Iskra Lawrence: From Size Discrimination to Building a Multi-Million Dollar Body Care Brand

Being in a larger body, I often got paid a lot less than other models. Why? Discrimination. What? There is times when I've gotten to set not knowing how much I was going to earn, hoping that I get the check. There is no protection and no union. I had to have my phone on 24-7. Weekends did not exist. I could not leave New York just in case I got a call for a job. I basically owed the agency money. So now you're trapped until you've paid back what they've invested in you, but there's no guarantee you'll work. So it was just scary. What's up, rich friends? Welcome back to another episode of Net Worth and Chill with me, your host, Vivian Tu, a.k.a. YourRichBFF, and your favorite Wall Street Girly. And today, we're going to be talking about insecurity, confidence, and how it affects our pockets. Growing up as a young Asian girl in the early 2000s, there was pretty minimal representation, if any, of girls who looked like me anywhere I went or anything that I watched. From models to actresses to singers, there were very few. Shout out Brenda's song, though. She held it down for the Asian girlies. But frankly, I wasn't seeing a lot of representation or inclusivity when it came to the media. And this overall lack of inclusivity wasn't just limited to race. We hardly saw any people who had disabilities. We hardly saw people who hadn't aged out of that youthful category. But one of the least representative categories at the time was body size. And back in the day, if you were not stick thin, you wouldn't be seen in the media. But fortunately, while we still have a long way to go, we are also seeing a lot more body diversity now in magazines, in fashion, and across all of our number of screens. Today's guest was one of the first midsize trailblazers I personally saw break this mold when it came to body diversity in the modeling industry. She is known worldwide, from modeling to becoming a mom to creating Soltaire, a body care brand with a cult following, myself included. Everyone, please welcome Iskra Lawrence. Yay! Oh my goodness. I feel like that was just a wonderful introduction, a really holistic way to talk about what I believe in and my mission. So I'm really excited to dive in today with you. I've been dying to get on your podcast. I mean, I've been dying to see you again. It's been a minute since we've been together. We're busy girls, booked and busy. We are very, very busy girls. And obviously, you know that you are super special to me. But since we are going to talk about newness, new things, we have to talk about the elephant in the room. And by elephant, I mean small child. You had a baby since the last time I saw you. She's here, everyone. Yes, baby Prima is in the house. And literally, I took that pregnancy test the day after I saw you. The day after. I felt something when I was on stage with you, actually. I don't know. You felt something? Yeah, I had this inkling. I was just like, I don't know, maybe it was the high, because I feel like it was such a special thing to be part of and see you do your thing, see all the people in the audience just soak up all the value you were giving that night. But there was something in me where I was like, oh, I feel extra alive. And then literally took that pregnancy test the Friday the next day. Yeah, life changed forever. Mom of two now. One, you are absolutely too good to me. But two, I mean, maybe I'm lucky. You could be lucky. I just rubbed a little baby dust. Maybe you did. But before we get into your baby, I want to talk about baby you. Let's roll back the tape. What was your relationship with money like growing up? Support for this show comes from Lufthansa. When you want to get away in style, Lufthansa Allegris offers a range of new features and amenities across all travel classes. The Lufthansa Allegris business class allows you to choose from five different seat options, including the extra space seat or the extra long bed. In the first class suite, almost floor to ceiling partitions and closable doors provide maximum privacy and make your trip above clouds feel just like home. But no matter where you sit, your travel experience is tailored to your needs and you'll wish it could last a lifetime. Say yes to Lufthansa Allegris and visit Lufthansa.com. So I vividly remember growing up. I came from a town called Kidderminster, which is relatively small with not much access to information in the sense. My dad really self-educated himself. He went to actually the first school in the UK to need metal detectors and have police on campus. He went to a really we would call it like a rough school. And he really struggled. He never felt safe. And so his kind of experience of education being negative. Weirdly, he then decided, I'm going to educate myself later in life. And then he became like the he's so, so positive when it comes to learning and education. And so I feel like from a young age, he was trying to give me that knowledge. So for me, I remember being like six and him telling me, if you ever get any money in a birthday card, we're going to save at least 20% of it. I'm going to put it away and start saving it. That's so smart. Just something small. Right. I feel like dipping your toe in. And he was one of 10. So my dad grew up with not much. And, you know, he had a single mother. His dad