05.01.2024
Episode 256: Serena Pitt, Bachelor Season 25, Bachelor In Paradise Season 7, and Founder of RESET the label
Summary
As reality television super fans, we were very excited to continue our Influencer Wisdom Quarter with Serena Pitt. Serena was a contestant on The Bachelor Season 25 and won Bachelor In Paradise Season 7. Since her reality TV days, Serena is the Founder of @reset_ thelabel and is the host of the Bachelor Happy Hour Podcast.
After studying communications in college and a stint in the world of PR, Serena entered the world of reality television where she met her husband Joe. Deciding what and what not to post is an ongoing conversation: when the whole world saw your love story unfold, how much access should they be permitted? While some influencers are comfortable posting every aspect of their lives to social media, Serena doesn’t feel the need to post every moment to the grid.
As an avid traveler, Serena was inspired to create her own brand, RESET, from the need for pieces that are fashion-forward but don’t sacrifice functionality.
To learn more about Serena’s career journey, listen to this episode wherever you get your podcasts!
If you feed into every good thing people are saying about you and you take that as the truth about yourself, then you will take the bad as the truth about yourself as well.
Serena Pitt
Transcript
| Announcer | Welcome to WHERE BRAINS MEET BEAUTY™ hosted by Jodi Katz, Founder and Creative Director of Base Beauty Creative Agency. |
| Aleni Mackarey | Hi Jodi, how are you? |
| Jodi Katz | Hello Aleni, great to hear your voice. |
| Aleni Mackarey | You as well. |
| Aleni Mackarey | We are back for more in our influencer quarter and we know that you are a reality television superfan so this one is fun for you and listeners who also love that category. And I feel like we haven't had a reality show update in a bit. What are you watching these days? |
| Jodi Katz | Well, there's a long list Bravo's still my number one and I'm always fascinated by below deck. I can never get enough below deck Vanderpump Rules of course. This year I'm really into summerhouse watching the whole Lindsey crawl breakup. play out is wild and fascinating. And of course the Real Housewives of New Jersey is returning for their 14th season. So I'm very excited for that. |
| Aleni Mackarey | Very exciting. I was actually just on a trip and we met some of the people from the cast of summerhouse. So everybody was very excited about that. But it sounds like you have a full schedule. I remember a lot of people were into the dating shows the reality dating shows during the pandemic and love is blind maybe was one of them. That was big. |
| Jodi Katz | Yes. I you know, really put my focus on Bravo. So there's a lot of shows I haven't seen on other networks. But there used to be this show. This is like OG show the Millionaire Matchmaker with Patti Stanger. This was you know, kind of a very provocative show. At its time, it was very fun show probably set the blueprint for a lot of the storylines that we love today. |
| Aleni Mackarey | Our guest on the show today is Serena Pitt and she was a contestant on The Bachelor season 25 and she won Bachelor in Paradise season seven. |
| Jodi Katz | This is an amazing story. She actually married the person that she met on the show. So this is actually a true love connection. And I adore talking to Serena, she's so insightful, so lovely to talk to, and actually gave us a little bit of dirt behind the scenes in the shows. |
| Aleni Mackarey | Oh my gosh, I can't wait to tune in. That's really cool that she found love on reality TV. We're heading into the summer and wedding season and such an exciting time for love and everybody celebrating. |
| Jodi Katz | Well, on that topic. Your sister is getting married very soon. Tell us about your maid of honor duties, |
| Aleni Mackarey | they're actually so much fun for me. She has been a very easy bride to plan for us. She doesn't really have like a huge, she was not one of those little girls who grew up like dreaming of a wedding. She just wants to have as many people there, dancing and having fun. So we're just kind of having fun picking things out and trying not to take it too seriously just enjoying the time. So we had a shower recently, which was a lot of wonderful people from both sides of our family. And I'm excited for August. |
| Jodi Katz | Well, I love hearing all about it. And of course I can't wait to see the photos because I'm sure she will have an amazing dress and I'm sure there'll be tons of giant bows all over that dance floor. So I really want to see what's going to happen here. So I'm going to you know, keep watching your Instagram for more details. |
| Aleni Mackarey | I love that. Yes, we will absolutely have some bows present I'm sure. Great. Well We'll have more updates for the listeners throughout the summer. But for now let's tune in and hear more from Serena pit here is episode 256. |
| Jodi Katz | Welcome to where brains meet beauty. We are a career journey podcast talking about what it's like to define success and reach for it in the beauty and wellness industries. Today we are continuing our influencer quarter theme with Serena Pitt a lifestyle influencer with over 600,000 followers. You might know her from her bachelor season 25 and winning Bachelor in Paradise season seven, where she found her husband Joe a moblie. The podcast fans may also remember Serena as my co host for January's listen again Awards, where we had a great breakfast in Soho. Serena is also the founder of reset the label a fashion forward and functional travel accessories brand and a podcast hosts of bachelor happy hour. I'm excited to dive into the conversation about her career journey from Paradise to podcast on episode 256 Hello Serena Welcome to where brains meet beauty |
