What It's Really Like Working With Me | Kate Q&A
In this extensive on‑camera interview, Kate—co‑founder and de‑facto CMO of Blueprint—answers a series of questions about her role, daily routine, and personal journey. She explains that her work is fluid, plugging holes across the company, and describes the intense, year‑long documentary filming that captured their health experiment. Kate shares the emotional roller‑coaster of releasing the documentary, her struggle with camera shyness, and a recent breakthrough posting an Instagram Reel. She discusses how public perception often reduces her to Brian Johnson’s assistant or girlfriend, highlighting gender stereotypes and her effort to be recognized as an equal business partner. Kate recounts her transition from fashion in Australia to tech in the U.S., her fascination with AI‑human integration, and how she eventually joined Brian after persistent outreach. She outlines the Blueprint health protocol, its impact on her diet, sleep, and discipline, and reflects on how the process forced her to confront habits like late nights. Kate offers insights into Brian’s frugality, his constant focus on humanity’s future, and the supportive environment among the team, especially women. She describes the viral moment in November 2022, the backlash, and how it validated their work. Throughout, she emphasizes the need for systemic change, describing herself as an “operations manager for humanity,” and shares advice on confidence, perseverance, and confronting the YOLO health mindset. The interview also touches on her family background, early memories that shaped her awareness of systemic bias, and her vision for collective health structures.
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People when I'm with Brian, they'll either assume I'm his assistant or I'm his girlfriend. Hey guys, I'm Kate. I'm that girl that's always hanging around Brian. What you might not know is that I'm the blueprint co founder. So today we're going to answer your questions that you have for me. Let's get into it.
What do you do for work?
Who knows? I have no idea. What the do I do every day? Okay, technically I'm cmo. I feel like I stumbled into marketing so I don't really like, I wouldn't call myself a CMO know if I was like out there. But I pretty much just plug all the holes in the company. So whenever something's on fire, sorting that out, whenever something is like falling between the cracks of people, I'll jump in that. So really, whatever comes up.
What's a typical day like for you?
There's no such thing as a typical day blueprint. Let's see. Today is December 31, 2024, which means that in a few hours the documentary will be dropping. And so it is a day of excitement. It is a day of nervousness for me. It's also a day of like paralyzation because like what do you do hours before a global documentary drops that tells a story that no one's heard before? I guess you just like sit in the panic, fear and excitement and wait.
What's a typical day off for you?
I work a lot. I don't know what off really means. Maybe like hanging out, playing pickleball with my friends in the morning or I love brunch still, so I'll go have that with friends. So yeah, Sunday brunch.
What do you like to do for fun?
I do really enjoy working. Like, I know a lot of people have this negative relationship with work, but I've sacrificed enough in the lead up to now that I put enough pieces in place that like now what I do on a day to day basis I actually like, thoroughly enjoy. I love building things. I love being creative. I feel like the team we've created is amazing. Like I'm surrounded by people that I genuinely enjoy spending time with every day. Which is like before I didn't have that in my career and so I genuinely love working. So when I have a free moment, I'm either oscillating between like, do I need this time to recover and give myself a break because obviously everything in too much is not good, or can I like indulge in a little bit more work.
How do you feel about being a part of a documentary that millions of people will see?
I have no idea what it's going to be like. So we're recording this. It's a couple hours before the documentary drops. Is my life going to be the exact same? Is, is it gonna be different? Is it mostly going to be different for Brian and like, it's only a tiny, tiny bit for me? I don't know. I have no idea. Apparently this might hit number one in documentaries and if that happens, I imagine a lot of people will watch it and life will look really different for us. And I guess, like we've been through this before, right? Where we've gone viral multiple times and each time it's like, it blows my mind how quickly we get used to the new reality. So like now when we go out, we know that Brian's gonna get recog and so he started wearing his don't die shirt inside out when he goes out and about because otherwise it's just way too obvious. And so is it now he's not gonna be able to wear his shirt inside out and still not get recognized. So yeah, I have no idea what it's gonna be like.
Tell me about your experience with making the documentary.