passed away when he was five and she worked overnight in a carpet factory. She didn't drive. She like literally rode her bike 20 miles each day to go to work to provide for these children. So I saw someone work so hard. And I really it really was that like working class England, you know, middle of, you know, the country. And I remember growing up and just being like, if I want to. I don't want to say get out. Yeah. I don't want to do my, you know, upbringing to service. It's a wonderful town, wonderful place I'm from. But I realized I would have to save and have some kind of safety net to if I wanted to go elsewhere. So, yeah, I saved from a very young age and then it became like a badge of honor. Almost like I had savings. Yeah, they were just sat there. They weren't doing much, but they were saving. And then I had bonds very early on. My parents felt like that was a really safe option for me to, you know, put my money in bonds. So, you know, we have the nationwide bonds in the UK. And so my money just sat there. And now and again, you know, you would get like a dividend. But yeah, that was my first experience. But I also realize my parents, they started their own businesses. So they worked for people their whole lives and they got to a point where they just realized they were dissatisfied. They were burnt out and they wanted the flexibility. So they both quit their jobs. So I saw them taking risks, risks financially and risks just for the whole family. And it didn't always pay off. You know, my dad got screwed over by a business partner and lost everything in the business. And my mom, again, just realized it's a lot of work to run your own business. But they invested in what they believed in. So I think that I had like more of this knowledge from their experience rather than them kind of. They weren't financial gurus. You know, they hadn't really learned much themselves, but they were trying to figure it out. And I saw them figuring it out firsthand. I mean, when we talk about generational wealth, I think a lot of people think it's literally like dad handing son cash wads. But I also think generational wealth comes in the form of knowledge. If you have parents who are willing to have that conversation, so many people aren't. I know. Show the failures and the successes. I think I just love that my parents, I'm an only child. And I feel like I was one of them. Is that why we're so close? Because we're both only children and crazy. But they were so invested in me and they were so invested in making me feel like an adult at an early age, just out of respect, out of like we want our daughter to be as well prepared as she can for this world. And ultimately, you as a preteen, teen, baby, teen, like you wanted to get into modeling, but you face some adversity because you weren't the and I quote, ideal size. Yeah. Which is crazy to say out loud about someone's body. Yeah. Can you talk to me about that? Like, why did you want to get into modeling? Like what happened there? You know, I saw modeling as an opportunity to travel, to have this life that looked very different from my upbringing. Glamorous. Yeah. You know, you see at that time America's Next Top Model was everywhere. And, you know, we did get fed many lies about what the industry was like. But it did. It seemed glamorous. It seemed like I would get to, you know, leave this small town and go and experience the world. And I was my parents did a really good job of instilling this confidence in me. So I did feel like I could try anything. And if it didn't work out, it's OK. I can either try something new or that's just kind of part of life. Not everything is for you sometimes. Resilience. Yeah. They taught me that resilience. So when I got into modeling, I just loved it. I felt like I got to act. I got to move because I did a little bit of dancing, too. So it was like all of these things I enjoy doing into one. And I loved going on to set and building new relationships. Every day looked different. It felt like this creative outlet that was about literally me. Like I embodied that creativity. And so I wanted it more and more. But what happened was I went and entered a competition called El Girl Search for Supermodel and set at 12. And I guess the photos me and my mom took with the fan up against my, you know, closet did great. I got into the finals. I didn't win, which, again, is a really great lesson in life that you don't have to win things to still open a door. Yeah. And I got scouted by Sarah Dukas, who scouted Kate Moss. So it was a really big deal. It was so exciting. I just got chills. Yeah. And she put me on models to watch. So that's for underage models under the age of 16 to be on like the modeling books, do test shoots, do the odd runway and kind of like train and get ready for when you can actually, you know, take the career seriously. But even by the age of 15, that's when my hips were coming in and my body shape, obviously, because we all hit puberty at a different age. And it was like, boom, womanly body, 15, like C cup, 15. And it was so tough because all of a sudden I went from having a very childlike body to having this womanly body. And I was getting, you know, picked apart by these agents and by this industry saying that I look too commercial. I look too womanly. You know, I was just not right anymore. And so I got dropped from the agency. Then they gave me this