| Serena Pitt | Hi You did so good pronouncing Joe's last name that is a hard one and most people don't get it right so I don't know if if you have it typed out phonetically or whatever like kudos to you. |
| Jodi Katz | Well we do because I really want to get names right so Natasha producer goes in and listen to people's YouTubes and stuff to try to get the pronunciation she puts it phonetically for me everywhere or brand names and brand names are really hard to pronounce or remember how to pronounce them. So I tried to be as careful as possible. So thank you for letting me know that I did it right. |
| Serena Pitt | That's amazing. I love that and I appreciate I appreciate that extra little piece of work you guys do to get it all right. |
| Jodi Katz | So full disclosure for everyone. I got to meet Serena in January we stood together and presented awards to podcast gas from previous quarters and it was so fun and everyone loves meeting Serena and you're just like so lovely and warm. and thoughtful in your conversations with people in our industry. So it was really awesome to spend that time with you. |
| Serena Pitt | Oh, it was so nice to be there truly, I have never been to where we had brunch. And it was just a beautiful venue in itself. But being able to be in the room and connect with so many people that I probably would never have the chance to connect with was really the highlight. |
| Jodi Katz | So the events, we've been having a lot array, which is this beautiful cafe. And so how it's a French pastry shop that they opened locations all around the world now. And it's just such a nice, intimate, pretty room, and the floral was so pretty, and the food is so delicious. So very happy to be sharing that time with you. Yeah. And then, you know, you agreed to be on the show and be part of our influencer quarter which is so valuable because when we all think about our career journeys, we think about them starting at like age 10, right? Some of us age five know what we want to be when we grew up. So when you were 10 I don't think influencer was on the list. My guess? |
| Serena Pitt | It was not No, I don't even think Instagram was a thing yet, of which is crazy, because it really is I think people forget, because it's become such a huge part of most people's everyday lives, whether you're an influencer or not like social media touches everyone in a way. So it is crazy to think about it. But it is like a baby industry. Still. It's so young and new. But yeah, when I was Tebow, I was not thinking about influencing. I wasn't thinking about reality TV, none of it now. |
| Jodi Katz | So what were you thinking about? What was that dream job? |
| Serena Pitt | You know, I didn't really know. I feel like I grew up yeah, just very open to possibilities in my career. And confident that I would kind of figure it out along the way. But I didn't really have like, I wasn't like, oh, I want to be an astronaut or this. I feel like anytime I did a career tests like you know, when you do those, like quizzes in school of like what you should be, I was always geared towards, like a teacher of some sort. Like, everything always came out like 95% Teacher, which I can see in myself and I did do a lot of teaching in different ways is like first jobs, like I taught dance. I was a competitive dancer growing up, I taught swim lessons. So I definitely dabbled in that. But I never saw that for myself as a career. Really. teacher teaching is a hard job like those, they do not get enough credit. Like that is a hard job. And but yeah, I think as I kind of got older, I was very serious and dance, I got into a fine arts program in Toronto at Ryerson University. And it just wasn't, you know, I couldn't see the longevity of it for myself in that field. But that was kind of the only thing that I was like, this has been such a constant. And it really was my passion. Like I was dancing 30 hours a week. It was my love. It was my passion. But I ended up going to school for communications. And I just felt like that was going to be more of a fit for me despite the fact that was very broad. It felt like there was so many opportunities within communications that I was going to find something that was the fit for me, which is kind of crazy because I did just not maybe I expected |
| Jodi Katz | Well, let's talk about those high school years when you're you know, completely dedicated and focused on this one craft of dance. I'm sure that other many other students around you were like, This is my the food I eat the water I drink the air, I breathed this dance and I'm never gonna do anything but dance. I'm sure you had some of your peers be like completely devoted and know that they would have make a career out of this in some way or another. Yeah. Did you remember having periods like that? |
