Beek on being

Empowering stories of strong women and friendships are the best! These two incredible women are always creating, open to new chapters and adventures! Fashion Model Valentina Hubsh and Photographer Miranda Johnson talk about almost five decades of handling their industries, aging, life and 50 years of friendship! This is Beek on being and NAVIGATING.

Creators and Guests

SC
Producer
Steven Chen
Songwriter/Composer, Producer, and residenet Recording/Mixing/Mastering Engineer at Penthouse Studios Miami. Credits include: The Emmys, Tyler Perry, French Montana, Love & Hip Hop ...

What is Beek on being?

A podcast on shared humanity; discussing personal and professional perspectives. From serious to silly to sublime, coming from kindness and curiosity, it is all about connections.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Hi. I hope you are well. This podcast is a place for people to share personal and professional perspectives, talk openly, and ask questions. From serious to silly to sublime, it's all about communication and connection. Always coming from a place of kindness and curiosity, we talk about shared humanity, discuss ideas, and highlight people creating a better world.

Melissa Shere Beek:

We've got to keep learning, keep growing, keep being. I'm Melissa Beek, and this is Beek on being. Today's episode is Beek on being and navigating. When I thought about the title for this episode, I was all over the place. I thought about embracing, creating, or being open to new chapters and adventures.

Melissa Shere Beek:

I thought about your professions, your friendships, the ups and downs and changes of it all. And then I thought, it's life and how we navigate it. I love empowering stories of strong women and their friendships. So today, we have Valentina Hupch and Miranda Johnson in studio to talk about almost five decades of navigating. Navigating their industries, navigating aging, navigating changes, navigating life, and being friends through it all.

Melissa Shere Beek:

So welcome. Am so thrilled that you girls are here. Thank you so so happy to have you.

Valentina Hubsh:

Me too. We're great

Melissa Shere Beek:

to So be let's just start. Tell our listeners a little bit about you and what you guys do professionally.

Valentina Hubsh:

Okay. I'll start. Valentina. Mandy and I have been friends for several decades. We've known each other since high school.

Valentina Hubsh:

I'm 61. I have a 25 year old son who's a great guy. Super proud of him. I built my own house from the money for modeling. And I've lived there for thirty five years.

Miranda Johnson:

That's cool.

Valentina Hubsh:

And I've been together with my husband for forty five years.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Nice.

Valentina Hubsh:

We're both kind of lifers. Our husbands have the same name. I love it.

Melissa Shere Beek:

I love it. I love it.

Valentina Hubsh:

All their personalities. And I've had four decades of modeling in many different capacities from behind the camera, in front of the camera, runway, print. So many different ways. I never really got the acting bug, but I love all parts of the industry and have met amazing people, traveled over the world, just very lucky.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh, I love that. Mhmm. That's good.

Miranda Johnson:

And I'm Miranda, born and raised right here in Miami. Miami native. And been with my husband for forty one years. Nice. Just last week.

Miranda Johnson:

Oh. My high high school sweetheart. Oh. Was blessed with four kids, and now I have five grandkids. Wow.

Miranda Johnson:

And I pretty much been a photographer my entire life.

Melissa Shere Beek:

That's cool.

Miranda Johnson:

And professionally though, I would say like thirty five years.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Do you work together a lot?

Miranda Johnson:

We collab in in some things, but no. Not too much, like, professionally.

Valentina Hubsh:

Uh-huh. Well, we worked together a lot doing a calendar, so we ended up collaborating on that. Yeah. She can tell you a little bit.

Miranda Johnson:

Or I've done her headshots or updated her pictures before, or if she has, like, a casting and she needs someone to film it

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

She'll come into my studio.

Valentina Hubsh:

Professional for my notary because that's a little sidekick. Yeah. She's great at headshots,

Melissa Shere Beek:

but I that. Okay. I need a professional headshot.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. Got it.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. I'm in the bathroom trying to do something.

Miranda Johnson:

Oh, no.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. Oh, no is right. Okay. Good. So in your professions, what's the most critical skill you guys need?

Miranda Johnson:

For me, is connection. Yeah. Because I have a small window

Valentina Hubsh:

Mhmm.

Miranda Johnson:

To make that with a client maybe I don't

Melissa Shere Beek:

know. Right.

Miranda Johnson:

And I gotta set them at ease. Right. And make them feel comfortable and vulnerable to especially if it's a couple. They have to show intimacy or so it's the connection and that also that carries on for lifetime clients. I will end up doing maybe, you know, their family and then graduation of their kids.

Miranda Johnson:

That's awesome. And then baby showers, and then it continues.

Melissa Shere Beek:

So, you have generations of

Valentina Hubsh:

them.

Miranda Johnson:

Oh, I do. I do. I watch kids grow up.

Melissa Shere Beek:

That's amazing.

Miranda Johnson:

I'm taking photographs of of people's babies that I once did their mom you know, did them as So, it's super

Melissa Shere Beek:

cool. That's It's super cool

Miranda Johnson:

to see that.

Valentina Hubsh:

So, for me, the skill set I would recommend for anybody getting into the business is have an open mind Mhmm. Be able to cooperate as a team. Because it's really not about you. It's the end goal of the project.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Right.

Valentina Hubsh:

And just, you know, punctuality is huge. Yeah. Don't be late Yeah. Ever. Yeah.

Valentina Hubsh:

And tenacity and just have a positive perspective about the whole thing because Yeah. Let's face it, it's not brain surgery.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Right. No. But I think attitude is everything.

Valentina Hubsh:

It's huge.

Melissa Shere Beek:

I think in everything that you do, attitude is everything. Yeah. But I like what you said about just having an open mind too. Yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. This industry, you have to. It's always changing. Yeah. You know, you have to be able to, you know

Melissa Shere Beek:

Be flexible. Be flexible.

Valentina Hubsh:

You meet people and right off the bat, you're like at work. Don't even have an introduction a lot of times. You just show up, you're on set, you get it done, and you work together.

Melissa Shere Beek:

What's the biggest misconception about your professions?

Miranda Johnson:

That it's easy if they just get a camera like mine.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Right. They can do it. Like me doing the selfies in the bathroom.

Miranda Johnson:

So easy. I get that a lot. If I had that kind of camera, I could probably do that. And I'm like, maybe. But is they don't realize all the work it takes after the photoshoot.

Miranda Johnson:

Mhmm. You know, sometimes I'm, you know, up to late hours editing just to get the client's stuff out.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Right.

Miranda Johnson:

Or sometimes On

Valentina Hubsh:

planes when we're together.

Miranda Johnson:

I have worked on planes because we're traveling and we're ready to have fun but I need something so I'm like It is editing. I I do that quite often because it's like two hours or three hours of Yeah. You know, of work. So, yeah, they don't realize all the work and all the money it takes Right. To run it.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. Equipment. Equipment is expensive. Oh, sure. We need an update

Melissa Shere Beek:

And all also, the the artistic vision. Not just for the client, but your vision, what you see.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yep. For me, I It's a talent. I would say the misconception is people think you're gonna start making money right away without investing the time, the energy

Melissa Shere Beek:

Mhmm.

Valentina Hubsh:

The professionalism. You have to have, you know, the tools. You have to have be able to do your own makeup and hair just in case.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Right.

Valentina Hubsh:

You should have, you know, all all the nice shoes, undergarments, everything that you need to show up on set.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Right.

Valentina Hubsh:

And keep yourself in great shape and Yeah. You know,

Melissa Shere Beek:

be Yeah. Was

Miranda Johnson:

just gonna say

Valentina Hubsh:

that's a

Miranda Johnson:

daily That's daily grind.

Valentina Hubsh:

Why all those years of dance helped fade off. And also, you're very aware of your body Mhmm. From dancing. Direction and you're told to, whether it be a runway show or even something where you're just being very cognizant of your space Mhmm. Spatial awareness Mhmm.

Valentina Hubsh:

That definitely helped. And you know, you have to kinda make your own luck, Melissa. Yeah. You can't just expect somebody to

Melissa Shere Beek:

To give it

Valentina Hubsh:

to You you're gonna get the Khloe campaign right off the bat.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Right. Exactly. But, you're a go getter. That's Because I know you. Miranda, don't know you as well.

Melissa Shere Beek:

But, this one's a go getter. Yes. Val is taking charge. Yeah. She is not sitting

Miranda Johnson:

in She does not like to sit.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. You're tackling anything and everything comes your way. I think what you said before about being open to opportunities, I was saying to my husband before we left because he's like, Who's coming on the podcast today? So I said, Oh, remember my pen Val? I said, But she is open to everything.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Never misses an opportunity to take advantage of something that's exciting or new or different. So I was so happy that you guys were gonna be here today because I was like, I have to hear all her stories.

Valentina Hubsh:

I mean, do have your pants in my pants sometimes. Kinda get up and go do.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Okay. Is there ever a typical day that you guys have?

Miranda Johnson:

Luckily, no. Not for me because I don't think I could

Melissa Shere Beek:

Handle the not me.

Miranda Johnson:

No. I just definitely couldn't. So mind changes all the time. I could be doing corporate headshots on a Monday and Tuesday doing newborns. And by the end the day, you know, something else comes up and

Melissa Shere Beek:

Is that what keeps it exciting?

Miranda Johnson:

For me, it is. Yeah. For me, it is. I like that. I like that it's different all the time.

