856 Amanda Cerny: Be Unapologetically You

This is episode number 856 with social media sensation Amanda Cerny. Welcome to the school of greatness. My name is Lewis Howes, a former pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur. And each week we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now, let the class begin. the purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience. Eleanor Roosevelt. Oh, I hope you're having an amazing day today. We are doing a lot in the School of Greatness world. This is actually One of the last times I would be recording in the School of Greatness Studio, we're moving into a new studio space here next week. And it's kind of bittersweet because I've been in this space for, I don't know, five, six years now. We've been building it and evolving and growing. You know, we started almost seven years ago with one episode and one listener, and now we're over 135 million listens and Episode 856, and it's just amazing to see how much we continue to evolve. But it's because I continue to taste life to the utmost. I'm constantly evolving myself. I'm constantly learning, growing, I'm meeting new people that I can learn from. I'm making mistakes. I'm, you know, achieving my goals and going after my dreams and all these things because of one thing: I have the willingness and the desire to take action. I have the willingness and the desire to try things. Even if I fall flat on my face and look silly and people judge me, I'm at least going after and doing something as opposed to sitting on a couch and thinking about it and saying 20 years down the line, I wish I would have experienced life and tasted it to the utmost. But most people are afraid of judgment of what people are going to say about them. that they're going to fail and they're afraid of success. And I'm just excited about the next chapter of moving into a new space, of building out something of upgrading and leveling up. And I think we should always be reflecting on where we're at in our life. Are we where we want to be? Is our environment the way we want it to be? Are we living in a desert where there's no water and there's no trees and there's no people around because it's dead? Or are we creating an environment that flourishes like a rainforest, where there's lush trees and plants and beautiful smells and sights and waterfalls and flowing rivers? What type of environment are you creating for yourself? And for me, that's all about trying different things and being unapologetically you, like we have with our episode in Amanda Cerny. and if you are an influencer who's got a large community right now, or you're a seven and eight figure entrepreneur, we've got the Greatness Mastermind that is opening up here very soon. We've got hundreds of applications that have come through recently, and I'm bringing in a select few people to join the Greatness Mastermind. These are influencers and entrepreneurs who are making a massive impact on the world and want to make a bigger impact. They want to make more income and they want to grow their brand. So if that's something you're interested in and you're ready to create a new environment for your business and the impact in the world for your community, then go to greatnessmastermind.com right now and apply. You can apply for free and only do it if you feel like you meet the criteria on the page@greatnessmastermind.com so check it out right now. And I'm excited about this interview. We got Amanda Sterni who's an actress, a model, entrepreneur, social media sensation with more than 35 million followers across YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. She's one of the top 100 most followed people on Instagram, which is crazy. And she just continues to grow and inspire and try new things. She's one of the top five most viewed Instagram story accounts in the world and grows about a million new followers a month on Instagram alone. This is just madness how she does this. She's also directed, written and produced more than 3000 comedic skits and music videos featuring actors, top chart musicians, and some of the most influential personalities online today. And that's something that I like about her. She's done 3,000 different skits and music videos. She constantly takes action to get experience in her life. Powerful. She doesn't just do one thing and stop. She keeps going. And she has expanded her exposure as a philanthropist with previous and ongoing relief efforts in Haiti and Puerto Rico. and she's had multiple partnerships with big brands, networks, a lot of great stuff she's got going on. In this interview, we talk about what Amanda learned about leveraging multiple platforms to maximize her following, not just going all in on one platform, but leveraging to build them all and how she did it, how she became a playmate, Playboy playmate, and how that influenced her career path. The power of collaboration and how to use the power of collaboration and how to use it most effectively to broaden your audience, both the benefits and challenges of being a mega social media star, and the importance of choosing people and brands to work with that you trust and you believe in. I'm very excited about this. Make sure to share it on your Instagram story tag me and tag Amanda Cerny to let her know that you're watching or that you're listening to this. And I'm sure she would love to hear your thoughts. about what she has to say in this interview. So share it there. And you can be a hero and a champion in someone's life today when you find this inspiring. Text one friend. Just send them the link on the Apple podcast or Spotify or wherever you're listening to this. Send them this link and say, Hey, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Let me know what you think.

One of the best parts about my job as a podcast host is getting to know people on a deeper level. And I love discovering the interests my guests have that they don't always talk about. You know, the world-class athlete whose favorite pastime painting or the billionaire who still plays a weekend garage band. And the truth is everyone has layers and people are rarely as simple as they appear on the surface. For marketers, that complexity can make the job even more challenging. After all, how can you reach your customers if you don't really know them? That's where TransUnion's marketing solutions come in. TransUnion brings clarity to marketing chaos by delivering a 360 degree view of your customer, helping you deepen your insights, accelerate your decision making and better measure the impact of every marketing dollar. Visit TransUnion.com/Clarity to learn more. The School of Greatness is proudly sponsored by Amica Insurance. As Amica says, Empathy is our best policy. That's why they'll go above and beyond to tailor your insurance coverage to best fit your needs. Whether you're on the road, at home, or traveling along life's journey, their friendly and knowledgeable representatives will work with you to ensure you have the right coverage in place. Amica will provide you with peace of mind. Go to Amica.com/ and get a quote today.

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Welcome back, everyone, to the School of Greatness podcast. We've got the inspiring Amanda Cerny in the house.

Hey, yeah.

Super pumped you're here.

Thanks for having me. Yeah, what an honor.

I know, I'm very, very glad you're here. We got connected to this beautiful lady over here, who connected us a while ago. I went on your podcast, I don't think it's out yet. But you did your whole year in advance, which is, I wish I could do. Yeah. You recorded the whole year in like a month.

Well, you're probably doing it the smart way. You could see throughout the episodes, I'm.

Just like, you're, you did like 10 in a day.

I'm like, it's amazing. It's crashing. But no, it was good. It's like you do so many different things. I'm like, all right, I want to get this done and make sure we do it all. Amazing.

Yeah, I'm all about getting deliverables done really fast.

I think so. I wish I could do that. That's amazing.

Don't recommend it though. It's a lot of work. Yeah. So you do this podcast, oh Honey podcast, that's what it's called, right? Yeah. Oh honey. We did it in our underwear or.

Like a PJs, right? So go watch it.

I remember it was like bring pajamas for the interview. I was like, what? What is this?

I know, it probably threw you off a little.

So I just put sweatpants on a t-shirt on.

It's like come to my house.

Exactly. Wear pajamas. There's like 30 people filming, so it's.

Not intimate at all. So that's every week, right? Yeah, so we post an episode every week. I did it with Summer Raye. From social media and it's a way for us to just kind of just sit with friends and talk about love, life, relationships, all that good stuff.

We got in pretty deep on ours. Yeah, no, I feel like I connected you two.

You did, it was actually like, I was on your show.

Yeah, yeah. I was interviewing both of you guys. Yeah.

You're the expert interviewer here. It was fun. Yeah.

It was really powerful. And you both are, I think, in the top 100 most followed accounts on Instagram, is that right?

Yeah. Yeah.

