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That was something I didn't realize we were doing during Queer Eye that, you know, young people like you could be watching and be like, oh, my gosh, there are people like me or there's a place for me, which is it's so important.
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Carson Kressley is hard to miss.
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A designer, actor and TV personality, his talent is perhaps only second to his positivity.
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I was thinking about this, the crossroads of visibility and authenticity is, you know, like two plus two equals 500.
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It's so powerful because you see somebody like, oh, my gosh, there's a possibility there.
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I can be this.
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But it's not just positivity, it's hope, it's hard work.
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And it became clear in our conversation that his attention to detail is not about perfection, but progress.
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He might not always understand why he does what he does, but he knows who it's for, anyone at all who needs it.
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And it's these stories that I'm honored to share about the times that broke us, or the moments that built us, and the shifts that define us.
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I'm Ryan Albert, welcome to You're the Shift.
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Carson, thank you for being on the show today.
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Of course.
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Of course.
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I love your background.
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Mine is terrible because I'm in some weird hotel on Cape Cod, but you look fantastic and your background looks amazing.
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So I'm jealous.
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We have a mutual friend actually here in Charleston.
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Patricia Alshul is like family to me.
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And she was...
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Yes.
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Oh my gosh.
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She's hilarious.
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And she adored you.
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And she's the best.
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My favorite thing is going to Bojangles with her in the back of her Rolls Royce and eating chicken fingers in the car or her Bentley.
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One of those things.
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What do I know?
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But she's a great person.
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It's so fun.
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I grew up in a very small town and didn't have
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any exposure to the gay community where I was from.
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Granddad was a preacher, dad's still a preacher.
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And I remember we had one of those satellite dishes that they couldn't have put in a worse place on the house.
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It was like front and center on a house in Indiana.
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But I remember Bravo was on channel 237
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And we'd be walking through.
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And I remember when I would be home by myself and I would see Queer Eye On.
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And for the first time, I would see people I could relate to that were being celebrated, that weren't apologizing for who they were.
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And Carson, you just made it look easy.
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But I'm sure it wasn't.
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And I'm sure there were some hard parts.
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Could you tell me about what that was like walking into those rooms and what some of the hard parts were like and what those taught you about yourself?
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Yeah.
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Oh, sure.
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Yeah.
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And thank you for that.
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I feel the pain of having unattractive satellite dishes attached to your house because I grew up with one of those as well.
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And I think they're still there.
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I'm like, can we please take those down?
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Yeah.
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The year picture it.
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2003.
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I was working at Ralph Lauren and some people came to me and said, hey, there's this show called Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
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It's going to be on Bravo.
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You should do it.
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And I was like, what's Bravo?
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A nonstick cooking spray like we didn't know what Bravo was in 2002 or three.
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I had great co-workers at Ralph Lauren who supported me and said, oh my gosh, this is a great opportunity for you.
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You should definitely do it.
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So I kind of took the plunge.
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And my whole life has kind of been like, say yes, be daring, and then figure it out later.
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I have the reverse of imposter syndrome, where I inappropriately think I can do things I probably can't or shouldn't.
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So I said yes.
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And actually, to answer your question, doing the show was actually pretty easy for me because it was one of the first times where the job was just be your authentic self and help people look good and feel good by dressing them in ways that empower them.
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And that to me was like, oh my gosh,
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You know, I had a great job at Ralph Lauren.
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I loved it, but it's still in a corporate structure and you have to adhere to certain.
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I probably didn't have to, but I felt like I had to, you know, be a little bit more toned down at work and not be 100 percent my annoying self.
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But then the show came along where the centerpiece was that it was called Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
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And that thing that maybe we had hidden or were ashamed of, our queerness, it was very
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was now front and center and was the celebrated title of the show.
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And I will give great credit to the guys that created the show, David Collins and Michael Williams and David Metzler, because when the show was being pitched, a lot of people were like, I don't know about the title.
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That's a little aggressive.
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And they're like, no, queer means looking at something from a different perspective.
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It means extraordinary in the truest sense of the word.
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And we really want to reclaim that and celebrate that.
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Especially at that time.
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I mean, because it wasn't just, you know, I know eventually transitioned to Queer Eye, but it was Queer Eye for the straight guy.
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I mean, unapologetic.
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There it was.
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Yeah.
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And I just really got free reign to be exactly who I was, to have fun with it.
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I think all of us, you know, whether it was Tom doing the interiors or Ted doing the food or Kyan or Jay in their categories, none of us had done television before.
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We didn't really know what to expect.
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So we were just out there being ourselves, trying to do good work, like trying to get rid of mullets and pleated khakis, like rambles.
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Our focus, and I tell this to young people all the time, they're like, what should I do to be successful?
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I'm like, just do good work and be yourself and be authentic and be proud of it.
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And then the success and the accolades or the fame or whatever it is will follow.
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So to answer your question, I thought it was pretty easy just doing my work and being authentic.
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I think probably what I didn't realize were two things.
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There was a little bit of fear and uncomfortableness occasionally when it was like these really butch, like really rugged, like, you know, football NASCAR, like straight guys.
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Because I had a little heterophobia.
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I was like, oh, gosh, are they going to, you know.
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Middle school and high school will instill that little bit of fear in you.
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Like, oh, am I going to get, you know, heckled or bullied or like beaten up, which is sad that you have to say that.
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But that was my experience when I was, you know, a young person.
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So I did have a little bit of that anxiety.
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But I think that the crystallized most beautiful moment of the show is that we realized like we're not scary.
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They're not scary.
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Yeah.
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We are more alike than we are different.
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We're humans.
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We want to be successful and happy and be loved.
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And we were able to both do that.
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The gays and the straights, it could come together and we could help this guy who might have, you know, been the archetype of someone who might have bullied us in the past.
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We could help that guy get the job or get the look or get the girl.
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And I think that's what resonated with viewers and why it was so interesting.
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successful and people were like, you know, it's a cultural touchstone.
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And I was like, well, don't get crazy.
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But it was more than getting rid of mullets and pleated khakis in the end.
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And that was a delightful kind of byproduct of it.
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And also the second thing was that I get to meet people like you that were young people then who kind of like,
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you know, watched from a distance or watched secretly or even better, watched with their families.
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And their families said, oh, we love this show.
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They're so funny.
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I never knew gay people before, but, you know, bravo.
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And it made the coming out process easier for some queer kids.
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So that's a great, I'm very proud of that, that legacy.
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What would you say is the biggest shift in your own life, whether you chose it or whether it just happened to you?
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Oh, again, you know, one of the blessings of doing a show like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was that it forced me to be completely 100,000% out.
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Like when you're in a show called Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, you're coming out to the world, your relatives all over the country, your family.
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And the coming out process is different for everybody.
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And certainly...
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Most people don't come out, you know, to their entire world on national televisions.
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But that was a real blessing to me because I was very scared of the coming out process.
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And I think, you know, most young people are because, you know, if you're like the only like Asian kid in your class, you might get, you know, picked on or something.
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And you come home and your family is probably Asian, too.
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And they say, it's OK. We're like you.
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You're going to be fine.
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And don't worry about it.
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When you're gay, you don't feel comfortable coming home and saying, Mom, I got bullied today.
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Someone was calling me at school or something.
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Because you don't want to come out to your family because you think, Oh my gosh, they might not love me anymore.
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You don't have that similar support group at home that you'll get for other reasons of being bullied.
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So that can be really isolating.
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But for me, doing the show and having that big coming out,
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was finally like, oh, it doesn't even matter anymore.
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And here's the real kicker.
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I was being celebrated for this thing that, you know, I thought was an Achilles heel.
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And that felt really good.
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And I tell this story often that, you know, I would go to my little small town mall when I was in high school and I had my Coca-Cola rugby shirt on and my jelly bracelets and my swatch watch that was clear.
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And they'd be like, there's that queer kid.
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And then like, you know,
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10 years later after the show, you go back to that same mall and those same young people are like, oh, my God, you're that queer guy.
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Yeah.
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So it's amazing what, you know, a little bit of TV can do.
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But it was it was very, very positive.
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So that was a huge thing for me.
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It allowed me to be completely out, completely authentic.
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And and then the icing on the cake was to kind of, you know, be celebrated for it, which was a very unusual phenomena.
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Especially back then, you know, it's 2003.
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There's no gay marriage there.
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I remember it was the summer, like the first person in the church, like the Episcopal bishop came out.
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So things were happening.
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There wasn't a lot of visibility then.
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Are you someone who likes change or seeks it?
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And has that changed?
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Oh, you know what?
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I hate change.
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And anytime it's like a new job or a new show or like the idea of moving is like absolutely terrifying to me.
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I was like, wait, I'm going to have to live in a new place with new things and like in a new town.
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Like that will drive me crazy and it gives me anxiety just thinking about it.
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But at the same time, I like a lot of little changes.
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Like, I love the change of the seasons.
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I'm just like, oh, my gosh.
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I love when it's, like, fall and you can wear sweaters.
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And I'm like, oh, I'm sick of fall.
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Now I want to, like, put up holiday decorations.
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I like to change up my decor a lot.
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I like to change up, like, my food and, like, try, like, go on, like, an Indian food kick or go on an Asian food kick.
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So...
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I don't like big changes.
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I don't like life changes, but I like a lot of stimulating changes of scenery, I guess.
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That's why I love travel so much and design and fashion, because by nature, those things are meant to be always changing and evolving.
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In the world of industry that you're in, it's built on change and television and culture always changing trends, fashion.
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How does that impact your worldview?
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And did your own worldview draw you into fashion?
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Oh, that's a great question.
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Yeah, I think.
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That's a great question because fashion is about – fashion and art is a mirror to society and what's going on.
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I think they're constantly changing, and I do love that.
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I was drawn to fashion because I loved the power that it held and, like, how it made you feel.
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I also have a really fashionable mom.
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Yeah.
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It was the 1970s and everybody, you know, when they got dressed up to go, you got dressed for the occasion, I guess is the most important.
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So you wore a certain thing to church.
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I had like a Pierre Cardin, like 100% polyester rust colored leisure suit with like a silk staying alive Saturday night fever, like leisure shirt underneath.
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But that was like your church outfit.
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And then you had like school clothes and then you had –
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play clothes.
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And I like all those uniforms and how they allowed you to kind of be a chameleon and change your mood and change your confidence level.
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I think that's why I gravitated to Ralph Lauren and why I worked there because it was like, oh, I'm going to be a 1920s movie star.
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Now I'm a 1930s investment banker.
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And now I'm
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on the Wild West frontier with Buffalo Bill and I'm wearing no skin fringe.
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Like I loved all that, being able to change your personality, which is why I also love like theater and, you know, acting and being in shows because, you know, you put a costume on and it lets you be a different person for, you know, three hours.
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You mentioned your mom.
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What do you remember about your mom's fashion when you look back?
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Well, let's just say I'm from a bunch of no-nonsense Lutherans in Pennsylvania, Germans, so not the most festive people.
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I was like, what are feelings?
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I would go over to Italian friends.
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I was like, oh my God, people talk at dinner and yell and scream and have fun and laugh.
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I was like, this is
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Great.
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That being said, I have a fabulous mom who did a tremendous job.
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And I was a child of the 70s.
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OK. And, you know, you were not around them.
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But think of those TV shows.
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It was like Stephanie Powers and Robert Wagner and Heart to Heart and Dallas and Alice.
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Yes.
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Saturday Night Fever.
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Fashion was really big then.
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It was not as monotonous as it is now.
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I feel like now everyone, you know, everyone has Aloe and Ralph Lauren and like we all know the same brands.
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And while they're fine, they're not very individual.
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But fashion of the 70s was much more individual.
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There were smaller manufacturers.
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There weren't these big box stores, really.
220
00:14:23.138 --> 00:14:24.759
So it was very fabulous.
221
00:14:24.779 --> 00:14:26.000
It was very individual.
222
00:14:26.480 --> 00:14:28.041
And it was very glamorous.
223
00:14:28.101 --> 00:14:37.569
And even though I was not from a glamorous family and we didn't live in a glamorous town, we lived in the suburbs of Allentown, Pennsylvania, people still dressed for the occasion.
224
00:14:37.989 --> 00:14:43.753
You know, I remember not one particular outfit, but, you know, my mom would get dressed up to go to parties.
225
00:14:43.794 --> 00:14:45.895
You know, people would have parties in their homes.
226
00:14:45.955 --> 00:14:55.322
Like we didn't have country clubs or, you know, fancy restaurants where people would go to a cocktail party, like the ice storm, that movie about like Connecticut in the 70s.
227
00:14:56.123 --> 00:14:59.064
And I remember my mom wearing long like gowns, you know.
228
00:14:59.904 --> 00:15:00.004
Yeah.
