Confident Collective

Love is in the air. We've deemed February LOVE month on TCC! Single or not, we're talking about it all this month - sex, dating, relationships, intimacy… ALL of it. This episode is with a very special guest, Dr. Viviana, licensed relationship and sex therapist and intimacy expert. We had her on the podcast last July, so this is a long awaited part 2 where she answers YOUR sex and relationship questions! This episode covers everything from how to talk to your partner about money and budgeting, to avoiding the most common mistake new parents make, to how to know if you would be down for an open relationship. There's so much great relationship advice and tactical tips from Dr. Viviana for you to takeaway from this episode, and we hope it helps cultivate more love in your life.

"I don't think that this should be the time to focus on the pressure of celebrating Valentine's Day. It's more about commemorating that love can show up in your life in all sorts of ways, so it's celebrating the love you do have." - Dr. Viviana

What we talk about:

• Raeann gives a dating life update

• Kristina reflects on chasing the hustle and her struggle feeling proud of herself for her accomplishments

• Inside Kristina's partnership with Victoria's Secret and how she's helping to represent people in bigger bodies

• Quick tips for people spending Valentine's day solo

• How to start communicating about money & spending habits with your partner

• Dealing with insecurity in relationships

• Advice for couples who are new parents going through a transition in their relationship after having their first child

• Tips for prioritizing your relationship after having kids

• Sexual desire discrepancy explained and how to fix it

• What is needed in order for an open relationship to work

• Tips for supporting a partner dealing with depression

"Do not lose sight of the fact that you were a couple first, you will hopefully be a couple forever, and you can be both (a mom and a partner) without losing one or the other." - Dr. Viviana

New podcast episodes of Confident Collective drop every Tuesday.

Resources:

• Kristina's obsessed with: inspiring, powerful women like the founder of Nest NYC home fragrances Laura Slatkin and this Barefoot Dreams robe

• Raeann's product of the week: Ginger lemonade by VYBES

• Dr. Viviana's book, The 4 Intimacy Styles

• Take the 4 Intimacy Styles Quiz

• Follow us on Instagram: @confidentcollective

• Follow the Hosts/Founders: @kristinazias & @raeannlangas

• Learn more: https://www.theconfidentcollective.com/

• Stay in the know with our newsletter!

ADULT FRIENDSHIPS. We've gotten some questions about how to make friends as adults, so Raeann and Kristina are sharing how they've done it in this episode! R+K both moved to new cities in their early twenties and had to make a new family of friends, so they know how hard to find but extremely necessary those relationships are. You'll learn from Kristina and Raeann's personal stories and hopefully become inspired to go out and make those connections. Rae and Kristina also give some tips and encouragement for putting yourself out there and even provide examples for what to say to get the conversation started. Whether you've moved to a new city or simply want to create more aligned friendships for who you are now, we hope this episode gives you the advice you've been looking for. Here's to new, fun and fulfilling friendships!

"Using your existing network to help you make friends in your new city can be a really good launching pad for you." -Kristina

What we talk about:

• How obsessed we are with Athletic Greens, Dr. Dennis Gross peel pads and Summer House

• How Raeann is feeling about dating right now and her latest dating story

• How Kristina and Raeann first made friends when they moved to LA

• How Raeann initially reached out to Kristina

• Tips for cultivating or nurturing casual relationships

• Where to find friends

• Ask Away with Rae and K: How to make big decisions/when to know it's right to move away from family to be with a significant other.

"The scariest thing is putting yourself out there. Remember that everyone wants this connection. They're probably wanting to make friends too." - Raeann

New podcast episodes of Confident Collective drop every Tuesday.

Resources:

• Kristina's product of the week: Athletic Greens

• Raeann's product of the week: Dr. Dennis Gross peel pads

• Follow us on Instagram: @confidentcollective

• Follow the Hosts/Founders: @kristinazias & @raeannlangas

• Learn more: https://www.theconfidentcollective.com/

• Stay in the know with our newsletter!

