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Pull up a seat at our table, where badass women from all walks of life—fashion, beauty, design, music, philanthropy, art, and more—come together to share honest stories, serve truths, and dig into the realities of modern womanhood.
Johanna Almstead:
Hi, everyone. Welcome back. We're so glad to have you back. I know we left you hanging last week, so thank you so much for joining us again to hear the second part of our conversation with Allison Oleskey, Sharon Ainsberg, and Chelsa Yin. It was just too good to stop. We had to keep talking. Like every good dinner party, it went on way longer than we thought it was going to. So I'm so glad that you tuned back in and I hope you enjoy this episode and let's dig in.
What's the best part of your jobs?
Allison Oleskey:
I mean, working with them, the people that I work with.
Johanna Almstead:
That's huge. Sharon?
Sharon Ainsberg:
It really is that. I mean, it's just, for me, it's watching. I mean, this is going to make me sound very old and very mothery, but to be honest, even just watching what Chelsa's become-
Chelsa Yin:
Aw.
Sharon Ainsberg:
I mean, I've known her since she's 20, whatever.
Johanna Almstead:
She's not fucking up those flight reservations anymore.
Sharon Ainsberg:
She was my assistant.
Chelsa Yin:
Just for myself.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Even just watching the way she built so much confidence and has become just such a baller.
Johanna Almstead:
The velvet hammer.
Sharon Ainsberg:
The velvet hammer. I mean, but even just watching that, watching someone grow up in the business too, and she's 16 years younger than me, and it's wild. It's wild just seeing all of the ways that she built that for herself, trial and error and learning and jumping in the water and just fucking doing it. And that has been really exciting.
And then also, yeah, I mean, for me it really is. It's just watching them work. At one point, Allison was like, "I really need to learn how to do this. I really need to start doing this." And I was like, "Why? You do so many other things for the company. Why do you care?" And she's like, "Because I have to learn it." And she just went out and started doing it, and I love that.
And also, being able to see how our relationship and our partnership has blossomed through the birth of their daughters.
Johanna Almstead:
Aw, that's nice. Chelsa, what about you? I feel like Chelsa's going to be like, "It's for the paycheck."
Chelsa Yin:
I have no answer.
Johanna Almstead:
She's like, "You know that deal I negotiated? That was badass. That was the best part."
Chelsa Yin:
It is that. It's still the deals.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Yeah, that's fun.
Chelsa Yin:
I love making a deal. I love when someone's like, "We don't have enough money. We want too many things. We want an impossible name." And I'm like, "Okay, let's do it." And it's still fun, being able to do something from start to finish. And sometimes it's you have a week and sometimes they're multi-year deals, and I still just, I love every part of it.
And then I guess to Sharon's point too, I do love watching the juniors. We have this incredible coordinator that we work with and her name is Lee.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Oh my God. She's so unbelievable.
Chelsa Yin:
And it's really hard for me to let go of things. Allison and Sharon can attest to that. But when I do, I am like... She runs with everything and I love watching that in a new generation because sometimes I feel a little hopeless. So yeah, I think doing the deals and feeling supported and just watching the younger generations grow up and still have a work ethic gives me joy.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Yeah, no, I do think making deals and negotiating and doing all that stuff is just, it really is quite fun.
Allison Oleskey:
Or having a client be happy, be grateful, be appreciative. That still means something, you know?
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Definitely.
Allison Oleskey:
It's like it isn't just about the paycheck.
Sharon Ainsberg:
And Bedfully for me is being able to write and express and curate, and that's been a great, really fun thing for my brain and my heart.
Johanna Almstead:
Using another part of it. Right?
Sharon Ainsberg:
Yeah, just I've been loving all the writing and the newsletters and the curating, and I mean, I love shopping.
Johanna Almstead:
So there you go.
Sharon Ainsberg:
So if I can bring that to people and curate that experience for people, that makes me happy.
Johanna Almstead:
And you guys kind of just all touched on this, but when I think of you guys, I think of you as women who support other women. I think of you as crown-straighteners or whatever, that you guys are the first to make a connection or a referral or do someone a favor or hype someone's project. And that seems to come very easily to you guys.
Why do you think it's hard for women to do that? Because I feel like there are so many women who, I mean, luckily I don't surround myself with them anymore because I only hang out with women who are amazing, hype-squad people, but why do you think it's hard? Why don't more women support each other?
Chelsa Yin:
I literally have no answer for that because it's so crazy to me. I truly believe everyone wants to just be the best that they can be, and sometimes it's not that great, but I do have this feeling that everyone at least tries to be the best version of themselves, and that's what I go to every relationship with. You're not trying to be an asshole. It's stemming from something else, and usually it is, right?
So I just don't get why it's even considered hard. It should be the easiest thing. I mean, let's be honest, dealing with women is so much easier than dealing with men.
Johanna Almstead:
So much.
Chelsa Yin:
So it's just like, "Come on."
Sharon Ainsberg:
I don't know why people have such a hard time being girls' girls. Did people grow up in homes where they, I don't know, grew up with a lot of sisters where there was competition or there was... And that all to me, I don't know where any of that comes from. I did not get that gene.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah, no, you definitely didn't.
Sharon Ainsberg:
I was born without that gene. You know?
Allison Oleskey:
You should have a sociologist on your next show to talk about that because I'm sure you could go very deep on that.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah, I think it's fascinating because I feel like... And you see it on every level. I feel like being in the fashion industry for as many years as I am or was, you see the different types, right?
Allison Oleskey:
Mm-hmm.
Johanna Almstead:
And there are those women that are just gung-ho for themselves and they're just going to nose to the grind zone, they're going to climb their way and they going to kick and they're going to squash who's ever in their way. And then you see the ones who are the light-shiners, they're the ones that are giving praise and they're the ones that are giving promotions to people who really deserve it.
And I think it's interesting because you start to see them now, it's like we've been in the industry all long enough to see where those people end up. And it seems like those ones that are the light-shiners have a bigger, broader, more bountiful network and more exciting careers, and these other ones are like they're still lone-soldiering. But then you see it, I see it even in motherhood shit. I see it in friend dynamics of-
Chelsa Yin:
Oh my gosh.
Allison Oleskey:
Right.
Johanna Almstead:
Other parents and this weird scarcity mindset of, "If you have one thing, I can't have it. If you go on a nice vacation, I can't have it, or if my kid has something cool, then..." I don't know. It's very strange to me.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Right. Now, there's a weird thing, I don't know why, and I can only imagine what you guys go through as parents, like the kids, and then if you have girls, which all of you do, and I have wondered how do you battle that kind of thing because girls can be really hard on one another. And I think it's so much because of the honesty. Somehow we are more... I don't know. Were we born creatures of being able to open up to each other in ways that it's almost like the meanness sometimes when you're kids?