| Serena Pitt | Oh, yeah, definitely, I would say a large portion of the people that I surround myself with at the studio that I grew up dancing at, were very high achievers, both academically and in dance, very driven people very talented. And most of them went on to dance professionally, I would say like I can name like four or five right now that are currently living in New York dancing professionally went to school for dance, whether that was Alvin Ailey, or SUNY Purchase. But yeah, many, I was lucky enough to know those people. Despite the fact that we went in different career directions. I still think there's so much benefit surrounding yourself by people that share a passion and a drive as you do when I was in high school. |
| Jodi Katz | I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up and really wouldn't have known where to look. But I did have friends. I had one friend where she's like, I want to be a brain surgeon. And guess what? She's a brain surgeon. Right? But that made me feel like a little self conscious or sort of like unrooted when I'm surrounded by people who are so driven with such specificity at a young age, what that make you feel like being around people where you knew they were just gonna focus on downs and never stray? |
| Serena Pitt | Yeah, I think getting into the high school years is when you really see that divide of people that know exactly what they want to do and people that don't and it becomes very evident even in like high school with my friends that weren't dancers like I had friends are like, I know I want to go into social work and 100% This is what I want to do. I think I've always been a pretty like go with the flow easygoing person. I never put too much pressure on myself that I needed to know, at such a young age. And I felt pretty confident that yes, a lot of the people that knew what they wanted to do, we're gonna go into that and achieve those goals. And I felt confident that there was probably going to be people that ventured more in those directions, and then realize maybe that wasn't for them. And that's totally okay, too. So yeah, I was really just like, I'm, I'm just in high school, I'm just gonna do what makes me happy until it doesn't anymore, and they'll find something else to do. But I've always been kind of like, just casual and intuitive in that way, |
| Jodi Katz | that makes me think that you have a lot of confidence and self esteem that early right to be able to feel okay, not knowing right, or not just to jump on the train that everyone else is on. Would you describe yourself as confident as a teen? |
| Serena Pitt | Yeah, I was always pretty self assured. I think that I had a pretty good sense of self. From a young age, my parents were obviously amazing. But they would even say like, you were just kind of always like this. Like, I would say, if you met me at 16, I'm not that much different. Now at 20. sec, I kind of had a good like sense of who I was, which I'm very thankful for. I also think as role models in my life, my parents and my family members all had very different paths, like people that I worked for, or dance instructors, like I was very exposed to people with so many different lifestyles, and stories and career journeys, that it does kind of make you feel like, okay, I have so many successful happy people in my life that lived so many different lives. Like it's okay, if I don't know what it's gonna turn into for me, because I think a lot of people at high school, even if they know doesn't always mean that that's the path that they go on. |
| Jodi Katz | So when you were in school for communications, did you think you're gonna exit school and have like a career in marketing? Or like, you know, where did you think it was gonna go? |
| Serena Pitt | When I graduated university, I didn't know truthfully, I was like, I don't know where I'm going with this communications was amazing. I specialized in digital and communication theory. I loved it. But I really was like, Oh, my gosh, I was so overwhelmed by the amount of career options that I just didn't know what to do. I went and worked for a magazine for a few months. And I ended up going back to school for a post grad program for sporting event marketing. It was like a one year program. And I just felt like that was going to help me kind of narrow in my skill set and my focus and coming out of that very quickly into that I was like, I want to do events, I want to do event marketing, something in this field. And leaving that program. That was where my head was at. But I left the program in 2020, which was COVID. So there was no events, no event agencies were hiring anyone because they weren't doing any events. So I ended up pivoting and going into working at a PR agency, which I was very thrilled about. I was thrilled to have a job that year. And yeah, it was fashion and beauty kind of focus. female owned. So yeah, it was just like, This is great. And we'll see where it takes me. |
| Jodi Katz | Well, this is very interesting, actually. Because this world of reality TV that you found yourself in is it is sort of like sport, you know, your I wouldn't say that castes are almost like the athletes on the field, in a sense, right? And there's a game to be played, right in many ways. And it is an event. So it's Oh, I mean, you didn't have a crystal ball then. But I would imagine that there were things that you learned in that one year program that really benefited you, as you became part of your pop culture. |
| Serena Pitt | Yeah, I would say those skills more so apply to me now in a career post reality television on really tells you and I was like, I don't know. It's good. But yeah, there's definitely there's definitely parallels there for sure. |