So we spent about one year straight of filming. It was really intense. It was about a couple days a week. Chris would just show up and start filming. And we really didn't have any kind of input or say on how he was gonna use the footage. And they're rolling all the time. So it, yeah, over a year since we've stopped filming and I still have this feeling of like I need to run an algorithm of am I on record right now? Like it's just constant feeling like it's a mic on you. And so it was a really like for someone who's never on camera, who's not comfortable being on camera, it was a really big change for me to go from not having to worry about that to like every single day where conscious planning for or filming.
Could you tell me about the biggest negative and the biggest positive of that whole experience?
I think both Brian and I have a desire to kind of capture and record everything. I mean, that's how Project Blueprint started in the first place. Was like, he's doing all this health work. Why don't we just put it on the Internet? And so there was a lot of soothing in knowing that like the day to day moments were being captured, especially in a time in our lives where like it was wild and crazy and also Like, Talmadge was here, which was so fun. And we knew he was going to be leaving. And it was really, like, sad period of time in that way. And so in that way is really good. On one hand, we want everything to be recorded because we're historians in some aspect. And then on the other hand, we're very private individuals. Like, I don't think that maybe comes through because we're so rowdy on the Internet and Brian's so public in his information. But actually, like, internally and how we interface with people, we're kind of pretty private. We don't let a lot of things show. And so to spend a year with someone, you can't keep up that guarded nature. And so by the end of the documentary, both Brian and I were like. Like, we have no idea how Chris is going to edit this. Like, we've just been so vulnerable. We've, like, let our guards down. Like, Brian couldn't manage, like, keeping his guard up and filming all the time and having his son finally go off to college like he was. It was an emotional time, and so I feel like that was the hardest thing to navigate.
Were you hesitant about being involved at all?
Yeah, I have this problem where I don't like to be seen and I get in my own way. And so we were filming and I would just, like, naturally step out of frame. I just took myself out of the camera's eye all the time. It's just this, like, innate thing inside of me that I don't like being the center of attention. So it's really, really hard. I really had to learn. And I. And I honestly, throughout the entire documentary filming process, I didn't learn. This is really last. The last year that I've been really trying to practice and work on this, like, inside at all times. I'm panicking about, like, Brian knows not to make eye contact with me for too long because I just melt. Like, I can't stand it. So that blows my mind that people can think that I'm confident. Yeah, something like that.
Do you feel like you've been able to see that reflection of yourself, that growth, since the documentary?
Yesterday I posted on Instagram for the first time a reel of, like, my story, which. Which took me a year to get the courage to do so. It was a really big moment. And, like, God, it is deeply ingrained in me to not put myself out there.
How has Brian's life of being famous changed your daily life?
Well, firstly, when I met Brian, he had, like, I want to say, like, a thousand to two thousand Instagram followers. He had this ambition to change the world. And for whatever reason, I was like, I think we can do it. I think you and I as a team can, like, kick ass. And I still have that feeling. And so, like, if you're watching this, I've built up enough courage right now after the last four years to know that those little inklings of what I think is possible actually, like, turn out to be true, which for me is like, huge confidence boost. And so I feel like the next three to five years are just going to be like, insane growth for don't die as a movement. But, yeah, it's been a pretty dramatic change for Brian and from my day to day life. Like now when people ask me what I do, I typically just say, like, I work in marketing because I, I. The moment you bring up Brian, it's like an avalanche of questions. And all of a sudden you're at the center of attention of every dinner party, party, every conversation turns into, oh, my God, what's he like? And all this kind of stuff, which is fun for the first couple. And then after that, you're like, I don't want to be the center of attention all the time. So, yeah, it's a different world. Lots of people don't know my story. Lots of people don't realize people, when I'm with Brian, they'll either assume I'm his assistant or I his girlfriend. And they never assume that I'm his business partner. They never assume that I was there from the beginning. They never assume that I'm calling equal shots to him. Like, for me, that's fine, but for all the other women out there that don't get to reap the benefit of someone breaking that stereotype, it's so ironic. But that's the reason why the last year I've been fighting so hard internally to try and put myself out there is like, ironically, it's not for me. I'm trying to do it so that people have like, a moment of like, oh, wait, oh, okay, cool. That's like what someone looks like when they're like that, in that, in that position. So, yeah, totally agree. And I'm still working on it. And I really, you know, I'm sure tons of other people have gone through this journey out there and, like, I'm totally open to how people, other people have done it because I'm kind of just like, fumbling through this on my own and, like, trying my best.
