but I am just so 826 00:45:56,280 --> 00:46:01,560 Elaine Welteroth: grateful for it because it forced me to like really 827 00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:05,040 Elaine Welteroth: dig in and figure out what is the thing that 828 00:46:05,160 --> 00:46:07,920 Elaine Welteroth: lights me up for real and how can I build 829 00:46:07,920 --> 00:46:10,759 Elaine Welteroth: a life around that? Because I do not want to 830 00:46:10,800 --> 00:46:13,920 Elaine Welteroth: look up ten years down the line, twenty years online 831 00:46:13,960 --> 00:46:17,280 Elaine Welteroth: and realize that I've created a career where I spend 832 00:46:17,280 --> 00:46:20,960 Elaine Welteroth: most of my time and it's not making me happy, 833 00:46:21,480 --> 00:46:23,759 Elaine Welteroth: or I feel like this isn't the thing that is 834 00:46:24,360 --> 00:46:27,120 Elaine Welteroth: the highest expression of like who I am and what 835 00:46:27,160 --> 00:46:29,640 Elaine Welteroth: I was put here to do. I really knew I 836 00:46:29,680 --> 00:46:31,759 Elaine Welteroth: wanted to do something that made me feel a sense 837 00:46:31,760 --> 00:46:34,760 Elaine Welteroth: of purpose or that felt connected to a sense of purpose. 838 00:46:35,480 --> 00:46:38,359 Elaine Welteroth: But figuring that out when you're like twenty years old 839 00:46:39,200 --> 00:46:43,840 Elaine Welteroth: is incredibly daunting and it's not something that you figure 840 00:46:43,880 --> 00:46:46,200 Elaine Welteroth: out overnight. But at least the idea that I was 841 00:46:46,239 --> 00:46:50,000 Elaine Welteroth: wrestling with that from an early age forced me to, 842 00:46:50,160 --> 00:46:52,920 Elaine Welteroth: like I don't know, to prune a little bit and 843 00:46:53,000 --> 00:46:55,080 Elaine Welteroth: like to be like, Okay, no, I'm not going to 844 00:46:55,160 --> 00:46:57,880 Elaine Welteroth: do the like auto insurance job or no, I'm not 845 00:46:57,920 --> 00:47:01,040 Elaine Welteroth: going to take like that EA position, that like financial 846 00:47:01,080 --> 00:47:03,520 Elaine Welteroth: firm in San Francisco, because that's not the path I 847 00:47:03,600 --> 00:47:05,799 Elaine Welteroth: want to be on. Like I know how I want 848 00:47:05,800 --> 00:47:09,719 Elaine Welteroth: to feel, and I want that feeling of purpose and 849 00:47:10,600 --> 00:47:13,600 Elaine Welteroth: and like that just like that light, that light that 850 00:47:13,680 --> 00:47:15,640 Elaine Welteroth: you feel, that like expansion that you feel when you're 851 00:47:15,680 --> 00:47:18,440 Elaine Welteroth: doing something you really really that you really love, Like 852 00:47:18,520 --> 00:47:20,719 Elaine Welteroth: I want that feeling. So I kind of made that 853 00:47:20,800 --> 00:47:23,239 Elaine Welteroth: decision from that dark place of being like I have 854 00:47:23,320 --> 00:47:26,080 Elaine Welteroth: no fucking idea what I'm going to do with my life. 855 00:47:26,239 --> 00:47:30,360 Elaine Welteroth: I have way too many interests, way too few options, 856 00:47:30,760 --> 00:47:32,680 Elaine Welteroth: Like what do I. Do with this? 857 00:47:33,040 --> 00:47:35,040 Elaine Welteroth: And I really I don't know. I think that the 858 00:47:35,239 --> 00:47:38,960 Elaine Welteroth: chasing that feeling has navigated has helped me navigate like 859 00:47:39,040 --> 00:47:42,160 Elaine Welteroth: every single honestly career move I've made since. 860 00:47:43,040 --> 00:47:44,759 Emily Tisch Sussman: I think I know the answer to this, But do 861 00:47:44,800 --> 00:47:47,440 Emily Tisch Sussman: you think you'll pivot again? I don't know if I 862 00:47:47,520 --> 00:47:50,440 Emily Tisch Sussman: see life as pivots anymore. I think that my big 863 00:47:50,520 --> 00:47:54,400 Emily Tisch Sussman: pivot is behind me in terms of taking the first 864 00:47:54,440 --> 00:47:59,400 Emily Tisch Sussman: really big bet on myself leaving the structure of a 865 00:47:59,520 --> 00:48:03,200 Emily Tisch Sussman: job where one company is paying me, you know, like 866 00:48:03,880 --> 00:48:07,840 Emily Tisch Sussman: that one salary job. I think leaving that behind was 867 00:48:07,880 --> 00:48:11,520 Emily Tisch Sussman: the biggest pivot professionally that I've made, and then everything 868 00:48:11,719 --> 00:48:13,320 Emily Tisch Sussman: from there on is like an adventure. 