Miranda Johnson:

The only part that is the same is sitting at my desk and editing, and sometimes that could be Monotonous. Yes. That's the work work. That's where that bad came in when I just dropped off the sour

Melissa Shere Beek:

You guys aren't in studio, but if you could smell the most delicious rosemary sourdough I'm I'm like feeling it up right now. I cannot wait to tear into this. You have no idea. Miranda brought me the best gift.

Miranda Johnson:

It's my

Melissa Shere Beek:

And now, I will be driving by house

Miranda Johnson:

this week. Accidentally, I didn't like jump on that because like everybody was doing it. My daughter hands me this jar of mush like, two years ago.

Melissa Shere Beek:

For starter? Yeah. Yeah. The mother.

Miranda Johnson:

She's like, my friend gave me this. It's from Belgium. I'm going on a trip. Can you take care of it?

Valentina Hubsh:

I'm like, what is it?

Melissa Shere Beek:

It's like it's Amagache.

Miranda Johnson:

That's what I explained. I said, I and I had to keep it alive and her instructions were horrible. Didn't understand it. It was like some kind of calculus

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yes.

Miranda Johnson:

In high school or was like, what is this? I'm out.

Melissa Shere Beek:

So I Yeah. No. It's like you

Miranda Johnson:

have talk to it.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah. I TikTok.

Miranda Johnson:

I literally did, and I learned how to do it. Yeah. And now I've taught so many people. But it's something that keeps me interested like when I'm editing for hours. I can just get up and just take it all out on some dough.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah.

Melissa Shere Beek:

And then Poor poor dough.

Valentina Hubsh:

Poor dough.

Miranda Johnson:

But it's think it's good. Good Good

Valentina Hubsh:

I love it. I wouldn't say that I have a typical day either. I do have some excellent longevity with clients. So I've had made really great friendships with teams, worked with families for over twenty five years. That's I work with one company called Anthony's Florida.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yes. I see that. I love watching you

Valentina Hubsh:

all. And so, we definitely have the most fun in our studio. We're highly women oriented and we travel together. I I hang out with their kids, and sometimes I watch their kids.

Melissa Shere Beek:

That's nice.

Valentina Hubsh:

And we have such a nice work family. We're so so happy, and we create. And, you know, we go off the fly. We go on trips. And so we have a routine when we do e commerce, which is very different than location.

Valentina Hubsh:

But I used to work for Tail for many years. Yeah. So a lot of local families and companies. So

Melissa Shere Beek:

Tell us you were saying there's different e commerce is different.

Valentina Hubsh:

So e commerce is basically putting everything online Mhmm. That would be in the in the store. They have 13 stores.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Okay.

Valentina Hubsh:

And they're just women's fashion. The demographics the demographics are usually between the ages of 45 to 85.

Melissa Shere Beek:

That hits us. Sweet spot.

Valentina Hubsh:

So we have a lot to photograph. We get a lot done in a day. We have a few models. We have a woman photographer. Mhmm.

Valentina Hubsh:

And we just get it done, and it's great.

Melissa Shere Beek:

So How often does that happen? Is it like you guys get together and do shit?

Valentina Hubsh:

Well, have different groups of models with different age ranges. Mhmm. So sometimes we have different ethnicities and, you know, so there's a diverse look to the company. And so it could be Like three times a month. It could be once a month.

Valentina Hubsh:

We could go on a trip for five, six days.

Miranda Johnson:

Uh-huh.

Valentina Hubsh:

And we usually rent a house and we do TikTok dances, we cook, we hang out.

Melissa Shere Beek:

He's not watching the sourdough starter TikTok. No. Okay.

Valentina Hubsh:

No. But this this one and I, we we have so much fun too when we travel. We're so

Miranda Johnson:

I one time was traveling and I and I pulled up to a restaurant, and next to it was a store and a huge poster of

Melissa Shere Beek:

Valentina Get out of here.

Miranda Johnson:

From Anthony's. And I

Valentina Hubsh:

was like, what? I know. It's Belle.

Miranda Johnson:

I was so I

Melissa Shere Beek:

love photos of you.

Valentina Hubsh:

It's fun, isn't it?

Melissa Shere Beek:

But I love seeing but I love seeing and Miranda, you can attest this, like the photos from the eighties forward.

Valentina Hubsh:

Oh, yeah. I have some good ones.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh, good.

Valentina Hubsh:

Oh, I have some winner winners.

Miranda Johnson:

We actually have a photo of because back in the day, all my kids were in the business. Mhmm. And there was a shoot of Valentina and my son who's probably like I don't know.

Valentina Hubsh:

He's He was probably about five at

Miranda Johnson:

the time? I think so. He's Little. And he's 35 now. Oh, wow.

Miranda Johnson:

So we wanna remake that

Melissa Shere Beek:

photo. Oh, yeah. You have to redo the photo now.

Valentina Hubsh:

I was in a ball gown with a tiara and

Melissa Shere Beek:

It's a hot photo.

Valentina Hubsh:

And and he's tying

Miranda Johnson:

fancy He's tying the laces of hers. Have to

Melissa Shere Beek:

recreate that.

Valentina Hubsh:

We're gonna do it. Yeah. You have to recreate that. Another photographer that I know.

Miranda Johnson:

She should be tying his work boots.

Valentina Hubsh:

That would be cute too.

Melissa Shere Beek:

That you have to do. See, that's the photographer vision that you

Valentina Hubsh:

have also recreated a picture of her when we were in Paris when she was a little girl under the Eiffel Tower. We got the same outfit. And we just love doing these fun collabs and and just,

Melissa Shere Beek:

you know That's the next calendar. I'm buying that calendar. The recreation. Yeah.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah. Recreations.

Melissa Shere Beek:

You guys are I know you're very open minded, but like what opportunities have come out of the professions that you're doing? Because I know you say that there's so that it's opened so many opportunities for you being in the modeling profession and being in the photography.

Valentina Hubsh:

Well, first of all, you get a really wide breadth of people that you can work in different capacities. Sometimes I've helped people with closet organizing. I've done notary work. So I've done other things aside from modeling. And again, I might do someone's makeup for a wedding or things like that.

Valentina Hubsh:

And just being able to know a lot of people that you can also just recommend for things. Know, if you need a good doctor

Melissa Shere Beek:

Mhmm.

Valentina Hubsh:

Or, you know, if somebody's got expertise somewhere else. You just meet a lot

Melissa Shere Beek:

of people. All the connections.

Valentina Hubsh:

Definitely. Yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

Some of the opportunities for me was probably like over eleven years ago, my mornings seemed to be a little slow Uh-huh. Because I was so focused on children and families at that time and their work or school. So I created, like, another sidekick to my company where I go to preschools and I photograph kids candidly on the playground.

Valentina Hubsh:

Oh, I know.

Miranda Johnson:

And and then I sell those pictures right back to the parents, and it's called Playtime Candids. I love that. It's That's so interesting. Successful, and I'm still doing it.

Melissa Shere Beek:

And I've hired about that.

Miranda Johnson:

I've hired photographers also to have their schools in their district. So, you know, that was a cool opportunity that came out of something that I already knew and how to redirect it into something else.

Melissa Shere Beek:

I think that's brilliant.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah. We both love kids so much, so we do like sometimes at her house, camps with the kids and just have all the kids. One one day, we got this giant piece of paper, her her backdrop paper, and we had them all paint with their fingers and their hands.

Miranda Johnson:

It's just They're all my grandkids.

Valentina Hubsh:

Great. I love that.

Miranda Johnson:

The grandkids are looking for that camp again, by

Valentina Hubsh:

the way. We gotta gotta do it.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Summer's here. Summer's here. We need to go to your

Miranda Johnson:

It was a cheap camp.

Melissa Shere Beek:

What is it? Nona?

Miranda Johnson:

Nona. Nona.

Melissa Shere Beek:

We need to go to Nona's camp.

Miranda Johnson:

I know. Love it. Maybe you

Melissa Shere Beek:

have camp for adults too, maybe.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah. But we do that on vacation.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. It exciting? Is it scary? All the all these opportunities and all these different things that you've you've done?

Miranda Johnson:

I think it's exciting. Mhmm.

Valentina Hubsh:

I agree.

Miranda Johnson:

One opportunity that I got to do is capture a retirement, a captain

Melissa Shere Beek:

Uh-huh.

Miranda Johnson:

A pilot captain of American Airlines.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Wow.

Miranda Johnson:

So I had to go through all the security and I had to go down on the tarmacs and That's the fire trucks came and did the whole water over that. And it was that was kinda cool, like, walking around there.

Melissa Shere Beek:

That's beyond And

Miranda Johnson:

going out on the what is that?

Melissa Shere Beek:

On the runway?

Miranda Johnson:

The ramp.

Valentina Hubsh:

Oh, yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

And then the airplane backing up so I can get them waving out of the window. That a cool On

Melissa Shere Beek:

the jet wheel.

Miranda Johnson:

Gig. So those are some of the different things or, you know

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh, that is exciting. I mean One

Miranda Johnson:

time you came and we did who's that artist?

Valentina Hubsh:

Burrito. Oh, yeah. We did Romero Burrito.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. She came and

Valentina Hubsh:

held For the the fire calendar.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yep. Does all of the the different opportunities and all the different things that you do because it's not the similar day or keep you young mentally, physically? Like changing it up like that constantly?

Valentina Hubsh:

Flexible, I would say for sure.

Miranda Johnson:

Yes, definitely. And sometimes I feel it the next day because my adrenaline is going when I'm shooting.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah, I bet.

Miranda Johnson:

And I'm up, down, up, up, down, and then because you

Melissa Shere Beek:

have to be on.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. And I don't even realize Yeah. What I'm doing. And then the next day, I'm like, why are my quads just like Or on fire. On fire.