229
00:15:00.024 --> 00:15:01.765
And they were very Bob Mackie.
230
00:15:02.345 --> 00:15:07.367
And they were very similar to what Carol Burnett would wear in the opening of her show, like a long gown.
231
00:15:07.927 --> 00:15:14.429
And it would be made out of lurex, which is like a filament that has like a gold metallic sheen to it.
232
00:15:14.449 --> 00:15:17.290
And this would just be like dinner at a friend's house in Pennsylvania.
233
00:15:18.118 --> 00:15:25.164
This would be like a cocktail party, you know, where they would have like, you know, fondue and martinis in somebody's house in the neighborhood.
234
00:15:25.344 --> 00:15:27.426
And that was a 70s kind of thing.
235
00:15:27.446 --> 00:15:31.669
I just remember it seemed so glamorous and my dad would wear like a blue blazer.
236
00:15:31.709 --> 00:15:34.231
And again, my dad was like a car guy.
237
00:15:34.532 --> 00:15:40.577
We were not fancy people, but you would get dressed up and wear like your shiny shoes and a blue blazer.
238
00:15:40.677 --> 00:15:42.638
And I just remember that.
239
00:15:43.744 --> 00:15:46.948
There was a sense of occasion to how you dressed.
240
00:15:47.109 --> 00:15:50.814
It was a simpler time, but in a way it was more elaborate.
241
00:15:51.174 --> 00:15:54.879
And your transition to the public might seem to many like it's the pivot.
242
00:15:55.800 --> 00:16:00.426
But there's every moment that got you there and there's a person you had to be in order to say yes.
243
00:16:01.524 --> 00:16:03.485
When did you know that Carson Gressley?
244
00:16:03.905 --> 00:16:05.126
And when did you believe in him?
245
00:16:05.506 --> 00:16:06.847
That's also a great question.
246
00:16:07.327 --> 00:16:13.030
Like I said earlier, you know, I was saying yes to things I probably shouldn't have been saying yes to like my entire life.
247
00:16:13.050 --> 00:16:15.111
Like, can you ride this horse?
248
00:16:15.411 --> 00:16:16.091
Absolutely.
249
00:16:16.111 --> 00:16:17.292
I had no idea what I was doing.
250
00:16:17.912 --> 00:16:21.416
Getting my job at Ralph Lauren, I didn't have a fashion education.
251
00:16:21.456 --> 00:16:23.459
I have a degree in finance and fine art.
252
00:16:23.519 --> 00:16:29.906
And that does give you a bit of an eye and also a way to navigate business and the corporate world.
253
00:16:29.946 --> 00:16:32.008
But I really didn't know what I was doing.
254
00:16:32.049 --> 00:16:36.974
And I just kind of put on the clothes and the wardrobe and then I figured the character out.
255
00:16:37.995 --> 00:16:40.157
Um, and same with Queer Eye.
256
00:16:40.177 --> 00:16:42.139
Like I was like, I've never done a reality show.
257
00:16:42.199 --> 00:16:49.826
I don't know what to do, but I was inspired by at the same time, Legally Blonde had just come out and I was like, I'm going to be, I'm going to be just like Elle Woods.
258
00:16:50.306 --> 00:16:54.851
I'm going to use confidence to, you know, pry the door open and get myself in there.
259
00:16:54.871 --> 00:17:00.035
And then I'm going to be so positive, uh, that they won't be able to say no to me.
260
00:17:00.055 --> 00:17:00.716
And they didn't.
261
00:17:01.517 --> 00:17:04.600
And, um, it worked and, um, here I am.
262
00:17:04.660 --> 00:17:04.820
But
263
00:17:05.979 --> 00:17:08.361
I don't think there was a moment where I was like, oh, I can do this.
264
00:17:08.401 --> 00:17:17.687
I think I just always had a little bit of weird self-confidence and like that reverse imposter syndrome where I was like, what's there to lose?
265
00:17:18.307 --> 00:17:26.572
But that not having a clear path was also, you know, one of the reasons why I was successful because I would just, I would find opportunities.
266
00:17:27.233 --> 00:17:29.354
I did things that spoke to my heart.
267
00:17:30.035 --> 00:17:33.257
And sometimes the path to success is not a straight line.
268
00:17:33.297 --> 00:17:34.618
Sometimes it's a zigzag.
269
00:17:34.638 --> 00:17:34.738
Yeah.
270
00:17:35.458 --> 00:17:43.761
And you get to your destination, but maybe not in such a straightforward path like someone that knows exactly what they want to do.
271
00:17:44.021 --> 00:17:52.545
Were there any of those yeses that, once you said the yes, that you were in the door and then you were like, oh, hell, this is going to be really hard.
272
00:17:52.805 --> 00:17:54.205
I know you did Dancing with the Star Wars.
273
00:17:54.245 --> 00:17:55.506
I've heard that's crazy.
274
00:17:55.746 --> 00:17:55.946
Yeah.
275
00:17:56.366 --> 00:17:58.387
But was there one that stands out to you?
276
00:17:58.767 --> 00:18:00.047
Oh, yes.
277
00:18:00.568 --> 00:18:02.788
So around 12 years ago, I...
278
00:18:04.709 --> 00:18:07.890
I had an apartment in New York City, which I love and it's wonderful.
279
00:18:08.431 --> 00:18:12.372
And then like 12 years ago, I was probably like some in my early 40s.
280
00:18:12.432 --> 00:18:16.014
I was like, oh, I'd love to have like a weekend place, which sounds so daunting.
281
00:18:16.054 --> 00:18:17.934
Like who has two houses?
282
00:18:17.974 --> 00:18:19.095
Like that's insane to me.
283
00:18:19.935 --> 00:18:22.496
And it's not how I grew up or anything like that.
284
00:18:22.956 --> 00:18:26.958
But there was a house next to our family farm that I always admired.
285
00:18:26.978 --> 00:18:28.699
And I was like, oh, I would love to buy this.
286
00:18:29.399 --> 00:18:30.220
So I did.
287
00:18:30.260 --> 00:18:35.362
I took the plunge and I love having a country house and a farm, but I had to pay for it.
288
00:18:35.642 --> 00:18:40.444
And for like two years, this show, this crazy show called I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
289
00:18:40.924 --> 00:18:41.844
This is some real scoop.
290
00:18:41.864 --> 00:18:42.865
I've never talked about this.
291
00:18:43.245 --> 00:18:44.126
wanted me to do the show.
292
00:18:44.146 --> 00:18:45.227
And I was like, absolutely not.
293
00:18:45.247 --> 00:18:50.211
You have to like live in the jungle and eat bugs and ride a bicycle on a high wire over like the Grand Canyon.
294
00:18:50.251 --> 00:18:51.472
I was like, no, not me.
295
00:18:51.692 --> 00:18:53.613
And then they called back like the next year.
296
00:18:53.713 --> 00:18:57.476
And I was just like, it needs, I told my agent, it needs to be this much money.
297
00:18:57.656 --> 00:19:05.563
And I was like, they're never going to say yes, but it will help pay off my farm, which I was, you know, always very cognizant of like, you know, getting your things paid for.
298
00:19:06.003 --> 00:19:07.444
And then he called me the next day.
299
00:19:07.464 --> 00:19:08.685
He's like, guess what?
300
00:19:08.765 --> 00:19:10.546
You're going to Africa.
301
00:19:10.607 --> 00:19:11.127
And I was like,
302
00:19:14.107 --> 00:19:16.748
I didn't think they would actually say yes to this.
303
00:19:17.189 --> 00:19:18.589
No, I didn't think they would.
304
00:19:18.929 --> 00:19:20.570
So I didn't watch the show.
305
00:19:20.650 --> 00:19:23.312
I didn't want to know what they were going to have me do.
306
00:19:24.012 --> 00:19:25.993
And it was the Australian version.
307
00:19:26.073 --> 00:19:28.314
So I was like, oh, no one at home is going to see this.
308
00:19:28.374 --> 00:19:29.935
I won't look totally desperate.
309
00:19:30.335 --> 00:19:32.196
And because Australia has like...
310
00:19:32.856 --> 00:19:34.678
big spiders and scary snakes.
311
00:19:35.119 --> 00:19:37.081
They're just like, they don't even film it in Australia.
312
00:19:37.101 --> 00:19:46.693
They film it in Africa in like the jungle where it can be even probably more dangerous and, you know, bugs and animals that can kill you.
313
00:19:47.054 --> 00:19:48.976
So I shipped off to South Africa
314
00:19:50.017 --> 00:19:51.800
And we lived in a tent.
315
00:19:52.461 --> 00:19:56.105
And I, you know, literally I like ate a scorpion.
316
00:19:56.125 --> 00:20:03.234
I reverse bungee jumped where they tie you to like a big piece of ballast and you have a harness on.
317
00:20:03.254 --> 00:20:05.397
There's a clip in the back, a clip in the front.
318
00:20:05.957 --> 00:20:07.840
And then they unclip the back and then the...
319
00:20:08.593 --> 00:20:09.454
Oh, my God.
320
00:20:09.554 --> 00:20:11.737
It would be hiked by a crane.
321
00:20:11.777 --> 00:20:13.319
I exchanged it up in the air.
322
00:20:13.739 --> 00:20:17.143
And then I had to throw a basketball into a bucket of Kentucky fried chicken.
323
00:20:17.163 --> 00:20:19.206
It was insane, but I did really well at it.
324
00:20:19.246 --> 00:20:19.666
Who knows?
325
00:20:19.706 --> 00:20:20.267
Thank you, G5.
326
00:20:21.418 --> 00:20:28.067
That was one of those things where I was like, I can't believe I said yes to this, but I did it.
327
00:20:28.528 --> 00:20:34.496
And there's so many things now when people are like, oh, you probably can't go camping in like the Russian River.
328
00:20:34.536 --> 00:20:35.838
I was like, I can do anything.
329
00:20:35.858 --> 00:20:37.541
I can do anything at this point.
330
00:20:37.801 --> 00:20:38.282
Yes.
331
00:20:38.722 --> 00:20:46.773
Yeah, I don't know what year that was, but there were those glory days of reality TV shows where, you know, it was still kind of new.
332
00:20:47.454 --> 00:20:51.379
And it was the craviest TV ever, but it was so good.
333
00:20:51.760 --> 00:20:53.843
Because, I mean, there just weren't any boundaries yet.
334
00:20:54.790 --> 00:20:57.051
No, they never knew what was like inappropriate.
335
00:20:57.632 --> 00:20:59.633
They never knew what people wouldn't do.
336
00:21:00.073 --> 00:21:06.457
Yeah, it was like flavor of love and all these insane shows were happening.
337
00:21:07.298 --> 00:21:11.520
And it was kind of a golden era for reality TV.
338
00:21:11.540 --> 00:21:15.143
I think it was like, you know, early 2000s, mid 2000s.
339
00:21:15.463 --> 00:21:23.468
How has having an audience on TV for you or elsewhere taught you about your own values, your friendships or your privacy?
340
00:21:24.291 --> 00:21:26.394
Oh, well, I think authenticity is key.
341
00:21:26.594 --> 00:21:36.026
And I think if you go on to any kind of showbiz, but especially reality television, where it's based on you being your authentic self, you really need to be yourself.
342
00:21:36.186 --> 00:21:39.230
And if you're not, you're going to get tripped up in some way.
343
00:21:40.343 --> 00:21:42.685
Because the camera misses nothing.
344
00:21:43.166 --> 00:21:44.587
It's always rolling.
345
00:21:45.007 --> 00:21:45.808
You never know.
346
00:21:45.868 --> 00:21:48.150
Your sound pack is always on.
347
00:21:48.311 --> 00:21:51.774
So you've got to be who you are 24-7.
348
00:21:52.174 --> 00:21:55.337
And if you just stay authentic, you're not going to have to make any excuses.
349
00:21:55.938 --> 00:22:05.627
And hopefully you're a good person and you can just go through that process like you would in life and just, you know, being who you are and hopefully doing good things.
350
00:22:06.156 --> 00:22:06.436
Yes.
351
00:22:06.716 --> 00:22:07.777
Yeah, absolutely.
352
00:22:08.918 --> 00:22:11.500
You've kept your roots from your childhood in Pennsylvania.
353
00:22:11.680 --> 00:22:13.662
You have a horse farm there that you just spoke of.
354
00:22:14.342 --> 00:22:16.083
I know you grew up riding and competing.
355
00:22:16.424 --> 00:22:22.148
I wonder how something that stayed constant in your life might reflect or help you see what has changed in your life.
356
00:22:22.783 --> 00:22:24.824
Yes, that's also a great question.
357
00:22:24.984 --> 00:22:27.745
I think I'm very like ADD.
358
00:22:27.845 --> 00:22:30.306
I have a very cluttered mind in a good way.
359
00:22:30.326 --> 00:22:33.227
I'm always thinking about different things and being creative.
360
00:22:33.767 --> 00:22:38.569
But when your mind is very active like that, you need consistency.
361
00:22:38.589 --> 00:22:40.689
Like I need my house to be organized.
362
00:22:41.109 --> 00:22:43.870
I don't like a lot of crazy change.
363
00:22:44.431 --> 00:22:47.892
And having this through line of having horses and competing is,
364
00:22:48.652 --> 00:22:53.254
That kind of consistency, it's like having a stable home life.
365
00:22:53.634 --> 00:22:58.116
Oh, that was like a pun, stable.
366
00:22:58.457 --> 00:23:04.600
You just know that you have some ballast and something to anchor you in this life that can be very, very crazy.
367
00:23:04.620 --> 00:23:05.700
You're always traveling.
368
00:23:06.100 --> 00:23:08.521
People are asking you to do all these different things.
369
00:23:09.022 --> 00:23:11.963
But having that, it's like a family experience.
370
00:23:12.183 --> 00:23:13.924
And it's like a very stable home.
371
00:23:14.344 --> 00:23:15.885
I've always had that to go back to.
372
00:23:15.925 --> 00:23:17.765
The horses are incredibly grounding.
373
00:23:18.586 --> 00:23:20.407
They're extremely sensitive.
374
00:23:21.867 --> 00:23:28.670
They emit a certain electrical pulse or something that synchronizes your heart with their heart.
375
00:23:29.270 --> 00:23:31.611
So they're magical and they're very healing.
376
00:23:31.671 --> 00:23:32.592
So there's that part.
377
00:23:33.552 --> 00:23:39.135
And then the competition part is I'm with these people that I've known since I was 10 years old.
378
00:23:40.176 --> 00:23:41.496
It is a second family.
379
00:23:42.017 --> 00:23:45.038
It's incredibly comforting to go back to those environments.
380
00:23:45.679 --> 00:23:47.100
And people there...
381
00:23:48.256 --> 00:23:56.960
Like I saw this thing where Kylie Jenner did an interview and she's like, I show horses, but I do it under an alias and I wear like a disguise because I don't want to be like bothered or whatever.
382
00:23:57.500 --> 00:24:01.402
I was like, no one gives about me at the horse show, which is delightful.
383
00:24:01.422 --> 00:24:04.323
They're like, it's just you that we've known since you were 10 years old.
384
00:24:04.383 --> 00:24:06.584
We don't think you're special.
385
00:24:06.645 --> 00:24:09.286
We're going to you're going to get kicked like the rest of us.
386
00:24:09.766 --> 00:24:10.806
I really enjoy that.
387
00:24:10.826 --> 00:24:11.547
It's been a great experience.
388
00:24:12.600 --> 00:24:13.900
great constant in my life.
389
00:24:14.720 --> 00:24:20.762
And those constants allow you, back to your question, allow you to compare the progress you've made.
390
00:24:21.562 --> 00:24:35.325
And sometimes if I'm competing and the competition is kind of intense and you're nervous, I'm just like, my 10-year-old self with my $500 pony would be over the moon to just be here.
391
00:24:36.762 --> 00:24:39.263
I think that's a great metaphor.
392
00:24:39.303 --> 00:24:53.947
Anytime something is stressful, it's just like my younger self, when I have problems with my plumbing, I'm like my 20-year-old self would die to have a nice house or my 10-year-old self would die to be at this competition.
393
00:24:54.348 --> 00:24:57.469
It's a great reminder of how far you have come.
394
00:24:57.849 --> 00:25:01.510
It's a great reminder to be grateful for that progress.
395
00:25:01.610 --> 00:25:04.191
So any of those constants are great things.
396
00:25:05.111 --> 00:25:10.492
perspectives for, you know, how much you've hopefully improved.
397
00:25:10.992 --> 00:25:11.933
Do you have a favorite horse?
398
00:25:12.553 --> 00:25:22.035
My favorite one at home is named Bernie and he knows the sound of my car and he comes running for peppermints, which I sometimes feed him through the car window and he puts his whole head in there.
399
00:25:22.055 --> 00:25:23.716
I'm just like, Oh, don't do anything stupid.
400
00:25:23.736 --> 00:25:27.196
And like, you know, rip your head off or ruin my car.
401
00:25:28.017 --> 00:25:31.598
And then the one I compete with that I'm, you know, love very much right now.
402
00:25:31.658 --> 00:25:32.718
His name is Blake.
403
00:25:33.906 --> 00:25:37.175
And we're getting ready to go to the World Championships just next week.
404
00:25:37.256 --> 00:25:38.599
So let's go.
405
00:25:38.640 --> 00:25:41.528
Yeah, yeah, I'm very excited.
406
00:25:42.360 --> 00:25:50.422
It's anxiety producing, but I'm also, again, like trying to keep in mind, like I, as a young person, I would have died for an opportunity like this.
407
00:25:50.462 --> 00:25:52.923
So I need to enjoy every second of the process.
408
00:25:53.703 --> 00:25:57.664
I've been asking my guests all this question and I've been loving the answers they've been giving me.
409
00:25:57.884 --> 00:26:04.786
But every big change is a part that people celebrated and a part that was actually really hard that nobody really acknowledged.
410
00:26:05.666 --> 00:26:08.167
What's a part of your story that didn't get any applause?
411
00:26:08.763 --> 00:26:13.068
All the failures, you know, that doesn't usually get the attention and nor do we want it to.
412
00:26:13.168 --> 00:26:25.961
But, you know, there were times where like I didn't get jobs that I wanted or I've had terrible, you know, horse competitions where like bad things happen, like horse got sick or even died.
413
00:26:26.622 --> 00:26:30.125
So those are the sad moments, but they make you appreciate the great moments.
414
00:26:30.806 --> 00:26:31.026
Yeah.
415
00:26:31.987 --> 00:26:33.448
And I think it goes back to that whole thing.
416
00:26:33.468 --> 00:26:34.728
It's about perspective.
417
00:26:34.768 --> 00:26:45.072
Like people oftentimes, you know, only see, there's like some poster about success and it's like an iceberg and it just shows the tip and it's like, this is what people see.
418
00:26:45.372 --> 00:26:53.376
But then below the surface of the water is giant iceberg of all of the things, the good things, the bad things, the struggles, the triumphs.
419
00:26:53.776 --> 00:26:56.917
But all of that is what makes us, you know, unique.
420
00:26:56.957 --> 00:26:58.338
And I tell people all the time, like,
421
00:26:59.038 --> 00:27:02.839
There's no competition out there because nobody is like you.
422
00:27:02.959 --> 00:27:14.082
Nobody brings your life experiences and your trials and your tribulations and your triumphs to a role on TV, to a job, to something in the corporate, to parenting.
423
00:27:15.882 --> 00:27:18.683
So, you know, we have to celebrate the whole package.
424
00:27:19.283 --> 00:27:31.757
Carson, if there was someone listening today in the audience that had a similar story to yours or mine, that is maybe from a small community or or doesn't see a lot of people around them, like like the full version they want to be of themselves.
425
00:27:32.738 --> 00:27:38.924
Maybe not even somebody that's not out yet, but just somebody that's shrinking themselves or or feel like they can't.
426
00:27:39.565 --> 00:27:41.548
be the full version of who they are.
427
00:27:42.269 --> 00:27:50.881
What advice would you give that person today now that you're on the other side of all of this and sort of, you know, you keep going back to that 10-year-old version of yourself.
428
00:27:51.542 --> 00:27:53.225
What would you tell that audience member?
429
00:27:53.813 --> 00:28:01.940
I think the number one scariest thing and the thing that's so daunting is that you feel like you're the only person going through whatever you're going through.
430
00:28:01.960 --> 00:28:05.764
And I think the biggest message is that you're not alone.
431
00:28:05.784 --> 00:28:11.469
And maybe your community doesn't accept you or maybe your family doesn't accept you.
432
00:28:11.509 --> 00:28:13.751
But there is a world out there.
433
00:28:13.771 --> 00:28:14.071
Yeah.
434
00:28:14.772 --> 00:28:29.088
We live in a great time because of the internet and connectivity, and we have a window to the world, and there is a community out there for you, and you will find your tribe, and they will uplift you to...
435
00:28:31.227 --> 00:28:35.992
you know, take some of the load off your shoulders and allow you to, you know, flourish and be yourself.
436
00:28:36.372 --> 00:28:50.006
And that was something I didn't realize we were doing during Queer Eye that, you know, young people like you could be watching and be like, oh, my gosh, there are people like me or there's a place for me, which is it's so important.
437
00:28:51.402 --> 00:28:58.909
I was thinking about this, the crossroads of visibility and authenticity is, you know, like two plus two equals 500.
438
00:28:59.390 --> 00:29:05.275
It's so powerful because you see somebody like, oh, my gosh, there's a possibility there.
439
00:29:05.775 --> 00:29:06.676
I can be this.
440
00:29:07.597 --> 00:29:11.260
And then those people can add on to that and be their version of that.
441
00:29:11.700 --> 00:29:13.061
That's incredibly powerful.
442
00:29:13.682 --> 00:29:15.984
Didn't realize we were doing that during Queer Eye.
443
00:29:16.284 --> 00:29:24.630
But now that I work on another, I think, really important queer show being Drag Race, and because of technology and streaming,
444
00:29:25.471 --> 00:29:34.595
Young people all over the world can see, oh my gosh, I can use, as Ru loves to say, I can use all the different colors in the Crayola crayon box.
445
00:29:34.975 --> 00:29:38.897
There's so many different versions of queerness and what that means.
446
00:29:38.937 --> 00:29:42.958
And I can just, I can follow my heart and follow my authenticity.
447
00:29:43.478 --> 00:29:46.780
And I know there's people, other people like me out there.
448
00:29:46.900 --> 00:29:49.561
I think that's incredibly reassuring.
449
00:29:50.427 --> 00:29:53.369
Is there a version of Carson you're still figuring out?
450
00:29:53.689 --> 00:29:55.411
And what does that version look like?
451
00:29:55.951 --> 00:29:58.353
Oh, gosh, I think we all go through different phases.
452
00:29:58.393 --> 00:30:02.896
And sometimes it's defined by jobs or our circumstances.
453
00:30:02.956 --> 00:30:07.760
Like I divide mine into like, you know, time stamped eras.
454
00:30:07.800 --> 00:30:17.187
I had like my, you know, my growing up era, my high school era, my college era, my new to New York City era, my Ralph Lauren era, my Queer Eye era.
455
00:30:18.047 --> 00:30:20.770
my drag race era.
456
00:30:21.251 --> 00:30:34.324
And then when I think you get over 50, which you don't know about, I think all of that starts to melt together and you just become, you're like, you just settle into your authenticity even more and who you are.
457
00:30:35.485 --> 00:30:41.728
And it becomes less about eras and you just become more and more yourself, I hope, because you have perspective.
458
00:30:42.089 --> 00:30:43.489
You can see that landscape.
459
00:30:43.509 --> 00:30:44.390
You're kind of standing.
460
00:30:44.650 --> 00:30:48.432
You're standing at the precipice of like, oh, my gosh, now I'm going downhill again.
461
00:30:49.717 --> 00:30:56.902
I'm sorry to be a buzzkill, but you're like at the peak and you've seen a lot of your life and now you're getting ready for that other half.
462
00:30:57.662 --> 00:31:01.745
And I just think there's more settled into your skin.
463
00:31:02.185 --> 00:31:05.047
And I'm really hoping to embrace that.
464
00:31:05.127 --> 00:31:08.369
Like there's a lot of like awful things that come with being old.
465
00:31:08.389 --> 00:31:13.873
Like I have like age spots and like my hip hurts when I go out dancing too long.
466
00:31:13.893 --> 00:31:16.115
And I only I know it's only going to get worse.
467
00:31:16.915 --> 00:31:33.379
But I'm trying to lean into things like more confidence and not caring as much about what other people think and not hustling as much and enjoying the, you know, while I was swimming around in my pool the other day and I was like, oh, my God, I need to just soak this in.
468
00:31:33.399 --> 00:31:34.639
I've accomplished so much.
469
00:31:35.219 --> 00:31:36.219
I've done really well.
470
00:31:36.239 --> 00:31:37.560
I should be proud of myself.
471
00:31:37.680 --> 00:31:37.960
And like.
472
00:31:38.980 --> 00:31:41.222
I literally was like, you did this.
473
00:31:41.323 --> 00:31:42.864
No one else did this for you.
474
00:31:42.964 --> 00:31:43.945
You did it.
475
00:31:43.965 --> 00:31:46.948
So own it and have fun with it and enjoy it.
476
00:31:47.008 --> 00:31:50.851
So I'm going into my enjoyment phase, I hope.
