Episode 94: Hayley Hasselhoff, Body Image Confidence

HAYLEY HASSELHOFF 

 

Hayley Hasselhoff is not one to be pigeonholed. The American beauty is an actress, model, fashion designer, singer, art director, writer and she’s an advocate for positive body image. She’s already made incredible strides in the fashion world and has made the commitment to advocate for diversity and inclusion in fashion. 

 

Hayley made her fashion debut at the age of 14, signing with world-renowned modelling agency Ford Models. More than a decade later, the 5’7 star has achieved success-after-success, adding multiple international fashion magazine covers to her ever-growing CV, including SLiNK, Very UK and Bello. She’s headlined several runway shows and walked in numerous fashion weeks, such as UK Plus Size Fashion Week, Paris Pulp Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week and during the Sheego show at Berlin Fashion Week. She’s regularly seen gracing the pages of Glamour, Teen Vogue, InStyle UK, Seventeen, Marie Claire UK, Runway, PEOPLE, Access Hollywood, as well as providing the latest fashion tips and tricks to the viewers of GMA, TODAY and many other morning and talk back TV shows. 

 

Aside from being one of the world’s leading curve models, Hayley’s other passion is acting. She’s starred in the ABC family drama series, Huge, playing the lead role of Amber. From there, she featured in Disney XD’s, Pair of Kings, as Sasha and in the musical comedy feature, Fearless. as Rebecca. She recently had a cameo in Sharknado 4, released in July 2016. Hayley also had a cameo role in the sci-fi film, Sharknado 4 and played Hannah in Loosely Exactly Nicole for Facebook Watch. In 2019, she will appear in the CBS series Why Women Kill.

 

Hayley is highly regarded as a leader and an expert in the fashion field, and as a result of this, she appeared as a judge and mentor on Scandinavia’s Next Top Model. The show aired throughout Sweden, Denmark and Norway and received high praise for including the show’s first-ever curve addition. Hayley was also commended for her honest approach to giving feedback and to providing invaluable advice to the budding models on how to leave their own mark in the fashion world.

While helping women to look their best, Hayley is also determined they feel their best in their chosen outfits, and that was one of the reasons she decided to make the leap in her career to fashion designer. After years of struggling to find quality pieces that fit her own enviable curves, Hayley made it her mission to create timeless pieces, that not only reflected her own style, but fit women of all sizes. So she jumped at the chance to partner with UK plus size apparel brand Elvi to make her first-ever clothing collection. She’s released two collections so far, which have been sold through Nordstrom, Next, Navabi and Elvi.co.uk, and have garnered worldwide praise.

 

Not satisfied with just designing and showcasing clothes, Hayley also writes about them as a Curve Columnist for Marie Claire UK. Hayley creative directs everything curve for the magazine ,whilst styling and modelling in each months issue. She also ensures she keeps her finger on the pulse on anything fashion related, especially what’s available in the worldwide curve market. And to add to this, Hayley is also This Morning’s resident Curve Style Expert and is the recipient of Best Plus Size Model Award.

 

Apart from her extensive fashion and acting abilities, Hayley is also a passionate advocate, speaking up on issues that relate to women’s health and equality. She regularly travels across the country and the globe to mentor and promote positive body image and confidence to young women. And in 2015, Hayley spoke in Parliament to petition for a law to protect the health of models working in the fashion industry. Plus, she’s founded Teens Helping Teens, which has raises money for the Children’s Hospital LA, and is also a supporter of Wheels for Humanities and Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Hayley’s exceptional work ethics are undeniably recognized in everything that she does. She gives her all and excels in the projects that she pursues. Not one to sit back, Hayley is championing change and committed to promoting positive experiences in fashion, walking the path of a truly inspiring role model.

Intro Voices  00:04

Where do I go? It only happened once. I was singled out. The phone calls began about one month ago. What is hazing? Something happened to me when I was younger. I'm worried about my safety. He said he was sorry. Can someone help me. Where can I get help? 