sheet of paper and it had like 11 other top agencies in London. They were like, maybe you can try somewhere else. So I did. Right. Because I had that resilience. I went and I went to every single one and they all rejected me. They were all one of them almost was like kind of convinced because usually how it works with modeling is they have a bunch of agents. Let's say it could be anything from like three agents at a small agency to 20 or 30. They all have to like approve and give you the why. It's just like a unanimous vote of like, are we going to bring this model on? And I do actually appreciate why they have to do that, because I've also seen times when models can, you know, get into an agency and then just sit there and never work. That's just what's the point? Right. So what I realized was like this was not going to be as easy as I hoped it would be. But I was like I was looking around. I noticed there was like plus size modeling happening. So when I was about 18, I then was at commercial agencies the whole time, like local ones doing crummy jobs, but still working, still saving my money. I was flyering. I was working at conventions for brands. If it was handing out things or I worked at like sporting events and wore like, you know, the little logo and pass things out. So it wasn't like modeling as per se, but it was still something in that industry where I was, you know, earning money, kind of building something. And I started to get these clients that were commercial clients. So swimwear clients that just wanted like a it's hard to word this because people would say real body, but all bodies are real, regardless of the size. But that's what they would like to say. They were like, we just want someone like who looks like a real person. Yeah. Like a girl next door. Yeah. Not almost like super like a model-y. Yeah. So I got in the door with all these brands. And one thing that I knew where I could bring value was doing a great job when I got there. Like I'm the model that is going to work harder than anyone else. I'm going to get changed quicker. I'm going to have a smile on my face all day. I'm never going to complain because I'm just so grateful to be there. And so I rebooked clients a lot. So I was able to slowly kind of like build up a roster of clients. And I went back to one of the agencies that rejected me. And I said, hey, I will give you the commission on this, even though you didn't bring it, even though you might not have this client. If you will just put me on your books, because unfortunately, in the modeling world, there is still this kind of hierarchy. And if you're not in those prestigious agencies, you will never get in the door with with certain clients. Talk to me about that. Yeah. What was the financial calculus of I'm getting 100 percent of this booking because it's going straight through me? I'm going to give you a percentage of this booking just to get on your book. Like what was the financial math that happened there? You know, I was hitting a ceiling. I was getting paid on average between 150 pounds a day. So what? That could be like 175. Up to 300. OK, that was like my ceiling. And that's for a full day of work. It's a full day of modeling. Yeah. Oh, wow. Like things like QVC. Oh, OK. You know, or I would shoot for like a swimwear brand, but it would be their econ. And it was what I also realize now looking back on it is those brands that pay you less make you work harder. They really do. Like I was there was one brand, you know, just like a T-shirt brand, like Fruit and Loom. Yeah. When you work for a brand like that, you have to wear like 80 T-shirts of different colors. And all you do is step into, you know, like the studio front backside change front backside change and the chain will be right there. And you don't even get to talk, really. You're just you're a literal living mannequin. Yeah. You know, they don't really care about anything else. And also, you might not know this about modeling, but we we can. They cut your faces off. Yeah, they cut our faces off and we get paid significantly less when that happens. And then because you're not getting your hair and makeup done at the beginning of the day, you actually work more hours as well. So it's you. that it's very hard to give yourself a promotion in that industry unless you move up the ranks in the modeling agencies. So I got to that point where I was like, I got to, what's the next step? The next step has to be a better agency. So that's why I decided to risk it and give them these clients, which also could have backfired because what agencies will do if they have like their favorite girls, which is a thing, there'll be certain models on the book that just click better with the agents and they go out for dinners and they just, yeah, favorites. And I could have given them those clients and they could have said, Iskra's unavailable, Iskra's sick, or just, you know, and then give it to another girl. Oh, I would have been. So it was a big risk. Like I'm just like shaking in anger to even think that that would be a reality for you. It was so heavy with gatekeepers all the way up until social media, when everything changed. The playing field was leveled and that was my chance. I could sneak right through the door, right past the gatekeepers who'd been telling me for the last 10 years, that like age 13 to 23, I was never good enough. You know, I