477
00:31:51.572 --> 00:31:53.073
And you're so deserving.
478
00:31:53.093 --> 00:31:55.336
I mean, you have done so many things.
479
00:31:56.537 --> 00:31:58.817
incredible things in your life already.
480
00:31:58.877 --> 00:32:05.639
I mean, I think that it speaks volumes that you're now in that place in this new era where like now you just want to enjoy the next chapter.
481
00:32:06.299 --> 00:32:19.862
And I also love your transparency of like sharing that part of you because I think a lot of times people can see someone like yourself who's had all of this success and lived so much life and not think that they share the same feelings like you just explained.
482
00:32:19.902 --> 00:32:23.042
I mean, like you said, it's like compounding sharing with others.
483
00:32:23.062 --> 00:32:24.003
Like you're not alone.
484
00:32:24.023 --> 00:32:25.943
Like you're feeling the same things they are.
485
00:32:26.932 --> 00:32:28.873
I think we're all pretty much the same.
486
00:32:28.933 --> 00:32:36.197
And what we want is to be seen and to be loved and to eat really good pizza.
487
00:32:36.938 --> 00:32:38.398
I think that's what it's all about.
488
00:32:38.899 --> 00:32:39.439
I love that.
489
00:32:39.499 --> 00:32:39.739
Yeah.
490
00:32:40.380 --> 00:32:55.928
Well, coming from Queer Eye in 2003 and now on RuPaul and the visibility to our community that both shows are bringing, can you tell me about the shift in the audience as you've seen the Beatle move and what that's been like?
491
00:32:56.508 --> 00:33:08.916
Yeah, you know, like I said earlier, I'm incredibly proud to work to have worked on two really seminal queer shows being Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and now RuPaul's Drag Race.
492
00:33:09.376 --> 00:33:13.359
And what's similar about them is that they just show people.
493
00:33:14.179 --> 00:33:21.844
being their authentic selves, but also being celebrated and being elevated and being successful.
494
00:33:22.424 --> 00:33:25.806
And we've seen a lot of different types of people on Queer Eye.
495
00:33:25.826 --> 00:33:26.987
We've seen trans women.
496
00:33:27.027 --> 00:33:30.389
We've seen a straight guy on Drag Race.
497
00:33:30.909 --> 00:33:36.233
And we've seen the whole gamut of things that young people can see and say, there is a place for me.
498
00:33:36.533 --> 00:33:37.313
I fit in.
499
00:33:37.754 --> 00:33:39.094
And I can not only just be...
500
00:33:40.135 --> 00:33:42.016
I hate the word like tolerance.
501
00:33:42.136 --> 00:33:43.897
No one wants to be tolerated.
502
00:33:43.937 --> 00:33:47.780
You want to be you want to be celebrated for everything that you are.
503
00:33:48.500 --> 00:33:56.886
And I think as we become more and more aware of a society that there are people who are non-binary, there are people who, you know, identify as this, that, whatever.
504
00:33:57.865 --> 00:33:58.886
It's opening our eyes.
505
00:33:59.146 --> 00:34:07.072
And again, visibility and authenticity is so important because if you see it, you're like, oh, my gosh, that's how I feel.
506
00:34:07.253 --> 00:34:08.474
Oh, there's a place for me.
507
00:34:08.574 --> 00:34:10.355
I don't feel as alone.
508
00:34:11.176 --> 00:34:15.980
And I think that's what moved the needle forward, that kind of shared humanity.
509
00:34:16.580 --> 00:34:18.482
And it transcends all of the political...
510
00:34:18.942 --> 00:34:25.024
that's happening and all of the intolerance and this is wrong and that's not acceptable.
511
00:34:25.604 --> 00:34:29.426
It just it shows the human experience in a very authentic way.
512
00:34:29.446 --> 00:34:39.590
And I don't want to make it like all hoity toity and high and mighty, but showing people living their best life, being celebrated for exactly who they are is really powerful.
513
00:34:39.930 --> 00:34:41.390
And I'm proud to be a part of it.
514
00:34:42.011 --> 00:34:42.251
Yes.
515
00:34:42.631 --> 00:34:43.231
Well, thank you.
516
00:34:43.351 --> 00:34:43.591
Yeah.
517
00:34:44.291 --> 00:34:45.692
We're going to jump into my pile of shifts.
518
00:34:47.191 --> 00:34:51.453
What book, quote, or song do you return to when you feel out of sync with yourself?
519
00:34:53.154 --> 00:34:54.874
Oh, gosh.
520
00:34:56.155 --> 00:34:59.136
It's probably not a book.
521
00:34:59.897 --> 00:35:12.963
One of my favorite songs to get psyched up for anything, and whether it's a horse show or going to work or, like, just going to an event, like my Getting Ready song to really just feel empowered and fierce is...
522
00:35:14.647 --> 00:35:17.090
I think it's called Unstoppable by Sia.
523
00:35:17.731 --> 00:35:18.892
It's so good.
524
00:35:18.932 --> 00:35:22.516
I mean, I feel like I could, you know, like, you know, go to the moon on that one.
525
00:35:22.537 --> 00:35:24.539
I was like, of course my car can drive to the moon.
526
00:35:24.579 --> 00:35:26.621
I just listened to Unstoppable by Sia.
527
00:35:26.862 --> 00:35:29.545
What's one thing that has never changed and you're glad about it?
528
00:35:30.700 --> 00:35:32.681
Oh, let's see.
529
00:35:32.701 --> 00:35:36.183
I think like, you know, love and support from my family.
530
00:35:36.243 --> 00:35:37.864
That's like the most important thing.
531
00:35:38.244 --> 00:35:42.646
And then, of course, having the horses and that kind of constant in my life, which we talked about.
532
00:35:43.667 --> 00:35:44.107
That's good.
533
00:35:44.427 --> 00:35:47.669
I love that Ralph Lauren is still like kind of Ralph Lauren.
534
00:35:47.709 --> 00:35:49.109
That's also a great constant.
535
00:35:49.129 --> 00:35:50.530
That brings me great comfort.
536
00:35:51.351 --> 00:35:53.732
When I put the clothes on, I think about working there.
537
00:35:53.812 --> 00:35:55.493
And it's still very, very similar.
538
00:35:56.293 --> 00:36:03.279
And I love that consistency and that commitment to their authentic brand identity.
539
00:36:03.959 --> 00:36:05.721
Bravest thing you've done in sweatpants?
540
00:36:06.842 --> 00:36:10.185
Oh, I'm very rarely in sweatpants.
541
00:36:10.585 --> 00:36:17.350
But if it was brave, it would have been like, you know, going to the airport or going out in public because I try to never do that.
542
00:36:17.971 --> 00:36:21.194
What's the one item from your wardrobe that represents you best?
543
00:36:22.324 --> 00:36:24.226
Oh, hmm.
544
00:36:25.126 --> 00:36:28.209
It's probably a Ralph Lauren cashmere cable knit sweater.
545
00:36:28.409 --> 00:36:31.211
It is like always cuddly, always stylish.
546
00:36:31.872 --> 00:36:34.474
It's relaxed, but it somehow feels dressy.
547
00:36:35.354 --> 00:36:41.339
If I could come back as a clothing item, that would be like people always say, if you were a tree, what would you be?
548
00:36:41.399 --> 00:36:47.724
Well, if I was a clothing item, I'd be a Ralph Lauren cashmere cable knit sweater because it comes in delicious colors.
549
00:36:47.824 --> 00:36:48.685
It's comforting.
550
00:36:48.705 --> 00:36:49.205
It's comforting.
551
00:36:49.525 --> 00:36:51.526
And it's casually elegant.
552
00:36:51.626 --> 00:36:52.647
So I'd want to be that.
553
00:36:54.168 --> 00:36:56.169
Are you team early bird or night owl?
554
00:36:57.469 --> 00:37:00.811
Oh, I was always team night owl.
555
00:37:01.091 --> 00:37:13.998
And if I'm packing for a trip or if I'm doing a presentation or if I'm learning a script or pitching a show, I'm always working on those creative processes like into the wee hours, like, you know, two, three o'clock in the morning.
556
00:37:15.479 --> 00:37:17.900
But now as I've gotten older and I'm, you know,
557
00:37:19.531 --> 00:37:20.951
get tired earlier.
558
00:37:21.271 --> 00:37:24.272
I've also learned like the beauty of the early morning.
559
00:37:24.312 --> 00:37:32.053
So I would say I'm very polarized now where it's like, I love early mornings and I love late nights.
560
00:37:32.793 --> 00:37:36.374
And I'm not crazy about three o'clock in the afternoon anymore.
561
00:37:36.454 --> 00:37:38.054
That's kind of like the no man's limer.
562
00:37:38.074 --> 00:37:39.655
I was like, am I hungry?
563
00:37:39.755 --> 00:37:40.655
Am I sleepy?
564
00:37:40.715 --> 00:37:41.855
Do I need a coffee?
565
00:37:41.955 --> 00:37:44.075
Like that's where I don't like to be.
566
00:37:44.656 --> 00:37:47.176
What's one word to describe the voice inside your head?
567
00:37:48.824 --> 00:37:53.294
Probably it's erratic because it is all over the place.
568
00:37:54.076 --> 00:37:56.121
What's a version of success you no longer chase?
569
00:37:57.533 --> 00:37:58.834
I guess perfection.
570
00:37:59.475 --> 00:38:04.820
I think as you get older, you realize that you can be successful and it doesn't have to be doesn't have to be everything.
571
00:38:04.840 --> 00:38:07.622
You don't have to be successful in every aspect of your life.
572
00:38:07.642 --> 00:38:11.405
You don't have to have the perfect body and the gorgeous house and the fancy car and all that.
573
00:38:11.425 --> 00:38:19.252
Like, I think sometimes success is just happiness also and learning to be happy with what you have.
574
00:38:20.773 --> 00:38:23.856
If your life's not chapter titles, what would this chapter be called?
575
00:38:25.340 --> 00:38:27.501
Aches, pains, and renewed confidence.
576
00:38:28.681 --> 00:38:29.202
I love that.
577
00:38:30.922 --> 00:38:35.164
If you could erase one of your failures from history, would you, why or why not?
578
00:38:36.745 --> 00:38:40.587
Oh, that time I wore parachute pants for my eighth grade picture.
579
00:38:41.227 --> 00:38:42.868
No, I don't think I'd want to erase them.
580
00:38:42.908 --> 00:38:44.488
I think, again, you know, perspective.
581
00:38:44.508 --> 00:38:47.029
They're great reminders of how far we can come.
582
00:38:47.590 --> 00:38:50.871
They're also stepping stones to success.
583
00:38:50.931 --> 00:38:52.272
Like, you know, if you...
584
00:38:53.012 --> 00:38:54.833
The only failure is not trying.
585
00:38:54.873 --> 00:39:00.377
I know that's so cliche and it's like very like Vince Lombardi or something, but that would be the only one.
586
00:39:00.397 --> 00:39:02.798
Like if I didn't try something, I would have regretted that.
587
00:39:02.918 --> 00:39:04.159
I would want to hide that.
588
00:39:04.359 --> 00:39:06.801
So get out there and just try and do it.
589
00:39:06.821 --> 00:39:07.842
I love that.
590
00:39:08.122 --> 00:39:09.543
Well, thank you for being here today.
591
00:39:10.333 --> 00:39:11.874
We all know a person like this.
592
00:39:12.255 --> 00:39:14.496
Easy cheerleader and the constant supporter.
593
00:39:14.677 --> 00:39:16.558
But Carson Kressley is something different.
594
00:39:16.658 --> 00:39:17.399
He's excited.
595
00:39:17.619 --> 00:39:18.239
He's present.
596
00:39:18.440 --> 00:39:20.301
He does it scared and without apology.
597
00:39:20.501 --> 00:39:27.087
And most importantly, Carson does everything he does in order to make the table a little bit bigger for the people who haven't sat down yet.
598
00:39:27.227 --> 00:39:28.368
It's the way he's always lived.
599
00:39:28.728 --> 00:39:33.432
Out loud, unwavering, and aware of the power his voice can carry toward progress.
600
00:39:33.712 --> 00:39:36.673
Because we are constantly changing, growing, shedding.
601
00:39:36.814 --> 00:39:39.175
And Carson is proof that we don't have to do it alone.
602
00:39:39.455 --> 00:39:41.896
So be gentle, be brave, be curious.
603
00:39:42.136 --> 00:39:44.197
Because after all, you're the shift.
604
00:39:44.517 --> 00:39:47.539
Listen weekly on Wednesdays, wherever you get your podcasts.
1
00:00:00.131 --> 00:00:12.635
That was something I didn't realize we were doing during Queer Eye that, you know, young people like you could be watching and be like, oh, my gosh, there are people like me or there's a place for me, which is it's so important.