What is she at right now? 20?

Oh, I don't know.

You have 26 million at the time of this recording. She's a 22 or 23 or something like that.

Yeah.

So why did you both decide, did you feel like, okay, partnering together would make this more powerful than just doing this on your own?

Well, yeah. I mean, I could have launched a podcast on my own. I already had that fully set up, but I was thinking about it and I was like, all right, A lot of women talk about women empowerment and doing things together, but everybody's so afraid of competition and like bringing another person down. If they succeed more than me, it hurts me. So I'm like, why not walk the walk and just reach out and be like, Hey, are you down to do something together? And with our two brands, like of just working together, because we knew known of each other before and just through, you know, social media makes the world very small and makes you feel like you know somebody already. So we were hanging out and, you know, I liked her. She was cool. And it's was a way for her, too, to help get her personality across on television. Yeah. So it was a good opportunity for her. It was great for me, for our brands to come together and just, like, hang out and talk about things. So I think I read. I don't know if this is accurate.

But I think I read that you've done 3, 000 pieces of content. Is that right?

Oh, yeah.

Like videos.

Yeah.

Either writing and scripting and directing and producing, acting in them.

Yeah.

How many of the pieces would you say you've collaborated with people versus on your own?

Oh, wow. Majority collaborating for sure.

So what, like 50%, 80%, 90%?

I would say 80%.

80% collaboration. How many of them are with women and versus men?

Well, actually a good, it's probably pretty even because when I first started, I started on this app called Vine. Did you ever use Vine?

I watched people on there.

What did you think about us on there?

I remember getting on there watching, when was this, like six, seven years ago?

Eight years ago, maybe? It's like 2013, 2012.

I remember getting on there and watching, and that's where I didn't discover, but I saw Logan Paul for the first time. I saw this other girl, Amy Marie, who's a dancer, 'cause they're from Ohio. So I was kind of like seeing who from Ohio is doing interesting things. And they were both kind of blowing up. And I remember reaching out to Logan early on and just being like, Hey, I'm inspired by what you're doing. And keep going.

He was like 18 years old or.

Something at the time. so I was trying to like, just see, observe and see what people were doing. I was like, this is not the app for me. I'm not like this comedian. I'm not trying to do funny skits. It's like, I'm not a hot girl. I'm not all these things, you know, that are, that people are taking off with.

Yeah.

But I was like, that's, that's a cool platform for people that are talented but didn't have maybe an audience somewhere else or have publicity or have a.

Hollywood platform where they could build their audience. Right. And that's what I used it for. I was Starting with YouTube, I had friends that did YouTube and I was out in LA looking for a manager, agency to do acting and- Back in 2012. Yeah.

Wow.

Yeah, no, I was already out here and from Florida.

How old were you at 2012? When you moved?

I don't know. I think I was 20.

Oh, wow.

Yeah.

So you're 29, or are you 27 now?

I'm just turned 28. 28, okay. Yeah.

You gotta put it out there.

It's just a number.

It's just a number, though. You moved out here when you were 20.

Yeah.

And you were just doing Vine on YouTube at the time?

Well, yeah, I was trying to get acting roles out here, but I didn't have a reel. And then I couldn't get an agent because they didn't have a reel. So I started doing YouTube videos, not my own, but just acting in other people's YouTube videos. And my friend Jimmy Tatro had his page, and I was like, anytime you need somebody for it, let me know so I can build my reel for roles that are actually I can promote and enjoy. And then, so starting with doing that, and then he was traveling to film 22 Jump Street in New Orleans or something, and I was like, okay, how am I going to build my reel? Like, you kind of just left. And then he told me there's this app called Vine where it would be a good way for me to figure out how to do my own skits and maybe start writing some things and learning how to edit and all that. And I'm like, you know what? That's a good idea. like longer form to just do that right off the bat. It was intimidating because I have no idea how to edit. I have no idea how to write. I never studied that. I just studied the acting and the improv. So I was like, all right, you know what? Let me try. It's a fun, easygoing platform. Why not? And before, at that time, you couldn't even upload to it. You had to-- Film it directly. Yeah, film it. And if you messed up, start all over.

Oh my gosh.

But it's still so funny. Six seconds, right? Wasn't it? Yeah. Yeah, so it's short content, but the idea is just to tell a story in that little period of time. it was actually 6.5 seconds.

Yeah, but half a second matters.

It mattered so much. And then with the timing of everything, which it sounds ridiculous, but it did. So I started doing that, and then I would just post and hope for the best. And my content was now I look back at it, and I'm like, oh, my gosh, like some of my comedy videos then definitely got better over time, which is what life's about. But when I was posting at the time, it good for what I was at that time on that platform. So people were liking it and watching it, and I would make it to the popular page and, like, start being, like, doing well on my own of just doing these videos. And then I met some other people that were on the app that I saw were doing well that lived in La, too. And we started doing collaborations and all started growing together on this brand new application as, like, the first ones really doing comedy sketches on this app that were super fun and light and just a way for people to just scroll. through and binge watch things and just enjoy it. So I grew a following up to 4 million within a couple of years on the platform. And that was my first like big following on anything ever on when I first started on Instagram, I had was like 15,000.

Wow.

And that's from when I was a playmate, like back in 2011. So I had that following, but that did nothing for me on this other platform. So I kind of used this other platform to help rebrand myself into comedy and make fun of myself, make myself look ridiculous, and so I could be able to grow an audience of both men and women that followed me that enjoyed my content. So I grew to 4 million. I'm like, that's an insane number. Like, how do I even-- yeah. But it was cool because I got to see it, see my followers, and we did meetups in different places around the world. It was just a global audience, which was really cool. such like, like, I don't know what to call it, like an unknown platform or just something so fresh and so new that people appreciated the people that were on that platform and really like working hard every day. Cause like not only would I shoot my videos, I would be in collabing with everyone else, like 20 other videos throughout the day. So every day was invested in this one platform and you never know the longevity of one platform. So I'm like, all right, let me just start. Snapchat came out. and I was like, all right, I can do videos in real time that people see, so let me make my profile public. And I started doing these bedtime improv stories.

Really?

And I grew to the top 10 most viewed on Snapchat. So I was getting like 3 million views a post at that time. And that's when people had to like search for me.

3 million views a post on Snapchat.

Yeah, it was like 2, 3 million like up there. Yeah. So people had to type in my name to find it. Amanda Cerny on- that's crazy. and it's a hard name to spell, but I was very proud of that because they wouldn't verify me at the time because I wasn't a celebrity. I was a social media influencer. So I was like, all right, well, it'll be a lot easier if you just verify me. So people, my name could just pop up there. Yeah. So I started doing that, and then Instagram got video, which was 15 seconds.

I remember.

And that kind of.

It was a minute.

Yeah. And that kind of killed Vine, so Vine. ended up going away. Like it's no longer exists. So.

So how did that feel when you had 4 million or whatever it was at the time? And you're like, okay, it's done.

I was okay with it because I kind of saw it declining to, like, less people using it. And you have to not put all your eggs in one basket to a social media or with anything unless you fully own that audience, because it could go away and then you're done. What are you gonna do?

