You Only Go Once (Y.O.G.O.)
Cheryl and Eileen explore different topics around the limited time we have on this earth to create a fully layered life. Because...You Only Go Once!
You Only Go Once (Y.O.G.O.)
Rella Cesarone’s Exploration of Healing, Fashion and Love
Join us as we share an inspiring narrative of resilience and self-discovery featuring Rella Cesarone, a mother, model, and a thriving entrepreneur. Rella’s personal journey is filled with lessons on coping with domestic violence, leaving the confines of the corporate world, and discovering herself through creative outlets. She sheds light on her entrepreneurial adventure of launching a Mediterranean-inspired swim and travel wear line, a passion project that blends her love for travel, fashion, and Mediterranean roots.
Rella’s story takes an interesting turn when she navigates the challenging times of the pandemic. Lost and devoid of creativity, she finds solace and happiness in clay throwing, a creative outlet suggested by a holistic therapist. The calming effect it had on her sparked a conversation with her life coach and husband, culminating into the creation of her swimwear line. This testament to her resilience underscores the pivotal role of self-care and the pursuit of passion in our lives.
Our conversation with Rella goes beyond her entrepreneurial journey and delves into her intriguing personal life. She opens up about her self-growth journey, her exploration of alternative healing methods, and her interesting love story that started on Tinder. Rella’s captivating narrative is a testament to her resilience, romance, and personal transformation. Listen in as we journey through her love for travel, adventures in Europe, and the deep connections she’s formed, all shaping the person she is today. Don't miss this enriching conversation with Rella, as she inspires with her sheer determination and zest for life.
Hi, I'm Rella Cesaroni. I hope, when you look back on your life, you travel more often, because you only go once.
Speaker 2:Hello, hello, hello, welcome everyone to you Only Go Once. I'm here with my fantastic co-host, eileen Grimes, and today we're here with a very special guest.
Speaker 3:Eileen, kick us off. Thanks, cheryl. So Gabriella is known by everyone in her life as Rella and has been since as long as she can remember. She's a mother of two, blake, three years, and Buck, two years, and has been married to her tender match for five years come this December.
Speaker 3:Rella is a survivor of domestic violence and that experience and relationship taught her to never settle and always trust your instinct. When she had both her children, she found that the corporate world was dimming her light and that she didn't really know who she wanted to be. But she also didn't want to get lost in only being a mom Not that being a mom is negative. Earlier this year she started to dig deep and rediscover herself. She read the book Hitting Rock Middle and it lit a fire in her. She had not felt in a long time.
Speaker 3:She had her life coach and the goal was to find out how she could blend together travel fashion. She has been a model her entire life, inspiring women to take that girl's trip or solo trip. Help women feel confident and beautiful, but not be an influencer. Being a Mediterranean-inspired swim and travel wear line has been the best thing for her since she met her husband and had her two children. I hope that people feel inspired to see the world when they land on her little piece of the internet. Gabriella, welcome, welcome. Welcome to the podcast, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1:I'm excited.
Speaker 3:My goodness, I have about a million questions now just from the bio. Granted, I looked up beforehand. But even going through that, I am excited I can connect with you on so many levels of your story in that sort of waking moment for you. What would you say brought you there to that? What was the lead up into that and what really got you going into sort of that waking up?
Speaker 1:I think I've, just over the last couple of years, have noticed the corporate tech world that I was working in was taking so much from me and I wasn't getting anything out of it outside of. Did I like my job? Did I like my coworkers? Did I like my clients? Yes, but there was still something missing and I felt like I was giving so much to that and not having enough energy or happiness to give back to my kids when the day was done. I couldn't figure out why Life is good, life is happy. There's no reason to feel drained and sluggish. I guess I was very much there and the only thing that made sense was work.
Speaker 3:No, I've been there, I guess. I just thinking about these existential moments of crisis. Some of us have them at different points in our lives and there's an awakening that happens and I'm grateful that you have joined us on this side of things. I welcome that. I also definitely need to read that book. Just the title alone sounds amazing.
Speaker 1:The book was. I have not annotated that book a book as much as that one since probably high school. I read it on a two-hour plane ride. I couldn't put it down. I'd been following the author for a few years before I actually read it, and she kept coming up on my social media and I feel like Instagram has the algorithm and it just constantly pops up and I kept seeing her stuff and I'm like all right you know what she has this retreat coming up.
Speaker 1:But before I invest in that and invest in myself and go to that, maybe I should read her book and actually see what it's all about. I did and it was truly life-changing, especially because it's focused around women. It's very much focused around the things that we go through. It even helps. It's not geared specifically towards entrepreneurs I think it tends to lead that direction but it's something where you can read this and you can be working in corporate and be like wow, yeah, I am scared to ask for more money because I'm a woman and I know that that guy over there has been here for less than me, has less experience than me and he makes more than me. Why do I say sorry for everything when I have nothing to say sorry about? It was just so like I was actually on my way to a corporate onsite for my job and I was texting my coworkers in flight pictures of certain things highlighted like why does this relate to all of us? Because we'd all been talking about it for.
Speaker 3:I mean.
Speaker 1:I've been with them for four years. It's not like it was a short period of time that we've gone through all those things, and it was just. I literally bought a seat for her retreat when I landed, that's amazing yeah.
Speaker 2:I heard the saying a while ago and it really hit home for me.
Speaker 2:I don't know who I should attribute it to, so I'm sorry whoever the person was who said it, but there's a saying that goes you shouldn't rip off parts of yourself to prove others wrong. And I feel like that's what the book told you in a sense, right, because I work in corporate America and I know what it's like, I think, to feel as though. Should I be doing something different? What should I be doing differently? And you know, or why can't I ask for more? And what I wind up doing eventually is just asking for more work, and it's that cycle of burnout continues. And I'm starting to see the other side of that again, grateful for my job, grateful for the privileges that it gives me, and I want something more for my life, meaning my life versus my work life. Can you tell us a little bit more about the shift you made from corporate tech America into the company that you have now, or the venture that you have now around Mediterranean swimwear and some of those items as well?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I will try and not make it long winded.
Speaker 3:Please do, it's fine, it's much time.
Speaker 1:So I am a creative person and I think I've kind of ignored that for a really long time. I, even while working in corporate America, was doing five or six runway shows on average a week. I would like post work and like weekends was filled with that kind of stuff. And then it's when I had kids and then COVID hit and I had two COVID kids. So I didn't really feel like, hey, I'm missing out on what all my friends are doing, because nobody was doing anything. Everything was closed. So fashion shows were done, like everything was closed. We moved from Chicago to Charleston and I have no family here. I have friends now here, but I had no friends here. My husband's life is here, but we left our families behind and came here in the middle of a pandemic. And as soon as things started to kind of open up, I was like man, I am not happy, I'm not doing what I don't know, what I'm missing, and so I started.
Speaker 1:I actually started therapy first and talk space great, not sponsored plus, but definitely love talk space. I talked to the therapist that had a more holistic approach, just in general, and I tend to be very focused on energy and vibe and vibe checks all the time. If something doesn't feel good, I try really hard to listen to that and that has been something that I feel like I struggled with growing up. But as I kind of become an adult, become a mom, like that's like if you do something that I don't like, cool but I'm done Like don't need it.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So my therapist eventually was like everything that you're telling me points to you don't have a creative outlet anymore.
Speaker 1:You had one for your whole life. I was a Gerber baby. I've been in Vanity Fair Like I've done a lot of things in the modeling world that have been my identity, and I had kids. I left my friends, I left my family and I don't have any kind of an identity at this point except for being a mom and working from home. So like my human interaction was like nothing and I was used to. You know, going to gala is going to parties, going to the club with my friends, like all that kind of stuff gone.
Speaker 1:And she was like you don't have a creative outlet anymore, so this started with me discovering an earthy side of myself, I guess, and going and doing clay throwing and yes, yes.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 1:I found a place that was four minutes from my house. It's actually really hard to get into, but somehow I got into it I'm saying it's good works and started clay throwing my teacher. I did like a sip and throw, which is just like a one-off class, and my teacher was like you should, I'll get you, I can get you into my class. I have an opening. There's a wait list, but like you can really enjoy this, like you should come back. So that whole journey started and I started to feel happier and like my anxiety levels went down like significantly. Like I was sleeping better, I was eating better, I was starting to feel energy enough to go and work out and like feeling all the endorphins and all the things. So that was cool. And then I talked to my husband.
Speaker 1:It was right before that retreat from the it was called the brim retreat and they had like a pre-call. So they had me meet with two of the different coaches that were part of the company and one of them was very energy focused, which was kind of like a shoe in, okay. So I was like you're probably gonna be my life, oh, that's fine, right. And so she. I basically just told her I was like I just need someone to help me weed out, like so many people have told me, you're good at this, you're good at that. I don't know what is my idea anymore.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I say that because right when COVID hit, a lot of people after I had my daughter were like you should have a children's clothing line, you dress her so cute and all the things. And then I went down the journey like I did buy the domain, I think, and like started researching and was gonna do that, but I hit a wall and just stopped. I honestly didn't really think about it again and until like a few months ago when my web designer was like hey, why do you have this other domain? I was like okay, cause I had another life at one point and I can't let go of that domain, so I'm just gonna just stay there for a while.
Speaker 1:And so, yeah, so I met with my life coach and she was like I told her you know kind of what you said in the intro about me. I don't want to be an influencer, but travel has been my love language since as long as I can remember. My husband supports that and is part of that, and that's kind of been our thing since we started dating. And our kids are getting into it more and more now too, and they're two and three, which is I don't know if that's a great thing.
Speaker 3:It totally is, it is it was good for their life experiences.
Speaker 1:And I really wanted to. I missed that fashion life, which is funny, cause my husband was like you used to always complain so much when you had to. You like I was like feeling that burnout right, doing five, six, seven shows a week, that's a lot. I was like, oh, I don't want to. I don't want to go walk on a runway right now, I just don't want to do it. Even though it's short, it's not like it's a long period of time, it was just I was tired and so I was missing it. I was like man, but I don't necessarily want to do that again.
Speaker 2:I'll do it every once in a while.
Speaker 3:That's fun.
Speaker 1:Like when I go back to Chicago, old production companies be like hey, you're in town, do you want to come back? I'm like, yeah, sure, sounds great, I get to see my friends. So it was super fun. So now it's like a fun thing, like a hobby, whereas before it was burning me out. And so she was like, okay, she was asking me the hard questions that I feel like I was scared to ask myself and I kind of sat in silence for a while.
Speaker 1:You know what makes me happy, what makes me feel good and what kind of makes sense. And I remember I was sitting on the couch with my husband and I was like I think I want to do a swimwear line. He was like I slowly sport that. And I was like what? And he was like I don't know why I took you to the slide to figure that out. I was like, okay, cool, I'm the last to the party. That's great.
Speaker 1:And it's funny because that's been the response of a lot of people in my life, since I've kind of come out and kind of said that this is what I'm doing. I went to Greece last summer with some girlfriends and I feel like that was like a transforming trip for me in terms of it was my first like real adult girls trip and I, you know, was staying by myself in a room by myself. I only knew one person that was going and there were five of us and it was just different. And I did 23, and me when we first got married and I have Greek in my blood.
Speaker 1:So I feel like I'm really connected on a different level, and then the colors, and even a Malfi Coast and in Italy, have always spoke to me. And that was my first trip with my husband. Actually, when we first started dating, we went to Italy for 15 days and it just kind of all made sense. I have more swimsuits, I feel like, and I have actual clothing. And then I finally came up with the idea of this is what I want to do Out of nowhere.
Speaker 1:I had so many friends reach out to me and just be like hey, do you know where I'm gonna get a swimsuit for this trip that I have coming up, but that isn't neon pink or a crazy pattern or orange, because I'm not 18 anymore and I'm like you know I have the same problem. So like maybe there's a hole here. And then I'm like, wait, I live in Charleston and Charleston is great so much history and all of that. We're considered a beach town and we have nowhere that sells just like swimsuits and nowhere that sells things that are like of a neutral palette, which is like classic and in and how I like then went on this path of I could also bring back, like the photography being art when you're selling your pieces and not just like snap a photo in front of a mural in a city and post on your Instagram and bring it back to like when Cindy Crawford, you know, first got big and like that era.
Speaker 1:And I feel like we're in this age now too, where the flashbacks are like welcomed, like from that conversation on the couch to now. I mean, that was like five months ago, oh my gosh, whoa.
Speaker 2:Okay, really quick, holy cats, okay yeah.
Speaker 1:Wow, yeah, and it had, like I haven't slowed down at all.
Speaker 3:That's amazing. I mean, that is sourcing that. So yeah, the back and side of things of all of that, that's amazing. It's just amazing.
Speaker 1:And I haven't been like it's been filling me up, like it's like exciting, totally Mm-hmm, and that's kind of like how I've driven. This is like if it feels good, then I'm doing it, yeah. If it doesn't, I'm not. So if I need to take a day to not do things, it's fine.