2
00:00:12.755 --> 00:00:14.315
Carson Kressley is hard to miss.
3
00:00:14.695 --> 00:00:20.357
A designer, actor and TV personality, his talent is perhaps only second to his positivity.
4
00:00:20.657 --> 00:00:28.044
I was thinking about this, the crossroads of visibility and authenticity is, you know, like two plus two equals 500.
5
00:00:28.204 --> 00:00:33.348
It's so powerful because you see somebody like, oh, my gosh, there's a possibility there.
6
00:00:33.549 --> 00:00:34.429
I can be this.
7
00:00:35.148 --> 00:00:38.231
But it's not just positivity, it's hope, it's hard work.
8
00:00:38.451 --> 00:00:44.056
And it became clear in our conversation that his attention to detail is not about perfection, but progress.
9
00:00:44.356 --> 00:00:50.281
He might not always understand why he does what he does, but he knows who it's for, anyone at all who needs it.
10
00:00:50.441 --> 00:00:57.307
And it's these stories that I'm honored to share about the times that broke us, or the moments that built us, and the shifts that define us.
11
00:00:57.707 --> 00:01:00.530
I'm Ryan Albert, welcome to You're the Shift.
12
00:01:05.185 --> 00:01:07.247
Carson, thank you for being on the show today.
13
00:01:08.028 --> 00:01:08.568
Of course.
14
00:01:08.628 --> 00:01:08.968
Of course.
15
00:01:09.008 --> 00:01:10.049
I love your background.
16
00:01:10.470 --> 00:01:18.317
Mine is terrible because I'm in some weird hotel on Cape Cod, but you look fantastic and your background looks amazing.
17
00:01:18.397 --> 00:01:19.518
So I'm jealous.
18
00:01:20.078 --> 00:01:22.540
We have a mutual friend actually here in Charleston.
19
00:01:23.081 --> 00:01:25.883
Patricia Alshul is like family to me.
20
00:01:26.684 --> 00:01:27.625
And she was...
21
00:01:28.906 --> 00:01:29.347
Yes.
22
00:01:29.467 --> 00:01:30.027
Oh my gosh.
23
00:01:30.047 --> 00:01:31.048
She's hilarious.
24
00:01:31.389 --> 00:01:33.531
And she adored you.
25
00:01:33.551 --> 00:01:34.692
And she's the best.
26
00:01:34.732 --> 00:01:43.180
My favorite thing is going to Bojangles with her in the back of her Rolls Royce and eating chicken fingers in the car or her Bentley.
27
00:01:43.300 --> 00:01:44.061
One of those things.
28
00:01:44.681 --> 00:01:45.602
What do I know?
29
00:01:46.223 --> 00:01:48.224
But she's a great person.
30
00:01:48.244 --> 00:01:48.945
It's so fun.
31
00:01:49.726 --> 00:01:52.869
I grew up in a very small town and didn't have
32
00:01:53.376 --> 00:01:56.638
any exposure to the gay community where I was from.
33
00:01:57.038 --> 00:01:59.660
Granddad was a preacher, dad's still a preacher.
34
00:02:00.440 --> 00:02:06.664
And I remember we had one of those satellite dishes that they couldn't have put in a worse place on the house.
35
00:02:06.684 --> 00:02:09.465
It was like front and center on a house in Indiana.
36
00:02:09.566 --> 00:02:12.287
But I remember Bravo was on channel 237
37
00:02:14.108 --> 00:02:15.549
And we'd be walking through.
38
00:02:15.569 --> 00:02:19.311
And I remember when I would be home by myself and I would see Queer Eye On.
39
00:02:20.131 --> 00:02:27.615
And for the first time, I would see people I could relate to that were being celebrated, that weren't apologizing for who they were.
40
00:02:27.635 --> 00:02:30.916
And Carson, you just made it look easy.
41
00:02:31.396 --> 00:02:33.718
But I'm sure it wasn't.
42
00:02:34.038 --> 00:02:35.498
And I'm sure there were some hard parts.
43
00:02:35.759 --> 00:02:42.222
Could you tell me about what that was like walking into those rooms and what some of the hard parts were like and what those taught you about yourself?
44
00:02:42.262 --> 00:02:42.362
Yeah.
45
00:02:43.162 --> 00:02:43.842
Oh, sure.
46
00:02:43.862 --> 00:02:44.302
Yeah.
47
00:02:44.342 --> 00:02:45.443
And thank you for that.
48
00:02:46.743 --> 00:02:51.945
I feel the pain of having unattractive satellite dishes attached to your house because I grew up with one of those as well.
49
00:02:52.165 --> 00:02:53.105
And I think they're still there.
50
00:02:53.125 --> 00:02:54.466
I'm like, can we please take those down?
51
00:02:54.966 --> 00:02:55.266
Yeah.
52
00:02:55.366 --> 00:02:56.407
The year picture it.
53
00:02:56.467 --> 00:02:57.627
2003.
54
00:02:58.147 --> 00:03:03.089
I was working at Ralph Lauren and some people came to me and said, hey, there's this show called Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
55
00:03:03.109 --> 00:03:04.089
It's going to be on Bravo.
56
00:03:04.109 --> 00:03:04.729
You should do it.
57
00:03:04.749 --> 00:03:06.650
And I was like, what's Bravo?
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A nonstick cooking spray like we didn't know what Bravo was in 2002 or three.
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I had great co-workers at Ralph Lauren who supported me and said, oh my gosh, this is a great opportunity for you.
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You should definitely do it.
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So I kind of took the plunge.
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And my whole life has kind of been like, say yes, be daring, and then figure it out later.
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I have the reverse of imposter syndrome, where I inappropriately think I can do things I probably can't or shouldn't.
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So I said yes.
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And actually, to answer your question, doing the show was actually pretty easy for me because it was one of the first times where the job was just be your authentic self and help people look good and feel good by dressing them in ways that empower them.
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And that to me was like, oh my gosh,
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You know, I had a great job at Ralph Lauren.
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I loved it, but it's still in a corporate structure and you have to adhere to certain.
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I probably didn't have to, but I felt like I had to, you know, be a little bit more toned down at work and not be 100 percent my annoying self.
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But then the show came along where the centerpiece was that it was called Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
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And that thing that maybe we had hidden or were ashamed of, our queerness, it was very
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was now front and center and was the celebrated title of the show.
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And I will give great credit to the guys that created the show, David Collins and Michael Williams and David Metzler, because when the show was being pitched, a lot of people were like, I don't know about the title.
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That's a little aggressive.
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And they're like, no, queer means looking at something from a different perspective.
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It means extraordinary in the truest sense of the word.
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And we really want to reclaim that and celebrate that.
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Especially at that time.
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I mean, because it wasn't just, you know, I know eventually transitioned to Queer Eye, but it was Queer Eye for the straight guy.
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I mean, unapologetic.
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There it was.
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Yeah.
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And I just really got free reign to be exactly who I was, to have fun with it.
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I think all of us, you know, whether it was Tom doing the interiors or Ted doing the food or Kyan or Jay in their categories, none of us had done television before.
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We didn't really know what to expect.
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So we were just out there being ourselves, trying to do good work, like trying to get rid of mullets and pleated khakis, like rambles.
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Our focus, and I tell this to young people all the time, they're like, what should I do to be successful?
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I'm like, just do good work and be yourself and be authentic and be proud of it.
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And then the success and the accolades or the fame or whatever it is will follow.
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So to answer your question, I thought it was pretty easy just doing my work and being authentic.
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I think probably what I didn't realize were two things.
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There was a little bit of fear and uncomfortableness occasionally when it was like these really butch, like really rugged, like, you know, football NASCAR, like straight guys.
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Because I had a little heterophobia.
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I was like, oh, gosh, are they going to, you know.
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Middle school and high school will instill that little bit of fear in you.
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Like, oh, am I going to get, you know, heckled or bullied or like beaten up, which is sad that you have to say that.
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But that was my experience when I was, you know, a young person.
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So I did have a little bit of that anxiety.
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But I think that the crystallized most beautiful moment of the show is that we realized like we're not scary.
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They're not scary.
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Yeah.
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We are more alike than we are different.
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We're humans.
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We want to be successful and happy and be loved.
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And we were able to both do that.
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The gays and the straights, it could come together and we could help this guy who might have, you know, been the archetype of someone who might have bullied us in the past.
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We could help that guy get the job or get the look or get the girl.
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And I think that's what resonated with viewers and why it was so interesting.
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successful and people were like, you know, it's a cultural touchstone.
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And I was like, well, don't get crazy.
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But it was more than getting rid of mullets and pleated khakis in the end.
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And that was a delightful kind of byproduct of it.
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And also the second thing was that I get to meet people like you that were young people then who kind of like,
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you know, watched from a distance or watched secretly or even better, watched with their families.
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And their families said, oh, we love this show.
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They're so funny.
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I never knew gay people before, but, you know, bravo.
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And it made the coming out process easier for some queer kids.
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So that's a great, I'm very proud of that, that legacy.
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What would you say is the biggest shift in your own life, whether you chose it or whether it just happened to you?
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Oh, again, you know, one of the blessings of doing a show like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was that it forced me to be completely 100,000% out.
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Like when you're in a show called Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, you're coming out to the world, your relatives all over the country, your family.
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And the coming out process is different for everybody.
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And certainly...
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Most people don't come out, you know, to their entire world on national televisions.
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But that was a real blessing to me because I was very scared of the coming out process.
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And I think, you know, most young people are because, you know, if you're like the only like Asian kid in your class, you might get, you know, picked on or something.
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And you come home and your family is probably Asian, too.
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And they say, it's OK. We're like you.
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You're going to be fine.
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And don't worry about it.
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When you're gay, you don't feel comfortable coming home and saying, Mom, I got bullied today.
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Someone was calling me at school or something.
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Because you don't want to come out to your family because you think, Oh my gosh, they might not love me anymore.
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You don't have that similar support group at home that you'll get for other reasons of being bullied.
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So that can be really isolating.
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But for me, doing the show and having that big coming out,
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was finally like, oh, it doesn't even matter anymore.
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And here's the real kicker.
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I was being celebrated for this thing that, you know, I thought was an Achilles heel.
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And that felt really good.
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And I tell this story often that, you know, I would go to my little small town mall when I was in high school and I had my Coca-Cola rugby shirt on and my jelly bracelets and my swatch watch that was clear.
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And they'd be like, there's that queer kid.
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And then like, you know,
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10 years later after the show, you go back to that same mall and those same young people are like, oh, my God, you're that queer guy.
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Yeah.
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So it's amazing what, you know, a little bit of TV can do.
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But it was it was very, very positive.
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So that was a huge thing for me.
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It allowed me to be completely out, completely authentic.
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And and then the icing on the cake was to kind of, you know, be celebrated for it, which was a very unusual phenomena.
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Especially back then, you know, it's 2003.
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There's no gay marriage there.
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I remember it was the summer, like the first person in the church, like the Episcopal bishop came out.
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So things were happening.
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There wasn't a lot of visibility then.
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Are you someone who likes change or seeks it?
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And has that changed?
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Oh, you know what?
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I hate change.
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And anytime it's like a new job or a new show or like the idea of moving is like absolutely terrifying to me.
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I was like, wait, I'm going to have to live in a new place with new things and like in a new town.
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Like that will drive me crazy and it gives me anxiety just thinking about it.
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But at the same time, I like a lot of little changes.
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Like, I love the change of the seasons.
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I'm just like, oh, my gosh.
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I love when it's, like, fall and you can wear sweaters.
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And I'm like, oh, I'm sick of fall.
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Now I want to, like, put up holiday decorations.
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I like to change up my decor a lot.
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I like to change up, like, my food and, like, try, like, go on, like, an Indian food kick or go on an Asian food kick.
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So...
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I don't like big changes.
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I don't like life changes, but I like a lot of stimulating changes of scenery, I guess.
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That's why I love travel so much and design and fashion, because by nature, those things are meant to be always changing and evolving.
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In the world of industry that you're in, it's built on change and television and culture always changing trends, fashion.
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How does that impact your worldview?
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And did your own worldview draw you into fashion?
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Oh, that's a great question.
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Yeah, I think.
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That's a great question because fashion is about – fashion and art is a mirror to society and what's going on.
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I think they're constantly changing, and I do love that.
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I was drawn to fashion because I loved the power that it held and, like, how it made you feel.
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I also have a really fashionable mom.
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Yeah.
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It was the 1970s and everybody, you know, when they got dressed up to go, you got dressed for the occasion, I guess is the most important.
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So you wore a certain thing to church.
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I had like a Pierre Cardin, like 100% polyester rust colored leisure suit with like a silk staying alive Saturday night fever, like leisure shirt underneath.
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But that was like your church outfit.
