The Real Reel – Details, episodes & analysis

Episode 280: From the snowy streets of Salt Lake City to the bright lights of Hollywood and back, today’s guest has one heck of a story to tell. Natalie has the honor of speaking with Lindsay Arnold, a So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars alum, to learn about her journey as a professional dancer turned mom, influencer, fitness instructor, and business owner. Lindsay’s sharing how her passion for movement landed her the career of her dreams, her first-hand experience on reality TV, and how she manages to wear so many hats at once! Tune in for an inspiring and relatable conversation that simultaneously feels like a comforting coffee date with one of your besties. Enjoy!       Today’s episode dives into:    The benefits of feeling motivating stress when it comes to your profession    Lindsay’s first-hand experience with mom-shaming online and her true feelings toward social media     How her relationship with movement began and the origin story of her career as a professional dancer    Behind the scenes of her experience on So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars   Why she ultimately decided to take a step back from DWTS  What led her to create The Movement Club  The contrast between her current life and her life when she was dancing full time      Thank you so much for being a part of our podcast community! Please be sure to rate, follow, review, and of course, post to your highlight reel. Follow your host Natalie on Instagram @nataliebarbu and @therealreelpodcast. Follow Lindsay @lindsarnold and check out @themovementclub   This show wouldn't be possible without our incredible sponsors. Check out these deals just for you: Earnin - Download EarnIn today in the Google play or Apple app store.When you download the EarnIn app type in Real Reel under PODCAST when you sign up – it’ll really help the show.  Ouai - Go to theouai.com and use promo code REALREEL for 15% off any product. Shopify - Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/realreel.  Adobe - Search for In the Making in your podcast player and subscribe or follow the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 279: Nat’s back with a solo episode about her recent travels around Europe! Making weeklong stops in London, Italy, and France, Nat dives into what each week was like and shares some insights and travel tips that she’s picked up along the way. Whether it was solo travel (and dating!) in London, going to a wedding in Italy, or buddy-traveling in France, each place presented unique opportunities to soak up the culture and experience something new and exciting. Nat wraps up the episode by answering some listener questions like how to save money on travel, strategies to stay safe when you’re in a new area, and how to balance work while on the road! (Hint: leverage those time zone differences!) It’s a super fun episode that’s sure to get you booking that next flight out of town! Thank you so much for being a part of our podcast community! Please be sure to rate, follow, review, and of course, post to your highlight reel. Follow your host Natalie on Instagram @nataliebarbu and @therealreelpodcast. This show wouldn't be possible without our incredible sponsors. Check out these deals just for you: In The Making from Adobe - Search for In the Making in your podcast player and subscribe or follow the show. Shopify - Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com/realreel, Earnin - Download the EarnIn app type in Real Reel under PODCAST when you sign up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 270: Moving to a new city has its challenges, especially if that city is New York! But a new perspective is exactly what Nat’s guest this week, Crystal Tan, needed. Having recently gone through a breakup, Crystal came to NYC from the San Francisco Bay area in search of inspiration as a content creator and also for work as a data analyst at TikTok. Despite outside noise telling her she had to choose one thing or another, Crystal talks about how having two very different interests has been so beneficial for her personally and how one really compliments the other. Nat and Crystal talk about everything, from the pressure of putting out consistent content to the trap of perfectionism to the therapy that comes with doing the things you love. This week’s episode is all about the importance of embracing new opportunities and letting your individuality shine! Find Crystal on Instagram and TikTok at @itscrystaltan Thank you so much for being a part of our podcast community! Please be sure to rate, follow, review, and of course, post to your highlight reel. Follow your host Natalie on Instagram @nataliebarbu and @therealreelpodcast. This show wouldn't be possible without our incredible sponsors. Check out these deals just for you: EarnIn - Download EarnIn today in the Google play or Apple app store. When you download the EarnIn app type in Real Reel under PODCAST when you sign up – it’ll really help the show.  OUAI - Get on your OUAI to save for the holiday. Go to theouai.com for 15% off sitewide and enter promo code REALREEL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 180: Born in Cuba, raised in New York, and now based in Miami, today’s guest is an absolute powerhouse and visionary in the fashion industry. This week, Natalie welcomes the founder and designer of luxury lifestyle brand Peace Love World, Alina Villasante. Alina embodies the American dream and shares her experience pivoting from an aviation business into fashion. Natalie and Alina discuss everything from business strategies to finding yourself to facing your fears to leading with optimism. Talk about an inspirational interview!   Today’s episode dives into:      How Alina got her clothing line into the hands of some of the biggest celebrities including Pharell, Oprah, and the Kardashians  How to network effectively and build authentic business relationships     What the first year was truly like, the challenges she faced, and the evolution of the brand    What to look for in a strategic business partnership     The importance of focusing on joy, passion, and gifts   Alina’s vision for the future of Peace Love World    Thank you so much for being a part of our podcast community! Please be sure to rate, follow, review, and of course, post to your highlight reel. Follow your host Natalie on Instagram @nataliebarbu and @therealreelpodcast. Follow Alina @peacelovealina and Peace Love World @peaceloveworld.     Thank you to our sponsors for making this episode possible. Check out these deals just for you:  SHOPIFY – Go to shopify.com/realreel to start your FREE trial and get full access to Shopify’s entire suite of features.