I think about even when I was 10 years old, I can remember being at camp and not being nice to a couple girls that we didn't like. And I'm like, "God, that's so not who I am." It goes completely against the way I was raised. And I think there's a-
Johanna Almstead:
Right.
Allison Oleskey:
But it's like behavior, like normal. Right.
Sharon Ainsberg:
But that's what happened, right? It's normal and it's just a crazy-
Allison Oleskey:
But you grew out of it and a lot of people don't in some ways, right?
Johanna Almstead:
Right.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Right. And a lot of people don't grow out of it.
Allison Oleskey:
You know?
Johanna Almstead:
Right.
Sharon Ainsberg:
It's true. It's true. But I do think that we are very lucky, I think. I think the three of us as partners, we are very lucky because I do think that we feel like we can go to each other and be able to say, like, "Hey, I'm really sorry if I said that," or, "I feel like I kind of snapped at you before and I'm sorry for that and here's why. Here's how that landed on me."
And I don't feel like I can't say that to Chelsa. I certainly don't feel like I can't say that to Allison. You know what I mean? Or that if Allison's pissed at me about something or if she said something to me, I can say to her, "Hey, this is the way that kind of landed on me," and I think she knows she can do that with me.
And like I said, Chelsa and I were on the phone for over an hour the other day and she asked me some really tough questions, like, "Do you feel like you want to keep doing this? Be honest with me. Do you feel done?" And that's a really hard question for me to answer.
Johanna Almstead:
That's a big question. Yeah.
Sharon Ainsberg:
And for me, wrapping that whole thing up and tying it in a bow is all you need to know, Chelsa Yin, is I am never going to let anything bad happen to you, ever. That will never happen. I will never let anything happen to you.
Chelsa Yin:
No, and I believe that.
Johanna Almstead:
You're going to make me cry.
Allison Oleskey:
She will send over her crew from her dinner party to your house.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Yeah, no, but I mean, I would-
Allison Oleskey:
Dispatch to Chelsa Yin.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Here's the good thing I know. The good thing I know about the three of us, and I say this without a shred of bravado, I really say it that I'm so sure of it. We are so respected and revered by people who have worked with us, and we have worked with a lot of global brands, and all of a sudden, people come out of the woodwork and you start to hear like, "Oh my God, your names came up, and God, this person just loved you guys." And this isn't bravado, like, "Oh my God, we're just so great." That's not what this is.
That is because I think we operate our business and operate our own relationship with each other with respect, and that respect has a trickle-down effect, and it trickles down into everything we do, every client we work with. And I think that that's what makes us unique is that we ensure that that respect that we have for one another trickles down to our staff and trickles down to the businesses we are servicing.
Johanna Almstead:
It's come full circle. I feel like you started out talking about your great respect for each other. Right?
Sharon Ainsberg:
It's just it's the foundation of everything. It's why most marriages fail because at some point, the respect's gone out the window.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah, totally.
Sharon Ainsberg:
It's sad. But if you have that, if you can just get through all the hard times and still respect each other, then you're in.
And let me tell you something, COVID has been hard. A lot of businesses fell apart, people had to reinvent, and all of it. And somehow we're still here. We're still doing what we love. And maybe I don't love it every day. And sometimes I sit back and I'm just like, "I'm just too old for this shit. I just don't want to do this anymore," but I'm always dragged back in and excited about a new project or a new potential or what it is. And then I remind myself, like, "You do still kind of love it. You're sort of full of shit. You do kind of still love it."
Johanna Almstead:
Do you guys have to remind her that she's sort of full of shit every once in a while?
Chelsa Yin:
Yeah, yeah. I think so. But then you watch her in a room and you're just like, "Get out of here with that talk." You can't-
Johanna Almstead:
Shut your mouth.
Chelsa Yin:
... be so good at something that you despise or dislike on certain days. I don't know. I mean, obviously doing it for this long, and I say this to Sharon all the time, like, "I better not be doing this in 15 years. No way. I got to reinvent. I got to do something else," but maybe I will be and that's okay.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Yeah, it's just a wild... I mean, listen, I've been through three completely different iterations of career. That's what I said to the class at Indiana University was like, "You think you might do one thing and then you might change your mind and then try your hand at something totally different. And then you've tried your hand at something totally different, and then all of a sudden you're on the other side of that thing and you're doing something different again, and you just keep reinventing and learning and doing different things and taking that body of experience and applying it to new things in the future."
And I think that's what we're doing with Bedfully, and I just, I know me and I don't want to be doing it alone. I want to be doing it with these women.
Johanna Almstead:
That alone is huge. You have to make the decision that you don't want to do it alone. Right? If you're going to be in successful partnership, it has to be that the partnership matters the most.
Sharon Ainsberg:
You're not good for anyone if you guys are not on the same page.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah. Okay. So I'm going to do a couple more questions and then we're going to get into our lightning round, which is really fun.
Sharon Ainsberg:
I love that.
Johanna Almstead:
Just a couple questions to each of you individually because I'm curious to see if any of them overlap or intersect with each other, so I'd like you each to answer this.
What is something that you once believed about yourself that you have since outgrown or changed your mind about?
Chelsa Yin:
That I could do it all.
Johanna Almstead:
You used to think you could do it all and now you can't?
Chelsa Yin:
I used to think, yeah, and now I'm okay with that. I just feel like I used to think it was you balance it all perfectly or you fail. And now I think you just balance it and sometimes you fail and sometimes you're good and sometimes you're not and sometimes things come up. So I think that I've learned a lot about what success and what failure means. It's not always cut-and-dry.
Johanna Almstead:
Also, if it doesn't all get done, it's not necessarily a failure too, right?
Chelsa Yin:
It's okay. Yes, you'll still have a job in the morning. Yes, which was such a belief back when you're younger, building your career. You finish the work and it's never done, then you're never done. But now you know you sort of have to turn off and take care of yourself every once in a while.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. Allison?
Allison Oleskey:
That's tough. I mean, I guess it is, it's about learning the prioritizing of things and that they can be prioritized because you can't stay until 10 o'clock every night, and some of these things are just your own compulsiveness to finish it when it is like it's actually really good for you to... It's one of the things with junior staff. It's like, where's the urgency? Understanding things need to happen. But I feel like I've now learned to distinguish those things. You know?
Johanna Almstead:
Right. They're not all fires that have to be put out right away.
Allison Oleskey:
Right. There are some times, but very often, they are not and they will be resumed tomorrow. And to Chelsa's point, there's other things that can happen between now and then that are also important to the partnership, to the business, to my life, to stability in other ways.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah. Sharon?
Sharon Ainsberg:
I think I have learned, and it's taken me a long time, I think, that I always just thought I'm just always going to be that person that goes from zero to 60 in 30 seconds and is always stressed out. And that's just me. And I think I've learned to listen more and observe more. And I made certain changes in the dynamics of my life that have made it possible for me to manage my stress better. And managing my stress was a big thing. And I think I've learned a lot more about that part of myself. And I have started to feel the effects of trying to be more positive even during tough experiences.
I don't know if that fully answers the question, but-
Johanna Almstead:
It does, yeah.
Sharon Ainsberg:
... it's been a good learning experience for me to learn that, to not just accept myself as a stress case and to realize that I didn't have to be anymore.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah, that's huge.
Sharon Ainsberg:
And I could at least try. I mean, I still get stressed out, of course, but it is more manageable than it's ever been.
Johanna Almstead:
I think that's huge. It's a major shift. That's like a major mindset shift, right?
Sharon Ainsberg:
Yeah, yeah. And just to make a joke, we have former employees, many of whom are still in our lives. I mean, Chelsa's group of best friends are all still from our old agency, and everyone's carried through-
Johanna Almstead:
They all used to be on my account.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Right, right.
Chelsa Yin:
It's true, it's true.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Exactly. And one of our former employees, who really is like family to me, made the joke back in the day that he knew when the police tape was up to not cross the police tape when I was in it.
Johanna Almstead:
When you were like, "Oh"-
Sharon Ainsberg:
And then another girl was like, "Oh my God, the police tape's up. Don't go over there." And he said, "I know when the police tape's up. I just slap that down. If I need her, I need her." And I even said to him at one point, I said, "Oh my God, that was the running joke," that I had police tape up around me.
Johanna Almstead:
Right. That you were like a crime scene.
Sharon Ainsberg:
That I was like a crime scene. But people were terrified to cross the police tape if I was in a fervor. You know what I mean? And I don't want to be that. I don't want staff to feel that way.
Johanna Almstead:
You don't want to be a crime scene your whole life.
Sharon Ainsberg:
I don't want to be crime scene.
Johanna Almstead:
No.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Right? But that's the point is that that level of stress and the way it manifested, I've learned to make sure that I understand that part of myself and that I can identify when it's starting to happen.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah, okay. Is there anything that you have said no to that you wish you had said yes to. Chelsa?
Chelsa Yin:
Oh, gosh, this is a hard one. I mean, I wish I said a lot more yeses to personal life back then. There were so many noes and so many missed experiences, I think. And I think now I know better, and now I say no to a lot of things where... I guess just answering that is just saying no is okay.
Johanna Almstead:
I wish I had just said no.
Chelsa Yin:
I just wish I said them at the more accurate times. I used to say no a lot to things I wanted to do and yes to things I didn't want to do. And now I sort of switched it and now it's okay to say no if you don't want to do something. In fact, I have, it's called JOMO, Joy Of Missing Out. You know when you can just sit back and do nothing and be okay with it?
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah.
Chelsa Yin:
So yeah, I think just swapping the definitions of no and yes on occasion.
Johanna Almstead:
That's huge. Allison?
Allison Oleskey:
Wait, what's the question?
Johanna Almstead:
Is there anything that you-
Allison Oleskey:
Menopause, hi.
Johanna Almstead:
Hi. Is there anything that you've said no to that you wish-
Allison Oleskey:
In my life?
Johanna Almstead:
... yeah, that you wish you'd said yes to?
Allison Oleskey:
Oh my God. I mean, I have to get back to you on that. Probably, yeah. Yeah, probably.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. Shaza?
Sharon Ainsberg:
There was a job interview when I was in my 20s with a really, really, really cool record label and they ended up offering me the job and I passed. I didn't feel ready to take a trade that-
Johanna Almstead:
You passed because you didn't feel ready to do the job?
Sharon Ainsberg:
I didn't feel ready to put my eggs in that basket. And I always thought to myself how interesting things would've been if I had done A&R for that record label, which was the job.
Johanna Almstead:
Wow.
Sharon Ainsberg:
And where would I... I've always had a weird thing where I've been like-
Johanna Almstead:
Like a Sliding Doors moment.
Sharon Ainsberg:
I would've probably been a huge A&R person, not that I want that job. It's weird. Now, I'm like, "Ew. I don't want to..." I don't even think I would've wanted that job. But it was one of those things where I realized that I had been hasty, that my head was too all over the place and that I should have taken that job because cit would've led to some very interesting things, but I'm happy with where things led. It's just I admit that always stuck with me as that was probably a mistake to not take that gig. That would've been an amazing learning experience.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah. Allison, did anything...
Allison Oleskey:
There's too many macro things that are sliding door moments, right?
Johanna Almstead:
Mm-hmm.
Allison Oleskey:
I was slated to go to a college, and at the very last minute I changed my mind because it was too remote. It was at Ithaca.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Oh, that's where I went.
Allison Oleskey:
And as it turned out, many years later, that's where Sharon went.
Johanna Almstead:
That's weird.
Allison Oleskey:
We wouldn't have overlapped but-
Sharon Ainsberg:
We never would've overlapped. I'm six years older than you.
Allison Oleskey:
And a very dear friend of ours also went there and I would've overlapped with her. And it's like then it would've been a completely different experience. So whether or not that's good or bad, I don't know. I kind of regret that I didn't have that traditional college experience.
Johanna Almstead:
Where did you decide to go instead?
Allison Oleskey:
I went to Emerson, which was in my backyard, basically.
Johanna Almstead:
In the city. Yeah, yeah. Well, it's funny because my next question was actually, are there any major pivotal moments in your life where you think, "Wow, if I had not done that, things would've turned out very differently," but you sort of both answered that.
Allison Oleskey:
So many. I mean, there's so many things. Yeah.
Chelsa Yin:
Yeah, always.
Sharon Ainsberg:
If I had not done that, my life would've turned out so differently. That's a different question. I have a good one for that.
Johanna Almstead:
All right, tell us.
Sharon Ainsberg:
If I had not gone to a college friend at Ford modeling agency and said, "I have an idea to represent talent for endorsements in beauty and fashion," and she had not set up that meeting with Katie Ford, if I had not taken that risk and just said, "I just want to get in front. I just want to tell her what this idea is and then we're going to just do it and I've never done it before," I would not... God, I don't even know what I would've ended up doing, but I would've done something, but that was a pivotal career-
Johanna Almstead:
That set you on a path?
Sharon Ainsberg:
That set me on a path because it was my first foray into real entrepreneurship where it was my idea. I pitched the idea, a company bought the idea, and we did it. And I had never done it before. I just knew it was a good idea and if you could just get me in there, we'll do it. And I had a business partner back then as well, and we were fine for a while until I knew that it was time to move on. But I do think there are pivotal moments where you have to take the risk and just go for it.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah. Chelsa, what about you?