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And then you had like school clothes and then you had –
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play clothes.
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And I like all those uniforms and how they allowed you to kind of be a chameleon and change your mood and change your confidence level.
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I think that's why I gravitated to Ralph Lauren and why I worked there because it was like, oh, I'm going to be a 1920s movie star.
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Now I'm a 1930s investment banker.
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And now I'm
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on the Wild West frontier with Buffalo Bill and I'm wearing no skin fringe.
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Like I loved all that, being able to change your personality, which is why I also love like theater and, you know, acting and being in shows because, you know, you put a costume on and it lets you be a different person for, you know, three hours.
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You mentioned your mom.
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What do you remember about your mom's fashion when you look back?
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Well, let's just say I'm from a bunch of no-nonsense Lutherans in Pennsylvania, Germans, so not the most festive people.
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I was like, what are feelings?
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I would go over to Italian friends.
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I was like, oh my God, people talk at dinner and yell and scream and have fun and laugh.
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I was like, this is
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Great.
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That being said, I have a fabulous mom who did a tremendous job.
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And I was a child of the 70s.
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OK. And, you know, you were not around them.
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But think of those TV shows.
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It was like Stephanie Powers and Robert Wagner and Heart to Heart and Dallas and Alice.
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Yes.
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Saturday Night Fever.
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Fashion was really big then.
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It was not as monotonous as it is now.
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I feel like now everyone, you know, everyone has Aloe and Ralph Lauren and like we all know the same brands.
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And while they're fine, they're not very individual.
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But fashion of the 70s was much more individual.
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There were smaller manufacturers.
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There weren't these big box stores, really.
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So it was very fabulous.
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It was very individual.
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And it was very glamorous.
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And even though I was not from a glamorous family and we didn't live in a glamorous town, we lived in the suburbs of Allentown, Pennsylvania, people still dressed for the occasion.
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You know, I remember not one particular outfit, but, you know, my mom would get dressed up to go to parties.
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You know, people would have parties in their homes.
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Like we didn't have country clubs or, you know, fancy restaurants where people would go to a cocktail party, like the ice storm, that movie about like Connecticut in the 70s.
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And I remember my mom wearing long like gowns, you know.
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Yeah.
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And they were very Bob Mackie.
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And they were very similar to what Carol Burnett would wear in the opening of her show, like a long gown.
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And it would be made out of lurex, which is like a filament that has like a gold metallic sheen to it.
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And this would just be like dinner at a friend's house in Pennsylvania.
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This would be like a cocktail party, you know, where they would have like, you know, fondue and martinis in somebody's house in the neighborhood.
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And that was a 70s kind of thing.
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I just remember it seemed so glamorous and my dad would wear like a blue blazer.
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And again, my dad was like a car guy.
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We were not fancy people, but you would get dressed up and wear like your shiny shoes and a blue blazer.
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And I just remember that.
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There was a sense of occasion to how you dressed.
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It was a simpler time, but in a way it was more elaborate.
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And your transition to the public might seem to many like it's the pivot.
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But there's every moment that got you there and there's a person you had to be in order to say yes.
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When did you know that Carson Gressley?
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And when did you believe in him?
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That's also a great question.
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Like I said earlier, you know, I was saying yes to things I probably shouldn't have been saying yes to like my entire life.
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Like, can you ride this horse?
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Absolutely.
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I had no idea what I was doing.
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Getting my job at Ralph Lauren, I didn't have a fashion education.
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I have a degree in finance and fine art.
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And that does give you a bit of an eye and also a way to navigate business and the corporate world.
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But I really didn't know what I was doing.
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And I just kind of put on the clothes and the wardrobe and then I figured the character out.
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Um, and same with Queer Eye.
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Like I was like, I've never done a reality show.
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I don't know what to do, but I was inspired by at the same time, Legally Blonde had just come out and I was like, I'm going to be, I'm going to be just like Elle Woods.
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I'm going to use confidence to, you know, pry the door open and get myself in there.
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And then I'm going to be so positive, uh, that they won't be able to say no to me.
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And they didn't.
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And, um, it worked and, um, here I am.
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But
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I don't think there was a moment where I was like, oh, I can do this.
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I think I just always had a little bit of weird self-confidence and like that reverse imposter syndrome where I was like, what's there to lose?
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But that not having a clear path was also, you know, one of the reasons why I was successful because I would just, I would find opportunities.
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I did things that spoke to my heart.
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And sometimes the path to success is not a straight line.
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Sometimes it's a zigzag.
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Yeah.
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00:17:35.458 --> 00:17:43.761
And you get to your destination, but maybe not in such a straightforward path like someone that knows exactly what they want to do.
271
00:17:44.021 --> 00:17:52.545
Were there any of those yeses that, once you said the yes, that you were in the door and then you were like, oh, hell, this is going to be really hard.
272
00:17:52.805 --> 00:17:54.205
I know you did Dancing with the Star Wars.
273
00:17:54.245 --> 00:17:55.506
I've heard that's crazy.
274
00:17:55.746 --> 00:17:55.946
Yeah.
275
00:17:56.366 --> 00:17:58.387
But was there one that stands out to you?
276
00:17:58.767 --> 00:18:00.047
Oh, yes.
277
00:18:00.568 --> 00:18:02.788
So around 12 years ago, I...
278
00:18:04.709 --> 00:18:07.890
I had an apartment in New York City, which I love and it's wonderful.
279
00:18:08.431 --> 00:18:12.372
And then like 12 years ago, I was probably like some in my early 40s.
280
00:18:12.432 --> 00:18:16.014
I was like, oh, I'd love to have like a weekend place, which sounds so daunting.
281
00:18:16.054 --> 00:18:17.934
Like who has two houses?
282
00:18:17.974 --> 00:18:19.095
Like that's insane to me.
283
00:18:19.935 --> 00:18:22.496
And it's not how I grew up or anything like that.
284
00:18:22.956 --> 00:18:26.958
But there was a house next to our family farm that I always admired.
285
00:18:26.978 --> 00:18:28.699
And I was like, oh, I would love to buy this.
286
00:18:29.399 --> 00:18:30.220
So I did.
287
00:18:30.260 --> 00:18:35.362
I took the plunge and I love having a country house and a farm, but I had to pay for it.
288
00:18:35.642 --> 00:18:40.444
And for like two years, this show, this crazy show called I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
289
00:18:40.924 --> 00:18:41.844
This is some real scoop.
290
00:18:41.864 --> 00:18:42.865
I've never talked about this.
291
00:18:43.245 --> 00:18:44.126
wanted me to do the show.
292
00:18:44.146 --> 00:18:45.227
And I was like, absolutely not.
293
00:18:45.247 --> 00:18:50.211
You have to like live in the jungle and eat bugs and ride a bicycle on a high wire over like the Grand Canyon.
294
00:18:50.251 --> 00:18:51.472
I was like, no, not me.
295
00:18:51.692 --> 00:18:53.613
And then they called back like the next year.
296
00:18:53.713 --> 00:18:57.476
And I was just like, it needs, I told my agent, it needs to be this much money.
297
00:18:57.656 --> 00:19:05.563
And I was like, they're never going to say yes, but it will help pay off my farm, which I was, you know, always very cognizant of like, you know, getting your things paid for.
298
00:19:06.003 --> 00:19:07.444
And then he called me the next day.
299
00:19:07.464 --> 00:19:08.685
He's like, guess what?
300
00:19:08.765 --> 00:19:10.546
You're going to Africa.
301
00:19:10.607 --> 00:19:11.127
And I was like,
302
00:19:14.107 --> 00:19:16.748
I didn't think they would actually say yes to this.
303
00:19:17.189 --> 00:19:18.589
No, I didn't think they would.
304
00:19:18.929 --> 00:19:20.570
So I didn't watch the show.
305
00:19:20.650 --> 00:19:23.312
I didn't want to know what they were going to have me do.
306
00:19:24.012 --> 00:19:25.993
And it was the Australian version.
307
00:19:26.073 --> 00:19:28.314
So I was like, oh, no one at home is going to see this.
308
00:19:28.374 --> 00:19:29.935
I won't look totally desperate.
309
00:19:30.335 --> 00:19:32.196
And because Australia has like...
310
00:19:32.856 --> 00:19:34.678
big spiders and scary snakes.
311
00:19:35.119 --> 00:19:37.081
They're just like, they don't even film it in Australia.
312
00:19:37.101 --> 00:19:46.693
They film it in Africa in like the jungle where it can be even probably more dangerous and, you know, bugs and animals that can kill you.
313
00:19:47.054 --> 00:19:48.976
So I shipped off to South Africa
314
00:19:50.017 --> 00:19:51.800
And we lived in a tent.
315
00:19:52.461 --> 00:19:56.105
And I, you know, literally I like ate a scorpion.
316
00:19:56.125 --> 00:20:03.234
I reverse bungee jumped where they tie you to like a big piece of ballast and you have a harness on.
317
00:20:03.254 --> 00:20:05.397
There's a clip in the back, a clip in the front.
318
00:20:05.957 --> 00:20:07.840
And then they unclip the back and then the...
319
00:20:08.593 --> 00:20:09.454
Oh, my God.
320
00:20:09.554 --> 00:20:11.737
It would be hiked by a crane.
321
00:20:11.777 --> 00:20:13.319
I exchanged it up in the air.
322
00:20:13.739 --> 00:20:17.143
And then I had to throw a basketball into a bucket of Kentucky fried chicken.
323
00:20:17.163 --> 00:20:19.206
It was insane, but I did really well at it.
324
00:20:19.246 --> 00:20:19.666
Who knows?
325
00:20:19.706 --> 00:20:20.267
Thank you, G5.
326
00:20:21.418 --> 00:20:28.067
That was one of those things where I was like, I can't believe I said yes to this, but I did it.
327
00:20:28.528 --> 00:20:34.496
And there's so many things now when people are like, oh, you probably can't go camping in like the Russian River.
328
00:20:34.536 --> 00:20:35.838
I was like, I can do anything.
329
00:20:35.858 --> 00:20:37.541
I can do anything at this point.
330
00:20:37.801 --> 00:20:38.282
Yes.
331
00:20:38.722 --> 00:20:46.773
Yeah, I don't know what year that was, but there were those glory days of reality TV shows where, you know, it was still kind of new.
332
00:20:47.454 --> 00:20:51.379
And it was the craviest TV ever, but it was so good.
333
00:20:51.760 --> 00:20:53.843
Because, I mean, there just weren't any boundaries yet.
334
00:20:54.790 --> 00:20:57.051
No, they never knew what was like inappropriate.
335
00:20:57.632 --> 00:20:59.633
They never knew what people wouldn't do.
336
00:21:00.073 --> 00:21:06.457
Yeah, it was like flavor of love and all these insane shows were happening.
337
00:21:07.298 --> 00:21:11.520
And it was kind of a golden era for reality TV.
338
00:21:11.540 --> 00:21:15.143
I think it was like, you know, early 2000s, mid 2000s.
339
00:21:15.463 --> 00:21:23.468
How has having an audience on TV for you or elsewhere taught you about your own values, your friendships or your privacy?
340
00:21:24.291 --> 00:21:26.394
Oh, well, I think authenticity is key.
341
00:21:26.594 --> 00:21:36.026
And I think if you go on to any kind of showbiz, but especially reality television, where it's based on you being your authentic self, you really need to be yourself.
342
00:21:36.186 --> 00:21:39.230
And if you're not, you're going to get tripped up in some way.
343
00:21:40.343 --> 00:21:42.685
Because the camera misses nothing.
344
00:21:43.166 --> 00:21:44.587
It's always rolling.
345
00:21:45.007 --> 00:21:45.808
You never know.
346
00:21:45.868 --> 00:21:48.150
Your sound pack is always on.
347
00:21:48.311 --> 00:21:51.774
So you've got to be who you are 24-7.
348
00:21:52.174 --> 00:21:55.337
And if you just stay authentic, you're not going to have to make any excuses.
349
00:21:55.938 --> 00:22:05.627
And hopefully you're a good person and you can just go through that process like you would in life and just, you know, being who you are and hopefully doing good things.
350
00:22:06.156 --> 00:22:06.436
Yes.
351
00:22:06.716 --> 00:22:07.777
Yeah, absolutely.
352
00:22:08.918 --> 00:22:11.500
You've kept your roots from your childhood in Pennsylvania.
353
00:22:11.680 --> 00:22:13.662
You have a horse farm there that you just spoke of.
354
00:22:14.342 --> 00:22:16.083
I know you grew up riding and competing.
355
00:22:16.424 --> 00:22:22.148
I wonder how something that stayed constant in your life might reflect or help you see what has changed in your life.
356
00:22:22.783 --> 00:22:24.824
Yes, that's also a great question.
