THE CITY CONFESSIONS Mariann Yip

This is the last episode which is a solo one featuring yours truly Mariann Yip. Wrapping up Season 8 of The City Confessions, I give my life updates. I open up about my current pregnancy symptoms as well as fears about the future regarding motherhood, finances and stability. I talk about how pregnancy has changed friendship dynamics and relationships. As we also close out 2023, I reflect on what this year has brought me and what this year has taught me. My biggest lessons were learning to stay in my lane, not taking things personally and to trust my gut. As I gear up for my last month of pregnancy, my confession revolves around anxiousness about giving birth. I currently don't know what next year holds or looks like for my podcast, but make sure you follow me on my social channels for life updates. I wish you all a happy new year and from the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for listening. 

Feel free to leave a positive review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify if you enjoyed this episode and be sure to share this with a friend! You can also email any questions or feedback to thecityconfessions@gmail.com.


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Today's guest is Esther Santer, a lifestyle and fashion blogger based in NYC and also a mom to a one year old boy. We talk all things related to blogging, social media, motherhood and more! Topics covered include: 


How Esther got started as a fashion blogger 10 years ago by crashing Anna Sui fashion show and how that moment sparked her blogging career 
Struggle of deciding whether or not to share her son on social media 
Advocacy for IVF and personal fertility journey Importance of having a support system with raising a child 
Biggest Surprises about Motherhood 
Taking care of her Mental Health as a first time mom 
Opening up about lack of confidence in starting things 


Feel free to leave a positive review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify if you enjoyed this episode and be sure to share this with a friend! You can also email any questions or feedback to thecityconfessions@gmail.com

ABOUT ESTHER SANTER:

Esther Santer is a lifestyle blogger based in NYC. Esther uses her platforms to share her daily life as a first time mom, alongside outfit inspiration and shopping recommendations. She is also passionate about advocating for infertility awareness. You can find her on EstherSanter.com or on social @esthersanter.


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This week's guest is Michelle Lin, the founder and CEO of Mooncat, which is a Taiwanese-owned nail brand. The nail polishes are all vegan and cruelty-free and the motto is weirdos, welcome home. In this episode, we talk about the below topics including: 



- Michelle Lin adapting to American life as a first generation immigrant
- Dropping out of college to run a business with her brother and started painting her own nails as a stress reliever
- Rebranding Live Love Polish to Mooncat and making a niche but inclusive brand
- Role of social media in Mooncat’s success
- Being involved and active on social media and connecting with her community
- Opening up about mental health and leadership struggles as a female leader with Taiwanese values
- Full process of having an idea for nail polish collection to execution to final product
- Nailcare Tips 

Feel free to leave a positive review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify if you enjoyed this episode and be sure to share this with a friend! You can also email any questions or feedback to thecityconfessions@gmail.com



ABOUT MICHELLE LIN:

Michelle Lin is the founder & CEO of Mooncat, a nail polish brand offering otherworldly, special effects nail lacquer that's long-lasting, vegan, and cruelty-free. She is a first generation immigrant from Taiwan, and was named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Retail & eCommerce.

Mooncat:

www.mooncat.com
https://www.instagram.com/mooncat/
https://www.instagram.com/checkyesmichelle/
https://www.tiktok.com/@checkyesmichelle?lang=en


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This week's guest is Alyssa Brieloff, a Spiritual Soulpreneur and Content Creator. She is a Reiki healer working with the chakra system to help rebalance energy and unearth people's purpose. Her mission is to help individuals find more alignment and discover their guide within so they can live their best life.    
In this episode, we talk about the following topics:  
- What the term soulpreneur means and what reiki healing is  
- Opening up about hiding her spirituality and how she’s learned to embrace it
- Introduction to spirituality: upbringing, grandma’s role, learning reiki healing at a young age
- Power of recognizing signs from the universe  
- Struggle with identity to New York and detaching yourself from labels and job titles  
- Challenge: finding abundance within and asking for help
- How to find your alignment with your soul, inner compass, intuition: awareness is key before alignment
- Difference between fear and intuition
- Reframing failure and seeing rejection as redirection   
Feel free to leave a positive review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify if you enjoyed this episode and be sure to share this with a friend! You can also email any questions or feedback to thecityconfessions@gmail.com
 https://www.instagram.com/alyssabrieloff/
www.alyssabrieloff.com/angelnocollection

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Hong Thaimee is a chef, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who has served as a global ambassador for Thai cuisine and culture for nearly a decade and the owner of Thaimee Love, a thai restaurant in NYC. In this episode, we dive deeper into her story and her journey of making it NYC as a chef. Other topics include:

Why Hong moved to NYC from Thailand to pursue her dream: opening up about the struggles and challenges throughout her journey 
Her love for Thai culture and serving people and how she incorporates that as a chef
How she picks herself back up after burnout and experiencing lows in her business 
The power of resilience and belief in "if there’s a will there’s a way"
Being a student of life
Story about unfortunate experience in her restaurant: customers and disrespect
Advice on cooking during the holidays: keeping it simple and respecting yourself first

Feel free to leave a positive review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify if you enjoyed this episode and be sure to share this with a friend! You can also email any questions or feedback to thecityconfessions@gmail.com

ABOUT HONG THAIMEE: 
Originally from Chiang Mai, Thailand, Hong Thaimee is a chef, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who has served as a global ambassador for Thai cuisine and culture for nearly a decade. After successful careers as both a model and business executive in Bangkok, Hong felt drawn to pursue a more personally meaningful path.
Armed with drive, a Master’s Degree in business, but little professional kitchen experience, Hong set off for New York City with the goal of sharing her love for Thai food with the world. She used her tenacity to secure cooking jobs at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s acclaimed Spice Market and Perry Street restaurants, where she spent several years mastering classic technique.
Hong went on to open Thaimee Box and Thaimee Magic, fast-casual concepts serving her signature style of Thai cooking. In the Fall of 2020, Hong debuted her latest venture, Thaimee Love.  After a successful pop-up restaurant to trial the concept, her permanent new restaurant, Thaimee Love opened in October 2021, in New York’s W Houston Street, specializing in “Baan Baan” cuisine, replicating the comforting, home-style Northern Thai dishes.
https://www.hongthaimee.com/
https://www.instagram.com/hongthaimee/


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This week's guest is Laura Caruso, a dating, relationship and sex therapist based in NYC. In this episode, Laura explains how her passion for mental health motivated her to switch career paths and pursue psychology and counseling. We talk all things related to dating and relationship including the below topics:

The role of sex in relationships
Importance of emotional intimacy in relationships and how to grow it in relationships
Difference between how a male and woman’s brain is wired
How to keep it spicy in a relationship
Having conversations about the bare minimum and relationship needs
Understanding your partner’s love language and how that stems from childhood
Different Attachment Styles and how to heal triggers and symptoms
Confession: Hoe dating phase in NYC

Feel free to leave a positive review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify if you enjoyed this episode and be sure to share this with a friend! You can also email any questions or feedback to thecityconfessions@gmail.com.
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About Laura Caruso:
Laura Caruso is a dating, relationship, & sex therapist based in New York City. She is the host of Emotionally Available, an upcoming dating & relationship podcast, which features unhinged conversations about modern dating culture and explores ways to find deeper connections in a superficial world.
IG - https://www.instagram.com/lauracaruso.therapy/
Podcast - https://www.instagram.com/emotionallyavailablepodcast/
Website - https://lauracarusotherapy.com/

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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecityconfessions/support