Speaker 3:I mean. So I love what you're saying and what I find really interesting and I definitely had to go through what this, you know, this clearing of the voices, right, the entire lifetime of people telling you what you're good at, what you're not good at, who you're supposed to be, who you're not supposed to be, do that, I mean gosh. I just watched the Barbie movie last weekend, so that doesn't help anything either. What is it? Is it good? So good? If anything? Just watch America for a monologue or read it or something, because it is fabulous.
Speaker 3:But it goes into all of that Like you're always trying to be thin but you can't say you wanna be thin and then if you, you know, once you get to that point you can't actually be pretty, because then if you're pretty, then like there's just this, like constant, never enough. It's never enough to be a woman, just period For real. And all of those voices are constantly in your head. So it's like what is actually me?
Speaker 3:What is it that I find joyful? What is it that I find in my life that I like doing? That's not just because of the kids needing to go somewhere or the world asking me to do these things. What is it that brings me fullness. And, yeah, it's hard sometimes to build that habit of it too, like there can be the initial moment but then building that over time and continuing that as you're going through life. So do you have a practice of that or anything that you keep doing, or are you now just so much more in tune with that sort of instinct and gut feeling that anything else just doesn't sort of come in?
Speaker 1:No, things definitely still creep in. I had a moment with my life.
Speaker 3:Well, I was like if you're not, you're gonna be now my coach.
Speaker 1:My life coach and I, yesterday I literally was like crying, like am I actually doing a good, like am I crazy for this? Just like, this is the part where, like that, your ego speaks up because your most growth happens like right before the most change is about to take place, and like it's testing you. So like don't turn away. And I'm like, oh man, okay, right, right, right, and I mean my practice.
Speaker 1:I guess I started to meditate and I don't do it for very long, I do it for like three or five minutes maybe, and the Peloton app has like a lot of meditations that I use because we just have, yeah, peloton, you never knew, but they have good meditations and they have them for different energies that you're like trying to tune into, so like if you're wanting to be encouraged, or if you're wanting more courage, or you're wanting empathy, like it has all of these different moods and yeah, so I started doing that and playing around with what I liked. With that, I became very into crystals and energy, which I love it. I didn't ever think my husband thinks I'm crazy. It's fine, You're not well, you're not for me. So and so well yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean I told him I don't really care, I have, so I have crystals. My sister and I actually kind of going through this kind of together which has been kind of fun to kind of go through it with your sibling and I did a what is it called A spiritual, kind of spiritual spiritual connection and clearing session Because of this, the retreat that I went to and I didn't think I had like things that I didn't work through and it was wild. It's like all about clearing your chakras and all this stuff, and it was on Zoom, I didn't even need to be there and it's like it's gonna be like a psychic You're gonna say things and you know they're gonna feed off of it and Mike, I mean, maybe I want that. I don't know, I'm just gonna try it.
Speaker 1:So I tried it. I didn't even have to say any, I didn't even open my mouth yet and she like brings me to these different ages in my life that she wouldn't have no idea about. She brought me to like my first, like real relationship and like breakup at like 16. And was like what would you tell your young, like your 16 year old self and like all these things. And it was like I felt lighter after.
Speaker 3:it was very odd but it was really cool.
Speaker 1:And ever since that like ever since I cleared all of that out I feel like I've been even more in tune with, like what makes me tick. Sometimes I like creep out and like when I do like I have to get back into the rhythm. Like I noticed, like I started to feel sluggish again and part of my routine is like I go to Pilates at least four times a week. Well, I stopped for like three weeks and felt like off and I'm like, oh well, maybe if I started moving my body in the morning first, I'll feel better. Or taking like a walk in the middle of the day to just like listen to a podcast and like clear my head and not have to tell my daughter what song is playing on the radio because she likes it, you know. Like chilling for a minute and taking some time to myself, because when I forget to do that and get too busy, I find that I don't know myself anymore.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely You're gonna have to share that thing that you, the chakra.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, sure I'm not joking.
Speaker 3:You can send it to me on the side, cheryl. Yeah, we'll see, but yes, I all about it, definitely, definitely all about it. I was even looking at your shirt right now. It's linen, right.
Speaker 1:Yep, it's actually part of my brand. Oh, I love that. I definitely wear something for myself, you know Well sure.
Speaker 3:Yes, you do. It's beautiful, by the way. It's just like beautiful. What's the color of it? Is that why I'm asking?
Speaker 1:I guess it's like a blue, yeah, oh, it's like a blue, like a light blue, like a purple.
Speaker 3:It is kind of like a periwinkle, that's what I was thinking, but I didn't want to say it.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:Periwinkle.
Speaker 2:Cool.