| Jodi Katz | Right. So let's let's talk about life as as an influencer, right? I know you have your own business. And I'm sure you're called upon often by the press for your point of view on different lifestyle topics. But when you're building a career as an influencer, like you said, it's a business in its infancy, there's really not a lot of rules. And if there were the rules, and you know, algorithms change, and you have to rewrite them. So it's like you're forging a new path. So what is what does that look like in your mind when you're thinking about like, what am I building here? |
| Serena Pitt | In terms of like, my life, isn't it? Hmm, that's a good question. To be honest, I feel like I'm still trying to figure out the answer to that. I've been working now as an influencer for like two and a half years. And I feel like I'm really still trying to figure out long term what this looks like for me. But I feel like I'm pretty good at setting like yearly goals of like brands that I love to work with content that I love to put out. And I kind of just let my heart guide me in that way. It's hard sometimes because you also need to look at like what's performing Well, and that is a part of the business, that's the reality of you want to please the people that are following you and do like a service to them of like, this is what you're following me for. And I want to give back to you in that way, but also figuring out content that aligns with me and my personality and what I love. So I kind of feel like I'm still navigating, like, where's this going? What am I building on a long term basis, but on a year to year basis, I would say it's just continue working, creating content that I'm proud of, hopefully, working with Dream brands, new opportunities are always like, the most exciting thing for me on or off social media and being able to look back at my year and be like, okay, like, I took more steps forward, I did new things I grew in whatever way that means and hoping that I can look back and be like, Okay, I built a good foundation when I started out. |
| Jodi Katz | So this sort of like annual like session to build your priorities. Is that something you do alone? Do you bring your like publicists and agent into the conversation? Is Yeah, is it a team effort? Or is it like a pursuit that you take solo, |
| Serena Pitt | I think a little bit of both. My agent is fantastic. And we'll definitely touch base we touch base very regularly, I would say we're like almost in constant communication. I talked to her all the time. And we have a great like professional relationship in terms of like, she's always there to help me achieve any goals that I'm, you know, telling her I want to set, I would say, on a yearly touch base, that's kind of more myself, like I took time, at the beginning of this year, I've never been like a big manifester, like journaler. But like I did take some time this year, just to write downs and things like that. I'm looking for the same intention setting, I guess you could say, for myself in my business, and I think it's good. Like I said, like, I've never been someone to put too much pressure on myself if the year ends, and it took a different route. And I achieved goals that weren't written down, like that's fine. But it's just kind of nice to assess where I'm at. And where I kind of see myself going. |
| Jodi Katz | I love creating goals, because ambitious people reach their goals, right? So then I get to this point where I get a little uncomfortable, like physically uncomfortable, well excited for us, like, Oh, my God, every triangles, then uncomfortable, because it's like, well, now what? Right? So I imagine that you've crossed a lot of things off the list pretty quickly, you know, considering how popular you are, and how many people want to work with you. So what do you feel when like, what does it feel like when you do reach your goals? Do you have like a visceral reaction to it? Do you ring a bell? Do you dance like, you know, give me some indication of how you celebrate that? |
| Serena Pitt | You know what, I don't know if I've ever celebrated being honest, which I should. I was talking to my mom about this actually the other day, and I was like, I just feel like I'm someone that's never fully going to be satisfied. Like, it's just so hard for me to ever feel like satisfied in many aspects of life, but specifically my career. I feel like I've always been like that. I'm always like, Okay, where are we taking this next, next, next next? I feel like on a day to day like I'm a list writer, like I love writing lists, crossing things off, and then like looking back and seeing like, Okay, you did all this today. Good job. This is what you got to do tomorrow. Like I like the small tasks, the feeling of completing small tasks. It's like such an endorphin rush you think for everyone, but big task long term goals, career milestones. It's so hard for me to celebrate because I was like, but there's more. There's more. I want. I want more. I don't even know what it is yet. Maybe. But yeah, I don't know. It's not my strength. |
| Jodi Katz | What do you think you might be missing out on by not celebrating these wins? |
| Serena Pitt | Probably just like self acknowledgement opportunity for like gratitude, celebration, reflection on maybe how far I've come. I think there's so much I think it's a good thing. I think people should celebrate the wins. I'm not saying they shut it. I'm just saying. I don't. But I should I should do it. |