Hey, Kate, can you tell me your story?
I was working in fashion and I knew I hated the industry and wanted to get out. I didn't know how to make that transition to tech. And I was really interested in the merging of AI and humans and nobody out there was really talking about it. Ray Kurzweil was writing books and that kind of stuff, but nobody was like practically trying to solve the problem of how are we going to deal with AI when it's just this thing that's far more superior than us. I felt like the only way to do that would be to merge with AI. And I was stewing on that for about a year. I was living in New York, working in fashion and I got an email in my inbox from Singularity University and it had a quote from Brian and it said something to the effect of like, we need to merge AI and humans. And he was talking about his company Kernel. And so I was like, cool, somebody out there is talking about this exact thing. I have a lot of momentum inside me. I was 21 at the time and I was like, I'm not gonna go start my own business. I wanna find someone to like put my energy behind. And so I was like, that's the person. And so I messaged him on like LinkedIn, email, social media medium and I didn't hear back. And every year I would kind of reach back out again and try and ping him. And then like years go by. I had gone on to work at the North Face and done a bunch of like luxury fashion label type stuff. And I was in this very cushy corporate job where I was making really good money. I was, had a really great title. I was leading like a, I was leading a huge team. And all of a sudden an assistant position became available working for Brian and I was like, it's in la. I would have to move from New York to la. Should I do it? And after some deliberation I was like, it, I'm going to apply. I apply, I get rejected, I message Brian again, get rejected again. Eventually I'm like, yo, like, you just need to hire me. Like, I know this is going to work out, just hire me. And he was like, oh man. Like, you know your salary, you got a visa. We talked through all these things. I took a pay cut, title cut, moved to la. And that was the beginning of our journey together. Then when we were at Colonel, this idea came into my mind of like, why don't we make you a public science experiment? I've always been really interested in types of systems and projects and ideas that are on the cutting edge that are weird to a lot of people in the moment, but are fun and exploratory and creative ways of, like, solving real problems in today's world. And so I felt like we're all children, but somehow we think of ourselves as adults, and nobody's looking after us. No one's telling us when to go to bed, what to do. And Brian was testing this out for himself. And I thought, why don't we put this all online, make it a public journey for people? It's voyeurism. It's almost like live streaming your internal health. And so I pitched that to him. He initially said no. He came back a day later and was like, okay, let's do it. And then for the first year and a half, we just did that, and, like, no one cared. No one paid any attention. And then it blew up over and over again.
So Brian would be doing this in the shadows still if it wasn't for you.
I don't know. I don't want to take that much credit, but I do feel like this is the brainchild of both of our brains. Like, I feel like I grew up on the Internet, where everything was just out there. Like, I grew up first. First cohort on Instagram. We made a lot of failures as kids. I posted some stuff I really shouldn't have. And so my relationship with the Internet is, like, everything's much more fluid. So I do feel like this is, like, the melding of our experiences and brains into one thing.
What's one misconception about Brian that you think he needs to clear up? I wish you creeped across while she was answering the questions.
What was it? Misconceptions about you.
What are they?
Everything.
Yeah.
Actually, what's one misconception about Kate?
That she is. Kate's role in Blueprint, in Don't Die, she has been behind the scenes, architecting and navigating this emergent world skillfully and creatively, and she's just been extraordinary. So people don't know that. I think they would benefit by doing it.
Yeah. The cool thing about Brian is that every roadblock that I've hit, you've kind of been the one to just, like, push me along and, like, kind of. I don't want to say force, but force me to break through that next stage. So, like, I was so shy when we first met that we would sit in his office after hours at Colonel and then he'd just be like, tell me what you think. And I'd be like, what? Like, why do you want to hear what I Think I just had no self awareness that someone might want to listen to what I have to say. You pushed me through that. And then when we were like in this tipping point of blueprint, you were like, you need to get through this next stage where you just like kind of like own everything in this, like one area of marketing. And I was like, again, like, I know I can do that, but I didn't have the confidence to try. And then now, in telling my own story and having the confidence to feel seen and be heard.