Speaker 1:It's like the only colorful thing in the whole store pretty much, but that's okay.
Speaker 3:Still, still, you can wear it with so many things, right too. So I go to occupational therapy where we do this primitive reflex integration work, and I was talking with my therapist. She also has some energy and alternative healing kinds of things, intuitive healing stuff. So she was telling me the other day that linen and like wools and those kind of things actually have healing properties in of themselves. So I can't remember all the specifics of it, but like the linen heals from left to right and then the wool heals from right to left. So like you wear them, you don't wear them together or else they cross each other out. But if you Interesting, fascinating, right. So when I saw you, wear that.
Speaker 1:I was like, oh my goodness, I have to tell you, Because a lot of the clothing pieces that I'm carrying are linen, so that's very interesting that I did that on accident. But we can say that I did it on purpose. Let's just go with that. Yeah, let's go with that.
Speaker 3:That's great, that's cool. Anyway, yes, I have totally on board with all the woo woo energy things.
Speaker 1:You're not sometimes you need it.
Speaker 3:I'm sitting on a grounding mat right now, so yeah, I do. I know.
Speaker 1:My sister actually got into it too. Like my sister is the reason I got into it and my sister is the reason I hired a life coach, because she had one. She squares by then and I was like I don't know. It kind of seems like one of those pyramid scheme things. I just don't know I really did.
Speaker 1:I was like I don't believe in this, and my husband is a lawyer and he is the first person who would tell me I was crazy. And you're like no, you're not spending money on that. Like that's crazy. And when I told him I wanted to hire a life coach, he was like yeah, I don't know why you haven't sooner. And I was like you're saying this to me, excuse me. And he was like, yeah, you should. First. He was like you've been struggling trying to figure out what you want to use. Like you first sure need one. And I was like where, why didn't I ask this question like six months ago? Right, I totally thought for sure he'd shoot it down. And he was like, no, you need that. I'm like, wow, all right, life changing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think that some of the beauty of it, too, is that the surrounding yourself and the community that will lift you up, and so I have that with Cheryl, I have that with other friends and family and things like that, and I feel like that's another huge piece of what allows us to grow into that whole list versions of ourselves is having those people that encourage that growth for us. So your sister is obviously one, your husband is one also. That just continues to surprise you, which is fantastic. I want to jump in real quick here, though. So you met on Tinder. Let's talk a little bit about that story.
Speaker 1:We did meet on Tinder. It's one of those. It's actually a very interesting story. He tells it differently, which is how I feel like it always works, but we matched and then the only reason I got to Nirwiz because I went there. So you went back to that bio. I'd been through a very terrible relationship and it was actually just more of a verbal and mentally abusive relationship. My college boyfriend cheated on me. I had gotten this really big modeling job the biggest of my career being flown to Barbados. He was upset that I was missing his brother's hockey game and sent me a Snapchat of him making out with another chick. So that was cool.
Speaker 1:Two years of my life and my reaction was I read a blog you knew on everything. I didn't even acknowledge it, I just blocked him on everything and never talked to him or saw him again. But anyway, my friends made me download the app and it was right. When it came out and I was like you guys, I don't think this is a good idea. Well, I imagine a few people, and then I was like this is weird. I'm not ever going to meet any of these people, because what if they killed me?
Speaker 1:I don't know who they are, like this is creepy yeah, but I guess he talked to me enough on the app before I deleted that he got my number. Like I gave him my number because I didn't think it was weird.
Speaker 1:I don't remember I wish I could go back and like see what our conversation was and how I was about to that. But it did, and so he would always text me asking me to meet him for coffee and I'd always find an excuse to not. And this happened for like eight months and I was bartending.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was bar and it wasn't annoying. It's persistent either. It wasn't like every week or every day or anything like that. It was like every once in a while his name would pop up on my phone and be like hey, you want to meet for coffee today? And I'd be like, no, like, or like, or I think there was a few times. I did say yes and then I was like oh sorry, my boss called me in for like a random meeting and he definitely did not, but I was scared. So I was like no, we're not doing this, we're not doing this. And so he, I think, could pick up like, but we talked like casually via text and we had a FaceTime, so I knew he wasn't catfishing me.
Speaker 2:And good.
Speaker 1:There was really no reason to be nervous, but I was and he just played like the friend card, was totally my just like friend. And then I was like, traveling all over the place for no, like no apparent reason, Like I feel like anytime anything happened, I would just like book a flight someplace. My mom was a flight attendant, so I could do that until I was 26.
Speaker 3:Oh cool.
