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S5:E5 Be the Pilot of Your Journey!
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Apr 15, 2020
S5:5 3 Be the Pilot of Your Journey! Caren Glasser goes live with Fashion Designer Karen Levitt on the Super Boomer Lifestyle Show! Check out more shows here: http://www.carenglasser.live. Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/carenglasser Follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/carenglasserlive Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/carenglasser Visit The Super Boomer Lifestyle store: https://thesuperboomerlifestyle.com/ #Sustainablefashion #Fashion #fashiondesigner #karenlevitt #carenglasser #pilot My Direct Links, Programs and Equipment I use for my Shows and Promotion: BeLive: http://bit.ly/3p7E0DB Get Your Book In Front Of Thousands of Potential Buyers! https://bit.ly/2HJ38Qu Logitech HD Pro Webcam: https://amzn.to/362BuXP Wired Earbuds with Microphone: http://amzn.to/3p1pmOi
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0:00
one Karen Glasser here and welcome to
0:02
the super boomer lifestyles show I
0:03
welcomed guests from all around the
0:06
globe to share how they're maneuvering
0:08
through a world that worships youth and
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shames the beautiful process of Aging
0:13
today we are welcoming fashion designer
0:17
Karen Levitt to the show the topic is
0:19
how to be the pilot of your journey if
0:23
you're here live we're delighted you're
0:24
here live make sure your comment down
0:26
there because we will come back and
0:27
respond to you if you're here on replay
0:30
even just as good maybe even better I'm
0:34
not sure make sure you comment down
0:35
below and we will come and make sure to
0:37
respond and of course share share share
0:39
share share go ahead and push that share
0:42
button you know you want to send it out
0:43
to your network and get them into the
0:46
show we have an amazing guest today
0:51
her name is Karen Leavitt she's been in
0:54
the fashion industry since the mid 1980s
0:57
working with an off price clothing
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franchise Daffy's I remember that for 18
1:02
years she experimented with design when
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they closed she turned to the online
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discount retailer ideally at 56 she
1:10
launched her own label which he named
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grand pilot with a focus on sustainable
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materials and in 2016 she had ten stores
1:17
now in its third season oh my gosh
1:20
grandpa'll it has grown to almost 50
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retails retailers
1:25
let's welcome Karen to the show and
1:27
she's coming in right now and she's here
1:31
Karen how are you I'm so excited that
1:35
you're on the show with us today I'm
1:37
excited by what you're doing we have
1:39
never had a fashion designer on yet and
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so I'm excited you're our first but I
1:44
always like to start the show with the
1:45
question how do you describe a super
1:47
bloomer I describe super Boomers as not
1:49
being defined by their age they are
1:51
defined by how they show up in life
1:54
fearless with a just watch me attitude
1:58
so Karen love it how do you describe a
2:01
super boomer I describe a super boomer
2:04
as somebody who regardless of your age
2:06
and your gender that you take charge of
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your dreams and aspirations
2:12
and you know how to pivot where you need
2:15
to pivot and you just take charge of
2:18
yourself and you have guts and gumption
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and I think that's what a super boomer
2:22
is I love that I agree with you I
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totally agree with you it's a great
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definition if you're tuning in live
2:30
right now tell us how do you describe a
2:32
super boomer put it in the comments and
2:34
if you're here of course on replay do
2:36
the same thing I'm curious how do you
2:38
describe a super boomer so we're going
2:40
to jump right into the show if you're
2:41
tuning in right now we're talking to
2:43
Karen Levitt and the topic today is
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piloting your journey now of course I
2:49
took the word piloting because the name
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of your company is grin pilot where what
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does that name come from what does it
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mean what grandpa is a name that came to
3:00
me when I was starting my new journey so
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as you mentioned at 56i
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my career as a buyer had basically come
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to a halt and I needed to I wanted to
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create something on my own so I decided
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to design a line of sustainable
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outerwear home and accessories and pilot
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is basically I'm piloting this journey
3:29
that the sky is an infinite place and
3:32
I'm soaring in the sky and that's where
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pilot comes from gren does not really
3:37
mean anything it's a benign word it
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doesn't say mail it doesn't say female
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it doesn't say home it doesn't say pet
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so it's just a word that I just put
3:46
together with pilot I love it I love and
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I love the whole visual idea of piloting
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and that this sky is limitless I really
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love that idea you also are very
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involved with sustainability
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let's talk about that what I mean
4:01
clearly that's a good thing to be doing
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but what what made you decide to go in
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that direction when you opened up your
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line I've always liked the material of
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shearling it's cow and sheep and we eat
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those animals and the byproduct is the
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material so right the it's a
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sustainable product we're involved right
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now in a world of fast fashion so you're
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behind clothing and you're throwing it
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away
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so this to me is a product that has a
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long life so that's the the
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sustainability part about it also it's
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not fast fashion by any means and so in
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that regard you're holding on to it
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it's not an inexpensive purchase right
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so therefore people will think twice
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about it they'll keep it for a longer
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period of time and therefore it becomes
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in its own right sustainable which I
4:59
really love I mean I like the idea of
5:01
not buying stuff that is at literally if
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we're looking at the seasons or of the
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trends all of a sudden it's out of style
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and you just bought it so I know that
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what's great about what you're doing is
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that it's it's pieces that you can put
5:15
into your wardrobe that lasts forever
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and they're there forever they're