| Jodi Katz | Yeah, I've had a career in marketing and everything moves so fast, right? So it's very easy to like, be like, Okay, that's done. Great. Okay, that's done. Great. Okay, that sounds great. But what I found in my career as an entrepreneur, were like, my heart is entangled with the business right? It's like very hard to separate. It's not just a job when it's your own company. I would get really stuck in the things that didn't go my way. Like really stuck like down in that hole. Right like not able to sleep at night, waking up thinking about it, you know, weighing on my mind. So what I found is actually like celebrating the wins, big or small, like reinforced my like energy force, like it gave me more buoyancy. So on those days where things didn't go my way I didn't get so stuck in the hole, if that makes any sense. So it's almost like an investment in my future. |
| Serena Pitt | Yeah, it's like a way to almost like re energize yourself to like continue motivating yourself |
| Jodi Katz | to take some like a life raft when you need it. Right? Because not every day is easy and And, you know, our minds are capable of thinking very dark thoughts, right? When you know something doesn't go, right. But I just didn't want to be so negative when I knew most of the time, things were really great. |
| Serena Pitt | Ya know, I think that's very relatable. It's very easy to be self critical constantly, especially in a field like influencing where, you know, everyone is doing their thing right in front of your face, and you're putting yourself out there to be compared to others, and you compare yourself to others. So yeah, I think it can be very difficult to feel worthy to celebrate yourself. And I think, you know, people in this industry, especially women, and many industries, get criticized for celebrating themselves. But I am lucky to kind of surround myself with people that lift me up and help me do that, or do it for me when I don't feel like doing it myself. |
| Jodi Katz | So let's talk about this. You just talked about sort of compare and despair. This makes me think about like reading the comments section. And you know, kind of, you know, if people send sort of icky or difficult DMS, like how does that weigh on your mental health? |
| Serena Pitt | I'm pretty good with it. I've always been like, things really roll off of me like again, it's like just always been like that, like, my parents used to just be like, gosh, like, nothing sticks with you. Like people could say something new to you. And you like my sister will even like, be like, oh, like, did you see this person said this, like, why aren't you more upset? And I'm just like, whatever. Like, it's, I don't care. But yes, it will get to you. That's not to say like, if people say 100 mean things to me like it is going to hurt my feelings. It's going to get to me like no one wants to read me comments about themselves. I think the best advice I ever got about the criticism, the hate the trolls, which comes with influencing, but really is like, ingrained in the culture of reality TV, especially like the viewership was from my husband, he gives us to everyone when they come on our podcast, when they come off the show. And they're, you know, everyone gets the mean comments, no matter like how great you looked, or how terrible you looked. He always says, Don't believe the good ones. And don't believe the bad ones. These people don't know you. Yes, it's nice to read nice comments about yourself. And like, if that's great, if you're getting nice comments, it's great. And be appreciative for those people that are sending you love. But like, if you feed into every good thing people are saying about you, and you take that as the truth about yourself, then you will take the bad as the truth about yourself as well. And that is what's going to get to you. And the best thing you can do is just don't look like don't look, stay, stay away from it. Don't go looking for it. Don't go on Reddit don't like, go deep into your DMS like don't engage with these people. Like I truly just try to keep it as like in the smallest box I can possibly say in this is amazing advice. |
| Jodi Katz | Where do you think? Or how do you think he learned this? Probably from |
| Serena Pitt | the people in his life, his family? I think he's always kind of had this attitude of like, I don't care like this is just who I am. But yeah, I mean, he probably learned to also through going through reality TV and kind of having to it is something you like have to learn yourself in a way to of how to navigate like coming off the show and having all of these opinions about you from people that don't know you throw your way, right, because there is a sort of like compulsive side that like easily can like take over, like the most grounded person, let me go see what everybody else wants to read. |
| Jodi Katz | Right? It's kind of like in those old movies about like, the Broadway show opens, and then everyone runs to open the newspaper to see the reviews. Right? Yeah, it's hard to not want to know what people think about the work you're putting out there. Right? Because that also builds like a sense of community, right? When people are connected to you. But people are meaner than ever. Right? |
| Serena Pitt | Yeah. I think it's so human to want to know what people think about you. I think whether you're like a total people pleaser, or you like claim to not care what anyone thinks about you, like, humans are so curious. And I think that when you watch yourself on TV, or whatever you're putting on social media, and you see yourself a certain way, you want to be validated that other people see you that way as well. And that's not always going to be the case. Like it's just not and that's okay, but it is a risk you take when you put yourself out there. |