Did you travel for the holidays? As you may know, traveling and the logistics around it can take a lot of preparation and energy, not to mention funds. Rae and K are not the most efficient travelers, so they've invited Janelle on a Jet, travel expert and content creator, on the podcast to share tips for saving coin, traveling smarter, and seeing the world. We've been cooped up for a while now, and we hope this episode inspires you to start dreaming up your next trip and gives you the tools to confidently make it happen.

Janelle Rupkalvis is a travel expert and content creator who began expanding her world after a life changing trip to Iceland in 2018. She dove head first into the world of travel, learning about how to find the best deals, earn points and miles, and plan adventure packed trips - both solo and with friends and family. She has now been to 19 countries and continues to share her travel tips and adventures through social media.

"There are different avenues to make travel more accessible for everyone. And once I started getting into it, it opened my eyes and I realized I can go to more than 1 place in 5 years; I can go to 5 places in 1 year!" - Janelle

What we talk about:

• Traveling solo and safely as a woman

• How to utilize points and miles in travel to save money

• Advice for someone who's never traveled and doesn't know where to begin

• Best cities for solo travel

• How to find the best hostels

• How to feel like you're traveling in luxury

• Credit cards with the best perks and how to use bonus categories

• How to use Google Flights to find the best deals

• Janelle's favorite airline to use to fly to Europe

• TSA precheck, global entry, Clear: differences and benefits of signing up

• Tips for booking a trip with a friend

• Where Janelle wants to go next

• Traveling during COVID times

"Everyone's wanting to travel. We've been cooped up for forever so this is a great time to start diving in to learn more and get excited. Let's go travel the world!" - Janelle

New podcast episodes of Confident Collective drop every Tuesday.

Resources:

• Janelle's Tik Tok

• Janelle's instagram

• Sign up for Janelle's group trip to Bali Oct 8-15, 2022

• Apps for travel:

  • Hostel World

  • Hotel Tonight

  • Lounge Buddies

  • Priority Pass

  • Thrifty Traveler: use code JANELLE10

  • Google Translate, Google Flights

• Obsessed with items:

  • The FLO app

  • Lux Unfiltered tanning cream

  • Bondi Sands dark tanning foam

  • Ole Henriksen peptide boost moisturizer

• Follow us on Instagram: @confidentcollective

• Follow the Hosts/Founders: @kristinazias & @raeannlangas

• Learn more: https://www.theconfidentcollective.com/

• Stay in the know with our newsletter!

We're back from the holiday break! So obviously we're catching you up on what we've been up to. Raeann went to Cabo with her family to live her best life, and Kristina was with her family in New Jersey. Hear about Kristina and Steve's exploration of homes in the NJ/NY area and if they're making any offers. Then, Kristina and Raeann share what they really think about resolutions, what their intentions are for the new year and what goals they're working towards. From the internal work of trusting ourselves and taking better care of our health to living abroad for the summer and the physical challenge of ½ marathon training, there's a lot to look forward to in 2022! Finally, we give our advice for a listener's question about how to approach motherhood while sticking to your career path, and if you can do both.

"Resolutions set you up for failure. Good habits can start immediately. You can make changes in your life at any point." - Kristina

What we talk about:

• What we're obsessed with right now: TV shows, recipe & book recs

• Did Raeann have any romance in Cabo?

• Should Raeann go on this YouTube dating show? Or be the Bachelorette? Weigh in!

• The update on Kristina's potential move to the east coast

• Things we want to accomplish this year

• How we're challenging ourselves

"It's something I want to prove to myself that I can do. I have been told by myself and society what fitness or a runner looks like. But I want to run 13.1 miles with my size 12 ass and kill it and prove to myself that I can do it." - Raeann

New podcast episodes of Confident Collective drop every Tuesday.

Resources:

• Books mentioned:

  • "Untamed" by Glennon Doyle

  • "The Universe Has Your Back" by Gabby Bernstein

• Follow us on Instagram: @confidentcollective

• Follow the Hosts/Founders: @kristinazias & @raeannlangas

• Learn more: https://www.theconfidentcollective.com/

• Stay in the know with our newsletter!

