Q&A: Photo Tips, Summer Shopping, & Making Friends in a New City

Welcome to The In Between Podcast.

I'm Astrid. And I'm Alexis. And we're 2 best friends on a journey to living a fun, intentional life.

We know it's easier to share on a season of life once it's behind you, but what about when you're in the middle of the growth, confusion, and decision-making?

This lifestyle podcast is for the everyday gal who loves to travel, talk about business, relationships, fashion, and everything in between. Hello, hello friends, and welcome back to another episode of The In Between Pod. It's one half of the podcast, Alexis, and the other half, Astrid.

And today we have all of the energy. We are recording the day before we both fly out to Paris for a girls trip.

Yes.

So our mind is literally just all over the place, but the excitement is there, the energy's there. I hope that you are following along because whenever you listen to this, We will be in Paris and halfway through the trip. So showing all the fits, doing all the things. So, so excited.

I am genuinely so excited to one, just be with my girlfriends and create and just the free-flowing energy that when you're on a trip and you're not even thinking about work. I feel like that's a whole other aspect of vacation. I'm just so excited. I have— well, actually, by the time you listen to this, you won't know what the surprise is. But I have— one of my girlfriends asked what I was looking forward to most, and I'm surprising all my girlfriends with something on the trip, and they don't know what it is. And I'm really excited. So we'll have to do a recap.

Yes, please.

And tell them what it ends up being. And I can't wait to see your reaction. But so excited for all the conversations, the wine, the cheese. In the outfits.

Yes, everything. Also, um, when you listen to this, just follow us along on Thursday and Friday because we'll probably post about the surprise. And what has me the most intrigued is that the surprise is at 11 PM. I'm like, what could happen at 11 PM? Like, it's not a massage.

No, it's not a spa night.

Yes. Yeah, I am—

I'm not gonna give you any hints, actually. The only hint I gave the girls was like, Like, that is the night to dress up the most, is on Thursday night. So that's the only hint you get.

So pumped. It's gonna be amazing. I am so, so excited. And before we do, um, our episode, we wanna go ahead and jump into what you are in between.

Yes. Well, first off, this episode is all about like answering your questions for— so every month we gather your questions from Instagram. So please, if you see it on our stories, always put in a question or just DM us literally anytime. And we just pull together all the questions we receive throughout the month and we answer them live on the pod once a month. So today we're going to be answering your questions live. And we love this. I love getting to hear what you're navigating in life, what questions you have. So yeah, before we do that, let's do an in-between. What am I in between right now? Do you want to go first?

Yes, I can.

I'm going to kick it back to you.

Okay, sounds good. Mine's really simple, but it came up today as I was prepping for the trip that this is actually going to be the first trip in a really long time that I'm not going to be with work. Usually I'll be working on the plane when I first get there, and then I'm like, okay, now I can disconnect. Give me just a quick second need to upload these photos to send this off. And I'm just giving myself a very harsh deadline in line to do that. And I probably will still work a little bit at the airport, but once I get on the plane, it's genuine disconnection. And it's a matter of just gifting myself this time this week to recharge, to just play into that youthful energy of just, I'm not a business owner this week. I'm not an adult this week. We're just girls having fun in Paris.

Yeah.

And so it came up because Because we have an 8-hour flight there and an 8-hour flight back. And so I wanted to take a book to read. And all of my books are self-development books and I genuinely love them. And I don't want to self-develop on this trip.

No self-development will happen.

But just kind of having that light energy that a lot of times watching a movie or a TV show can bring. But I am feeling very overstimulated by screens. So I don't know that I want to watch like 8 hours worth of TV on the flight. So tonight I have to go buy a few things for the trip and I'm going to pick up a fiction book and I'm going to really just lean into that on the trip and disconnect. And I'm really excited for that.

Oh, you're going to be in your fiction reading girl era.

Yes, I don't know what that is. I think the last time I read a fiction was, um, The Hunger Games in high school.

Oh my God.

Like 10 years ago.

I think this is probably one of the ways that we're the most different.

Yes.

You read so much nonfiction, and I, I listen to a lot of podcasts, which is in a way nonfiction content, but when it comes to reading, like, I just want pure escapism. So I can't wait to hear like what this process is like for you and what book you read. But yeah, I'm all about the lighthearted energy for sure.

Yes, it's going to be so fun. What are you in between?

Gosh. Well, let's see here. I am very curious right now about— okay, over the last couple of weeks in particular, pretty much the whole month of April, I have really been Teetering into burnout land. And I can like feel that coming. And I have been there before. And I feel like once you get to burnout, it's really difficult to come back from it. Like once you're there, I feel like you're there for a little bit and then you just have to work to get out or like cut things out of your life so that you can have more margin. So I was feeling that coming on. And how that manifests for me, how burnout starts to— I can start to feel it coming is I want to quit everything. Like I literally want to clear everything. I don't want to do anything. I'm not excited about anything. Nothing's giving me energy. Everything just feels so like heavy and hard and like such a big lift. And I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa. Because when I start to feel like that, that is a huge indicator that something is off balance for me. And so when I stepped back and looked at what are aspects of my life that I can Tighten? What do I need to let go of right now? What do I need to put on pause? And so this month has actually been a month where I've been refining some of that, and I've been like closing some things, letting things down—not letting things down, letting things close, quitting things, pausing things—and I feel like by making those decisions quicker, I am like in between trusting myself. And I kind of mentioned this a little bit on the last episode around like just making decisions with more definitive energy. And I feel like this week I've really been like more boom, boom, boom. Like, this is hard. I know this is hard, but this is what's best right now. And that has just felt so good. So I feel like I have freed up space so that— and when I free up space, I feel more creative. So I'm ready to like step into that and even just ways to grow this podcast and just ways to create things that bring me joy that aren't tied to a strategy. I think everything with business can just feel very heavy. So that's kind of what I'm in between right now is letting some things go to make margin for things that feel lighter.

Wow. That's so great. I think that learning the power of Stopping and ending and quote unquote quitting things is so powerful because the emotional attachment that we can have to I don't want to let anyone down, or I actually do enjoy this. But at the end of the day, okay, we enjoy it, and is it aligning with your vision? Is it aligning with your goals, with who you want to become? And there comes a point, like as you keep refining your life, where it gets harder and harder to figure out. what it is that you want to quit and end and move forward. And I'm so proud of you for that because a lot of times we just keep stretching ourselves in order to make everything fit rather than, this is my life and I will choose what fits in here so that I can have that margin to breathe. And honestly, you're preaching right to me because I have been feeling that as well. And I feel like I need to do that. Your story is encouraging me to take some time even on the plane to reflect back on what are some things that I need to cut in my life or stop doing or that don't serve me anymore so that I can create more margin for the season to come. So thank you for sharing that.

Yeah, you're welcome. It's an evolution for sure. But I think walking into my 30s, I just want to feel more— I want to feel confident to start. Confident to stop and confident to keep going. And it's like that requires a level of awareness and like being really, really intuitive with, okay, when do I need to keep going? Like when do I need to kind of push through this roadblock? When do I actually need to stop? And then giving myself margin to start things after quitting things. Because then it's like, oh well, if you start this, you're just going to quit this again.

Yeah.

So it's like just that whole narrative around Starting, continuing, and quitting things. Um, it's just not taking it so seriously and not letting it be a part of your identity.

I love that. And finding the areas that you do need to be serious about and be like, all right, we're gonna go full in here, and now I'm gonna be soft and like just very much lighthearted in these other areas.

Yeah, big time.

I love it. Can't wait to be lighthearted with you this coming week.

Very excited, very excited. Shall we get into the audience questions?

Yes. Oh my gosh, I love when we do Q&As so much. Like, I don't know, getting to connect with you all, seeing all the different questions and things that you're curious about after hearing us, you know, once a week in your podcast listeners. And so the first question today is, I love this one. It says, all right, spill. I want to know who takes your single pictures. So she also sent a DM to elaborate a little bit more on this. Let me pull it up real quick. So it says, who takes your pictures whenever it's just a picture of you? For example, Alexis, whenever you were on a trip with your husband, there were so many cute pictures of you by yourself that I'm assuming your husband took of you. I've always wanted to know what those moments leading up to slash the after moments look like. I can't say I've ever been anywhere and said, hey hubby, Take a picture of me spinning in this escalator. Such a great question.

Love this. Love this. Okay. I love the question. I think there's a couple different aspects to this. I'm going to break it down actually into— and I know you have done a lot of solo travel as well. I think we both have a lot to offer on this topic. I want to break it down into asking someone to take your photo on I want to start there and then we'll break it down into no one's around at all. How do you get solo photos? Because I feel like we can kind of break it into like 2 different steps. So the first one, when it comes to Matthew and I, or even when I'm with friends, there is like an extreme level of comfort there. I know that they're not judging me. I'm not judging them. It's like, I just want to feel safe to play around with my outfit and play with my hair and spin around. And I will not ask you to take my photo if I don't feel comfortable with myself in front of you. So I think that's a base level is like, is there a comfort there? And knowing that that person is going to be patient with me. That's step 1. Step 2 is lowering your expectations of the shot. And so I would say 5 years ago when I was doing a lot of travel content, I had a very specific photo that I was trying to get. And what this would do is it would cause a lot of tension between me and mostly Matthew at the time because like, you know, he would take 100 and some photos and I'm like, you're still not getting it. So now what I'll do is I'll actually set up the shot first.

Mm-hmm.

So I will put him where I want to And I will like show him the angle, I'll show him the lighting, and then I'll even take a picture of him and I'll use him as my model first. And then I'll show it to him, he'll see it, he visualizes it, he's got it. There's just like, it just, we skip a bunch of steps. And then I get in front of the camera and I like to shoot for literally under 2 minutes, especially when I'm traveling and I'm in like a busy place. Like it's 60 seconds. 90 seconds. It's nothing long. And I think that's another aspect that can make it really fun and lighthearted. But when you're there on the Brooklyn Bridge for 10 minutes trying to get photos, that can really wear down the moment. So I'm always really mindful of that. And then when it comes to taking pictures of girlfriends, it's reciprocated. So if Astrid and I are on a girls trip, it's like, will you take a picture of me? Okay, now your turn. Okay, do you want some videos? Okay, let's try this lower angle. You want full body? Do you want close-up? Like really kind of, it's a collaborative, like fun experience. But I think it really comes back to that like comfort level first.

Yes, absolutely.

I'm brain dumped, but that's how I feel about like shooting with people.

I love it. But I'm not an expert, so you don't know. Honestly, you covered a lot of what I would recommend. Um, the only things that I would add to that is after you frame the shot, I feel like that is the best thing when you have someone that maybe isn't as comfortable with the camera or doesn't take photos. Just show them what you want, take the photo, and then just tell them literally just keep taking a ton of photos continuously. And that's how we get it within 2 minutes because it's like we move around. And then for you on the other side, which I'm a photographer and I will still get camera shy. And so I'm like, okay, I'm done. And I freak out. So the best way is to keep moving.

Yeah.

So it's fast for them. You'll definitely find a shot there that you like if you just keep moving around. And I will say from a photographer standpoint, making sure that they're holding the phone parallel to the body unless the person prefers it, if you prefer it angled down. But if it's coming from— so my boyfriend is 6'7 and I'm 5'10. And when he first started taking photos of me from a 6'7 point of view, my torso was the entire image and my legs were like this tiny little thing. And it does distort you. And then sometimes you'll look at it and be like, oh my gosh, I look terrible. No, I don't want any photos. And you start spiraling in your head.

Totally.

And it's literally just angles. Make sure they have it parallel to your body or a lower angle, which I really love to get the full outfit. And then I always say too, making sure to keep the legs in there and then just come in closer. For those 2 minutes. So start wide, come in close, like keep snapping away, and then you keep moving some forward, some side, some back, etc. Um, and yeah, like that's pretty much it. Set up the phone however you want it. And like, I love the idea of just look at the photos later. It's a process too. The more that you do it, the more comfortable you'll get and see like what are your good angles. But really, it's a great way to still be present while traveling, still present with the person, get the photos that you want, but for them to not feel like, oh, okay, like this was all for like a photo, you know? And like, oh, okay, now we're on to the day and like she's editing the photos right there and with me. Like, no, you know, we want to be respectful.

I'll call myself out though, like that was very much me.

Well, and like we've done that on trips when we've been together for an extended period of time and we're both like, all right, we've talked enough, like we're all good, like phone time. Yeah, like let's grab coffee and edit and it's fun and we're on the same page. But I feel like in the example of a significant other, keeping it simple, 2 minutes burst mode, move around, is going to be really, really helpful. And yeah, um, for editing your phone photos, use Tezza. We love Tezza, has really great filters on there, can really bring an image to light. And if the lighting is terrible, black and white. That's your photographer tip of the day.

I love that. And Another thing that I love doing too is I shoot all of my photos on Live, like the Live photo on the iPhone. And then I can take those photos and you can actually save them as a video. So they'll save as like a 2 or 3 second video. And then I'll repurpose a 2 minute photo shoot into Reel content.

Mm-hmm.

So I took a bunch of photos and now I can turn those into videos. That's another like hack for video content. The last thing I'll say is setting expectations with your partner when you're traveling. So like we're at breakfast, I'm like, hey, I really like my outfit today. I really want like a photo of like the whole thing with like a cool background. And like setting the stage before I just hand him my phone. Like he's now like, yeah, Alexis looks hot. She wants some cute photos today. I'm in. And like, and I'm asking him, would you be okay with that? And he's like, yeah, I'm totally down. And then when Matthew's done taking photos, we have a relationship that he's like, I'm done. And I'm like, I respect that. And so I think that's another aspect where like, I am forward enough to say this is what I want. And I also want him to be forward enough to say, okay, we've done that. And now I think I'm done with photos for the day.

Absolutely.

And that's after like a handful of shoots, right? He's not like, Taking, you know, 2 minutes of photos and he's like, okay, done for the day. Like, he really was so patient with me. But when he's reached his threshold, like, I also have to respect that too.

For sure. I absolutely love that. That has been really helpful in my relationship because when we first started, like, my boyfriend does not have social media. His last updated photo was from like 10 years ago before we started dating.

Criminal.

Literally jail. Our first trip together, there was one where he didn't understand how I took photos. And so I was like, we'll just grab the photos at the end of this instead of at the start of it. So the entire time he was just in his head waiting until I got my phone to grab the photos. And then I didn't until the end because I wanted to enjoy the moment first. And so now we have a thing where we communicate where it's like, okay, we'll grab the shots first and then phone is away. And then we're both on the same page. But yes, it takes a second. I will also add, if you're taking photos with your girlfriends and you're the one with the iPhone, hype them up because it is a little uncomfortable to be in front of the camera even if you've done it a million times. But it helps so much to get genuine reactions when you're like, oh my gosh, you look so good. Your waist looks so good here. Your hair looks amazing. Your eyes, you're shining. And then they start laughing and it's just a nice little bonus.

Yeah, it's lighthearted. Shifting that into solo photos with no one around, you don't have your girlfriends there, Your partner's not there, you're shooting by yourself. I swear by the app LensBuddy. I found it like 2 years ago on TikTok. And I would literally like, especially whenever I still lived in Illinois, and I liked my outfits that I wore to work, I would bring my tripod and I would, I would have the app LensBuddy. And I would go find like a cool wall or a cool street. And I would just bring up LensBuddy and it, you can time How many photos you want it to take and then the duration between each photo. So I would pick like take 50 photos with a 1-second duration in between each photo. And then I would have all these images and then you can go through and pick which ones you want to save to your camera roll. If you follow me on Instagram and you saw the photos of Matthew and I in New York, I propped that up against a like delivery loading dock and used— Use the app LensBuddy and put it on self-timer. And he and I just moved around and we got those really fun shots together. And it took like a minute. So I like using LensBuddy for like solo shots. Any solo photo tips on your end?

I love that app. I've also just done recording a video because I like to keep like the sharpness of the quality. And I noticed sometimes with LensBuddy, it did reduce the quality when I used it like a year ago. It has been a while, but the back camera has better quality with it. So recording a video and then just screenshotting the spots that you like and then editing that helps as well. And then of course using it like if you carry a mobile tripod, if you're going to like a country or something somewhere specific that you want to get those photos is super helpful. But LensBuddy, I've heard amazing things about it. I love it. I love it. All right, next question. Um, okay, advice for making friends in a new city 1,000 miles away from home and need community.

Hmm, I feel that. Do you want to go first? I went first last time.

I can't. I feel like you're more of an expert in this area because it's been a while since I've been new to a city. But overall, what I would recommend, um, is being open to reaching out to people that you might already know in the area or the city that, um, you might connect with. Um, I think social media is a beautiful place to find friends, um, that you might connect with, finding groups. There's really great groups on Facebook as well for specific cities that you can post, get to know people, find different different interests, joining different gyms or classes, being very active in the community and things that you genuinely like will help connect you with people that are also like-minded. And being approachable. I think sometimes it can be so scary to be in a new environment. And so we've got this straight face like, all right, I belong here.

Yeah.

And we're in this energy just like, okay, I'll Which I get it, it's stressful. And that can put off an energy like you don't want anyone to talk to you. So if you go to the class, if you go to the gym, smiling, saying hi over time, certain people, even the same coffee shops that you might network at, talking a little bit more to the baristas, like, oh, what are some of your favorite restaurants here? I'm new to town, etc. Making conversation with people along the way. You never know. Who you might meet. Um, so yeah, those would be a few, uh, ones that come to mind.

I love that. I mean, I, I agree. I don't think I have anything particularly new to add. I will say when it comes to finding groups, like there are a lot of leagues, like right now it's spring in Texas and like all the parks are full with flag football leagues and soccer leagues and like outdoor fitness classes and running clubs. There's like all these different running clubs. Um, at least in Houston, and I know there's one in Chicago and New York, and I'm sure several other cities, there's like female walking clubs.

Mm-hmm.

And so I think on Instagram and on social media in general, like looking for things that you're interested in, um, is a great place to start. I also think like when you're at a gym and a gym community, those are people that you're seeing more consistently. Like I go to the gym 4 to 5 times a week. And so, and at that time in the morning, I'm seeing the same crew. And so over time, because you have that consistency, it's like, hey, I've seen you here in the mornings. Like just starting a conversation either in the women's locker room or complimenting, you know, another woman's outfit or like, oh, I, I, um, even like connecting over certain workout programs. Like, oh, I saw that you were trying that machine. I had never used that before. Like, what workout program are you using? And like, just starting a very genuine conversation. But like, 3 of the friends that I've made so far have all been from the gym, either me approaching them or them approaching me. And then I think at a core level, like, there's lots of different strategies and ways to connect, but I think at a core level, like, you have to decide that that's what you want. And when I first moved to Texas last summer, um, Matthew was still traveling abroad for work. We were in a long-distance marriage and I had known a handful of people here and I was in a very interesting, like, season of isolation. And as much as I would have liked community, it wasn't really what I was looking for. And then at the beginning of this year, Matthew came home last fall. He's here full-time. He and I kind of got settled back into our rhythm together. And then this January I was like, okay, I want— I am now all in on building a community here.

Hmm.

And I think that that comes in stages. And so be honest with yourself kind of around like, are you still getting your bearings? Do you need a little bit of time to feel settled before like, you know, jumping in and being like, okay, I am open and receptive to all like opportunities and friendships. Um, because I judged myself for 6 months for not having any like progress there. And then it was like January I decided, and in February I had like 6 acquaintances slash new friends at my house that I had made in the span of 4 weeks. So I think it's just, it was a mindset shift. So that's what I have to say about that.

Absolutely. I love that. I love the intentionality, um, of understanding that also moving away takes so much energy. You're getting used to a new environment, you're getting used to new places, you're figuring out who do you want to be in this new city and what are your new habits and rhythms. And so being able to be mindful about that, because creating friendships does require a lot of energy and time. Like, it is scary to put yourself out there. It's scary to meet new people and strike up conversation when you don't have that depth. And especially if you're coming from very solid friendships that you can jump straight into deep conversations, like starting with some of the the lighter things can feel a little bit foreign. And at the same time, being able to embrace that as well. And I love that you brought up conversation starters because a lot of times people just don't know how to approach that. And I have connected a lot with people with just complimenting their outfit, being genuine about it. But I love you're at a coffee shop. Oh, I love your jeans. Where'd you get them from? And then we start chatting a little bit from there. And then you have a connection right there. So definitely lots of great tips there. All right. Our next question is, I admire how disciplined you both are. How do you stick to routines when you don't feel like it?

Oh, child.

Well, oh, honey, it's a balance.

Yeah, it's ups and downs, ups and downs. downs. You go first, babe.

Okay. I think for me, it is understanding that tying the routines and the discipline to a core belief or value that I have, that is what motivates me in those really low points to be like, no, that is not who I am. That is not who I want to become. But I think whenever we stay on like, I'm supposed to go work out X amount of times per week, or I'm supposed to really eat really healthy at home. It's like, okay, but why? Right? Like, okay, I want to move my body and be healthy so I can be later on an older woman that can still move, that can still have lots of energy. I want to have a full life. Like, having all these whys to your discipline can help. Or I want to wake up early so I don't feel anxious the rest of the day because I've feel like I'm falling behind on stuff, and I deserve to have peace. That's one that has really helped me, is saying I deserve to have peace, so I am not going to procrastinate. I'm going to wake up early. I'm going to stay on schedule because it's not worth the anxiousness. So starting small first, because it can be very overwhelming if you are wanting to be disciplined about a million things, and then motivation will drop because it's hard to implement so many things And whatever one it is that you're implementing right now, tie it to a core belief or value or something that you want to become and really, really work on that and then keep going forward. And then the last thing I'll say is just be graceful with yourself on those days where you can't stick to those routines. Perhaps it's an invitation to dig a little deeper. Maybe some things are going on, or perhaps you're just tired and need rest and there's other elements to it. If overall it's like an 80%, you're sticking to it. Don't beat yourself up about one day that you weren't able to commit to it because life does happen. I think having that grace point of being like, okay, this is an exception, but it is not who I am, is very different. And again, it goes back to identity.

Right.

Like, I am someone that works out, and last week I didn't work out as much because I traveled. Okay, cool. Like, that was an It is not my identity. So yeah, those are the main 3 things that I would say about that.

I love that. I retweet all of it. I think another aspect that you touched on that I love is not letting it become— one, focusing on attaching your routine, your behavior to an aspect of your belief and your identity. And then also when you are in a place where you're not necessarily doing that, you're not following through, don't allow those days to compound. And so this is something that I have navigated a lot in the last 2 years of like building up my discipline capacity is in the past I would be really, really solid for 2 weeks, miss 2 days. And then my narrative around that was like, well, I skipped 2 days. What's another? And then a week would go by, 2 weeks would go by, and I had then decided that I didn't want to do that anymore. It wasn't important. And then I would start all over again. It was like this interesting loop of like I would get really motivated, I would focus on meal prepping, or I would be like, okay, I'm going to go move my body more. And I would do it for a little bit, but it wasn't sustainable. And what I realized is when I have too much space in between my discipline, it like creates this interesting narrative of like, well, it's been a week, so why not just add another week to that? So don't let those days compound, get back to it. And even if 2 weeks have compounded, it's okay. Start again. And some, some weeks are going to be easier to follow through than others. And, um, I just think it's really important to come back to why you're doing it. And a big aspect for me is like, this is actually my lifestyle.

Mm-hmm.

So it's not even like, yes, it's who I am, but this is also like the way that I have chosen to do life. And I feel like that feels different than like, oh, I am going to the gym to achieve this particular goal, which is fine if that is what you're trying to do. But for me, it's like I go to the gym because movement is my lifestyle, not because even— it's not even a habit anymore. It's just a part of the way that I live. And that has taken, I think, over a year, year and a half to get to that mindset where like, yeah, this is just a part of who I am now.

Absolutely. Just being able to make it part of your routine, who you want to become. And that's exactly the key to First, identify who do you want to be 5 years from now? What does she do? What does she do in her morning routines? What does she eat? What does she— how does she like go to bed? What is everything in between that? And start implementing it now. And that's going to be so helpful. And yes to not letting a lot of space happen whenever those days do come, because oh my gosh, I have been there and you just like spiral. Big time. And for me, it's usually emotional. Like if I'm having a very low emotional day or I'm feeling slightly depressed and I'm coping with things, I throw everything out the window discipline-wise. And I'm just in my bed, in my couch horizontal scrolling on TikTok. That is my tendency. And then it's like, okay. And then I will make food and I don't want to clean up after myself. And then it's like, okay, I know my tendency because I would go into freeze mode. Now I can go ahead and remind myself of who I am, and I deserve a clean space, and I deserve peace, and I can give myself rest. And this is not a restful way to cope with this, so let's find a better way. So being able to navigate that as well can be just very healing, but it does take time. And just tackle it one thing at a time. All right, our next question, second to last, is How to find work from home jobs that are legit?

Hmm. I wonder what legit means here.

Yeah, I think—

How are you interpreting it?

I think that there has been a lot of scams about work from home jobs lately. And I've heard of that quite a bit, or like they'll overpromise. And then when you actually get the job, it's like weird. They're not paying or the man, like the company is just like Very flaky. So I, and especially if you haven't gotten a remote job before, um, if everything is virtual, it can feel like, are you sure? Is this a real job? Like, you know what I mean? So I think like that perhaps that's how I read it.

Okay. I would say off the bat, if you're interviewing for jobs and you're in, let's say the second or third round and you're getting close to accepting or you're getting close, like you're maybe in their top 3 or their top 4, um, I would ask to speak with other colleagues or like other employees at the company. This is actually very common and something that I don't think people realize that they can actually ask for. Um, and that now being on, like, being on the employee side, I have had several like potential hire conversations with people that have been like, can I talk to someone on You know, this team, and I will talk to them and I'll give them my opinion and, and share like growth trajectories and where we've been and where we're going. And I think that adds a layer of like, um, you know, reality to the role that it's not just the hiring manager or recruiter. Like, this is a real person that works there.

Mm-hmm. I think that can help.

And maybe you want to talk to— can I talk to someone in your engineering department? Can I talk to someone in marketing and like, you know, try to maybe diversify the conversations you're having. I think that would be my first thing to like in terms of is it legit or not. And then I think another aspect is try to understand who their customers are too, because if the company and brand is not legit, then what kind of customers are they serving? So if they're, they're a SaaS company, a tech company, can you say, hey, can you send me the links to your top 3, you know, customers in this segment of the market. And could you reach out to them on LinkedIn? Say, hey, I, you know, I'm getting ready to potentially take a role at this company. And, you know, they'd mentioned that you're one of their top customers. I'd love to hear from your perspective, like, you know, what do you love about the product? And what are some ways that if I join, we could potentially improve? Like, this is like that due diligence level.

Yes.

Where like, you're going very, very deep. But if you have been scammed or you really want to understand if it's the right role and right company for you, talk to existing employees and try to see if you can talk to existing customers.

Absolutely. What was that website that you had mentioned on our careers episode for finding remote jobs?

I think it's just like remote.io. Okay. So, and then there's also Career Contessa. Especially if you're a female. This is for like women in tech, like remote jobs. So Career Contessa is really great. And then there's also, I think it's Women in Tech, I think is, yeah, womenintech.org. There's a couple of different online resources that you could look at. That are almost vetted because they're on that job board. And then if you're a coder, um, there's also like, I think there's Women Who Code. Um, and there are people that review those job postings.

Yeah, I love that. I would also add to that, um, just like your traditional Glassdoor and Indeed for the side of like, if it's legit, like a lot of people that have worked there will go and review the company so you can go and look at actual employees and what their ratings are of the company, their satisfaction, how they rate like the benefits and all that good stuff. So that's a great place as well as LinkedIn. Like if you just look up the company's social media, a lot of times they will share the company culture a little bit more. Like, are there real people in their website and like LinkedIn and social media, or is it all like stock photos as well? So Um, yeah, all great things. We love remote, um, or work-from-home jobs. Um, okay, last one. Summer shopping. Love your outfits.

Yay. Okay, so like, like where we're shopping this summer?

I say we tackle it— that's all they said, but let's tackle it 2 ways. Favorite places to shop at, and then like maybe what are some things that are like that you want For summer, or that you're wanting to incorporate for your outfits this summer.

Okay. Ooh, favorite places to shop right now would be— oh, I can never remember the name of it, which is hilarious. It's— oh, Showpo.

Showpo, yes.

Showpo. Love Showpo. They're an Australian brand, so shipping does take a while, but I love their size inclusivity. So they have photos of all different body types of women. And so you can actually see the item on different body types, which is just so helpful when you're shopping. Love their customer interface in terms of shopping. And then I would also say sometimes Princess Polly, but a little bit hit or miss for me. And then I shop at a lot. I try to shop at local boutiques a decent amount, like here in Houston. But I would say online, like Shopee. If you are looking for a very, very high-end, good quality dress for, I would say, a lower price. And when I say lower price, I'm talking like a dress for maybe a wedding that you want to spend between $150 to $200 for it. I bought my birthday dress at this company called Heiriss.

Okay.

It's like H-E-I-R-I-S-S.

Oh, is that the one that I sent you?

Yes.

Okay. Okay. Yes. I got that from an ad.

Yeah. Heiriss Beverly Hills is the brand.

Yes.

And wow, the quality and it's double lined. It's absolutely beautiful. And it feels like that, the dress feels like it should be $800.

Nice.

And I'm like, oh, I got this for like $190, which I was splurging because it was a birthday dress. But those are my top places that I'm shopping or looking at clothing for this year. What about you?

Love. Okay, for me, so I am 5'10. It is a little bit harder to find quite a few things, especially when it comes to shorts and skirts and pants to be long enough. So I love Abercrombie. It's a solid one for me for like staples for pants. And even if you love like the athletic dresses, which I love to wear those in the summertime, just layering all up, they do carry those in tall sizes. So a lot of their pants, they have that. ASOS has really great things as well. Like they also have a tall line for like pants. I'm really eyeing like cargo pants, and, um, they have quite a big selection of that. Um, Princess Polly will— it's more where I'll go to get like some fun pieces, but it's also a hit or miss when it comes to sizing.

Like, I agree.

So like, I could be a 2 or a 10. Like, I don't know.

Yeah.

It's, it's very hard with that. Um, and then Nasty Gal also, I've gotten quite a few things from there that have worked out. Like, still own them, and I bought them in like 2020, 2021. And it is more fast fashion, and at the same time, like, if you're wearing it often and wearing it quite a few years, then, you know, it's helpful. And, uh, local boutiques for sure. I'm trying to think. I did just find this website that's called Commence with an S.

Yes, I've been getting their ads too.

Okay, the reviews are great. Yes, affordable. I know, I— they have a lot of very unique pieces. So I've been eyeing that for sure. And okay, here's what I found this past week. There are a lot of— so House of CB, you know, I love like all their dresses and they're very high end. And there's a lot of people on TikTok that will post the dupes for it on Amazon. And whenever I see the pictures and I see the way that it fits, it's like the exact same thing. And I don't think all dupes are created equal, but like, especially for House of CB, it works. So I was very impressed by that. So, you know, just, just do your research on the TikTok front because I think Amazon can come through quite a bit with some of those pieces that are higher end that sometimes it's just like branding that they get like the same thing and they just branded with their stuff. Not saying House of CB is, but there's other brands that are.

Yeah, they're like more white-labeled essentially, and they're just sold at a different price. Um, another one that I recently went to was Anthropologie. I was like, I went there last weekend with my family and I got a dress for my birthday. And I was like, okay, I— as you're listening to this, you're like, Alexis got 2 dresses for her birthday? Yes, I did.

But 30 is a milestone. I do what I want.

But I was actually really blown away at the timeless pieces and the quality as well. I know it's a little bit more expensive, but it just kind of depends. Thrifting is always there. I think that you either have a natural attraction to thrifting or you don't. And I don't have a natural attraction to thrifting. We are going thrifting in Paris and I'm very excited about it because Speaking of things I want to buy, I want to buy a designer bag in Paris. Vintage, not full price here. Okay. Um, and I also would love to buy like designer sunglasses in Paris, but like thrifted. So like, that's kind of why I'm like, okay, I want to go thrifting because I don't, I don't want to, to spend the amount of money it's going to take out of pocket to buy something new that's designer. And I love being like, I got this in Paris and it's vintage. You know, like, I love that.

Yes.

But yeah, I would just say shop for your body type, shop for your budget. That's the biggest thing that I've learned the last couple of years is don't overspend, don't overconsume, shop for your body type, try to find pieces that are timeless that you can rewear over and over and mix and match. And that's been my go-to lately with a handful of statement pieces. But most of my wardrobe's pretty I wouldn't say capsule because capsule to me sounds like small. I do have a decent-sized wardrobe, but I just feel like it's pared down a lot more.

It's more versatile. It's like you can wear this top with a million different ways or these pants a million different ways rather than statement pants that I wore once.

Yeah, absolutely. And it's getting to the point, when I went to Mexico, I didn't shop for it. When I went to New York, I didn't shop for a trip. I bought maybe 2 dresses. I bought 1 dress and a suit jacket for Paris and that was it. Whereas previous Alexis would be like, we need new outfits for every day.

I totally got a lot of new things for Paris.

There's no shame in that at all. At all. I think it's just like where I'm at with my wardrobe, where I'm like excited to wear things that I have and like fitting well and all that.

Yeah, for sure. And I think a big thing is being able to, when you do shop for things, being like, am I gonna wear this often? Am I gonna wear this again? Or just being like, okay, I intentionally wear this once and I'm gonna resell it afterwards. I am, I'm gonna do that with a few of the dresses from Paris, which like I'm gonna wear them and I know I won't want to wear them again, so I'll just sell it after and you get your money back. You're able to like pass it on to somebody else. Um, and then buying those staple pieces that you know will be versatile in your wardrobe. 10 out of 10.

Anything you're specifically shopping for this summer or shopping for in Paris?

Um, I really want cargo pants. Like I feel like they, they look and so comfy. It's very casual, but you can also just throw some pointy heels and like a corset top and leather jacket and like dress it up a little bit more. So I'm looking for that because it's really hard to find ones that fit well with my body type and being so tall. Like, I think that they need to fit like baggy and really long. So looking for that. And yeah, that's pretty much— Pretty much it. What about you?

Yeah, I think same. Well, not same, sorry. I think that I already said what I wanted to buy in Paris. I don't think I'm necessarily shopping for anything super specific this summer. Maybe a few, like freshening up my summer dresses because they're a little, they're looking a little tired. I've had them for a couple years and I'm like, they're faded. And then also being more strategic with my shoes. Like, I feel like my jewelry and like my clothes, my pants, like I really feel like a lot of it's solid. Um, but my shoe game, I just feel like I need to kind of refresh, pare down, and then fill in gaps because I always feel like I end up wearing the same shoes all the time.

Mm-hmm.

Um, but I don't necessarily like the way they look with what I'm wearing. If that makes sense. For sure.

Yeah, I feel that. Well, I feel like investing in shoes though is a whole process. So being able to— I feel like you started well with like narrowing down your style, and now that you have your style, now you can like proceed to invest in good shoes that will last you a while, that will be versatile, because there's nothing worse than having like super uncomfy shoes.

Yeah, the older I get, the blisters and the calluses, they're real. They're so real.

I love it. This has been so fun. I love the Q&As. I cannot wait for next month and to hear what questions you all have. I hope that you enjoy this. And if you want to connect with us on our Instagram, our Instagram is @inbetween.pod. Mine is @astridjohannaphoto.

And mine is @alexis.teichmiller. Go follow along for all the Paris content on our personal accounts. And I'm sure over the next couple of months we'll be trickling out lots of Paris content on the In Between Pod Instagram. Thank you so much. We appreciate you and we'll see you next time.