was never the right size or I was too commercial, I was too this or, and it wasn't until social media allowed me to have a voice and have a essentially a brand. I branded myself, I became the small business that I was then able to really get the value that other agents only saw from a set of measurements. I wasn't a set of measurements anymore. I was- You were a person. Yeah. And I was gonna say, right around that time, your career really took off when you became an Aerie role model. And this is actually when I first discovered you in my life, I saw you at my small town regional mall, you looked so beautiful in the window. And I looked up at you and I said, that girl and I have similar body types. Because I remember feeling like my thighs were always a little too thick for the damn jeans, they wouldn't fit right, I'd have to size up or something wouldn't fit right. And I was like, she looks so beautiful. And I walked in that store and I was like, mom, I need everything, please buy this for me. So like, it wasn't even just about necessarily the money, it was like, you were changing so many young women's perceptions of themselves. And that wasn't even a question to ask, that was just me trying to like gush at you. But like, how did embracing your authentic self for you and for all of us translate to real financial success too? Yeah, I mean, it really hit home when I realized it was radical to be confident in your body. I didn't realize even the top models who I worked with would pick themselves apart or still get criticized for something. And it really was me going on Instagram and telling this story and undoing the years of all the terrible advice or all of the years of opinions that people had put on me and just being free to say, this body is absolutely perfect just the way it is. And so is yours. And figuring out that I had a voice that resonated like you said, thank you. And with so many others, it essentially built trust and authenticity because I was a human sharing a human experience that related to millions of people. I went from 75,000 followers in September of 2015 to a million by December. And it was, I didn't know what was happening. I didn't, my life like changed over those like three months. And, you know, news outlets were listening to things I was saying about how negative retouching was, how negative it was as a model who got retouched. And if I didn't see myself and look like myself, how could anyone possibly then compare themselves in a healthy way? Sorry, I'll give them a second. Are you gonna head out? Okay, do you, you should probably take the wearer or something just so, cause you could be carrying her for a minute. Yeah. I don't even know if we're gonna edit this part out because I think it's so amazing that you are a working mom. That let's be real, like your baby, you just had a baby. You are back here doing this as a favor to me as a friend, but also like to know that you have like the support to be able to do this and continue to be as ambitious as you are. I mean, that's a symbol to all working moms. Yeah, we can talk about postpartum later if you want to go back to that, but this postpartum experience has been completely different because I've decided to not stop, which I thought would be negative. I thought I'd be more tired, but it's really fulfilling. This fills my cup. This is me. And I feel like when I switched that off last time, I lost such a big part of me and I felt isolated. I felt like I was, you know, FOMO in a way, I guess. Even though being with your baby is everything, you can do that. Like I bring her with me everywhere and we have so many adventures and we're making these cool memories. And so I'm really, yeah, this postpartum has been really empowering. But back to where we were at, how did that translate to money? I remember, so what sucked was, unfortunately being in a larger body, I often got paid a lot less than other models. Why? I mean, discrimination. So in your contract, when you sign with an agent, there is a clause that says you're not meant to talk about money. What? There is times when I've gotten to set not knowing how much I was gonna earn and just like hoping like I get the check. It's usually net 90, but even not that long ago, I've had to chase agencies for year old payments. There is no protection and no union, but I don't know if you've heard what Model Alliance is doing. No, tell me all about it. Okay, Model Alliance, Sarah, who heads up that, she was a model who was at the top of her game. I'm talking Tommy Hilfiger, like she really was crushing it. And she felt like completely burnt out, but also taken advantage of. And she did this incredible documentary and basically decided to quit modeling, start law school and basically create this alliance of models who are very voiceless. We are meant to employ agencies. We are the client taking them on, giving them, it's not like that. It feels like our whole lives are controlled by them. I got told that I had to have my phone on 24 seven and weekends did not exist. I could not leave New York just in case I got a call for a job. It was just, if I spoke back, I got told that I would get a middle seat on a plane the next time I got booked. Like you just absolutely awful treatment of humans. And I spoke English as my first language. There are people who come to the US and I actually got this experience when I went to