"I’ve noticed that people who will make fun of lovers are people who don’t have the ability to love at the full capacity, and they’re jealous of that," Taylor tells Marie Claire editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike for our Changemakers issue cover story (which also happens to be a "Nice Talk" podcast recording).

"You know the quote 'Good girls finish last?' No, good girls finish on their own divine time. Like, I’m going to take my time. And I’m gonna properly love and I’m gonna be a lover girl and I’m gonna be a simp, whatever comes with that. I love to love."

For the singer, dancer and actress, the capacity to love is the ultimate show of strength. "People that don’t have emotional intelligence make fun of lovers," she observes. "I am a soldier of love. I am a love warrior. I am a lover girl and I love everything about it and I’m okay with that. One thing nobody could ever take away from me is the love that I give. Never ever be ashamed of being a lover girl. I think lovers are the most emotionally intelligent."

Taylor's new album has love at its core. "That’s why I’m excited about Escape Room—because I feel like even though there are the ones who make fun of it, everybody is low-key lovers," she says. "It’s just not the cool thing to do because we’re in a prideful and very egocentric time of music right now. But what I want is to create a safe space for women to be able to love again and to create that safe space for men to be gentle and to be lovers because they want to feel protected too. This album opens up that dialogue."

The artist couldn't be prouder of this album. In a recent interview with InStyle, she gushed, "Oh my God, the album is so good." It's her offering to the world, she says. It "takes you through every single stage of vulnerability, from heartbreak to repair, from heartbreak to healing… I think it's so universal that you can literally customize it to fit you."

As she tells Marie Claire on the Nice Talk podcast with Nikki Ogunnaike—an interview also featured on the cover of Marie Claire's Changemakers issue—these two principles memorably met in the form of life advice from Beyoncé.

Beyoncé is "the one who would help me understand, you’re going to have to invest in yourself to get what you want," Taylor tells Ogunnaike. "I remember just being in a space where I was trying to figure it out, and she was just encouraging me to keep going."

The multi-hyphenate continues, "Never be afraid to invest in yourself. You’re never going to fully get what you want unless you go and do it yourself. That always stuck with me."

Beyoncé has been there for Taylor in a big way throughout her career: she trusted the then-up-and-comer to choreograph on "Ring the Alarm" when Taylor was just 15 years old, as reported by People. (She's now 34.)

"No matter where I’ve ever been, whatever challenges I was going through, wherever I’ve been in my career, feeling stagnant or feeling unseen or unheard, to just hear Beyoncé tell me how proud of me she is, no matter where I am in my life and my career, really inspires me to keep going and just keep following my heart and following my gut," Taylor says.

"See, it may be a little bit different now, because the young'uns coming up are stuck in their own ways," she observes. "Our generation was really willing to be students. I looked at the Beyoncés, the Kanyes, the Pharrells, and I just wanted to soak up knowledge. I was always ready to learn. Even to this day, I’m always willing to be a student, no matter how much I pour into others. I may be a teacher to others, but I’m always still a student. No one is ever above learning."

And this fall, the proud multi-hyphenate continues to impress all generations as she firmly enters her acting era, coming off her role as Detective Kay Raymond (a cop with a walk and a bob that took TikTok by storm) in Straw and garnering attention for her turn in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another.

Her willingness to take a risk, to try something new, yet remain a humble student of the entertainment industry is why I was so honored to interview Taylor, 34, for Marie Claire’s “Nice Talk” podcast. It was an interview that managed to do the impossible: reveal yet another side of the intrepid creative and entertainer. Which is why I decided to share an edited and condensed version here.

The conversation includes details on Taylor’s forthcoming projects, the people who have influenced her career, and how the podcast’s key topics—money, power, and style—intersect in her life. Over the course of an hour, she describes herself as a “Glade PlugIn” (“Why make one room smell good when you can make the whole building smell good?”), a “lover girl” (“I am a soldier of love. I am a love warrior”), and a champion of creators (“That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do—protect creatives and pour into them”).

A month after our interview, Taylor posted an unexpected Instagram story, revealing that she’d been quietly dealing with vocal challenges and would need immediate surgery to remove a noncancerous growth on one of her vocal cords. I felt crushed for the singer, knowing just how excited she was to share her album with fans and the greater public. “It’s not lost on me, just as I was getting ready to finally share this with you, life handed me my own unexpected ‘Escape Room’—one I didn’t ask for but now I have to find my way out of with patience, rest, and faith,” she wrote in the post.

I’m further reminded of what Taylor told me during our time together, perhaps foreshadowing what was to come: “Everything’s a gamble. You won’t know until you take that risk. I always say, the wait is not punishment, it’s preparation for what was already written.”

Before we started recording, you were telling me that Beyoncé really taught you about the power of investing yourself.

Yes, everybody knows I don’t play about B. She’s the one who would help me understand, you’re going to have to invest in yourself to get what you want. I remember just being in a space where I was trying to figure it out, and she was just encouraging me to keep going. Never be afraid to invest in yourself. You’re never going to fully get what you want unless you go and do it yourself. That always stuck with me. I wanted everything with a bubblegum-and-shoestring budget, and I would walk away with less money because I was paying more people, but I was okay with that. It hurts in the moment because it’s like, “Oh my God, I could be making so much more money.” But then to go and talk to B, and she reassures me that’s normal; that just means you’re a true creative.

No matter where I’ve ever been, whatever challenges I was going through, wherever I’ve been in my career, feeling stagnant or feeling unseen or unheard, to just hear Beyoncé tell me how proud of me she is, no matter where I am in my life and my career, really inspires me to keep going and just keep following my heart and following my gut.

I want to kick things off by talking to you about being a changemaker. What does that mean to you?

It’s never your intention to say, “I’m going to do this, that, and the third to change the world.” You’re just being you. So I think that that’s what a changemaker is: a person being themselves and really standing up for their views and what they believe in. My goal is to help people. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do: protect creatives and pour into them. And the fact that that plays a part in changing the game, I’m so grateful for that, because like I said, my goal wasn’t to come and try and change anything or anybody. My goal was to come in and show up for people in any way that I can.

I think that a key part of being a changemaker is being willing to take a risk. Are you a risk taker by nature?

Now, that’s one thing you always know I’ve been. That is what I stand on. I think that’s why everybody’s so happy that I’m back. [Retirement] was never any hard feelings, you’ve just gotta move the way you gotta move for your happiness and your mental health. And that was a risk that I was willing to take. I consider myself a Glade PlugIn. You can plug me in anywhere, baby, I’m gonna make the room smell good. But you ain’t about to have me locked in the bathroom, plugged in by the mirror. I’m going to take up every square foot of this building. Why only make one room smell good when you can make the whole building smell good? Don’t lock me in a room. Don’t lock me in a box. I need keys to multiple doors. And I can pick and choose which one I want to unlock in my own divine time.

That’s a risk, saying, “You know what? I’m going to take a break on this right now because this is not serving me. And I’m going to go over here and I’m going to be an actress, and people are going to take me serious one day as an actress, and people will take me serious as a director and a creative director.” It was scary. But everything’s a gamble. You won’t know until you take that risk. You won’t know until you drop that dead weight. I always say, the wait is not punishment, it’s preparation for what was already written.

When you say weight, do you mean W-A-I-T? Or W-E-I-G-H-T?

I mean both. For me, it’s like a double entendre. Because look at us and how far we’ve come. I’m sure from 2014 until now, it’s been a wait. Like, okay, when’s it gonna happen? When’s it gonna be my turn? When’s it gonna be my time?

And then that weight that you’re carrying, that dead weight that you’re carrying, the emotions that you’re carrying, the heart on your sleeves that you’re carrying, it’s heavy. When that’s lifted, you can make moves. You don’t have these heavy weights on you. You also don’t have these long waits.

You went on hiatus in 2020, but you’re back with Escape Room. Why now?

I love that you asked this right after us talking about the weight and the wait. I think that’s what the album shows—from heavy to light, from broken to repair, from heartbreak to healing. It’s an ombré album. The album is showing you how to get to the next space. It’s showing you the in-betweens. A lot of times with records, you hear a person being in a really hurt or dark space, And it’s just like, Damn, what happened? How’d you get there? How did you get out of it? Or you hear people that make completely just lightweighted, pure love music. And it’s like, “Well girl, let us in, sis.” This album takes you from where it started, but there’s also the in-between.

There can be a bit of messiness in the ombré too.

Exactly. I want to walk you through every single step that it takes to get to a better place, every single step it takes to get to the color that you want to get to. Every single step it takes from wet to dry. With this album, it’s like every step of vulnerability.

Where did the name for the album come from?

It’s getting from one place to another. It’s all still a process, escaping anything that doesn’t serve you.

People may automatically just assume this is about a relationship. No, baby. Whether it’s friendships, relationships, business, I’ve had my ups and downs with music. I’ve been married to music. This has been a crazy, wicked game for me. So it’s like escaping the things that just do not serve me—even if that includes myself!

Because we sometimes fall into these dark places ,and you’ve got to hold yourself accountable and say, “Girl, get up. Get out of this space. Get out of this room. Get out of this box.” You know, like I said, I’m a Glade PlugIn. When I retired, it was just me leaving one room and going into another. It’s time to plug in as a creative director. It’s time to plug in as a director. It’s time to plug in as an actress.

It was announced that you’re joining the upcoming Netflix Kevin Hart film, 72 Hours, and this fall you’ve got All’s Fair, created by Ryan Murphy, and Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. What has this acting journey been like for you?

That’s one thing that I can say I’m really proud of. When I was taking that risk and nobody else believed that I would make these things happen if I took that risk, that’s one thing that I get to sit here today and say, “I’m proud of that.” And did, and did, and did, and did. I said I would do it and not everybody believed that.

A Thousand and One was the first script that I got across my desk, literally a month after I retired. Dealing with postpartum and dealing with the other things that I was dealing with, I had a plan and I had a point to prove. And I noticed, every single time I trust God and I continue to be a prayer warrior and I continue to lift whatever weight is holding me down, He shows His favor. I feel like timing is everything too. What if I was still pregnant with Rue and decided to retire? Being a mom of one, I wasn’t playing. Now being a mom of two, I’m really not playing. I’ve got these two beautiful, pure, loving souls that love me for me that I’ve got to live for. So there were no games. Motherhood was the wake-up.

What have you learned, working with the people you’ve been on set with?

It’s always a joy and a pleasure to work with Regina [Hall]. She’s helped me through a lot, and I appreciate and love her so much. I also want to just give a shout out to Sherry [Shepherd] and Taraji [P. Henson] as well, working with them on Straw. Those are my girls. It’s the sisterhood of it all—how every woman that I’ve worked with has just been there with open arms. That quiet; we’re just speaking with the hug. And the pull back from that hug, and they give you that look. It’s “You’re good. You’re good. And we got you.”

I’m curious—who’s influenced the way you move in your life, in terms of being a changemaker?

My mom, for sure. That’s where it starts. I have been and am very blessed to have so many incredible women in my life that are super hands-on. To have my mom and my incredible aunt and my nana. I am so lucky. These women have kept me levelheaded. My mom being my manager, we really came up in this industry together, conquering this wicked business. She has kept me in shape in every single way. She’s just so amazing, and she’s such a great leader.

That’s so true. You have been in this industry since you were 15 and shot to fame working with Beyoncé on Ring the Alarm, and obviously, everyone knows about My Super Sweet 16.

I want to make sure that I give flowers to all the people who have been a part of my journey. My mom and the women in my life, that’s my roots. That’s my tribe. That’s my everything. Outside of that, having an opportunity to work with Beyoncé and getting signed to Pharrell and getting signed to Kanye, these guys shaped a lot of my creativity. I’m lucky. I come from prayer warriors, and then to get to be in the hands of the most creative people in the world. I’ve had it good.

How has your perspective on what it means to be in the public eye changed over the years?

One thing about me is, I’ve always been very, very, shy and private. People may think, Oh, well, you had a TV show, but that just means you’re going to see what you’re going to see, but it doesn’t take away the private person that I am. I show you what I choose to show you. I take my private life very seriously. My whole life being on Front Street, that’s what comes with the territory. That’s what comes with being in this business, and the most we can do is navigate our privacy as best as we can. I’m fine for you to be in whatever part of the business that I choose to share, but I don’t want you in my business.

I saw an interview where you called yourself a lover girl. Tell me about how you find power in being a lover girl. Some people may say that being a romantic means that you’re weak.