| Jodi Katz | Right. So let's, let's dive into this a little bit more, right? You have the podcast, you have a product business, and then you have influencing as a career as well. So I'm really curious, where if there is any separation between like your real life, the life that you share with your friends and family, and the online persona, like how similar or different or like, sort of are their boundaries? I would imagine it's not as cut and dry as one would think. |
| Serena Pitt | Yeah, I think it's a delicate balance. I think everyone in the influencer space approaches it a little bit differently. I mean, there's people that I follow where I feel like I'm like, in their lives. 24/7 and I know their children and like, I know what their house looks like, and I feel like I'm in their kitchen with them. And I think that's such a skill. Oh, and it's very brave of people to do that. And there's people that do it very well, I would not say I fall in that category, I would say, I'm a little bit more strategic, maybe about what I put out there, I would say a lot of my stuff geared more toward like fashion and beauty content, rather than like my day to day life. And I think my relationship kind of falls in the category of like, if it works, and we have a photo, and I love it, then great, but like, I don't want to feel like my relationship has become a business. And I always want it to be a relationship first, and coming off of reality TV, that was a conversation that we had of like, where's the line? Like, it should just be wherever you're comfortable with, there's no right or wrong answer. But for us, it was very much, you know, this is our relationship first, and our businesses are separate. My Instagram is my business, his Instagram is his. And if it's fine, and it works, we want to do a fun real together, then like, let's do it. But it should never feel like force because that's I think, when social media can negatively impact like, as a career can negatively impact your life and your relationships, when you're like forcing it into moments that it doesn't need to exist, if that makes sense. |
| Jodi Katz | Yeah, I mean, I would imagine there's a lot of couples who like sort of find, find each other, and then this sort of explosion in popularity and on social media happens and that they're not aligned on where that line is. Right? Yeah. One person could have an appetite for really sharing everything and bear in awe and the other person doesn't. That's probably a really difficult situation to be in. I'm sure it happens quite often. |
| Serena Pitt | Oh, yeah. I think if you listen, I mean, Joe, and I get asked this question a lot. And I'm assuming we get asked a lot, because other people, like potentially say yes to this is like, is it hard to be a couple in the public eye, and like, have so many people invested in your relationship? Because, like, we're not forgot, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, like we're not in the public eye in that way. But we did meet on a dating show. So people really saw like, a big portion of us falling in love and getting engaged. So like, they do know, they do know, kind of what we went through. So there is investment there. And we honestly have always said, No, it really doesn't affect us. And we're grateful for that. But we like a dress that early in the relationship, we didn't want it to affect us. Like, we don't feel pressure from other people to act a certain way to put out a certain amount of content to share a certain amount of our lives. Like if they want us to, that's wonderful. And like that warms our hearts that they want to know about us. But we have never felt pressured to do anything. Because I think that's you're putting pressure on yourself if you do that. And really all that matters is what Him and I are comfortable with our relationship. |
| Jodi Katz | Yeah, what I'm hearing from you is that like, there's a lot of thoughtful discussion and decision making around what feels safe and joyful. which I imagine is almost like, counter to like when you agreed both to be on these reality TV shows. You're not the producer, right? You're the producer of your own content now. But you weren't the producers then? I mean, I guess it's like you don't know what you don't know. But did that feel like a big? In retrospect, did that feel like a big risk to you sort of like putting your humaneness in other people's hands? |
| Serena Pitt | Oh, yeah, it was really scary. The first time like the first time I went on the show, I was very scared about that. I mean, I read the whole contract. It is big. It's very standard, like it's a standard reality television contract. But it's big. And they really, they have the power to kind of, they have the power period. Like it's their show, it's on my show, right? Like I'm not, I'm not editing, I'm not filming, I'm not producing direct, I'm not doing anything. I'm just there as a cast member. So you don't have control over share your story, how your story is shared. But I was very fortunate, I had a very good experience. I felt like I was represented accurately. So going in the second time was the same. And I think it's like, the only thing you can do is be yourself, you can't control what's going to happen after you finish filming. Like you just you can't control any of that the only thing you control is your behavior. And the moments are there and I don't look back and regret how I acted. So even if things had looked a little bit different on screen, it would have been like what I wouldn't have done anything different in the moment. |
