Flipflops Podcast

Toni Purry ran a successful LA-biased PR company for 10 years during a recession. After about 8 years, the PR rock star fell out of love with her company, but didn't know why. After she shut down her business, located in a gorgeous space in LA, she felt like "the biggest loser". Inspired by a documentary on Mohammed Ali, she took two days to write down all her life wins. The process was life-changing. Toni decided to write "My Hype Book', a motivational guided journal that will change the lens through which you see yourself. The book helps readers give themselves much needed grace in a world that pushes us to constantly chase arbitrary carrots. She ran a successful Kickstarter campaign that funded  the printing of the book. Toni has generously offered 5$ off the book to us! (Use the code: FLIPFLOPSHYPE when you buy the book here.) 

Toni and I talk about why she fell out of love with her business, how she robbed herself and her employees by not celebrating their wins, and how she suffered in silence when she was uncertain about whether or not to make a career pivot. Toni shares how journaling through her book will not only shift your mindset by turning your perceived failures into wins, but help you surrender to the journey, instead of constantly setting the barre so high you exhaust yourself, and lose sight of how amazing you are. 

Toni is one of the warmest women I have had the chance to speak to. She is a Positioning & Visibility Strategist available to speak at events, facilitate workshops, and work one-on-one with clients who need strategic help hyping their brand. You can purchase the book here. Just use the code FLIPFLOPSHYPE to receive 5$ off. 

Toni Purry IG 

My Hype Book IG 

Flipflops IG

I love this woman! Formerly a Hollywood Marketing Executive, Celebrity Chef Katie Chin pivoted her career when her mother reintroduced her to cooking (and eating!) Together they wrote a cookbook and had their own PBS cooking show filmed in Hawaii. Sadly, her mother passed but Katie kept going. She started her own catering business called Wok Star Catering and has cooked for Cyndi Lauper, Nate Berkus, Anna Sui, Sandra Oh and a host of other celebs. She has been a judge on Iron Chef! She has cooked at the White House and met the Obamas. (What a cute encounter she had with them!) In March of 2020 when the pandemic hit and events stopped, Katie started a virtual cooking show with her daughter on a whim. This led to a whole new business. Katie has written 5 cookbooks. Her latest "Katie Chin's Global Family Cookbook" just came out on June 22nd. The book is a celebration of diversity and inclusion with food. I can't wait for you to hear her story and find out what she has learned along the way. SHOW NOTES: Katie Chin Website Katie Chin Instagram Buy "Katie Chin's Global Family Cookbook" Flipflops Podcast IG

It's time to gab with my creative soul mates about the plague of shame, using fear as a guide, the importance of respecting your own boundaries and defining success for yourself. It's also about how exploring questions can sometimes be more important than having definitive answers. This episode is therapeutic and liberating. 

40% Facts is comprised of four women and we each bring 10% to the table. In alphabetical order, Annabelle Agnew is a wedding & portrait photographer. Suzanne Bateman is a streetstyle and glamour photographer. Emeline Villedary is a landscape painter. I am a creative writer. 

Annabelle IG 

Suzanne IG 

Emeline IG 

Flipflops IG 

Read: Love Warrior for more on boundaries

As soon as I saw Liz Plank and the jewelry brand Litzi share their collaboration on Instagram, I wanted to have them on this podcast. Liz Plank is a huge inspiration to me as a journalist, as a writer and as a human being. I love the two women behind the jewelry brand Litzi. Lynda Guy and Alice Usiskin celebrate feminism, their lineage and create androgynous, emblematic pieces that suit everyone. I also adore their friendship story. 

On this episode, we get into how they are coping during isolation, the cheesy things that help them stay sane, and the meaning they've pulled from the global pandemic. We also discuss Liz's book For The Love of Men, and why the trio created two lines of jewelry. The first (worn by Kristen Bell and Shawn Mendes!) is the "Let Boys Cry" line and the second is the "Empathy" line. 

Liz shares how she is transitioning away from the codependency propagated by idealized masculinity when men are trained to numb their feelings and women are left to do the emotional labor.

This chat is one of the highlights of my career and a personal treasure. Enjoy! 

The Jewelry: Liz x Litzi

The Book: For The Love of Men

The Inner Compass Cards

Liz Plank IG

Litzi IG

Angelique Gay IG

Flipflops IG

Recording this episode was a pinch-me moment. I discovered writer Thao Thai through one of my favorite blogs called Cupcakes & Cashmere. Her writing is exquisite. Thao also works part-time for Cubby, a weekly newsletter for busy parents at home with their kids from the editors of Apartment Therapy & Kitchn. 

Thao shares her first memory, how she gets unstuck, and her biggest takeaways from her MFA. We talk about how motherhood changed her relationship to writing, and how she discovered a new calling to help other moms. We talk about navigating big career changes and parting ways with other people's expectations in order to honor our true self. Thao generously agrees to read to us from some of her essays on keeping her name, her coffee ritual and what microaggressions feel like. 

Social Media: 

Thao Thai IG  

Angelique Gay IG 

Flipflops Podcast IG

Brooklynite Shani Silver has become the authority on changing the conversation around singlehood. She asks: Why are single men called "playboys" and single women labelled "pathetic"? 

We talk about how she is using self-forgiveness as a balm during the pandemic, and how she got unstuck and finally embraced her authentic career. She shares how she uses her anger towards injustice to fuel her creativity. We also get into fun stuff like candles, 90's movies and baking. This is a fun one!  

Shani Silver is a freelance humor essayist, podcaster and editor of Atta Girl on Medium.  Shani has built a unique community that empowers singles in a world that embraces the shadows of dating apps. 

Shani is also a writing coach. You can book a session with her here.

RESOURCES:  

Shani Silver's series on Refinery29  

Shani Silver's A Single Serving Podcast  

Shani Silver on IG

A Single Serving Podcast on IG