Valentina Hubsh:

Or like, may maybe you're on a shoot, and it's like, okay, you're on a giant 98,000,000 yacht, and you're going through Santrope, and you're thinking, oh my god. And then it's like, okay, reality, back in the car.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Right. That's it. Is there is there, like a let down after with all the adrenaline? Like the next day, are you exhausted physically, emotionally? The same with the photo shoots?

Melissa Shere Beek:

Like, do you feel it in every sense the following day?

Miranda Johnson:

I don't know if it's a letdown, but you know, reality kinda hits when I have to sit down and I just realized I shot 1,000 photos.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh, and now you have to do

Valentina Hubsh:

all And the

Miranda Johnson:

it's very easy with digital now because it's like

Melissa Shere Beek:

Stick it in.

Miranda Johnson:

You know, back in the day when I was doing film Yeah. I used to tell my clients, you got 36 pictures. Right. That's it. That's it.

Miranda Johnson:

This you know, your role and then I would count down. You got four more.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Right. Give it your best.

Miranda Johnson:

It's like Yeah.

Valentina Hubsh:

It's time consuming, the editing. As far as it goes for me, I think I'm okay with it because it's nice to feel some normalcy sometimes afterwards. Balance. And, you know, obviously, I'm pretty grounded and I realize it's pretend.

Miranda Johnson:

Right.

Valentina Hubsh:

You know, even though it's fun while you're doing it, the locations can be gorgeous. It's still hard work.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. It is And

Miranda Johnson:

I hard think for both of us, the summertime tends to slow down. A little bit. So, we get a break. And then

Melissa Shere Beek:

Are you both naturally adventurous?

Valentina Hubsh:

We spoke about that.

Miranda Johnson:

We just spoke about that. So I'm like safe adventurous, you know? Like, I just went canoeing

Melissa Shere Beek:

Right.

Miranda Johnson:

With my husband in some springs and I'm like, I just don't wanna see six foot alligator. Yeah. Yeah. Like that Thank that kind of adventures

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

I'm like, but That limits

Melissa Shere Beek:

to the adventure.

Miranda Johnson:

Work adventures?

Valentina Hubsh:

Yes. I'm adventurous by nature, but I do notice that I'm being a little more cautious like going skiing. I was like, okay, I don't wanna fall. Right. Horseback riding.

Valentina Hubsh:

I love it. I I went roller skating. I still do stuff, but I'm a little bit more cautious.

Miranda Johnson:

Okay. And, you know

Melissa Shere Beek:

doing more adventure things than I'm doing. You're definitely more

Miranda Johnson:

asked me to do that new base skating, and I'm like, no.

Melissa Shere Beek:

No. You. No. I I I Floor was very busy. The way it is.

Valentina Hubsh:

But it was fun. Yeah. It was fun for me.

Miranda Johnson:

I don't wanna break a wrist.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. No. Thank you.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah. But as far as exploring, like, when when we've gone on trips, she's like, let's just go down this way. Let's find a way.

Miranda Johnson:

Yes.

Melissa Shere Beek:

That kind of adventure That's is

Miranda Johnson:

safe adventures. Yeah. Yeah.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. I like the safe adventure.

Valentina Hubsh:

Or just like getting on a plane and going to Croatia and like, you know, someone's totally unaware of like, you know, what's it gonna be? Of course, and and being with a whole group of people.

Miranda Johnson:

Sometimes, there's people get a little annoyed with us because like, I'm like, Val, stand stand there. Let me get this shot. Have a million photos of Jimmy.

Valentina Hubsh:

She has so many models.

Melissa Shere Beek:

So, like, I mean, what could

Valentina Hubsh:

we We have get to grab it when we can. We're in a great location, and sometimes we were we were trying to find a picture for you, and she's like, I think I have way too many pictures of you.

Miranda Johnson:

My my my iPhone has a category for her. Like,

Melissa Shere Beek:

notes. File? Yes.

Miranda Johnson:

There's a lot Yeah. In

Valentina Hubsh:

I have a lot of old photos that we used to print out. You know, like all the books and everything. Yeah. And I came across one the other day, and I was like, with a wig on and a motorcycle. The eighties were so funny.

Valentina Hubsh:

Like the

Melissa Shere Beek:

styling Outrageously fun.

Valentina Hubsh:

Out of control. Did Our

Melissa Shere Beek:

hair was off the photo.

Valentina Hubsh:

And just like wild outfits.

Melissa Shere Beek:

I'll show you pictures.

Valentina Hubsh:

Betsy Johnson, like all the the clothes were wild.

Miranda Johnson:

I still have my Betsy Johnson dress Love

Melissa Shere Beek:

Betsy

Miranda Johnson:

when

Melissa Shere Beek:

I was 16. She's fun. Yeah. Still I just bought some really funky stuff from her the other day actually.

Valentina Hubsh:

Did you? Did you really?

Melissa Shere Beek:

She had these really it was she did a collaboration with this fabulous drag queen, and she had these outrageous shoes and this dress. My daughter got the dress and I got the socks because they were just so funky and I love them. But she's definitely not pulling off the dress.

Valentina Hubsh:

But she's still at her age.

Miranda Johnson:

But she's

Melissa Shere Beek:

still running around doing split

Miranda Johnson:

and splits everywhere. I have to

Valentina Hubsh:

introduce you to my friend who does the split. She should come on your podcast too. I'll I'll let you know.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Okay. We'll split together.

Miranda Johnson:

Just splits around the world.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Totally. I love that. Oh my god. So is is what's like one of the biggest lessons or takeaways that you've you've learned in all these years from what you do?

Miranda Johnson:

For me, that you are gonna make mistakes

Valentina Hubsh:

Mhmm.

Miranda Johnson:

And they are embarrassing. Yeah. But if you make them right, people will remember you for that Right. And not the mistake. Right.

Miranda Johnson:

So, you know, I always try to make sure that my clients are a 100% happy.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. So and And all of them I don't know if they're the mistakes, but they're I feel like they're all learning curves. Yeah. They are.

Valentina Hubsh:

That's what

Melissa Shere Beek:

makes you grow. Yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

Sure. But, yeah, you know, there's been times when I'm like, thank God for Photoshop too.

Valentina Hubsh:

Like, back in the day

Miranda Johnson:

with film, I was just like

Melissa Shere Beek:

He's gonna say

Miranda Johnson:

can we reshoot?

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. No.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah. So I would say the eighties. The fact of not getting a job and having quote unquote rejection doesn't mean there's not another opportunity. Like, you gotta keep trying and keep putting yourself out there.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Right.

Valentina Hubsh:

And self promoting, especially now with social media, people are using that. And not to be take it personal. Right. Yeah. You know, you have to have a little bit of a thick skin.

Valentina Hubsh:

True. True. Because it's really not about It's

Melissa Shere Beek:

not a reflection of you.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah. I mean, it's either a look, and yeah, your personality or work ethic come into But essentially, it could just be that, you

Melissa Shere Beek:

know. Right. Yeah. And tell me again how you met. Because you said high school, but like, what was how was

Miranda Johnson:

You know what? We just have

Valentina Hubsh:

all the same Our sisters were friends in high school.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yes.

Valentina Hubsh:

So we had to proceed their reputations.

Miranda Johnson:

Right. Didn't go well.

Valentina Hubsh:

Not go

Miranda Johnson:

well for us either

Valentina Hubsh:

one great under me, but we all you know, it was one community. Uh-huh. Everybody hung out. It wasn't as big of a city We back

Miranda Johnson:

knew, you know, like her husband, he was like it boy in high school.

Valentina Hubsh:

Ball dude.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. So everybody knew him. But we you know, her and I, we we share history. Yeah. We know all the same people.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

We grew up the same way.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. So you stopped.

Miranda Johnson:

We were just feral kids that, like, had no supervision. Weren't

Melissa Shere Beek:

we all then, though?

Valentina Hubsh:

I think so. I think that was the way to go back then.

Miranda Johnson:

And we just

Melissa Shere Beek:

yeah. There was no helicopter. Stronger, better.

Valentina Hubsh:

Right?

Miranda Johnson:

I guess, yeah. Yeah. Definitely.

Valentina Hubsh:

We didn't have much choice to

Melissa Shere Beek:

be honest. We didn't have a choice.

Miranda Johnson:

I think that's why I connected so quickly with my husband, you know. Like, I just needed, like, that fit. He's six years older than me.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. So grounding a little bit.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. So now whenever, like, I'm sassy and he gets mad at me, I'm like, well, you raised me.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Okay, old man.

Valentina Hubsh:

You raised me? It's like, I didn't

Melissa Shere Beek:

raise you? And I'm like, you did. Yeah.

Valentina Hubsh:

But but recently, when we started working with the calendar Mhmm. We collaborated a lot. So I was over house a lot. We were picking outfits together, and, you know, that got us closer. And then we started traveling with another mutual friend of ours, and so we've done a lot of trips and

Miranda Johnson:

get along well. Don't like bicker Yeah. There's no competition.

Valentina Hubsh:

She's grounded. I admire her. I aspire to be more like her. She's like a realist. Uh-huh.

Valentina Hubsh:

But she's also fun.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. I love it. What what is it that made it your friendship last the test of time? Is it the balance?

Miranda Johnson:

I think so.

Valentina Hubsh:

I think so too. Like, I'll I'll go to her for advice when I'm having a hard time.

Miranda Johnson:

Uh-huh.