The episode Raeann has been hyping up for weeks is finally here! After we spoke to Dara Dubinet, Raeann called her mom and said, "I just met someone who's going to change my life." If you're into astrology or human design, you're going to LOVE this episode. Dara Dubinet joins us to explain Astrogeography - the astrology of place - and how we can use this tool to tap into our soul's wish and know where in the world will energetically benefit us. Dara tells Raeann and Kristina where they'll find the best energy for their desires and needs right now. If you're feeling lost in your relationships, career or life in general, astrogeography could be a really great place for you to start putting the puzzle pieces together and creating the life you've been dreaming about.

We hope everyone is healthy, taking time to relax and reset for the new year. We'll be back with our next new episode on January 11th.

"Astrogeography is the Astrology of place. There are some places that are going to make you feel really good, and some that don't. Astrogeography is the first thing to look at if you're having any problems whatsoever because then you're like 'oh, that's why I feel this way.'" - Dara Dubinet

What we talk about:

• What Astrogeography is and how to utilize it

• The energies of each planet

• Where Raeann should go for more passion and love

• Where Kristina will feel more empowered with her career

• Listening to and trusting your intuition

• The most important lines to watch for finding your dharma or purpose

"We change, we aren't the same at 34 as we are at 54. We gotta roll with the changes and we have to honor our intuition first." - Dara Dubinet

New podcast episodes of Confident Collective drop every Tuesday.

Resources:

• Dive in to Dara's resources: https://daradubinet.com/

• Follow Dara on Instagram: @daradubinet

• Find your own map: https://horoscopes.astro-seek.com/astrocartography-online-astro-map-relocation

• Follow us on Instagram: @confidentcollective

• Follow the Hosts/Founders: @kristinazias & @raeannlangas

• Learn more: https://www.theconfidentcollective.com/

• Stay in the know with our newsletter!

2021 has been a LOT and we all deserve a hug and pat on the back. We made it! In this episode, Raeann and Kristina get real honest about the struggles they've faced, what they're most proud of, what changes have made the biggest impact on their lives, what they want to keep working on in 2022 and more. Everyone's going through a different season, and whether it's been the best year, the worst or both, there's always good in it somewhere.

P.S. There won't be an episode the first week of January, so the 4th as we take time off to be with family.

"In your 20's you are expected to mess up and not know what the heck you're doing or what you want to do. In your 30's you're supposed to have it all together. So to be in your 30's and thinking 'wait a minute…what do I want?' has been something super interesting to reflect on." - Kristina

"How sad that we used to have these messages that working on yourself is shameful because you're not a perfect human being? News flash: we aren't and we never will be. All you can do is continue to work on yourself." - Raeann

What we talk about:

• Holiday stresses and remembering to give yourself grace

• Taking care of yourself as well as you take care of others

• Raeann reflects on her 2021 vision board and what's come true

• The full story behind this Instagram post

• What relationships have meant to Raeann in 2021

• Advice for new parents: What has helped Kristina and Steve's relationship and what's been hard about their first year as parents

• How important it is to get to know yourself and invest in yourself

• What Raeann and Kristina think of therapy

• The correlation between career and confidence and what's next for Raeann and Kristina

• Allowing the good and the bad to coexist in life

"I think overall, being able to open up to a therapist and to my friends, and being really vulnerable and honest that I'm not perfect, I don't have it all together I think is what I need to keep doing more and more of." - Kristina

"When you get to a point where you're just functioning and safe, that's when you start to feel like a shift is going to be coming- you have that desire to grow and spread your wings." - Raeann

New podcast episodes of Confident Collective drop every Tuesday.

Resources for Episode 65:

• Adele's interview with Oprah

• Astrology with Alice Bell (episode 23)

• Follow us on Instagram: @confidentcollective

• Follow the Hosts/Founders: @kristinazias & @raeannlangas

• Learn more: https://www.theconfidentcollective.com/

• Stay in the know with our newsletter!