 

Karen Ortman  00:30

This is you matter, a podcast for the NYU community developed by the Department of campus safety. Hi everyone and welcome back to you matter, a podcast created to teach, inspire and motivate members of the NYU community who have been victimized in some form or fashion, and so identify resources both on and off campus that can help. I am your host Karen Ortman, Associate Vice President of campus safety operations at the Department of Campus Safety, and a retired law enforcement professional. Today I welcome Haley Hasselhoff, Haley is an actress, curve model and body confidence activist who appeared on such shows as Baywatch, Huge, Pair of Kings, and Why Women Kill. Haley also graced our screens to give us a fashion tips as the resident style host for Good Morning America's Stray Han Sarah and Kiki. At the age of 14, Haley made her fashion debut by signing with a world renowned modeling agency Ford models. Today, Haley is one of the world's leading curve models and is on a mission to help women look their best and accept their curvy bodies. Haley, welcome to you, Mater.

 

Haley Hasselhoff  01:43

Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to have this conversation with you all

 

Karen Ortman  01:47

I am, too. And I think it's such an important conversation. I've wanted to have this for a long time. So thank you so much for fitting us into your schedule.

 

Haley Hasselhoff  01:55

Oh, I'm very, very excited to speak with you. I love the concept of the show. And I think it's super important to support students throughout their journey and to allow them to know that it's okay to not be okay, and that we all go through different things in our lives. Yeah.

 

Karen Ortman  02:09

Let's start by talking about your childhood. What was your childhood, like growing up with two parents in the public eye?

 

Haley Hasselhoff  02:17

You know, I didn't know anything different. I think, you know, when you're born into an industry, or you're born into a specific family that's known for something outside of just being themselves, you sort of just adapt to it very quickly. Because it's the only thing that you know, I think growing up and then becoming a teenager, I started to identify with it a little bit more and understood that there were things about our family that was a little bit different than maybe others. But we grew up with a very blessed family. And we know my family is so close knit. So I was really, really blessed to have that at such a young age, we were all best friends. And we traveled with my father when he was on set. So that really allowed us to see the world at a very young age. And, you know, we I look back and I go, you know, we were very privileged in the position that we were in. Yeah. But you know, there were definitely moments and challenging things to have to overcome. I think being in the public eye. What people forget is a lot of the things that are family manners can then be blown out of proportion in the media, and you have this weight on your shoulders to feel as if people have a perception of who you are before you even like spoken. So that's happened, of course to myself, many different times in my childhood. And I think it's one of those things where I've realized, you know, it's not my duty to have to go and make an announcement to everybody else. It's about knowing my own truth, the importance of knowing your own truth and how to feel confident and just that

 

Karen Ortman  03:46

No, and just for the benefit of our listening audience, your father is David Hasselhoff. And your mother is

 

Haley Hasselhoff  03:54

Pamela Bok Hasselhoff.

 

Karen Ortman  03:56

yes. You know, still quite the celebrities today, but very much celebrities, you know, in their, the 80s and 90s. Did you feel like your appearance as a child was scrutinized, much like an adult would be scrutinized an adult celebrity would be scrutinized?

 

Haley Hasselhoff  04:26

I don't know if I necessarily felt any different or I knew anything different. You know, I only knew my experience as being a younger girl who was curvy I, you know, I did experience bullying and things when I was in sort of my transformative years. I think what we forget so much is that when you're growing into your figure, as a young girl, or young boy or non binary, you know, you start to not understand why you're not developing like the person next to you and no one really tells you that so when you start to become a little bit curvier or you get a bust earlier than the next person and you start to feel like you're identified a little bit more by your finger than anything else. Yeah. And I definitely felt that as a young girl, whether that had anything to do with the industry or not, I had the exact same experience as many other people do. But, but it was, it was definitely heightened in the sense of there are a lot more documentations of my childhood and the evolution of myself that's out there in the public eye, than maybe the next person. So those years that may have been a bit troubling for myself, you know, are easily found and are points where, you know, I think back in the day, so many people talk about how my father was on such a show that was around society's standards of beauty. Yet, you know, I was the curvy daughter of his so it was, you know, I look back, and I definitely see that maybe there might have been ways that people could have spoken about my weight in the public eye. But I know that I had such an amazing family that were so supportive of just wanting me to feel beautiful in my own skin, that no matter what somebody said to me at school, I had a safe place to go home to

 

Karen Ortman  06:11

You're so lucky. So lucky. Yeah, you spoke of bullying when you were younger? In what ways were you bullied?