Or call you a simp. But no, that’s not that. And those are people—that’s their guilt, their own issue. That’s a them problem. I’ve noticed that people who will make fun of lovers are people who don’t have the ability to love at the full capacity, and they’re jealous of that. You know the quote “Good girls finish last”? No, good girls finish on their own divine time. Like, I’m going to take my time. And I’m gonna properly love and I’m gonna be a lover girl and I’m gonna be a simp, whatever comes with that. I love to love. People that don’t have emotional intelligence make fun of lovers. I am a soldier of love. I am a love warrior. I am a lover girl and I love everything about it and I’m okay with that. One thing nobody could ever take away from me is the love that I give. Never ever be ashamed of being a lover girl. I think lovers are the most emotionally intelligent.

I think that that will help people reframe a lot of their thoughts on either being a lover or a hater.

That’s why I’m excited about Escape Room—because I feel like even though there are the ones who make fun of it, everybody is low-key lovers. It’s just not the cool thing to do because we’re in a prideful and very egocentric time of music right now. But what I want is to create a safe space for women to be able to love again and to create that safe space for men to be gentle and to be lovers because they want to feel protected too. This album opens up that dialogue.

You’ve done so much in your career. Is there one space where you feel the most powerful?

I feel most in my power when I’m empowering and uplifting others, so being a creative director, showing up for people, pouring into people, pouring into creators, letting them know more is more—and that your ambition will never be too much. Your ambition will never be impossible to execute. I feel the most powerful pouring into others.

What was your relationship to mentorship back when you were just coming up and how has that impacted the way that you’ve mentored others?

See, it may be a little bit different now, because the young’uns coming up are stuck in their own ways. Our generation was really willing to be students. I looked at the Beyoncés, the Kanyes, the Pharrells, and I just wanted to soak up knowledge. I was always ready to learn. Even to this day, I’m always willing to be a student, no matter how much I pour into others. I may be a teacher to others, but I’m always still a student. No one is ever above learning. That was another thing that I took with me from working with Beyoncé and being able to walk into that room and teach her the Chicken Noodle Soup dance when I was just a 15-year-old girl from Harlem. She’s in it. She’s not laughing. She’s like, “Okay, cool. Now show me how I do this.” She’s not like, “Why does a little girl keep doing all these moves?” Even with Kanye and Pharrell, even though I was signed to them, they also valued my opinions.

What’s the best piece of advice that anyone has ever given you about your career or longevity in the entertainment space?

Don’t take none of this shit personally—from my mom, who was very, very clear. I got it a few more times also throughout the business, but at a young age of 15, you’re trying to figure it out and you pour so much into people and when it’s not reciprocated, your feelings are hurt. But it’s like, pick your head up, adjust your crown. Don’t take none of this shit personally. Business is business.

You recently dropped that you’re making another change and going to culinary school!

I’m so excited. Like, literally as soon as we get off this interview, I’m going straight to class. I’m putting on my coat, my uniform, and I’m getting to it. It’s always been a passion of mine. I’ve always loved to cook. It’s been very therapeutic for me. And again, I’m just showing up for myself. You know, I don’t have the time to do it, but I have the time to show up for me. That’s what I want to show people. Even if you don’t have the time, find time to show up for you. It’s “work” in the best way because it’s something that you’re doing for you. It’s a passion that you’re turning into purpose.

To see the comments on Instagram when you posted it. Ayo Edeberi of The Bear said, “Yes, chef!”

Yes! My God, I was so excited about that. I love my girl Ayo. Seeing that comment was really, really, really dope. And to see how many people it inspired—you know, like, I love to show the world that.

Let’s talk about fashion because I know that you are a lover of style. Your Met Gala look was so major. What was it like to work with Ruthie Carter on that look?

Honestly, I am very humble and I’m very modest when it comes to speaking about myself. But like, when you get to work with the Ruth E. Carter, if you thought for one second, I thought that outfit was going to be anything less than amazing. Like, baby, if I wasn’t invited to the Met, I was sneaking on that carpet and I was getting Best Dressed. When you’re working with the Ruth E. Carter, to understand the amount of love and detail that went into that, you already should have known that Ruth was going to come through. Every bit of praise that we’ve received is exactly how it was supposed to be. And now I say that with all cockiness.

And you’re going to have so many red carpet moments coming up. Your fall is stacked.

My God, my fall is amazing. I’m working with some designers, but also I’m working on original pieces that I’m going to design. Let’s just see where that takes me, because maybe that can be the start of my own actual line.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Photographer: Micaiah Carter | Stylist: Sam Woolf | Hairstylist: Brooke Crittendon | Makeup Artist: Yeika Oliva | Manicurist: Sarah Chue

On the latest episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk", Christeson shares the piece of sexist feedback she still keeps in her “inspire folder.”

“In 2015, I was out raising money—not a lot, but just enough to get Argent off the ground, because there’s a high barrier for entry in apparel. It’s costly,” Christeson tells editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike. “Our deck got in front of a man who’s a partner at a really reputable VC, and his feedback—and I have it saved in my inspire folder—was, ‘We’ve seen a lot of pitches for women’s workwear brands and utility does not belong in women’s clothing.’”

She continues: “This is a 50-ish-year-old straight white man. That’s the demographic that’s been leading this industry … They’re making decisions without having the lived experience.”

Christeson knew firsthand that women were “frustrated” by the options available. She had been working in a corporate job at Cisco Systems before launching Argent, and the evidence was everywhere.

“‘Utility doesn’t belong in women’s clothing?’ What’s, like, the most meme-d thing across the internet? It’s pockets. So I already knew there was an opportunity. But I love stuff like this. I love people who don’t believe in me.”

Today, Argent is worn by many high-profile women, including Hillary Clinton, Meghan Markle, and Kamala Harris. Christeson calls seeing celebrities in her designs “pretty surreal,” adding that it “legitimizes and gives credibility to our business, because we are still small.”

But it isn’t the big names that drive her. “I consider our woman to be time-constrained, a pioneer, and most often not a household name,” she explains. “The woman I get most excited about is behind the scenes—a chemist in a lab, someone creating a cure for morning sickness. I get really excited about that doctor who’s working on that. These are the women who are truly incredible and remarkable, leaving their mark on the world.”

For more from Christeson—including the study linking women’s appearance and income that inspired her to start Argent, and her take on the term girlboss—check out this week's installment of "Nice Talk". The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

DeVard has hosted the podcast since 2016, launching it while working full-time in marketing at Viacom. At first, she handled every aspect herself.

"I'm uploading everything. I'm editing everything. I'm doing the cover art. I'm doing it all," DeVard explains on the latest episode of "Nice Talk" with Marie Claire editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike.

At that stage, balance was impossible. All of her free time went into the podcast.

"Sometimes—when you're building something, especially—there's a lot of sacrifice," she says. "I feel like 'sacrifice' is the word that comes to mind for me more than 'balance'. There are so many things I missed out on as I was building 'Naked Beauty' while having a full time job ... parties, birthdays, but I'm like, I have to get this episode out on Monday, and I'm editing it myself."

The trade-offs paid off. Today, she still hosts Naked Beauty, but with the support of a team.

"There was a lot of sacrifice, but what that sacrifice has done is it's allowed me, now, nine years later, to be in a position to have a team and to have that support," she explains. "So I think balance is a little bit of a myth, because I think when you are ambitious and you're building things, I think it's really hard to have balance. You're not going to be able to get to the gym every day, eat a balanced meal, catch up with all your girlfriends, make sure you're on top of all of your emails and texts, and have a great relationship with your partner. You just can't do all of that."

After Viacom, DeVard spent several years at Instagram before eventually making the podcast and content creation her full-time career. Most recently, she took on another major role: in June, she became chief content officer at Refinery29. ("Naked Beauty" is now part of the media company, too.) She's also a mother of two children.

And while she calls balance a myth, DeVard did recently find a way to reset her focus—by taking a social media break earlier this year.

"I loved this period in my life. I talk about it like it was this, like, year sabbatical I took in Italy, and it was two months of my life. But I reflect on it so fondly. This December and January, I had offline ... I highly recommend it to everyone."

She took the break while on maternity leave, deleting apps from her phone to break the “muscle memory” of checking them.

"The first week was really hard. I felt like I missed it. I kept kind of opening my phone and going to check something, but very quickly I realized I'm not really missing anything, and I actually don't really care."

Her biggest takeaway: "We get very comfortable getting things pushed to us through an algorithm. And I think there's an exercise a little bit in this of remembering your taste, remembering, like, what is the media you seek out, independent of it being fed to you?"

For more from DeVard—including her thoughts on plastic surgery and the beauty trends she's loving right now—check out this week's installment of "Nice Talk"" The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

"I wanted my hair to look a certain way, so then I wore extensions forever. And I was so insecure when I would wear extensions, because as someone who's, like, very obsessed about their hair, I was always nervous you could see [them]," Webb tells editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike on the latest episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk".

"I never went anywhere without a handheld mirror. Every time I went to a bathroom, I would look at the back of my hair, make sure nothing was fucking showing," Webb continues. "I felt this pressure that I had to have this long, beautiful, perfect hair, and my hair wasn't. It was broken and damaged."

Webb says she felt "so blessed" to be featured in magazines, do photoshoots, and appear on Shark Tank—but admits she was wearing extensions during "all these very big moments in my life."

"I can't tell you how many times they were like, 'Will she put extensions in?' Because it was just, like, I was supposed to have this perfect, beautiful hair." But rather than boosting her confidence, the extensions made her feel "terrible."

"I felt almost, like, not enough. It's funny, I've never actually talked about this, but I remember that made me feel very insecure."

Webb says the pressure to project perfection went far beyond her hair.

"I really felt like I had to be perfect, and I had to have the perfect hair, and—I was married to my co-founder—this perfect marriage, and these perfect kids ... And it just was a little hollow, you know, and a little unrealistic, and I kind of kept up that facade."

Still, she adds, "I loved what we were doing, and I loved the fact that we were giving women confidence. And at that time, 15 years ago, it felt like the world needed it, and it was the right thing at the right time."

These days, Webb says the “pendulum has swung” in the opposite direction. Her new brand of haircare products, called Messy, is all about embracing ease—using low heat or letting hair air dry. Even the products’ names are affirmations: the styling cream, for instance, is called is called "I Am Enough." (And now, Webb says she feels “giddy” about her hair.)

"I was 35 when I started Drybar, and our tagline was 'crafted for the perfect blowout.' But, you know, as my own personal evolution and journey, I'm like, I just don't subscribe to that anymore," the now 50-year-old shares. "It's like, yeah, I did start Drybar, and it was a huge success, and I'm so incredibly proud of it, and I always will be. And now I'm just in a different place. You can be, too. We don't have to be who we were yesterday."

For more from Webb—including how she started Drybar, the best career advice she's received, and how the pandemic inspired Messy—check out this week's installment of "Nice Talk". The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

She’s done worrying about that.

On the latest episode of the Marie Claire podcast “Nice Talk”, Koshy opens up to editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike about her acting career and the imposter syndrome she battled when transitioning from social media sensation to film and TV star.

“I can't depend on somebody else's perception to be my definition of myself,” Koshy says. “And at one point, I allowed that perception to be my definition, and that perception was ‘just an influencer.’”

Now 29, Koshy feels “the world is catching up” to the fact that she’s an actor, not a YouTuber—a platform she stopped posting to four years ago, leaving 16.7 million followers to process her pivot. While audiences have been getting to know her in a new light, she’s had to adjust her own view of herself, too.

“Although I've been acting since 2015, since Tyler Perry gave me my first role in Boo! A Madea Halloween. Although I've been acting consistently since, and I've had movies like Family Affair and Work It—which was my utmost pride and joy with Sabrina Carpenter in a dance movie, like, that was summer camp for me—in my soul, there is a neutral feeling in my gut when I say ‘I'm an actor.’ And I feel so proud to be able to own that now fully.”

That confidence came slowly, and not without some stinging moments.

“I totally had imposter syndrome in the very beginning, and that was due to some actors being like, ‘You're only here for marketing reasons,’” Koshy says. “I had, unfortunately, someone that I was in a deep relationship with tell me that ‘you're only getting hired because you're ethnically ambiguous. You're getting hired because you're a brown woman and Cardi B is working, so you kind of look like her, and you're gonna work, too’ … It just hurt, and it makes you feel like, oh, my value’s only in what I look like.”

