Popular On DM

Take a journey into my brain as I explore the rollercoaster that is my approach to packing a suitcase. From layering Ziploc bags, to duct taping skincare serums, to endless Revolve returns, to getting trapped by the Sephora mini merch by the register, I ask the essential question: why does going away warrant new sh*t (and so much sh*t)? 

This week, after seeing influencer Audrey Peters TikTok bragging about being non-accommodating to families, I'm rallying to change the narrative around kids on airplanes. Sat near a screaming baby on your recent 10 hour flight? Tough stuff, but much tougher for the parents than it was for you. 

This week, I'm turning 34 and talking a whole lot about birthday culture with my sister Kylie. There are two types of people in this world: birthday people and not birthday people. From birthday posts on Instagram to splitting birthday dinners, we chime in on it all. Disclaimer: if you're someone who uses the term “birthday month”, this episode is not for you. 

This week, GRWM to walk through time, resentfully reflecting on what it was like to grow up in a time where being skilled at makeup was not a cultivated craft. Thankfully, I've learned quite a bit from Alix Earle, a TikTok sensation who is more than a decade younger than me. 

This week, I reflect on “Fleishman is in Trouble,” the Hulu show that really spotlights what it means for moms and women to be “enough.” What I have had enough of is Botox, which is causing my left eyelid to droop and affecting my quality of life (lol). 

This week, I ask my sister, a New York ex-pat living in Vegas, to opine on the city's quintessential quirks to find out what she misses and what she doesn't. From celebrity run ins, to the umbrella sidewalk game on rainy days, to Broadway vs Cirque du Soleil, to lines for dressing rooms, we queue up quite a banter. 

This week, I am exploring my fascination with the domestic lives of public figures. I talk about my thoughts on Prince Harry's Spare, and how this passion contributed to my enjoyment of the book. On this theme, I share my reflections on Julia Fox's viral apartment tour and at the core of it, ask the essential question: why does Emrata sleep on a mattress on the floor? 

This week, are we gelling or not? As severe nail biter for over 20 years, the only reason I have any growth is thanks to gel manicures. However, I also have had skin cancer, and now the gel manicure is allegedly linked to just that. Today's episode is about assessing what's risky and what's just….YOLO.

This week, my sister, Kylie, and I do a retrospective on how far our relationship has come. On the brink of never speaking again after two plus decades of being at one another's throats, we found a way not only to make it work, but really love and appreciate each other. Today, we talk about misophonia, physical altercations, and  learning how to move on and play crucial roles in each other's lives. 

This week, I chat with my better half, Kip, on dad-ittudes, his inner monologue, how to be honestly the most supportive spouse in the world, and why I put my legs on top of him every night as I fall asleep.

Is Instagram giving you the creeps? Same. I'm a week plus into my much needed social media detox and it turns out, that comes with a lot of time to think (with a side of withdrawal symptoms). Today, I have notes on the conclusions I have been able to reflect on including: why Instagram is a false menu of "haves" and "don't haves," the way the app primes your brain to move 1000mph a minute and why taking some time off INSTANTLY improved my shopping habits. 

This week, I talk about New Year's resolutions, something I don't love but this year, I need to commit to. Finding presence is something I have struggled with always (Spoiler alert: I've been in therapy since 3rd grade). I talk about the origins of my mental health journey, the different themes my OCD has taken on, taking the mind-body connection seriously and why now, more than ever, this is all sh*t that I need to address, not SOLVE. If you are having a tough time finding not necessarily joy, but content, and if that is coming with a side of anxiety, sadness or guilt, this one is for you.

This week, I have an incredibly life affirming conversation with Melissa Tidgwell (@meltidgwell), a mother of four, who has her own DM community, created through her candid display of her life on Instagram. We talk about balance, prioritizing partnership and self-care, and Melissa's incredible shift in perspective after her 2021 traumatic birth experience. 

This week, I am joined by my RushTok collaborator Lydia Getachew and we dive into last week's wildfire drama: the Arielle Charnas, aka Something Navy, scandal. We dig deep into the juice, ponder why it is that we are so invested in influencer culture, why it is easy to believe "reliable sources" when it come to NYC gossip, we debate whether or not influencers are public figures, and discuss what I believe to be an almost right of passage of being a 20-something in NYC: working for "start ups" run by founders living large and paying zero. 