| Jodi Katz | So let's talk about the the career of influencing and then we'll talk about your product career. The brand career when you're thinking about building this influencing world, what do you want to see from brands or what you know, what where's your like energy level at in terms of partnerships, so what are you looking for? |
| Serena Pitt | Yeah, um, I think a few things when it comes to partnerships. Obviously the dream is to be working with brands that you use every day and you love but I mean, like it can't always just be those brands right. And like those are the aspirational brands for me of like, like I work with Aveda. I'm working them for two and a half years, I use every product they send me and I love it. And that has been like the dream partnership for me. There's also brands that I am new to, and that I'll test out and try it. Or maybe I'm familiar with the brand, but I've never tried their product. And I love those as well, because it just gives me the chance to be exposed to new products and connect with new brands that maybe I wouldn't have independently. And then I also love brands that are maybe like I think my audience is going to really resonate with and it's like, oh, I think they're gonna love this. And I am excited to give them like a code to get a discount for it. And like, I bet you they use it. And I like it too. And I think that's also a good fit. So those are kind of like my three categories. |
| Jodi Katz | And let's wrap up this portion of the show talking about your brand, you're not influencing brand, but your product brands. Yeah, reset, what are your goals for this business. |
| Serena Pitt | So right now we have had one launch, we launched the entire brand, as well as our first big product drop at the end of August of 2023. So last year, and this year, we are working on a few exciting things, there actually will be a new drop of new product coming soon. And we're working on a few different drops for the upcoming year. I know there's been a big push for a restock of our cognac fanny pack, which has been like, so heartwarming that like it's sold out and like people are asking for it. So you know, I would love to restock that in the future. But I really am learning so much about running a small business having a product line. I mean, like I do have a lot of people helping me and supporting me that have a lot of knowledge about it. But like, it is new for me. So I think just taking it step by step. I mean, I would love to just continue making these products, new products expanding. Bigger, bigger, bigger. |
| Jodi Katz | Well, we will be watching. Thank you. So this wraps up our interview segment of the show. Thank you, Serena for your honest and wise answers. Okay, we have a few minutes left for fan questions. There's a lot here. Okay, les is asking and wondering how is life in Chicago? |
| Serena Pitt | Oh, we're not living in Chicago. But it was great. When Joe was living there. I visited a lot and loved it. But we're based in New York. Now. We've been here for about two years. |
| Jodi Katz | And Casey's asking how do you balance your work and life when your content reflects your life? |
| Serena Pitt | I try to be pretty good about delegating time. Like if we're on vacation, for example, I'll maybe say to Joe, like, hey, I really want to get a photo tonight. Do you care if we get ready, you know, 15 minutes early, and you just take a couple photos of me. And that'll be like the time for content. And I'll try to like scout the spot in advance and make it really quick and easy. Even if I'm with friends. I'll try to do this like, hey, like, you're ready early, I'm ready early, can you get a quick photo of me just making it as convenient for the people around you and as non disruptive as possible, or like what I did say is I booked a studio for three hours. And I went with my freelance assistant who helps me out and we shot a bunch of content. So really trying to divide between like this is Serena time and this is work time, which can be very, very hard in the space, I still struggle with it sometimes |
| Jodi Katz | That's very wise so that you have like, you can draw the lines in your mind. And that you're planning for it right. I think that that's what's super helpful. Okay, this is a really good question. When you're on bachelor paradise, is there a drinking limit? |
| Serena Pitt | Yes, there is a drink limit on the show. It's to drinks an hour, every hour. So it's like 12 o'clock, you have two drinks. And then once it hits one, it goes back down to zero. And you can start again with two drinks. I think a shot is one drink too. So if you want to see like two shots that would count as your two drinks. |
| Jodi Katz | So there's somebody who's actually tracking this for each cast member. |
| Serena Pitt | Yeah, they they take it very seriously. There's a book behind the bar and they're like ticking off every time you get a drink. How interesting. Yeah, I've never seen anyone like sneak in a third drink. Like they're very meticulous with it |
| Jodi Katz | that I had no idea that |