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 179: Natalie is back on the mic solo this week to catch up on her trip to New York last week, and of course, she has a flight story for you all. She shares the real reel behind her posts at NY Fashion Week and why she just wasn’t feeling it this year—maybe it had something to do with the influencer Olympics she witnessed... She also has a bone to pick with New York elevators, subways, and Ubers. Thankfully, she had some great opportunities to network and even got to meet one of her idols. Tune in to learn who!    Thank you so much for being a part of our podcast community! Please be sure to rate, follow, review, and of course, post to your highlight reel. Follow your host Natalie on Instagram @nataliebarbu and @therealreelpodcast.     Thank you to our sponsors for making this episode possible. Check out these deals just for you:  SHOPIFY – Go to shopify.com/realreel to start your FREE trial and get full access to Shopify’s entire suite of features.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 178: You are all Natalie’s therapist this week as she opens up about her recent break up with Kian and enters a new season of singleness. This is a super vulnerable episode where Natalie shares how heartbreak is manifesting in herself and which healing strategies have helped her most. She also talks about her dating history, the lessons she’s learned from previous relationships, and what not to do after a break up. We hope sharing her journey can help others going through something similar and we ask that you respect both Natalie and Kian by giving them space to heal. Tissues highly recommended for today’s episode.    Thank you so much for being a part of our podcast community! Please be sure to rate, follow, review, and of course, post to your highlight reel. Follow your host Natalie on Instagram @nataliebarbu and @therealreelpodcast.     T hank you to our sponsors for making this episode possible. Check out these deals just for you:  SHOPIFY – Go to shopify.com/realreel to start your FREE trial and get full access to Shopify’s entire suite of features.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 177: We know how much you all love episodes about money, so we are grabbing an oldie but a goodie from the vault to refresh your financial memory. Natalie is joined by financial expert and NYT Bestselling Author Rachel Cruze to discuss common money mistakes, what your relationship with money says about you, and the importance of saving and budgeting. Tune in to learn how to create freedom through budgeting and why money is neither good nor bad.     Today’s episode dives into:    Why it’s so important to budget and how to create a realistic budget for yourself   How to begin saving and how much you should be saving no matter your income   The biggest money mistake people make    How much you need to in an emergency fund and why you need one   How to overcome a difficult relationship with money       Thank you so much for being a part of our podcast community! Please be sure to rate, follow, review, and of course, post to your highlight reel. Follow your host Natalie on Instagram @nataliebarbu and @therealreelpodcast. Follow Rachel @rachelcruze and find her books at rachelcruze.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 176: If you’ve been following The Real Reel for a while, you know that Natalie has been on quite the journey with her skin. We are in for a real treat as Natalie welcomes skincare experts Danielle Gronich (owner of the acclaimed San Diego Acne Clinic) and Kayleigh Christina (Holistic Nutritionist) to the podcast. After bonding over a mutual passion for holistic skin health and whole-body wellness, Danielle and Kayleigh decided to partner in 2017 to create CLEARSTEM Skincare. These three skincare junkies share tips and tricks for clear skin and bust common acne myths so you can wake up with clearer, brighter skin.      Today’s episode dives into:    The biggest mistakes people make when trying to treat acne  Which ingredients and supplements cause hormonal acne  Ways to take care of your gut health and digestion in order to improve your skin  The reasons birth control causes acne flare-ups and supplements to support your hormones  Top foods to help heal your skin and dietary recommendations for clear skin  Which common skincare ingredients are a must and which are a bust    Thank you so much for being a part of our podcast community! Please be sure to rate, follow, review, and of course, post to your highlight reel. Follow your host Natalie on Instagram @nataliebarbu and @therealreelpodcast. Follow CLEARSTEM @clearstemskincare. Follow Danielle @danielle.the.acne.guru and Kayleigh @kayleigh.christina.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 175: With the highs, comes the lows, and as founder and CEO of Lokai, Steven Izen says, “Stay humble when you’re on top of the world and hopeful when you hit a low.” This week, Natalie is joined by Steven to discuss the importance of finding your balance and how the shift in mindset from founder to CEO made balance possible for him.     Today’s episode dives into:    What Steven's initial expectations and vision were starting Lokai  How his view of success has changed since starting the business   The differences between starting your first business and your second  The difference between a CEO and a founder   His take on the future of startups and why he invests in startups  What he looks for when investing in startups and founders    Thanks to Steven for setting up a very special deal for Real Reel listeners. Use code  "Podcast15" for 15 percent off on any purchases made through lokai.com or elementsdrinks.io.    Thank you so much for being a part of our podcast community! Please be sure to rate, follow, review, and of course, post to your highlight reel. Follow your host Natalie on Instagram @nataliebarbu and @therealreelpodcast. Follow Steven @stevenizen. Check out Lokai at lokai.com and Elements at elementsofbalance.io.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 174: Curious about NFTs, Web3, crypto, and blockchain? This week, Natalie welcomes the co-founder of Alpha’a and Alphaa.io Manuela Seve, to break down blockchain basics. Manuela is a trailblazer in the tech space and is rethinking ownership via blockchain certification, licensing, and dropshipping. Natalie and Manuela discuss the misconceptions and benefits of NFTs and what the future looks like as blockchain becomes more integrated into everyday life. If you’re scratching your head about these terms and wondering, "what the heck even is an NFT?!", don’t worry, Natalie asks all the questions you’re likely thinking.    Today’s episode dives into:    How NFTs work and how to create your own  Ways to spot an NFT scam  The meaning of Web3 and what it can do for creators   How to get started and succeed in the NFT space   Advice for women wanting to get into the NFT and Web3 space     Thank you so much for being a part of our podcast community! Please be sure to rate, follow, review, and of course, post to your highlight reel. Follow your host Natalie on Instagram @nataliebarbu and @therealreelpodcast. Follow Manuela @manuseve and Alphaa.io @alphaaio.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices