Real Talk – Details, episodes & analysis

In our inaugural episode of Real Talk, host Kristen Naiman speaks with Oscar-nominated casting director Jennifer Venditti. They discuss the intuition that guides Venditti’s casting work across runways and films like Euphoria and Marty Supreme, what it feels like when something truly magical unfolds in the casting room, her evolving relationship to home and nature, and how she learns to live with beauty without becoming attached to it.

In the second half, Kristen and Jennifer offer guidance to two callers: one considering a capsule wardrobe as she prepares to move in with a partner, and another seeking the confidence to blend masculine and feminine influences while experimenting more freely with personal style.

To learn more and subscribe to Real Talk, visit www.therealreal.com/real-talk. New episodes air on Wednesdays.

To call into the show, email us at realtalk@therealreal.com.

Everything we wear tells a story.

Sometimes it’s about who we’ve been, sometimes it’s about who we’re becoming. Sometimes it's about a conversation we're having with ourselves and the world around us.

This is Real Talk, a new podcast where Kristen Naiman sits with creatives, writers, and cultural voices, and we talk with you about personal style—and how the items in each of our closets help us better understand who we are.

In the second half, the show opens up to listeners, offering a call-in space to untangle their style dilemmas.

New episodes of Real Talk begin next Wednesday, March 25th, with Oscar-nominated casting director Jennifer Venditti. Presented by The RealReal.

Today on Real Talk, The RealReal’s Kristen Naiman sits with beloved cook and author Alison Roman. They begin by unpacking Alison’s intuitive approach to style: blending the high and low, finding her signature uniform, and landing on her signature red nails. Then, they discuss hosting, motherhood, personal rituals, and how getting dressed can feel both practical and expressive.

To close, Kristen and Alison offer guidance to two callers: one trying to build a wardrobe of staples that feel personal instead of trend-forward, and another figuring out how to maintain style—and feel like herself—while dressing for cold weather in New York City.

To learn more and subscribe to Real Talk, visit therealreal.com/real-talk. To call into the show, email us at realtalk@therealreal.com.

Today on Real Talk, The RealReal’s Kristen Naiman sits with award-winning writer and director Janicza Bravo. They begin by unpacking their formative collaborations as stylists, uniform dressing, and the vast, 20,000 photograph archive that guides Janicza’s creative process. Then, they discuss dressing for work, the differences between LA and NYC style, and the story behind a legendary Schiaparelli suit.

To close, they offer guidance to two callers: one seeking clarity on how to dress for work at a synagogue while balancing masculine and feminine styles, and another relearning how to dress for Canadian seasons after years in Los Angeles. They also celebrate the bathrobe.

To learn more and subscribe to Real Talk, visit www.therealreal.com/real-talk. To call into the show, email us at realtalk@therealreal.com.

This week on Real Talk, Kristen sits with podcast host Avery Trufelman. They begin by comparing notes on being “best dressed” in high school before unpacking Avery’s aesthetic point of view—how studying German, building her own visual world, and reporting on ritual and Catholic attire shaped her understanding of what she calls the “theater of beauty.”

Then, they trace Avery’s path from the podcasts 99% Invisible to Articles of Interest, including the moment she fell out of love with fashion, and how figures like Vivienne Westwood helped crystallize her thinking about style as language, rebellion, and cultural critique.

To close, Kristen and Avery offer guidance to two callers: one wondering whether personal style requires loyalty to a signature look or room to experiment, and another searching for more pockets—prompting a conversation about making, modifying, and rethinking clothing as something you build, not just buy.

To learn more and subscribe to Real Talk, visit therealreal.com/real-talk. To call into the show, email us at realtalk@therealreal.com.

Today on Real Talk, Kristen sits with Talk Easy podcast host Sam Fragoso. They discuss podcasting’s shift from audio to video, the role clothing plays in creating connection during interviews, the tension between public persona and private style, and Sam’s experience being dressed by designer Gabriela Hearst.

Sam also reflects on attending film festivals in his early years as a journalist, lessons on dressing from his mother, and how he makes his guests—like Michelle Obama, Elizabeth Warren, and Terry Gross—comfortable when they arrive at the interview table.

To close, Kristen and Sam speak with two callers: one deciding what to wear at a new office job, and another wanting to style a new bolo tie outside of special occasions.

To learn more and subscribe to Real Talk, visit therealreal.com/real-talk. To call into the show, email us at realtalk@therealreal.com.

Today on Real Talk, Kristen sits with writer, interviewer, and Big Friendship co-author Aminatou Sow. They talk about the wide range of global influences that shape her style, the lasting impact of her diplomat parents, West African textiles, and her lifelong love of independent designers.

Then, they discuss dressing for mood and occasion, the power of tailoring, and why personal style has less to do with trends than intention.On the back-half, they unpack “shine theory,” resisting institutional dress codes, Aminatou’s tips and tricks for traveling, thoughts on comfort versus fashion, and the pieces she returns to again and again.

To close, they offer guidance to two callers: one navigating a postpartum style reset, and another wondering whether feeling sexy actually requires high heels.

To learn more and subscribe to Real Talk, visit therealreal.com/real-talk. To call into the show, email us at realtalk@therealreal.com.