This week is the inaugural SOLO episode! Ally dives into her current favorites (Gilmore Girls, books, etc.) and her tips for thriving as a busy student. She also shares a little message about academic validation and mental health of course. Even if you aren't a student, hopefully these tips are still helpful or simply entertaining ;)

Catch the latest on IG @ourplaygroundpod

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Today’s guest is Gia Lee, the co-founder of NinetyEight, an LA-based marketing agency run by Gen Z. They’ve worked with brands including PepsiCo, Meta, Paul Frank (if you guys remember Julius The Monkey) and Fabletics on creative strategy, Gen Z consulting, and social media. In this episode, Gia shares how NinetyEight came about, what Gen Z is looking for in brands, and her best lessons as a young entrepreneur. 

Find NinetyEight here.

LETS BE FRIENDS - TikTok

Stockholm-based interior architect Alyssa Anselmo is joining us on Our Playground this week! Now, while I’m not an expert in this industry, Alyssa has designed some pretty insane spaces. She’s the founder of Studio Anva and has a TikTok community of nearly 150k followers. In this episode, Alyssa shares when she first knew that design was her calling, how she designed a dreamy childcare center, and her thoughts on the future of this industry. 

*thank you for bearing with the audio in this episode;)*

Connect with Alyssa - TikTok

Studio Anva - anva.studio

LETS BE FRIENDS - TikTok

This week, Jaylah and I are going all in and doing a summer recap. We talk about our current fixations (the new Glossier Balm Dot Com👀, Kourtney Kardashian's new brand), traveling, Airbnb scams, what we are looking forward to going into junior year, and much much more.

LETS BE FRIENDS - TikTok

Today we are joined by Rachel Shea. She’s a full-time model, content creator, and medical student with content that is truly unmatched. In this episode, we talk all things modeling, how she got started, her experience in the industry as well as what it has been like growing her TikTok. We also get into her recommendations for first time readers (she has the coolest bookshelf), why she turns down almost 75% of the brands that reach out, and her advice when it comes to setting boundaries and putting yourself out there. Follow Rachel on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@rachelshea_?lang=en. Connect with Ally - https://www.tiktok.com/@alllyphan?lang=en

Today we are diving into everything that has to do with brand design with Alyssa Nguyen. At just 22 years old, the graduate from Princeton decided that she didn’t want to take on the conventional corporate route. Instead, Alyssa has built a successful WOC focused brand design studio, where she helps brands with their creative direction to the best social media strategies. In this episode, Alyssa shares how she went from pre-med in college to then starting her studio during the pandemic, after working three minimum wage jobs by the way. We also get into how her Vietnamese culture has played into building her career and her best advice for getting into brand design, which actually involves building fake brands, believe it or not. For more, check out https://alyssatnn.com/ and follow Alyssa @atnndesign. Don't forget to follow and review the show and connect with Ally on TikTok.

Have you ever thought about deleting Instagram? Today's guest did just that. Meet Anastasia Vlasova. At 19-years old, she is a digital wellness activist, the host of the Our Turn To Talk Podcast, where she has conversations around mental health and self-acceptance, and a student at NYU Gallatin. In this episode, Anastasia walks us through her childhood living in Moscow, how her first experience with mental health started with her tennis account, and how periodic digital detoxes eventually led to her to getting rid of social media permanently. We also talk about her first year at NYU (hint: it's been amazing!) and where she is at right now in her mental health activism journey. Don't forget to follow and review the show! Connect with Ally on TikTok.

Afshan Nasseri is the founder of Aam Creative, a digital marketing and PR agency run by women of color that bring brands to life through ripe storytelling. On the show today, Afshan takes us through her childhood growing up as a South Asian and Muslim girl in North America, the role that mangoes have played into building the agency, and why Aam Creative is breaking the molds on what it means to build a brand. We also get into what she thinks is the future of digital marketing and her thoughts on being less emotional when it comes to your career. Learn more about Aam Creative here: https://www.instagram.com/aamcreative/ Don't forget to follow and review the show! Follow Ally here: https://www.tiktok.com/@allyphann?lang=en

This week, Ayla and Ally sit down to catch up about their thoughts on Harry Styles' new album, Harry Styles as a whole, and Ayla's quest to save up for a front row seat at his next concert. Please enjoy our ramblings. This is not sponsored by Harry Styles or Pleasing. Don't forget to follow and review the show! Follow us at https://www.tiktok.com/@ourplaygroundpod?lang=en

Hayley Caddes is the founder and CEO of the recently launched mental health app Chill Pill. Her first experience with mental health started in the troubled teen industry at 16 and after years of inpatient therapy, Hayley went on to earn a masters in chemical engineering at Columbia and was the director of a STEM and entrepreneurship program for high school students. Now, she’s building something she wished she had, a community of people who just get it. In this episode, Hayley talks about navigating her unique mental health journey through the troubled teen industry which Paris Hilton has spoken about on her platform, what she hopes Chill Pill will bring to the conversation, and Hayley’s genius advice for boosting your self-esteem. Follow Chill Pill here: https://www.instagram.com/chillpill_app/ Download Chill Pill: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/chill-pill-mental-health-app/id1600090754?utm_source=chillpill&utm_medium=LIB&utm_campaign=launch Don't forget to follow and review the show!