 

Haley Hasselhoff  06:20

When I say that I was bullied, it's hard for me to say, because now where I am in my place of my life, and where I have been for the past, you know, 10, almost 15 years of my life, I've been very blessed to find a community of people who celebrate me for who I am. So when I look back at those times of when I was bullied, it's hard to necessarily pinpoint each specific time. Because I also hear so many other people's stories of being bullied. And I feel like mine was so little compared to everybody else. But that, but I also think, you know, it's not right, not validate the experiences that you have had as your own. Yeah, because every experience can inflict you, it's not about comparing, right. But I think my experiences were really much a lot of name calling. And, you know, switching schools was really difficult for me because I was known as the fat girl. And, you know, that lives with you in some capacity. Now, what I will say is that I was always very vivacious. And I was always very proud. And, you know, I look at the little girl that I was who was being bullied and she would cry without anyone knowing. And you know, and I would, I would put on a brave face that I was okay, and that I was going to be okay. But when I speak about it with my family or my friends today, sometimes it can get a little bit blurred because I'm so in this world of IT DIDN'T inflict any pain on me to a place where it still lives with me. Yet they remind me of the times that it did really hurt. And then it was a challenging point of time for me.

 

Karen Ortman  07:58

Yeah. So how did it happen that you broke into modeling at 14?

 

Haley Hasselhoff  08:07

Well, I always knew I wanted to be an actress. I always loved theater, I loved being able to just express my emotions through somebody else and to for the live for the connection. And my dad's publicists. And this is where I think the family really came into play of introducing me into this industry at a young age. So you know, have you ever thought about plus size modeling, and I never thought about modeling, I didn't even know that there was plus size modeling out there. And I got signed with Ford right away, and I became their spokesperson for tour Ed, where I would travel around America while they were having these competitions for these girls to be able to be in their next campaign and I was the model who would show up and speak on behalf of the brand. And in that, in that period of my life. In that time, I really got to recognize that wow, there are so many other girls that look like me that feel like me that that beauty comes in all different shapes and sizes. And now that's me being 14/15 years old, still having obviously my mom had to travel with me, right working because I was so young. And I was seeing these girls wait in line just to be able to get the opportunity to possibly become a model for this brand. And hearing their stories of while your mom looks so much you have the same similarities. Your mom's a lot smaller than me I've never felt that there was somebody else that had their mom that was smaller than me. And it was these little stories of connection and relatability that started to make me go wow, this is something that really needs to be spoken up a lot more about and how can I be a part of that change? Not just in the modeling industry, but just as a whole. 

 

Karen Ortman  09:45

Yeah. There are so many people out there who have a similar story as you I'm one of them. I have two sisters that are so petite and small. And yeah, and then there's me who's taller and orange. And, and not petite and small. So it's the joke amongst me and my sisters, but I would have loved to have found somebody like you when I was younger, it would have made all the difference in the world, which is why I was so excited to talk to you today because I know that there are many others like you, like me, that are out there. And this is going to be very meaningful. 

 

Haley Hasselhoff  10:32

Yeah. Thank you.