Koshy says she no longer gives comments like that “power.” Time, experience, and relentless auditioning helped her build self-assurance.

“I think auditioning, hearing ‘no, no, no, no, no, no’ and just hearing instead, ‘go, go, go, go, keep going, girl’ …. and you just keep going,” she explains. “You do the jobs that excite you, and then you meet people that are excited by you. And then you continue to foster a creative community that taps into each other.”

For more from Koshy—including how she started her content creation career as a teen, why she decided to quit YouTube, and why she has an email account for a fake assistant—check out this week's installment of "Nice Talk". The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

It’s hard to pin her down—Brie likes to mix it up. Genre-wise, she’s done a little of everything, and she’s also stepped behind the camera as a writer and producer on projects like Horse Girl and Somebody I Used to Know. (She starred in both, too. And for the record, that adds two more genres to her résumé: psychological thriller and rom-com.)

Now, she's trying something scarier with Together. As she explains on the latest episode of "Nice Talk", horror is a space she’d love to stay in for a while.

"I like to do it all, I really do," Brie tells Marie Claire editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike. "I think that it's what has made for a really fun career is coming out of one project and saying, 'Oh, good. Now I scratched that itch. What can I do that's really different from that?'"

Together, which is in theaters now, is certainly different. Brie co-stars in the body horror film alongside her husband, Dave Franco. They play a longtime couple who begin experiencing mysterious physical changes.

"Going into this film, Dave and I were like, this is a risky choice," Brie says. "There are a lot of things in this movie that, if they weren't done perfectly, if they weren't executed perfectly, could be pretty embarrassing."

The 42-year-old goes on, "Lately, I just love the horror space. I feel like I'm running at it. I would love to do more stuff in horror—the weirder, the better. I just think people who are making horror and genre films now are taking the biggest risks, and they're writing really unique material and stuff that you haven't seen before, and so that is very exciting."

She especially loves how filmmakers like Jordan Peele use horror to "make commentary on larger issues." In Together, that means examining "relationships and monogamy and codependency." As Brie puts it, "Horror is such a fun space in which to delve deeper into topics and sort of extrapolate them to their different horrifying degrees."

Still, while she is in a horror era, comedy remains her comfort zone.

"It's like the closest to my personality, because I like to joke around," she says. "I'm a jokester. I'm like a kid on a set. I always just want to be making noise and having fun."

For more from Brie—including stories from her early career, how she decided to start collaborating with her husband, and her press tour style—check out this week's installment of "Nice Talk". The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

But who came up with this sassy, on-trend anthropomorphic elephant? One of the people responsible for Big Ellie is Shana Stephenson, the Chief Brand Officer for the Liberty and this week's guest on the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk". Stephenson chats with editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike about the inspiration behind Ellie and the cultural phenomenon that the mascot has become.

Stephenson began working with the Liberty in 2018, just before the team moved from Westchester to Brooklyn. Before their brief stint in Westchester, the Liberty had long called Madison Square Garden home.

“We had a mascot prior to Ellie, named Maddie. Maddie was a lovable golden retriever—and Maddie could dance, too,” Stephenson says. “So it’s not like Maddie was corny or wack. Like, Maddie was dope.” But Maddie was named after Madison Square Garden, and bringing her to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center didn’t feel right. “That created an opportunity for us to introduce a new mascot.”

The Liberty’s CEO, Keia Clarke, came across a story about how, when the Brooklyn Bridge was built, P.T. Barnum led herds of elephants across it to prove its strength. “We loved the symbolism of the Brooklyn Bridge and the migration from Brooklyn to Manhattan,” Stephenson says. “And, you know, we were doing the reverse.”

Stephenson and her team held open auditions to find someone who could embody Ellie's spirit and hype up the crowd from inside the sweltering costume. She calls the person they hired "just phenomenal," but if you want to know who it is, you're out of luck. The dancer is anonymous.

“We just got lucky,” Stephenson says. “The performer is actually from Brooklyn, so a lot of what you see is a combination of them, Criscia, Shenay, and our CEO—this group of brilliant Black women who’ve completely leaned into Ellie and helped shape and elevate the brand.”

Emphasizing just how loved Ellie is, Stephenson tells a story of attending an event with her.

Ellie’s star power is real. “I did a red carpet with Ellie,” Stephenson recalls. “They were like, ‘Okay, thank you, Shana... but Ellie! Ellie!’ They completely shooed me to the side!”

For more from Stephenson—including her career journey and her mission to make Liberty green as iconic as Yankees caps—check out this week's installment of "Nice Talk". The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

The race may be short, but Fraser-Pryce makes a lasting impact. There’s her speed, of course—but also her style. In those ten seconds, she’s a flash of green, purple, or pink hair.

In the latest episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk", Fraser-Pryce tells editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike what her hairstyles mean to her—and how they actually help her win.

The Jamaican sprinter starts planning her look well in advance of competitions. “I’m knowing where I’m going. I’m knowing the color of the flags. I know what color I did the year before and that I don’t want to do anymore,” she says. “It gives you this excitement.”

But it’s not just about debuting a new look. “It forces you to kind of take your mind off the competition,” the 38-year-old explains. “Because it can help you to really just settle the nerves and not make the competition the sole focus.”

Fraser-Pryce says some runners prefer to be completely locked in—and that’s fine. But for her, “then everything becomes the competition. And then you find that if you constantly do that, then it makes the moment too big—that you feel like you can’t fit in the moment.”

“I want to make sure that I’m enjoying the moment,” she adds. “So for me, I plan my hair. I ship my hair, if I have to. I buy the color. Sometimes I do it myself.”

There’s another layer to her hair choices: representing where she’s from. “I’m from an inner city, right? So they’re known for styles—like big earrings, gold teeth, different wigs and colors. That’s how they represent,” says Fraser-Pryce, who grew up in the Waterhouse area of Kingston.

Early in her career, she worried about “representing that way,” because people assumed that if “you had a gold filling on your tooth, or you had colored hair, or those big hoop earrings with your name in them, they kind of think you’re ghetto.”

“But for a lot of persons in my inner city or from Waterhouse, it’s making a statement. It’s like, ‘Hey, I’m here.’ You know, showing up. It’s representing that boldness and just standing out... Being able to honor that heritage in our culture is truly wonderful.”

It makes sense, then, that her haircare line, AFIMI, means “it’s mine” in Jamaican patois. “It’s really making sure that you take ownership of just who you are and how you want to show up—and how that helps you to be you and to be your best.”

For more from Fraser-Pryce—including her early life in Kingston, the upcoming World Championships in Tokyo, and why she chooses harmony over balance when it comes to motherhood and career—check out this week's installment of "Nice Talk". The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

On this week's episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk", Crawford gives listeners a taste of that wisdom and opens up about her career, from Miss Teen USA to TV host. One topic she doesn’t hold back on? People who put “rich” at the top of their dating wishlist.

Crawford says that financial imbalances in relationships are "difficult, very difficult. This is why I tell everyone to stop manifesting a rich man, because that's not going to do anything for you."

Instead, the former Catfish host encourages people to manifest something else entirely. "There are a lot of rich people who are very cheap and very close-fisted and will not buy you a damn thing—and will actually put you on an allowance. I’ve seen it happen. So, I tell everyone to manifest a generous partner."

And generosity, she adds, isn’t just about money.

"Generosity is like—who is this person when I'm six months pregnant and I want an Oreo McFlurry? He's going to go out there and source it for me,” Crawford says. “He's going to drive 45 minutes, if that's where the next McDonald's is, and he's gonna go get it for me. … Generosity is: I'm folding my laundry, but I'm gonna fold yours too, because it's right here."

Of course, generosity can also mean material gifts (beyond McFlurrys). But Crawford warns that if you’re only focused on a partner’s income, you might not end up with the kind of thoughtfulness you actually want.

"Sometimes they’re getting you gifts that they like for you. Doesn’t mean it’s something you actually want,” she says. “Doesn’t mean they’re actually paying attention to what you like."

While Crawford doesn’t believe in manifesting a rich partner, she does think it’s fair to look for someone financially responsible.

"I've also dated people who were frivolous with money that they maybe didn't have, and you don't want that either," she says. "You also don't want the person who's been working on their business plan for the past 30 years and hasn't made it happen."

Crawford learned a lot about relationships during her six years as the co-host of the MTV docuseries Catfish, and from countless conversations with her five sisters and close friends. She sees Relationshit as a natural extension of those chats.

"I love to yap. I'm a yapper by nature," the Ex on the Beach presenter says. "I love to talk about these things, and I'm not here pretending like I'm some expert in every single facet of relationships. I didn't study it in school. This is not something that I have a degree in. But the messages that I get from people—all kinds of different people from all different walks of life—saying that listening to you has made me realize my worth, has made me leave that bad relationship, has made me leave that toxic job. I couldn't have imagined that I would have that impact on someone."

For more from Crawford—including her advice on making friends as an adult and what competing in pageants is really like—check out this week's installment of "Nice Talk". The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Sturino is this week's guest on the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk". She joined editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike to discuss her book, Sunny Side Up, and how it led her to bring the swimsuits designed by her fictional protagonist to life.

"You know, I've done a lot of things in my career, and this is something that is new for me," Sturino says of her novel, which hit shelves June 24. "It's so scary to have that kind of first time thing happening."

She started writing the book after her divorce, when she couldn’t find the kind of inspiration she was looking for. "Someone who was, like, not telling me just to lose weight and get on a dating app," she explains.

"I wanted to write the fiction book that I needed when I was going through my divorce," Sturino continues. "Sunny Side Up is a very fun beach read, and it really is, like, a how-to manual for getting back to yourself and embracing your female friendships—because they’re really what get you through most of those hard times."

In the romantic comedy novel, the main character, Sunny Greene, designs her own swimsuits after struggling to find one in her size that she actually loves.

"Sunny decides—as she's shopping at [Bergdorf Goodman] and has a total breakdown in the fitting room, as so many of us have—she's like, 'You know what? Eff this. Why are there no swimsuits for curvy bodies like mine, for plus-size bodies?' And she decides that she's going to make a swimsuit line."

And Sturino decided that she was going to do the same.

"As I was writing the book, I was like, I want to wear these suits. So, I approached Kitty and Vibe, which is a small woman-owned brand that does size-inclusive stuff. It's slow fashion." The brand was into the idea "so we made the suits from the book."

The line includes a shimmery green one-piece, tomato-print swimwear in multiple styles, and a colorblock long-sleeve swimsuit.

“You can wear the suit from the book, read the book at the beach... the whole thing,” Sturino says.

For more of Sturino’s favorite size-inclusive fashion picks, her secondhand shopping hacks, and how she copes with the “cringy” side of posting online, check out this week's installment of "Nice Talk". The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

While some creators shy away from the topic, Palermino also talks politics on social media—not just because it’s important, but because she sees it as deeply intertwined with beauty and skincare.

"I'll start with why I love talking about sunscreen. It's because I love talking about politics, and because I think that politics impacts beauty, and women are told to not talk about politics because women are told to make people comfortable," Palermino shares on the latest episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk" with editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike.

"Politics makes people very uncomfortable very quickly, because it is a reflection on your values and also how you economically want to lie in the social ladder," she continues. "I love talking about politics and sunscreen gives me an excuse in a really palatable way."

That includes breaking down how the FDA regulates sunscreen as a drug rather than a cosmetic, posting about how the U.S. has not approved certain sunscreen filters that are widely available in other countries— paired with a selfie featuring AOC, by the way—and calling out misinformation in both skincare and politics.

Palermino says she doesn’t get “too much blowback” these days for her political posts—which cover everything from immigration, to Palestine and Israel, to RFK Jr.—because her followers already know what to expect. She contrasts that with friends who began speaking out and received a “vitriolic” response.

Over time, she’s also developed a thicker skin. "I've been to enough therapy where when somebody's telling me you're wrong, you're evil, like all the things—for me talking about how it is a civil offense to be undocumented in this country, and it's the same thing as throwing somebody in jail for having a parking ticket, which is very concerning for the rule of law—and then coming at me with the fire of a thousand suns, I'm like, That's a you problem," the 38-year-old explains. "You seem to have some deep-seated issues, and I hope you stay safe, because a lot of Americans are not right now."