That's it.

Yeah, that's it. So I made sure I was on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and just doing comedy sketches on every platform. And then as I built this audience, I was able to do other things because I started to get an audience that actually cared about me, like outside of just my comedy videos. So I was like, oh, okay, cool. I can do travel content if I wanted to.

Fitness.

Do fitness. Makeup.

Whatever you want.

Yeah. Yeah. I'm horrible at makeup. Yeah. But whatever it is I wanted to do that they would know I was genuinely and organically interested interested in, I could talk to them about and they would still be entertained.

Yeah.

Which is cool.

The main vision you had was moving to LA at 20 to do movies. Is that what I'm hearing correctly? That was the original. And all this started because you were like, I need to figure out how to get the attention of directors or producers or casting directors.

Yeah.

So that I can start doing film and potentially TV, I'm assuming.

Right.

Film or TV. But it sounds like this Transitioned you into having a much bigger business and audience than potentially being in movies every year could.

It definitely did. It's crazy how it turned.

Isn't it crazy? And are you still focused on trying to get a role in movies and TV? Is that still the goal six, seven years later?

Yeah, I mean, I'm even more interested in producing now and just working on my own projects. Like, I'm working with this one producer that I worked with on Creed 2. So he's incredible. Were you in Creed 2?

I was, but they cut my scene.

Oh, I love the Creed 2. Yeah, I mean, Creed 2 was good.

But it would have been better if.

They kept my scene in there. Oh, that's too bad. Yeah, but it was a cool experience and like I was able to meet people on the set and you know that are also very excited about my platform and you know my career path so far because I've just been hustling since like. Nonstop. Yeah, way back. But so it's great. So I met these producers and at the same time of me still studying film and TV and focusing on acting like and just still still having that in me. So I can always just better my own content, too. Now I have the ability just to put things together with my network and, you know, create my own projects and then sell those. And there's more money in that, too.

That's true. Now, you. You moved out here originally, and you mentioned briefly that you were a playmate. Were you a playmate in Florida when you were 19 or 18?

Yeah.

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Right.

And has that helped you or hurt you in getting in the door for the next steps?

Right. So I moved down to Florida.

From?

Connecticut.

Okay.

Yeah. My family bounced around a lot. My dad was in pharmaceutical sales and then my parents divorced, typical. And then we moved down south when my my mom remarried. Okay. And then I ended up down there. I was in high school. I did grade in school, got a scholarship. My mom made me pay for it.

Academic.

Yes. Wow.

Full ride or just like a half.

I got 75 because I didn't have the extracurricular yeah. Add-ons I should have showed them the Playmates brand. No, like extracurricular a. But I did track and cross country, and that was about it, because otherwise I had a full-time job basically in high school, too, so I can pay for my car and. phone and everything, which I love that my mom did that, by the way. That's right. Because it made me, like, know what real work is.

Yeah.

And not just giving you the car.

Giving you an extra 100 bucks a week for.

It's like a movies, whatever. Yeah. Yeah. It's like a. It's like a game to me. Like. Like, I don't know. Making money has always been just so fun for me because then I get to get the things that I've. I wanted. Like, it's. You get that satisfaction of, like, oh, I got my car, I got my phone. I earned that and it's a different feeling. But then I got accepted into college and then I went to UCF for the first year and then I was like, that's cool. But it feels like a commuter school. Like I wanted to see like a college college experience and.

Like fraternities and sororities and.

Yeah, just like built off that. I mean, UCF is great. Don't hate me.

I've been to UCF. I did a track like practice there when I was in college. Yeah.

What did you think?

Cool. Yeah, it was fun. A nice track, yeah. That's all I remember.

I feel like college was just partying and those type of experiences. For you it was? For me, for sure.

It's funny, I probably didn't party at all. Really? I went to a couple of parties after football games, but I didn't have one sip of alcohol my whole college career. You're so good. Wasn't all of this good? I needed an edge over everyone else I was playing against. And I would see my friends go out and get wasted.

As part of keg stands, the whole thing.

Well, as an athlete too. I can't do that because I will not be able to function the next day of practice. I need an edge mentally, physically. Smart. Because I wasn't as talented. So I was just like, I'm going.

To train my mind during this time.

I was bored.

You were just like, Party! Yeah. So I ended up transferring to FSU the next year. But we have this- Florida State. Yeah. So we have this thing in Florida called dual enrollment, which is amazing. It's where in high school you get to take college level courses at the local community college and get college credit and high school credit. so two birds with one stone.

So you don't have to take extra classes?

No.

So is that called AP class then, or what is that?

In a way, but you don't have to do, I guess you do have to pass the class to get it, but with AP you just have to pass one test to get the college credit, but you still get the high school.

Sure.

This is just like you do or you don't. So with dual enrollment, I was on a college level course, like Tuesdays and Thursdays in high school is the only time I had to go to school. was on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Amazing.

Yeah. It was the best thing.

Senior in high school is like, what do you do with your time?

I did it my junior and senior year. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. And I'm smarter than me. I had, like, summer school and tutors every day. I was just trying to get past, barely past, like, yeah, senior year English.

I mean, it was so challenging, but go ahead. Yeah. But. So I just did it, though, so I would have more days that I could just work. Wow. Smart. Yeah. So when I was, I was out there in school, and then the next day I would work, and then I just go after school for tracking cross country and. that was it. That was my life. And then you're in South Florida. So partying is always a thing in Florida. Yeah. Don't recommend it. Yeah. Stay focused. But, yeah. So I did that. And then. So I went to school with my AA, and then my next year is at Florida State. And I was like, all right, well, I want to be in the CIA because my. This is like a dream of mine. My mom. had her own karate school growing up that my sisters and I were all in. And we're all black belts.

No way.

Yeah.

Black belt karate.

Yeah. But we did it. Like, I stopped doing it when I was 13. I don't even know. It's muscle memory somewhere, but yeah. Yeah. No, she knows. My mom knows all the pressure points and all that good stuff, so. Which is when you're out of line, she's just like, yeah, no marks. So.

Yeah, just death.

Yeah, just death. And so. When I went, I went for international business and I was studying that and had a lot of free time because, you know, college schedule, you do your classes, I went to work. And like when I was in high school too, I invested in the stock market because these people at this diner that I worked at, they would always come in and talk about stocks. And I was 15 when I was working there and I was like, what is that? Like, what does that do? How does that work? And then a couple of guys are talking about how they do penny stocks and trade every day and I was like, fun.

Tim Sykes.

Yeah.

Do you know Tim Sykes?

No. Okay.

That's his thing. Yeah.

Penny stocks.

Yeah.

I should read up on him. It's a lot of work.

A lot of, you have to be on there all day. Yeah.