Welcome expert dating coach Amy Nobile to the Confident Collective podcast! Amy seriously has the BEST dating advice, like how to have an optimal first date (30-minute FaceTime screening, sign us up!), how to set up your online dating profile for success, how to determine if you are - or the person you're dating is - really ready for a serious relationship, tips for making the first move on Bumble and a whole lot more! We really cover it all when it comes to the dating game, so check out this episode to give your dating rulebook the update it needs.

"Your person wants you as you are. Exactly the age you are, exactly the weight you are, exactly you." - Amy Nobile

What we talk about:

• What's on our Christmas list

• Obsessed with: Nikolas' first birthday and Astrocartography

• Tips for your dating profile: do's and don'ts

• Common mistakes people make on their profile

• The 4 boxes you need to check after the third date to know if it's going somewhere

• The question you CAN ask on the first date

• Benefits of having a first date roadmap

• Being aware of the patterns you're creating that could be keeping you stuck

• Why alcohol may not be the best idea on your first date

• Advice for how to decide when you should sleep with someone

• Tips for making the first move on Bumble

"You can only love someone as deeply as you love yourself." - Amy Nobile

New podcast episodes of Confident Collective drop every Tuesday.

Resources:

• Follow Amy on Instagram: @love.amy.nyc

• Learn more about Amy's work here.

• Follow us on Instagram: @confidentcollective

• Follow the Hosts/Founders: @kristinazias & @raeannlangas

• Learn more: https://www.theconfidentcollective.com/

• Stay in the know with our newsletter!

Do you feel pressure to lose weight before going home or seeing family around the holidays? Are you nervous about hearing comments about your weight from family members?

If you answered yes to either of those, you're not alone. Raeann and Kristina have always felt the pressure of losing weight before coming home at the risk of hearing unwanted comments from family. Although we know they may have good intentions or honestly don't know how their comments affect you, it's time to take your power and voice back.

In this episode, Rae and K share ways in which you can reframe the conversation with your family so they know how confident you are in your body. It may take a while to get comfortable standing up for yourself, but just keep speaking up. You never know who in your family you could inspire to break free of the pressure themselves by letting them know how you truly feel.

"I've always felt like I can't go home without losing weight. Like my family will think, 'Oh my god, what happened to her?' I'll hear comments or they'll be like, 'You need to lose weight.' Or I'll feel like I can't have another treat or everyone's watching me eat. And that's a terrible feeling. I've always felt like that. Growing up I always felt like because I was the bigger sibling, I was being watched." - Kristina Zias

What We Talk About:

• Recap of Raeann's Denver trip to visit with family including a dating update and story

• Addressing disappointments and expectations while dating

• Find out what happened when Raeann sent a sexy photo

• Kristina talks about Nikolas' first haircut, opens up about the struggles she faces as a working mom and how she plans to have more support in the future

• Unrealistic expectations from Instagram about a post-partum body

• A message for women who want to lose weight before having a baby

• Confronting thoughts about losing weight before the holidays or feeling guilty about indulging

• How to respond to comments about your weight with family

• How you can reframe the conversation about weight and food understanding your parents' generation was raised with a lot of unhealthy thought patterns when it comes to weight and dieting

• Ask Away Segment: How do I deal with loneliness in a new city when my only friends are preparing for a new baby?

"I've never told a guy I like him. It's very rare that I actually really like someone. But you know what? I was not embarrassed, I was not ashamed. I was really open and said, 'I like you' and I'm proud of myself for that." - Raeann Langas

New podcast episodes of Confident Collective drop every Tuesday.

Resources:

• Follow us on Instagram: @confidentcollective

• Follow the Hosts/Founders: @kristinazias & @raeannlangas

• Learn more: https://www.theconfidentcollective.com/

Stay in the know with our newsletter!

Today we're talking to Alli Schaper, aka the Mushroom Queen. She is the Co-Founder + CEO of The Multiverse. The Multiverse is an ecosystem for all things fungi with the mission to make functional mushrooms sexy and create education and collaboration amongst the psychedelics industry. She is no doubt the expert on shrooms and has truly opened our minds about the many incredible benefits of functional, psychedelic and culinary mushrooms (which FYI: humans have been using for thousands of years.)

"There's a different benefit for each mushroom individually, but overall they are incredible for immune health, skin health, gut health, and cognitive function." - Alli Schaper

Although there's been a lot of stigma around the use of functional and psychedelic mushrooms, we're now able to look at the science to direct us into understanding how they can really help us. From mental health and microdosing studies to swapping coffee for mushrooms to aid in our physical health, we got a full rundown of why mushrooms are the next big trend in wellness.

"Everything you kind of need health wise - there's a mushroom for that." - Alli Schaper

Alli's team has launched the world's first functional mushroom marketplace at yourmultiverse.com, and is set to launch SuperMush, their in-house CPG brand, Fall 2021. Alli is most often caught talking about how mushrooms can save the world, and is passionate about serving as an ally in bringing the future of psychedelics to the mainstream wellness conversation. Connect with her @allischaper.

"When you feel good, you want to do good. And when you feel more connected to the planet and those you share it with, you want to make an impact in the world. And that's really what mushrooms can teach us." - Alli Schaper

What We Talk About:

• The difference between and benefits of functional, psychedelic and culinary mushrooms

• A brief overview of how mushrooms have been used on earth throughout history

• Western culture's view of mushrooms and how they've become a trend in the wellness industry

• Mushrooms and mental health studies

• Types of mushrooms and their proven benefits

• Mushrooms in relation to the CBD/marijuana industry

• Meet Mycelium: the powerhouse underground root system that connects everything on earth

• What you need to know about microdosing

• How mushrooms affect us internally

• Benefits of mushroom coffee

• What to look for in a mushroom supplement

• How to incorporate functional mushrooms in our daily lives

New podcast episodes of Confident Collective drop every Tuesday.

Resources:

• Watch "Fantastic Fungi" on Netflix

• Third Wave website and podcast

• Double Blind magazine

• The Multiverse: Thrive Market for Mushrooms

• Alli Schaper on Instagram

• Michael Pollan's book: "How to Change Your Mind"

• Follow us on Instagram: @confidentcollective

• Follow the Hosts/Founders: @kristinazias & @raeannlangas

• Learn more: https://www.theconfidentcollective.com/

• Stay in the know with our newsletter!

Warning: we talk about a lot of shit in this episode (literally.) We are not responsible for the sore abs and tears you may experience while or after listening to this episode sharing our and your most embarrassing stories! Coming from two people who live their lives in between embarrassing moments, it was so fun reading, sharing and commenting on the stories you're able to look back and laugh at. Realizing other people have experienced similar things as your most embarrassing moments helps make them more entertaining and less lonely, right? At least, that is what we hope you take away from this episode - along with an improved mood, of course. Side note: we may be a comedy podcast now. You down?

"I don't have many embarrassing stories because honestly I feel like I'm an embarrassing person as a whole." - Kristina

What We Talk About:

• Real Housewives + Love Island stars' recent robbery news + Kristina's story about her home being robbed

• Bones/No Bones Tik Tok account explained by Raeann

• The NSFW text Raeann accidentally sent her trainer

• Raeann and Kristina share their most embarrassing stories

• Reading people's embarrassing stories like:

  • False rumors

  • Wardrobe mishaps

  • Lots of poop stories

  • A cautionary tale about accidental water enemas

  • Getting hit by a car before meeting a guy on a date

  • Sharting stories

  • Embarrassing text mistakes

  • Work mishaps

  • Period disaster stories

• Ask away with Rae and K: What's our favorite shape wear?

"I was strutting through this bar and I don't know what was on the floor but I ate shit! There's nothing more embarrassing than being on the ground and having to get up and be like, 'I'm fine!'" - Raeann

New podcast episodes of Confident Collective drop every Tuesday.

Resources:

• Follow us on Instagram: @confidentcollective

• Follow the Hosts/Founders: @kristinazias & @raeannlangas

• Learn more: https://www.theconfidentcollective.com/

• Stay in the know with our newsletter!