| Serena Pitt | it got put it wasn't always like that it got the drinks when we got added a few years ago. |
| Jodi Katz | Okay, here's a really good question for probably from probably an aspiring influencer. What platform Do you favor for influencing? Is it Instagram Tik Tok YouTube? Yeah, |
| Serena Pitt | so I favor Instagram. That's where my largest following is for sure. I think it really depends what kind of content you want to put out where you feel more connected. When I was working in PR I remember in Tik Tok was still fairly new like really new and a lot of brands wanted to jump on Tik Tok. But the issue was sales were a lot better on Instagram because of the link feature that you could like go and shop automatically be like tick tock is really great for like brand awareness. So it kind of depends, but yeah, I just think it depends what platform you resonate with more I feel like you see like Gen Z's really leaned towards tick tock but I'm an Instagram girl. |
| Jodi Katz | Do you feel a pressure? Like I mean, as a marketer, I feel like I do all the time, like have to be everywhere. But there's just like limited time limited resources. So do you kind of feel like you have to jump on these bandwagons when new platforms or new features are launched? Or do you feel like you know what, you're just like, you're you're good where you are in your export leader? |
| Serena Pitt | I definitely feel that way. I remember when threads got released. Like I was like, Oh, my God, do I have to start doing threads now like, I don't have time for another app. Like I just don't like my time is maxed out and my creative like, that's another avenue. I have to be creative for as well. And like, creative burnout was so real. I remember, panicking. I remember my friend Abigail was like, I'm not joining threads. It's not for me. I'm sticking to my Instagram and my tic tock. I'm not on YouTube. I'm not on threads. And I'm fine with that. And that's kind of like honestly, yeah, like I can. I was like, I'm inspired to have that mentality as well now. |
| Jodi Katz | Oh, yeah, the whole threads, flame and fizzle was really fascinating to watch. It is. Okay. I think we have time for one more question. What is your advice to someone who's just starting out to make content? Do you need to have a niche right away? |
| Serena Pitt | I think you're gonna get conflicting answers on that one, depending on the influencer, I think niching down can be great. But I think that you don't want to niche down too much. And some people might agree with disagree with me on that one. But like, I think finding your space is really great. So like, if you're like really into yoga, and you want to share yoga videos, I think that's great. But I also think if you're looking to, like, monetize, like, there's only so many opportunities necessarily within the yoga space. So maybe your thing going to like the smoothie that you make every day after yoga, what are you wearing, when you do your yoga, like other ways that you incorporate health and wellness into your day. So I think finding kind of like that pocket of passion is great, and then finding different avenues to share within that can be a really good place to kind of start and then grow. |
| Jodi Katz | I totally resonate with that I think about influencing, like you are putting on a magazine, right? Like if we can remember all opening magazines, we used to do that. |
| Serena Pitt | That's a great example. |
| Jodi Katz | Right? You are, you're the publisher, and you're the editor in chief of your own magazine, right. And you probably would never go through a magazine that's like, it's like, like you said, All just yoga poses. That's right, that's a yoga pose manual. But you're probably going to have some pages about yoga poses and then some pages about like, the best pants to wear while you're in this pose. Or you know how to where to position your hairline so that you like aren't messing up your hair as you're in yoga, whatever these things are everything kind of like tied to the lifestyle. And again, that's what's so fun about creators is you're building your own. You're publishing your own magazine, essentially. |
| Serena Pitt | Yeah, that's I've never heard anyone use that analogy. I think that's like spot on. That's great. Well, |
| Jodi Katz | people forgot that magazines existed, but like, people did this work before us. It's just it was different. And they had, like, a lot of resources to put into building a magazine. Right. So here now you're an army of one, right? So you have to figure out how to do by yourself. But eventually you turn into having like you said, like freelance writers, freelance editors, freelance photographers, and then all of a sudden you are publishing a magazine. It's just a digital one. Yeah, yeah. Wow. That's very true. Well, this has been so much fun. Serena, thank you for joining us for our 256 episode. |
| Serena Pitt | Wow. That's amazing. Congrats to you on so many. |
| Jodi Katz | Thank you. And for our listeners. If you liked this episode, please rate and review. And make sure you're following us on your favorite podcast platform and Instagram to stay up to date on the upcoming episodes and all the fun we have along the way. Thank you, Serena. |
| Serena Pitt | Thank you so much. |
| Jodi Katz | This was great. Bye. |
| Announcer | Thanks for listening to WHERE BRAINS MEET BEAUTY™ with Jodi Katz. Tune in again for more authentic conversations with beauty leaders. |
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