Watching and just like, and go. Yeah. But, so I just heard them and out of luck, I like, I went home and I had no idea what I was doing. I asked my stepdad if I could just go on his like account and invest my money that I earned. So I invested, I forget how much, I think it was like 2000 and then it went up to like 30,000 because it was when everything just crashed and you could literally invest in like anything at that point. So I made enough money to help pay for college and all that stuff because I was on a 75% scholarship. But then yeah, so anyways, went to college, bored in my dorm room. Actually, no, I was in a house at that time at Florida State. And I had two friends on Facebook that messaged me and were like, oh, you should do Playmate. And they messaged me at the same time, so I'm like, Either the world is weird or you guys are sitting right next to each other and being crazy. And I'm like, Ha, no, I'm not doing that. I'm gonna work for the government and be in the CIA and stop the bad guys. And that was my whole little movie dream. I watched too much Angelina Jolie probably. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But, so then I was like, no, I'm not gonna do it. And then I was like, let me see what that is. And then I looked more into it and I was like, oh, Hugh Hefner, Marilyn Monroe, that's so cool. And I just sent him bikini photos at the time. And then they emailed back and they were like, oh, like you need to, we need to see like what you're working with. And then I'm like, all right, self timer on my camera, took a photo, so awkward, sent that in. And then the next day I'm walking around- did you just email it or something? Yeah, I just emailed it. I emailed it to the email address on their website. So I'm like, all right, it has to be legit. And then the next day it all hit me. I'm like walking around school and I'm like, what did I just do? I'm like, what if that was a fake email address? What if that wasn't real? What if the, like, I have news out there and I'm not gonna be able to work for the government anymore. And all these things just like went through my head. And then, like, but that same moment I remember sitting like at a Starbucks at school. And I got an email back from them saying, all right, we want to fly you out for a test shoot to California. You stay at the mansion for the week, do your centerfold shoot, and then we'll fly you out. As a test shoot? Yeah.

To do a test shoot centerfold shoot.

Yeah.

But it wouldn't be the real thing.

No. Okay, just a test. Yeah, they just, they gotta test you out. Gotcha. So for me, I got super excited because I was like, one, I get to fly to Los Angeles for Free. Yeah. And then stay in the mansion. Yeah. Get picked up by a limo, meet Hugh Hefner. And I used to watch the Girls Next Door all the time.

So I was like, this is awesome.

So what, you're 19 at the time or 18? Yeah, 19. And then, so I said yes. And then they flew me out. And I, like, I remember borrowing clothes from some of my girlfriends at school. I'm like, I don't have anything to wear. So they gave me some of their stuff to bring over with me, their dresses. And I remember being on the plane too and just like only eating, this is when they still handed out the peanuts.

Yeah.

And I was just only eating the peanuts because I didn't have like enough money to get the other food on the plane too. And then I got to LA and I ended up staying in this mansion. They had me run up to the house and Hef came down. He's like, hi, I'm Hugh Hefner. Congratulations. Best of luck on your shoot.

Wow.

Like the biggest gentleman ever. Then he left, I'm like, all right, cool. Like, I'm out in LA, I did my test shoot. You already did the shoot? Well, I did it like those next two days.

Okay.

And it was with the same photographer that started with Playboy and has been with him for 15, 50 years. Amazing. Which is crazy. And they all do it with just lighting. And so it's like, it was my first time ever posing nude in my life. Wow. And I didn't even tell my mom.

There's a bunch of people around too, probably watching you and holding it up whatever reflectors.

Yeah, I was like a deer in headlights. I was so nervous. And the makeup artist saw, which is actually the same makeup artist that did my makeup for my guest shoot like years later. She did my whole makeup and my looks for my guest campaign, which is crazy. So full circle. But then I did that. I went to like some LA parties and then flew back to college and I was like, all right, they're not gonna choose me, whatever. I don't even need to talk to my parents about it. But then they called me and said, Hef approved me for a centerfold. So then they flew me back to shoot the actual centerfold shoot in May. And then before I knew it, I was a Playboy centerfold and calling dad and being like, Hey, Dad. I just did this. And he's like, oh, well, if you want to work, he lectured me about working for the government and all that stuff. And I'm like, Good, that's what I would do as a parent too. So, like, makes sense. And then my mom was like, Whoo! So, yeah, they were divorced at the time too. So it's like, you have one that's like, yeah, the other one's like waving his finger. So I ended up doing it and then I was like, all right, I'm not gonna use this degree anymore. So let me move down to Miami and just study acting because I'm not a model. I'm like, I never saw myself as a model. I'm just like, I'm very spontaneous. So I just moved down there. I was like, all right, like I need to work, I need to do things, but there was very little jobs in Miami too. for acting. It was like the rise of EDM music at the time. Sure, sure. So I started doing live event, live EDM event hosting. Wow, that's cool. And like traveling with that and it's so random and it's like me on the mic hyping up the crowd. Like it's funny and then doing interviews with some of the DJs that were like rising up at the time too. So I'm like weirdly know that world because of that. So I started doing that and then you get bored of something. If you don't love doing something. yeah. So I was like, all right, you know what? I'm just gonna. My whole family's from the East Coast. I'm just gonna go out to La and pursue acting. That's what I'm. If I'm gonna make it work, because anything that I want to do, I'm gonna make it work. And then I went out there, got an apartment, and then was having meetings with these managers and agents, and all them said the same thing. Either they said, no, we're not interested. Or they said, all right, cool. Yeah, we'll just put you in these stripper roles and all this stuff because you're a playmate. I was like, whoa. I thought me being a Playmate Centerfold would be like, it puts me on a platform, gives me some kind of clout, and then I can just do whatever I want from there and whatever I desire. That's not my whole career. That's one moment in my life and you're making me stick in this, say in this one bucket you're gonna coin me as. And I'm like, so it was really hard and just to find my way out of that. And with social media, that was the way I was able to do it, which was the most exciting thing ever because that was the most annoying thing to hear. And then I kind of came back with social media, too. So with social media, I was starting to grow on there. I got 4 million followers on Vine, and then I had all of a sudden these, like, makeup companies interested in doing stuff with me. And then everybody just knew me as this girl that does comedy videos that has an insane, like, loyal following. And when I was doing that, I got this offer from like different just well-known beauty companies being like, Hey, like we want to do a massive campaign with you. I'm like, Great. So far along in the process and then they're like, oh, we just found out you were a playmate.

Really?

So we're not gonna do the deal. Yeah, that's happened so many times for me.

Still?

Not anymore.

The first three, four years.

Yeah. In the beginning, it happened all the time, but it made me start to feel bad about something that I did that I used to be proud of because I worked out twice a day in college. Like, I was so confident and I was like, you know, everything I did was because of me at that point and I was just like, yeah, this is awesome. Yeah, they're sexy photos, but I liked them, you know, I was like, oh, this is cool. But then it made me feel ashamed of something that I did and I'm like, I don't want like, feel ashamed for something. Like, obviously you learn through everything that you do in life and you grow from everything that you do and for people to come back at you for whatever your past was, like, all the time. It's just like, okay, that's not who I am, though. That's like a moment in my life, and. But it doesn't Define who I am or what I can do or what talents I have or what I'm capable of or how hard I work. And so for me, that was a major obstacle in the beginning. but then I was able to push through it more and just like, you know what? Screw this. I don't need traditional whatever. I'm just going to invest all the money that I have in just building this content, educating myself, learning more, studying more, and just continue to grow my following. And one day people will see how valuable social media is, how relevant these platforms are, and how much value I do have outside of that. So And it worked, like eventually before even celebrities didn't want to do collaborations on social media.

They want to.

Yeah, they like would be making fun of it, but now everybody wants to and has to have some sort of presence on socials unless you're like old school A-list, like, Cruise or something. Yeah, you can get away.

He has social media, yeah.

Yeah.

It's funny when I remember when I saw the Rock, like four years ago doing collabs with Logan Paul and Kevin Hart doing these collabs and the Rock doing a collab with Lily Singh on YouTube to launch his YouTube channel and you see Will Smith doing collabs with people like all these individuals want to build their following now.

Yeah.

And they need you or people like you. Yeah. They need you to collaborate with because you have the audience.

Yeah. And they've done a great job with it. Like everybody is, you know, people understand it more and I don't blame them for not doing it because their profession, like they've studied acting, they've worked their way up in their industry that they're doing and then all of a sudden this new thing comes along that's like like, it's not as well produced. It's not, you know, they don't want it to hurt their brand. But then the internet became like a known thing and an appreciated thing because it's so Carefree and fun and lenient and. Yeah. And you can really speak to your audience, which is the coolest thing about it. So then their interest, you started to see some people hopping on a little bit more, a little bit sooner, but it's all about timing, too. so now people are going on, like, it's launching people's full careers now, which is super exciting. And it gives, it gives a way for people to become successful and gain an audience without having to have a stamp of approval from either Hollywood or. Yeah. So it's like, it was a way for me to get in an industry I wanted to be in that I wasn't allowed in before, unless, you know, I was going for roles that didn't satisfy me.

It still sounds like like, you know, old time Hollywood is rejecting the social media star and coming in. Right. Do you feel like it's challenging to still get in the door, even though you're like, look at this platform I have. I have more followers than the lead actors on this movie.

Yeah.

That I didn't get the role for. But they still are kind of resisting it. Right. Even actors are kind of like pushing away social media influencers. Yeah. And people with big followings if they haven't done the work, let's say, or whatever.

They haven't acting their whole life.

Something, right?

I see it. I mean, even Lily Singh, though, she just got her own late night show, is like the only lady on late night, which is incredible. Super inspiring. And she started on YouTube, and she's been super collaborative. Like you said, like, the rock has done stuff with her and stuff before, but she didn't. She didn't need those collaborations to get to where she is now. Like, she was able to prove herself through her platforms, and her content has gotten better over time. And she has such a loyal audience that has grown with It's almost like you're you're you have a family. Yeah. You know, people that truly care about you and support you. And I think, you know, there's different profiles that just grow out of nowhere that have such strong followings like out of nowhere. But there's there's I understand when production companies or Brands don't see value as much in that because it is so immediate and I would question it sometimes too. I'd be like oh, just like give them a few years like get close to that audience and see if they can maintain it and keep that audience. And if they can, there's something to say about people wanting to see more from them.

That's true.

But if somebody's not like, I wouldn't put a beauty influencer that has no care for acting, no care for studying it, and just, I wouldn't just throw her in a movie if I was a producer, you know, or him in a movie if I was a producer. I would just, if somebody has actually studied it, if they're good at what they do, if they prove themselves in a casting room or if they can prove their self that there's a demand for that, then I would support it. You know, it's not just like hand things out just because somebody has like numbers. It's like make things do the things that are relevant with that person and that they have branded themselves towards. And the most exciting thing is like, I hate the idea of putting somebody in a box, but if there's an interest from that person of and showing effort and showing hard work into going alongside another vertical, I would give them that opportunity. But you're able to rebrand yourself. You're able to create your own content based on what you want to do. You're never stuck with social media.

That's true.

You might get hate in the beginning.

Which you might lose following for a while. Yeah, rebuild it up, right?

Yeah. What is that following going to do for you anyway? Like that following's there. Okay. Like if they're just there for one purpose and that's not what you want to do with your life, what are you wasting your time for? Just stop doing that type of content or just like slowly wean it out or just throw it in every once in a while if you still enjoy that type of content. But really just go for the things that you want to do. Yeah. Because those very, even though it's less people, it's a niche audience that is truly going to support you, and then you're just going to grow on that.

Niche audience, like, even bigger. Yeah.

I love the adulting.

Is that what it's called? Oh, yeah. I love that series because I felt like you expressing your creativity, you were taking a risk. It was doing something that maybe wasn't popular to all your audience. But I was like, this is powerful. It takes a lot of courage to continue to do something like that. And also express yourself in the way that you want to express yourself. So I really admired that stuff.

Thank you.

It's a series that you did on Instagram for those that haven't seen it. What's the biggest challenge you face personally or intimately with the rising, I guess, following that you've had? I think what is it, 35 million plus now followers on all social media accounts. how have you faced, what are the challenges that you've had to face personally.

Like internally, just in growing or.

Yeah, like personal challenges. Maybe like, maybe your ego got so big or maybe you had more insecurities or maybe you had to worry more about how you always looked all the time out in public. Like, what's the thing that you faced internally the most?

Yeah, I, I mean, I wouldn't say.

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An ego with these things? Maybe it's because my first time out in LA, I had no clout whatsoever. I was of little value to people. So it's like I saw the people that had the ego. I remember my first time being at one of those parties and then there was, and I knew nothing about who celebrities were. I was like, I didn't, I was just making money in college. Like, I was just trying to pay for things. Like, so I didn't know much about, like, pop culture and all that stuff. So when I went to these parties, there was this one guy, I'm not gonna, like, name who it is, but one of the other girls was like, hey, this is my friend. You should meet him. And I was like, oh, cool. Hi, I'm Amanda. Nice to meet you. you. And then he's like, nice to meet you. And I'm like, oh, what's your name? And then he's like, just started. Yeah, he got so offended and started laughing at me because I didn't know his name and just, like, pushed me away and turned around. I was like, wow. I was like, what? And I got so mad because you don't treat people like that in general. It's just insane. Like, where does that. I don't know where that comes from. And then. So I just, like, I was, like, pissed. I just, like, walked away. I just ignored it, and. I think he saw that I genuinely didn't know who he was and then which made him come back later and be like, Hey, by the way, you know, I really just thought you were like pretending and you didn't know. I'm like, why would you think that? Like, first off, even if I was pretending, don't act like that. Yeah. So I got to see, maybe that's why it's because I experienced the Hollywood life. Yeah, but it's such like not a good human. Like, it's like, why would you ever treat people less because they don't have what you have. Yeah. So I don't know. That was never an issue for me. But what was the biggest issue? I guess it was just finding a way to convince the bigger companies and Hollywood of who I am and what I can do. But that's not really an issue anymore because now I've been doing it for so many years and I've been improving every single year and doing a lot more every year. doing a lot of really big collaborations every year. Like I just did something with Sophia Vergara, who I've loved and looked up to, like even growing up and watching Modern Family, she's always been incredible. And I've launched an underwear line with her, with a collection with her on Eby, her underwear line, and flew to India and did like this whole thing with microfinance and helping women in business, which is exciting. And then I've done, I'm working with the UN now as one of their ambassadors for wildlife conservation and doing good things for the environment and promoting awareness on those things. So it's like I'm working with the people I want to work with, the brands that I want to work with, the corporations that I appreciate what they're doing and impacting the world. And I'm not really in that position that I still reflect back on, which sucked, like because I was a playmate.