Valentina Hubsh:

And it's it's not something where she'll commiserate because you you don't do that, which is good. You can just she can just say, well, why don't you try this? You're a solution based person.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Mhmm.

Valentina Hubsh:

And I need that in my life. Somebody who's gonna, you know, just help you out get through something, a tough time.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. How do you handle the tough times?

Miranda Johnson:

I'm

Valentina Hubsh:

I I cry a lot.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Uh-huh. No. It's okay. That's a release.

Valentina Hubsh:

I mean,

Miranda Johnson:

you have to sometimes. But

Valentina Hubsh:

And then I get up and move on.

Miranda Johnson:

I think that, you know, we all have our tough times. Some people handle them differently. Uh-huh. And I think the tough times are make you who you are.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Right. You grow.

Miranda Johnson:

And you grow from them and they make you strong. They made me strong. I've definitely gone through my times Uh-huh. And as we all. But

Melissa Shere Beek:

And does your friendship help that?

Miranda Johnson:

Definitely. You need girlfriends. Yeah. Yeah. You need girlfriends to vent to and the support.

Miranda Johnson:

It's you have to.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Or even just listen. Just to hold your hand and say

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah. We're gonna

Miranda Johnson:

get And it's important. That listening part Yeah. Is more important.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Mhmm.

Valentina Hubsh:

Then you realize. Even if it's a five minute conversation on your way home

Miranda Johnson:

and Yeah.

Valentina Hubsh:

You know, bitching about something and then you go, okay, I feel better.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. But how lucky that you guys have that? That's like so beautiful. I know. I love it.

Miranda Johnson:

You know, we still have like all our high school friends. Yeah. We do. So amazing. That's we just went to Nantucket with nine Oh, is that

Melissa Shere Beek:

the group?

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah. Mhmm.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh, that's so cool.

Valentina Hubsh:

And we had a rock and roll night. We danced. I jumped up and did a David Lee Roth split. I don't know how I didn't injure myself, but she witnessed it.

Miranda Johnson:

I think I I think I have that on film. Oh my god. Yeah. We had a good time.

Melissa Shere Beek:

That's it. Yeah. Yeah. So your friendship's important for navigating through life.

Miranda Johnson:

Definitely. A 100%. Yeah. Definitely. Without doubt, you have You need girlfriends in life.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah.

Melissa Shere Beek:

But you're very lucky that you found someone in life and an earlier part of your life who's brought you through all of these decades. Yes. Who you just can give each other a look and you don't need an explanation. Start to understand

Miranda Johnson:

Stop the talking.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Right, right.

Valentina Hubsh:

Wait. Why am

Melissa Shere Beek:

I talking? That's a good one. No, but just even to you don't even need the context. You understand that you've got the history there. That's a beautiful beautiful dynamic.

Miranda Johnson:

And there's been times when it's been separated. Yeah. You know, like, didn't see her for a year, and I also moved to New Jersey for a few years.

Melissa Shere Beek:

How dare you?

Miranda Johnson:

And it's you Or she's traveling

Valentina Hubsh:

through Europe. We pick up working where we left off.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. But the continuity Yes. Strength of your friendship is that you can have that time apart, and then it's really Definitely. Once you get together Yeah. It's like no time has passed.

Valentina Hubsh:

And because we have other mutual friends, that helps too. Know?

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. For sure. That's true. That's true. You have your own community, so to speak.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. Yeah. That's cool. Okay. So you've told me, Val, that you have a higher motor.

Melissa Shere Beek:

That you just sort of operate on a different level. Where does that motivation come from?

Valentina Hubsh:

I mean, I guess it's just like I don't know. My sister and I were talking about that. And I think like we worked since we were 15. Like I went to Europe by myself at 15.

Miranda Johnson:

Wow.

Valentina Hubsh:

No GPS. Yeah. Thousand dollars in travelers checks.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh, yeah.

Valentina Hubsh:

Got the bug and I was like, okay. No. Nothing. I figured it out. And I said to myself, I like the feeling of accomplishment.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Uh-huh.

Valentina Hubsh:

And like, even this morning, I got up and I worked out. I was I don't feel like lifting weights. Yeah. But apparently, it's so good for your bones.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Weights. So at 15, did you go with a company? You just decided to have

Valentina Hubsh:

a little more. But it was a pretty big risky move to go over there by myself.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. Sure.

Valentina Hubsh:

No, you know, chaperone. Uh-huh. But I figured it out. My sister worked at a modeling agency, so she gave me a little low down on how to handle it. And you have what it's called a mother agency.

Valentina Hubsh:

So, I was with Michelle Palmier, and then they've set you up with an agency there. But, half the time, you know, you're you're so far away. They didn't have cell phones.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. I know.

Valentina Hubsh:

You know, I just got that that bug to work. Uh-huh. And I had jobs in high school, and then I started making money with modeling. And I thought, okay, this

Melissa Shere Beek:

is a

Valentina Hubsh:

place where I can travel, I can move, I can go. And so, kind of was on high speed for a big part of my life. And Miranda and I laugh all the time because I was like, when I'm 60, I'm gonna slow down.

Melissa Shere Beek:

No. You're just getting started.

Valentina Hubsh:

And then I kept saying I was 60 right before 60.

Miranda Johnson:

She was saying she was 60, like, for two years. I'm like, she's like 58. And she's like, well, I'm 60. And I'm like, how

Valentina Hubsh:

are you?

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. Like, it

Valentina Hubsh:

was a badge of honor. Yeah. It is I'm 61. So, anyway, I just think it's No. My

Miranda Johnson:

mean, at

Melissa Shere Beek:

58, you're right at the doorstep. I get it.

Valentina Hubsh:

Are. But either way, I think I'm just an energizer bunny until I'm not. Yeah. And then I'll just be like conked out.

Miranda Johnson:

And maybe that's why we get along so good because I'm like she might be a 10. Right. And I'm like a five.

Valentina Hubsh:

Right. It's a good balance. You know? She's like

Miranda Johnson:

sometimes I'm like, need to bring it down a notch. Right. Bring it down from like a 10 to like a

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. Meet me down here

Valentina Hubsh:

five I'm hyper.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Five? That's okay, but that's why you work.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah.

Melissa Shere Beek:

That's why you work. You're sort of like yin and yang. What in both of your professions is like something that you learn that you take with you on the daily? That you use outside of your professions, but you learn from your professions that you sort of apply to daily life?

Valentina Hubsh:

I learned how to read the room quickly because

Melissa Shere Beek:

You gotta suss it

Valentina Hubsh:

out.

Miranda Johnson:

You gotta suss

Valentina Hubsh:

it out right away. And I also learned that you gotta be patient with your career and yourself. Because, again, when you finish with one job, you gotta go look for another one.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Right.

Valentina Hubsh:

So, not to get lazy or rest on your laurels and

Melissa Shere Beek:

Right. It's not coming to you, you've gotta go find it.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah. It's mostly people skills and that goes across any profession. Wouldn't you say?

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. I think I learned how to look at things differently. Like I everything I see when I'm walking outside is like I see different with the color and the light. Yeah. And I'm always like, that would be a really good picture Or I just notice small things

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah.

Valentina Hubsh:

A lot. And

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. I'm like, wow. Look at that. And, you know, I am, you know, taking a picture of it. And She showed

Valentina Hubsh:

me how to make a reel. I didn't know how to do it. Oh, yeah. But hers are fantastic because she's

Melissa Shere Beek:

coming. I have to lie.

Miranda Johnson:

Oh, really? I don't know if they're fantastic.

Valentina Hubsh:

I mean, I think they

Melissa Shere Beek:

are. Yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

I guess because I was there.

Melissa Shere Beek:

It's artistic vision.

Miranda Johnson:

Because you're older. Ask a kid if they're fantastic. Okay. They're okay. I have to do it.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. It keeps, you know It's part of this.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

It's part of it. But Are there pitfalls? Yeah. Definitely. I think there's pitfalls in every career, don't you think?

Miranda Johnson:

You know, just maybe long hours editing.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah. For

Miranda Johnson:

me, that's like a drag. Sometimes it's very hard. Yeah. It's with the just school ones. Oh, gosh.

Miranda Johnson:

And I see, you know, it's just like they're not school photos, they're out, you know, candid ones. Candid. But still, sometimes it's just like I look at it and there's thousands of pictures, and I'm like

Melissa Shere Beek:

It's gotta be harder now with a digital camera too because you're just taking so many photos, whereas opposed to limiting your choices by I

Miranda Johnson:

forget, and I'm just like Yeah. My shutter count is huge.

Valentina Hubsh:

I would say the pitfall for modeling is that you have to stay consistent, and maybe you're kind of a little sick of self promotion. Mhmm. You know, you get to a point where you're like That's gotta be hard. Oh, You know?

Melissa Shere Beek:

Around

Valentina Hubsh:

me at certain age, but what's going on with the industry is the clients, even the top ones are looking for signs of visible aging because everybody went so far in the other direction.

Miranda Johnson:

Uh-huh.

Valentina Hubsh:

You know? With so much work done.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah.

Valentina Hubsh:

Well, you know

Melissa Shere Beek:

A lot.

Valentina Hubsh:

I think the Kardashians are beautiful, but not everybody Not for likes that look.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. That looks not for me. But that's okay.

Miranda Johnson:

There's a

Melissa Shere Beek:

lid for every pot.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah. So they're they're actually calling for that, Melissa.

Miranda Johnson:

Oh, really? That's

Melissa Shere Beek:

was gonna ask you about that.