On the podcast, Palermino also shares why she got Botox the day after the 2024 election—"I need to make it through the next four years, and I don't want to be seeing it etched on my face"—why Kylie Jenner opening up about her plastic surgery is a recession indicator, and, of course, what to look for when you’re shopping for sunscreen.

For all of this and more, check out this week's installment of "Nice Talk". The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

So, how does one go from a nanny for a couple of Hollywood stars to creating a podcast—a very lucrative podcast—with one of them? Padman opens up about her career on the latest episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk" with editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike.

A theater and public relations double major, Padman moved from Georgia to Los Angeles after college to pursue an acting career. While working and auditioning, she landed the nanny job for Shepard and Bell's children. Then, when the kids grew a little older, that job morphed into her becoming Bell's assistant. The career evolution kept going from there.

"I started taking on more, bigger roles in her life, like I would write all her stuff," Padman explains. "So, if she was doing a commercial, I would write that commercial or at least punch it up. She did a lot of speeches. I would write all of those. And I became more of a creative partner to her."

Launching Armchair Expert with Shepard was, of course, another major shift.

"When we started the show, I was doing both jobs for a while, and at some point I had to say, 'I can't do it anymore,'" Padman shares. "That was hard for so many reasons. One, I was sad to leave working with [Bell], because I loved it, and we are a great team."

The 37-year-old says that it was probably hard from Bell's perspective, too.

"Like, you have this person you work well with, and then not only do they go get another job, but they go work with your husband. It's just complicated, you know?" Padman continues. "And so, yeah, that was a little bit of a tough time." But, because Bell is "quick to adapt" and "understanding" the situation "was made much, much easier."

Being a nanny, assistant, creative partner, and podcast co-host is already a lot of roles to cycle through in one relationship—but Monica Padman is also close friends with Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard, which adds another layer of complexity to working on Armchair Expert.

"Dax and I have had all kinds of hiccups and figuring out the dynamic," she tells "Nice Talk". "It's very, very complicated, because we're best friends. We are in a big friendship group, like, our lives are so enmeshed. And so when we have an issue, either personally or professionally, it is so easy for it to all blend together, and that has taken a lot of work and a lot of active responsibility ... I say to myself, 'Do not bring this in. Do not talk to this person about this. Like, this is separate.'"

Despite having built a thriving career alongside her friends, Padman doesn’t necessarily recommend it.

"It's pretty hypocritical, because I love working with my friends, and yet I tell most people don't do it," she says. "Definitely Dax and Kristen are very evolved people. I think I've grown a lot having been in their proximity. I don't think it's for everyone."

For more from Padman—including how she learned to open up on Armchair Expert, her favorite episode, and her love of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen—check out this week's installment of "Nice Talk". The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

On this week's episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk," Perez opens up about her journey to hosting "Let's Get Dressed" and why she is an "advocate" for "non-linear" paths.

"I always wanted to go into school with the idea of being a storyteller," Perez tells editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike on "Nice Talk." "I didn't know where that would necessarily land me, but listen, it was the era of Gossip Girl. I knew I wanted to go to New York. I had this perfect dream in my mind of working at Teen Vogue as a senior, getting hired out of college, and, like, that would be my life."

Very quickly, Perez got an internship at the magazine while she was studying at New York University. But it wasn't in fashion. "My second day living in New York, I was hanging out with a friend who, out of nowhere, was like, 'One of my best friends works at Teen Vogue in entertainment. They're looking for an intern,'" Perez shares. "That night, I was home studying the masthead."

Perez explains on the pod that she wasn't interested in entertainment—especially since she grew up amid the industry in L.A.—but she applied for the internship anyway, believing that it could lead to something else. "I was like, You know what? I'm gonna do this, and I'm gonna work my ass off, and I'm gonna prove to them that they should keep me hired, and I'm gonna go work in the [fashion] closet," the content creator reflects. "I ended up working in the closet for a year after that, and that was so formative for me."

After graduating from NYU in 2016, Perez held roles at brands like Hermès and Glossier, and worked for Ryan Seacrest for a period, before eventually leaning into social media and her blog, Friend of a Friend. The platform evolved into a podcast, which has since rebranded to "Let's Get Dressed."

"My journey was super non-linear, which I'm a big advocate for," she explains. "I think going out there and trying everything and chipping away at that sculpture of your life is really important."

Perez adds, "It taught me that if you're someone who's ready to move on in your career and do something new, closing something from your past doesn't mean that it failed, it just means that you're ready for the next chapter."

Perez also shares plenty of opinions on fashion and trends on "Nice Talk," including her tips for packing, so you can travel in style.

She says packing in outfits is number 1. "I'll spend some time in my closet putting together looks, but I will always pack in outfits so that when I get there, I have a 10 times better time," she says.

Within those outfits, she makes sure that pieces overlap to avoid overpacking. "You don't want to be going on a vacation where you're packing five different jackets...If you're going on a five-day summer trip, bring one pair of white pants and make sure that that's being used for three to five of your outfits."

Her other tips include taking a carry-on if your trip is under five days, and using packing cubes to divide up clothing by type or keep outfits separate on longer vacations.

"There was one trip I was going on where it was a multi-city trip, and I actually packed the outfits per each city in a cube, so that when I got to that city, I didn't have to unpack the whole suitcase," she shares.

Hear more of Perez's styling advice, her fashion inspirations, and details about her wedding on this week's installment of "Nice Talk." The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Her champion title comes three years after placing runner-up at the 2022 French Open. In the time since, Gauff trained hard and won the U.S. Open in 2023—but also worked on her mindset, making changes to become both more focused and happier on the court.

Gauff spoke about the changes she made to feel more focused and happier on the court on the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk." Fresh off her victory, she told editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike about the emotions she felt after the 2022 French Open and the advice she gave herself to move forward.

"Honestly, after that 2022 final, I had no idea how to access these tools," the tennis star says. "I didn't know how to center myself. I didn't know how to meditate. I didn't know how to look at the positive side of things. So I really sat in that disappointment for months, maybe up to even up to a year."

Time healed the wound, but Gauff still realized that she couldn't linger in negativity "if I want to accomplish my dreams."

"I can't be my biggest opponent first," the 21-year-old says. "I already have one opponent. I don't need two."

Gauff continues, "I realized that I have to look at the positives and control my own narrative and not let the narrative control me. And I felt like I was letting the tennis control my emotions, control my self-worth, control how I approach life and friendships, and I realized it should be the opposite."

So, the athlete decided to pay more attention to other parts of her life. "I started to welcome more friends in my life," she shares, "More family, enjoying those experiences, taking trips, going to concerts, and things like that. And I think the more I did that, the more I found happiness on the court."

Gauff also received advice from former tennis players about finding a balance between the sport and personal life. "They always talk about the importance of enjoying your life outside of tennis and enjoying the cities that you're in and not staying cooped up in the hotel room and just a tournament site," she explains. "So I think that has been the big part of my success, because especially the last year I've been trying to do more, force myself to go out...I thought to be a successful athlete that I had to be locked in at all times and kind of ignore other areas of my life and other needs of my life. And then I realized that you can definitely do both."

Clearly, the shift paid off.

Gauff opens up about what's next (including Wimbledon!), her fashion collaborations with New Balance and Miu Miu, and more on this week's installment of "Nice Talk." The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

The financial expert and content creator began to gain a following at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and has since continued to share short, easy-to-digest videos filled with her money tips and economic explanations, from the expenses of being a bridesmaid to understanding tariffs. The self-described former "Wall Street girlie" discusses these topics and more on the latest episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk" with editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike.

If you've been noticing warnings of a looming recession—whether by reading the news or seeing all of those "recession indicator" memes—she has plenty of advice on how to prepare.

As Tu explains on "Nice Talk," a recession is generally defined as "two down quarters of GDP growth in a row."

"We're not quite there yet," she says, but "whether or not we're in a technical recession, I think people should start preparing."

For Tu, this means a few different things. First, "making sure that you have a bigger emergency fund than usual."

"I don't think people really understand the whole point of having an emergency fund," the 31-year-old says. "Yes, it's for catastrophic events—like you walk down the sidewalk, you trip and break your arm—but it's actually more so for the predictable things that could happen, like layoffs."

Plus, during a recession, it could take longer to find a job if you are laid off, which means you'd need a bigger safety net, if possible. Tu also suggests getting your résumé up to date. She shares her thoughts on the podcast about what people with debt and investments should do ahead of a recession.

For those with summer plans involving travel or weddings, Tu has advice for you, too.

"What I think we should all acknowledge is that we should not go into financial duress for other people's life moments," she says. "You can say no, and you should not feel weird about saying no." (Anyone invited to multiple weddings this year can breathe a sigh of relief!)

For bridesmaids, she suggests having an honest conversation with the bride if you are concerned about the costs of the bachelorette party, dress, travel, and hotels adding up. "'What are the most important things to you that I'm at?'" she suggests asking. "Make them pick or say, 'This is my budget for this. I want to be there for you on your special day, and I don't want your vision to be hindered by what I am able to spend. Is that okay? Or is there some way else I can support you?'"

Whether you're traveling for a wedding or otherwise this summer, you probably should have booked your tickets already, according to Tu. "You can't book your flight two weeks out anymore, my friends, you gotta plan this out three to six months in advance," she says. "If you are going international, if you can book that flight a year in advance, you're gonna be better off."

For more of Tu's advice—including the best time of year to travel and how to make the most of credit card rewards and airline miles—check out this week's installment of "Nice Talk". The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

There's a wide world of makeup and skincare out there, though, and it can be a challenge to navigate from hyaluronic-this to ceramide-that. On a recent panel titled "The Business of Beauty: How Science-Driven Innovation Fuels Growth and Success" at Marie Claire's Power Play summit in Atlanta, three skincare experts spoke to editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike and gave their advice on which skincare ingredients are worth looking for in makeup. The panel—featuring dermatologists Dr. Uchenna Okereke and Dr. Heather Woolery-Lloyd, and director of the Cosmetic Science program at Spelman College, Dr. Leyte Winfield—is now available to listen to as an episode of Marie Claire's "Nice Talk" podcast.

"I think peptides are great," says Dr. Okereke. "I think that they're a great carrier to actually bring ingredients into the skin, because when we think about our skin as a skin barrier, it's meant to keep things out, right? So, if molecules are of a certain size or too large, [peptides can be a carrier to] actually penetrate through to the skin." She adds that peptides can also "help to block neurotransmitters to reduce fine lines and wrinkles," explaining that for anyone with sensitive skin who is concerned with fine lines and wrinkles, peptides can be an alternative to retinol.

Dr. Woolery-Lloyd mentions SPF as her top skincare-in-makeup suggestion.

"I'm a big believer in double duty and multitasking in all aspects of life, including my skincare, so I love makeup products that have sun protection." She explains that an SPF of 30 or 45 is what to look for, and to ensure you're using enough SPF to be protected from the sun. "If you can use the appropriate amount to get your SPF, or layer it on top, you get a little bit of extra protection," the dermatologist says.

Additionally, Dr. Woolery-Lloyd notes how niacinamide and vitamin C are other ingredients to look for when it comes to the "skinification of makeup."

Dr. Okereke explains that event sponsor Clinique's new foundation, Even Better Clinical Vitamin Makeup, fits the bill, because it has SPF 45, "which is something that you don't usually see, as far as makeup goes." It even contains vitamins C and E to help improve "overall skin texture."

On the panel, the experts also share what skincare buzzwords mean ("Clean" can be vague, right? And what qualifies "science-backed?") and discuss how the beauty landscape—including legacy brand Clinique—is evolving scientifically. You can hear their entire chat now on "Nice Talk," available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

On the latest episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk," Saint John opens up about her decision to wear exclusively Black designers on RHOBH, and why she plans to keep this up for the next season.

According to Saint John, wearing only Black brands wasn't initially her plan, but it fell into place after she attended the first event of the season: a surrealism-themed party thrown by castmate Sutton Stracke.

"I partnered with one of my favorite designers, Mimmy Yeboah, who is Ghanaian. She does couture. I've worked with her numerous times, and she made me this extravagant confection of a cape, which was all roses, and it's this off-white and structured body of a dress. I mean, it was just spectacular," Saint John explains. "When I wore it, I knew the significance of wearing her and what that would signal."

At that point, Saint John recognized her mission. She teamed up with Yeboah again for the season's promotional photos, and they drew inspiration from legendary Black designer Zelda Wynn Valdes for her gown.

"After that, I was like, Well, I can't go backwards," Saint John says. "So I just started pulling things out of my closet that were Black designers." From there, she got help from a stylist friend, who helped assemble her outfits for the rest of the season. "The entire season, 53 looks were all Black—every single thing that I wore."

She will keep this up for her sophomore season. "Fashion is such an important topic on this show, right?" the business executive explains. "I'm like, Okay, well, if everybody has a thing, then why can't my thing be Black?"

On "Nice Talk," Saint John also talks about her career before joining Housewives full-time in 2024, including how she and Beyoncé impacted each other's careers.

Saint John, who has held executive-level positions at brands like Netflix, Uber, and Apple Music, worked as an assistant at Spike Lee's advertising agency Spike DDB early on in her career. On the podcast, she recalls suggesting Queen Bey should be the star of a campaign the agency was working on for Pepsi. That kicked off a lengthy collaboration between the soda brand and the pop icon.

Years later, the RHOBH star worked with Beyoncé again for her 2013 Super Bowl Halftime Show—this time, with Saint John as the head of music and entertainment marketing at PepsiCo, the event sponsor.

Saint John shares more about her various professional endeavors, pivoting to reality TV, her new show with Jimmy Fallon, On Brand, and more on this week's installment of "Nice Talk." The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

On this week's episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk," Nakase, who now coaches the Golden State Valkyries, reveals the worst feedback she ever received—and how it only propelled her forward.

Nakase explains she was taken aback by the advice she received while interviewing for a coaching position and didn't get the role. "I was getting a little bit of a reflection of why I didn't get the job," she recalls. "They said, 'You should get married and have a family, and then you'll know what it's like to take care of people, and you'll be a better coach.'"

However, the WNBA coach says she was able to turn the experience into a positive. "It wasn't the right fit," she says on "Nice Talk." "I actually walked away saying, 'Thank you.' In my mind, I probably wouldn't have excelled with that organization. I probably would have shrunk and not [have been] able to be myself.'"

In general, Nakase says, she has learned not to take rejection as feeling as though "you're not good enough," but that "it's just not the right fit." "When you start thinking like that, then you really start to continue to improve and get excited and really want to go after jobs," the former assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers says.

Now that Nakase has accomplished many of her goals, she wants to use her platform to help others reach theirs.

Though she says she never set out to reach the milestones that she has—from becoming the first woman to coach Japan's top professional basketball team to being the first Asian American coach to win a WNBA title—it's happened because of her love for the game. "I can't breathe without basketball, so it just happens," Nakase says. "But now, as it's coming to fruition and people are talking about it, I'm taking it more like it's an honor...and it's a responsibility. Now that people are listening, people are watching, I want to make sure that whatever I do, I really want to be legendary."

The former player explains that while she aspires to win multiple championships, she also wants to open doors. "If you want to be a coach or an assistant coach in professional sports, let me know. You know, how can I help? I want to continue this," says Nakase. "Just because I'm first doesn't mean anything. I want to open up the doors and help people as best as I can because I love this job. I love basketball."

On this week's "Nice Talk," Nakase also opens up about the challenges she faced in not being heavily recruited to play college basketball, despite being named high school player of the year, the gender pay gap in sports, her coaching philosophy, and more. The episode is available now wherever you listen to podcasts.

On this week's episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk," the actress/singer opens up about what she learned from her "biggest failure" and how it's only made her more confident in her work with Frenshe, which she founded as a blog in 2020 and has since expanded into products.

Tisdale explains that she faced unexpected challenges when she was named the CEO of her former makeup line Illuminate, which she acquired through BH Cosmetics in 2018. She recalls, "I was taking over a makeup company that I had a branding deal with and I really was excited about it."

Joking that "Instagram made it look so easy to be a CEO," the former Disney Channel star reveals that the pressures from the role weighed heavily on her mental health before she decided to shut down the brand in 2020. "There were times where I had insomnia, I was stressed, I was looking up celebrities who have failed, trying to feel less alone in my journey," she says.

"I was doing a Netflix show and I was in the makeup room trying to put in Shopify discount codes. And it was just like, 'What am I doing? What am I doing right now? Who am I doing this for? And why am I torturing myself?' That was really a big moment for me," Tisdale shares. "I thought I was having health issues, and I was really just having anxiety."

However, the Frenshe founder realized later how much she learned from the experience. "I really kind of went to business school that year," she shares on "Nice Talk."

She continues, "I think the biggest lesson for me was just so many people fail, so many people do...the success of something is learning all of these things. That was a moment where I learned to pick myself back up and move forward and keep going."

Tisdale originally launched Frenshe as a blog in which she could be candid about mental health and other wellness topics. After she saw how it resonated, she felt positive about the brand's capability to expand into products with Being Frenshe. "When I see the success of Being Frenshe, it really makes me feel like I do know what I'm doing," she adds. "I am involved in every aspect of Being Frenshe, but I think that's why it is so successful, because I think people can see that it's not just me putting my name on something and they see how much passion goes into this."

On "Nice Talk," Tisdale also opens up about Being Frenshe's next venture: hair wellness.

She shares that she's "really, really excited" about the new hair care line because of how personal it is to her. "The whole ritual is really based off of my own hair rituals. I was diagnosed with alopecia in my 20s, and so I really learned how to take care of my scalp, my hair, what not to do," the Freshe founder says.

Because of that, she envisioned the line as a means to allow people "to give their hair a moment and to be more accepting of our hair and where it's at."

The new line is available exclusively at Target and features three categories—the Moisture Collection, the Clarifying Collection, and the Restore Collection—in Being Frenshe's signature scents of Cashmere Vanilla, Lavender Cloud, and Salty.

Tisdale shares more about what she's learned in launching her beauty and wellness brand, her past as a child star, feeling most powerful being a mom, and more on this week's installment of "Nice Talk." The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

This episode was recorded prior to the Los Angeles wildfires. You can find out how to help those affected here.

On this week's episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk," the founder of jewelry brand Bagatiba and swimwear line Basic Swim opens up about how she found success in the fashion world after working in the adult film industry. Andrews, who recently made her leading role debut in the thriller Love Bomb, explains how she sees her various rebrands as having worked to her advantage.

Andrews recalls on "Nice Talk" how she began working in the adult film industry in the early 2010s in her hometown of Miami to support herself financially. When she moved to L.A., she found herself surrounded by creatives and other means to make an income, like DJing and designing jewelry. "For a long time, I didn't save money. I was just working, working, working," she says. "And then I had started making jewelry and I had started DJing, and then it became this business where I could then support myself and not have to rely on adult films to make a living...I was making way more money building my own business."

"It was really when I was starting to DJ that people were presenting me more as like this 'porn star DJ,'" she adds. "And I was like, 'That's not what I want to be known as. I want to be doing this craft and really do it. From then on, I knew that I couldn't just do something and it would be a cop-out and be like, 'A porn star did this jewelry brand, a porn star did this.'"

For that reason, Andrews felt she had to be "cautious" when launching Bagatiba; she chose not to have her name attached to the brand. However, she now recognizes the "work ethic" and the "follow-through" she developed because of her career path.

"I'm constantly in a rebrand, and now people meet me [who would] never know I did adult films and I won awards and I was this and that, or I DJed, and it's kind of fun when people find out," she says. "I kind of get off on that now, where I'm like I'm happy I did it because I feel like I lived a lot of life."

Andrews adds, "I think a lot of people in porn, do porn, and it feels like it ruins their whole life. When, for me, it was just something that added to my character development and who I am now."

The actress and entrepreneur also opens up about financial independence and exploring mainstream acting opportunities, including in her new film Love Bomb, on "Nice Talk." The episode is out now wherever you listen to podcasts.

The beauty influencer, known for her TikToks reviewing the color inclusivity of brands, opens up on this week's episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk" about returning from a recent hiatus feeling confident and recharged.

Golloria announced she was taking a break from social media and content creation in September, after experiencing disparaging negativity and racism online.

"I knew I needed to take that break," Golloria shares on "Nice Talk." "I knew that absorbing that much hatred and bigotry at the masses that I was, was not healthy for my psyche."

Though the TikTok star, originally from South Sudan and now based in Texas, knew it meant "missing out" on income from her videos for a time, she saw her break as "a form of resistance."

"Taking a break was me taking my power back because there is only so much you can do," says Golloria.

"Rest is a form of resistance and a beautiful one, at that, and if I can't prioritize myself now, I'll never be able to prioritize myself later, and the whole entire goal of this will never be accomplished if I don't take care of me and me first," she says. "I feel like, as Black women, we sometimes feel like we are constantly having to put on the cape, we're constantly having to fight, we're constantly having to advocate for everything and everybody but ourselves."

"At the end of the day, it is tiring, and it's exhausting, and Black women do not always have to be at the forefront of every goddamn movement," she continues. "We can rest. And whenever we rest, we rest, and when we choose to rise, we rise."

After taking time to focus on her mental health by reading, journaling, going to therapy, and exercising, Golloria resumed sharing content in November, which she described as being "really liberating."

She says, "It was liberating because it showed me that I am indeed resilient. I am resilient to the point where it's like, 'Girl, it's okay if you don't want to be resilient.' Not every day is resiliency, but just to see me come back as strong as I did, and know that I did it the right way, know that I did it with taking care of myself first, and making sure that this was my decision and my decision only, I'm proud of myself."

Golloria also reveals on "Nice Talk" whether she would ever launch her own beauty brand. When asked if that was in the cards, she says, "I would."

"It's in the works," the content creator admits, but said the plan is for two to three years out. "It's definitely something that I want to do. I will definitely be prioritizing dark-skinned women first and everybody else second."

For more about her plans, as well as how Golloria's navigated brand partnerships while growing her platform, how she thinks makeup companies can do better, and more, listen to this week's installment of "Nice Talk." The episode is out now wherever you listen to podcasts.

The cook and best-selling author opens up on this week's episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk" about her journey toward opening First Bloom Corner Store, a market in Bloomville, New York that features her favorite products.

"It's always been a dream to open a grocery store," she shares on the podcast. "I love grocery store shopping. I love the experience."

Roman, who spent years working in restaurants before transitioning to food media, explains that she had money saved up to put into the project but found herself learning to be nimble with unexpected costs.

She says she chose to open the shop in the Catskills due to "utility," since so few grocery stores existed in the area she was interested in, and that the space she found was "basically a blank canvas." "It needed a new ceiling, and then we needed to build all the shelving that was custom in there," Roman says. "Then there's start-up costs of licenses and accounts and plumbing and installation for certain health code—things that I didn't see coming."

The writer/cook believed it was worth it to invest in her vision. Roman says, "I was like, 'Well, if I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna fund it myself, and we'll see what happens. Because I didn't want to be beholden to anyone else's vision. I didn't want to owe anyone money. But also, that means that you have a lot fewer resources when [it's] coming from your savings."

She adds, "But it was a dream...I wanted to spend my money on it."

The author of Sweet Enough and Nothing Fancy, and Dining In explains that, though First Bloom Corner Store opened in 2023 and launched its online store this fall, she has even more in mind for the shop. "I have goals and ambitions for the store and for the brand that exceed that space, but I also really want it to be authentic and I want it to be solid before I do that," she says. "It's very important to me that it functions as a solid, wonderful business without my name attached to it."

On "Nice Talk," Roman also shares her tips on how to be an outstanding host and guest.

Though it depends who she's cooking for, Roman reveals on the podcast that if she's cooking dinner for people, she tends to prioritize "deliciousness over anything fancy" and makes elevated takes on simple dishes. Her examples include a one-pot chicken and potatoes prepared in a way that will leave guests saying, "I didn't know a potato could be so good."

"I think that when people want to impress somebody, they either make too many dishes...or they feel like they have to pull out some stuff and also bake dessert," Roman says, "Not everything needs a hat. It's like [what] anyone who dresses well will tell you about fashion, I will tell you about food. You need five great pieces, because it's how you wear them, it's not what you wear. It's like how you cook things; it's not what you cook."

To impress as a guest, the author suggests a beverage you won't be able to finish in one sitting, such as a liquor bottle like amaro, that "doubles as a gift and something that you can enjoy together in that evening."

Roman talks more about the changes she's made in her career over the years, navigating brand partnerships, how she handles feedback from her followers, and more on this week's installment of "Nice Talk." The episode is out now wherever you listen to podcasts.

On this week's episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk," Waithe speaks candidly about how the shifting entertainment industry landscape can make creators feel "powerless" and how she's trying to take control of that by turning her talents to theater.

"I think a lot of us feel powerless right now in our industry," says the writer, producer, and actor who recently launched the "Legacy Talk" podcast with Lemonada Media. "I feel so bad for a lot of creatives who are trying to sell projects...with these streamers and these mergers, no one can get anything across the finish line."

"What I'm doing is trying to take my power back," Waithe continues, noting that she's doing so by writing a play.

The star explains on "Nice Talk" what a positive experience she's had in the theater world thus far, having previously produced Ain't No Mo', for which she received a Tony nomination for Best Play in 2023. She says, "What has brought me back to life is talking to these folks in theater and working with them. They will embrace anyone with open arms, like, 'Come on. This is for all of us.'"

"[Theater] is always exciting, but it's even more exciting now," Waithe adds. "You don't need a studio exec to say yes. There's playhouses all over the country, actors wanting to be challenged, and audiences looking for something that they can feel."

The writer/producer also shares that what she loves about theater is that, while there isn't as much money as film and TV, it's "such a gift" because the performers and audience can experience something together in real time. "I think if you put something on stage that gets enough buzz, you could write the next Hamilton," says the founder of the production company Hillman Grad.

"I'm not running away from Hollywood," Waithe says. "I'm still very much making TV shows and working on movies and things like that, but the theater world has brought me back to life in a way that has been so amazing."

On this week's installment of "Nice Talk," Waithe also opens up about what it was like creating her first TV series, The Chi, speaking to icons from Black TV shows and cinema on her new podcast "Legacy Talk," uplifting others in her field, and more. The episode is out now wherever you listen to podcasts.

Whitfield shares what she's learned since opening up to having her life documented on screen in this week's episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk." While the marketing and communications consultant has thoroughly enjoyed starring on RHONY, now in its second season, she also revealed what moments of being on a reality show can make her feel "powerless."

The TV personality explained that it can be challenging to watch moments when you may have been in the wrong, or realize later on how someone else perceived you. "You feel powerless when you had a conversation with someone, you know your intentions, you know what said, you know the hundred other conversations that you had with that person prior. And then you see their confessional and it's a 180," she says. "It's like, 'That's not how that went. That wasn't my intention. That wasn't what happened.' But somehow that was your reality. So that's hard. And that feels very powerless."

Whitfield adds, "Especially if it's about a serious topic, that's really close to your own heart, that's hard. That's really, really difficult to watch back."

She explains that she's learned to cope with those kinds of interactions by feeling "seven phases of grief," while wrestling with how to respond or deciding to save any confrontation for the season's reunion. "You go through many different things. You talk to your family and friends around you who know you, who can remind you who you are. And then you just try to keep calm and make a decision about what to do and how to handle it," says Whitfield.

The reality star also shares on "Nice Talk" what advice she's gotten from Housewives alum, including the beloved Luann de Lesseps, a.k.a. Countess Luann, from the original run of RHONY.

"[Luann] told me last week when I saw her, she was like, 'You're very real and that will get you very far,'" Whitfield says on the podcast. "She said, 'Keep being real because people can tell.'"

Whitfield also notes how much being on RHONY for only two seasons has made her admire Luann and other longtime franchise stars. "I've done this now for two seasons and, it's funny, as a viewer, you sit there and watch and you say, 'That's so easy. You get your dinners paid for. How hard is it?' When I now see people like Kyle [Richards] and Luann, I'm like, 'You women are made of steel.' They are badasses. It's not easy to do."

She adds, "Even when it's easy, it's not easy. It's a lot. And the calendar of the filming and the thing and then press and then the show airing and then starting the circle all over again. It's not for the faint of heart. They're just iron women, truly. It's a lot to do this and to navigate it as well as they have."

Whitfield opens up more about her decision to join reality TV, her style evolution, financial security, and more on this week's installment of "Nice Talk." The episode is out now wherever you listen to podcasts.

On this week's episode of the Maire Claire podcast "Nice Talk," Nicholas spoke about how pay transparency is just as important to her business, the popular astrological app CHANI, as horoscopes.

She explained that meeting her wife Sonya Passi—who founded the organization Freefrom, which works to financially empower survivors of domestic violence—helped inform her perception of how important it is to speak openly about money. "Economic abuse becomes one of the main levers for humans to control each other, for men to control women. If I'm just gonna be super flat about it," she says. "Obviously, there's a lot of nuance, but that's how it works, and that's how it's always works because that's how patriarchy works. But we don't talk about it."

At CHANI, Nicholas says, they're as upfront as they can be about money. "We [at CHANI] post our salarie," the co-founder shares on the podcast. "But we should all be exceptionally transparent with what we pay, what we earn."

"You need to know what somebody else is making—otherwise it will be used against you because the dynamic is the same," she continues. "If it's in a marriage, if it's in a parent-child, if it's in a boss-employee, if it's in a president-citizens, it's all the same abusive dynamic because we're still so steeped in white-supremacist-het-cis patriarchy, and so extraction is the name of the game wherever we go, and the only way to start to chip away at that is to be explicit about what it is."

Nicholas reasoned that speaking more openly about money should be the norm and can only help get you where you want to be. "Taboos are just there as an invisible jail, and all you have to do is bust through it," the astrologer/activist says. "Just ask people, 'How did you make your first whatever?' Like, whatever it is you want to do, go ask people about money. Some people won't answer you. It's fine. Move on. Someone will have a conversation with you about money, and it is going to help clarify so much for you."

On "Nice Talk," Nicholas also shares her insight into the upcoming Mars and Venus retrogrades, which begin on December 6 and March 1, respectively.

She points out that Mars can represent masculine energy, equating the upcoming transit as potentially affecting how men voted for Donald Trump after feeling "left behind" in society. However, Venus, with its feminine and queer energy, could have its own impact.

"Mars will station direct a week before Venus stations retrograde. But there's a connection there between what's happening along the gender scale," the CHANI co-founder says.

Mentioning how Venus retrograde happens in the same place in the sky every eight years, Nicholas explains, "Venus is the planet of women and queer folks and style and beauty and all things that we love. But what happened eight years ago at the end of January? Okay, so we are going through the same Venus retrograde and the same inauguration."

"And just to put a little spin on it: What happened in 2017 was the Women's March, Time's Up, #MeToo, 'Nevertheless, she persisted,'" she continues. "So we had a coalescing of activism. It was imperfect, it was messy, it wasn't all effective...but that is what happened. And we are having the same exact one now."

Nicholas opens up more about when she realized to monetize her work as an astrologer, running a self-funded business, and more in this week's installment of "Nice Talk." The episode is out now wherever you listen to podcasts.

Saujani, who just launched the "My So-Called Midlife" podcast with Lemonada Media, opens up on the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk" about what she's learned from failing—and how women can apply that to their own lives.

She points to her background in tech and how she lost the 2010 New York Democratic House primary as having influenced her view of failure. "In that race, I learned how to be a great communicator, a great fundraiser. I learned how to build strong teams. But had I not lost that race, I wouldn't have been able to actually do that because then I had to go dissect it after I lost," Saujani shares on the pod.

The founder describes the skill of reflecting on what worked and what didn't as her "hack on failure."

"Women are so afraid of failure because they think it will break them—that they will think about it, think about it, think about it, think about it, think about it, and they'll never be able to do anything over again," she says. "For me, I'm like, I give myself 30 days to think about it, to analyze it, and then I move the fuck on. I do not sit in it."

"That's my hack," she continues. "And so I think that I have learned that failure is a privilege."

She adds that every person who has successfully launched a brand has made mistakes, and emphasizes how important it is to talk about that so others don't shy away from their own ambitions. "I want to go through the journey and the steps and the stumbles and the challenges and the mistakes and the failures because that's living," Saujani adds.

The best-selling author also opens up on "Nice Talk" about imposter syndrome, which she describes as "a normal response to inhabiting a space that was intentionally built to exclude you."

"Imposter syndrome, though we expect women to feel it, you get dinged when you have it," she says. "The best thing that we can do in many ways to combat imposter syndrome is to reject the premise entirely."

By doing so, Saujani explains, women may not feel held back in their careers, so they can aim even higher—even if they fail along the way.

Saujani opens up more about career transitions, embracing middle age, advocating for yourself in the workplace, and more on this week's installment of "Nice Talk." The episode is out now wherever you listen to podcasts.

The author of the "Long Live" Substack and founder of the N.Y.C.-based fashion community event EV Salon swears by looking on eBay for unique vintage finds. After sourcing menswear, designer bags, and even the $82 dress she transformed into her wedding gown, Veurink has picked up a lot of tips for shopping on the platform, which she shares on this week's episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk."

"I think it is the best platform for pre-loved clothing online, period, end of sentence," she says, explaining how you can "bring whatever you want to the website," whether it's a specific vision or you just want to browse vintage T-shirts.

When it comes to finding the perfect piece, Veurink reveals that knowing your measurements is key. "My biggest tip, especially for someone who wears a lot of menswear or someone who's starting out, is to invest in one of those tailor measuring tapes and know that, even if a seller doesn't list the measurements, you can always ask," she says.

The writer notes that menswear has measurements "baked into the sizing," and says it's "totally fair game to message" about a dress you may be interested in, but can't tell how big or small the waist might be.

Veurink shares on "Nice Talk" how she's become a seasoned vintage shopper on eBay after thrifting for years. "When I was starting out, and I was 16, and I had babysitting money, $20 at the mall would get me like a Hollister shirt on sale, but $20 at Goodwill would get me multiple silk blouses, a leather briefcase, [and] a wool suit, so experimentation was what mattered the most to me," she reflects. "I needed to try everything. I needed to replicate what I was reading in Elle or seeing in movies. So it sent me to thrift stores, and I fell in love with the process and the lack of control."

Now she appreciates "the sustainability" and "the serendipity of it" the most. "I feel so emotional talking about it because it's my favorite thing to do: just walk into a thrift store, sit down and spend an hour on eBay," she says. "That is how I unwind. It's how I got inspired."

Veurink opens up more about how to shop sustainably, her experience of going freelance as a fashion writer, launching EV Salon, and more on this week's installment of "Nice Talk." The episode is out now wherever you listen to podcasts.

She continues, "She [was] like, 'Yeah, I'm sorry to tell you, but nobody publishes poetry, and also most poetry that gets published is by dead people."

Kaur says that she began to consider self-publishing her work, but was similarly met with discouragement from her professor. "She was like, 'Listen, the moment you self-publish, like nobody—the industry is not going to respect you," Kaur reflects. "I was like, 'Well, I'm a brown girl from Brampton. I'm invisible to the industry anyway. So, yeah, do not self-publish is the best advice I've never taken."

The book quickly developed a cult readership once it was published, thanks to Kaur's following on Tumblr and Instagram. Within a year, it was re-released by Andrews McMeel Publishing. And now, on the 10 year anniversary, Kaur is releasing a special anniversary collector's edition.

Since her entrée into the poetry scene, Kaur says she feels like "there has been change" in the publishing industry when it comes to poetry, especially in terms of more women and writers of color being better represented. "They've been forced to see us," she says. "And forced to see that audiences and readers are hungry for work like ours."

Kaur also recalls on "Nice Talk" how she began to struggle creatively amid her whirlwind success, explaining that she felt "riddled with anxiety" while working on her second book, 2017's the sun and her flowers.

"I fully and wholly believed that I'd lost my touch and I'd lost whatever magic there was," she remembers. "That's what anxiety does, right? It lies to you and it has your voice and it's coming from your mind. So you're like, 'Well, that must be the truth.'"

Kaur says she had convinced herself she would "never" be able to experience the same creative flow that she did while writing milk and honey as a teenager and in her early 20s, but "persevered anyway" because of her passion for the craft. She later also released 2020's home body.

"The silver lining is the flow state has come back and it's really exciting," she adds. "I'm holding on to it, but not too tightly. I'm sort of just like, 'Thank you for arriving and I'll take you while you're here. And then you might decide to leave and that's okay.'"

Kaur opens up more about her experience as a published poet, from having to address the people she writes about to navigating financial anxiety in her career, on this week's "Nice Talk." The episode is out now wherever you listen to podcasts.