Yeah.

And that's such a horrible thing to have to complain about, like poor you, right? Poor you, you were a playmate. Oh my gosh, you were pretty in stereotypes. Oh, your life is so difficult. It's not saying that it's just saying I was like limited, you know, and I still had to like, I had to work really hard to get past that. But now I guess the issue that I would say I face, what is my issue? Like, what do I struggle with? I would say it's, I would say these platforms are getting more institutionalized too. similar to like how Hollywood was and like all those things. And I would say it's just finding a way to communicate with my entire audience would be the whole following.

You wish they could all see the post.

Yeah, it's all see the post. They chose to follow me. Like let's let them see what I'm doing, you know.

The platforms are limiting all of us.

Yeah.

Why is that? It's just for advertising, right?

I think, yeah, it's a business. I get it. Like I get why they do it, but it's like for me, Me, in my position, selfishly, I don't like that. I don't like it either.

I wish everyone that subscribed could watch it.

Yeah.

See it. We'll find a way.

Do you believe in being an early.

Adapter for new platforms and investing all your time and energy, even if it doesn't work out?

Yep.

Really. Because if anything, you're only learning from your content.

You're getting somewhat a little bit of feedback. Pay attention to what your audience is saying. Better your content through that. that. And, yeah, if anything, you're just getting smarter through it. And I. That's a huge thing. Timing is so important, even on Vine. Like, if you came on later on the app, it was a lot more difficult to grow. If you're just now getting on Instagram, good luck growing to millions and millions. Like, the algorithm almost won't let you.

Unless you're a big celebrity or you're making viral content.

Yeah, just that just, like, hits, like, but it's like a lottery. So hard. Yeah.

The only person I've seen grow fast who was like, you know, not a celebrity was Jay Shetty. Oh, yeah.

He's been growing over the last year.

Last year, too, right? Facebook, he's at like 25 million, I think. Instagram, he's at four and a half million. And he was at 100,000 on Instagram at the beginning of last year, and now he's at four and a half million.

Yeah. So much of his content is going viral. You're right.

There is still opportunity for, it's just a lot. You have to create viral content.

Yeah.

You can't just post a few photos.

Because there's so much out there. So much noise. Yeah, there's so much out there already. But there are, like, newer platforms like Tick Tock, Instagram. It's great to be on still just because they're launching, like, IGTV still, like, and fully promoting that. And they haven't really coined the people that are, you know, the stars of that platform, you know, like, yeah, there's the Instagram stars that are doing content on there as well, but, you know, that's going to be something they're heavily pushing. I would say YouTube is, you know, there's always a chance to go viral. You just never know. So just like whatever it is, just make sure you're super passionate about it. Because if you're not, people see right through it. Just don't do videos that you see are doing well and copy them and do them on your own because it's just, you're just extra noise. Yeah, well, and it most likely won't do well because people are already used to that. They already have their favorite people and that you need to create something unique for yourself to be able to stand out.

Yeah.

So, and then being on the newer platforms. That's it, huh? Yeah.

I feel like it's easier to build a big platform on a new platform than starting on something that's been established for a while. I think so. Because if you invest your time there and you can grow with the platform.

Then you can really be seen and known for something different. Well, that's how, I mean, that's how I did it with Vine and everything else. I did that with exactly what I did with Vine. I was like one of the first on the platform. Yeah, I had to create content every day and just make sure other people that were new were seeing the growth and starting other people starting to grow. So they're getting on there too. And then you're competing against this other content that's on there. So you're just by competition, you're bettering your content.

Yeah, that's it.

Which is great.

What have you learned about yourself and about other people with having one of the biggest social media followings?

Oh, what have I learned about myself? I would say it's not so much through entertainment, it's more in business. I've learned that I'm very type A. My manager probably over there, Lacy, is like, -huh. Yeah. But I just need organization and I need, I just, that's how I function the best. And I'm also very direct, like, even though, like, some people need extra, love and like words of appreciation and all that stuff.

I don't like this. I like this.

Yeah. And then I'm over here doing other things already, you know? So it's like, yeah. Yeah. So that's what I learned about myself. And, you know, I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but it's like, that's just how I am. Yeah. Like, that's just what I do.

And what have you learned about other people?

Oh, this is like one of the biggest lessons I think I've learned, and it's not the most positive. But I would say not to trust anyone.

No one.

Not to trust anyone right away.

Yeah.

Let them earn it. Like, that's my thing.

It's like, oh, they have some credibility over here. I'm gonna trust them by meeting them the first time. And like, let's do something together.

But, oh, yeah, but there's like, they're okay. So levels of trust.

So collaboration.

Collaborations do it all day long. Yeah, but the password to my bank account, maybe not.

Right, right.

You know, is like, But you, business.

Partnerships or things like that.

Exactly. I think it's, you know, you really want to know who you're getting into bed with in business, but you really do because it's like you can get screwed over so easily in real life and entertainment and through contracts. So it's like, I read things like 20 times.

You do it personally.

Yeah. But now I let it go through my team. They handle all that stuff for me so I can focus on creatives and and like progress in that way, which thank God they exist because I was letting my head get too wrapped up in like the business deals and all that sort of stuff. So they handle that, but now I just, now I'm able to sit back more and it's a team that I fully trust.

That's great.

And they were able to earn that with me and like I usually have a wall up, but that's because it's through experience, right? Like you start to do something because some X has happened, you know? It's like I've seen things happen to other people. I've seen people get screwed over. I've seen like the nicest people turn out to be some of the worst people. So it's like, all right, well, you know, I'm just gonna protect myself and just make sure. And I'm not just, I'm not saying everybody's horrible. Don't trust people in general. It's just like, just learn who they are. You never really know who somebody is until like, like, a year or two into, like, really just, like, feeling them out or just how much you're with them. That's true. Then you can really see, like, the real living with somebody, and you can see the real side of some people, you know? I know that experience. Yeah. Yeah. Right? Yeah. I'm sure. I'm about to move in with my.

My new girlfriend, which is in a few months. That's so exciting. Excited about.

I love you guys together. She's amazing. Yeah.

I'm a little nervous. I'm not actually that nervous. That's why I think it's gonna be good, because I'm actually that nervous. I think I'm more nervous from previous experiences that didn't work out. I don't want to repeat that. Have you lived with someone before?

No, actually, I live with my current boyfriend now, Johannes, and he does fitness. He's incredible. Johannes Bartel, plug. But he's amazing. He's a genuine, amazing human being, so sweet, so kind. You know him, you met him. Yeah, he's a nice guy. He's a good guy. He's from Austria, working on his green card right now. Oh, wow. Which is, by the way, I've learned so much about how difficult it is for people to stay in the United States.

Really hard, right?

Oh my gosh, we're so lucky that we're born here.

It's amazing.

Like we don't have to stress out about getting a visa or a green card or like that's so expensive too. Anyways, whole other topic. Yeah, no, I live with them, but it's the same as when I didn't. I think your experience is gonna be very similar because you guys get along so well. I haven't seen you guys together in person yet, but... And hopefully we get.

To hang out soon.

Yeah. No, I hope so. Double date. Salsa dancing. Salsa dancing.

Which we love. I'm going salsa dancing tonight. Are you?

Yeah, so far.

Sofitel, every Wednesday night. It's amazing.

Oh, you were telling me about that. Amazing. Like Mark Anthony showed up last month. It was like a surprise and perform.

It was amazing. Yeah, I never been there.

I always went to El Floridita.

El Floridita is too tight. Yeah, it's bigger. Bigger and it's a cooler space.

We have to rally. Yes. That's cool. So it's working out with you guys.

And you're getting married soon I heard.

I'm just kidding. I always get so, why do maybe you can diagnose me here. Why do I get weird on that topic?

Do you want to be married?

I don't know. I'm not like, yeah, that's my dream.

Did you ever dream about it as a kid?

No. I always dreamed about living in New York or being independent. Yeah, I guess.

When did your parents get divorced?

When I was 10.

Yeah, I was 15 when my parents got divorced, but they were always fighting and it was a mess for me. It was like constant chaos. There was no stability. So my fear of marriage for me personally is like, I don't want to repeat what my parents had. Because they were never happy until they got divorced. So why should I get married when it's only what I saw the model was unhappiness and fighting and screaming. So I've always been, so, like, scared personally. I don't know if you've had that.

I don't. I don't feel scared, but, like, I. That's what I grew up with, too. My. My parents, I never saw. My dad was an alcoholic, and then my mom wanted to divorce my dad because of that. But I was 10. I just thought Dad was fun. Right. And Dad. He was a great dad, but.

But they weren't a great.

Yeah. It wasn't, like, a good situation for them. And I only really saw the fighting when they got the divorce, and it. like, they're just a mess. Like, like bringing. Yeah, it was a mess.

If he. If he proposed to you right now, what would you say?

Probably say, get your green card. And then, yeah, that's like my.

Why? Because it wouldn't be, like, dependent on you to stay here. Is that what you're saying? Like, the marriage?

Yeah, but I, like, I know that's how he is, too, though. He wouldn't want to get married until. He got it on his own. He's all about like, yeah, make it to America, stay here because of that.

Sure. Say you had his green card then already.

I don't know. I'm still thinking about a dog.

My girlfriend just bought a dog. I'm picking it up.

Really?

Two days.

What type?

It's a mini, it's like a teacup Pomeranian. It's really cute. But I've been resisting having a dog for 10 years. Yeah, because the last time I had a dog, dog was with a girlfriend.

Power of women.

With a girlfriend. And she held the dog against me. And it was just like a nightmare to get to separate from her.

And then she took the dog from.

Me and this dog fell in love.

Broke your heart.

So it broke my heart. I was like, I love animals so much, but I just feel like, I also feel like I won't live my life fully if I have a dog, because I want to spend all my.

Time with the dog. Yeah, it is distracting. That's my fear too, because I see.

How my mom is with her dog.

Always with it.

But she's a home, like Jeanette's a homebody, so she's just gonna wanna chill.

At home with the dog. Yeah.

It's gonna be her dog. I will love it.

And I'll be able to do what I need to do. Well, I can't wait for the puppy content. Oh my gosh. I love puppy pictures, so I'm excited. Are you gonna be doing the workouts with her?

The workout part of her workout plan? For the fit plan stuff? No, not with that.

No.

But I'm sure we'll do stuff when she moves here. But, yeah. Yeah. I'm always like, for me, it's gotta feel like this is a no-brainer to get married.

Mm-.

For me personally.

Yeah.

So I'm not in a rush. I'm not like feeling pressure or anything.

But it's like, what's the rush?

What's the rush?

You can be married for the rest of your life. Yeah. If you want to get married. Well, maybe if like, kids are involved.

It makes more sense.

Yeah. I see it as a business. Marriage. Right? Because it's like, you-'re so analytical. I don't know.

The most analytical brain. Really?

Yeah, you're very analytical. I don't like numbers.

I know.

Yeah.

She's very analytical. Johannes is probably like the romantic.

Oh yeah, he's such a little lush. Yeah. But it's so sweet. Like I lived through him.

That's great. You're just like, okay.

Yeah. Yeah, it's the sweetest thing. And I also, this is one thing I noticed about myself just in life. I have a hard time expressing my appreciation. No, I already talked about this. But it's true because even on Christmas, if my mom gives me something, I'm like, oh thanks.

Wow.

And then it's like, but I really do love it and I'm like, but.

I can't like, show your appreciation or express it.

Yeah, but I do say, and it's not like I don't, I do say thank you. I do send things, like, but me in person is like very like, thank you.

Yeah.

Like, I don't know what's wrong with me, 'cause inside I'm happy. It's not wrong, it's just your personality.

What's your like, what's your love life like?

My love language. I think it's gifts. I think it's, right? Because that's one. It's usually two.

First one's, that's what you love. When someone gives you a gift, you feel the most loved. Yeah. When someone says, you're amazing.

Because that's how I give it to other people. Gifts. Yeah. Because for me, that's when I'm like, oh, I feel loved. Yeah. Action.

What about words of affirmation? If someone says something or what about physical touch? If someone's like rubbing your neck.

Care. Words of affirmation. You like that?

Yeah.

But you don't like giving it. But I don't. But I. But I do. I don't know how to explain myself. Lacy, you'd probably be doing a better job, but I don't. Because I do. It's not like I don't, but I just don't do it all the time. Like. But when I do it, I really do it. Like, I'll send, like, a novel of, like, how much I care, and I'll be all teary-eyed and just sending it and. Or. Yeah. So I just hold on to it for a while and then I let it all out and I'm like, oh, all right.

Throw it up.

Yeah.

Then you go back to your analytical.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Interesting.

That's me.

We'll talk offline more about it.

It's a counseling session now.

So interesting.

Yeah. Yeah.

Well, I got a couple final questions for you.

Okay.

This is called the three truths. So imagine it's your last day on earth. And you get to pick the day when you gotta go. It could be 100 years from now, right? But you gotta go at some point.

Right.

Do I age?

You look the exact same. Yeah.

But you gotta go. Okay. So you're 100 years old, you're 200, you're 80, whatever it is, you gotta go. And you've created and achieved every dream you could ever imagine. Right. So you've done the movies, TV, you've had kids, you've done whatever you wanna do.

And I have no new dreams or goals.

All the dreams that you have in the future, you create them. Every new dream.

So I could have a new dream and goal.

Yeah, yeah.

All right.

In 10 years, you have new dreams. You achieve those.

Oh, I achieved them already.

You achieve all the dreams you have.

Right. I did it. I did that.

You did it. You did it all.