Valentina Hubsh:

On big runways.

Melissa Shere Beek:

I wanna ask you about aging in the industries.

Valentina Hubsh:

Okay.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Both from your perspective as a model, and what they're looking for, and your perspective as a photographer.

Miranda Johnson:

In mine, the younger kids, they they're hungry.

Valentina Hubsh:

Mhmm.

Miranda Johnson:

They're more tech savvy.

Valentina Hubsh:

Mhmm.

Miranda Johnson:

So they get it. Mhmm. You know, I've had to learn and it's, you know

Melissa Shere Beek:

I think more critical of the pictures that you take because they No. I wanna test

Miranda Johnson:

I think that part I think that part is fine. It's just that they're they're willing to do it at a at a maybe a reduced rate. Oh. And so you gotta compete against that.

Melissa Shere Beek:

That's hard.

Miranda Johnson:

I see it all the time like, you know, mini sessions, whatever it is. Mini sessions for a $150 and I'm like, you know, and then people call me. Do you do a mini session? I'm like, no, I don't. Yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. So, you know.

Valentina Hubsh:

Well, one of the things I I struggle with at times when I would work without an agency Mhmm. Is that I I had to get really strong on being paid promptly. Yeah. So I set the tone with with the clients that, you know, I got my own app that send the bill, and you know, you have thirty days. You know, I'd like to be paid every two weeks.

Valentina Hubsh:

Right. But if the maximum is thirty days. And it really depends. Sometimes you get paid right away in Venmo, but some some companies aren't able to do that, whether it's a charity thing. But to me, I felt like that's something I would teach a young model is to be in charge of your own finances, and if you're working with an agency, of course, there's a fee.

Valentina Hubsh:

But you can negotiate for yourself.

Melissa Shere Beek:

So, I wanna get back to what you'd advise people getting into the industry, but I also wanna go back to like aging in the industry.

Valentina Hubsh:

Okay.

Melissa Shere Beek:

And also, not only what's happening with aging in the industry, but now that social media plays a big part of the industry. Since you started in the eighties, let's say, or in the seventies modeling, how has all of that changed?

Valentina Hubsh:

Well, it's completely changed because now if you went on a casting, they would ask for your social media. They wanna know how many followers you have.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Really?

Valentina Hubsh:

I mean, not all of them. There's different facets of the industry. There's advertising. Uh-huh. There's lifestyle advertising, which I do a lot of.

Valentina Hubsh:

Which is like a cruise ship, or a restaurant, you know, or a high end resort probably.

Miranda Johnson:

You know? I think the social medias How

Melissa Shere Beek:

how many followers you have and like

Valentina Hubsh:

Maybe not in my particular category, but on some bigger and certain companies will. But they they want you to post, they want you to promote link.

Melissa Shere Beek:

They wanna do collabs with you.

Valentina Hubsh:

They do just and taking pictures. They want they want you to mention it. They'll have another team. A lot of times, they'll do both at the same time. They'll have somebody doing social media.

Miranda Johnson:

Yes. That's

Valentina Hubsh:

a And big somebody doing video and print. All in the same day. And so, it used to be you got paid separately for print and separately for video.

Miranda Johnson:

Uh-huh.

Valentina Hubsh:

But it got a little jumbled up with the way the industry is now. So you have to be clear with, you know, your client.

Melissa Shere Beek:

What your expectations are.

Miranda Johnson:

I think a lot of these models, like their Instagrams is all their work. So it's like a portfolio too.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah. Nobody carries that around anymore.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. Was gonna say, you don't have to carry anything with you.

Miranda Johnson:

There's no like composite cards anymore.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Right. Remember those?

Valentina Hubsh:

Wow. They were fun.

Miranda Johnson:

Wow. That's how I started is doing

Melissa Shere Beek:

Did you doing composite Yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

Making those modeling cards for people.

Melissa Shere Beek:

That's right.

Miranda Johnson:

And that's no more. Now there's like a kinda like a Facebook page that you have to have and Yeah.

Valentina Hubsh:

There's a thing called casting networks. Yes. That's how you go through and and

Melissa Shere Beek:

And that's how you send your

Miranda Johnson:

You upload your own videos, your photos, and clients will pick out their models from that pretty much.

Valentina Hubsh:

Mhmm.

Miranda Johnson:

So the better you make it. Yeah. They don't really do those like cattle calls anymore.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Right. Was just gonna say,

Valentina Hubsh:

you have to make them come

Melissa Shere Beek:

in and then you would still have

Valentina Hubsh:

to walk. You'll be requested for a self tape. Uh-huh. Maybe say for instance, I just did swim week, but I was working in a different capacity. I was wearing some of the clothing from The UK, and they were just cover ups and things like that.

Valentina Hubsh:

Right. But for the for the girls that were walking the shows, they probably had to go in person and walk so they could

Melissa Shere Beek:

Right. See how they They could see how they spot on the runway in a bathing suit and stuff like that.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. Wow.

Valentina Hubsh:

But look at Bethany Frankel just walked in Sports Illustrated. And she's how old? Speaking of aging, she's probably

Melissa Shere Beek:

She's younger than us though.

Valentina Hubsh:

Forties. But still. Yeah. Yeah. In the back in the day, a 40 year old would not be modeling a baby.

Miranda Johnson:

Is that all she is? 40?

Valentina Hubsh:

Alright. Maybe 50. Something in there. I I did bump into her at the roller skating rink and

Miranda Johnson:

she had a young new boyfriend. Who cares?

Valentina Hubsh:

She looks good.

Melissa Shere Beek:

She was shaking it on the runway, so that's fine.

Valentina Hubsh:

No. She came.

Melissa Shere Beek:

She was at the Blondet.

Valentina Hubsh:

She was at the concert that we went to with, at the band shell for the Bee Gees.

Melissa Shere Beek:

So That's so funny.

Valentina Hubsh:

Anyway, it's it's all relative, but I think that

Melissa Shere Beek:

Do you think it's the industry is now really open to older models and aging and sort Certain of

Valentina Hubsh:

niches.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Accepting?

Valentina Hubsh:

Yes. Certain niches. The company that I work for, as I said, their demographics are older. And sometimes, they're even looking for somebody with gray hair for their for their social media presence, and then they have somebody as young as 40. Right.

Valentina Hubsh:

It's it's just because we can't

Melissa Shere Beek:

be looking at vogue at 13 year olds. Like, that's just ridiculous.

Valentina Hubsh:

No. And there's nothing wrong with with beauty at that age because it's But

Melissa Shere Beek:

if trying to reach a 60 year old woman to wear or do or have, sort of missing the target. No?

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah. And and the and the companies like the Gucci's and and now they're collaborating with rappers. They're being they're they're going across so many different genres. If you've noticed that models are not whatever we call traditional beauty now. Right.

Valentina Hubsh:

Right. And it's it's definitely changed or or just unusual, you know?

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. Very different looking And for me, social media is like key. You have That's like

Melissa Shere Beek:

You get a lot of your clients from photography from

Miranda Johnson:

social If I post, I will get a call.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh, isn't that wonderful?

Miranda Johnson:

So, just like it is press, pressure to keep it up. Right.

Melissa Shere Beek:

But what an outreach it has. Yeah. Like, you don't have to, you know, word-of-mouth, business cards, all that stuff.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. No more.

Melissa Shere Beek:

That is your word-of-mouth.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. Because, you know, it gets

Melissa Shere Beek:

It's beyond your immediate realm.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Mhmm. That's cool. That's very cool.

Miranda Johnson:

Social media is key in I think both of our careers.

Melissa Shere Beek:

So the other thing that I know that you do is I know you do great charity work.

Miranda Johnson:

Yes.

Melissa Shere Beek:

So tell me a little bit about that and how you got into that with the community because I know you're always involved in helping.

Miranda Johnson:

I think for me, I mentioned I am a cancer survivor.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh, you did not mention that?

Miranda Johnson:

Oh, I didn't. Okay. Yes. So two times.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Amazing. Wow. Two times.

Miranda Johnson:

Survivor. Wow.

Melissa Shere Beek:

You are something. What a So

Miranda Johnson:

the first time was when I was about 29. Just had my fourth baby. And it was Burkitt's lymphoma, and it was hardcore. I did hardcore treatment. My gosh.

Valentina Hubsh:

Lost the

Miranda Johnson:

whole hair, the whole thing, and, you know, I did a stem cell transplant, everything. Wow. Go ahead. That took that took a lot. And then during COVID, I got stage one lung cancer.

Miranda Johnson:

I don't smoke, but that I didn't have to do chemo. I did have to get a lumpectomy when I had to have a piece of my lung out. But from the first cancer that I had, I felt that at that time I had no insurance. I had You're to '29. Yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. '29. And so I had to rely a lot on government assistance back then. And so I felt that I got so much that I wanted to give back. Wow.

Melissa Shere Beek:

That's so beautiful.

Miranda Johnson:

I think I've I've ran, I've walked, I've danced, I've done calendars, whatever it was to give back. Wow. And The pin up calendar is what we collaborated on. And that's what how we did. So I was on a trip somewhere and I saw this pin up advertisement photographer.

Miranda Johnson:

And I'm like, oh, that's so cool. And I thought $19.50.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. Yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. Yeah. Pin Yeah. Uh-huh. And I don't know if that's what their genre was at that point, but I came back and I'm like, I wanna do like a little pin up Yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

Shoot. And I got Val to do one and our other

Valentina Hubsh:

really good

Melissa Shere Beek:

Grable turned with her booty and her legs, you know, like from the old Yes.

