What does it take to reinvent yourself, professionally and personally, without losing trust in who you are? 

In this episode of If I’m Honest, Julia sits down with longtime friend Yasmin Shahida, Senior Director of PR at Oatly, to talk about career pivots, corporate communications, confidence, and the power of embracing discomfort. Yasmin shares her journey from broadcast journalism at CBS News to shaping brand storytelling at some of today’s most culturally relevant companies, including The Wing, Away, and Oatly.

 

They dive into what corporate communications actually means, how brands navigate culture and crisis moments, and why authenticity matters more than ever in a world driven by social media and trends. Yasmin also opens up about trusting your instincts, walking away from paths that no longer fit, and why “starting from scratch” can be one of the most powerful things you do for yourself.

 

Plus: food trends, caffeine-free living, NYC restaurant culture, manifestation, travel recommendations, and the mindset shifts that helped Yasmin build a career and life that feel aligned.

 

Buckle up for an honest conversation about ambition, reinvention, resilience, and learning to trust yourself through change. 

 

Find Yasmin on Instagram and TikTok at @traveleatnyc and on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasminshahida/

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Season 4 of If I’m Honest with Julia Landauer.

In this special kickoff episode, Julia shares the personal and professional journey behind the evolution of the podcast, from stepping away from a 20+ year racing career to rebuilding identity, purpose, and life outside the driver’s seat.

 

Julia opens up about the grief and uncertainty that came with leaving racing behind, the lessons she learned navigating corporate life at NASCAR, and why moving back to New York after a decade in Charlotte felt like coming home. She also reflects on the growth of If I’m Honest, from solo episodes about confidence, rejection, and external validation to candid conversations with incredible guests across industries.

 

Season 4 is entering a new era: honest, in-person conversations with people who are building meaningful things; businesses, careers, brands, art, communities, and lives they’re proud of. Expect conversations about ambition, setbacks, resilience, reinvention, and the realities behind long-term success.

 

This season features corporate leaders, creatives, founders, producers, athletes, scientists, and more, all sharing the lessons they learned while building something meaningful.

 

Buckle up. We’re just getting started.

 

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As season three of If I’m Honest with Julia Landauer comes to a close, I share five impactful lessons I learned throughout 2024. From navigating corporate life to appreciating impressive personal moments among friends, I reflect on a year of growth and transition. I discuss why good communication is so tough (and how to improve it), the importance of cherishing your unique perspective, and the comforting reminder that everyone is learning on the fly. I also highlight how AI is transforming productivity and creativity and is something we should all be knowledgeable about. And I give a well-deserved shout-out to parents—true superheroes in my eyes.

 

As we wrap up the year and this season, I share some thoughts on living more presently and intentionally, and encourage you to check in with yourself as we head into the holidays. Thank you for being on this journey with me, and as always, thank you for letting me be honest with you.

 

Learn more about Julia Landauer at https://julialandauer.com/
 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on If I’m Honest, I sit down with Francesca Hogi, a former-lawyer-turned-matchmaker and love coach. A fellow contestant from Survivor Season 26, which is how we met, Francesca discuses her insights on redefining love and navigating modern dating. She shares how a turning point in her 30s inspired her to leave a life she didn’t love and jump into something new, even without a clear plan. We explore her lifelong fascination with love, her unique approach to matchmaking, and her thoughts on the current dating climate. Francesca also dives into her four dating archetypes (you can take the quiz at francescahogi.com!), her TED Talk on “The Fairytale Industrial Complex,” and why dating apps aren’t having their best moment. She also opines on why parents can sometimes be “better daters,” why women face more disempowering programming around love, and her concerns around AI and dating.

 

Learn more about Francesca at https://francescahogi.com/ and listen to her podcast, Dear Franny here https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-dear-franny-59510007/

You can also follow Francesca on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dearfranny/ and watch her TED talk https://www.ted.com/talks/francesca_hogi_true_love_and_the_myth_of_happily_ever_after

 

Learn more about Julia Landauer at https://julialandauer.com/

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sequel, the femcare company behind The Spiral Tampon, is the first company in 80 years (!) to redesign the tampon. Sequel was founded by Stanford graduates and athletes, and I’m joined by co-founder and CMO Amanda Calabrese on this week’s episode of If I’m Honest with Julia Landauer. We discuss how personal experiences with menstruation in sports led Amanda and her co-founder Greta Meyer to research other people’s relationship with tampons for a product design class at Stanford. With grants secured immediately after college to research and develop their vision, they identified an issue with traditional tampon shapes and re-engineered the design. As a woman co-founder for a women-focused product seeking venture capital funding, which is largely male-dominated, Amanda learned the importance of storytelling and personal branding as a way to connect with people. We also discuss Sequel’s incredible early partnerships with Stanford Athletics, Athleta, USL Super League, and Athletes Unlimited and their future athlete roster.

Learn more about Sequel at https://www.trysequel.com/

Follow Sequel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trysequel and TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@trysequel

You can follow Amanda Calabrese at https://www.instagram.com/apcalabrese/

 

Learn more about Julia Landauer at https://julialandauer.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our culture seems to be hitting another spike in our obsession with reducing the effects of aging. In this week’s episode of If I’m Honest with Julia Landauer, I dive into some of the fuss about aging. I talk about Bryan Johnson, the man whose goal of “don’t die” leads him to spend $2M a year to measure and lower his biological age and increase longevity. I describe all the content, ads, and services we see in real life and online that are geared towards minimizing the effects of aging, as well as share my own desire to “maintain my youthful appearance” and what I subscribe to on the anti-aging front. I then share some research from Stanford University that observes age-related changes to the body and at what ages we experience peaks of physical decline. I end the episode by sharing five main things that we can all do to preserve our well-being, as well as suggested foods and nutrients we can consume that may contribute to longevity.