357
00:22:24.984 --> 00:22:27.745
I think I'm very like ADD.
358
00:22:27.845 --> 00:22:30.306
I have a very cluttered mind in a good way.
359
00:22:30.326 --> 00:22:33.227
I'm always thinking about different things and being creative.
360
00:22:33.767 --> 00:22:38.569
But when your mind is very active like that, you need consistency.
361
00:22:38.589 --> 00:22:40.689
Like I need my house to be organized.
362
00:22:41.109 --> 00:22:43.870
I don't like a lot of crazy change.
363
00:22:44.431 --> 00:22:47.892
And having this through line of having horses and competing is,
364
00:22:48.652 --> 00:22:53.254
That kind of consistency, it's like having a stable home life.
365
00:22:53.634 --> 00:22:58.116
Oh, that was like a pun, stable.
366
00:22:58.457 --> 00:23:04.600
You just know that you have some ballast and something to anchor you in this life that can be very, very crazy.
367
00:23:04.620 --> 00:23:05.700
You're always traveling.
368
00:23:06.100 --> 00:23:08.521
People are asking you to do all these different things.
369
00:23:09.022 --> 00:23:11.963
But having that, it's like a family experience.
370
00:23:12.183 --> 00:23:13.924
And it's like a very stable home.
371
00:23:14.344 --> 00:23:15.885
I've always had that to go back to.
372
00:23:15.925 --> 00:23:17.765
The horses are incredibly grounding.
373
00:23:18.586 --> 00:23:20.407
They're extremely sensitive.
374
00:23:21.867 --> 00:23:28.670
They emit a certain electrical pulse or something that synchronizes your heart with their heart.
375
00:23:29.270 --> 00:23:31.611
So they're magical and they're very healing.
376
00:23:31.671 --> 00:23:32.592
So there's that part.
377
00:23:33.552 --> 00:23:39.135
And then the competition part is I'm with these people that I've known since I was 10 years old.
378
00:23:40.176 --> 00:23:41.496
It is a second family.
379
00:23:42.017 --> 00:23:45.038
It's incredibly comforting to go back to those environments.
380
00:23:45.679 --> 00:23:47.100
And people there...
381
00:23:48.256 --> 00:23:56.960
Like I saw this thing where Kylie Jenner did an interview and she's like, I show horses, but I do it under an alias and I wear like a disguise because I don't want to be like bothered or whatever.
382
00:23:57.500 --> 00:24:01.402
I was like, no one gives about me at the horse show, which is delightful.
383
00:24:01.422 --> 00:24:04.323
They're like, it's just you that we've known since you were 10 years old.
384
00:24:04.383 --> 00:24:06.584
We don't think you're special.
385
00:24:06.645 --> 00:24:09.286
We're going to you're going to get kicked like the rest of us.
386
00:24:09.766 --> 00:24:10.806
I really enjoy that.
387
00:24:10.826 --> 00:24:11.547
It's been a great experience.
388
00:24:12.600 --> 00:24:13.900
great constant in my life.
389
00:24:14.720 --> 00:24:20.762
And those constants allow you, back to your question, allow you to compare the progress you've made.
390
00:24:21.562 --> 00:24:35.325
And sometimes if I'm competing and the competition is kind of intense and you're nervous, I'm just like, my 10-year-old self with my $500 pony would be over the moon to just be here.
391
00:24:36.762 --> 00:24:39.263
I think that's a great metaphor.
392
00:24:39.303 --> 00:24:53.947
Anytime something is stressful, it's just like my younger self, when I have problems with my plumbing, I'm like my 20-year-old self would die to have a nice house or my 10-year-old self would die to be at this competition.
393
00:24:54.348 --> 00:24:57.469
It's a great reminder of how far you have come.
394
00:24:57.849 --> 00:25:01.510
It's a great reminder to be grateful for that progress.
395
00:25:01.610 --> 00:25:04.191
So any of those constants are great things.
396
00:25:05.111 --> 00:25:10.492
perspectives for, you know, how much you've hopefully improved.
397
00:25:10.992 --> 00:25:11.933
Do you have a favorite horse?
398
00:25:12.553 --> 00:25:22.035
My favorite one at home is named Bernie and he knows the sound of my car and he comes running for peppermints, which I sometimes feed him through the car window and he puts his whole head in there.
399
00:25:22.055 --> 00:25:23.716
I'm just like, Oh, don't do anything stupid.
400
00:25:23.736 --> 00:25:27.196
And like, you know, rip your head off or ruin my car.
401
00:25:28.017 --> 00:25:31.598
And then the one I compete with that I'm, you know, love very much right now.
402
00:25:31.658 --> 00:25:32.718
His name is Blake.
403
00:25:33.906 --> 00:25:37.175
And we're getting ready to go to the World Championships just next week.
404
00:25:37.256 --> 00:25:38.599
So let's go.
405
00:25:38.640 --> 00:25:41.528
Yeah, yeah, I'm very excited.
406
00:25:42.360 --> 00:25:50.422
It's anxiety producing, but I'm also, again, like trying to keep in mind, like I, as a young person, I would have died for an opportunity like this.
407
00:25:50.462 --> 00:25:52.923
So I need to enjoy every second of the process.
408
00:25:53.703 --> 00:25:57.664
I've been asking my guests all this question and I've been loving the answers they've been giving me.
409
00:25:57.884 --> 00:26:04.786
But every big change is a part that people celebrated and a part that was actually really hard that nobody really acknowledged.
410
00:26:05.666 --> 00:26:08.167
What's a part of your story that didn't get any applause?
411
00:26:08.763 --> 00:26:13.068
All the failures, you know, that doesn't usually get the attention and nor do we want it to.
412
00:26:13.168 --> 00:26:25.961
But, you know, there were times where like I didn't get jobs that I wanted or I've had terrible, you know, horse competitions where like bad things happen, like horse got sick or even died.
413
00:26:26.622 --> 00:26:30.125
So those are the sad moments, but they make you appreciate the great moments.
414
00:26:30.806 --> 00:26:31.026
Yeah.
415
00:26:31.987 --> 00:26:33.448
And I think it goes back to that whole thing.
416
00:26:33.468 --> 00:26:34.728
It's about perspective.
417
00:26:34.768 --> 00:26:45.072
Like people oftentimes, you know, only see, there's like some poster about success and it's like an iceberg and it just shows the tip and it's like, this is what people see.
418
00:26:45.372 --> 00:26:53.376
But then below the surface of the water is giant iceberg of all of the things, the good things, the bad things, the struggles, the triumphs.
419
00:26:53.776 --> 00:26:56.917
But all of that is what makes us, you know, unique.
420
00:26:56.957 --> 00:26:58.338
And I tell people all the time, like,
421
00:26:59.038 --> 00:27:02.839
There's no competition out there because nobody is like you.
422
00:27:02.959 --> 00:27:14.082
Nobody brings your life experiences and your trials and your tribulations and your triumphs to a role on TV, to a job, to something in the corporate, to parenting.
423
00:27:15.882 --> 00:27:18.683
So, you know, we have to celebrate the whole package.
424
00:27:19.283 --> 00:27:31.757
Carson, if there was someone listening today in the audience that had a similar story to yours or mine, that is maybe from a small community or or doesn't see a lot of people around them, like like the full version they want to be of themselves.
425
00:27:32.738 --> 00:27:38.924
Maybe not even somebody that's not out yet, but just somebody that's shrinking themselves or or feel like they can't.
426
00:27:39.565 --> 00:27:41.548
be the full version of who they are.
427
00:27:42.269 --> 00:27:50.881
What advice would you give that person today now that you're on the other side of all of this and sort of, you know, you keep going back to that 10-year-old version of yourself.
428
00:27:51.542 --> 00:27:53.225
What would you tell that audience member?
429
00:27:53.813 --> 00:28:01.940
I think the number one scariest thing and the thing that's so daunting is that you feel like you're the only person going through whatever you're going through.
430
00:28:01.960 --> 00:28:05.764
And I think the biggest message is that you're not alone.
431
00:28:05.784 --> 00:28:11.469
And maybe your community doesn't accept you or maybe your family doesn't accept you.
432
00:28:11.509 --> 00:28:13.751
But there is a world out there.
433
00:28:13.771 --> 00:28:14.071
Yeah.
434
00:28:14.772 --> 00:28:29.088
We live in a great time because of the internet and connectivity, and we have a window to the world, and there is a community out there for you, and you will find your tribe, and they will uplift you to...
435
00:28:31.227 --> 00:28:35.992
you know, take some of the load off your shoulders and allow you to, you know, flourish and be yourself.
436
00:28:36.372 --> 00:28:50.006
And that was something I didn't realize we were doing during Queer Eye that, you know, young people like you could be watching and be like, oh, my gosh, there are people like me or there's a place for me, which is it's so important.
437
00:28:51.402 --> 00:28:58.909
I was thinking about this, the crossroads of visibility and authenticity is, you know, like two plus two equals 500.
438
00:28:59.390 --> 00:29:05.275
It's so powerful because you see somebody like, oh, my gosh, there's a possibility there.
439
00:29:05.775 --> 00:29:06.676
I can be this.
440
00:29:07.597 --> 00:29:11.260
And then those people can add on to that and be their version of that.
441
00:29:11.700 --> 00:29:13.061
That's incredibly powerful.
442
00:29:13.682 --> 00:29:15.984
Didn't realize we were doing that during Queer Eye.
443
00:29:16.284 --> 00:29:24.630
But now that I work on another, I think, really important queer show being Drag Race, and because of technology and streaming,
444
00:29:25.471 --> 00:29:34.595
Young people all over the world can see, oh my gosh, I can use, as Ru loves to say, I can use all the different colors in the Crayola crayon box.
445
00:29:34.975 --> 00:29:38.897
There's so many different versions of queerness and what that means.
446
00:29:38.937 --> 00:29:42.958
And I can just, I can follow my heart and follow my authenticity.
447
00:29:43.478 --> 00:29:46.780
And I know there's people, other people like me out there.
448
00:29:46.900 --> 00:29:49.561
I think that's incredibly reassuring.
449
00:29:50.427 --> 00:29:53.369
Is there a version of Carson you're still figuring out?
450
00:29:53.689 --> 00:29:55.411
And what does that version look like?
451
00:29:55.951 --> 00:29:58.353
Oh, gosh, I think we all go through different phases.
452
00:29:58.393 --> 00:30:02.896
And sometimes it's defined by jobs or our circumstances.
453
00:30:02.956 --> 00:30:07.760
Like I divide mine into like, you know, time stamped eras.
454
00:30:07.800 --> 00:30:17.187
I had like my, you know, my growing up era, my high school era, my college era, my new to New York City era, my Ralph Lauren era, my Queer Eye era.
455
00:30:18.047 --> 00:30:20.770
my drag race era.
456
00:30:21.251 --> 00:30:34.324
And then when I think you get over 50, which you don't know about, I think all of that starts to melt together and you just become, you're like, you just settle into your authenticity even more and who you are.
457
00:30:35.485 --> 00:30:41.728
And it becomes less about eras and you just become more and more yourself, I hope, because you have perspective.
458
00:30:42.089 --> 00:30:43.489
You can see that landscape.
459
00:30:43.509 --> 00:30:44.390
You're kind of standing.
460
00:30:44.650 --> 00:30:48.432
You're standing at the precipice of like, oh, my gosh, now I'm going downhill again.
461
00:30:49.717 --> 00:30:56.902
I'm sorry to be a buzzkill, but you're like at the peak and you've seen a lot of your life and now you're getting ready for that other half.
462
00:30:57.662 --> 00:31:01.745
And I just think there's more settled into your skin.
463
00:31:02.185 --> 00:31:05.047
And I'm really hoping to embrace that.
464
00:31:05.127 --> 00:31:08.369
Like there's a lot of like awful things that come with being old.
465
00:31:08.389 --> 00:31:13.873
Like I have like age spots and like my hip hurts when I go out dancing too long.
466
00:31:13.893 --> 00:31:16.115
And I only I know it's only going to get worse.
467
00:31:16.915 --> 00:31:33.379
But I'm trying to lean into things like more confidence and not caring as much about what other people think and not hustling as much and enjoying the, you know, while I was swimming around in my pool the other day and I was like, oh, my God, I need to just soak this in.
468
00:31:33.399 --> 00:31:34.639
I've accomplished so much.
469
00:31:35.219 --> 00:31:36.219
I've done really well.
470
00:31:36.239 --> 00:31:37.560
I should be proud of myself.
471
00:31:37.680 --> 00:31:37.960
And like.
472
00:31:38.980 --> 00:31:41.222
I literally was like, you did this.
473
00:31:41.323 --> 00:31:42.864
No one else did this for you.
474
00:31:42.964 --> 00:31:43.945
You did it.
