Did We Just Become Best Friends?

Radio Nostalgia and Digital Dreams: Deena Lang's Journey from Airwaves to Social Media Success

• Lydia Stutesman

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Step back in time with us as we revisit the golden era of South Florida radio alongside our special guest, Deena Lang. We reminisce about the thrill of Y100 and Power 96, sharing stories of industry events like Zeta Fest and Buzz Bake Sale that brought us all together. Deena opens up about her recent battle with TMJ pain and her revitalizing return to podcasting, revealing the passion that fuels her broadcasting journey. Dive into the nostalgia of radio’s past while exploring the expansive and intimate community that keeps us coming back for more.

Transitioning from radio waves to digital screens, we analyze the art of making a living through digital content creation. We uncover the real challenges of monetization across platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok and the thrill of turning creativity into income. Our conversation shines a light on the necessity of confidence and adaptability in this unpredictable landscape, with personal anecdotes underscoring the joy and unpredictability of social media success. From brand partnerships to user-generated content, we unpack the strategies that drive our digital careers forward.

On a lighter note, we share heartwarming personal stories, including the unexpected joy of rescuing a dog named Rue and the adventures of cruising with Virgin Voyages. As the episode unfolds, we celebrate Deena's upcoming ventures, from stage performances in Charleston to meaningful speaking engagements that promote mental health awareness. Through it all, we emphasize the importance of authenticity, the power of a supportive community, and the ongoing journey of balancing passion projects with professional demands. Join us for an inspiring, laughter-filled discussion that captures the essence of growth, nostalgia, and future possibilities.

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Speaker 1:

did we just become best friends, Dina Lang.

Speaker 2:

I love that.

Speaker 1:

that's the name of your podcast, Like you know I have been so excited for this day for so long. You have no idea unless you did any of my Facebook or Instagram profile stalking, then you could see maybe some some of the ways we're connected. But I have been so excited to talk to you and then I saw my name appear in your stories today. I mean, welcome, it's Dina Lang to the podcast. I'm so excited, thank you.

Speaker 2:

I'm happy to be here. I'm sorry it took so long to get it together. Yeah, you said I posted on my stories because I was like it took so long to get it together. Yeah, you said I posted on my stories cause I was like, ooh, I haven't done a podcast in a long time, predominantly because I've really bad TMJ pain, um, but I'm starting to get the inflammation and all of that under control. So I went okay, I haven't done a podcast in probably two years, I don't. I don't know like how technology. I mean I do know how tech, I'm not like a dinosaur person but I I didn't know how technology. I mean I do know how technology, I'm not like a dinosaur person but I didn't know if I needed to wear pants. Essentially, I was like am I going to be seen? How much of me is going to be seen? I don't really want to have to wear pants, because stretchy pants or yoga pants, that's my comfort zone. You want to be comfortable when you're doing a pod, when you're doing anything, you want to know.

Speaker 1:

I feel it, I totally feel it and I. So the first thing I always do on the podcast is I talk about how we met or didn't meet or how we're connected.

Speaker 1:

And the funny thing is you and I've never met in person, never no, even in all my old days of radio glory and fangirling over the local DJs and going to remotes. You and I have never met in person, but I actually used to do the traffic on the radio for many stations that I have a feeling you're tied to from your olden golden radio days. So this is my first question for you. Okay, first of all, thanks again for coming on the podcast, but I want to know what was the very first South Florida radio station? You were connected to Y100. Okay, and that was me too.

Speaker 1:

So in the eighth grade I had a fan club for Paco, who was a DJ at the radio station, and we took a trip to the station. They let us literally go in the studio and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Let us literally go in the studio, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. And, for perspective, we didn't have the internet back then, okay, people. So we had to listen, to wait for our favorite song to come on the radio. We would call, I would call incessantly requesting my favorite song. So why? 100 was always my first love.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, they played everything new. It was like how you knew what was going on. That for me. I remember also Power 96 because riding on the school bus to middle school our bus driver exposed us to it and would play the Power 96 morning show and I was like this is a freaking job, like you can just be a total fool on the radio and you can pay your bills. That's crazy and I just remember being enamored by it but also thinking that's not something I'll ever do, like I didn't feel like that was anything that I didn't know what I wanted to do. But I didn't think that was like going to be in the cards for me at all, I just was, you know that wasn't all I ever wanted to do was be on the radio.

Speaker 2:

It was like everybody I mean everybody can. You can be more successful than any radio personality with a podcast, you know.

Speaker 1:

So let me tell you I haven't hit that, sorry to say, but yeah, no, I mean like the people that are out there just doing this every day, like I dream of working remotely in my pajamas, and if I could get paid to podcast every day, I would do it.

Speaker 2:

There's no reason why. There's no reason why it can't happen for you. I've watched so many success stories.

Speaker 1:

You give me hope, but so tell me okay, after Y100, what was the next um station that I worked?

Speaker 2:

for yeah, uh, so, okay, it was Y100. And then I ended up on 94.9 Zeta. Um, I'm naming like all the heavies, like all the classics, right, yeah.

Speaker 1:

I used to do traffic for Steve Stancil. Okay Okay, has also been on the podcast.