Speaker 2:Like, I'm not like.
Speaker 1:I'm not like full of all this money or credit card debt, it's more, I just was lucky and could just pick a random place and go someplace. So he would like text me when I was out of town and be like, yeah, your crush misses you or whatever. I'm like you're weird. No, I haven't even met me. Like what do you know? He knew I was bartending with my friend, my best friend from college or from high school. I guess I did that after work a couple of days a week just for fun, and we were having a private event and I told him that and I told him my brother was bouncing and he showed up and brother led him in. He was like I'm here to see your sister. I remember I was like go. And I saw him walk in and I was like oh no, this is not good. And my manager was like this guy's clearly here to see you. Like we're not that busy. The party's like wrapping up. So like the water is like going the other side.
Speaker 2:I'm like no, I need to be working. It needs to be spaced.
Speaker 1:And then my mom showed up and my sister. He literally like oh my gosh, it was like a whole thing.
Speaker 2:Oh, my goodness.
Speaker 1:So yeah. So then he asked me to go on a date, like a real date, and I was like, oh, I'm going salsa dancing on Friday, thinking he would say no, because what guy wants to go salsa dancing. And he was like, no, yeah, let's go. And I was like, damn it. I was like I'll meet you there. He's like no, I'm picking you up. And I was like, oh, okay, sure, now I can't go. That's exactly why. But yeah, no. And we went on that date and then I moved to Atlanta.
Speaker 1:Actually, first I went to Nashville and I just didn't come back from Nashville for like three months. And then I moved to Atlanta for a job, for training, and he still would text me at night, but I needed him. He's a lawyer and I was working in legal tech and I was like, yo, I need six meetings to leave Atlanta and I want to come back to Chicago. So like, hook me up with some lawyer friends real quick. He was like I will, if you actually take a meeting with me. And I was like, oh, okay, fine, and I'd fly back to see him. I had every other weekend, they'd fly us home or wherever you wanted to go. And that man, he didn't kiss me until like the weekend before I moved back and I was so frustrated I was like Damn, I'm in the friend zone. I kind of like this guy now. It's kind of cool.
Speaker 1:And he didn't kiss me. I literally was leaving to go to the airport and he like got back in my car, kissed me and then shut the door and left and didn't talk to me for a week. I'm like what the heck? But it was, that was it, that was literally it. Wow, so Tinder is a thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, great.
Speaker 1:He also told me I wrote I told him everything not to do to date me so I'd complain about what other guys were doing at bars and things that were pissing me off or annoying.
Speaker 2:Oh, so he had a playbook. Oh, literally he was like you really gave me a blueprint of everything to do.
Speaker 1:Right. I was like, yeah, I didn't mean to, you were listening. He was I guess yeah, guys don't listen.
Speaker 2:But he did, so I'm fascinated by the fact that you were like okay, so you had this. Like it's a very interesting kind of way how you eventually got together. I mean it's very romcom, to be honest, you know it's very romcom. And then, at the beginning of when we were talking, you said yeah, I spent 15 days with him in Italy. I mean, talk about like a perfect date situation or a nightmare date situation, depending on how well things goes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's one of those where you're like that sounds amazing, and then it's like 15 days with the guy that you maybe don't know as well as you think you know, oh wow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, interesting. And we, we only booked our. I only booked our hotel for the first and last city that we were in, and nothing in between. Okay, we really went for it.
Speaker 3:Wow, you did Really want to know.
Speaker 1:if you can travel with someone, do it that way, okay. So I don't think I could do that myself.
Speaker 2:No, I, no, I have to know everything. It's terrible. Well, mostly because I'm the one that plans it. So that's, that's also that bit of it, right. So that again could be. Could go either way, right. Could be a perfect date or a nightmare date. You said you love to travel. It seems like he likes to travel. Where's your favorite place to be?
Speaker 1:That's hard. I feel like every place that I've been has like a specific thing that like has a piece of my heart, literally there, for different reasons. Okay, like Cape Town, south Africa has a huge piece of my heart because that's where he proposed to me. Okay, but Italy, we've been.
Speaker 1:We've been to Italy fortunately for us, twice together, and the first time was just us trip that. I don't even know how it came up, but I was like let's just go. And we started in Venice and worked our way down and picked random cities and hotels each day and we liked one we'd stay if we didn't, we left and and it was awesome I'd never done that before in my whole life. So that was just new and exciting and somehow it was my idea. I'm pretty sure too, and I don't know why I thought it was, but it was a good idea, so it was good. Yeah, so like that's special. And we went to Italy a second time for a wedding in Sicily, and then we left there and went to Greece for our honeymoon and then I went to Greece on girls like. So I've like been a year, a lot I. Paris is different, like love, just because of the culture and the fashion.