 

Karen Ortman  10:32

 Yeah. So you started modeling at 14. So how has your career in modeling evolved over time? So that was like 15 years, you've had been a model for 15 years,

 

Haley Hasselhoff  10:46

I've been doing this for a moment, they, you know, it shifted, it shifted a lot. And in the most beautiful ways, I have to say, because when I first started at 14/15, you know, I was working for only a handful brands, but I was working for them consistently. But it was it was challenging, because I would go back to school and people would kind of mock me for being a model because nobody knew it plus size modeling was. And it actually got to a place where I left my high school and actually was homeschooled not only because it was modeling so much, but also it just really didn't want to run into that anymore and having to explain myself into because when I would go on set, I was so celebrated. And I was so loved and it was the thing of you know, I love your figure for who you are. And it's a beautiful way forward. But when I went back to school, sometimes it felt a little bit challenging of having to explain myself, and I didn't like being in that environment. So I kept on modeling. And then I actually booked the lead on a series called Huge on ABC Family, where I played Amber and Amber actually a scripted series. But Amber dealt with body dysmorphia. And so it was always sort of in line with everything I was already speaking about whether that would have been in the modeling industry, or through acting, there was always this higher power telling me that this was the voice that I needed to have. And this was the voice that I was put on this earth to talk about. So I stopped modeling for a period of time when I was focusing on acting.

 

Karen Ortman  12:14

Some of our listeners may or might not know what body dysmorphia means. So if you can explain that.

 

Haley Hasselhoff  12:21

well, body dysmorphia, I would say is having an altered idea of what your body looks like. So it can feel different for each and every person so I can't speak on somebody else's experience. I've never struggled personally with body dysmorphia, but my character Amber's did, right. And so it taught me at a very young age, the understanding of vocabulary which is used that sometimes can actually free you when you feel like you identify with something. And it you know what it allowed me as an actor in the beauty of acting is that you put yourself in somebody else's shoes, but then you heightened things about yourself and you diminish other things. And it put me in this really interesting place in my life as developing as a, you know, late teenager of having to go What of this applies to me? Yeah, what's my story? And how does this apply to what Amber's feeling, and I got to learn so much more, not just about this word of, you know, feeling conflicted within your body image or your self image, but going deeper and understanding the psychological part of it, and how, you know, you really can trick your mind at times to feel that other people's opinions are more valued than yourselves. And so it taught me a lot. And I think that it's one in which for many people, if they start to identify with something that other people are struggling with, as well, it makes them feel a little bit freer, it makes them understand that it's okay, that they're in that position, and that we have other steps or tools that we can all help each other with to get through those points in our lives. Yeah. At what point

 

Karen Ortman  13:59

would you say that your journey to self love, like really loving who you are? When did that begin?

 

Haley Hasselhoff  14:07

You know, I feel like I've always had a sense of self love and me. I really, really do. I you know, I think that I found at a very young age, I went through a lot of other things that were quite traumatic in my childhood. And through those points of time, outside of just body image, I started to recognize that I had to be my own best friend and my own cheerleader. And so I look back at those times and I just always want to applaud myself because I'm like, girl, you got through it, but you got through it because you knew you needed you. And then you know, fast forward into the professional achievements that I was having. It allowed me to start to identify even more within myself love Journey just because of the words that I was speaking, and I didn't want to preach something that I didn't already feel. But I don't think that until I was really in my early 20s, that I went on a full self-love journey of finding the things that would work for me on days that I might have a flare up or a triggered moment when it came to anxiety or social anxiety and other things that I dealt with. So, you know, but that comes with time. And I think that comes with age. And I think it comes with, you know, the burning yearn to want to better yourself. And back then we didn't have social media, like we have social media today. Yeah, we have so many more ways in which you can fast forward that growth at a younger age, because it's being taught to you by so many different people who are just giving their lived experiences to somebody else to not only say you're not alone, but to also say that, hey, I've been there. And this is what helps me maybe let me influence you to see if this will help you as well.

 

Karen Ortman  15:57

Where does this wisdom come from? Oh, I mean, I didn't get to where you are until, like 10 years ago?

