Elevathers

Miami was doing what Miami does best: stacking major weeks on top of each other. Between Miami Swim Week activations and the American Black Film Festival closeouts, we were outside, on our feet, and paying the price the next day, including Amanda’s voice getting taken out by secondhand smoke. That “city never sleeps” pace is fun until it isn’t, and it’s the perfect lead-in to the bigger theme we can’t ignore lately: culture moves fast, and if you create something, the internet can run off with it even faster.

We shift into the viral debate around Patrick Ta, Painted By Esther, and the question of who gets to trademark a trend, especially in beauty. We talk about why attribution matters, why “I was inspired by” hits different than “I own this,” and how a trademark or IP claim changes the stakes from vibes to finances. If you’re a creator, makeup artist, or brand builder watching your work get mimicked, this conversation is about more than drama, it’s about leverage and getting paid.

From there we go practical: what protecting your intellectual property can look like, why trademarks can be tedious and slow, and how real-world examples like the Uggs naming story show what happens when ownership and public recognition split. We also speak directly to corporate creatives and interns navigating work-for-hire, where your best idea can become “company property” unless you move carefully. The goal isn’t paranoia, it’s clarity: protect what’s truly valuable, learn the business side, and don’t operate from scarcity because one good idea usually means you’ve got many more.

If you enjoy these unfiltered breakdowns of culture, business, and creator rights, subscribe, share this with a friend who’s building something, and leave us a review so more people can find Elevators.
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We bounce from pop culture chaos to real-life lessons, unpacking how hype, power, and money influence what people buy and what stories people believe. We keep it honest with our own not-so-elevated moments, then pull out the practical rules that help us move smarter in dating, work, and friendships. 
• reactions to the AP x Swatch collaboration and why some luxury collabs feel tacky 
• camping out, resale flipping and asking if the juice is worth the squeeze 
• Drake’s album run as business strategy and what contract leverage can look like 
• why credentials matter online and how to fact-check in an AI misinformation era 
• unserious date stories and the boundaries we wish we set sooner 
• “fly yourself out” culture and what we refuse to do for men 
• career cringe moments that taught us to stay ready for opportunities 
• harassment and disrespect toward women in media and why teams must speak up 
• girls’ trip money rules, splitting rooms and simplifying group payments 
• “luxury” purchases we regret and what we would do differently now 
If you guys have questions that you would love us to answer or funny things, because I'm like, there's so many more that we could even touch on. I would love for us to do this again. So you guys tap in the comments, hit us on Speakpipe, send us a message, voice, a voiceover, whatever it is that you want to send us to let us know what you guys want us to talk about to get to know us more. 
If you guys like this episode, like it, comment, subscribe, share, and all the things.

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Luck looks glamorous from the outside, but we wanted to talk about what it really costs to build a big life. Amanda Booz and Krystal Vega sit down with Les Alfred, media entrepreneur and cultural storyteller behind She’s So Lucky (formerly Balanced Black Girl), for a podcaster-to-podcaster conversation about growth that actually lasts.

Les shares how her podcast started with a simple idea at work, a mic from Amazon, and a decision to ship before she felt ready. We dig into why she’s never needed a viral moment, how a slow build creates real skill, and why corporate experience can be the best “paid training” for creators who want to run a serious business. Then we get practical about guest booking and pitching yourself: doing the research, leading with audience value, and understanding that a podcast is expensive to produce, with listeners and advertisers to serve.

From there, things get real. We talk about the cost of success on relationships, the pressure to keep leveling up, and the wellness infrastructure that makes ambition sustainable. We also unpack dating when you’re public-facing, how to tell if someone likes you or the idea of you, and why boundaries on social media can protect your mental health more than another vulnerable post ever could.

If you’re building something brick by brick and wondering when it “pops,” this one will steady you. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs the reminder, and leave us a review so more women can find the gems.
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You can feel it when a habit stops being “just a thing you do” and starts shaping who you are. We sit down early and get honest about the patterns we’ve had to outgrow, from overthinking and people pleasing to staying up too late and waiting for the “right” time to start. The big takeaway we keep circling back to is identity: when you change how you see yourself, the behavior finally has somewhere new to land.

We also dig into the real-world signals that a habit has to go: it makes your life inconvenient, it drains your energy, and it leaves you in that heavy loop of being mad at yourself. From there, we talk practical resets like protecting your sleep hygiene, putting the phone down long enough to own the first minutes of your morning, and building an environment that supports your goals instead of fighting them. Your circle matters too, because if the people around you don’t respect the direction you’re going, your progress will always feel harder than it needs to be.

Then we zoom out into the wellness journey and what’s trending right now: community fitness, run clubs, wearable tech like rings and bands, LED masks, and even grocery helper apps (Yuka and Fig) for anyone trying to eat more anti-inflammatory. We share our cautious thoughts on injectable wellness like peptides and NAD, and we bring it back to the basics that actually move the needle: walking 10,000 steps a day for longevity and learning cycle syncing workouts across the menstrual, follicular, ovulation, and luteal phases so you train with your body, not against it.

If you’re breaking a bad habit or trying a new routine, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave us a review so more girls can find the conversation. What habit are you dropping next?
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She started by packing boxes as an intern. Now she’s the Global Brand President of NYX Professional Makeup. Denee Pearson joins us for a candid, laugh-out-loud, notes-app-worthy talk about what it really takes to elevate in the beauty industry and in corporate life when you’re building from the ground up.

We get into the career climb the unsexy parts and the strategic parts: how purpose and values can guide better decisions than chasing titles, what “knowing your worth” looks like in real salary negotiation conversations, and why your network matters as much as your résumé. Denee also breaks down a mindset shift we’ve all needed: perfection doesn’t make you promotable, progress does. Hard work is powerful, but only when it’s aligned with what the business actually needs and when you’re brave enough to be seen.

We also talk visibility in the work-from-home era, authentic leadership (yes, even with crop tops), and “actions of manifestation” like acting like the role you want before you have it. Then we switch gears into culture and creativity: NYX campaigns, the Butter Gloss obsession, the NYX Body launch with Meg Thee Stallion, and the beauty trends we think are doing too much.

If you’re serious about career growth, women in leadership, representation in beauty, and building confidence that lasts, press play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s leveling up, and leave us a review with the one move you’re making next.
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