So, yeah, we're a good team.
Yeah.
Do you remember the first time you went viral and what was that for?
It was November, Thanksgiving, 2022. I remember because I was in Japan, I was traveling on holiday, and all of a sudden I. Because I'm like constantly scrolling the web searching for Brian's name, and all of a sudden it was like everywhere. And we were not at all viral before that. Like, at that point, we had barely any followers on social media. Like, I'm talking collectively 20k followers across Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc. And all of a sudden, like, his name was everywhere. And in a couple days, this guy, Max Hurton, had gotten 40 million views on his tweet thread about Brian. And it was just like the world blew up and it was like opening the door and a sea of torrential hate just came pouring out. And I think both Brian and I, we'd been working on blueprint for a year and a half with like no feedback. So even though it was torrential hate, we were like, yes. Oh my gosh. Like, cool people are paying attention. Also, like, they're saying things and we totally agree with everything they're saying because, like, we get it. This is like, weird. It's not of the moment. We agree that, like, what we're doing is not normal, but we think it should be normal. And so it was just like, finally all this hard work is amounting to something we can actually grab our hands into and start playing with and communicating with the world and potentially changing some perspectives. I feel like a lot of people probably would have gotten buried by the hate, but we would just like, come at us, lean in. Yeah, we started playing around, making fun of the trolls, making fun of us hanging out. So it was great.
Is there a comment that sticks in your mind from the Internet?
Yes. In the early days when I was announced to be the first female to do blueprint, I got a LinkedIn message. This is like, negative. It's crazy. I got a LinkedIn message and it was from this Girl who has a PhD from one of the Ivy League universities. And she said something to the effect of like, you're so young. How did you get in this position? You must it really good. And this is like someone with a public profile at a top tier university messaging me this. And I was just like blown away at how deep these systemic stereotypes are embedded into our society. And that's an example where we see it. And it takes me being on a public platform to get that kind of feedback. But like, these are the kinds of things that run amok all the time subconsciously in society. And I was like, again, like, it didn't bother me because I feel like when you're really paying attention, you see all these little ways, these micro things of how this comes out. And so almost it was like validating to get this message of like, I kind of feel like people think this. Yeah, that's something that's really stuck with me. And I almost like cherish this in this weird way of like, here's finally I'm getting some truth back from the Internet.
What's something that people assume about your relationship with Brian?
When I'm out and about with Brian, it goes something in the order of this, that I am Brian's assistant, then that I'm Brian's girlfriend. Maybe then people will assume I'm Bri Talmadge's girlfriend. No one yet has assumed that I'm Brian's mum. But maybe that'll happen as he's like reversing his age. People are assuming we're closer and closer in age. The last thing, like, I've never, no one's ever been like, as Brian's co founder, like, what do you think about this? Like, nobody goes there. But of course, like, that's the reality. So for a long time I thought about creating a shirt that just said like, not his assistant. Because I just would like to like get out ahead of it. Because as soon as someone assumes that they're like, so what's it like being Brian's assistant? Then I have to have this awkward thing of like making them wrong where I'm like, actually you, you made an assumption and you're probably going to feel bad about it and all this kind of stuff. And I get it, like I'm young. People don't have a stereotype of young women being in power. They don't have a stereotype of young women being business leaders. So that's why I think it's really important that I'm like out there and like, you know that's what I do and that's what I am. And I haven't been telling my story as much and like, I do think it's really important. I do.
Tell me about a moment where you felt like you were able to kind of overcome your lack of self confidence.
I honestly think that the last two weeks have been a turning point for me. You know what it is? It's all the amazing women that I work with on a day to day basis, they are so behind me and want me to be an example for everyone and I really relate and respect to that. All of their encouragement has been so reassuring for me and like really pushed me in like the direction I know that I wanted to go and need to go already. And so I feel like the last couple of weeks I've just been like way more public and open about these things because I feel like I'm like, yeah, I've got my support system around me.
What are some things that you wish people knew about Brian?