Speaker 2:

That's so funny. It's such a it's. It's such a small. The South Florida radio market is just such a small little incestual, like you don't want to burn somebody because it's going to come back to you. That's the kind of that's how small it is as much as it's a huge market. It's still that's. That's the way it goes.

Speaker 2:

I remember going to Zeta Fest, and those were just some of my favorite times, same same and I grew up going to Buzz, bake Sale, zeta Fest, like I went to all of those, those festival concerts. Now you couldn't pay me to go to a festival concert Like I. You got to, like, pay me to leave my house. Now I'm such an introvert now, but back then, like that was it.

Speaker 1:

That was the thing you know when you say that. When you talk about being an introvert, I'm like I'm calling BS. What extrovert I'm like I'm calling BS. What is going on? What do you mean? How, how is it possible Somebody so like charismatic?

Speaker 2:

And, of course, obviously love your content. We'll talk about that If you really want to know. I'll be completely blunt. I am an extrovert for pay. I always say that to my husband. I can. I'm very good at putting a mask on and going out and doing what I need to do.

Speaker 2:

Um the second I am behind closed doors and back home I am. My social battery is so drained to the point where I can't function for the rest of the day, and that is towards the end of my radio career. That's where I was Um and it was a very unhealthy place to be. I was in so much physical pain, um, so much physical pain and so much mental pain at the same time, and I didn't understand what was going on, but I only thought. I just kept telling myself this is, but this is just life Like this is what you do, this is how it goes Right. This is just part of you know growing up, I guess. But were you at the shark at the end? The shark was the. Yes, the shark was the last station that I was at Um and we had in the beginning.

Speaker 2:

I was there for probably five years and in the beginning I helped launch the station and build our social media presence and all of that. I was the only um radio personality on air at first, which was really. It was very lonely but also very cool at the same time, because it was just me literally goofing off and throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping that like, hey, what's going to resonate with people. Yeah, it was like a fun experimental time and we, the company, was acquired by I't even so we were Entercom at the time and then we were acquired by what is now Odyssey and things very quickly changed. We had a cluster. We had a cluster of just a couple radio stations within this one little shithole building, like disgusting building, but it was our building. I've been to that building, yeah, so you know like it was. But it was our building. Yeah, I mean, like the toilets were like overflowing, it was such a disgusting work environment but we loved it because it was just like. It was such a close, tight knit um environment and everybody got along and everybody loved everyone. It was such a unique like you I can't, I can, I don't think that could ever be replicated um, but then we, they acquired other radio stations. They moved us much further south, which was then.

Speaker 2:

That was the beginning of the end for me. Yeah, sitting in traffic, commuting, you know having to rush to drop, rush my son out the door to drop him off at school and then rush to get into commuting. You know having to rush to drop, rush my son out the door to drop him off at school and then rush to get into traffic. And sometimes, you know, taking an hour and 45 minutes, two hours to get to work and then running upstairs and just narrowly making it. It was, it was just too much. It was too much on me.

Speaker 1:

I feel like it's one thing to be a young single person in radio, but you enter the whole family and children. It is so hard.

Speaker 2:

And what's crazy about it is that I had the very best time slot for somebody who had. I mean, it was ideal for somebody who has kids, who has a family um 10 to three, like that's the best. I couldn't have done afternoons because I wouldn't have been able to do homework, dinner, anything at night with my son. I couldn't have done. I couldn't. And my my, the bulk of my history in radio was in mornings. But I, when, when I discussed with the, the um, the GM of the station when they first brought me on, he was like well, obviously you're going to want mornings and I said I definitely cannot do mornings. At the time I was a single mom with a little a preschooler and I was like there's no way I can do mornings. I'm not going to hire somebody to come live in my house and you know it's just and not be there for my kid. So middays is actually the very best time slot that you can have.

Speaker 2:

And still it was stressing me the fuck out Like it was killing. But mostly because of the location. The location was so hard on everybody who lived in Broward County or Palm Beach County or anywhere north, which this may not be super relatable to anybody outside of Florida who's listening. But they moved us to this one area that was just so hard to get to, area that was just so hard to get to, and it really took its toll, not only, you know, on my mental health, but on so many of my, my friends and coworkers like it. Just you don't realize how good you have it until you don't have it anymore.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and did you leave Broward because you used to live here, right, yeah, I left almost three years ago. Are you in St Lucie County? No, I actually don't talk about where I am specifically. Listen, I lived in Port.

Speaker 2:

St.

Speaker 1:

Lucie for nine years. So I was just curious if you were in the pizzle, because I get jealous because I miss my house. I miss, you know, like the good old days when I had four houses on the street. You know, when we first built up there. Yeah, that area is going crazy.

Speaker 2:

Right now, though, I'm watching. I am the person who is up doom scrolling late at night who's like let's see what's for sale, even though I have no intention, I'm not moving anywhere. We just essentially got here, but I love to look at real estate and I'm just watching that area go. You know bonkers, I know Um, but yeah, so we, we ended up, um, moving during like the height of COVID. We, we were, just, we were in a zero lot line home.