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quality pieces I hope so yes yeah no no
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they are they totally are we're going to
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tell people how they can go check you
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out and and we're to see some of these
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items I asked you what your why is why
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do you do this I do it because I can and
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I want to and I think I sent you that in
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big capital letters I I don't judge
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anybody who doesn't want to but for me
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it was because I want to and I felt that
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I could so I decided that that's what I
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was going to do and that is my why and
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you did it you did it at you know you
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did what you this this incarnation of
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what you're doing in terms of grand
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pilot you did it at 56 did people did
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you get any pushback from people in your
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world saying what are you doing Karen
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you're 56 years old you're going out on
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your own I know I'm gonna put words in
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your mouth maybe that didn't happen
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but I would I don't know I know that
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when I do stuff people say what are you
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doing why are you doing this I think I'm
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lucky at the time I felt I was getting
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aged out
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of my what I was doing as a buyer my
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husband definitely encouraged me he's
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the one who really said to me just do
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something on your own you've always
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wanted to do it and put on your big-girl
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panties and just do it my kids also they
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were very encouraging so I think that I
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was very fortunate that the people
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around me really encouraged me and they
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they definitely cheered me on and to
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this day they're still cheering me on I
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I try to stay with people who are
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positive because there are so many
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naysayers and sometimes I feel that the
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naysayers actually give me more energy
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because I wonder if you've them wrong
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but it's it's that it's there it's their
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problem it's not my problem they're
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projecting when they say I agree with
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you I think when they say to people like
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us
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why are you doing this you know at your
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age or not at your age I think you're
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projecting correct because there will be
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saying to themselves why aren't I doing
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this right at this age we live in a
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really interesting where you know I'd
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like to call it the Pro Age world for
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all of us who are super boomers or
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boomers or whatever you want to call us
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when we get to that certain age we I
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know that when I was growing up 50 does
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not look today what it looked like when
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I was growing up 60 definitely does not
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look and you know we hear the whole
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thing six thirty is the new 60 or 60 is
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the new 30 or what however that
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expression I don't go with that I just
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say you know we whatever age we are the
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age that we are but times have changed
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would you agree 100 percent we just
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looked at the Super Bowl Bowl at
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halftime Jennifer Lopez is 50 years old
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she rocks it I think she is amazing so
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but I mean that's 50 I think that when
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my grandmother was 50 I don't think that
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she looked like that I think she just
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looked older she looked older and you
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know it's interesting I saw I saw a meme
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that was circling out on the on the web
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about this and they showed a picture of
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one of the Golden Girls yes I saw that
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at 50 right and this is what this person
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was at 50 and this is Jennifer Lopez at
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and there's clearly a difference and I
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don't know if it's a confidence you
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think it's because we are showing up
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more confident are we showing up being
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feeling that we can do certain things
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because times have changed where do you
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think this has where's this come from
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because it's very different than it was
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before I think that we I think now we're
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everyone exercises not everybody but
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people exercise now we're very health
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conscious what we eat we have stores
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like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods we
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have I don't think those stores really
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existed in the day so everybody's more
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conscious of what they're putting in
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their bodies and at the same time I
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think that there's no limit as to what
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you can do I'm sure
9:29
20 years ago there was somebody who was
