Chelsea Griffin Appiah

Welcoming Chelsea Griffin Appiah to Beyond Influence

Scott:

Welcome to Beyond Influence, our inaugural episode. Really excited about the guests that we have today, known very well by my co-host, Kwame. Excited to have Chelsea on. Chelsea, introduce yourself.

Chelsea:

Hi, everyone. This is so funny. I am on Kwame and Scott's new podcast, Beyond Influence. I'm super excited to be here. Kwame is in the other room in his office and I am sitting in our living room. This is a really funny dynamic, but it'll be a fun conversation and I'm happy to be here for your inaugural episode.

Kwame:

Yeah, thanks for joining us. I feel like I had a whole intro for you. I don't know if I get to... Well, I'm gonna rewind that.

Chelsea:

Let's hear it. Let's hear your intro.

Kwame:

Okay, so, everyone, please sit down. Turn on your podcast, tune into our episode of Beyond Influence today. We have the one, the only, the pink queen, the Netflix superstar, my wife: Chelsea Griffin Appiah.

Chelsea:

Aww, thank you.

Scott:

That was much better than my version. We'll take it.

Chelsea:

Thank you, darling. I appreciate that very much.

Kwame:

Well, thanks for hopping on with us today, Chelsea. For real, for real. I know, it's really funny. 

When we had the interview started or scheduled to start, I went out and she's sitting down, and she's like, "Okay, I'm waiting." And I'm like, "Oh, can we get, like, 15 minutes? We've got to figure some things out." And so I'm sitting here, trying to figure out the technical difficulties, and she walks in and grabs the vacuum. I'm like, "What are you doing?" She's like, "I got 15 minutes. I'm gonna do something."

Chelsea:

Yeah, I'm not just gonna sit on this couch and twiddle my thumbs while I wait.

Kwame:

Yeah, I love that about you.

Chelsea:

That's funny. Thank you.

Scott:

Well, we're so excited to have you. As you know, Beyond Influence, we love to talk to influencers and creators about their journey, what the real life is behind the posts and the content, and hear who the creator is and the human beings behind these stories and these people we follow. And we thought it was super fitting. 

We all know you and your relationship. We talked with Kwame about just how public the beginning of your relationship was and what kind of situation that is and so we just wanted to spend some time connecting with you and hearing how things have gone since the show, it's a year now, and that journey and just how life is and how things have changed.

How Chelsea’s life has changed since Love is Blind

Chelsea:

Oh my gosh, it feels like everything's changed. A lot has changed. I think it's really interesting when you enter this influencer digital space with very little experience, right? When you go on a show like Love is Blind, you really are as normal as a person next door to you, right? That is something that appealed to me about Love is Blind. They weren't looking for influencers, models, actors; these are normal, every day people. 

I was a pediatric speech therapist living my best life. Dating apps weren't working for me and the clock was ticking, and I was like, "Well, you could take the opportunity and go for it and just see what happens." And I'm obviously so glad that I did. It was a long, really cool, unique journey to here. 

Getting married in this way is very different than traditional, long dating, courtship-style and getting to know your wife years before, or husband, partner years before you marry them. But I'm really proud of Kwame and I and how far we have come in two years and super excited for all the exciting things we have in store to come.

Scott:

So I'm curious, as you're going through this crazy experience… Obviously, there's the side where you and Kwame are developing a relationship, and you're kind of in the pods figuring out, "Which way do I want to go?" And you're immersed in that experience. 

Did it ever hit you where you're like, "Oh, man, this is different. I'm going to be on a stage. Someone's going to play this back." Or you come out of a conversation, you know, self-conscious about the recording. When did that platform and that audience start to hit you like, "Oh, man, people are going to see this"?

Chelsea:

So there was a moment when... So we don't get to see (the show) before. Literally, when it drops to the world is when we all get to watch it for the first time. It was the week leading up to our season drop or premiere and what they do is they give editors and… individuals in the TV space, they get to watch it beforehand. Somebody reached out to me on my Instagram and was like, "Chelsea, I love you so much. Like, you and Kwame are amazing. I'm only on episode three." I was like, "Oh, shit." It was a really big moment. 

It was also a sigh of relief because I was like, "Okay, somebody is taking to our story." They're taking to me as an individual and enjoying Kwame and I as a couple. So it was really a big moment of, like, "Oh, wow, this is gonna be real and it's not just this one person. It's the world." 