A lot of people don't realize that Brian is surrounded by women who are very strong and thoughtful and smart and capable. And I feel like in a lot of ways like Brian is like the anti tech bro stereotype where he grew up on a farm. He's very hard working. He's very like very like blue collar mentality. He's super frugal. He's got like a really nice mix of like feminine and masculine traits within him and he's not push away femininity. In fact, he like really appreciates feminine women around him and their thought processes. And he really uplifts a lot of women in a way that feels very neutral and just genuinely supportive. And I think that's reflective. In our team, we have an incredible group of strong female leaders.
What's the most frugal that you've seen Brian be?
So frugal. People don't know this. He will squeeze the last of the toothpaste out. Oh my gosh. And so I buy him clothes. Like so my background's fashion. I love dressing up, I love dressing myself, I love dressing Brian. And so I buy a lot of his clothes just for fun. He will refuse to cut the tags off something because he doesn't want to like accept that he owns something nice and then wear it. And so it'll just sit there unworn because he's like, it needs to be for a special occasion. And I'm like in there with the scissors, like chopping every tag off. And like Brian, you have to wear this like so he's just. He's just like a frugal mentality. I think he got that from his family, from his grandpa.
What does Brian spend his time thinking about?
Any second that Brian gets. Like, literally any second. So for us normal people, we get a spare free time and we start thinking about maybe like, what we're gonna eat for the day, maybe an argument we had, like, just, you know, processing what's happened. Any free second that Brian gets, he starts thinking about the future of humanity, like, deep thoughts about the future of humanity. He's obsessed with this question. And so, like, any free moment, he's like running the algorithm of like, what's gonna happen? In 500 years, I've never met anyone like that where she's just so focused on how to get the species through the next phase of evolution. I think it's funny because so many people think that this is all like, just some self endeavor to like, make himself look like the hottest and the fittest and all this kind of stuff. Like. And sure, maybe that's true on some level. Like, it is for all humans. But actually, like, the primary motivation for Brian that he's been obsessed with for the last however many decades has been how can I help the species not die?
Can you remember a big existential question that caught you off guard that Brian asked you?
Yeah. When I was at Colonel, he challenged me on my righteousness. So I can't remember what we were talking about, but I had this thing of like, no, this is right and this is. And like, this is an ethically the right way to handle something. And he was kind of like, Kate, sometimes you approach things with this righteousness of like, this is right and this is wrong, and it blinds you from being able to have freedom in your own thought processes on how you can handle something. And that kind of just like destroyed my fabric of reality. And I realized he was so right that I was simply being a reflection of my time and place. And I was taking on these models that had been given to me, and then I was regurgitating them with absolute authority and truth. And I was actually being unfair to myself because I was trapping myself in this box where I felt like I couldn't think outside of it. And so ever since that day, I think I immediately dropped the righteousness. I say that it's probably not true. I'm probably still very righteous. But it was a really big wake up call for me that there's another way to think about reality.
So are there any other lessons that you've learned from Brian's journey or just.
Being with Brian, being around him is like being around most of us get our anchor for reality around the people we're around. Brian just has it innately within him. He has his own center of gravity that is so sturdy and strong that he doesn't need the opinions and validation and approval of the people around him. And so being around that, as someone who's influenced by the people around me is like, it's such a fruitful experience because I feel like I'm constantly harvesting learnings and insights and gems of wisdom from this, like, really deep well of experience. Like, for example, we went traveling to India and China recently. It is so much easier to be healthy and look after myself when I'm around Brian 24 7. And then I went to Australia afterwards, and I'm with my friends, my family. And it is so much harder to be that when you don't have that, like, secure well of like, gravity to anchor to. And so it's like that with health, because that's all understandable to us, but it's also like that with, like, thought processes, how to think independently and be different. And, like, Brian provides all those things.
Do you strictly follow the blueprint diet?
So, yes, I do. I'm also hesitant because there's no such thing as one blueprint diet. So you have a spectrum of, like, Brian all the way to just doing the basics. And so I'm somewhere closer to Brian in that spectrum, but I'm not like, as intense as he is. So, for example, here's my daily drink. It's got coffee in it. Evo and collagen and macadamia nut milk. Brian wouldn't have this because it has coffee in it. And that's something that, like, you know, you can become reliant on. And so he avoids it. But it's not technically out of the blueprint protocol. So it's like those kind of nuances. But, you know, from where I was, where I was having, like, McDonald's every night at 10pm and not exercising to now where I'm at, where I'm eating, Blueprint diet, I'm sleeping, I'm exercising. It's a pretty big change that I've gone through.