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just like a Jennifer Lopez and people
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are saying look at her so III think that
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it's it's because she can do it that's
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why she's doing it and she's fabulous at
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it
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she looks great at it right and I think
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she's inspiring a lot of women inspires
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me she totally inspires me she aspires a
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lot of women to to basically say to
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themselves yes I can 100% and that goes
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back to the people who say why why
10:01
should you be doing this so why are you
10:03
be because they're just not and she is
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so she yeah she has the guts and she has
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the gumption and she's just going for it
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and she's don't do it great oh my gosh I
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told her I totally am in awe of what she
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has accomplished and what she will
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continue to accomplish that that that is
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for sure
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you have a favorite quote I do from
10:23
Angela what what is that quote so the
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quote that I love is my Angela says my
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mission in life is not just to survive
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but it's to thrive and to do so with
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passion compassion some humor and some
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style and I just I love that I it's like
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a mantra for me every day and I I want
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to say that I live by that and I'm
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trying to be there's a word that every
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that sout there right now it's like to
10:53
be authentic yeah to be authentic and
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right I those words to me
11:00
or authentic for me right so right so
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they came from her from her heart yes
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and from me for my journey at 56 I
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wasn't just looking to survive right I
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wanted to thrive mm-hmm so they there
11:19
those words truly are authentic without
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belittling that word that right are
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authentic to me right exactly exactly I
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know that you your line has done mostly
11:33
outerwear up until recently and you
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started a homeless yeah what can you
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expect to see in your home line so
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without aware it's seasonal we were we
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wear outerwear and then it's the summer
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time and then grant pilot is just
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basically non-existent my best friend's
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an interior designer and she asked me
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she said why why don't you just make
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pillows can I get pillows from you so
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I'm using the same materials that I do
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for my outerwear I'm working with
12:06
interior designers and some home stores
12:08
and this way it becomes a twelvemonth
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business people decorate their homes
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they put pillows and it's a beautiful
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thing because there's no shelf life to
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home and it's sustainable because you're
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using leftover materials and then which
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I love I totally love what you're doing
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I also love the fact that you are
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collaborating with influencers and for
12:30
those who are watching and saying what
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the heck is an influencer what do you
12:34
mean when you say that well it's it's a
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new way of marketing it's been around
12:38
for a little bit but it's a new way of
12:40
marketing right and basically you find
12:42
somebody who is in your wheelhouse it
12:45
has something to do with what you're
12:47
promoting or your product or service and
12:49
then because they have thousands and
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thousands and thousands of followers
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they'll put some information out that
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ultimately will put eyeballs on what
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they're talking about so you're working
13:00
with influencers um how is that working
13:03
so the influences have actually found me
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because prior unit starting brand pilot
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I really wasn't a huge Instagram person
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I would go on I'd follows
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certain people so when I launched the
13:17
company I knew that I needed to be have
13:20
more social media presence so on the
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Instagram it's it's really all these
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people who are looking at the product um
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today for instance I had somebody who
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contacted me from Sweden suite at night
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and she she found Gregg pilot and she
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asked to collaborate with me and she's
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from Sweden and I'm thinking to myself I
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live on Long Island
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how is she finding me but it's a social
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media has it's so huge and I am
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absolutely not on my game with it I have
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a lot to learn I've been learning but I
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have so much more to learn because this
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analytics that go into when you're
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posting things there's so many different
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parts of social media that I absolutely
14:13
do not know make sure it explode
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actually right I'm open I I want to know
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it all and so some of the bloggers have
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come to me and what they do is they will
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collaborate with you and of course all
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of many bloggers and influencers work
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differently but the ones that I've been
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working with they we gift them and they
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then post in read in return and the ones
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that I work with have 200,000 300,000