But can I create new dreams after?

If you're about to die, no, you're about to be dead.

Okay. So you've done it all in this life. Yeah.

You've done everything you want to do in this life, but now you're right?

No new dreams.

No new dreams. You're dead. But before you die, you get to leave behind a message to the world. A message of all the lessons you've learned.

Pressure, right?

A message of all the lessons you've learned from your experience. From growing up as a kid, from going through divorce, from playmate days, to building social media platform, to movies, to whatever you've learned.

Get no good.

Exactly. And you get to leave behind three lessons to the world.

Okay.

And this is all they would have to remember you by, because all of your other content, you've got to take it with you into the next world.

Okay.

So there's no more information about you online in the world except for this final message.

It's almost like, my God.

So I call this the three truths.

Okay.

What would you say are your three truths that you'd leave behind?

I would say be kind. because I fully believe in Karma. I think that's a real thing. So even if it's out of selfishness, be kind. Okay. That's the most important one, I think. Number two, I would say be unapologetically you, because if you get stuck in whatever life is just more enjoyable that way. Yeah, and you're going to progress a lot that way too. Like, take the criticism, but still be.

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Fidelity Brokerage Services member NYSE SIPC. Don't change for anybody but you. If you feel a certain way about yourself, Change it for you. One more. You got this. Final lesson. Be kind. That encompasses a lot.

Be unapologetically you.

I would say you need to take care of the world. Be more thoughtful. Because right now we just live and don't question anything. So also two things on that one. Question everything. Because that's very important. Don't just listen to what the corporations feed you. don't listen to what the news feeds you. Don't listen to what your best friend who's very biased sometimes feeds you. Like, come up with your own observations. Look. Just look outside, see what you see, travel, see what you see. And that's going to change a lot of who you are, too.

So those are good.

Yeah, those are my. Top of my head. I like it.

Well, I want to acknowledge you, Amanda, for constantly growing and reinventing yourself. Because I think it's really challenging for people to do that once they've found success in one area and something's working and they stick with that. But you constantly take risks and you try new things and you reinvent yourself. And I think that's really inspiring for people to see, especially for young women who might think they don't have the skill set to do that. You're constantly showing people that, and I think it's really powerful. so I admire and respect you for that.

Thanks.

You've got a lot of things happening right now. You've got a new podcast we talked about. You've got a magazine, or not a.

Magazine, but a calendar coming out.

Yeah, 2020.

2020 calendar. Yes. So it's not just your normal calendar. I haven't done one of these in forever. And I'm like, all right, just get, you know, make something fun, but also it's promoting awareness about environmental issues. So it's just done in like a cool way that people can appreciate, not just a preachy way, which everybody gets bored with and positive that's great. And then also just doing things with the troops with that, and then also just doing things with helping benefit the wildlife and conservation efforts. So doing that. And then also launching an activewear line alongside Meryl Diamond, who's this incredible woman started from nothing also and just built her way up. She works with QVC and just some of the top brands there, their preferred partner. And yeah, so I'm doing stuff with her, like a real line, a real brand, something high quality I can appreciate that sustainable fashion. Working with a DVF who's this incredible fairy godmother of fashion and she started all the wrap dresses and doing things with her towards sustainability in the fashion industry. It's doing stuff with that, working on producing, this is my plug moment so I'm going for it. And yeah, so mostly those things and I'm working on some but they're a little too early to talk about. Yeah, just because I don't have all the straight facts for you right now otherwise I would.

Where can they get the calendar or where can they learn about all this other stuff that you're working on.

Follow my socials. I'll talk about everything. Yeah.

Your website too?

Is it just AmandaCerny.com?

Okay, cool.

Yeah.

So updates there. That's good. I got my domain like in 2007, I think.

I even, that's early. That's so good.

AmandaCerny.com 2007.

I got mine in 20, around 2012, and I had to pay for it too.

Wow.

I had to pay $7,000 for it. For it.

Well, that was like 10 bucks.

Yeah, you're smart. Be early to things. Be early. So important.

That's smart. Okay, so follow you on Instagram. Are you still using Snapchat or no?

Yeah. You are? Yeah. Is the number's going down for everyone? They're pretty stable now, but they did go down a ton. But not three million of you. No, no, no, not anymore. Like they went down as soon as Instagram's just like squashing things, right? Yeah, they squashed Vine.

But ever since Instagram got story, like it's going to. Yeah, yeah.

But just be on. I'm on everything.

You're on everything. Man of Cerne everywhere.

Yeah.

Okay, this is the final question. It's what's your definition of greatness?

My definition of greatness is. I wish I had these prep questions before the show. Definition of greatness is when you're proud of yourself. Is that good?

Is that a question or an answer?

No, it's an answer. It's an answer.

I just.

I feel like you're proud. I'm gonna feel like you got a lot of great answers on this show. That's a good one.

I don't think I've heard that one. Maybe once or twice out of 800. It's when you're proud of yourself.

Yeah. There you go. Right. Well, I'm proud of you.

Pretty great.

I'm proud of you. Thank you.

I'm proud of you, too. Thanks for being here, man. I appreciate it.

Thanks for having me.

Appreciate it. Bye, guys. My friend, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this. this episode with Amanda. If you did, please tag her on your Instagram story. Let her know that you're listening, what you enjoyed about this, and tag me as well @LewisHowes. We'd love to hear from you and continue to be inspired by these types of interviews. If you are inspired, please share this with one friend. Just text a girlfriend, a guy friend, your kids, your parents, text someone today this episode. Use the link LewisHowes.com/855 6. Or you can use the link on Apple podcast if you're a subscriber there or Spotify or anywhere that you're listening to this cast box and everywhere else. And if you haven't subscribed, go to Apple podcast, leave a review, click the Subscribe button, because every week we bring you some of the most inspiring people in the world to tell their stories about how they got to where they are and reveal the secrets, the science of greatness, the arts of fulfillment and how they manage their busy lives to reach great heights and reach their potential. If you want to continue to grow in your life, this is the place to be. This is not the school of average. This is the school of greatness. And Eleanor Roosevelt said, the purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience. This is your life. You have the opportunity this moment, this day, don't wait another week, don't wait till Monday, don't wait till next month or next year to get started in tasting the experiences you want to taste. Put yourself out there, write a list of your fears and start taking action on those fears so they no longer consume your mind and your body. Put yourself out there. You're going to be judged. You're going to be critiqued. That's okay. That's what makes great people great is when they go through that pain and they overcome it on the other side. It's going to make you stronger. It's going to make you wiser. It's going to make you more connected, more empathetic, more humble, more grateful. This is your life. It's time to take action now. I love you so very much and you know what time it is. It's time to go out there and do something Great. Explore the world's hidden wonders on the Atlas Obscura Podcast. A village in India where everyone's name is a song. A boiling river in the Amazon. A spacecraft cemetery in the middle of the ocean. Every day, the Atlas Obscura podcast will blow your mind in 15 minutes. You can find it on the SiriusXM app, Pandora, or wherever you get your podcasts. And don't forget to follow the show so you never miss an episode.

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