What's the silliest thing that Brian does?
He overextends himself all the time. If you come into his home, for example, he's like, how can I help you get what you need? Do you need some of the world's purest water? Can I make you some collagen protein mix? Like he's just constantly wanting to look after people when they're in his space. And I'm always like, Brian, we have so much to do. He's just like, he's a good person.
Personally, how would you define someone? Success?
I would love it if human society, for the first time in our recorded history, we band together to create systems at the species level. Like, if you think about it historically, we've always been in these tribes, we've been nations, borders, religions, races, and we operate at that level. It means that as we've become one global species, no one's running the ship, no one's pointing us in one direction. We're just kind of fumbling through. We're at war with each other. It's silly because we're all the same thing. And we're going to need some sort of structure in order to pull off looking after all of us as one collective, big family. So like, what that looks like is like, I don't think that fast food should be allowed. Like, I'm not saying it should be illegal, but it's kind of ridiculous that you'll be able to get, you know, over a thousand calories in one meal and expect people to not choose that. Why are we allowing that to happen? There's so many things like that. It just doesn't make sense. And if we actually like stop and like look at what's going on in society right now, it would be obvious to us because we don't have structures and systems or ways of thinking of like one collective. It just kind of happens. And so that would be like my magic wand would be create systems and structure around that. Sometimes I think of myself as like an operations manager for humanity. Like that's my. The company I'm working for is like humanity. And I would like to be someone who can help create systems for that.
How has blueprint changed your daily routine?
So the thing that surprised me about blueprint is not the impact that blueprint has on my mental health, my mental clarity, my physical body, all these things. It's actually the process of agreeing to do blueprint on a day to day basis. The obstacles I've had to overcome to get there, that has had the biggest impact. You really need to learn how to prioritize yourself, have a very strong relationship with your desires and understanding how you will try to get out of not doing the right thing. And so the process of actually jumping 100% into Blueprint for my first 30 days of it was really helpful for me because it made me like come Face to face every single day with all of the things that I typically, like, kind of don't see that's happening, you know. So, for example, I stay up late. That's my, like, evening Kate is I stay up late. If I do that, I know that I'm setting up the next day for failure. And if you're trying to get 100% on every single thing, you just can't make that sacrifice. I think being more in touch with myself psychologically, physically, emotionally, to be able to really do a blueprint 100% has been the biggest benefit I've received.
Are there any other parts of your life that have improved from that? Self discipline?
Yeah. I mean, making your health your number one priority means that you are making yourself your own, well being your number one priority. And so that that carries over into every aspect of your life. So with my friends and family, because I'm being my best self, they're now encouraged to be their best selves because I'm not going to, you know, bed super late. Like, they're encouraged to not do that. Same with added sugars and stuff. If I'm seeking out healthy food, it makes them way easier to seek out healthy foods around me. So it's like all these minor things that really start to, like, influence your environment.
What's one surprising thing you've learned about your health since starting the protocol?
Like, I always knew that my body was unconditioned, but, like, to really get in touch with that and, like, understand the impact of what that means. And I think I'm like, I'm 29. I'm right at that age where I'm starting to feel the effects of aging. And so it's like, I feel like I'm noticing, like, things like early joint pain and, like, and I'm like, oh, like, I gotta get ahead of this. And I'm sure a lot of people out there, especially around my age, are probably feeling similarly. So that's been surprising is like, all the effects that come with it.
How has blueprint changed the way you think about aging?
I think I bought into the narrative, like, age gracefully. I think part of that is because as a female, you're inundated with anti aging stuff. And so I had this, like, retaliation against that where I'm like, I don't want to do these. Like, I don't want to worry about wrinkles and anti aging and all that bullshit. Like, I'm gonna, like, age gracefully. There is merit to thinking about aesthetics in that way. There is not merit to thinking about that in terms of physical health in that way, like, you do not want to feel the effects of aging in your body. You want to be able to feel like you can bend down, pick something up at any moment, that you can feel stable going up and down stairs, that you're going to have a feeling of rejuvenation when you wake up in the morning because you've had good quality sleep. And all of these things become harder and harder as you get older. They compound. They're very uncomfortable, they're painful. You know what it feels like when you witness your parents going through this process and you feel pain watching them. So, like, you don't want that for your internal body. And so I'm taking it much more seriously and less lightly. Whereas before I was really on this, like, age gracefully mentality, which is. I think it would be a miss to live life like that.