Speaker 3:And.
Speaker 1:I went to a French based grade school. Oh okay, and I've been there with my mom a bunch. I had a friend that lived there at one point, so when she was flight attendant, mom and I could just go for a long weekend, which was cool. That's amazing. You know, like London has been a big one for me too. I've been. I've got to go there a lot for work, but I've also gotten to go there with my mom and I've gotten to go there with my husband.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, I feel like I just have a different memory for each one. But for whatever reason, like, my heart and soul lie in Greece and Italy.
Speaker 2:And I can.
Speaker 1:I can not go there enough, like I could live in either one of those places and be happy. And I don't know what it is. I don't know if it's just like the water.
Speaker 2:I don't know. Every time somebody comes back from like Santorini, I'm amazed at like the colors, because they're so vivid and blue and white and just different shades of blue that just feel so calming.
Speaker 1:You know, when I was in Santorini I didn't hear one ambulance or police siren or fire truck the entire time. Yeah, and then crazy it's amazing, I hear that all the time here and like we thought it was weird that we didn't, we didn't even like really see any police and like what is happening? Right, that's not normal.
Speaker 2:Yeah, apparently it is there. That's something.
Speaker 1:So that's a really lame answer, probably Dears, because I don't have one place. No, I mean gosh, I feel like it's more like. I feel like I'm more Europe, like my. I just feel more like European, but like I grew up going to the Caribbean more than I did go to Europe, I was fortunate that my parents took us to a lot of the different islands and, for whatever reason, like, those are great, but I just gravitate more towards Europe, yeah.
Speaker 3:And it sounds like you said it earlier that travel is your love language, right? And so I can't I mean I can't speak for you. Music is one of mine, and just hearing music and being in live music, there's something that it feels like is speaking to my soul and my heart when I'm doing those things and it kind of sounds like that for you, maybe is something that that happens just in the in the act of an experience of traveling, and maybe there isn't one specific that is placed that necessarily is that, but it is the travel in and of itself.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think so. I mean, that's kind of I could. I can relate to how you described yours with music completely. I think I travel started as an escape. I feel well, actually I take that back. Travel started as a love language because my parents had us travel a lot with them, sure, and then it became an escape when I was in college and post like just post college, and then it turned back into like, oh, this isn't just like, you don't need to run from things. You can actually like grow and like come back better. And that's right now love language again. But I feel like I like lost sight of that for a hot minute.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's your 20s, I mean yeah literally.
Speaker 2:No one can say that Cheryl was growing in your 20s.
Speaker 1:and it's true, it's very true.
Speaker 3:Well, some of us do, but I'll just leave that there. Yeah that's very Yep. But yes, no, I totally agree. And there is so much experimenting, and some of that comes back from trying to almost replay what was our childhood existence and trying to also be an adult and the person that we are, but rebelling against it at the same time, so it's like I don't know what I'm supposed to do, but like I did these kinds of things, but I don't know, it's just a whole finding of yourself, decade at the least.
Speaker 1:And you know, I feel like that's like when all my pivotal moments, too, happened in my life that forced me to grow, even if I didn't want to. And yeah, I mean, I like had moments, even my high school sweetheart and I we are still friends and we ended high school dating and went to college dating and when I told him I was in Chicago recently, he was like, oh my gosh, you're going like all the places like for lunch that we used to go to when we were, when we were in high school. And I was like, yeah, I know I'm in the area. It's like really, random, I know.
Speaker 1:So I was like, well, what are you doing now, boba? I was like, oh, I'm doing this. You know clothing line and swim, swim and travel wear line. And he was like, if you would have asked me in high school senior year, what you would do is, when you got, like grew up or whatever, that is what I would have totally said, wow, Wow. And he was like, yeah, that's just who you've been. I'm like what's the point of any of this? I like had career conversations with you and like was studying to be a teacher when I was dating you, and why would you not tell me this? You have to figure it out yourself. But you do, yeah, but it's validating. Yeah, it is.