Valentina Hubsh:

I had camera.

Melissa Shere Beek:

I love it.

Miranda Johnson:

Yes. And

Valentina Hubsh:

I one in a car.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. And I got another really good friend of ours, Lisa, do one. I was just having fun, but then our really good friend, Kathy, she got cancer. No insurance. She was changing careers and just left one and she had She owned her

Valentina Hubsh:

own hair salon and she she had to stop.

Miranda Johnson:

She stopped and she was really struggling. And so I was like, what can we do? And I thought, I did these little pin ups. What if we did a pin up calendar and we could sell it and help her out?

Valentina Hubsh:

She got every single friend

Miranda Johnson:

to do Every friend of mine Of course. I could come up with.

Melissa Shere Beek:

In a heartbeat.

Miranda Johnson:

And we did it.

Valentina Hubsh:

We put the makeup on. Yes. She

Miranda Johnson:

she did her and Lisa and Kathy, they all came and they did hair and makeup.

Valentina Hubsh:

We brought one to show you later.

Miranda Johnson:

Yes. We did?

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh, I

Miranda Johnson:

can't wait

Melissa Shere Beek:

to see it. Oh, I'm so excited.

Miranda Johnson:

Okay. So, we sold them to friends and family and we I love that. It was enough to make her rent for two months.

Melissa Shere Beek:

See, that's so beautiful.

Miranda Johnson:

And we were one and done. And everybody came up to us and they're like, wanna be in the next year. We're like, next year?

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That was the Are doing it annually?

Valentina Hubsh:

We've been doing it.

Miranda Johnson:

Yes. Since 2018. Get

Melissa Shere Beek:

out. Race a lot

Miranda Johnson:

of money. We became a five zero one three c because people were like, we really wanna donate big, but you have to be legit. Yeah. And

Valentina Hubsh:

We so connected a lot of women. That's the beautiful part. And they all share their stories.

Miranda Johnson:

And now, all our ladies that are in it are all cancer survivors.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah. Really?

Miranda Johnson:

Yes. Everybody that's in the calendar has been cancer survivor now.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh my god. What a great feeling.

Miranda Johnson:

That's called My Calendar Girls.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh, I need to see this. Yes. Absolutely need to see this. You could get it you can get it after. So, give

Valentina Hubsh:

me just one of your head away from them. Each of my books to show you too.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh, I know. So that so Okay. Tell We're gonna have We can look

Valentina Hubsh:

at that later.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. You can look at it later.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Watching on YouTube.

Valentina Hubsh:

Girl. Okay.

Melissa Shere Beek:

So tell me about because I know you do a lot in the community too, Val.

Valentina Hubsh:

Okay. Yeah. So we just did a fashion show for Big Brothers Big Sisters, and that's a great organization. So I got a couple of my friend's daughters to model in it, and they're young. So that was their one of their first few fashion shows as That amazing.

Valentina Hubsh:

It was fun. And Jessica, the person who was in charge of the models, and she is an artist, Jessica York, and she also did a swimsuit line.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh, cool.

Valentina Hubsh:

So that was great. They raised money for scholarships for for the kids for that. I've been doing charity work since I was probably in high school. Yeah. Like, I started off with the Linda Ray Infant Center, where it was over by the Bob Hope Yeah.

Valentina Hubsh:

In that whole area with Jackson. Mhmm. And I would go over and help feed the babies and hold the babies. I don't know where it came from, but maybe

Miranda Johnson:

I just thought

Valentina Hubsh:

I wanted to start that. Then I got involved with Christy House, which is for special children 18 and under that have been sexually abused or trafficked. Yeah. Did a lot of work with them for about five years. And Camilla's House Yeah.

Valentina Hubsh:

Helping raise for them. They do a ton for the homeless community. Yeah. And just the Cancer Link. Yeah.

Valentina Hubsh:

You know that with that whole group. They do that big pink fashion show with

Miranda Johnson:

Yep. Yep.

Valentina Hubsh:

It's really It's amazing. I think

Miranda Johnson:

that's our other connection that we have that we both like to do that. So it's another bond.

Valentina Hubsh:

Good karma.

Melissa Shere Beek:

No. But just huge hearts. Just absolutely huge hearts. Think it's so incredible and I think it's such a gift that you give an inspiration, really. Thanks.

Melissa Shere Beek:

That's beautiful. Yeah. It feels good. Yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

And it feels good like that you did that and you know, it's just

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. To do with your friends is really awesome too.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah. Mean, it's not always about money, Melissa. Sometimes it's just helping others. Altruism comes naturally to both of us. So I think that, you know, obviously family is is important right now.

Valentina Hubsh:

We're not spending tons of hours on that. But, it's it's been a it's been a good journey so far.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. But you know what? If more people behave like you two did, wouldn't it be a much more beautiful world? Aw, feel sweet. Like I had the reverend and the rabbi here a couple weeks ago and they said it like, you can go what was it?

Melissa Shere Beek:

You can go faster or farther alone, but we can get there I've butchered this terribly, but we get there better if we all go together. It's just like a beautiful sentiment that they had said about that, and I thought like, what a beautiful world, and I'm glad that you two are out there doing that because Well, at it. It's inspiration. Keep at it. Keep at it.

Melissa Shere Beek:

So you you neither of you really ever wanted a traditional job?

Miranda Johnson:

I've actually had one. I was a preschool teacher for like Really? Ten years in my twenties.

Valentina Hubsh:

Oh,

Miranda Johnson:

wow. And I loved it.

Valentina Hubsh:

You

Miranda Johnson:

did. And sometimes I'm like,

Valentina Hubsh:

god, I

Miranda Johnson:

miss that. So easy. I would Not I was done at one.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. But someone listening this on preschool? Easy? No. I don't think so.

Melissa Shere Beek:

No. It's So it takes a certain personality.

Miranda Johnson:

But I'll tell you what, those parents had fantastic photos of their kids.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. I was just gonna say.

Valentina Hubsh:

I brought my camera. Never did a a traditional nine to five, but I've worked in retail, and I've worked in wholesale. Yeah. So I've had my hands in those two industries. Mhmm.

Valentina Hubsh:

And, you know, it's it's an eight hour day or sometimes Yeah. And, you know, dealing with the public and not making the same money I did as a model, Tumbling, but I did work in a restaurant for a hot minute. It didn't go well.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh, wow. Oh,

Miranda Johnson:

yeah. Never did. Always wanted try that. I showed up

Valentina Hubsh:

with high heels, and they said, oh, that you can't go into the kitchen like that. I go, why am I going in the kitchen? Yeah. They're like, we're gonna have to run some food. And I was like, what?

Melissa Shere Beek:

Wait, what? Nobody said that.

Valentina Hubsh:

And then breakfast was the worst. People were so grouchy in the morning. They wanted their food. I was like, calm down.

Miranda Johnson:

I always wanted to secretly like work in a kitchen like be a cook.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Really? Well, my son It seems very stressful, that industry.

Valentina Hubsh:

Well, my son is in it. He switched from environmental and working in the parks and fire burns, and he now started over, and he's working at Ruth Chris as a line cook, and he's learning his way through it. Wow. He's probably gonna end up being a

Melissa Shere Beek:

chef. Really?

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. Oh.

Melissa Shere Beek:

So it's

Valentina Hubsh:

it's a nice could

Melissa Shere Beek:

I could I'm sitting

Valentina Hubsh:

here Hello.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Smelling this. I can't wait to tear into this sour dough, but I'm like, you could definitely be a baker. But,

Valentina Hubsh:

doing it for a living

Miranda Johnson:

I definitely changes. About the baker. I got that, but I just made

Melissa Shere Beek:

really Listen. You kept bad the starter

Miranda Johnson:

alive. Have

Valentina Hubsh:

She makes pizza. Oh,

Melissa Shere Beek:

I'm coming to your house for pizza because that's my favorite thing. Love pizza.

Miranda Johnson:

Love We have my pizzas. My husband built a pizza oven in our backyard.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh, I'm definitely coming to your house. I've just invited myself.

Miranda Johnson:

Got chickens. It's good. Live chickens.

Melissa Shere Beek:

I'll say hello. I'll make friends with the chickens. I won't be eating the chickens.

Valentina Hubsh:

It's got a huge garden.

Miranda Johnson:

Are a huge could pick some kale on

Melissa Shere Beek:

a Okay. I could pick the garden. That's so funny. What would you tell your younger selves looking back now?

Miranda Johnson:

I would tell my younger self to hang on. There's Hang some bumpy roads ahead, but you're a strong, fierce woman, and you'll get through it.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Right.

Miranda Johnson:

But, you know, it's not always, you know, rainbows and unicorns.

Melissa Shere Beek:

True. True.

Miranda Johnson:

So

Valentina Hubsh:

I would say to my younger self that you're gonna have a good life, but don't get spoiled. Uh-huh. And try to remain humble.

Melissa Shere Beek:

A little bit of spoiling.

Valentina Hubsh:

A little bit. I mean, like, don't feel entitled. Maybe that's the word I'm looking for. Oh, no. She's like, give me these books.

Valentina Hubsh:

Follow me out.

Melissa Shere Beek:

For those of you listening, can't see what Miranda's looking at.

Valentina Hubsh:

Okay. Spoil? Also, just to be flexible, and I think I've done that. I've learned that. Yeah.

Valentina Hubsh:

I've had bumps in the road too, and I'm sensitive. I can get my feelings hurt easy, but I do think that I am proud of myself. I used to be very shy as a kid, which is real hard to believe.