475
00:31:43.965 --> 00:31:46.948
So own it and have fun with it and enjoy it.
476
00:31:47.008 --> 00:31:50.851
So I'm going into my enjoyment phase, I hope.
477
00:31:51.572 --> 00:31:53.073
And you're so deserving.
478
00:31:53.093 --> 00:31:55.336
I mean, you have done so many things.
479
00:31:56.537 --> 00:31:58.817
incredible things in your life already.
480
00:31:58.877 --> 00:32:05.639
I mean, I think that it speaks volumes that you're now in that place in this new era where like now you just want to enjoy the next chapter.
481
00:32:06.299 --> 00:32:19.862
And I also love your transparency of like sharing that part of you because I think a lot of times people can see someone like yourself who's had all of this success and lived so much life and not think that they share the same feelings like you just explained.
482
00:32:19.902 --> 00:32:23.042
I mean, like you said, it's like compounding sharing with others.
483
00:32:23.062 --> 00:32:24.003
Like you're not alone.
484
00:32:24.023 --> 00:32:25.943
Like you're feeling the same things they are.
485
00:32:26.932 --> 00:32:28.873
I think we're all pretty much the same.
486
00:32:28.933 --> 00:32:36.197
And what we want is to be seen and to be loved and to eat really good pizza.
487
00:32:36.938 --> 00:32:38.398
I think that's what it's all about.
488
00:32:38.899 --> 00:32:39.439
I love that.
489
00:32:39.499 --> 00:32:39.739
Yeah.
490
00:32:40.380 --> 00:32:55.928
Well, coming from Queer Eye in 2003 and now on RuPaul and the visibility to our community that both shows are bringing, can you tell me about the shift in the audience as you've seen the Beatle move and what that's been like?
491
00:32:56.508 --> 00:33:08.916
Yeah, you know, like I said earlier, I'm incredibly proud to work to have worked on two really seminal queer shows being Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and now RuPaul's Drag Race.
492
00:33:09.376 --> 00:33:13.359
And what's similar about them is that they just show people.
493
00:33:14.179 --> 00:33:21.844
being their authentic selves, but also being celebrated and being elevated and being successful.
494
00:33:22.424 --> 00:33:25.806
And we've seen a lot of different types of people on Queer Eye.
495
00:33:25.826 --> 00:33:26.987
We've seen trans women.
496
00:33:27.027 --> 00:33:30.389
We've seen a straight guy on Drag Race.
497
00:33:30.909 --> 00:33:36.233
And we've seen the whole gamut of things that young people can see and say, there is a place for me.
498
00:33:36.533 --> 00:33:37.313
I fit in.
499
00:33:37.754 --> 00:33:39.094
And I can not only just be...
500
00:33:40.135 --> 00:33:42.016
I hate the word like tolerance.
501
00:33:42.136 --> 00:33:43.897
No one wants to be tolerated.
502
00:33:43.937 --> 00:33:47.780
You want to be you want to be celebrated for everything that you are.
503
00:33:48.500 --> 00:33:56.886
And I think as we become more and more aware of a society that there are people who are non-binary, there are people who, you know, identify as this, that, whatever.
504
00:33:57.865 --> 00:33:58.886
It's opening our eyes.
505
00:33:59.146 --> 00:34:07.072
And again, visibility and authenticity is so important because if you see it, you're like, oh, my gosh, that's how I feel.
506
00:34:07.253 --> 00:34:08.474
Oh, there's a place for me.
507
00:34:08.574 --> 00:34:10.355
I don't feel as alone.
508
00:34:11.176 --> 00:34:15.980
And I think that's what moved the needle forward, that kind of shared humanity.
509
00:34:16.580 --> 00:34:18.482
And it transcends all of the political...
510
00:34:18.942 --> 00:34:25.024
that's happening and all of the intolerance and this is wrong and that's not acceptable.
511
00:34:25.604 --> 00:34:29.426
It just it shows the human experience in a very authentic way.
512
00:34:29.446 --> 00:34:39.590
And I don't want to make it like all hoity toity and high and mighty, but showing people living their best life, being celebrated for exactly who they are is really powerful.
513
00:34:39.930 --> 00:34:41.390
And I'm proud to be a part of it.
514
00:34:42.011 --> 00:34:42.251
Yes.
515
00:34:42.631 --> 00:34:43.231
Well, thank you.
516
00:34:43.351 --> 00:34:43.591
Yeah.
517
00:34:44.291 --> 00:34:45.692
We're going to jump into my pile of shifts.
518
00:34:47.191 --> 00:34:51.453
What book, quote, or song do you return to when you feel out of sync with yourself?
519
00:34:53.154 --> 00:34:54.874
Oh, gosh.
520
00:34:56.155 --> 00:34:59.136
It's probably not a book.
521
00:34:59.897 --> 00:35:12.963
One of my favorite songs to get psyched up for anything, and whether it's a horse show or going to work or, like, just going to an event, like my Getting Ready song to really just feel empowered and fierce is...
522
00:35:14.647 --> 00:35:17.090
I think it's called Unstoppable by Sia.
523
00:35:17.731 --> 00:35:18.892
It's so good.
524
00:35:18.932 --> 00:35:22.516
I mean, I feel like I could, you know, like, you know, go to the moon on that one.
525
00:35:22.537 --> 00:35:24.539
I was like, of course my car can drive to the moon.
526
00:35:24.579 --> 00:35:26.621
I just listened to Unstoppable by Sia.
527
00:35:26.862 --> 00:35:29.545
What's one thing that has never changed and you're glad about it?
528
00:35:30.700 --> 00:35:32.681
Oh, let's see.
529
00:35:32.701 --> 00:35:36.183
I think like, you know, love and support from my family.
530
00:35:36.243 --> 00:35:37.864
That's like the most important thing.
531
00:35:38.244 --> 00:35:42.646
And then, of course, having the horses and that kind of constant in my life, which we talked about.
532
00:35:43.667 --> 00:35:44.107
That's good.
533
00:35:44.427 --> 00:35:47.669
I love that Ralph Lauren is still like kind of Ralph Lauren.
534
00:35:47.709 --> 00:35:49.109
That's also a great constant.
535
00:35:49.129 --> 00:35:50.530
That brings me great comfort.
536
00:35:51.351 --> 00:35:53.732
When I put the clothes on, I think about working there.
537
00:35:53.812 --> 00:35:55.493
And it's still very, very similar.
538
00:35:56.293 --> 00:36:03.279
And I love that consistency and that commitment to their authentic brand identity.
539
00:36:03.959 --> 00:36:05.721
Bravest thing you've done in sweatpants?
540
00:36:06.842 --> 00:36:10.185
Oh, I'm very rarely in sweatpants.
541
00:36:10.585 --> 00:36:17.350
But if it was brave, it would have been like, you know, going to the airport or going out in public because I try to never do that.
542
00:36:17.971 --> 00:36:21.194
What's the one item from your wardrobe that represents you best?
543
00:36:22.324 --> 00:36:24.226
Oh, hmm.
544
00:36:25.126 --> 00:36:28.209
It's probably a Ralph Lauren cashmere cable knit sweater.
545
00:36:28.409 --> 00:36:31.211
It is like always cuddly, always stylish.
546
00:36:31.872 --> 00:36:34.474
It's relaxed, but it somehow feels dressy.
547
00:36:35.354 --> 00:36:41.339
If I could come back as a clothing item, that would be like people always say, if you were a tree, what would you be?
548
00:36:41.399 --> 00:36:47.724
Well, if I was a clothing item, I'd be a Ralph Lauren cashmere cable knit sweater because it comes in delicious colors.
549
00:36:47.824 --> 00:36:48.685
It's comforting.
550
00:36:48.705 --> 00:36:49.205
It's comforting.
551
00:36:49.525 --> 00:36:51.526
And it's casually elegant.
552
00:36:51.626 --> 00:36:52.647
So I'd want to be that.
553
00:36:54.168 --> 00:36:56.169
Are you team early bird or night owl?
554
00:36:57.469 --> 00:37:00.811
Oh, I was always team night owl.
555
00:37:01.091 --> 00:37:13.998
And if I'm packing for a trip or if I'm doing a presentation or if I'm learning a script or pitching a show, I'm always working on those creative processes like into the wee hours, like, you know, two, three o'clock in the morning.
556
00:37:15.479 --> 00:37:17.900
But now as I've gotten older and I'm, you know,
557
00:37:19.531 --> 00:37:20.951
get tired earlier.
558
00:37:21.271 --> 00:37:24.272
I've also learned like the beauty of the early morning.
559
00:37:24.312 --> 00:37:32.053
So I would say I'm very polarized now where it's like, I love early mornings and I love late nights.
560
00:37:32.793 --> 00:37:36.374
And I'm not crazy about three o'clock in the afternoon anymore.
561
00:37:36.454 --> 00:37:38.054
That's kind of like the no man's limer.
562
00:37:38.074 --> 00:37:39.655
I was like, am I hungry?
563
00:37:39.755 --> 00:37:40.655
Am I sleepy?
564
00:37:40.715 --> 00:37:41.855
Do I need a coffee?
565
00:37:41.955 --> 00:37:44.075
Like that's where I don't like to be.
566
00:37:44.656 --> 00:37:47.176
What's one word to describe the voice inside your head?
567
00:37:48.824 --> 00:37:53.294
Probably it's erratic because it is all over the place.
568
00:37:54.076 --> 00:37:56.121
What's a version of success you no longer chase?
569
00:37:57.533 --> 00:37:58.834
I guess perfection.
570
00:37:59.475 --> 00:38:04.820
I think as you get older, you realize that you can be successful and it doesn't have to be doesn't have to be everything.
571
00:38:04.840 --> 00:38:07.622
You don't have to be successful in every aspect of your life.
572
00:38:07.642 --> 00:38:11.405
You don't have to have the perfect body and the gorgeous house and the fancy car and all that.
573
00:38:11.425 --> 00:38:19.252
Like, I think sometimes success is just happiness also and learning to be happy with what you have.
574
00:38:20.773 --> 00:38:23.856
If your life's not chapter titles, what would this chapter be called?
575
00:38:25.340 --> 00:38:27.501
Aches, pains, and renewed confidence.
576
00:38:28.681 --> 00:38:29.202
I love that.
577
00:38:30.922 --> 00:38:35.164
If you could erase one of your failures from history, would you, why or why not?
578
00:38:36.745 --> 00:38:40.587
Oh, that time I wore parachute pants for my eighth grade picture.
579
00:38:41.227 --> 00:38:42.868
No, I don't think I'd want to erase them.
580
00:38:42.908 --> 00:38:44.488
I think, again, you know, perspective.
581
00:38:44.508 --> 00:38:47.029
They're great reminders of how far we can come.
582
00:38:47.590 --> 00:38:50.871
They're also stepping stones to success.
583
00:38:50.931 --> 00:38:52.272
Like, you know, if you...
584
00:38:53.012 --> 00:38:54.833
The only failure is not trying.
585
00:38:54.873 --> 00:39:00.377
I know that's so cliche and it's like very like Vince Lombardi or something, but that would be the only one.
586
00:39:00.397 --> 00:39:02.798
Like if I didn't try something, I would have regretted that.
587
00:39:02.918 --> 00:39:04.159
I would want to hide that.
588
00:39:04.359 --> 00:39:06.801
So get out there and just try and do it.
589
00:39:06.821 --> 00:39:07.842
I love that.
590
00:39:08.122 --> 00:39:09.543
Well, thank you for being here today.
591
00:39:10.333 --> 00:39:11.874
We all know a person like this.
592
00:39:12.255 --> 00:39:14.496
Easy cheerleader and the constant supporter.
593
00:39:14.677 --> 00:39:16.558
But Carson Kressley is something different.
594
00:39:16.658 --> 00:39:17.399
He's excited.
595
00:39:17.619 --> 00:39:18.239
He's present.
596
00:39:18.440 --> 00:39:20.301
He does it scared and without apology.
597
00:39:20.501 --> 00:39:27.087
And most importantly, Carson does everything he does in order to make the table a little bit bigger for the people who haven't sat down yet.
598
00:39:27.227 --> 00:39:28.368
It's the way he's always lived.
599
00:39:28.728 --> 00:39:33.432
Out loud, unwavering, and aware of the power his voice can carry toward progress.
600
00:39:33.712 --> 00:39:36.673
Because we are constantly changing, growing, shedding.
601
00:39:36.814 --> 00:39:39.175
And Carson is proof that we don't have to do it alone.
602
00:39:39.455 --> 00:39:41.896
So be gentle, be brave, be curious.
603
00:39:42.136 --> 00:39:44.197
Because after all, you're the shift.
604
00:39:44.517 --> 00:39:47.539
Listen weekly on Wednesdays, wherever you get your podcasts.