Chelsa Yin:
I remember being at our former agency and I said to Sharon, "I think I'm going to quit and move back to California. I think I'm going to move to San Francisco." She's like, "Find you a job. You should do it. Explore other opportunities." She ended up leaving I think a couple months after that, and then I decided I was going to leave but I had found another job with Sunshine Sachs doing all of their celebrity engagement across not-for-profits. And then I stayed for the rest of now until now, and I have a husband and kids and two business partners, and I always think what my life would've been if I actually left. So different.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah. So different.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Yeah, if you had gone back to California.
Chelsa Yin:
Yeah, yeah.
Sharon Ainsberg:
And also Chelsa gave us the make-you-cry moment where when they couldn't believe that she was leaving, after they had given her so much responsibility, she said she was really sorry but she had to go home.
Johanna Almstead:
Aw, that's beautiful.
Sharon Ainsberg:
And Allison and I were just like, "Stop. What are you even talking about?"
Johanna Almstead:
"We're your home."
Okay, so now it's the lightning round of silly questions and don't overthink it. It's not that deep. I think we should just, we're going to go in the order of my screen, which is Allison, Sharon, Chelsa. We'll do it this way, okay?
Allison, ultimate comfort food?
Allison Oleskey:
Cheeseburger. I really like a cheeseburger and really well-done french fries with ranch dressing.
Johanna Almstead:
Ooh. Sharon, ultimate comfort food?
Sharon Ainsberg:
Chicken Parmesan with angel hair with garlic and oil, and yeah, salt and pepper. Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
Chelsa, ultimate-
Chelsa Yin:
Nachos.
Johanna Almstead:
Nachos?
Chelsa Yin:
Everything.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Oh, wow.
Chelsa Yin:
With everything.
Sharon Ainsberg:
God, that would be-
Johanna Almstead:
Are you like a meat-on-nachos person?
Chelsa Yin:
No, no meat.
Johanna Almstead:
See? Me neither.
Chelsa Yin:
Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
I don't like the meat.
Chelsa Yin:
But the nacho cheese, the avocado, the tomatoes, the cilantro, the jalapenos, the black bean, everything.
Sharon Ainsberg:
So good. It's so good.
Johanna Almstead:
Sour cream?
Chelsa Yin:
Tons of sour cream.
Johanna Almstead:
Guacamole?
Chelsa Yin:
Oh, yeah. Everything.
Johanna Almstead:
Awesome. Allison, what did you want to be when you grew up when you were a little kid?
Allison Oleskey:
God, I really don't remember. I really...
Johanna Almstead:
You're like, "I wanted to own a boutique agency that did celebrity enforcement deals. What are you talking about?"
Allison Oleskey:
No, you know, I just know I had this, probably starting in high school or so, I wanted to be a producer, produce films.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. Sharon?
Sharon Ainsberg:
I wanted to be a backup singer. I wanted to play-
Johanna Almstead:
Oh my God.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Yeah. I mean, I was legitimately a singer as a kid, so I-
Johanna Almstead:
But you wanted to be a backup singer. You didn't want to be the star?
Sharon Ainsberg:
No, I actually didn't even care about fronting a band. I wanted to be-
Johanna Almstead:
You just wanted to be a backup singer?
Sharon Ainsberg:
... a real good bass player and I wanted to tour as a really kick-ass backup singer and bass player with a band.
Johanna Almstead:
That's amazing.
Allison Oleskey:
She's a really good singer. It's really annoying.
Johanna Almstead:
I know it's really annoying. I've heard her sing.
Allison Oleskey:
She just busts out and it's perfect.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Aw.
Allison Oleskey:
And yeah, karaoke is like-
Johanna Almstead:
That's a very enviable-
Sharon Ainsberg:
It's not. Trust me, the muscle is very dead and not in use.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah, you suck. You're the worst.
Allison Oleskey:
I mean, Chelsa and I are breaking glass over here, so.
Chelsa Yin:
Yeah, and then it's always following her. We're like, "Group karaoke session. Sharon, you're up," and then they're like radio silence after we try and sing a song. We're like, "What?"
Johanna Almstead:
You're like, "This is not team building. This makes me want to fucking kill her."
Chelsa Yin:
Yeah, yes. Also, I'll just do rap because, you know?
Johanna Almstead:
Because obvs. I mean, clearly you are the prime rapper.
Chelsa Yin:
Yes. Prime, prime.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. Chelsa, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Chelsa Yin:
When I was really young, I wanted to be a news reporter, like a hard news reporter.
Johanna Almstead:
Oh, okay.
Chelsa Yin:
And then all through college, I thought I was going to be a nurse, a traveling nurse. And then I ended up here doing this. So glad I opted out though of those other ones.
Johanna Almstead:
Allison, what's something you are really good at?
Allison Oleskey:
Being a mother of dogs and-
Johanna Almstead:
And the occasional human?
Allison Oleskey:
And no, human, yeah, and being a friend.
Johanna Almstead:
Sharon, what are you really good at?
Sharon Ainsberg:
I think I'm really good at empathy.
Johanna Almstead:
Oh, yes you are. Chelsa, what are you really good at?
Chelsa Yin:
I'm really good at sleep.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah. You know what?
Chelsa Yin:
I'm really good at sleep.
Johanna Almstead:
You should be like a partner in a company that talks about sleep.
Chelsa Yin:
Yes. I am so good at head down, asleep.
Johanna Almstead:
Oh, I'm so fucking jealous of you.
Chelsa Yin:
Within seconds, within seconds. I mean, you guys, I don't get any sleep, but I'm really good at it.
Johanna Almstead:
Oh, God.
Allison Oleskey:
When it happens, it's really good.
Johanna Almstead:
Oh, I'm so jealous.
Chelsa Yin:
Yeah. Get on the airplane, door shuts, passed out.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Oh my God.
Johanna Almstead:
That is actually something I'm also good at, only airplane sleep.
Sharon Ainsberg:
This is exactly how my friend Ben is.
Chelsa Yin:
Totally good.
Johanna Almstead:
Airplane sleep, I'm good at, but not life sleep.
Sharon Ainsberg:
It's like the seatbelt clicks, you turn to have a conversation with her and she's gone.
Chelsa Yin:
Out, yeah.
Sharon Ainsberg:
I don't even understand it.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. Allison, what is something you're really bad at?
Allison Oleskey:
Oh. I mean, there's so many different directions to go. I guess-
Johanna Almstead:
Just off the top of your head. Don't overthink it.
Allison Oleskey:
Like opening cereal boxes without totally destroying them or opening anything.
Johanna Almstead:
Oh my God. You and my nine-year-old.
Allison Oleskey:
Like my kind of, like the envelope, the thing that has multiple tops? Yeah, destroyed.
Johanna Almstead:
You and my Sage. Sage cannot open a fucking cereal box without exploding the whole thing. There's cereal everywhere.
Allison Oleskey:
Anything that's supposed to be opened a proper way, I can't do it.
Johanna Almstead:
You can't do it? Okay. Sharon, what do you suck at? What are you bad at?