Melissa Shere Beek:

I never see you as shy.

Valentina Hubsh:

Okay. Well, you didn't know me then. I was just a

Melissa Shere Beek:

kid. Like, the last thirty five years. I've never seen one. It's hard to believe. Like, you're so gregarious, and flexible, and adventurous, and like

Valentina Hubsh:

Well, I was shy because I moved school so often when I was growing up. So I had to constantly, you know, get new groups of friends. Right. That's And I moved to Boston when I was seven for a year, and I was away from my family, but all of it made me who I am today.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. Yeah. All of that's so many experiences.

Miranda Johnson:

Mhmm. Definitely.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Okay. So we talked about how the industry has changed and what it means to still be doing it in this day and age, but how has it been documenting this friendship for the last fifty years?

Miranda Johnson:

It's been beautiful, you know? I think. Yeah. I got the pictures to prove it.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah. As we said.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Do you reminisce? Do you go back? Is there We a do.

Miranda Johnson:

I was trying to remind her of the day I met her. She doesn't remember. But a mutual friend of ours invited me to party, and I brought all my little nerdy This is very young.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah. We were Yes.

Miranda Johnson:

This was like seventh grade.

Valentina Hubsh:

Right. This is Seventh grade. Two year high.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. Yeah.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Wonderful teeth and

Miranda Johnson:

Oh, my gosh.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. The most beautiful awkward

Valentina Hubsh:

we're time still in touch with Nicole, our other friend, who was my friend from elementary school. And she was always like, hey, let's, you know, go do this and go do that. And I was like, again, a little bit shy. And she pulled me out of my shell, and,

Melissa Shere Beek:

you know, maybe maybe hate it.

Valentina Hubsh:

No. No. Yeah. She got me in trouble once or twice.

Miranda Johnson:

She got me in trouble lots of times.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh, girl. Oops.

Valentina Hubsh:

She's a doll now. She

Miranda Johnson:

is now.

Valentina Hubsh:

She's a goody two Yeah. Back then That's true. She had also an older sister who was a little

Miranda Johnson:

bit like That was our older sister.

Valentina Hubsh:

We all three had these sisters. Yes.

Melissa Shere Beek:

So funny. And they all hung second or third child?

Valentina Hubsh:

I am the fourth girl.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh, forget it. I have two younger sisters. I know about you all. You're daredevils.

Miranda Johnson:

I am the young I'm just which is the two of us. I'm the younger one, but I'm the older. You act

Valentina Hubsh:

the older. Yeah. Yeah.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. But I feel like second, third, fourth, you sort of watch. Mhmm. You're great observers.

Miranda Johnson:

Oh, yes.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Mhmm. And you know

Miranda Johnson:

what's going Yes. Oh, you're kidding me?

Melissa Shere Beek:

You're

Miranda Johnson:

good would see her get in trouble and do it the other way.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yes. Didn't mean that we weren't having any Oh, no.

Melissa Shere Beek:

No. But you knew not to get caught.

Miranda Johnson:

Or they were just always so in trouble, and the focus was on them that

Melissa Shere Beek:

you'd And you be got to to just go run and do

Miranda Johnson:

oh, I

Valentina Hubsh:

love that.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. That would be. Yeah. So, your professions are a great jumping off point for everything that you've done. What's the next chapter for both of you?

Valentina Hubsh:

I mean, it's a mystery. I'm excited to to know anything that's coming our way. You never know. The world's changing so fast and I'm open minded. I still wanna spend time with friends and traveling and work can be meshed in there.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah.

Valentina Hubsh:

But it's not the higher focus at this point. But it's always gonna be something I do. Whether it's charity or, you know, helping people out with moving and, you know, collaborating.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Every time I text with you, you're somewhere else doing something else. There's something new and exciting in some some different place that she is. I can't keep up.

Miranda Johnson:

I can't keep up.

Melissa Shere Beek:

I'm exhausted sometimes. I'm like, wow. That's amazing.

Miranda Johnson:

I am too. I think for me, I'll always have a camera in my hand because it doesn't really feel like a job for me. It's more like my passion.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Second nature.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. So, just more work, but maybe more in the studio than on-site. But yeah, just watching my family grow. I got all these grandchildren and

Melissa Shere Beek:

Camp Nana. Camp Nana. Okay. Do you have like pizza day at Camp Nana?

Miranda Johnson:

Yes. Yeah. And we make our own spaghetti and our own sauce. I love this.

Melissa Shere Beek:

How lucky are those kids? Yeah. Very. Aw.

Valentina Hubsh:

And they're adorable. She's got a set of twins that are

Miranda Johnson:

Toys? But just Rambunctious. We've got the first baby girl

Valentina Hubsh:

she is a

Miranda Johnson:

big trip, baby Gia.

Valentina Hubsh:

How happy?

Miranda Johnson:

She's like one and a half.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh, that's cool. Alright. You're summer set. That's fine. Yeah.

Melissa Shere Beek:

I'm not worried about that. Okay.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. They they they would like to have me on their calendar

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh, yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. Yeah. Permanently. Oh, you need

Melissa Shere Beek:

a calendar of grandkids. That's what you need to do.

Valentina Hubsh:

That's the

Melissa Shere Beek:

next calendar.

Miranda Johnson:

Sometimes after, like, we'll have these big dinners, you know, big Sunday dinners, and then my house is total Trashed.

Melissa Shere Beek:

And they're

Miranda Johnson:

like, we're gonna try to clean up. And my husband and I are like, no. Just go.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah. Yeah. Just work on.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Because it's more damage. It's gonna be more cleanup.

Miranda Johnson:

I will clean up all next week.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Just Yeah. Yeah. I'll look at it tomorrow.

Valentina Hubsh:

Please let

Miranda Johnson:

me just clean it out. That was actually my mom's advice when I was raising four kids, and I was, like, so stressed out. She goes, Miranda, sometimes you just need to shut the door. Yeah.

Valentina Hubsh:

Door.

Miranda Johnson:

And not look in.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. And Yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

I do that sometimes. That's it.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. Just shut the door.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah. I think that's an important thing for all moms and all women navigating friendship. Make time for your friendships. Make time for yourself.

Miranda Johnson:

Oh, yeah. Nothing wrong with

Valentina Hubsh:

being self care. Yeah. Even though the word peep the connotation would be selfish. Like I was thinking the other day like, maybe I'm a people pleaser, but I I love helping people. So maybe it's not a negative, it just has to be

Melissa Shere Beek:

What do they say? You can't pour from an empty cup. If you're not taking care of yourself and you're not in a good place A 100 can't give. A 100%. Yeah.

Melissa Shere Beek:

I don't think it's selfish. I think it's it's like you said, self care.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. I'm a big fan That's what I tell my husband Yeah. Can't go get my

Melissa Shere Beek:

It's self care.

Valentina Hubsh:

It's tricky.

Miranda Johnson:

I'm not doing it for pleasure.

Valentina Hubsh:

Right. This is therapy. This medical.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. This is medical. It's a necessity. Want

Valentina Hubsh:

me

Melissa Shere Beek:

to 100%. Age

Valentina Hubsh:

So yeah. It's yeah.

Melissa Shere Beek:

It's good stuff.

Valentina Hubsh:

I like

Melissa Shere Beek:

that. I think I'm gonna start using that one. That's very good. Yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

Feel free.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Aw. Thank you, girls, so much. You're welcome. Incredible. Thank I'm so happy you were here.

Melissa Shere Beek:

I have to one more thing if you guys are game.

Valentina Hubsh:

Okay.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Okay. At the end of my podcast, I like to do quickie questions with my guests. You ready? Okay. Good.

Melissa Shere Beek:

First memory.

Valentina Hubsh:

On the sidewalk with chalk with my sisters, and also I had a banana bicycle, and I had white go go boots, and an elephant bodysuit and yellow pants.

Melissa Shere Beek:

I like this. This sounds good.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. Probably my tree fort, my backyard.

Valentina Hubsh:

Oh,

Miranda Johnson:

yeah. And my little boy boyfriend

Melissa Shere Beek:

Uh-huh.

Miranda Johnson:

Falling out of it.

Valentina Hubsh:

I'm breaking his arm. Oh, jeez.

Miranda Johnson:

That was it from the tree fort. Not a

Melissa Shere Beek:

lot dirty.

Miranda Johnson:

Weird fashion too.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

I my mom would cut our hair

Valentina Hubsh:

and Oh, boy. We had some funny looks.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. Those are good. Okay.

Miranda Johnson:

Definitely.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Where do you find beauty?

Miranda Johnson:

Within. Sense of humor Yeah. Is is like an automatic Yeah.

Valentina Hubsh:

I I find it everywhere, but especially in light and the way light hits things, and I think you are really gifted at that. But sometimes I'll just be on a walk and I'll look up at the trees and I'll go how gorgeous that is.

Miranda Johnson:

You That's true. My backyard.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. Think nature's like Yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

Good one.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Okay. Something you thought about yourself that you had to unlearn?

Miranda Johnson:

Thought about yourself. I had to she talked about being shy, but I never I felt I think because I had kids so young that I was scared to step up Mhmm. And talk. And one time, I made it my New Year's resolution that I was gonna be, like, you know

Valentina Hubsh:

More assertive.

Miranda Johnson:

More assertive, like, with teachers or, you know, when with having to do with my kids and not feel like I was, like this little kid

Melissa Shere Beek:

Right.

Miranda Johnson:

In this adult world.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Right.

