Social Dysmorphia: Recent Episodes
Diana Brandt
Social Dysmorphia is what happens when you’re constantly comparing yourself to social media images...
You know what I’m talking about, we’ve all been there.
Do I look good enough, did I say the right thing, did I get enough likes today, what are people saying about me???
I’m your host, Diana Brandt, award-winning food and lifestyle influencer. On this podcast, we’ll pull back the curtain to expose what's really going on with social media in ALL of our lives. Social media can be a powerful communication tool - we can connect with people from all over, we can be creative, we can learn, and regular people can find success in ways never before available. However, there’s also a dark side that can cause self-doubt, depression, and sometimes even suicide. On this show, we’ll talk about how and why we compare ourselves to misleading images, the too-common bullying, and what it feels like to be on the receiving end of those “comments." We’ll dive into ALL our experiences, good and bad, with great guests who share with us their ups and downs, highs and lows, and everything in between.
Social Dysmorphia. Let’s get real. Together.
Natasha Castles from Live 101.5 joins us to talk about her career path, building her brand, her hardest struggle and social media.
Sakura joins us to talk about her struggles and how that spiraled into the need for a month long break from social media, why she was feeling lost, becoming a mom and keeping your own identity even after having a child.
The most common question and comment we get is how we eat the way we do? Diana explores more of the comments she has been getting about her looks and body image. We talk about how even comments that are meant well can have an negative effect on us.
Gabe joins us and we go deep into one of the darkest periods of his life, how he moved out of that space, vulnerability, how social media can affect mental health, perspective and forgiveness.
Bryon from Culinary Love speaks about his own journey into sobriety and how and why he started Culinary Love. He talks about microdosing to help rewire his brain a
We're Backkk!! And we're talking about Joe's big news, knowing your worth, standing up for yourself and learning how to not be used in any situation.
Diana, Joe and Emilia are joined by their first in studio listener. They talk about dating adventures, perceptions of food influencers eating everywhere for free, their love of cheese and some other local favorites and doing things that make you happy.
Will it ever be enough? Brandon and Diana explore their feelings as business owners and constantly trying to accomplish the next thing and spiraling when it doesn't work out the way we planned. Brandon also talks about losing his biggest cheerleader, how being in business for 4 years has gone so far and plenty more.
Keifer Gilbert, a popular ex bartender, shares his journey of starting his career in Old Town Scottsdale, drinking and using getting a little out of hand, becoming a father and what happened to make him want to change his life and exit the bar scene.
Allison the Founder of Teaspressa, speaks all about her early and fast success at age 24. She experienced everything from being on Shark Tank, participating in Tory Burch's business group, being in Vogue and so much more. She was growing a ton every year, until Covid hit and then things went dark and she became numb. She had to work to get back to her normal self, re-evaluate what was important and what she could control and then she was able to double her sales.
Elliott aka Apartment Bartender is a successful influencer that works mostly in the drink space. This week he talks about how he took the leap into becoming a full time social media content creator and the different things that happened along the way to get him to where he is today. He also talks about becoming a father, trying to process what that meant for him and his career and how he wanted to move forward with his work. Then we hit the tough stuff and he opens up about some personal struggles and growing through those.
Chef Dom from Hush Public House talks to us about one of the hardest things he has dealt with in his life, dealing with the loss of a sibling. We also talk about his favorite places to eat, his future goals, the pressure of cooking for other chefs and more!
Subash from Sherpa Kitchen shares his ups and downs over the last year and a half. His food truck was hugely successful and he opened his first restaurant within 8 months but then covid hit and one thing after another happened. He went from wanting to give it all up, to working back towards that success he had.
Thomas opens up about his past struggles for the last 10 years, what happened during that time to make him feel full of shame, what pushed him to want to make a change for the better in his life and what he's doing now to overcome those challenges.
Lawrence from Provision Coffee is always keeping us caffeinated with some of the best coffee in town but today he opens up about a recent change that happened in his life and through his business. He speaks about going through one of the toughest times in his life and how he went from that mental space to where he is today.