This week, I'm losing my sh*t, literally and figuratively. Yet somehow it's all making it's way back to me. Why? Because I came across a red-tailed hawk. On today's episode I talk a whole lot about forgetfulness, finding my stuff and why hosting kids birthday parties are a WHOLE lot. 

This week, I reflect on what it was like to break my three year streak.Yup, I was a last man standing. In this episode, I describe what it's like to be sick when you have severe health anxiety and offer some coping skills for others who deal with the same sinister breed of mental bullsh*t.

This week, we're wrapping up the first season of Popular on DM (can we call it a season when it's got no narrative arc?). I talk about a dead cat omen, beholding Adam Neumann's shoeless bandaged feet in the flesh (pun intended), and saying f*ck you to the Imposter Syndrome that almost prevented me from making this podcast. For anyone thinking of starting something (anything!), but the doubts are weighing you down, tune in. I'll be back in mid November. 

Live from Los Angeles, I chat with Julie Petropoulos, my last remaining friend from high school. We haven't seen each other since before the pandemic and we live on opposite coastlines, but our friendship has stood the test of 18 years time. We talk about how the digital space has always been the foundation of our friendship (hello AIM), the dark side of high school in the early 2000s , our “no birthday post” stress free friendship and a professional trajectory that has taken her to sex stores in Stamford, Connecticut. 

This week, I bring on my longtime digital pal, Zac Mathias. With 16.8k followers on Instagram, he is legitimately popular in cyberspace. We talk about his trajectory to becoming an influencer, to how he's captured the mom scene, why age ain't nothing but a number when it comes to friendship and TROLLS. Follow his chic life at @zac.mathias.

This week's guest is the one, the only, my mother, Susan Bell. We chat about how she was almost the face of an office building muffin kiosk, traveling to Paris on a second date, her obsession with British royalty, what annoys her most about my father and her undying passion for television. 

This week, I've been married for six years and in honor of my anniversary, I've brought on my sister, an upcoming bride, to constructively critique my wedding and talk a little bit about her 2023 nuptials. We talk about her plus one regrets, maybe saying yes to a (vintage non bridal) dress and our raw thoughts on bridal parties.

This week, I chat for forever with a DM friend turned real life mom pal, Jackie Smith Foden and wow do we…mention it all. We discuss what it was like to take our relationship out of the digital world, our experiences of motherhood, her story of marrying her husband after just two weeks of dating, her tumultuous relationship with the British tabloids, the women in her husbands DMs, pregnancy loss and why “trying” to have a baby is profoundly unsexy. You can follow her on Instagram @Snackyjax.

This week, we're moved in and I talk more in-depth about an activity that is life-affirming to my existence. It's my passion, side hustle and mental palate cleanser all in one. I'm talking about purging my closet. I talk about the blissful release in sending my clothing into great beyond, where I consign, why the closet space itself is the enemy to the purge, how placing my wardrobe on rolling racks turned out to be eye-opening and how offloading clothes is somewhat like colonics. 

This week, we're moving to our forever home and I've brought Kip on to chat about it. We've spent the vast majority of the past two to three years workshopping where we would land and after living in five apartments with multiple temporary moves in between, it's happening. We discuss what we've learned living in less than 500 square feet, what annoys us about each other's moving styles and flesh out why we chose to wait it out and make it official (like really official) with New York City.

This week, I used ice cream to bribe Maisy, my three year old daughter, to come on the pod. We chat about rocks, her array of magic powers, her big plans for turning six and why she requires an adult to sleep with her for nine minutes each night. Stay tuned until the end for the debut of “Baby Girl, I Love You,” a song she made up and sings all day every day. 

This week, my dad is back for more and I'm completely unprepared. He asks me what my worst offenses as a teen were….that he didn't know about, why it is that I've always had a boyfriend and a topic he knows I'm obsessed with: the Peltz Beckham drama.

This week, I am joined by my real life friend Lydia Getachew, a social media savant and the Director of Business Development at GIPHY. We chat about our mutual obsession: Bama rushtok. After explaining what draws us to TikTok's display of the sorority recruitment process at the University of Alabama, we move on to compare and contrast our own Greek comedies (and tragedies) as one time sisters of Kappa Kappa Gamma and Chi Omega. 