 

Haley Hasselhoff  16:08

Yeah, no, I think I like I said before, I think I've really always been very resilient, and being my own best friend, and very resilient. And knowing that taking care of me was a very big priority, and not for anybody else. But for myself, and my work has really always been my saving grace. I'm a workaholic. At its best. I love working. And it's not because of the life it gives me it's because of the feeling it provides. And so when you find purpose, and what you love to do, and then also have to, you know, you have to imagine I was traveling so much at such a young age on my own. And I my work meant so much to me. So I was always so professional. In my mind, it was like, okay, instead of going to have dinner in this new country, with the people you're working with, go home, do a facial take care of yourself. And I think I look back at those moments. And I go, I didn't even realize that I was actually listening to what my body needed. And I didn't have any shame towards that. I knew that in order to do the best job that I could do for myself, and to be in a great headspace I needed to take care of being. And so I think a lot of the wisdom and the wise comes from listening to myself without shame, knowing what my body needs, and knowing that it's okay, to not be okay, and still show up for yourself.

 

Karen Ortman  17:32

So what about those moments that aren't so great for you? That you have to have those days, much like we all do, where we, you know, look in the mirror, and we're not really liking what we're seeing? What coping mechanisms do you employ to get yourself out of that sort of rut?

 

Haley Hasselhoff  17:53

Well, I first want to say that I have those days too. And it's normal, completely normal. And I'll start by just saying this, because I think it's something that I kind of came to terms with over the pandemic is this idea of our evolution of self. Because one day, we can feel super confident loving our bodies, loving our curves and thinking, I can own the world. And then the next day, or the next moment after a phone call or something that may trigger us, inspire us and take us to a whole different place. Now. We forget that we are as we evolve within ourself, we involve within our physical bodies as well. So we're always going to be hitting these ups and these downs in these around moments, there's always going to be new challenges and hurdles, because we're always going to be experiencing new surroundings. So it's about having that toolbox to revert back to on those days. And like I just said, knowing that it's okay, if you need to take a moment to validate your feelings, process them, and then move on. And so what I mean by that is, if the best thing you can do out of one of those days is get up and shower and get back into bed and watch movies, you do that there's nothing wrong with that, you know, there are some times we need to be able to say that it's okay for us to be able to sit in our feelings for a moment to be able to process them. Now what I will say is on the days that I have those moments, and I've got to go to set or we have an obligation to go to right, it's really trying to one live without self-judgment. So don't judge yourself for being in that position. Because that's okay, you start to judge yourself, then you are already putting not only the weight of the world that you're feeling, but then the weight of yourself on you as well. So you got to try and block through living without self-judgment, and then focusing on the three M's and that's what I always preach, which is mindfulness, movement and mental engagement. Mindfulness can be something as simple as when you are getting out of bed and you're taking that shower, you're mindful that that water is going over For your body and washing away all the negativity that you feel has arise within yourself. It's being mindful when you're brushing your teeth through looking up to see not to be seen. I think it's something as simple as just really being mindful with who you are, what you are doing in the tasks that you have. movements can be something as simple as doing three to five stretches when you get out of bed. You know, it's just about circulating your blood flow. I'm really a big believer of the chapur, which the Chinese medicine tool, it's a bamboo stick, and I just tap to really circulate my blood flow, if I'm having a challenging moment where I'm starting to get anxious or have anxiety starting to rise. I'm also essential oils, I mean, even on my desk right now, I've got like, essential oils, and I've got quartz crystals. And what I mean by that these little things are, it's finding things that you know, make you feel connected to yourself. So that could be anything but I do think mindfulness movements, and then mental engagement. And what I mean by mental engagement is get your thoughts out. So that could be validating yourself by doing something that you know that you're good at, and that you love and having a challenging conversation or debate with somebody about it. Or it could be something as simple as just picking up the phone, and speaking to a loved one or a friend, you just want to make sure that you're starting to have your thoughts process. And you're starting to actually validate what you're feeling inside and outside.