Speaker 2:

It was very, very stressful with, um, just everyone up and down the block being home all at the same time and noise, and I'm trying to do a radio show like from my closet, oh, my gosh, yeah, so I would do like all these lives with artists, with musicians, and they would be performing, and I'd have like dogs barking outside and it was just so chaotic and I, uh, my husband and I looked for probably a year and a half and got outbid on everything. The market was just crazy. And then we ended up just moving like way further North and I am still getting used to it because we now we have some space, but it's not like nothing is close by and I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm enjoying it. I definitely am enjoying it more but I still have, you know, my family and tons of friends I'm I'm in Broward often. I work with a lot of businesses in Broward still, and Palm beach County, so I'm always there when you come back to Broward again, we're going to have to have coffee.

Speaker 1:

I love this. Yes, for sure, for sure. Okay, you, the reason why I'm so fond of your account. Obviously I love the radio connection. I'm always just watching everybody that I have ever been associated with radio. Like Kenny Walker, I used to do his traffic. Julie Guy my husband was at Julie's wedding. He's known her for years. So my husband used to intern at 103 she when it was in the trailer park way back in the day. So we always reminisce. Oh, we're just so stuck in nostalgia we can't even get out. We don't have the shovel deep enough.

Speaker 2:

So you haven't been traumatized enough. That's the problem, lydia. We need to get you some thick trauma, and then you've locked it all out immediately. You wouldn't be reminiscing, you'd be like what?

Speaker 1:

I know, I only know the glamour, I only know the backstage passes and the artist interviews and you know getting to go to fancy things. But no, I never had to pay my bills on radio pay. So that was pretty good, um, but of course I never really found success working in radio. So that's okay, I had a very short time but it's all right. So you move north and I'm assuming that you're staying home because your husband's working and you're raising your child. But when did you start to be able to really think I could make this content and I could actually make an income from being a digital creator? Because I know a lot of people are having a lot of success, a lot of people are wanting it. It's not as easy as everybody thinks it is, especially when you know the recording and the editing side of it, because I teach TV production also, so I know how much work goes into it, which is, I think, why I haven't really gone and really dove into it in any capacity.

Speaker 2:

That's the thing, that's the funny part, because I meet so many people who are like I could totally do what you do and I'm like okay, edit this. But that is the part that trips you Okay, edit this. The editing. You don't understand If editing is such a skill set in itself and it's something that I knew how to do. The audio, I mean, I was like a whiz at audio editing.

Speaker 2:

But doing the audio and syncing it up with a video and the transitions and making it, you know, pop, and making it hooking people, like it's a, it's an art, and it's not something that I feel really confident, I still don't.

Speaker 2:

I don't feel confident in my ability to do it.

Speaker 2:

I I'm always learning, but I will say that I never had a doubt in my mind about my ability to be successful doing it, which is really crazy, especially if you follow me and you know how many doubts go through my mind all day, every day. Um, I am a person who is riddled with doubt, but when it comes to the content creator thing, I had no doubt, because I know how hard of a worker I am and it's very easy if you're you know, like, if you're in a nine to five, to be able to, like, lie your way to the top and and, like you know, tell everyone that you're so great, and then maybe they'll believe that you're so great and you don't really have to have the skill set to back it up. This is not that. This is a situation where you're on your own and you're going to make or you're going to break yourself, and that's something that I've come to really love about it. I can make as much money as I am determined to make, or I can really flop and everything is on me.

Speaker 1:

I think that's where the curiosity comes in for me, because you know I've talked to a lot of people and we're going to get into Virgin Voyages in a minute, because I know that you went on the cruise and you know I'm a huge fan. But one of my people that I follow is a huge digital creator and makes a lot of content for Virgin and we talked in depth about how she monetizes and I think it's a lot of people don't want to talk about it or, you know, unless you're one of the huge TikTokers and they're broadcasting what you made last year on TikTok. You know if you're a Charli D'Amelio or you're a Michaela, whatever, but when did you see that you could actually make some money? Because I got the monetization notification one time and I think I got paid $50 one time on Instagram on a reel and I thought I was like famous, I was like my day was made at a lousy $50. And then it never happened again and I'm like what am I doing wrong?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that was a hard lesson to learn because in the beginning, when you get that monetization notice, you're like I'm gonna be rich, because they're like you can make $50,000 in a month. And, of course, you're gonna reach for the stars and realistically end up with, if you're lucky, a couple hundred dollars If you're lucky. And I am still like I never stopped learning, I never stopped reading. I'm always trying to educate myself and figure out, you know, do I need to pivot? Am I putting too much time into Instagram? Do I need to move? You know, like I'm in a I'm in um, in a mindset right now where I'm like okay, I've put maybe too many eggs in the Instagram basket. Let's pull some of those eggs out. Let's focus more attention on, you know, youtube, uh, long form video. Let's focus more attention on growing Tik TOK and getting monetized on Tik TOK, like things, things like that, or Facebook reels they, they're there. You cannot rely on these platforms to pay your bills and that that is a big problem. That's a big misconception, I think. I think any money that comes in from these platforms is just kind of like fun money, like whatever I get, I set aside for taxes because I know I'm going to get hit hard at the end of the year, right? So that's that's what I do with the money that you know I make off of the platforms. My money is predominantly made from um making ads for, for clients, for brands that I love, that I work with and I have. Um, most of them are repeat, repeat customers and I'm very thankful for that. Usually, if they work with me once and we have a good rapport, they'll come back Um, a good bulk of it probably 30 to 40% of my income is a, a brand um, maybe just ordering one deliverable, let's say just a reel, an Instagram reel and the reel will perform well and they'll come back and say well, we want to pay you X amount of dollars to whitelist this reel now for 30 days, or how much? How much would you charge to whitelist this for the remainder of the year? So I do make a good amount of income off of that as well. Um, and every once in a while I don't love it, but I will do I'll take on, like, some user generated content, um, uh, gigs, it all. It all depends, but I'll do that every once in a while. And then I still sometimes I'll do voice work. It's usually just for friends and family, but sometimes I'll have a brand reach out and go oh well, you do. Like I'm, like all the obscure stuff.

Speaker 2:

I love the medical ads where there are a million side effects. Having to, like speed, read through crazy ass side effects. I've always been that girl. I was always the girl at the radio station who was like, what's the ad? There are 50 side effects. Let's go take a deep breath and try to run through all of them. That's fun for me. Um, medical things and on hold messages for phone services. Like I, I enjoy that stuff.

Speaker 1:

I used to do that years ago, the telephone on hold, and then every now and then you'll get a request. Somebody wanted your voice and they'll try to find you.

Speaker 2:

Yep, yep, well, tell me, that's when I break out the recording, like the actual, like voice recording here for those projects.

Speaker 1:

So here's what I want to know, because my bucket list so I've accomplished a lot of my bucket list travel wise and things but part of my bucket list is I want to sit in the seat at the today show. I want to be like now it's just Jenna and friends. I'm the friend. I want to sit there just one time. And so when you said you had gotten the email from the Today Show, you almost deleted it. How did that come about? And were you actually on the Today Show or were you like on a Zoom? Because I can't remember.

Speaker 2:

So I was supposed to be on the Today Show? Well, which question? I'll answer that. How? How? I found out about it first? So I just was checking my email and an email came through and it said it's that it was a producer from the today show. And I was like yeah, right, okay, and I went to delete it and I'm in. Uh, I have a couple of creator friends, we're in a chat together and I was like you guys, this is so ridiculous, somebody's playing a joke on me. And I told them and one of them said that I don't know, it doesn't seem that farfetched like respond. So I responded and it was legit and they had seen something that I did. What's funny is all of the, all of the major TV exposure that I've gotten has been off of TikTok, which is in no way like I don't even get monetized on TikTok. Excuse me, it's not my biggest platform, but everyone has booked me through TikTok. That's wild, so wild to me. I did the Tamron Hall show through TikTok. One of the producers saw me and booked me, and then the same thing. Both of these appearances were last year.

Speaker 2:

So with the Today Show we tried to go back and forth, we tried to sync up schedules and everything for me to actually be able to be on stage. And they didn't have enough seats because they wanted to have experts the experts always get booked first, obviously, rather rather than like some lady who's complaining that she has imposter syndrome. Who am I up against? A woman who wrote a book and has studied imposter syndrome for her 20 years of her life, right? So I totally understood. They were like we can only have three seats on the on the stage for this segment. And we actually got her. We booked this woman who's an imposter syndrome expert. So would you be willing to do it via zoom? And I was like, yeah, of course.

Speaker 2:

So I got to, I got to do my interview via zoom and then I was part of a um, yeah, like a a a segment on imposter syndrome and parenting. And my kid got to see his face on TV and smiled for the first time in a while about something he's in those tween years. So he looked up and he was like, yeah, that's kind of cool. I was like did you tell your friends? He said no, ew, no, I'm not going to tell my friends, but it is kind of cool. So that's what I got out of that. Those were the mom points that I got out of that appearance. And yeah, tiktok has been crazy for me and I should definitely be paying more attention to it. I just don't really understand it. And then also with the ban, everybody was kind of like okay, do we stay or do we go? What do I do?

Speaker 1:

So now I can't even get it back, which is fine, because I, honestly, as a high school teacher, I'm going to tell you these kids are on TikTok way too much. I mean, it's just, it's a blessing and a curse this whole, you know screen mentality. But now you can make a living on the screen and you can make a living on all these apps. So how can we condemn these apps when they're very profitable for business and they're great for marketing? You know it's, it is a blessing and a curse.

Speaker 2:

My child has a kid that he goes to school with who said that he has monetized his YouTube, that he posts videos of himself with his dog, and he has monetized his YouTube and made enough money to to set aside so he can buy a car when he's old enough to drive and in like a matter of months and thankfully my kid sees all that goes into it on the backend. So he's like he has zero interest and I'm very happy about that, knock on wood, and I hope it remains that way. Um, I'm super open and transparent with him about the trolls and the amount of work that goes into it and I think he gets it. He's never-.

Speaker 1:

People have some balls. I mean, everybody just thinks they have a right to comment on every single thing and their opinion matters and listen, that's fine. I just could never on purpose be that mean in writing. Well, I mean which I want to, even if I did a snarky comment. That was funny. I just don't think I want to be mean. I don't want to be mean on purpose.

Speaker 2:

Well, it's a special type of human being who does that, and it's usually someone's grandfather, I've come to find out. It's almost always a man Almost always who's hiding behind some kind of anime picture for their profile. Right, I get a lot of hate from grandpas excuse me, which is crazy to me.

Speaker 1:

I mean because you're super cute and I'm thinking that they would be liking you, but you know gray hair would do it for them. Uh, you, first of all, your gray hair journey. I want to applaud you. You're so brave, you know, naturally a pretty light. Um, you know, like golden Brown and my, my blonde highlights do conceal any gray, do you have? I don't have that much, but that I've been watching that journey. It's like a nail biting journey for me. I'm like, okay, she's going back down to Fort Lauderdale to the circus salon or whatever it's called. I'm like, what's it going to look like today? Cause they're doing something else. You know, I'm so, I'm so invested in your hair journey, but you have beautiful hair.

Speaker 2:

Well, thank you. Yeah, I, you know I. I set out not to try to like be a poster child for anything, but to kind of support people if it was something that they wanted to do also. Yeah, and I had a lot of people saying I'm really nervous about it, but if you're doing it like, I'll do it with you. So there are a lot of people who are, you know, grown well, grown out to almost two years at this point.

Speaker 2:

And I keep saying if I change my mind I'm dying it back Like I'm not that girl who's going to be?

Speaker 1:

um, yeah, I'm not, thank you, I want to change the world.

Speaker 2:

I want to change the world for the better in many ways, but this is not the the hill, the hill that I want to die on. I feel like people have to do whatever they want and need to do in order to be happy, physically and mentally, in life.

Speaker 1:

And it's just way too much pressure. I mean, I only highlight my hair like quarterly, so it's not really about a cost thing for me. But I know for some people it was like every four weeks that they didn't get into that salon. That was it. The grays were struggling.

Speaker 2:

My roots were coming in every two and a half to three weeks. At the end when I when I stopped dying it, it was like it was craziness and I feel like I understand. I never understood, like how you'd see like a grandma rocking hot pink hair. Now I get it. Now that I'm living like a slower lifestyle and I've had the chance to breathe and calm down a little bit, I'm like whatever you need to do to enjoy your life, you should do.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I agree. I mean, I don't have that gray, but if it ever comes to the point where I feel like it's better to just let it go, then we let it go.

Speaker 2:

It's not the end of the world, no, and I know there are some creators who are very like, very adamant that gray is the way and I'm never going to be that person. I'm never going to force something down, you know, down your throat, with anything. I think it. That's one of the best parts of the human experience is having the freedom to change your mind or say I was wrong. I tried it. It didn't work for me. You know, experimenting is part of the process.

Speaker 1:

My husband gives me a lot of crap about changing my mind and I go well, you just better be thankful it's not changing my mind about you, that's exactly what I say to him. Exactly, it's just dinner, I pivot.

Speaker 2:

I mean, I'm, I am just nonstop pivoting in life and it leads me almost every time to a better place. So I'm, I'm in the pivot fan club, I'm, I'm all for it, I think. I think you can always improve your situation and if you made a decision, that's you know, screwing things up, turn around and go back if you can.

Speaker 1:

Love it, and now I'm in the life's too short and YOLO stage with everything. So one of the things that I'm really passionate about is travel, and I couldn't help but notice that you and your husband went on the Virgin voyages.

Speaker 2:

It was awesome.

Speaker 1:

Tell me first of all, was that like a creator thing where you invited media, or was that like just you booked a vacation because you and Phil needed to get away?

Speaker 2:

No, that's another one. We, um, they reached out through threads. They saw my work on threads, um, and they wanted to grow their presence on threads. So they said, will you come on, will you like live thread some of your experience? And I said Absolutely. And I'm not. I'm not the type of person who's going to be like a total stickler for like it's only got to stay on threads because that's what we worked out. I a lot of people want some things in writing like that is what that's, this is what I'm doing. I'm not going to give away, you know, I'm not going to give the milk away for free, don't get me wrong. But wherever I am, I'm going to make content out of experience.

Speaker 2:

So I was sharing it on the other platforms. I was sharing it on Tik TOK and Instagram, but they hired me predominantly to um share the experience on threads, and that's incredible because I never read threads because I'm like I can't manage another platform.

Speaker 1:

How many more platforms am I going to have to put on my phone? And then I'm like I get it, I'm so tempted because they have really good teasers on Instagram, the threads give you half the paragraph and I'm like so I downloaded it.

Speaker 1:

But then I'm like never on. But I want to just talk about, first of all, which sailing did you go on? Because you were there like a week or two before me. I was so mad that I was not on the ship at the same time as you. We were on the November 22nd sailing because I had things to do.

Speaker 2:

So, yeah, I think we went the 15th. We went literally like a week before you.

Speaker 1:

I was like she's not on the ship at the same time. I mean, this is so unfair.

Speaker 2:

We traveled on the resilient lady and we had just an unreal time. And what's what's crazy is that things change so much when it comes to traveling in your twenties and thirties. And that's what I love about the cruise line is they really cater. The music, the vibe, and you know, if you went it's 90s, early 2000s, some 80s, been the trivia, and then it's not, and you don't, and it is. It really is the only cruise line that caters to our specific generation, I think, although I'm not by any means, I'm not a travel creator, so I don't, I don't know. We have another cruise that we're doing like a big family cruise coming up in a few months and that's like going to be a completely different experience.

Speaker 1:

Oh, which ship are you going on?

Speaker 2:

We're sailing with Crystal. We're doing an international cruise with the grandparents, I'm so excited for you. Yeah, it's going to be my kids' first time overseas and I am like it doesn't even feel like it's real. It doesn't feel like it's really happening.

Speaker 1:

I'm so excited Now tell me though you actually did eat all that food you ordered from room service Cause when you posted all those plates and you're like, and yes, we are going to eat every bit of this food, Every bit.

Speaker 2:

I'm not that girl, I'm not like. Yeah, no, it's funny because I remember, um, just the memories that we hang on to in our, in our like late thirties and up, I think, are the craziest. I don't know, at least, maybe my, maybe it's just my brain, but I have this vivid memory of doing a live broadcast at magic kingdom, being on the morning show. The sun is rising over Magic Kingdom. There are literally maybe like 10 of us out there sitting at the castle. It's this gorgeous scene. They have this spread of like breakfast food out and watching one of and she's a dear friend of mine, but watching one of one of my friends suffer through this flavorless plain yogurt and nothing else, suffer through this flavorless plain yogurt and nothing else, and she's already like rail thin, eating this flavorless plain yogurt and drinking black coffee and doing you know like it's the pressures that we grew up under in the eighties and the nineties. Yeah, Can't you know? And I'm like I'm going to eat. They gave us good food. I'm going to eat.

Speaker 1:

I'm going to have food on Virgin voyages, yeah.

Speaker 2:

It's not. It is not a time or place to try to be dainty. You need to try everything.

Speaker 1:

Well, having been down the weight loss rabbit hole myself lost.

Speaker 2:

I want to ask you about that.

Speaker 1:

I have lost almost 160 pounds at this point With what you did. You do the band. I had the gastric sleeve, okay Okay, and then I started doing the GLP meds about two years ago when I had some regain. So I am very transparent. I talk about it all. I talk about the good, bad, the ugly of all of it, and I actually did a whole podcast episode on it because of the fact that people were so curious and kept asking me and said let me just record a podcast about the whole weight loss thing. And now I'm getting ready to record another one about my surgery because I just had my mommy makeover.

Speaker 1:

Yes, I had mom guilt over because it's like 15K on a surgery. Put things where they're supposed to be again and get rid of my loose skin. And now I had my tummy tuck and everything when I could have bought my kid a car skin. And now I had my tummy tuck and everything when I could have bought my kid a car. But I said, you know what? I need to do this for myself because I deserve it, I'm worth it.

Speaker 2:

And then you still got to go to college. It all works and it sounds so stupid to say that, but it does all work itself out. It really does.

Speaker 2:

And so if it takes a little bit longer for your, your kid, to get a car, for you to be happy and not be, you know, looking obsessing over, looking in the mirror with saggy skin that you're. You know, really, really hard to get to where you are and you've got to be good with it. Like I said, whatever you have to do to feel good in life.

Speaker 1:

I'm a big believer of, but that's amazing. I eat and I eat, and I eat what I want, and I eat it in moderation, but I have chocolate at least once a day. That's awesome. I love my chocolate. I'm not giving it up. No, I love that you went on the Virgin Voyages, because I just am such a big fan of that cruise line, and I love that they're treating digital creators well and they're inviting them to come see. It's a win-win for both of them.

Speaker 2:

I think they're great Four times.

Speaker 1:

I've been four times and going again. Wow, that's awesome. I love Virgin, I love it.

Speaker 2:

I can't wait to get a group of friends together and go back. I think going with friends is just like next level, so I'm really excited for us to go do that.

Speaker 1:

Go ham. And one of the things that I actually loved the most this last sailing I, when I had never done it before was the bingo with the diva. We didn't get to do that. You have to do it next time, okay, next time for sure.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I'm like you know trying to make plans with friends how hard that is after you know. So I'm like anybody want to go. It's just a couple of days. But just a couple of days sometimes is not possible to line up. It's wild.

Speaker 1:

Well, I'm your new best friend and I'm always in for a cruise. I'm going. Actually, in a couple of weeks, on Valentine's Day, I'm taking my husband. I'm Royal Caribbean for the first time. So he prefers Virgin because it's no kids, no buffets. He's kind of a germaphobe, that thing. But I'm so looking forward to it and I am really proud. As we wrap up here, I want to say I did officially, in writing, predict that Rue would be the foster fail which she was. How is little Rue who you rescued? She's awesome. I'll never forget that day. I look at your account. Next thing, you know you're saving a dog and I'm like, here we go, well, like.