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followers and so when I they post and
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I'm thinking to myself 300,000 people
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are looking at Grand pilot I don't even
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know 300,000 people for me very it's a
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very interesting list it's it's very
15:03
interesting it's it's frightening too
15:05
because you're saying 300,000 people are
15:07
looking at your product but it's working
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it's clearly working and you have found
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your niche that way I want to applaud
15:15
you because most people would feel very
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uncomfortable you know even jumping into
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that world into work you've jumped into
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the Instagram world which is smart
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because you're it's visual what you have
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products you have beautiful outerwear
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and you will have the home items as well
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so when you put these items up their
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visual it's great on Instagram so
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congratulations on that
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that is awesome I know that people are
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wondering what is your website how do
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they go check you out when they can go
15:43
to WWE and a--shoe wins in their granite
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comm and when they get there they're
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gonna see all sorts of things but they
15:52
can also contact you there as well as
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reckon if you go to contact they just
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email me if you go to Instagram they can
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direct message me it's accurate hence at
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grand pilot and we try to respond to
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everybody and so I'm putting up your
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insta here at Grand Isle it again to
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ends don't don't put only one because
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you won't you won't find Karen two ends
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Instagram two ends and check her out I
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mean because first of all because she's
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playing with the big guys hear what the
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influencers go see what she's doing go
16:26
check out her website and pilot your
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life the way Karen is piloting hers I
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have a great amount of respect for you I
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look up to women and men that are doing
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things like this at an age that we were
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told in the past you you don't do that
16:43
you get to that age and you're almost
16:44
getting ready to retire and I guess lay
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down and die I'm not sure what we're
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supposed to do when we get to that
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certain age right and that's why I say
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that super boomer for me is just watch
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me don't tell me that I'm supposed to go
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slow down right now or don't tell me
16:57
that I'm not supposed to do this do you
16:58
how do you feel about but I agree with
16:59
you I just say you know just watch me
17:02
just follow your dreams manifest your
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dreams have dreams have aspirations and
17:08
don't let anybody tell you that you can
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do it those are the naysayers those are
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the people who want to do it and that
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just don't have the gumption to do it so
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I applaud you for doing what you're
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doing
17:18
for bringing for bringing our oil these
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visions to life and to bringing this
17:25
culture of fierce people together yeah
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I'm and that's the and I did that's
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selfish on my part because I just loved
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being in the you know with so many
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amazing fierce people and that's so I
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actively
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search for them as you know you were
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introduced to me because I mentioned it
17:45
to somebody and they said you need to
17:47
talk to Karen so I want to thank you I
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know that you're busy yeah thank you I'm
17:52
gonna give Lisa corn a shout-out thank
17:54
you Lisa really appreciate you and again
17:58
women supporting women and and that's
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what this is all about I want to thank
18:03
you for coming on the show today I know
18:04
that you are busy obviously you're
18:07
launching a new line and I want to thank
18:10
you because you have given our viewers
18:12
something that they would not have
18:14
otherwise learned and heard about so
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thank you very very much I'm gonna drop
18:19
you into the greenroom where I'm gonna
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finish up you are very welcome I'm gonna
18:24
drop you in the greenroom where you will
18:26
stay until the end of the show and then
18:27
we'll pop you back up later all righty
18:28
thank you
18:31
isn't she amazing I just I just love her
18:35
the super boomer pick of the week by the
18:37
way is I'm gonna put this up here right
18:40
now let's get rid of all these things is
18:47
a beautiful book that is in the super
18:49
boomer lifestyle store it's called
18:51
fashion the definitive history and I
18:54
really encourage you to go check this
18:55
out and the reason why I picked this
18:57
book well obviously because Karen is in
18:59
fashion and it's gorgeous if you are at
19:01
all interested in the different styles
19:04
that have come throughout the decades
19:07
check out this book there's a link over
19:10
here I'll put the link into the comments
19:12
as well and let me know what you think
19:14
let me know what you think this is the
19:16
time that we get into the super boomer
19:19
moment and this is where I highlight
19:22
something that just really struck a
19:23
chord with me and that was really your
19:26
why and it's simple it's so simple and
19:29
yet I think that people just make things
19:33
more complicated than they need to be
19:34
and when I when I asked you what your
19:36
why was you said because it can and
19:39
because I want to and that's how easy it
19:42
is guys that is how easy it is for us to
19:45
basically take that next step in our
19:48
life pilot our journey so to speak
19:51
because super boomers we are fearless
19:54
we are powerful and that is because we
19:57
are super boomers so go check out Karen
20:00
make sure that you have seen her tell
20:03
her where you heard about hurt make sure
20:05
you mention the show so she knows where
20:07
these comments are coming from check her
20:09
out and Instagram and as always I want
20:11
to thank our viewers because we know
20:13
that you have a choice as to where you
20:15
spend your time and you chose to spend
20:17
it with us today and for that we are
20:19
eternally grateful go out and give
20:21
somebody an awesome day and we'll see
20:22
you next week on the next episode of the
20:25
super boomer lifestyle show goodbye