Research and Content Referenced:

Stanford Research on stages of age-related changes: https://www.wsj.com/health/wellness/feeling-suddenly-older-scientists-see-aging-waves-at-44-and-60-1a3fd814?mod=djem10point

New York Times article on suggested foods for longevity: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/02/well/eat/foods-longevity-aging.html

Bryan Johnson on Andrew Schulz’s Flagrant podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAwePw-prCE

 

Learn more about Julia Landauer at https://julialandauer.com/ 

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gary Klutt, a winner in the NASCAR Canada Series, podcast host, real estate developer, and wellness enthusiast joins me on this week’s episode of If I’m Honest with Julia Landauer. Having originally met in the 2016 NASCAR Next class, we discuss all things racing, career dreams, healthy living, family, and racers who crashed us out at Mosport. Gary shares how his racing career started in a parking lot in a go-kart, the scrappy ways he raised money to go racing, and how he navigated his racing goals with his bigger life goals. We continue on a discussion about how the international NASCAR series are the end goal for many, the importance of sports for kids’ development, and how being a lifelong enthusiast is a more sustainable way to pursue passions. We end our conversation by nerding out on our health and wellness practices, one of which involves taping his mouth shut.

 

You can follow Gary on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garyklutt/?hl=en

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thegarykluttpodcast

X: https://x.com/garyklutt?lang=en

 

Listen to Julia on Gary’s Podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/julia-landauer-woman-in-auto-racing-survivor-motivational/id1587155067?i=1000631930976

 

Learn more about Julia Landauer at https://julialandauer.com/

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When my communications coach asked me how I come down off the high of giving a keynote, I was perplexed because I had never tried to actively come down off that feeling. That discussion got me thinking about natural highs, which I explore in this episode of If I’m Honest with Julia Landauer. I talk about the euphoric feeling of a natural high, the science behind how our brains produce this sensation, and things we can do in our day-to-day lives to capture that feeling. I also explain things like where the word “endorphin” comes from, what endocannabinoids are, and things to watch out for. I then pivot to a broader discussion around pleasure; specifically, our cultural tendency to minimize pleasure, why I think that’s problematic, and the greater impact it has on our lives. Because why would we try to minimize things that bring us joy and happiness, especially when the world can be so cruel and dark? Lastly, I share a call to action for how to maximize our chances of feeling joy, happiness, and pleasure.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addition, contact The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 1-800-662-HELP (4357) and https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline

You can also call 988 or 911 in the case of an emergency.

Research for this episode:

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/you-had-a-big-win-at-work-but-that-was-last-month-6a9a0039?mod=djem10point https://www.chapmanrehab.com/post/whats-a-natural-high#:~:text=A%20natural%20high%20is%20actually,without%20the%20use%20of%20drugs.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-truth-behind-runners-high-and-other-mental-benefits-of-running

 

Learn more about Julia Landauer at https://julialandauer.com/

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ash Kalita (known as ashvandelay on social media) is a motorsports Twitch streamer and creator who joins me on this week’s episode of If I’m Honest with Julia Landauer. A fellow New Yorker who also went to one of the specialized public high schools, we immediately bonded over our similar backgrounds that unexpectedly led to careers in motorsports. Ash shares how her Polish heritage led her to root for Robert Kubica in Formula 1, how she found online communities through playing video games during the pandemic, and why she sets boundaries around parasocial relationships online. We also dive into the beauty of the community of women content creators in motorsports, abandoning internal misogyny, and the increase of brands advertising to women in motorsports. I ask Ash to share how she got her gig with Red Bull Oracle Racing, to which she emphasizes the importance of in-person face time and gives a pro-tip for working in corporate. Lastly, we touch on her approach to content creation, her role models in motorsports (shout out to Lyn St. James!) and we end with a rapid fire If You’re Honest.

Follow Ash on:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ashvandelay

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashvandelay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AshVandelay

X (Formerly Twitter): https://x.com/ashvandelay

And you can visit her website here: https://www.ashvandelay.com/

 

Articles Referenced: https://www.femalesinmotorsport.com/post/female-fan-abuse-in-f1-was-drive-it-out-just-hollow-words

Grid Clique: https://www.gridclique.com/

 

Learn more about Julia Landauer at https://julialandauer.com/

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode of If I’m Honest with Julia Landauer dives into our first topic around the mental side of human performance: emotions and emotional intelligence. Historically, emotions were seen as a hindrance to success, and only recently are we shifting that ideology. Prompted by a David Brooks op-ed that explains how we actively need emotions to make good decisions, I dive into the benefits of properly processing and regulating emotions. I share Marc Brackett’s RULER Method of emotional processing, explain why I think it’s important to lean into negative emotions in order to drive change, and I share a potentially-controversial Instagram post from Dan Koe.

Articles Referenced: David Brooks Op-Ed: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/15/opinion/emotions-feelings-intelligence.html?searchResultPosition=1

Carroll Izard Research on Emotions: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2723854/ Dan Koe

Instagram Post: https://www.instagram.com/p/C-0J3_PP6SY/?igsh=NTc3dmV5azFuNTV0

Learn more about Julia Landauer at https://julialandauer.com/

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.