Miranda Johnson:

You know? So You're the mom. I was the mom and I had to act like it. Yeah. Even though I was like 22.

Melissa Shere Beek:

That's okay.

Valentina Hubsh:

Well, I would say I had to unlearn to not worry about everybody so much. I remember my parents. Yeah. I mean, my my mother and her mother getting on the phone, and they would like worry. And I got what are they worrying about?

Valentina Hubsh:

Then I got to be a mom, and I'm like, okay.

Melissa Shere Beek:

That's what they're worrying about.

Valentina Hubsh:

I get life that you worry, but I have such a a big extended friendships and families that I said, okay, I gotta kinda reign it in.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Right.

Valentina Hubsh:

And not have to be constantly on the phone with everybody solving things. Just kinda I

Miranda Johnson:

don't know how

Melissa Shere Beek:

to do that. Yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

Haven't I'm Italian and It's still tough, right? It's in us. Is it

Valentina Hubsh:

a work in progress?

Melissa Shere Beek:

I don't think there was work at it at all. I think I just accepted the fact that I'm gonna worry.

Miranda Johnson:

Okay. My kids worry now Yeah. And they blame me. Oh, no. They're you know, even our dogs Yeah.

Miranda Johnson:

And they're like, this is because of you. Yes.

Valentina Hubsh:

It's so true. Yes. I'm not I'm a great

Melissa Shere Beek:

mom, but

Valentina Hubsh:

I don't know about my dog mommying skills.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh, I'm in that I'm I'm, like, covered in hair because I'm, like, laying in the bed before I leave for the studio. I'm like, that's it. I can't. I love it.

Miranda Johnson:

I do too.

Valentina Hubsh:

What kind

Miranda Johnson:

of dog do you have?

Melissa Shere Beek:

I have a it's a mix of a Pit Bull Terrier. It's

Valentina Hubsh:

would Staffordshire seen that for you. I know.

Miranda Johnson:

I was waiting for the poo poo dog.

Melissa Shere Beek:

No. There's no poo poo here. It's a Staffordshire a blue Staffordshire Terrier. And my daughter, my eldest daughter rescued it. Okay.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Wow. It was found when it was like six months old in the homestead. Someone found it and brought it to a rescue shelter, and it was there for almost two years.

Valentina Hubsh:

Oh, yeah.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Until my daughter who was volunteering there found it, brought it home. And it is the love of my life. I know. It has one ear down and one ear up, and we just spend every day cuddling.

Valentina Hubsh:

My son just rescued a pit bull. Oh, really? And she was three years old, is three years old. And, you know, having to do the discipline and, you know, be the dominant one and learn all this.

Melissa Shere Beek:

There was none of that. No. She just is a cuddle bug. She doesn't even bark.

Miranda Johnson:

Nice. And

Melissa Shere Beek:

when we would walk her

Miranda Johnson:

They have such a bad like

Melissa Shere Beek:

They have but I think that's the owner. This one was lived in a shelter for the first two years of its life, so it didn't have any connotation of anything. But it's so funny, it's so friendly that when anybody comes over, wiggles and licks and

Valentina Hubsh:

Oh my god.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Doesn't even bark but to look at the dog, you'd be like what? Then like every time we'd walk around the corner and a car would pull up, she'd go to the car like, hey, okay. I'm like, you think we don't know those people, they're at a stoplight. Who it's nothing but love.

Miranda Johnson:

Acts like a pit bull.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yes. She's a boy.

Melissa Shere Beek:

No. There's no barking, no growling, nothing. If she wants something, she just sort of gives you those little eyes and you know. Oh, funny. It's so funny.

Melissa Shere Beek:

It's yeah. Okay. And last one. First concert.

Miranda Johnson:

Peter Frampton, I won it on Y100. Wow.

Valentina Hubsh:

Y100? I remember that.

Miranda Johnson:

I Did

Melissa Shere Beek:

you call? Were you the tenth

Miranda Johnson:

I was. And it was at Miami Highlight.

Valentina Hubsh:

I love oh my god. Miami Highlight. Oh, god.

Miranda Johnson:

Yep. Peter,

Valentina Hubsh:

my collab. Name It was Blue Oyster, Coles.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh, another good one.

Valentina Hubsh:

And gosh. Who was the other one? Could have been Ariel Speedwagon. Used to go to a lot of concerts.

Miranda Johnson:

Oh, yeah. I did.

Valentina Hubsh:

And they were at the Hollywood Sportatorium.

Miranda Johnson:

Hollywood. Yeah. Just like You know what? Concerts are so overpriced now. I wanna, like, I go to look and I'm like, no way.

Melissa Shere Beek:

We did get signed the Eagles. Oh, I love these. The sphere. Go to the sphere?

Miranda Johnson:

Yes.

Valentina Hubsh:

We did. But somebody sponsored us.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Well, tell them to sponsor me, please. That is one group I haven't seen.

Valentina Hubsh:

That's our girl, Shauna. Yeah. Who did it

Melissa Shere Beek:

for Okay, Shauna. If you if you're going for another girl's trip, there might be an add on. I'll carry luggage. I'll do whatever. Yeah.

Melissa Shere Beek:

But

Miranda Johnson:

She's game. She's open.

Melissa Shere Beek:

I love that.

Valentina Hubsh:

Oh, was really fun to come talk to you. Yeah.

Melissa Shere Beek:

I was. So glad you guys were here.

Miranda Johnson:

Thank you for having We're gonna talk

Melissa Shere Beek:

more wait. You need to tell us about your books. Wow.

Valentina Hubsh:

Your books. Well, actually, I have them both here. This one is Gathered Thoughts, and it's just quotes. It's Radical Candor. And it has some of my friends' artwork in it, which is a cool thing that I like to collab with people.

Valentina Hubsh:

My sister's artwork, and then some are photographs, and just simple quotes that I really liked. This is my friend Lisette's artwork.

Miranda Johnson:

Oh, wow.

Valentina Hubsh:

And here's a

Miranda Johnson:

quote That's great

Valentina Hubsh:

camera for people who are

Melissa Shere Beek:

on YouTube. That's incredible. Like, hold it up there. Yeah. Yeah.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. I love

Valentina Hubsh:

And this quote next to it said, love is their irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh, I like that.

Valentina Hubsh:

Yeah. And

Melissa Shere Beek:

And tell our listeners the name of the book again.

Valentina Hubsh:

It's called Gathered Thoughts. Okay. And then I did a children's book. It's called The Girl With The Green Shoes and Melissa's

Melissa Shere Beek:

very hard read. I especially wore really big green shoes today.

Valentina Hubsh:

And this one is loosely based on my life because when I was a little girl

Miranda Johnson:

Mhmm.

Valentina Hubsh:

I had to wear corrective shoes and they were kinda funny looking.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Put that up to the camera for people on YouTube as well. Down a little. Perfect. Perfect.

Valentina Hubsh:

Then that's just the illustrations I collaborated with a woman in Russia who didn't even speak English.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Oh, wow.

Valentina Hubsh:

And she did Willow for me who is who is the little girl. And in the end, she ends up growing up and giving her shoes away to another little girl, and she ends up this is her style. She wears Converse and Of course. Fluffy dresses.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Of course. I like that. I like that style. Well, that's And really here, want you guys to hold the calendar girls up, and I want you to tell people how you can get the books in the calendar as well.

Valentina Hubsh:

Okay. Here, you do this one.

Miranda Johnson:

Oh. Well, nobody wants a calendar now because it's like six months Yeah.

Melissa Shere Beek:

But they should know for later.

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. My calendar girls, my

Valentina Hubsh:

They can donate if they want to.

Miranda Johnson:

Just Definitely donate. All the money in the past has gone to three zero five Pink Pack Mhmm. Which is a organization here in Miami.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Is there a link on there or some place where they can donate?

Miranda Johnson:

And there there is. We have a website.

Valentina Hubsh:

Everybody from, like, lawyers, you know, across different

Miranda Johnson:

Yeah. All these ladies, and they're so young. And

Melissa Shere Beek:

they're all survivors.

Miranda Johnson:

They're all survivors.

Valentina Hubsh:

We all dressed in leopard, and and then we we had had a time when we were in Vegas where we're all wearing leopards, so we decided to to keep it going with their picture. Oh, I

Miranda Johnson:

So, love yep. You can go to the website, mycalendargirls.com.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Okay. Perfect.

Miranda Johnson:

And on Instagram as well, mycalendargirls. Okay.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Good. Mhmm.

Valentina Hubsh:

And my book, the one that Girl with the Green Shoes, you can find it on Amazon if you look at my Okay. I think I sent you a link to it.

Melissa Shere Beek:

You sent me a

Valentina Hubsh:

link.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Yeah. That'll all be on my listener link. So I'm gonna put everything in my listener Thanks. Go to Instagram. Oh, thank you girls.

Melissa Shere Beek:

We're gonna hang up. We we had fun dancing in, we're gonna dance out. But I'm gonna do my outro first and then then we'll get to dancing again. To our listeners, thank you so much. So grateful you're here.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Keep listening, keep learning, keep laughing, keep up with Beek on being. Listen to Beek on being wherever you get your podcasts. All episodes are automatically transcribed. DM us to share thoughts, ideas, or nominate a guest. Big shout out and a huge thank you to Steven Chen.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Woo.

Valentina Hubsh:

Hey, Steven.

Melissa Shere Beek:

Woo. At Penthouse Studios. Beek on being was recorded at Penthouse Studios and is a proud member of the Penthouse Podcast Network.