869 00:48:13,400 --> 00:48:16,880 Elaine Welteroth: Baby. We just out here on an adventure, and I'm 870 00:48:16,920 --> 00:48:21,239 Elaine Welteroth: going to continue expanding. I'm going to continue letting like 871 00:48:21,600 --> 00:48:26,360 Elaine Welteroth: curiosity guide me because it's really it hasn't led me astray, 872 00:48:26,560 --> 00:48:30,120 Elaine Welteroth: you know, And I feel like divine timing has always 873 00:48:30,160 --> 00:48:34,160 Elaine Welteroth: surprised me when I've allowed my curiosity to lead me. 874 00:48:34,239 --> 00:48:37,160 Elaine Welteroth: So I'm always going to continue to grow. I'm never 875 00:48:37,160 --> 00:48:39,880 Elaine Welteroth: going to put myself in a box. I will always 876 00:48:39,920 --> 00:48:42,239 Elaine Welteroth: probably do all the things that I do now, you know, 877 00:48:42,360 --> 00:48:45,440 Elaine Welteroth: from television to writing books, which I'm on deadline on 878 00:48:45,520 --> 00:48:48,399 Elaine Welteroth: right now, and I'm extremely stressed out about and oh 879 00:48:48,440 --> 00:48:51,440 Elaine Welteroth: my god, it's not moving fast enough. But and then 880 00:48:51,560 --> 00:48:53,719 Elaine Welteroth: birth Fund is my baby. It's like it's kind of like, 881 00:48:53,800 --> 00:48:59,360 Elaine Welteroth: will you have more babies? Yes? Will I always be me? Yeah? 882 00:49:00,080 --> 00:49:01,200 Elaine Welteroth: Will I continue growing? Yes. 883 00:49:01,920 --> 00:49:04,359 Emily Tisch Sussman: I love that answer. Thank you so much, Elaine, It's 884 00:49:04,360 --> 00:49:06,239 Emily Tisch Sussman: been absolutely incredible having me on. 885 00:49:06,440 --> 00:49:08,880 Elaine Welteroth: Oh thank you. I feel like I met my fellow alien. 886 00:49:09,400 --> 00:49:12,040 Elaine Welteroth: I know, like I feel like we're like we're like 887 00:49:12,080 --> 00:49:15,640 Elaine Welteroth: from the same planet, Emily, the planet of Pivoters were 888 00:49:15,680 --> 00:49:17,520 Elaine Welteroth: from the same place. 889 00:49:20,680 --> 00:49:23,239 Emily Tisch Sussman: Elaine lives on the West Coast with her husband and 890 00:49:23,320 --> 00:49:27,120 Emily Tisch Sussman: two beautiful children. She is continuing to build birth Fund 891 00:49:27,280 --> 00:49:29,640 Emily Tisch Sussman: so it is accessible to any mother or family who 892 00:49:29,640 --> 00:49:32,240 Emily Tisch Sussman: wants it. You can find out more and get involved 893 00:49:32,280 --> 00:49:35,120 Emily Tisch Sussman: at the birthfund dot com and be sure to follow 894 00:49:35,120 --> 00:49:38,000 Emily Tisch Sussman: Elane on Instagram at Elaine welder Off for all her 895 00:49:38,080 --> 00:49:41,719 Emily Tisch Sussman: latest and very cool updates. Talk to you next week. 896 00:49:43,440 --> 00:49:47,000 Emily Tisch Sussman: Thanks for listening to this episode of She Pivots. I 897 00:49:47,040 --> 00:49:49,440 Emily Tisch Sussman: hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, leave us 898 00:49:49,480 --> 00:49:52,560 Emily Tisch Sussman: a rating and tell your friends about us. To learn 899 00:49:52,560 --> 00:49:55,880 Emily Tisch Sussman: more about our guests, follow us on Instagram at she 900 00:49:56,040 --> 00:49:59,359 Emily Tisch Sussman: Pivots the podcast, or sign up for our newsletter, where 901 00:49:59,360 --> 00:50:02,520 Emily Tisch Sussman: you can get exclusive behind the scenes content on our 902 00:50:02,560 --> 00:50:09,480 Emily Tisch Sussman: website at she pivots thepodcast dot com special thanks to 903 00:50:09,520 --> 00:50:14,120 Emily Tisch Sussman: the she pivots team. Executive producer Emily eda Velosik, Associate 904 00:50:14,120 --> 00:50:19,160 Emily Tisch Sussman: producer and social media connoisseur Hannah Cousins, Research director Christine Dickinson, 905 00:50:19,520 --> 00:50:23,600 Emily Tisch Sussman: Events and Logistics coordinator Madeline Snovak, and audio editor and 906 00:50:23,640 --> 00:50:27,480 Emily Tisch Sussman: mixer Nina pollock I endorse she pivots