Gabby Windey looked for love on TV in 2022 as a contestant on The Bachelor and as the first-ever co-lead on The Bachelorette, but it wasn't until later that she found it, with comedian Robby Hoffman.

While Windey will soon return to our screens as a contestant on the forthcoming Traitors season 3, on the latest episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk," she reveals whether she and her girlfriend would ever star in a reality show together.

"We've had meetings and people approach us that are like, 'Would you guys do a reality show together? Are you interested in doing this and this?'" the "Long Winded" podcast host shares. "And we're like, it just seems like it whenever you do reality shows about your love life and stuff, like what else is the drama besides tearing you guys apart?"

"I don't want to exploit my relationship in that way," she adds.

Windey, who has been in a relationship with the comic/TV writer since May 2023, continues, "I don't want to let anyone else kind of have a story quote-unquote 'about us.'"

The former Bachelorette also spoke highly of Hoffman, whom she publicly announced she was dating last year after coming out on an August 2023 episode of The View. "I think Robby and I do a really good job of protecting our relationship and putting our relationship first," she says.

Windey shares more insight about dating in the public eye; what it was like being a Denver Broncos cheerleader while working as an ICU nurse; and what she's learned as her career's taken different paths on this week's installment of "Nice Talk." The episode is out now wherever you listen to podcasts.

The acne spot treatment brand Starface may be a favorite skin care product among Gen Z, but when founder Julie Schott set out to launch the company, she didn't know where to start with its finances. She simply trusted her instincts—and advises other aspiring entrepreneurs to do the same.

Schott, who became an entrepreneur after working as a beauty editor for years, opened up on the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk" about how she learned to accept that it's "okay" to have blind spots and seek assistance when starting a business.

"I knew that I did not know how to finance a company, and I knew that it wasn't going to be me and how my brain works," Schott recalls.

"So it was about finding that better half—that partner who I could really trust and really believe I don't need to check their homework," continues Schott, who's since expanded into founding Julie, an emergency contraceptive brand, the skincare line Futurewise, and Blip nicotine gum and sticks.

The entrepreneur says she "did find that partner" in her co-founder Brian Bordainick. "We've been working together on everything because I trust him and I don't need to check and he trusts me the same way," she adds.

Ultimately, Schott explains that understanding her strengths and knowing where to take a step back as a CEO can only help a business. "Yes, I'm aware, and, yes, I'm in the rooms, but, no, I'm not making a financial model. And it's okay to say that, right? Like, you don't have to be everything," she says. "I actually think it's important to recognize that because I'm never going to be the best at doing that thing. It wouldn't have been beneficial to the business if I had insisted upon it."

Schott also reflects on "Nice Talk" about how she didn't anticipate how beloved Starface would become by Gen Z. What she did know, she explains, is recognizing the importance of "trusting your gut" when it comes to pursuing something you're passionate about.

"I don't think [the reception] was something that we thought, 'Oh, this is going to happen,' because you can't really. You don't really know. The customer tells you how the thing affects them, or they show you through how they talk about it online, or how they talk about it offline," she shares. "But it's really meaningful."

After years of struggling with and openly talking about adult acne herself, Schott says the best part of working on Starface has been being able to help others and see how useful the product has been for them. "There are so many other challenges that young people are already going to face," Schott says, noting how frustrating it can feel to not want to go to work or school because of a breakout. "So if you can just make some of these [challenges] that are actually easy to solve better, I think that's probably one of the best parts [of running Starface].

Schott opens up more about her experience leaving fashion media to start her own business, stepping into a CEO role, and what it was like venturing into the emergency contraceptive space on this week's "Nice Talk." The episode is available now everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Delaney Rowe may poke fun at Hollywood tropes in her TikToks, but she's become some celebs' favorite content creator.

Rowe, who's known for her videos parodying movie and TV clichés, shares on the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk" that she's had multiple stars reach out to her to sing their praises of her witty TikToks and sense of humor.

"The best part about having a platform is this incredible access it's given me to genuine heroes of mine who I've grown up loving, envying, following, everything," Rowe says. "And then suddenly they've sent you a message and they're like, 'I love your videos.'"

The actress/influencer reveals that Stranger Things' own Sheriff Hopper David Harbour sent her "something that was incredible." Seth Rogen and Jameela Jamil, she notes, also reached out.

Rowe says, "It gives you this sense of like, 'Okay, I'm touching on something. I'm making something that is working,' And so that's been incredible."

The L.A.-based talent explains on "Nice Talk" that she began making her now-viral TikToks—which range from spoofing the "insufferable" manic pixie dream girl trope in indie films to quirks of movie trailers—several years ago when she was "getting a little fed up with not having any traction in the entertainment space." Rowe shares that she thought it was "so much fun" and "so free" at first, and then the hobby started to take off.

"Once I had traction on one video, you don't forget that feeling," she says. "You're like, 'My gosh, if I just keep doing this, this has the potential to change my life in some way.' So I just stuck with it, and before I knew it, it was my job and I turned it into business. And it's pretty much changed my life."

Rowe, who first set out to be an actress, says that "it's not scary" making fun of the kinds of projects she may one day go up for with her content. She reveals, "I just have had so many people that I respect in this industry reach out to me and want to have meetings with me and all these things because of these videos. And so it tells me that the people who I'd want to work with understand what I'm doing."

The TikTok star adds, "The people that I want to work with get that I am not making fun of anything besides bad writing and anybody can do that."

Rowe opens up more about her experience going viral, having an online platform, navigating brand partnership deals, and more on this week's installment of "Nice Talk." The episode is out now everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Singer-songwriter Tanner Adell knows how important it is for women to stick together in the country music industry.

The musician, who has a self-described "glam country style" and is known for reclaiming sexist stereotypes in cowboy culture in her music, opens up on the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk" about how she turns to other female artists for support. As her career has taken off since the 2023 release of her debut album Buckle Bunny, Adell says she's particularly taken to asking for advice from Lainey Wilson, who experienced a similar rapid ascension.

"Being a woman in country music, period, is really hard," Adell says. "You're competing against a lot of men who tend to dominate this genre. They dominate the radio. It's really hard for women to get radio play in country music. So the girls are sticking together."

The country music star shares that she's been getting to know Wilson, who she has "a lot of respect for," in recent months. "We've had a few moments to sit down and really talk," she says.

Adell shares that she and Wilson (who both contributed to the Twisters original soundtrack) were recently at the same charity event in L.A. where she asked her for advice over a 30-minute conversation. "I always wonder with someone like Lainey how her success has affected [her] relationships, specifically with men and other artists that are men in country music," she says. "So we talked about it—and it truly is like the girls gotta have each other's backs and it's not a competition."

She continues, "One thing she said was, 'There's room for all of us. We can all be making music and we can all support each other, and we don't have to be nasty or be talking behind each other's backs 'cause the boys don't have our backs.'"

Adell notes on "Nice Talk" that Wilson isn't the only friend and mentor she's had in the industry. "Very early on, Mickey Guyton was a friend to me, and she's still someone who I just have a lot of trust in," the singer reveals. "When I'm having my doubts or things, I'll call her up and rant to her."

"She's been through all this. I absolutely love her. She feels like a big sister to me," she adds. "Lainey and Mickey have been very, not even just kind, but compassionate and really are there for me. [They] have been through it—and their opinion is the most valid opinion ever.

Adell opens up more about making strides as a Black woman in country music, her experience finding financial security as a musician, and more on this week's installment of "Nice Talk." The episode is out now wherever you listen to podcasts.

A'ja Wilson and her fellow WNBA teammates have long spoken out about the gender pay gap in professional basketball, and she thinks it's time for allies to stand up for them.

The Team USA and Las Vegas Aces player shares on the latest episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk" how she thinks the issue of pay disparity between men's and women's sports can be best addressed, noting just how important it is for others in positions of power to advocate for the women on the courts.

"I can scream at the top of my lungs, 'I want my money in my bank account,' but who are the people who are on foot that can get the job done?" Wilson says. "That's where I lean to. That's where I tap into the most: making sure that those people who are in those spaces understand, 'No, this is something that you really want to invest in.'"

The star athlete explains on "Nice Talk" how she thinks it's essential that allies who can represent individual players and teams "speak highly" of them, and fight for fair deals and partnership opportunities—all the while emphasizing that money can be made by working with the WNBA, too. She explains, "I think the biggest thing is always showing up and being present and letting people know that, 'This is why you need to invest in us.' Because I feel like people sometimes got to see the product for real to really understand, 'Do I want to invest in this?'"

Wilson adds, "I may not be there to have that seat, but you do, and if you're really about it, this is how you can start addressing it at the table."

Thus far, the Olympian has partnered with multiple brands, including Nike, who named her one of the brand's signature athletes and she launched a collection with. "This is huge that a Black woman can sit here and say, 'That's my shoe. That's my collection that people are wearing,'" Wilson says of the collaboration. "I don't take a moment [like that] for granted."

While the Las Vegas Aces player notes that the fight toward pay equity isn't easy, she emphasizes that it's essential for the future of the WNBA. "Sometimes those conversations aren't the easiest, because people may not want to hear that, or they're like, 'This, isn't it.' But when you get those people that want to know more—that want to actually do the work—that's the people that I love to stay close with, because long term, not just now, you're planting seeds, so now the next generation can then flourish," Wilson says.

"Change doesn't happen overnight," she continues. "We're just now starting to see this huge growth of WNBA, and it's been 28 years. So understanding that when you can plant those seeds with those allies, we're going to start reaping the benefits sooner or later."

"I think the tides are slowly starting to turn because people are starting to invest and people are starting to see, 'Oh, no, these women get it done, both on and off the court,'" adds Wilson.

The basketball star, who will soon play in this summer's Olympic Games, opens up more about adjusting to becoming a celebrity athlete within the past few years, how she shies from setting high goals, and more on this week's episode of "Nice Talk." The podcast is available now wherever you listen to podcasts.

Leave it to everybody's TikTok BFF Tefi Pessoa to have a relatable story about the challenges of breaking into your dream career.

The internet personality and co-host of the upcoming Prime Video talk show Influenced (out August 1), recognized by many on TikTok and Instagram as @hellotefi, opens up on the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk" about when she got her first big break—and how it affected her both financially and emotionally.

"When I moved to New York when I was 22, I would only go for these minimum wage jobs because, as a millennial, the first thing they teach you in school is, 'If you don't go to school, you're never going to make any money, you won't have any opportunities.'" Pessoa shares. "You have to climb this ladder and the ladder is being held up by like really old white guys. Like, 'Amazing, amazing. I'm never going to be able to do that. I'm never going to go anywhere.'"

With that mindset, the TikTok star explains that she was made to feel grateful when she landed a job at a production studio that paid her a yearly salary of $21,000. She recalls, "They were like, 'You're Head of Community, but you get to answer the phone in the front.' And I go, 'Okay, I'm a receptionist. Got it. Got it. Thank you so much. Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you. No, I don't even need health insurance. Thank you so much.'"

So when a producer personally emailed her asking if she'd be interested in hosting a new show, Pessoa says she jumped at the opportunity and made up an excuse to take time off to go to the audition.

The influencer recalls on "Nice Talk" that she auditioned at a theater in front of a crowd of hundreds and performed a 20-minute set about Harry Styles' 2019 Met Gala look and the conversation she had with her grandmother about it. Pessoa explains that it wasn't until she got off stage that she realized the audience was made up of other people auditioning—many of whom were professional broadcast journalists, podcasters, and established influencers.

"I was the only one that got hired," says Pessoa, who landed the gig for what became the YouTube show Tefi in July 2019 on her 29th birthday. "They were like, 'We will pay you $200,000 a year.' I'd only been making $21,000 a year, so I signed it really quick because I thought they made a mistake."

The show found moderate success but was short-lived, due to the pandemic in 2020—which is ultimately what led Pessoa to move her material over to TikTok.

"I think for me, my whole life, I knew that I wanted to be heard and I knew that I wanted to be seen, but I was terrified of perception," the internet personality says. Thanks to a shift in her confidence that she felt while making her first show, and feeling like viewers were affirming her sense of humor, she said it was like she "had found [her] scissors to the wrapping paper," and went all-in on making content.

"I think what was going through my mind was, 'There's no option B now,'" says Pessoa. "Once I found that groove, I'm like, 'There's nothing I would not give up to do that again. I will scrub floors, I will be a barista, you name it. Like, I'll work five jobs if it means that I get a shot to do that again ... I started posting like my life literally depended on it."