 

Karen Ortman  21:32

And you can do these things at any time of the day when that sort of anxiety hits you. Which is a good thing,

 

Haley Hasselhoff  21:38

anytime of the day, I always said the best tool that you can ever find. That is something that is with you. 24/7 is breath work, you know, breath work is a wonderful way to start to connect back to yourself in those moments. And to recognize that you're here, you're grounded, and you're safe. And I'm talking about a lot of these things. I know we're talking a lot about body image. But you know, I have spoken quite a few now on you know, being a mental health advocate and my story with mental health. And I say these things that rely more towards just mental health than in a hole, but also your body image. Because for myself, I've recognized that when my mental health is suffering, the first thing that goes is my self-image or my body image in my relationship with it. So

 

Karen Ortman  22:25

meaning you get you become more critical. You become more critical of yourself in those moments. Okay.

 

Haley Hasselhoff  22:31

Yeah. I think I become more critical. I are, you know, hard on myself that I'm not doing enough for that this isn't the path that I'm supposed to be on. I question it, you know, and so I think, and those are normal thoughts and feelings that we all have periods of our life, but it's great to be able to have tools that will help you reconnect to who you are, and to know your truth, and to allow yourself to take that moment to validate it to process it to then be able to get up and start again tomorrow.

 

Karen Ortman  23:01

Now. How do you handle criticism?

 

Haley Hasselhoff  23:05

I deal with criticism by knowing that hurt people hurt people. I also deal with criticism by knowing that social media and you know, the industry in itself, you only get to see one side of who I am. Yeah, you know, that's the one negative thing I think about social media, I hate that people can judge you off of a picture or two, you know, it's like, I wish people could see that there's so many different layers to who I am. And there's so many different layers to every person, right? But you get to show that in different aspects of your life. So you know, I really do deal with it by just knowing that the best way to handle any of those situations is to really know that it's not about you, that these people, the best way to kill it is to kill it with kindness, and to really try and be there for them. Because if somebody is going to take the time to try and say hurtful things, they're obviously going through something and it's a form obviously, of, of getting people to see them, you know, getting people to see that they're there. And I think sometimes they just want the recognition. And that's okay, we you know, it makes me want to put my arms around you by saying like, you're here. I see you. You're welcome to the party. Whether you have a opinion about me that I agree with or not.

 

Karen Ortman  24:23

Yeah. So they're not getting a reaction from you. And you know, I love what you said, because I agree with it hurt people hurt people. Yeah, yeah. Don't you find it interesting how women are scrutinized in terms of their body. And men are not.

 

Haley Hasselhoff  24:46

Well, I like to debate on that event, just because I think Jonah Hill, you know, has just come out talking about how he does not want to be scrutinized for his body and that you know, it does affect men as well. So I think that it affects everyone. Now do I think that of course, women have had it a lot harder than men throughout the many years? Definitely. But I think that men necessarily, are just as much. People who feel it as deeply as we do.

 

Karen Ortman  25:18

I'm not suggesting, yeah, I'm sorry, I'm not suggesting that it doesn't hurt them. I saw that. That social media post involving Jonah Hill. Yeah, what I'm suggesting is that the scrutiny about a man's body, yes, it might happen, on occasion does not rise to the level of the scrutiny that women endure,

 

Haley Hasselhoff  25:42

I would just, I would just say that I think that any scrutiny towards anyone's body is wrong, is wrong. And you know, and for, for just, there's just so many reasons, it's just, it's not just because of the physical attributes or standards of beauty, there's so many reasons you do not know that person when what they are going through. And it's not their obligation to have to tell you what they're going through. Right. You know, and so I think that there's so many different layers, and I it's just more about being able to showcase the more and more people that can come out to be able to be represented within Media and within fashion and show more size inclusivity and inclusivity. In general, it allows us to feel represented, accepted and heard, which then will trail into our own personal lives and stories. So you know, it's just, it's completely wrong, that we do get, you know, called out for how our bodies look, when, in fact, it's really should be more about the kindness that we share with one another, the achievements that we are making, the community building that we are having by even just storytelling through acting, yeah, you know, that I'm talking about all these different people that are in the industry and their specific moments in terms, it's like, you know, Lizzo, for instance, I mean, she's wonderful when she's doing, you know, and being able to kind of clap back to different people on tik tok about her own, you know, her own body and her representation of it is just wonderful. But then again, it does, it breaks your heart to think that she even has to do that. She's so beautiful, and she's so talented. And she's changing the way for so many different people in this world. And so to think that we're still at a place where people want to tear other people down, to make themselves feel better in some aspect of times, is really, really a hard now to watch. Yet you do have to look at it and go, the only way that it can change is to continue to fight against it and to continue to tell your truth.

 

Karen Ortman  27:53

Yeah. And to continue to have the stories told in these interviews conducted and your podcast does wonders. I agree. Just got to keep talking about it. Let's talk about your podcast. Okay. All right. Yeah. So how long have you been doing it?

 

Haley Hasselhoff  28:17

So the podcast Redefine You with Haley Hasselhoff started out actually as a Insta Live series. During the pandemic. The first day in lockdown. I went from doing 10 flights a month, for 10 years, basically, to standstill. And myself, I knew that what was going to take care of my mental health. And my mental wellbeing was to keep myself busy, but to do it in a purposeful way. And so I asked myself, you know, what knowledge do I have that I could give back that maybe I haven't shared just yet. I talk a lot about body image and self-image and being a body activist. But my story with mental health and anxiety and depression is something that I hadn't spoken about. And I thought a lot to myself about how as artists, we deal with the fear of the unknown professionally every single day, yet, we still have to walk alongside it and show up right. So I was curious. You know, what was in my friends toolboxes? I know what's in mine. And I had a live show for Good Morning America and I felt a bit anxious or I had a bit of anxiety before I still had to go out there. I still had to show up and do a great job for myself. Yeah. And so I found different tools that helped me calm myself down connect to my being before going out. So I thought it'd be very interesting to speak to my friends about their personal achievements to showcase to their audience that it's okay to not be okay all of the time. And also the evolution and journey of how they got to their ownership to self and their mental wellbeing journeys. So I spoke to 40 of my friends that are in the industry from ASCO Lawrence to Logan Browning, to Kevin McHale during the pandemic has an Insta Live series. And then it developed into what we need to find a bigger home because we want to continue having these conversations. It's now housed with CBS and stage 29. Season One is currently on go, we're at episode 24.

 

Karen Ortman  30:21

 Congrats. 

 

Haley Hasselhoff  30:22

Thank you. We've had some amazing guests come on. And it's really just about allowing people to understand other stories. And that is when one shows their vulnerability in such a way it starts to encourage us to look within. So when you start to hear other people who you may have admired because of their professional career, talking about their personal lives, and how they have gone through similar things as well, you start to recognize and identify that we are all people. We all go through struggles, and you can still struggle and succeed. Yeah. So it's in such a beautiful, beautiful blessing to have within my life right now. And the conversations we're having, I have to say, they helped me get through that day, you know, and I'm sure it's the same with you. You know, when you finish one of these podcasts, I'm sure you feel like it helps you get through those days. Yeah,

 

Karen Ortman  31:16

I get as much out of doing these interviews, as I hope the guest gets out of the interviews. Yeah. I love it. So I appreciate your passion. And it's a very good podcast, I highly recommend it. Let's talk about the resident style host position that you had a Good Morning America.

 

Haley Hasselhoff  31:40

So I've actually been a resident style hosts makeover host for quite some years. Now. I worked for this morning UK, which is their biggest morning show in the UK since 2017. And then I went over to Good Morning America strange, Sara and Kiki and 2019 until the show actually went under during the pandemic. So, but it was such an amazing experience for myself. Very different hosting and doing makeovers in the UK versus hosting and doing makeovers in the US.

 

Karen Ortman  32:10

How is it different?

 

Haley Hasselhoff  32:11

which is just the UK is very, very calm about the makeovers that we do. And in the US it's like yeah, energy, yeah, no pizzazz, at all. It's very different. But still the same when it comes to working with different people, you know, the blessing that I had as being a makeover, host style host was that I've got this opportunity to work with such a wide range of women. So we have you know, I worked with women or girls really who were, you know, 15 all the way up to women who were in their 80s. And you can tell that they're still the signified understanding on how fashion can sometimes really give you that confidence you were looking for. Oh, yeah. And when it came to sort of make overs, my favorite thing about doing the show was really the stuff that was off screen, you know, before we came out and showed everybody their outfit and, and how it putting everybody together, I was given the opportunity to work with these women behind the scenes, before we went out to kind of show their evolution of what they look like before to where they are now and what they learned. And I always said to myself, you know, when I have the opportunity to speak to them, it's not about the clothes, the clothes are wonderful, and they can make you feel something, but I want you to walk away with this new sense of self and connection to who you are. So it was about figuring out how actually having an outfit that represents their uniqueness and who they are, can really start to make them feel like they're taking the power back for who they are. Yeah. I've learned I learned a lot from doing that. Not just on the sense of making an outfit look beautiful, but really from the relationship with these women, and understanding that we all have these insecurities about ourselves. But let's try and break those down to find what's going to be special to you. Now.

 

Karen Ortman  34:06

A lot of those episodes are on YouTube. Yes, yeah. I've watched in their fun. Is there anything that we haven't talked about today that you would like to share with our listeners at this time?

 

Haley Hasselhoff  34:18

One of the biggest things I'd probably want to share with your listeners is that you are worthy just as you are, you are special just as you are and that it's okay to not have all the answers at every point of your life. You know, and to be easy on yourself because, like I said earlier, there's an evolution in ourself in our self-growth. And trust me, you can go from being super confident one day to not knowing who you are the next thought is okay, yeah. And once you get to that place of acceptance, it starts to free you from this idea of perfectionism. And then I have to be this person to achieve the goals ahead, focus on the now because the now is only going to be the place where you're going to be able to develop to where you want to be tomorrow. And within that give yourself room to grow and to fumble along the way. You know, we have a podcast out right now with Olivia LaPointe who's a rocket scientist. And she says something so amazing, where she talks about how if she didn't have failure, she wouldn't have the success that she has now with the rockets, she needed to have the failure to then learn from that failure to then get to the success, right. So stop looking at failure in any aspect of our lives. And it could be also the failure in our relationship with ourselves as something that's negative, you know, start looking at it as a positive of being able to help you see clearer or the better path to take to get you to where you want to be. And you know, another thing as well, that I think is a very valuable lesson. And something that I needed to learn a long time ago as well is that when one door shuts, don't be so fearful of it, allow yourself to grieve it because it can be hard to take at times. But know that that just means there's two other doors waiting to be opened for you. And that the universe was telling you that you needed to go into another path or that you needed to sit with yourself for a moment to learn what you had about this experience to bring you prepared for the next. And that can go in so many different ways in our lives. But I mean, I applaud every person that is listening, because I didn't end up going to college, I look at you guys and go, Oh, I wish I went to University and got the schooling behind me. But I was very blessed to still follow the things I wanted to learn and was resilient enough to try and give myself those teachings. Yeah, so you have the power to still continue even after.

 

Karen Ortman  36:59

I'm sure your parents are very proud of you. I think you're very inspirational and motivational. And I recommend anybody who wants to be uplifted, to check out, Haley's podcast Redefine You, and check out her social media. I do that as well. Because I you have a lot of wisdom for somebody who really hasn't lived that as long as I have. So I appreciate that.

 

Haley Hasselhoff  37:32

And I know you're so sweet. Honestly, it means it means the absolute world to me. So thank you.

 

Karen Ortman  37:37

Thank you. And thank you once again to my guest Hayley and to all of our listeners for joining us for today's episode of You matter if any information presented was triggering or disturbing, please feel free to contact the wellness exchange at 212-443-9999 or NYU is Department of campus safety and their victim services unit at 212-998-2222. Please share like and subscribe to you matter on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or tune in