This week, it's all about changing plans and being flexible with whatever life throws. I didn't intend to do back to back momcast weeks, but alas, here we are. Based on my DM conversations, I discuss the journey nobody asked about and chart why it is that I opted to feed my children formula from day one. #fedisbest 

Warning: this episode is about parenting, but if you know a mom or are planning to become one,  I think it will resonate. Ever have a week of motherhood where you're just deep in the thick of it? This week, I recap on the Nor'easter that was the stomach bug and Covid hitting my home at the same time, before I reflect on pandemic parenting and my thoughts on managing parenthood's sucky moments.

In the second installation of my interview with my dad, Styled By Stu, we discuss his go-to looks, including his collection of luxury hoodies, his personal style influences, his fashion triggers and schmatas, how to pack effectively for trips, and why the beach is a never for him under any circumstance.

This week, I'm joined by a figure who is arguably my DM community's favorite: my dad, Styled by Stu. While he's known for vocalizing his thoughts on fashion on my stories, this week we establish how he's found his voice in the sartorial world. In charting his trajectory to becoming cool, we talk about why he doesn't tell people he went to Harvard and how his mom cut his ex wife's head out of the family photos. Then, we dive headfirst into a topic he may be more opinionated on than Zimmermann dresses: food. 

This week, my face is going through it. My acne has moved through the decades with me and has become that little demon that never fully vanishes. But is it a demon? Maybe we should stop equating good skin with a clear glowing visage. In Episode 9, I outline my nuggets of wisdom that keep me in a positive headspace and I consider how problematic the notion of a "miracle product" really is for those with chronic acne.

On the finale of this three part interview with my sister, we wrap it up (at last) by diving  into why Kylie will likely not be wearing white to her wedding and the journey to  creating her terry cloth loungewear line. Lastly, we get into our rapid fire question section, where Kylie weighs in on everything from Golden Geese to Euphoria style.

In part two of this now THREE part special, my sister Kylie dissects my most triggering style choices. We probe into the factors at play in my need to stockpile oatmeal cardigans, examine style inspiration at school pick up and dive deep into our shared passion for reselling our clothes.

In part one of this two part special, I sit down with my sister, Kylie Bell. This week, we break down why true love means never having to sacrifice your chicken purse, our explosive childhood fights over black leggings, our mom's risqué hand me downs and teenage Kylie's iconic premenstrual breakdown at the Pizzeria Uno in Springfield, MA. 

This week, I turn to my DMs to flesh out the profoundly undiscussed open secret behind why the majority of folks don't consummate their marriage on night one. Then, I discuss Lamp Theory and the proverbial shopper goggles that can cloud our vision when we enter any store. 

This week, I interview my first guest and boy, are the stakes high. I'm chatting with Kip, my husband and arguably, my original and ultimate DM friend! Listen to us talk about our checkered past, frog skeletons, our pretty wonderful present and Kip's thoughts on being a dad who doesn't just help, he pulls his 60%.

You know them, you've seen them, you follow them: moms on social media. The mom on social media comes in many forms, but there is one type that is extra scary: the Desert Rose Mama. She's anti many things: toothpaste, masks, Ritz Crackers, vaccines, baby formula, the list goes on. I've been charting her rise for years and in this episode, I invite you to “educate yourself” on my findings.I encourage everyone to donate to Everytown, a profound  organization designed to stop gun violence in America. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/everytown-web-2022?source=etno_hp_takeover&refcode=etno_hp_takeover&utm_source=etno_hp_takeover&utm_medium=o&utm_campaign=hp_takeover&_ga=2.46490663.1082902351.1653563172-788711627.1653563172

Hear me riff about the trials and tribulations of travel, why boarding a plane and going elsewhere feels like a hugely emotional big deal, the ways my brain and body try to sabotage my every experience leaving Manhattan and how despite this mental rollercoaster, I always come out grateful for having had the experience nonetheless.

This week, chart the mostly unremarkable waters of Curren's transformation from extremely unpopular in real life to very much the opposite in her DM's.  Hear her out on how she intends to transform that buzz into a full fledged podcast...