Speaker 3:It totally is, and it helps, because you're like, okay, it doesn't matter how much anyone sees me, it all depends on when I see myself. And then and it's nice to hear other people be like, yeah, duh. Obviously, I know we're getting close to the end already, and I do have my question. I do want to say, though, there was a reason that we connected in the first place, and it's because of what you're doing with this line. This is going to be coming out just a little bit leading up to what do you want to share, sort of what's going to be happening over the next few weeks and things like that for you, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I am launching on September 21st. I yes, all right. I initially really wanted to launch sooner than that, but I'm happy I took the time that I did not and didn't rush it, because my favorite season happens to be fall. Me too, day of fall. I was like this just seems like the perfect day.
Speaker 1:But, yeah, and my friends are like you should launch right now and I'm like I could, but I'm waiting until it's 21st because there's significant meaning behind it. So yeah, so the 21st of September, everything will be live on the website. That's awesome.
Speaker 3:I mean congratulations. Yes, well done. Yeah, Absolutely, and cannot wait to one be able to share this with everyone and go out and check out that website as soon as you're able. So the website will be launched then on the 21st, right? Yep, yeah, it has been so much fun to talk with you tonight, gabriella. Our last question comes from. What created this podcast in the first place? Is this whole this Is Happening mindset? Obviously, you've got something coming up. It's pretty darn big, and I'm not asking you to decide what world changing idea you have next, because you've got a lot to go on and really grow this out. As you're launching this, what are your hopes and dreams and this is happening for you that you're going to continue on with the brand and everything like that. Do you just feel in your heart because obviously you are connected to that highly now yeah, I wonder what's going to be happening for you and your future.
Speaker 1:Um, you know I don't 100% know the answer, but I can say that my goal, at least with this, is to always stay authentic and true to myself. But in being true to myself, true to everybody else that's out there and shopping like that's very important to me. But also I want to, like, truly inspire that self love and exploration and growth that I feel like so many women don't take I was one of them and like it takes a lot of pushing. Don't wait until you're completely burnt out to start. You know, like, look for those signs.
Speaker 1:I feel like it's tied to so many things, like it's tied to the domestic violence situation that we didn't talk about, but it's tied to that in so many ways, because you never know what somebody else is going through, but you also never think that that thing can happen to you until it does. And so, like, at the core of all of this it's, you know, there is a way for you to grow past that. Forgive yourself for that happening, because it's not your fault that it did. And it took me until that spiritual awakening to actually do that for myself, because she did bring me back there and she said you still haven't forgiven yourself for this and it's not your fault.
Speaker 1:And she was right, I didn't even think about it and it's one of those things where you just have like I just want other women to know that and know that they can also just take that trip and not feel mom guilt or corporate guilt or any guilt you want to put on it. Unplug, for, even if it's for three days. Just unplug for that time and focus on yourself and nobody else not your friends, not their input and you can look good while doing it, and it's the beach is a great place to do it, so that's why it all ties kind of together.
Speaker 2:Oh, I love that, oh, my gosh.
Speaker 3:So when are you going to be running retreats?
Speaker 1:then with it, and I don't know, maybe that'll be next. I know that sounds fun. My friends always say, like they're like you should write a book and I'm like I should write a book about what? And they're like your life and I was like who wants to read that? But maybe I will Everyone?
Speaker 2:you'd be surprised.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah, maybe I will, maybe that'll be next, maybe retreat will be next, I don't know, it's fun.
Speaker 3:I like helping people.
Speaker 3:So I heard something that helped me. Cheryl wrote a book that's out in the world. I have a book that's out in the world. One of the things that I heard that was really helpful for me is that your story, no matter what, is the Advil to someone else's headache, yep, right and powerful. Whatever that is, someone else needs to hear it, and I just especially with female voices. I just want to encourage anyone who can tell a story, wants to tell a story, to tell it, and you just let us know. We'll keep cheering you on to do it. Yeah, cool, 100%.
Speaker 2:Yes, for sure, yeah, this hour went quick, rella. How can people connect with you.
Speaker 1:How can they connect with me? Yes, instagram is probably the best. Okay, so the Instagram for the store is SunKissed by Rella.
Speaker 3:Well at.
Speaker 1:SunKissed by Rella, and then my personal one is tied to it, but it's just Rellbell21. It's public, so people can be on the answer them all the time, so either one of those is the easiest. I'm always scrolling and looking for inspiration and things like that. Right now, so, especially in launch mode, I feel like you're on social media even more than you want to be. Yes, yes, yes, okay, cool.
Speaker 2:This is like yes, so, rella, thank you so much On behalf of Eileen and myself. Thank you for joining us, and this completes our episode of you Only Go Once. Thanks everyone, take care, see you later.
Speaker 1:Bye.