Speaker 2:

I said, sometimes we pivot. The plan was to have one dog and only one dog, and August 16th is my birthday. So last August we were driving to dinner, we had a reservation and we were late and we're speeding there and I was like, okay, I rarely open Facebook. I'm like I just want to go through Facebook and see cause people had posted all these nice messages and everything. I'll respond. So I open it up and the first thing that I see is this um, local charity, riley's pet rescue. They're amazing.

Speaker 2:

Is this dog in a, in a cage, completely overgrown? This like shaggy shaggy dog, like you can't even see the dog's eyes. It looks so depressed and sad. And I looked over at my husband and I was like I need to go see this dog. I like I have to make he goes. You're this isn't, you can't like, this isn't going to happen. And I said, well, I need you to understand it's happening. Um, two days later, told my kid out of school, we got in the car, we drove three and a half hours North. Um, the lady came out. The dog. She was so overgrown, she was like dreadlocks, she was so uncomfortable, she would like, she was like soiling herself. It was bad. Um. And the second she was able to hear my son's voice. She started wagging her tail. She was all dejected and everything, and then just started wagging her tail and made her way over, followed his voice and made her way over to him and I was like okay, get in the car.

Speaker 1:

We're done here. I applaud you for saying she was going to be a foster, though, because I knew, I knew, yeah, we really did.

Speaker 2:

We really wanted to foster and because we didn't know how our other dog was going to react. Our other dog is super hot and cold when it comes to other animals. She actually likes cats more than dogs and it has been a journey it's been than dogs and it has been a journey it's been. Rue has been with us for six months now and it has taken five, five and a half months. Like olive is just now coming around to the idea of her being here. She was, yeah, she was miserable with her at first, but we've done a lot of work with the two of them and now she's not as annoyed and there's like a two and a half year age difference between the two of them and all of this very she's just the og and she is annoyed by everything well, I loved watching the happy tale unfold.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it ended so well. Everything's great and we love rue and she's such a great addition to the family.

Speaker 1:

So what's next? For it's Dina Lang. What's happening? Anything exciting you want to talk about? Cause there's people in other countries that listen to this podcast. I am always shocked when I look at the stats, even though I don't have a lot of downloads every month, but it's it's like last week, I think, I got like 54 downloads and I was so excited. Are you a reality reality TV junkie or anything Like? Do you watch the housewives Like what's your no, what's your guilty pleasure?

Speaker 2:

No, I used to. I'm watching. Right now I'm watching um paradise on Hulu. It is incredible. If you haven't seen it, you got to watch it.

Speaker 1:

Okay, the storytelling and everything is incredible, but I and I caught up on five seasons of Grey's Anatomy.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah, I left Grey's in probably season seven. I left Grey's in the.

Speaker 1:

COVID years Cause I was like we're living this. I can't watch it on TV also, For real.

Speaker 2:

And that's when I left Housewives also, Cause I was like we have enough drama, I don't need additional drama on top of my drama. I'm good, Um, but I, yeah, so I watch a lot of murder docs. I love all that stuff and I have, um, I'm going to actually it's funny because I'm I'm ripping the bandaid off I got invited to be part of a stage production in Charleston.

Speaker 1:

That's what I was hoping you were going to talk about, cause I was like, yeah, miss introvert, that you're getting on the stage.

Speaker 2:

I am. And what's funny is that I said to um the producer, when, when we were talking about it, I was like do you understand, cause? She said I followed you for years. I think you're fantastic and I think you're the person for this, for this part. And I said do you understand if you followed me for years? I haven't been on stage in years and I have severe, severe social anxiety at this point in my life. And she said I do understand that. Do you think you can do it? And I stopped and I thought about it and I said I can. I can put a mask on long enough, like I can. I can mask everything. I can do it Like I can make it happen. And I said um, I'll probably be shaking in my boots. Do you have somebody, do you have like makeup people that can fix all the mascara that'll be running down my face and everything? She said. She said I'll give you a cheese.

Speaker 2:

Yep, I'll give you a dedicated makeup person. She will touch up all your, everything If your makeup's running, if you're scared, if you're sweating, whatever. That's. Yes, we want you and like let's make it happen.

Speaker 1:

So what is this role and where? Where are you going to be appearing?

Speaker 2:

Um, I'm going to be appearing at the Charleston music hall in March I believe it's on March 12th or 13th March 12th and it's it's going to be live streamed so everybody everywhere in the world can watch it, and some of the proceeds are going to go to women's mental health and teen mental health awareness foundations. And I can't believe this is real life. I just keep saying, with every new opportunity that hits, I'm like how is this happening? So I have that going on in March and then in April I will be speaking um with one of my good girlfriends. We're going to speak together. We're presenting about um on the subject of how to be a successful creator when you're, once your kids are grown up, and removing your children from your content to to retain their safety and still being able to be, you know, create successful content. So that's something I'm very passionate about and that was. I booked that probably early last year and have been in denial about it because again, that's another public speaking thing.

Speaker 1:

I'm dying to get on the speaking circuit and I don't know how to start. And it's so funny because I thought, well, what's my story? What's the big deal? Again, imposter syndrome. What do I have to tell? Well, I have a massive weight loss. I have trauma, like everybody else has, about certain things I have. You know, I'm in my second marriage. I mean, that alone is comedy gold, having a step parent, step-children situation. But yeah, I'm really excited. So, yeah, keep me posted, keep us all posted on the speaking, the conference or wherever you're going to be.

Speaker 2:

I will. I'll be doing a lot of behind the scenes. And as for you, I mean you just got to post about it. That's almost become my slogan at this point, but nobody knows you're going through it If you don't post about it. This is very true, you don't talk about it. You gotta, you gotta just take the filter off and go, go for it.

Speaker 1:

Now do you have the same handle on all your platforms for anybody who wants to follow?

Speaker 2:

Yep, yep, across the board. I am a not active Snapchat, but you know, the alpha generation's telling me I need to be in.

Speaker 1:

Gen Z is telling me I need to be, so at some point maybe I have to click on each individual person to see what they're doing. I can't do it, Lydia. It's a lot Too much. I have to have limits, I have to have boundaries, and then you know what I do is I give up all social media for Lent and I just go rogue for 40 days and it's the best thing ever.

Speaker 2:

That's awesome. Bad for business, I know, but it's so bad for business. No, it's so good for mental health and it's so bad for it's funny, because all of these platforms will tell you like that their number one concern is your mental health. And then they're like you know, but but if you don't post three times a day, we're going to bury you in the algorithm and no one will see you. We're going to essentially like we're going to murder you digitally, murder you if you don't keep up with, you know, posting as much as we want you to. So it's a it's. It's a ridiculous situation trying to keep up with maintaining your mental health and doing well, and it's something I definitely have not figured out. I think I don't think anybody's figured it out, but we're just trying to balance, one day at a time.

Speaker 2:

The less, the better. The less you're on, the less you're scrolling In my opinion, the better. I actually think curating your feed it's not even about the amount of time you're spending. I think it's more about taking the time to curate your feed.

Speaker 1:

I think that's what the real kicker is when it comes to mental health issues. Well, you know me, I love Mel Robbins. Mel Robbins, like my, my podcasting guru, goddess, and she talks about it all the time. But again, I'm scrolling and I'm seeing her. I'm seeing stuff that I think helps me.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, If it doesn't serve you, you got to get rid of it. That's why they say you know, the worst, the worst thing for the for for female, um, females of Gen Z, and I would say our generation too. But they're saying the worst thing for, like the Gen Z female, uh, population, is the comparison that they're following these people, that they're, you know, like a five, 10, 200 pound woman following a five, 410 pound woman and they're trying to replicate these looks and do all these things and they say that's the most unhealthy thing you could ever do, that you need to follow people especially if you're following for fashion stuff who do look like you, who do wear the same size that you wear, because you can't. You know you're. You're only going to make yourself mentally sick by trying to replicate what somebody else looks like.

Speaker 1:

I agree. Comparison is the thief of joy, and my joy will not be stolen, so there you go. No, I can't compare myself to you, because you did on today's show, but I could take my own journey to the Today Show.

Speaker 2:

You sure can. I think you'll make it.

Speaker 1:

I'm going to do it. You know what I did. I called, I talked to some of the producers and you know I have to show up. I need to show up. And I always said to myself my dream was I would take a November. My dream was I would take a November that I didn't have to work and save up all my vacation time and just spend the whole month of November in New York city and do all the things New York and spend every day at the today show and stalk my way onto the stage.

Speaker 2:

What do you want to do? What's it? What are you going to do, like, let's say, they go okay and Jenna pulls you out of the crowd and throws a mic in front of you? What's your?

Speaker 1:

purpose. I just want to co-host with her one time. Really, I want to co-host with Hoda, but then Hoda went and left.

Speaker 2:

I know Hoda was it for I love Hoda, I just love her.

Speaker 1:

I just love her. I'm a positive, I'm an optimist, I'm always sunshiny. I try to always see the bright side of things and when I see other people there, people that are like me, I'm like oh yeah, you're going to be drawn to it. Yeah, of course. So well, you'll make it happen being here with me today.

Speaker 2:

I appreciate. Everybody out there should go follow at. It's Dina Lang. Thank you.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for making me so comfy. Likes, comments rate, review, subscribe.

Speaker 2:

I still think you should have a podcast, but you know that's just me wishing, wishing for a co-host, that's the one thing that still makes my stomach rise up into my throat when people say I know, I hear it, I hear it every day of my life is when are you going to start?

Speaker 1:

And I've been hearing it for four years, since I left radio only because you would be so great, only because you have so many stories to tell, and I mean I know I would listen, but I think it's just-.

Speaker 2:

It's just too close to. It's too close to my former home, I think, and it's too much work. It's a lot of work, it's way more work than I to do it right. And that's my personality is I'm very obsessive, and in order to do it right, I don't have the bandwidth to do it. So I know, just knowing, um, just knowing my capabilities, I, I, I, I can't.

Speaker 1:

That's why, for me, it's just a hobby, it's when I get time and there's no pressure, because I do work during the day. And you know, if it was, if I didn't have to work, it'd be different story. But all right, well, thank you for being here. Thank you so much, lydia you.