Flip from Frites Street tells us all about touring with Jared Leto's band, 30 Seconds from Mars, his love of fries, how the pandemic turned his world upside down and the importance of having support during that time.
Chef Adam shares his story about the catering gigs he gets to do with Guy Fieri at the Super Bowl and Dixie D'Amelio's birthday party with Chef Aaron May. He talks about his journey with his long-time girlfriend and her battle with stage 4 cancer. We get on the topic of addiction in the kitchen and more.
Emilia from Eatin Arizona on Instagram shares all the things going on in her life. We laugh about dick pics before morning coffee, meeting her in the cheese aisle, what it has been like entering the influencer world and one of the best things she's gotten from it, and the struggles that 2021 have brought her, including becoming her mother's caretaker, while her mom recovers from cancer.
LT and Aseret from Chilte Tacos speak candidly about starting up as a food vendor, owning their own taco truck, being cancelled for creating fusion, trying to elevate street food, how differently you're treated as a street vendor vs having your own brick and mortar, suffering from anxiety and colorism.
Celine from Beignet Babe shares her story about coming from abusive kitchen environments to owning her own concept and the success and struggles she has been through.
Rachael flew in from the Dominican Republic and chats with us about how she was let go from her job 5 years ago and went on to live the dream. She traveled all around the world surfing and eating. And has now settled down in the Dominican Republic. No, she does not work and has not had a "real" job for 5 years. So what is that like? How is it living in the DR? Is it really the dream we all think it is?
Elizabeth was scammed and even flew to another state to learn how to be an influencer and make money from someone that had bought all her followers and engagement. By the time she figured out what was happening, it was too late and this person was buying engagement and followers for her too. All so that the fake influencer could use Elizabeth's fake results to get other people to pay her $1000 to learn how to be an influencer.
Joe and I answer your burning questions. We talk about everything from how we handle restaurants that don't have great food or service, how we stay in shape and how our relationship with food wasn't always the healthiest, our biggest regrets, our backstory on how we started on our platforms and how to become a foodie or influencer.
What's it like to go viral? We speak to Sophia, who posted her first YouTube video and ended up with over 5 million views, over 47k subscribers, brand deals, reposts from Brad Mondo and all before her first day of being a senior in high school. She speaks candidly to us about how people started treating her and how it affected her mental health. If she regrets anything and what advice she would give others.
Have you heard of the apps just for pretty people to use and get free stuff? What about having to pick friends based on if their followers are legit or not? People pretending to have sponsored content and why they do this. The real purpose for giveaways and more.
We talk to Joanie Simon (the bite shot) all about her path to success. From starting out in podcasting, doing social media and blogging and then her switch into youtube and auditioning to be on the Food Network, to where she finally ended up.
What kind of things do influencers ask for when they reach out to companies? We get a PR perspective on what is appropriate and what isn't. John Glynn works with the Fairmont Princess and in marketing and he shares how you should pitch to companies. We also talk about traditional media vs digital media.
Aneesh from the Morning Mess on Live 101.5 joins us today to talk about being canceled. Is it a good thing to be canceled? Do people become more successful after they've been canceled? We have an example of this happening locally. We talk canceled vs accountability. And at the end, we share some fun stories about times we could have been canceled in the past!
Racan with Eat Saint Pasta talks about using controversy to build and audience. He shares how it all started and the good and the bad. His marketing background and how that plays into what he thinks of influencers.
Being an influencer is a 10 billion dollar industry and everyone wants in on it. Unfortunately, it's so easy to buy every aspect of being an influencer and then be rewarded with lots of money. Why is nobody holding this fraudulent behavior accountable? We talk all about this in Part 1.
Diana and Joe speak about their relationship with social media, and what they do to protect themselves. They go over how their relationship with social media changed during quarantine, and if influencers have the right to speak up on their platforms about topics that aren't specific to their "brand."
Cyberbullying can come in many forms. Diana and Joe share their personal experiences - and how they've seen bullying grow on social platforms.