Pessoa shares more about her career trajectory, her signature online personality, and more on the latest episode of "Nice Talk," which is available now wherever you listen to podcasts.

Landing a role in Avatar: The Way of Water changed actress Bailey Bass' life in more ways than one.

Bass shares on the latest episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk" that she and her family felt a sense of relief when she booked the blockbuster film directed by James Cameron at age 13, since they had been on welfare and food stamps up until that point.

"I remember I found out that I booked the role [in Avatar] and I bawled my eyes out. I was so excited," says Bass, who is now 21 and known for starring as Claudia on AMC's series adaptation of Interview with the Vampire.

"I had an understanding of money because I've been working since I was 2 years old," she says of when she was cast as Tsireya, a free diver and the daughter to Kate Winslet's Ronal and Cliff Curtis' Tonowari. "So I knew that it would help us so much and it did."

Given the film's long production schedule ahead of its release in December 2022, Bass recalls on "Nice Talk" how it wasn't until she was 16 that she processed just how much her role in the franchise would affect her and her loved ones. She explains that it hit her once when she was driving home from the grocery store with her mother and she burst into tears.

"I looked at my mom and I was just like, 'Mama, when this movie comes out, I'll be able to buy you a Mercedes,' Bass remembers. "I didn't grow up with a lot financially. We were on food stamps and welfare and my mom was a single mom taking care of my grandparents and my two brothers and me, and we had a dog."

She adds, "I remember something very overwhelming was when I got my period. My mom cried—not in front of me, but she told me this later—she cried because she didn't know how she was going to afford pads."

With Avatar: The Way of Water, though, Bass was eventually able to make her "first big purchase" and get the Mercedes that she and her mom dreamed of. "It wasn't for me, it was for my mom, I was just like, 'I want to get you this car,' because I remember as a little girl that was the first car I ever remember being in," she says. "It felt like I made it."

Now that Bass is more excited about where she's at in her career—both acting and starting to produce other projects—she's wrestling with simply feeling proud of each achievement and staying present. "I'm so competitive and I'm so ambitious that I keep moving the finish line further and further away, which is something that I talk a lot about in therapy and I have to figure out—not being such a perfectionist and being so hard on myself," she reveals. "But I will say that [when I bought my mom a Mercedes], it felt like an I-made-it moment. But what I'm realizing is, throughout my career, I will have many I-made-it moments."

For more about Bass' journey towards financial stability, her jewelry brand BaiBai, efforts producing children's entertainment, and more, tune into her episode of "Nice Talk," which is available now wherever you listen to podcasts.

Julia Fox has sworn off sex—and she's feeling all the better for it.

The actress and author of the best-selling memoir Down the Drain opens up on the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk" about her journey towards focusing more on herself and being a great mother to her 3-year-old son Valentino—which involved reconsidering her values around sex and money.

Fox, who has abstained from sex for over two and a half years, explains her choice is ultimately "the consequence of men's repeated actions."

"Women are tired," she says, noting that others who have similarly committed to celibacy have reached out to her. "They're like, 'I wish more women understood how great it is not to do this with not to engage with men in that way."

The host of E!'s OMG Fashun adds, "It's a shame, in a way, [that] this is where we've gotten."

Fox's abstinence began when she felt like she was "done with men" after giving dating her "best shot." But after Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, she turned her abstinence into what she describes as a "subtle rebellion."

"Why would I lay down with someone who won't stand up for me? These men, they're not mad," she says. "I'm not saying all men support the ban on abortion, but most men aren't really saying anything about it. And I just feel like f--- that."

While Fox is open to meeting somebody and falling in love, she doesn't plan on having sex in a potential new relationship "anytime soon" because she needs to "build a lot of trust." Right now, she says, she's focused on raising her son and building her career.

The multi-hyphenate went from being a downtown New York City personality and artist to an A-lister and fashion icon following the release of the 2019 hit Uncut Gems. But in recent years, Fox has reconsidered the value she places on money.

"My only goal is to provide a great life for my son. If I have enough money to do that, that's really all I need. I pretty much only spend money on my son," says Fox, who has surprised fans by posting videos on TikTok highlighting her humble apartment setup.

In the past, Fox says, she would flaunt her wealth through design bags or luxury cars, but realized that came from a place of "putting those things on a pedestal and allowing those things to define [her] self-worth."

"It's all psychological and I feel like I don't have anything to prove," Fox adds. "I don't have anything to prove in that arena. I'm not trying to be the richest person in the room."

Her mindset shifted once she welcomed Valentino in early 2021 and began raising him as a single mom. "I think it probably did have a lot to do with motherhood and becoming a single mom [that I started] realigning my values and really understanding what's important, what's not important, and what's fair, what's unfair," she reveals.

"Every single person in the world comes from a woman. But yet, we're treated like second-class, expendable citizens. We're not given our flowers that we so rightfully deserve," Fox says. "I feel like those are my missions now: talking about this stuff and shedding light on it and getting people to wake up, take the blinders off. Everyone is so conditioned to want the nice car and the nicest watch as if those things are going to make them happy, and they're not."

For more, tune into Fox's episode of "Nice Talk," which is available now wherever you listen to podcasts.

Not every 17-year-old negotiates business deals, but when Maitreyi Ramakrishnan went from a typical high schooler in Ontario, Canada to the star of Netflix's Never Have I Ever, that's exactly what she had to consider—on top of her overnight fame.

On the latest episode of Marie Claire's podcast, "Nice Talk," the actress opens up about how she learned to navigate financial negotiations while still a teenager, starring on the hit teen show from 2020 to its fourth and final season in 2023.

"At a very young age I had to learn that money is power and to ask for more does not mean that you're greedy, but actually respecting yourself," Ramakrishnan revealed on "Nice Talk."

The star, who landed the lead role of Devi on Never Have I Ever through a self-tape open call on Twitter, said, "I remember having to learn that sometimes you've got to ask for more because others are asking for more and people are gonna cheap you out if they can. They will walk over you. And it's not that you need X amount of dollars to live the life that you live, it's just that dollar value is the sign of respect."

The star, now 22 and a human rights and equality studies student at York University in Toronto, shared that her internal dialogue about her self-worth as it relates to money, and in general, has shifted over time. She explained, "I'd treat myself like a make-a-wish kid. Like, 'Congrats. You won this little raffle on Twitter. You actually didn't send a tape. It was actually just a random giveaway. They were giving away the lead role on a Netflix show and you won. Congrats!' I adopted that mentality for myself, which is very bad because it's not true."

"I definitely was in the right place at the right time. There is 100 percent an element of luck, especially in this biz," she continued. "But I do give myself credit for the fact that talent is what kept me there."

Ramakrishnan also credits her mother with helping her to pull those feelings out of herself. She said, "I went about learning how to advocate for myself [by] just growing some courage, understanding my self-worth, and where I want to be and how I want to be respected and how I want to be treated."

With that in mind, as she takes on more roles and brand deals, and tackles video game streaming on Twitch, Ramakrishnan shares her team has had to advise her on what passion projects may be worth doing for free, and getting paid what she's owed for others. "There's a reason why they call it the movie-making business. Not the movie-making passion. It's the movie-making business first, which sucks," she said.

"There are times where in this lovely capitalist society they will take advantage of you when they can," the Netflix star added. "It's not always about being greedy, but sometimes it's actually just about respecting yourself in an industry where my services as an individual that entails my likeness and my name, my person, it has its spot in a marketplace."

"That was kind of weird to wrap around at 17," she shared. "You are part of a marketplace. Your entity as a being, you yourself as a person, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is now a business. Where do you fit in the marketplace?"

Ramakrishnan also acknowledged that she's still working on being confident in her career and herself. "I like to say I am 5 years old in the industry. That's it. Just a 5-year-old," she shared. "There's so much left to do to not prove to others, but just prove to myself—to add more ammunition for my own overthinking thoughts, for that one annoying voice in my brain that keeps saying I'm a make-a-wish kid."

Ramakrishnan opens up more about navigating her whirlwind success while still a teenager, her decision to pursue a college degree outside of acting, and more on the latest episode of "Nice Talk," which is available now wherever you listen to podcasts.

Summer House fans and "Giggly Squad" podcast listeners look to Paige DeSorbo for life and style advice, but the entrepreneur didn't always have her multihyphenate career figured out. In fact, she once had to turn to herself and follow her intuition for it to become what it is.

On the latest episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk," the reality TV star/influencer opened up about a time she felt powerless—and how she grew from the experience.

DeSorbo explained that she was "very scared" when her close friend and "Giggly Squad" podcast cohost Hannah Berner "was fired" from the Bravo TV show about a group of friends in the Hamptons in 2021 after season 5. Her exit came shortly after the two launched their podcast, and rather than listening to naysayers and thinking exclusively in her best interests, she stood by Berner.

"I was caught in the crossfire and it was so scary for both of us," she shared on "Nice Talk" of Berner's Summer House departure. "Then to be like, 'No let's just lean in more, buckle up'—'Giggly Squad' really took a turn."

DeSorbo explained that the moment put into perspective how overwhelming fan reaction can be, saying, "I think when Hannah was fired was probably one of the times in reality TV that I was like, 'Okay, well, I really don't know what to do. It was just very weird and it was all playing out, and it's not like everyone watching it knew every single thing that's ever happened because they can't put everything out on the show."

She continued, "That was a really difficult time because I was like, 'Am I going to get fired? Is this my career? What am I even doing outside of the show that I could continue to make money?' So, I was very scared."

DeSorbo shared people would ask her at the time if Berner's exit meant she was done collaborating with her on the then-new "Giggly Squad." She said, "It didn't even run through my mind. I got so taken aback when they asked me. I was like, 'Yeah, obviously, I'm going to keep doing 'Giggly Squad.' That's my friend. That's my real-life friend.' I was like, 'I don't care if 200 Jessicas from across the country can't stand her, that's my friend.'"

While DeSorbo noted that she could have considered how much backlash Berner received from Summer House viewers and how continuing their podcast could have been "not good for [her] brand," she also wanted to trust her intuition.

"We continued doing it," she said. "I think that was one of the moments where it was a real shift in me and how I was as a person and how I was as a friend. Because I was like, No, I'm not going to just drop her because the majority of people are not liking her. Who cares about the majority of people? I'm never meeting them. I don't know them. That is not right."

Ultimately, by trusting herself and looking out for Berner, "Giggly Squad" found its audience and grew into the viral lifestyle phenomenon that it is. DeSorbo shared, "We leaned into 'Giggly Squad ' even harder because we really did feel like ourselves and we felt connected with each other, and we were trauma bonded," she shared.

The Bravo personality spoke more about her experience with what she's learned by stepping into her power as an entrepreneur, her unique career path, and more on "Nice Talk," available wherever you listen to podcasts now.

Even as a child star surrounded by adults on the set of Nickelodeon's Victorious, Victoria Justice was unafraid to advocate for herself.

On the debut episode of Marie Claire's podcast Nice Talk with Nikki Ogunnaike, Justice recalls how she gained the confidence to speak up for herself while starring in Victorious.

"Even though I was young and I was in a world predominantly surrounded by adults, I think I recognized my power," says Justice, who appears on the cover of Marie Claire's music issue.

The singer and actress explains that she had a strong support system she could model herself after. "I had a lot of guidance in my life at that point, and I also have a very strong mother who isn't afraid to speak up," said Justice, who also appeared on Nickelodeon's Zoey 101 before leading her own show.

So when it came time to be first on the call sheet in Victorious—in which Justice played an aspiring singer attending a performing arts high school during a three-season run from 2010-2013—she felt empowered to talk about how she was "being treated."

Justice recalls, "I realized that even though I am a teenager, I still know what I'm talking about. I'm not an idiot. I have a voice and, respectfully, I'm going to let you know how I feel. And if I feel like I don't like the way that I'm being treated, or whatever it may be, I'm going to voice that."

The former child star shares that both having the proper guidance and her experience on Victorious has continued to impact how she carries herself in the industry today, especially as she pursues a career as an independent musician.

"I think that's trickled over into the way I am now," the performer says. "I definitely do advocate for myself. I'm not afraid to speak up."

She continues, "I feel like I need something different or I don't like the way things are going or if something just isn't working, I think it's important to always say something. It's like the squeaky wheel gets greased at the end of the day. Like, you can't be afraid to just ask at least or speak up for yourself. Because if you're not going to, then like who is?"