What do your friends and family think about your involvement with blueprints?
I think to do something where you're on the cutting edge of what societally is acceptable, you have to be willing for the people around you to not understand the full complexity of it. So, like, everyone in my life has a different understanding of what I do and why I do it. And so, like, for example, if you ask my dad, he's like, probably going to say something like, I don't know. I think she works on some, like, health stuff. Like, that's probably the depth. And everyone has, like, a different understanding. That said, everyone's been very supportive. So, like, my friends, they've like, rearranged our typical friendship habits to like, accommodate my health needs. And they've, they've. They've all, like, changed their health habits as a result. So it's been a very loving and supportive environment.
Have you ever disagreed with Brian on any major dislike?
We disagree all the time. And since I've been on this journey of speaking up more and being more vocal and all that kind of stuff, I'll put my heels in and be like, no, we should not be doing this. And we just kind of go back and forth into one of us caves. That's typically the process. And then one of us ends up being right, and we enjoy kind of bringing it back up to the other person and then being like, look, I was right, so it's fun.
So if this endeavor failed, would you go into your own thing or would you stick with Brian?
Every time I've tried to not work with Brian, I come running back. So I wish I could say that I am the authority on that. Answer. I think the reality is that like he and I are meshed together in some universal way for whatever reason. And so the likelihood is I'll continue to work with Brian even if, if this endeavor fails. Maybe we would go build an environment where we can test having perfect air quality in one house and doing everything on our own from scratch or something. I'm sure we'd find some fun, creative endeavor to pursue.
What's the weirdest health experiment you've witnessed?
I find it really bizarre when Brian has all the blood taken out of his body. To me mentally, I'm like, how does that work? Don't we need some blood in our system? So yeah, I definitely like witness that. I try not to say anything because I don't want to freak him out by being very anxious about it. But I know eventually I'm gonna have to do this and I'm pretty much having anxiety about that every day as I get closer and closer. Eventually it's gonna happen. I know to me at some point, but it just doesn't seem right. Like it seems like you need, you need your plasma inside of you.
What's your response to people who operate under the YOLO mindset when it comes to, to health?
My response is like, I get you. I understand why you have that mentality. Also, I encourage you to wonder, is that a self soothing mechanism to the pain of having to endure? Making health decisions is really hard on a day to day basis and there's a lot of momentum against you. And so I would say like, you should live your life to the fullest every day and it shouldn't come at the cost of your health. And so we all know that drinking is bad for you. We also all know that it's part of our day to day rituals as a society. And so if we can just like reconcile those two things and say, I'm gonna hang out with my friends, I'm gonna really enjoy my time, I'm gonna play games, I'm going to enjoy being together societally. But can we start to make shifts in our friendship group away from this negative behavior? I would say that's if you can start to convince your friends just by being better yourself. I think it's going to make everything much easier for you and you can still have this like fun YOLO mentality without actually having to poison yourself.
Is taking care of your health actually that hard?
There's like this weird psychological thing that happens. So for example, when I first started flossing my teeth every single day, I wasn't Someone who grew up doing that. I remember feeling like it was so much work to add it into my regimen. And then you do it enough times and then all of a sudden it, it becomes like you don't even think about it. You just do autopilot. And so I would encourage people who feel really overwhelmed with health and they feel like it's really difficult to just take the tiniest little bit and do it enough times and force themselves to just like keep doing it. Have faith, trust, and I promise them that it'll become second nature and they won't need to think about it anymore. So it's like that perseverance through that very uncomfortable period where it's like it's a new habit. It's difficult, you have to remember it, you're annoyed by it. It's another, you feel like you're taking time out of your day, et cetera, but eventually it like smooths itself into your regimen. You don't need to think about it. And it's like that with every single thing. So I've experienced that multiple times over and over again where I'm like, ugh, I don't want to do this. It's so much work. And then like it becomes second nature.