But I, Scott, was never like... I really went into Love is Blind only being comfortable doing it if I was going to present my best self and if I was going to be okay with how I did things, how I talked to people. I mean, of course, there's stress in a lot of unexpected things that are thrown your way. But for me, during the whole experience, I wasn't nervous about anything that I did necessarily or said or anything that was kind of put into it. But editing is a piece of everything, even reality television, so I was just hoping that I didn't give them anything that they could edit me poorly on, if that makes sense.

Scott:

How conscious were you of that?

Chelsea:

Very.

Scott:

I feel like (if it was) me thrust into that situation, I would just be watching everything I said.

Chelsea:

You're pretty conscious. I would say, in the beginning, you're getting used to cameras around you all the time. In the middle, you're adjusting well, and by the end, you don't even notice a camera there. So that is when those moments when you could make a slip-up or not have a great moment, (that’s) when you kind of forget that they're there, you know?

I always tell people that are thinking about the process: I don't want you to be afraid. I want you to be yourself and as much as you can be. Because if you're really worried and you're scanning, and you're constantly on edge, it's gonna come off that way and you're not really gonna get the true experience. You really just need to surrender and let go and allow the experience to become what it's gonna be for you.

Creating authentic, relatable content

Kwame:

I mean, I know a lot of this process, a lot of it is acceptance. Knowing that you're going into it, being authentic, being yourself, and just letting the rest of it unfold. I can definitely relate to that, you know? 

Since then, obviously, a lot of things are changing, including you gaining a bit of an audience, right? Having what you refer to more, even as a community, because you don't see yourself as an influencer. What's the way that you describe yourself?

Chelsea:

I describe myself as an inspirer.

Kwame:

An inspirer.

Chelsea:

If I inspire you to click something, if I inspire you to learn about something, if I inspire you to look into this product because it could be helpful for you and your life, then that's fantastic. If I don't, that's me, that's okay, too. 

But I don't know why... It's interesting because I didn't even know what a Reel was. I didn't even know. I had probably 100 Instagram followers. I mean, I was so not a big social media person at all before this. 

So as you can imagine, the learning curve was insane. And the numbers just kept growing and growing and growing, and every night, this astounding number keeps growing, and it's unreal. 

I remember we were at the Coldplay concert, and what was it, 70,000 people in this arena? There wasn't one seat open and I was like, "This feels like the biggest concert of my entire life. This is massive. Like, the world is here, you know?" And then I think in my mind about what 600,000 people would look like and it gives me a heart attack.

I think I definitely experienced some of what they call - and I still battle with it - imposter syndrome. I'm a pediatric speech therapist. I didn't grow a following. I didn't grow and have this build and learn as I went. It's like, one day you wake up and half the world wants to know what you're doing every day, right? It's a pretty wild transition thinking about that. 

What helped me in the beginning, when I was getting into the digital space and thinking about influencing so to speak, that kind of thing, I was like, "Okay, just pretend it's your close friends and ten of your best fans sitting down in a room together." That's what I think about when I post content and I want my content to be relatable. 

I really struggle with social media being this fake reality, because it kind of is, and I think social media can have lots of negative implications. We can compare our life. There's lots of mental health that's woven into social media, unfortunately. So to kind of combat that and to take that into play, I'm like, "Okay, my content, for the most part, is going to be relatable." 

As much as I can, I want to relate to my followers. They need to know that I'm a normal person. I'm a human. I make mistakes. I don't feel confident some days. I'm not a perfect person and this is not my real life. This is a snippet in my life and in my relationship. I think that's what I'm really aiming for, and I think I've scratched the surface, but I'm excited to continue to dig into that relatable, empowered space, because I love that kind of content, at least for me.

Scott:

Yeah, I love that. It's interesting, too, with you all, because for a lot of creators, it's a slow grind. They're on their own. They're kind of forging their way. They're figuring out what works and what hits. 

I think two things that, to me, stuck out were you guys have each other in the shared experience to go through it together and the whole cast is going through this. I have to imagine it was a bonding moment because there's only maybe these eight people who really made it to the end and went through the whole journey that really understand what you all have gone through. But then you also have someone who's literally living in your house, who's trying to figure out who they are and how they want to present themselves to the world and how to deal with all this attention, positive and negative.

Chelsea:

Totally. We were really blessed to have each other. I would be so scared if I was forging that and figuring that all out and doing that all by myself. Kwame and I had both left our jobs within the same month, so we were like, "Whoa, what do we do? What is this? How do we do this?" And then the learning curve is steep. I mean, I didn't really know how to even edit a video, and I'm still learning every day, but I've come so far and I'm so proud of how far I've come in the content that I'm able to create. 

I remember in the beginning stages, I would read a brief and I would study it. And then I would spend hours - probably an entire day's worth - filming one concept. I loved it. It was so great. In my eyes, I was like, "Oh, I'm working so hard on this and this is great." Send it in, they were like, "No, reshoot the entire thing." So I've had to learn. I've had to really learn because that's not sustainable. I can't live like that. 

The ideal world, I think... You know, you want to express yourself and have it be authentic to your brand and who you are while at the same time adhering to what these brands are looking for. Anyways, I've changed the way I think about it and I've changed the way I do my drafting where I'm not spending 8 to 10 hours on one single concept that's going to get dumped.

Scott:

That's interesting. It's interesting to see how you've developed different strategies and gone through how you want to approach the process. I think part of what we're trying to do is to educate new creators on how to approach things and what advice do you have. 

I think that's a good piece of knowledge. Sometimes, don't stress, create multiple options and iterate quickly.

Chelsea:

Yes. There's this natural component, right? Brands want natural, natural, natural, natural. Well, guess what? Selling sometimes, I would say most times, is not really that natural. Showing is more natural; showing how you use it in your life. 

For me, the more I studied those briefs that brands give you, the worse I did, the less natural it was. Obviously, I need to understand the key components and have them loosely in my mind but the more I was script writing and fine-tuning based on every little point that they mentioned, the less natural it was. Obviously, for me and my brand, the less they liked it because they know how authentic I am. They know that that's me and that's something that is really important to me as an individual and it's important to show that in my content.

How Chelsea & Kwame manage their brand partnerships

Kwame:

Yeah, I think it's really interesting seeing how brands line up the partnership they want to work with. If I was to give any advice to brands, it's to send things, send items, send test kits, whatever you want, to the creators and influencers that you want to work with well before even asking for any contracts. 

When we think about a company that Chelsea and I both partnered with, Seed. I'm a big, big advocate for anything that helps with gut health, you know what I mean? So probiotics, anything of that sort, and I've been using different ones along my life for quite a while. When I heard about Seed, they sent it to me and they asked for content and I pushed out the content. 

Then I used Seed for another two weeks and I was like, "Oh my gosh, if I had been using this for the two to three weeks before I made this, it would have been completely different." Because I realized how much it actually applied to me and how much it actually helped me. I feel like my energy and my focus and whatever message I would have delivered would have been so much more relative to my life, therefore relative and relatable to my audience.

Chelsea:

Totally agree. Timing is really everything, especially when you're trying out a product. Brands giving us adequate time to try out the product and see what it's like. I agree, it makes a big difference in the quality of our content and the quality of our message, whether or not we truly are seeing effects or what have you with certain products, like a probiotic.

Kwame:

What I really want to know, based on you and the way that you work and the brands that you've worked with, do you have any favorite brands that you've partnered with that just made you feel like your creative eye and your design came to life and you enjoyed it with the content you got to push out?

Chelsea:

That's a really good question. Can I look at my chart? I forget.

Kwame:

A chart, which I made, by the way. Well, we put it together. 

I remember when we started influencing, we were like, "We've got to figure out a way to keep track of every single brand that we've been reached out from and then ended up working with." We want to know who we might not have worked with, who we want to circle back to, and who went well.

Chelsea:

I think organization in influencing space is so important, especially for people who are pushing out deals every day. Oh my gosh, you have to have an organizational system. 

I know there's different apps that can schedule content and help you kind of do that kind of thing. But in terms of delivery date, expected pay date, what the brand is, who the client is, what the gross pay, what the net pay, what the take home is, is the contract signed? Is the content delivered? Have I received the pay? Am I waiting for the pay?

Anyway, all these things we have in a spreadsheet. So thank you, Kwame, for creating this very helpful spreadsheet. I would be dying without it. Truly, I truly, truly would.

Scott:

I just think it's so interesting to see how you all have navigated the process, and as you go through you have to, a lot of times, create your own tools or partner with folks. 

One thing I think about is (how) it's still a young industry, and there's so many of the struggles to create content, edit content, produce it, partner, manage your finances, the tax implication... All these things are uncharted territory for a lot of folks and so navigating that can be pretty daunting. It's not like you're just getting a W2 from the same company and everything's rolled up for you by an accountant.

Working with aligned brands

Chelsea:

Totally. Scott, we should talk about that because we need an accountant that specializes in this so if you’ve got anybody, please send it our way. 

Let's see. My first deal was a vibrator and I remember... I'm a sex-positive individual. That's really important to me that I portray that in who I am and my content. Pleasure is for everybody. I was like, “Yes, I'm going to do it.” I'm going to post this little vibrator and Kwame took my pictures and it was the cutest moment and everything. It was our first day of working together, which was really cute and funny. 

But I remember, before I posted it, my heart was pounding. I was so nervous, and I was like, “You know what, Chels? It's going to be okay.” But I think when you are on a worldwide screen where people can have an opinion about your marriage or what they saw, there is some of that fear that comes up. Everybody gets negativity on the Internet, but not to the degree that people who are on these types of reality shows or dating shows get. It's really intense. People really get invested in your love story. 

Anyways, I loved that one because it was a very powerful moment for me. It was a really cool way to kick off this career. Side career? I don't really know what to call it. 

I also really loved working with... I do a lot of lifestyle things. I love brands that fit into my home and my lifestyle really well. easyplant was one that I really, really loved. Like, I look at them around my house today, and they've given me so much joy in my day-to-day space. I've always wanted to grow plants in my home, but it just never had enough light or I never could keep them alive. 

easyplant is a plant that has a water basin that you pour into and it auto-waters your plant as it needs water and you don't have to worry. You literally don't have to touch the plant for a month to a month and a half. It's insane. Anyways, I love how naturally that fit into my life, into our space, and to the photos that I take in our home every day. That was one that I really, really loved as well.

People know from Love is Blind that I am definitely a fan of photo shoots. Kwame, you can't deny it: you are too. So we have a plethora of photos and so things like Mixtiles were really amazing.

Scott:

(Mixtiles is) where you get little square photos and you can hang them up.

Chelsea:

Oh my gosh, Mixtiles. They have auto-created photo collages for you of different sizes, different shapes, different framing... I mean, it's such a cool concept. They're super easy. You peel the back. They're on a magnet, so you can have your kids stick them on. You can tilt them. You can move them around. They are geniuses. They are geniuses in the space. And so we had so many pictures that needed to be off of our phones and so that was a really, really fun one to do.

Kwame:

And Mixbook, which is right behind you right now as we speak,

Chelsea:

Mixbook, which is right behind me right now. They did our wedding photo book with all of our pictures, and also did our honeymoon photos as well.

Kwame:

Yeah, so that was super cool. I think when it comes to who you are and what your audience is and who you are as an influencer, it's really cool. 

I'm a big believer in creating a self-identity. I love independence. I think it's really beautiful when you can stand for something. I think it's really beautiful as well when you can collaborate with two minds in the way that they think, in the way that they stand as well. 

I think that Chelsea's a really big presence as an individual and I love that for her. I love who she is and the fact that she really represents herself and won't give that up for anything. I think that that's amazing.

Remaining authentic as a creator

Chelsea:

I really try. I really held on to that hard. I was like, "Okay, if you're going to do this and you're going to enter into this world and you're going to have fame... Promise yourself, as much as you can, to never lose yourself because that's a scary place to be." 

With everything, with all of our change, with going on something like Love is Blind, with having this following just burst out of nowhere. We're growing, we're changing, we're evolving naturally with all this change but also who you are in your soul. I don't feel like that'll ever change for me, and I don't want it to.

Scott:

I told Kwame, I had the unique kind of experience of knowing Kwame before the show. I know his character and I know how he shows up and the energy he brings. 

It was funny cause I was reflecting on it. We (were) just walking through Seattle. We get stopped and literally, a gal runs out of a bakery, flour all over her, and she's like, "Kwame! I will give you my loaf of bread if you take a picture with my students!" And I was like, "What is happening right now?" For me, this is a wild experience and I was like, "Is this normal life for Kwame, what's happening?" I probably would have ran for cover for knowing what's happening. 

And, to his credit, Kwame instantly has a smile on, and not in a fake way, just in the way that we know Kwame. He gives the time of day and says, "I'll come back. I'll do whatever you want. Keep your loaf of bread. Let's take a picture." And they posted it and we found it. It was a work skills bakery for less employable folks getting them back out there.

The whole thing of it, for me, was a really impactful experience because I'm like... One, it's watching Kwame evolve into who he is in this personality, exposing that to the rest of the world but then in day-to-day life, despite getting recognized in what could be very disruptive in his day, giving people the time of day. And it's really impactful. 

I think, to me, when you're on social media, you don't really see the numbers. You don't see the humans behind the screen and the impact you're having. Walking around, (I’m) able to see the joy and the experience. I know they all walked home and talked to their friends. It was the coolest post. They're going to have those moments, "Who did you meet in your life that had notoriety", and they'd be like, "Oh, I met Kwame on the street. He's so nice, such a good guy." I think that point about not losing who you are and trying to spread positivity, it's a great message.

Chelsea:

First of all, why didn't you bring the bread home?

Kwame:

I know. It's a moment where I honestly think one day, I might walk back in there and say, "Hey, can I at least buy a loaf?" Because it looked like a great bakery if I'm being honest with you. We're gonna have to revisit them at some point.

Chelsea:

I'm surprised you turned down the bread because I've never met an individual that loves bread more than my husband.

Kwame:

Carb loading! 

I think, to tie things back together, getting to work on some partnerships together have been really, really awesome. I think we both struggled with that when we first started. It's something that we have to be transparent and open and admit to ourselves cause it is a journey, you know? How do you take Chelsea, that is a brand, and how do you take Kwame, that is a brand, and put them together and make it Chelsea and Kwame? 

And to the whole world, when I go out, a lot of people say, "Where's your wife? Where's your wife?" We are a brand. We are a unit. But when it comes to putting our imprint on something that is our art and something that we thought about and something that we created and meshing those things together, I believe that the beginning journey of that can take a little bit of time to really understand.

Obviously, we've come very far, and I'm really proud of us in that part and I know there have been really amazing parts of this creator journey, and I'm grateful to get to share that with you. 

One thing that I want to know from you is, what is difficult as a creator? You know, what are some difficult things that you want to share with us?

What is difficult about being a creator?

Chelsea:

I mean, I think on Scott's point: You see numbers but you don't see humans. And I love people and I'm such a connector, and I love community, and I love that vulnerability piece, and I just love learning about others. 

And so the summer after I had stepped away from my day job (and) decided to kind of pursue this work, see what I could learn, see how it could help support my life and my lifestyle... I was like, "Okay, Chelsea." I was kind of struggling the first few months, and I was kind of resisting it, and I was afraid, and I feel like I didn't have enough knowledge and didn't know what to do and my content wasn't good enough… 

And I was like, "You know what? Just get to know your followers." Get to know them and get to know what they like. What are they liking a lot? What are they not liking a lot? What are they engaging on? What kind of polls or questions are they quick to answer? What are the messages they're sending you?  

I literally had to kind of take all of this in, and by the end of the summer, I was like, "My followers are amazing!" They are amazing people. I am so lucky to know and have every single one of them day in and day out in my digital life. It's so amazing when you can connect in that way and get to know them, because once I started putting the pieces together of who they were and what they were looking for and what they loved about me, what kind of content they loved, what they were after, I was like, "Okay, these are my people and I'm not afraid anymore. They believe in me, and I believe in them." 

It's such a cool relationship when you intentionally try to do that. I've talked to many other creators or people in the space, not creators, that have come off Love Is Blind that are creating. We're so much more than just a creator, right?

(There are) people who have come off Love is Blind and they're like, "I don't know my followers", and I'm like, "You don't? Get to know them! It's really fun!" It's the most exciting part for me. And (the person I was talking to) was like, "Oh, okay. That sounds really interesting. I should do that. I haven't really done that." 

You're doing it every day, but are you really intentionally thinking about it or adding some pieces together of what your followers like and who they really are? Anyways, that was a really big thing for me.

Scott:

I think it's awesome. I think, too, as a follower or a fan, getting some kind of engagement. "Oh, my gosh. Chelsea reached out to me to ask me a question about why I love this post or hit up my comment and responded back." Those little moments, they can be huge for individuals. 

I always love the "Hey, like this post until Katy Perry likes it back" (posts) and it's some singer covering a Katy Perry song. And the moment when that happens, everyone's just cheering for this person. You're like, "Yes, we did it!" I like those moments when the community rallies behind (a creator) and you have that engagement. It's super cool to see.

Chelsea:

It really is. It really is. It's a whole different ballgame when you used to have 100 and now you’ve got upwards of sometimes 90,000 people viewing a story a day. It's a remarkable thing and I'm grateful to be in it. 

You know, I think I've only dipped my foot into the pool of possibilities that this influencing life could bring me and bring my followers and bring others. Have I been in it long enough to fully understand the breadth and depth of the influence and the difference that I want to make in the world? No. I have merely been learning and treading water and figuring this out but I'm excited to fine-tune content and continue to get to know my followers and continue to try to be relatable and make a difference in the world.

Working together as a couple

Scott:

That's amazing. So I had a question for both of you. I think about how your relationship started and I think there's a whole bunch of people who are rooting for you, and then there's a whole bunch of people who, based on the edit, based on who they are or whatever, they're like, "Oh, is it even real? Are they going to implode? (On shows like) Bachelor, Love is Blind, these relationships don't last." 

But then you're putting yourself out there on social media and so there's this weird contradiction (where) there are days when I'm gonna be mad at my partner or I'm gonna be frustrated or I don't wanna go create this video that's super lovey-dovey and us skiing the French Alps together and sipping champagne, and there's real life (that has) to happen. 

How did you guys balance the pressure of feeling like you maybe need to justify your relationship or put up this super rosy image with the reality of, like you said, I'm a human being. I'm in a real marriage where there is conflict, there is challenge. There's like, "Hey, why did you not pick that up off the floor? Why are the dishes still in the sink? Why did you not go to the store?" Whatever it might be that day. I just imagine that pressure to be perfect and be this model relationship is pretty tough.

Chelsea:

That's such an important point, Scott. That is so critical; you literally just nailed it on the head. That is something we deal with. That is real life, that's our day-to-day. Kwame, do you want to start, or do you want me to?

Kwame:

If you have some initial thoughts, feel free to share them.

Chelsea:

I remember our first deal that we did, and we bickered our entire way through that entire thing, and we had to learn how we think about a concept. At first, we were like, "Okay, we're just gonna come together, and we're just gonna fucking figure it out. We're gonna trudge through it together." And it was excruciating for both of us. 

So we were like, "We're gonna have to figure this out" because not many people meet their partner, get married, and then become business partners in under two years. It's a lot there, Scott, like you were saying, and we are real people. So first of all, we had to figure out like let's just have brainstorming sessions together. What's your vision? What's my vision? How do we figure out a way to blend them together? 

Also, Scott, I will say… something that Kwame and I are fine-tuning, much better now than we were in the beginning, is figuring out what our strengths are. What are our strengths and what are our downfalls or weaknesses? What are things that we're not very good at? Kwame and I, it's really nice because we're super complimentary in terms of our strengths and our areas for growth. I really do think we balance each other out well. 

I push Kwame to do a lot more content. I push him to do a lot more Stories. I push him to really be out there and get to know his followers. Kwame had a beautiful Instagram before Love is Blind and it was very curated, whereas mine was just like, "Here's my life or whatever." I didn't really care as much and so, I think Kwame's transition into this on his page has been different than mine, and that's completely okay. I have to fully respect that. 

But I remember Kwame and I do a lot of singing videos in the car and there was a Chris Brown song, and we were singing it together, and I was like, "You should post a video of you singing Chris Brown." He was like, "Really? People won't like it." And it went insane; his engagement on this one story was record-breaking.

There's just different strengths and different things that we both have, and we can kind of push each other that way. I think that really, really helped us, Scott, in terms of this dance that we had to figure out as a married couple who creates content together and who are dealing with normal day-to-day things. Kwame, do you have anything to add?

Kwame:

It's funny because you're coming towards a very beautiful end in the part of what you're saying and now I have to start from the beginning and be like, "Yeah, it's really difficult." 

Ultimately, it really is. It's a process, and you're getting to know someone. Especially when you're thrust into the situation that we are where you wake up one day and it almost feels like (things changed) in the snap of a finger. I remember as we were going through Love is Blind, we would wake up on occasional days and look at each other and be like, "Oh my gosh, this is real. Like, you're a real person. This is actually happening!" 

So, due to the rate in which this happened, there were so many things that had to come together. Like Chelsea said, there are levels and degrees and different things that, on their own, could take people years. People could take years just to figure out their dynamic as partners. People could take years to figure out their dynamic as a married partnership. People could take years to figure out a business partnership. But we had to do all of that in such a compressed situation that it was tough to get to. 

I think we're still learning. We have our moments and at the end of the day, it's all about knowing that the North Star is we are here. We are doing this together and if we are doing this together, if that is the premise in which we place on our lives, that's gonna be the same premise that we put on our content as well. So it's about figuring it out in your real life and transitioning that same mindset into the things that you put out. 

You are gonna have those moments. You're gonna book a trip and have a partnership and that partnership is supposed to be three days. In those three days, you might get in an argument on day one and it makes it tougher for the rest of the two days. But in those other two days, as you're going through it, you're like, "Hey, we got here together. I can't be here without you. You can't be here without me. This is who we are, right? We are a unit. We gotta stand strong. We gotta make it work."

At the end of the day, that is how we feel in our lives. I love Chelsea with all my heart. I think that she inspires me so much. I think she's a brilliant, intelligent, beautiful person. And so I really do think that that applies in the way that we get to share our message as well. It's really cool. It's a beautiful partnership that had its ups and downs, but it's how life is. It's how partnership is. It's what marriage is. As long as we come back to each other, we create something that portrays that same message.

Chelsea:

That was beautiful. I also have something to add, too. There have been times when I have my phone in Kwame's face, or I'm videoing everything, or I'm in a really content-y mood. There have been times when Kwame's like, "You need to take a second. You need to take a step back. I'm not sure I want you to videotape this." That kind of thing. Or (saying) "Let's just live in the moment for this one, Chels. Like, we don't have to (film)."

You know, I feel like you have this drive and this desire to hyper-record everything in your life, everything in your marriage, everything. It's exhausting, and it's not sustainable, and it doesn't make this part, this job, all that enjoyable, to be honest. 

So you do have to find that balance for yourself, and you do have to have days off of your phone if you can, or moments or hours or, you know, put that in there, but also just to enjoy experiences without the technology, without the phone. And I think Kwame helps me reel it back sometimes.

I've learned to ask, "Is it okay if I record this? Is it okay if we make this, I put this on my story, kind of thing?" Just having that conversation and getting that permission, as opposed to just like, "What did you say that was funny?" And putting my phone in his face. You know what I'm saying?

Do we miss moments? Absolutely. We're just humans and that's totally okay, and that's normal. But I think that Kwame helps me reel it back in sometimes, and that's something, Scott, that we've had to figure out. But there's those strengths that we can support each other on and those areas for growth that we can support each other on, too.

Scott:

Well, I can say from my side, we love you guys. We love being a part of your journey and knowing both of you in a different way. I think as time goes on, who you really are shines through in how you show up, the content you create, how you guys engage, not just in social media, but those in life. I think we're all champions of yours and these kinds of conversations, these are the moments where you're at your realest. We get to continue the story that we kind of joined on early on and get to see it for what it is. 

Edit aside,  it's very clear the love you all have for each other and it's fun to see that manifest in how you represent yourselves online. I'm stoked to be a part of a small part of this journey, unpacking it today. And I think a lot of people, they can appreciate the struggle of trying to be a real human and living your life and putting something out into the world for people to enjoy. So I really appreciate you guys both opening up and taking the time.

Chelsea:

Thank you, Scott. That was awesome. I had a great time. I'm so excited for you two. You guys are going to do big things and (are) working really hard towards this. And I believe in my husband more than anyone in this world, and you are meant for this, Kwame. This is perfect for you and Scott is a great leader and mentor, and I think it's such a cool thing that you guys get to learn from each other.

Kwame:

Yeah, it's really exciting and I'm blessed to be part of it. I'm blessed to have this opportunity and be here with Scott, and we're both very happy and blessed to get to talk to people like you, and obviously, most importantly in this moment, get to talk to you and yourself. Thank you for sharing the parts of you that you share with the world and obviously, the parts that you share with me as well.

Chelsea:

You are very welcome. I hope you guys have me back sometime soon.

Kwame:

All right, Chelsea, thanks so much. And thank you, everybody, for joining us today. That's a wrap for Episode 2 of Beyond Influence. See you all next time. Bye.