Sharon Ainsberg:
I really think I just suck at saving money. I'm just not a saver. And with where we are with the stock market-
Johanna Almstead:
You need to get better.
Sharon Ainsberg:
... that's so bad, right?
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah.
Sharon Ainsberg:
I'm so stuck in this I want to live life to the fullest and I want... What if I die tomorrow? And while there's a beauty in that attitude, I worry that I just haven't been... I really think I suck at saving. That's why Allison Oleskey runs the finances at our firm.
Johanna Almstead:
Right, hence Allison and the business manager.
Allison Oleskey:
Then again, I was also going to say the thing I'm really bad at is also math. So take with that, what she whined about, me running business side of things.
Johanna Almstead:
So you're fucked.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Yeah, I'm actually weirdly not bad at math at all. I'm pretty good at math, but I'm just... It's the whole saving thing. I'm kind of like, "Guys, I could die of a"-
Allison Oleskey:
You like that extent of it, yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
You're good at the math, but you're also good at ignoring what the math means.
Sharon Ainsberg:
That's exactly right.
Johanna Almstead:
That's how I am.
Sharon Ainsberg:
That's exactly right. Yeah. I'm like, "Screw the math. I want to be happy. Everyone should be happy."
Johanna Almstead:
Life's too short. We go low.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Life's too short.
Johanna Almstead:
Chelsa, what are you bad at?
Chelsa Yin:
Oh, gosh. I'm really bad at sticking to a diet. I think I start every day being like, "I'm going to stick to this cleanse." I'm really bad at it. Really, really bad.
Johanna Almstead:
Hence the nachos.
Chelsa Yin:
Hence the nachos, which I had nachos last night. Really bad at it.
Sharon Ainsberg:
It's a really good last meal.
Chelsa Yin:
Isn't it? Yeah.
Allison Oleskey:
Actually, can I amend my answer? I'd like to get a-
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah, totally.
Allison Oleskey:
Because I think just committing, like committing to usually it's like travel, planning-
Johanna Almstead:
Oh, like committing to events or things? I was going to say commitment is interesting because-
Allison Oleskey:
Right, I'm married and yeah, but committing to a decision, and not good, or it just sort of ends up happening. I get swept up in the decision, like, "It's happening. I'm doing it."
Johanna Almstead:
Got it.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Well, because usually somebody has to just say, "This is happening."
Johanna Almstead:
Makes the decision for you.
Sharon Ainsberg:
[inaudible 00:31:12] would even say to me, like, "Oh, yeah." I mean, I just say, "This is what we're doing," and then we just do it.
Johanna Almstead:
Got it.
Sharon Ainsberg:
It's true. But isn't that a Libra thing?
Allison Oleskey:
Allegedly, yeah.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Allegedly.
Johanna Almstead:
Allegedly, okay. Allison, what's your favorite word?
Allison Oleskey:
Right now, it's slay.
Johanna Almstead:
Oh, yeah, because you have a 12-year-old. Sharon, what's your favorite word?
Sharon Ainsberg:
Confidence.
Johanna Almstead:
Ooh, I like that. Chelsa, what's your favorite word?
Chelsa Yin:
Shit. I say it all day long, "Shit!"
Sharon Ainsberg:
Well, if that's what we're going to do, then mine really should be fuck because I use every iteration of fuck imaginable.
Johanna Almstead:
Maybe I need two categories. Maybe I need your favorite word and your favorite curse word?
Chelsa Yin:
Yes, yes.
Allison Oleskey:
Yeah, you should do that.
Sharon Ainsberg:
I own fuck at a level that's really not normal. Confidence is really my favorite word.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. Allison, what's your least favorite word?
Allison Oleskey:
I'm trying to think of something that just even grosses me out. I don't know. I don't know.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. Sharon, what's your least favorite word?
Sharon Ainsberg:
Moist.
Chelsa Yin:
Oh, that's a terrible word.
Johanna Almstead:
Do you know that you are not alone? Several people have chosen that as their least favorite word.
Sharon Ainsberg:
It's terrible.
Johanna Almstead:
It's fucking gross.
Sharon Ainsberg:
There's nothing wrong with moisture.
Chelsa Yin:
That was going to be mine.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Moisture is okay.
Johanna Almstead:
Moisture.
Sharon Ainsberg:
But moist is just terrible.
Chelsa Yin:
Moist.
Johanna Almstead:
That's yours too, Chelsa?
Chelsa Yin:
That is mine. Or if we could turn it into that, I really hate the word tariff right now.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah, we could turn it-
Chelsa Yin:
Just really get rid of that word.
Johanna Almstead:
We could turn that into a whole other podcast.
Chelsa Yin:
Yes. Just I don't want to hear it anymore.
Johanna Almstead:
I don't want to hear it anymore either.
Sharon Ainsberg:
I know. It's really bad.
Johanna Almstead:
I mean, Allison, do you want to just take on the team and just say moist is your guys' favorite-
Allison Oleskey:
Moist is pretty bad. Moist is pretty bad.
Johanna Almstead:
It's pretty bad.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Terrible, right?
Chelsa Yin:
It's just terrible.
Sharon Ainsberg:
But I don't really say it.
Allison Oleskey:
Unless you're talking about my skin.
Johanna Almstead:
Right.
Allison Oleskey:
It's like, "I like my moist skin." That's okay.
Chelsa Yin:
I don't think you would ever say, "Look at my moist skin."
Allison Oleskey:
Moisture.
Chelsa Yin:
Yeah, you'd never say, "My moist face."
Allison Oleskey:
"Look at my moisture."
Johanna Almstead:
Ew!
Allison Oleskey:
You would say, "Moisture. Moisture."
Johanna Almstead:
Moisturized.
Chelsa Yin:
Moisturized.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah.
Chelsa Yin:
Moisturized. Dewy?
Sharon Ainsberg:
Dewy.
Johanna Almstead:
Dewy.
Allison Oleskey:
Dewy's nice.
Johanna Almstead:
Allison, what's your least favorite food, like deal-breaker, no way, not touching, crossing these lips?
Allison Oleskey:
I don't like any kind of a pastrami or the meats that are braised-
Sharon Ainsberg:
Cured meats?
Johanna Almstead:
Like Jewish deli meats, like corned beef, pastrami?
Allison Oleskey:
Yeah, right. Yeah. If you slather enough stuff on it and there's a lot of other stuff going on, then it's fine, but it has no appeal to me.
Johanna Almstead:
Interesting.
Allison Oleskey:
Or what's the other super Jewish food that I don't eat?
Sharon Ainsberg:
Gefilte? Gefilte fish?
Allison Oleskey:
Yeah. Oh, yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
Gefilte fish?
Allison Oleskey:
Mm-hmm.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. Sharon?
Sharon Ainsberg:
Mackerel sushi.
Johanna Almstead:
Mackerel sushi?
Sharon Ainsberg:
Mackerel.
Johanna Almstead:
Mackerel sushi, off the list. Fucking gross.
Sharon Ainsberg:
It's the worst-tasting fish I've ever had.
Johanna Almstead:
I don't think I've ever had mackerel.
Sharon Ainsberg:
I tell them that I can never have mackerel if it's like a sushi or sashimi platter.
Johanna Almstead:
Or omakase kind of thing?
Sharon Ainsberg:
I'm like, "No mackerel."
Johanna Almstead:
No mackerel.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Mm-mm.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. Chelsa, what about you?
Chelsa Yin:
Mine was a sushi too, uni. Ugh.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Yeah, I can't get behind uni either. Yeah.
Chelsa Yin:
I tried it. I've definitely tried-
Sharon Ainsberg:
Me too. I've tried. I can't do it.
Chelsa Yin:
It's horrendous.
Johanna Almstead:
I want to like it, but no.
Allison Oleskey:
I've never even tried it, so.
Chelsa Yin:
Yeah, and people love it. It's not even like a, "I like it." They love it.
Sharon Ainsberg:
They love it.
Chelsa Yin:
It's foul.
Sharon Ainsberg:
It is so gross, I think. I'm with you.
Johanna Almstead:
Allison, what's the best piece of advice you've ever received? This isn't really fair. Allison actually has to do them off the cuff and you guys have time to think about it.
Allison Oleskey:
I don't know. I mean-
Sharon Ainsberg:
That's true. It is not fair to her.
Allison Oleskey:
You'd have to come back to me.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. Sharon?
Sharon Ainsberg:
Aside from know what you know and know what you don't know, which is advice that I was given a long time ago, I think the best advice I've ever received or been given is the only way to the other side is through.
Johanna Almstead:
That's a good one. Chelsa?
Chelsa Yin:
I think it always works out. It does, in one way or another. You just worry about the outcome for so long, but it always works out. Thus far. Knock on wood.
Johanna Almstead:
Knocking on wood right now. Allison, do you want to go or no?
Allison Oleskey:
No.
Johanna Almstead:
No? Okay. This one's easy, I think.
Allison Oleskey:
Oh, good. Good.
Johanna Almstead:
It's fun. You don't have to remember anything.
Allison Oleskey:
Okay.
Johanna Almstead:
If your personality...
Chelsa Yin:
Allison, yours should be write things down. Best piece of advice, write things down.
Johanna Almstead:
Allison's should be like take a memory support supplement.
Allison Oleskey:
Yes, HRT.
Johanna Almstead:
HRT is your friend. If your personality were a flavor, what would it be?
Allison Oleskey:
Peppermint stick.
Johanna Almstead:
Oh!
Sharon Ainsberg:
Ooh, I Love that for you.
Johanna Almstead:
It's a little spicier than I expected for you. Okay. Shaza? Look at her face.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Bangkok hot, hot sauce.
Allison Oleskey:
What?
Johanna Almstead:
Oh, yeah.
Chelsa Yin:
Wow.
Sharon Ainsberg:
I just think, I don't know, I think that people would probably describe me as pretty spicy.
Johanna Almstead:
Hence the police tape.
Sharon Ainsberg:
I think it's going to have to be some level of spiciness.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. Chelsa?
Chelsa Yin:
I'd say maybe hot honey, depending on the day.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Oh! [inaudible 00:36:08]
Johanna Almstead:
Yes! That is fucking great.
Sharon Ainsberg:
That is so fucking great.
Johanna Almstead:
That's like the food version of the velvet hammer.
Sharon Ainsberg:
That is so exact. It's unbelievable.
Johanna Almstead:
You guys, that's her new name, Hot Honey.
Chelsa Yin:
Well, I'll take that. I'll take that.
Sharon Ainsberg:
And I got stuck with Thai Hot Bangkok Hot.
Allison Oleskey:
I didn't even know that that's a flavor.
Chelsa Yin:
This should be thing. Your new name is Thai Hot Bangkok.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Thai Hot Bangkok Hot is what a lot of the Thai people say when people come in for-
Johanna Almstead:
Thai messages? There you go.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Bangkok Hot.
Johanna Almstead:
Amazing. Okay, this is a memory thing, so you can pass, Allison.
Allison Oleskey:
Just don't start with me. Don't start with me. I need a minute.
Johanna Almstead:
All right, I'm going to start with Chelsa. I'm going to change it up. We're going to get-
Chelsa Yin:
Okay, okay.
Johanna Almstead:
Chelsa, what was your first paid job? What was the first thing you ever got paid to do?
Chelsa Yin:
I was a waitress.
Johanna Almstead:
Waitress. Sharon, you?
Sharon Ainsberg:
Rock Bottom Discount. I was 14 years old and I worked at a CVS before CVS.
Johanna Almstead:
Did they sell Thai Hot Bangkok Hot sauce there?
Sharon Ainsberg:
They did not sell Bangkok Hot, no, but it was like a drug store. I think that was my first real job.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. Allison?
Allison Oleskey:
I think I worked at a pizza place and at a drug store. I think it was like a split schedule.
Johanna Almstead:
Nice. Whoa, you were like a doubleheader.
Okay. Chelsa, last supper. You are leaving this body in this earth tomorrow. What are you eating tonight?
Chelsa Yin:
Is it a full starter, entree?
Johanna Almstead:
Whatever you want.
Chelsa Yin:
Okay. I think it would have to be lemon pasta.
Johanna Almstead:
Ooh, good choice.
Chelsa Yin:
Followed by chocolate cheesecake.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. What are you drinking with this meal?
Chelsa Yin:
An entire bottle of Cabernet.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. Shaza, what about you?
Sharon Ainsberg:
So I sort of had it, and it goes back to my favorite comfort food because I always think of it as my last meal, but I would do a big chicken Parmesan with pasta, with garlic and oil and red wine, probably Pinot Noir.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. Dessert? No dessert?
Sharon Ainsberg:
If there was going to be a dessert on top of that, it probably would end up being a slice of pecan pie with vanilla ice cream.
Johanna Almstead:
Oh, okay. Allison?
Allison Oleskey:
Yeah, I like pasta.
Johanna Almstead:
She's like, "I don't know. I don't remember what I like to eat."
Allison Oleskey:
Like, "What did I eat last night? What did I eat?"
Johanna Almstead:
"I forget."
Allison Oleskey:
Definitely pasta, like homemade pasta with marinara and a lot of cheese and I don't even know if I would bother with vegetables.
Johanna Almstead:
You know, who cares? You're dying tomorrow, so.
Allison Oleskey:
Right. And then also sliced steak with mashed potatoes on the side. Medium rare, heavily rosemaried and salted. And then a ice cream sundae. That's chocolate chip with peanut butter sauce on it and-
Sharon Ainsberg:
Oh my. Ooh.
Allison Oleskey:
... whipped cream and crushed-up Reese's Cups on top of it.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah, girl, I'm coming to yours. And are you drinking anything with this meal?
Allison Oleskey:
I guess it doesn't matter because if I feel sick, it doesn't matter. Yeah, I would have-
Johanna Almstead:
Who cares what your hangover because you're going to die?
Allison Oleskey:
Yeah, I'd have a bottle of-
Sharon Ainsberg:
Over and above an Aperol Spritz?
Allison Oleskey:
I'd start with Aperol Spritz and then I would move to wine. Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
I mean, yeah, you can have all the drinks.
Allison Oleskey:
Right, I'd say all the things. Yeah.
Chelsa Yin:
You can drink everything.
Sharon Ainsberg:
You can have all the things.
Johanna Almstead:
Your hangover will be nipped in the bud-
Allison Oleskey:
Right, right.
Johanna Almstead:
... because you're going to die.
Okay. Chelsa, have you ever had a moment in your life when you've had to eat your words, when you've had to sort of take it back or-
Chelsa Yin:
Oh my God.
Johanna Almstead:
... say you were right or?
Chelsa Yin:
You mean like every day while married? And I still refuse to eat my words. Somehow I figure out a way to turn it around. Yeah, I think being a mom, you eat your words a lot. You realize exactly how you are when your kids mimic you, and when they do it, you're like, "That is horrendous to see and that is actually me." So I feel like I ate my words a lot as a mom.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah. Sharon, what about you?
Sharon Ainsberg:
I mean, this is kind of a funny story, but a friend of mine, her older sister who's known me since I was a kid, I was all over her about not having belly and breast surgery after she had her twins.
Johanna Almstead:
Oh, that's right.
Sharon Ainsberg:
I was like, "You should not do this. You're so beautiful. I don't want you to have surgery. Why do women feel like they have to be put through this?" And then she said, "Okay, so just follow me." And so I followed her into the bedroom and she just picked up her sweater and just showed me her boobs and her stomach and I was like, "I recant it all. I have no sword in this fight."
Johanna Almstead:
Oh my God!
Sharon Ainsberg:
"I am laying down my sword. You and I love my self more." I literally was like, "Holy shit. I didn't know that"-
Johanna Almstead:
That that could even happen.
Sharon Ainsberg:
... "that could happen to a woman's body after giving birth to twins." Didn't know. It was like, "This is the most unbelievable thing I've ever seen." It was really extraordinary. I really had to eat my words on that one.
Johanna Almstead:
All right. Okay. How about you, Allison?
Allison Oleskey:
I think also, funnily enough, it has to do with being a mother, but also having no memory. And so my daughter is like, "But you said yesterday that I could do X, Y, Z," and at this point I'm like, "probably did. Yeah, you're right." So did I say that? Yes. And then she gives me the precise location we were at when I said the words. And so yeah, that's kind of where I'm at right now.
Johanna Almstead:
I'm really familiar with that scenario and it's really uncomfortable. I hate it. It really feels like you're losing control of your authority.
Sharon Ainsberg:
It's kind of wild that we're all on the phone and all of you have girls.
Johanna Almstead:
I know. Fucking thank God. So happy about that.
Chelsa Yin:
Yeah. So happy about that.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. Chelsa, where's your happy place?
Chelsa Yin:
Probably in bed with a glass of wine.
Johanna Almstead:
Sharon, what about you?
Sharon Ainsberg:
I'm in it, where I live.
Johanna Almstead:
Where you live?
Sharon Ainsberg:
Yeah, in Amagansett and Montauk and just being on the east end and near water. My happy place is being near water.
Johanna Almstead:
What do you wear when you feel like you need to take on the world?
Sharon Ainsberg:
Oh, snap. What do you wear when you feel like... Take on the world in what way? You mean like-
Johanna Almstead:
You have a big client that you're trying to close or you're going on a date that you really want to make happen or something where you feel like you need to be your badassiest self. What's your go-to? What do you wear? What's your go-to outfit?
Sharon Ainsberg:
Well, if it's like a meeting with a client, I mean, if it's that kind of thing, it would be a really killer pair of high-waisted pants with a boot and there's going to be a very important outerwear choice involved.
Johanna Almstead:
Very important jacket.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Yeah. There's going to be a real badass piece of outerwear.
Johanna Almstead:
There's going to be a moment from the outerwear.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Yes, and I do not go anywhere without either my KAMO tinted glasses, sunglasses, the K-A-M-O, it's a Danish company, or my-
Johanna Almstead:
I thought you meant like camouflage-tinted and I was really trying to picture what that meant, and I was going to ask you.
Sharon Ainsberg:
No, I know. People think I mean camo. It's not. The company is called KAMO. It's like they're big, black tinted glasses. I don't go anywhere without those, or I have another pair of... What the heck are they called? Christian something. Anyway, a great pair of sunglasses, every now and again, a good hat, but outerwear and I'm always going to be in some kind of high-waisted pair of pants with a cool top and a really great boot.
Johanna Almstead:
Like a serious boot?
Sharon Ainsberg:
Yeah. It's going to be a serious boot, but there's going to be a very serious jacket involved.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah, okay. Allison, do you remember what you like to wear?
Allison Oleskey:
Do I remember what it was like to get dressed?
Johanna Almstead:
Do you remember what it's like to wear something other than sweatpants in our houses?
Allison Oleskey:
When I say that, it's like a seriously fashionable sweatsuit. It's not like a-
Sharon Ainsberg:
No, she wears some kick-ass sweatsuits, by the way.
Allison Oleskey:
That's my new thing. But I guess I have this Another Tomorrow blue suit. It works for so many different of those kinds of moments and it makes me feel like I'm pulled together.
Johanna Almstead:
I love that brand.
Sharon Ainsberg:
It's a really good suit.
Allison Oleskey:
It's just a beautiful shade of blue. It's not like-
Johanna Almstead:
And are you wearing a heel or are you wearing a flat?
Allison Oleskey:
I always wear, yeah, I have to have a heel. Even if it's an ankle boot with a high heel. I have gotten more comfortable or I have my Isabel Marant booties, but I have to have... I don't like a flat.
Johanna Almstead:
No flat.
Allison Oleskey:
But living in LA, I don't have as many reasons to wear the kick-ass, thigh-high boots that I used to. You know?
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah. Okay. Chelsa, when you leave your house and you're not with your baby?
Chelsa Yin:
When I leave my house and I actually get ready, I have to say, if it's like a meeting, there's just a blazer. I have this awesome Atea Oceanie blazer that I've had for years, and it's so easy to just throw that on. High-waisted jeans always because God knows. A belt.
Johanna Almstead:
Somebody's got to keep that shit in.
Chelsa Yin:
I'm not asking Sharon for bodily advice with the thing or anything anytime soon, but definitely high-waisted. I can go flats or boots. It depends. It depends on the day. But yeah, and then definitely always having my nails done. There are days when I'm like, you could put anything on and your nails look like crap, and you're just... Always have your nails done when you have the time.
Johanna Almstead:
That's a good one. Okay, Sharon, most memorable meal you've ever had?
Sharon Ainsberg:
Oh, that's going to be easy.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay, tell us.
Sharon Ainsberg:
It was in Tokyo. I was on a Felicity Jones job, and Sarah, who used to work with us, she and I went to Sushi Ya, which is I think it's eight seats or 12 seats in a random Ginza office building. We had made the reservations six weeks in advance. We almost didn't make it because we couldn't find it. It was so hidden away and it was one of the most exceptional dining experiences I have ever had. It's sushi made by one of the most famous sushi chefs in the world, and I think it was about either 220 or 240 a head and it was two and a half hours.
Johanna Almstead:
Oh my God. And no mackerel.
Sharon Ainsberg:
I literally said the words-
Johanna Almstead:
"No mackerel."
Sharon Ainsberg:
... "I will eat everything but no mackerel."
Johanna Almstead:
No mackerel. Okay. Allison, this does involve memory, but are you okay to answer it?
Allison Oleskey:
I mean, probably the first time I ate at Republique, which is out here, and then I understood that... I mean, I've had good food, obviously good, incredible meals, especially traveling. But just the difference between going out for dinner and then going out for dinner-
Johanna Almstead:
For an experience.
Allison Oleskey:
... and how something really even very simple could become an event and something that I would really look forward to, even if it was the two or three dishes and sitting at the bar, and at the time, listening to my podcast and alone and just eating. And it was like, "Oh, this is how it's supposed to be."
Johanna Almstead:
This is a dining experience.
Allison Oleskey:
Yeah, incredible. This is when they were still doing foie gras in California, which I don't normally order, and frisée salad and an incredible glass of white wine and half a dozen oysters and just everything, just so flavorful, and oh, and a fresh baked bread with real butter, like salted butter.
Johanna Almstead:
Yum. Chelsa, how about you?
Chelsa Yin:
Mine has to be I did this photo shoot with David Chang for the cover of one of the magazines we worked with.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Oh, God.
Chelsa Yin:
And his publicist asked me, and this is something I'd normally say no to, "Could you make it to Momofuku Ko?" It was like a eight-person dining experience. "Can you make it today?" And it's three hours. And normally I'd be like, "What? Three hours out of the middle of the day?" But our old colleague that Sharon mentioned, Sarah, was like, "We're going. We are going." It was just her and I in the office we're like-
Johanna Almstead:
Sarah knew what was up.
Chelsa Yin:
She knew what was up. So it was me, her, two of my best friends. I'm like, "Who else can get out of their day?" And it was the most amazing, incredible experience. I call it an experience because normally it's just not when you're dining. You just eat and it's about the people you're with. But it was just phenomenal. And I think they've since closed, but it was just one of the best three-hour meals I've ever had.
Johanna Almstead:
Yum. It's making me hungry.
Chelsa Yin:
It's so good.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay, we're almost done guys. Go-to coping mechanism on a bad day. Sharon, what do you do when you're having a bad day?
Sharon Ainsberg:
Oh, it doesn't have to be a bad day. My biggest coping mechanism is I'm in yoga almost every day, six days a week, five days a week.
Johanna Almstead:
Yoga. Allison, what about you?
Allison Oleskey:
I mean, definitely exercise or some kind of movement or setting something up for myself at the end of the day that I know I can look forward to, whether it's I've gotten into all these things like the LED sauna or a cold plunge or cryo, or going to go take a hike with my dog or something that's just going to get me out of the head.
Johanna Almstead:
And into your body.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Moving the body, I think, is very important for everybody, or a long walk.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah. Chelsa?
Chelsa Yin:
Yeah. Working out, for sure. There's days where I've missed it for a week and then you feel it, the anxiety.
Allison Oleskey:
Or slamming a couple of shots of vodka.
Johanna Almstead:
Or that.
Chelsa Yin:
Yeah, or I'd say equally, a glass of wine or two.
Allison Oleskey:
For 20 years, that was the coping mechanism.
Chelsa Yin:
Still is.
Johanna Almstead:
I mean, it kind of works.
Allison Oleskey:
Because... Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. Sharon, what is one thing that for sure right now in this moment? Deep inside you, you know it?
Sharon Ainsberg:
Bedfully is going to happen. I know it.
Johanna Almstead:
It's happening already. Let's just put it that way.
Sharon Ainsberg:
Bedfully is going, something is going to happening.
Johanna Almstead:
Happening. Okay. Allison, what's one thing you know for sure right now in this moment?
Allison Oleskey:
I was going to say everything's going to be okay, but I think it's more like I'm going to be okay. And as we look around, this is in the larger context of the world and the things that are happening and uncertainties that are all around us, no matter what happens because life is full of things can change on a dime, but I feel like I can handle whatever's going to happen.
Sharon Ainsberg:
That's a great answer.
Johanna Almstead:
That's pretty huge. Chelsa, what do you know for sure right now in this moment?
Chelsa Yin:
I know for sure that I am where I'm supposed to be.
Sharon Ainsberg:
I'm going to start crying. I am going to start crying.
Johanna Almstead:
That's also pretty huge. Guys, thank you all so much for taking so much time. It has meant the world to me to have you be here.
Sharon Ainsberg:
It's so great that you're doing this, Joanna.
Allison Oleskey:
I'm so excited to listen.
Sharon Ainsberg:
It's really, it's special. It's a great conversation and it's inspiring for people and so wonderful that this is your next chapter.
Johanna Almstead:
Thank you so much. Where can people find you guys? Bedfully?
Sharon Ainsberg:
Bedfully.com.
Johanna Almstead:
Bedfully.com.
Sharon Ainsberg:
If you are looking to shop or just learn about, read about sleep, and then shoandco, S-H-O-A-N-D-C-O-M, dot com.
Johanna Almstead:
Amazing. Thank you. I'm so grateful for all of you guys.
Chelsa Yin:
That was so fun.
Johanna Almstead:
I'm so grateful for your time.
Sharon Ainsberg:
We are so grateful for you.
Johanna Almstead:
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Sharon Ainsberg:
You're so fun. Thanks for having us. We're honored.
Johanna Almstead:
Thanks for being here.
Well, that was a blast, and like every good dinner party, it went on much longer than we thought, so thanks for hanging in with us. As always, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for tuning in and listening to our stories and hopefully being inspired or challenged or provoked in some way.
If you're enjoying this podcast, please share it with your friends. Please send it to your co-workers. Send it to your in-laws. I don't know, send it to somebody. We are actively trying to build this community of storytelling and hopefully inspiration and support for each other. So thank you, thank you, thank you for tuning in. I hope you guys learned something. I hope you laughed a little bit. I laughed a lot. We'll see you next week. Thank you.