What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
Actually, this isn't advice I've received from anyone, but this is the best piece of advice I would give someone, which is to persevere. This is something that I've experienced from the best people that I've met in my life. The willingness to keep doing something in the face of like, failure, discomfort, not seeing success as a feedback loop. Like, every time I've persevered through something, it always comes out to how I want it to come out. So if you have an idea of what you want, keep doing it. It'll self resolve.
What kind of advice would you give to young females who struggle with. With confidence in general?
I would tell them to tap into that internal voice that's definitely there, that knows that they are capable and confident and that has ideas and just like trust in themselves. I never did this. I wish I focused earlier on developing a good relationship with myself. And I just don't think I had the awareness to know that that was something I needed to work on. So if you're someone who struggles with confidence, that's probably the number one thing you can do, is start to develop a relationship with yourself where you're being kind to yourself, you're looking after yourself, you're prioritizing yourself because as you develop that confidence will exude from you and then other people will reciprocate that back to you.
So where are you from?
I am from a small town called Mackay, Queensland, Australia. It is a coal mining town and a sugar farming town. So you're either in one of those industries if you live in Mackay and even in Australia, a lot of people don't know where Mackay is. It's kind of like a random place on the map that is much more industry focused. My dad was a truck driver at the coal mines and then my mom is an accountant.
When did you come to the U.S.
I moved to the U.S. when I was 20 years old. I came with two suitcases, was packed up with my entire life. I knew no one in the United States. I didn't have any friends or family here. I just was naive and had this like belief that things would work out. Knowing what I know now, that is definitely misguided, but it did. So I'm glad I did it.
What was the compulsion that led you to moving out here?
Ever since I was 13 year old, 13 years old. I wanted to be the best in the world at something. And I set my sights on fashion. And the place to be for fashion is New York. And so it was just inevitable. I decided when I was 13 that I was going to move to New York when I graduated high school. High school rolled around. I didn't have enough money for it. I had spent the years of 13 to 17 saving money. I saved up $20,000. I don't know what I was thinking like starting work that young, but I don't know. McDonald's hired me. My first job was at McDonald's and I was 13 and a half, which was the legal minimum age you can be in Australia to start working. And I think I was on $7 per hour at that time. And then by the time I finished high school, yeah. And tuition in New York at the fashion school I wanted to go to was $21,000 per year. And that's just tuition for out of state. And so I knew I couldn't do that. So I moved down to Melbourne and started my life there, went to university. By the time I finished, I still had that same passion. I wanted to move to New York and become the best in fashion. And so. And so I am packed my suitcases and I left.
Tell me about your most impactful childhood memory.
I have this memory where I was like, I want to say 5 years old and we were at basketball. My family a really big Basketball family. And I was just like, being a little kid, running around, whatever. And I saw a little girl wearing a pink T shirt that had a crown on the front. And it said, you are not the center of the world. And on the back it said, princess. And it was the first time in my life that I realized that I genuinely wasn't the center of the world. I know that sounds silly now, saying it, but it really woke me up in this. In this moment that we have these internal biases that make us think things. Like, at the time, I thought that I was genuinely the center of the world in my mind. Like, I had my family. They were all centered around making sure I was being taken care of and all this kind of stuff. And this was the first time I was like, oh, wow, like, there's a bigger picture here at play. And so that's my most impactful memory.
Why are you so focused on changing systems?
Another early memory was going to school, like, around age 7 or 8 and recognizing that all of the cool, popular kids at the time had last names that were more likely to be on street signs in my hometown. And I remember seeing that connection and being like, how does that work? And, like, slowly realizing that there's these, like, historical, systemic things that link things, and you can live within a system and not realize they're at play. And so I became really aware at a young age that we live in 2024 as a result of the last, however many thousands of years of history. Unless we're present to those things and modify them, the future will be a reflection of today. And so I'm very aware of, like, if we want to make change, we need to be steering this structure and creating a skeleton. And so that's what Blueprint is. It's our first attempt at creating a structure for a different way that we can think about health that might lead to better outcomes than what we have now, especially in a place like America, where medications are pushed, obesity is a problem, sugar is out of control. Like, we need to be conscious of these societal systems that we're creating.