Turkey and modeled. I did that when I was about 18, 19. I went to Turkey and I basically owed the agency money because they paid for the flight and the accommodation. So now you're trapped in a foreign country that you cannot leave until you've paid back what they've invested in you, but there's no guarantee your work. They promise you the world. They were like, there's so many commercials in Turkey. And the work that I got was horrendous. It was so much to unpack, but I was in a shared house with 13 other models with no access to- This actually sounds like dangerous, like a human rights concern. There should be red flags everywhere. Right now I feel like they're going after the bigger agencies and I feel like that's what, but there are smaller agencies all around the world and many of them go bankrupt, close, switch over, rename. And I lost about 10,000 pounds to an agency that just closed up and never paid me, but I've had friends like have 20,000 pounds, like a decent sum of money. That's a lot of money to lose. There's a lot of stuff going on. There really needs to be more insights into that. Like human trafficking too, like it's really prevalent. You hear so many horror stories. So that's the other reason why I wanted to get with more legitimate agencies who have those kind of world-renowned names because I felt like it would be safer. But where I realized, I know we're like backtracking with Aerie, it was right before that. I remember I did a shoot and my day rate at that point, I could earn anything from $1,000 up to maybe five. And there was one shoot where they wanted to include a social media component. And so most of the models got booked and they probably had the 5K day and I got like 20. And all I had to do was like share a picture from set, like in the outfit that I was wearing anyway. And I was like, whoa, how did this happen? After being told in 2013, like you shouldn't go on social media, just move to New York. They were like, you should not be posting those bikini pictures. Like it's degrading, you're a model, you're above that. You don't wanna be, influencer wasn't even a word right then, but it was becoming a thing. And even up until about 2016, it was like, oh, she's a model, not an influencer. Little did they know I was gonna make a heck of a lot more money. And not just that, like really be able to have an independent business that I could grow and be in control of with influencing. That's so powerful. Yeah. And listen, Aerie did help you really get your feet on the ground, get your start. But we talked about this at my show, after multiple years of you working with them, they didn't renew your contract. When you were six months postpartum. Yeah, it was tough. I cried for five days straight. Aside from that being like, it almost feeling like probably like a breakup with like a boyfriend or something like financially, how did that impact you? And were you ready to do that? I think no one prepared for the pandemic. Of course. And I had this rolling contract that was renewed every year for the last like five ish years. When I worked with Aerie, it wasn't, it was on like a shoot to shoot basis. But then when I became the face of the brand and I was going out on tour and I was doing like 60 days at the beginning and then the last two years, I think it went down to 50. Cause you know, I was able to negotiate a little bit. We also, by the way, guys have the same agent and she's a shark, shout out Dev. Dev is amazing. So what happened was, yeah, I was just going along my business. I was thinking about buying a house in Austin and doing all these things and I just sold a house. So I was feeling very comfortable. There was a point where I had a million dollars in the bank. Yeah. But that's not, I'm not saying that's a good move. I'm saying like you felt safe. I felt safe. I did. And when you're a model or in this industry, it feels like you are waiting for the next check and you don't know when it's gonna come because you don't know when you're gonna book another job and you don't know how much that job is gonna be. And I finally had some financial security. So I was just putting it away. I was just keeping it in a savings account. Like, wow, I've never had money. It's gonna just sit there until I know what to do with it. But I'm so busy, I just didn't really even have that time. And someone like you coming along enables you to learn and understand things quicker. But back in 2016, 2017, I still felt like I didn't know enough to know what to do with that amount of money. And also that was in the US and my parents were in the UK. So they didn't know what to do in the US either. So it was just scary. And so, yeah, I was thinking like, I'm doing great. Wow, for the first time I've got the stability. I've been told over and over again, I was family. This brand was nothing without me. I built this brand, blah, blah, blah. And then it wasn't even a call from them. It was a call from my agent who just said, yeah, they've cut everyone's contracts. And I was like, right, but we're gonna have a talk about this, right? I get that I can't do the 50 days in person, but yeah, it's me and Aerie, we're one. It was such, and again, I wish I hadn't attached so much of my sense of self to it, but it was like my identity. Like when people met me, it was very much like, oh, you're the Aerie girl. It's all I wore, I lived and breathed it. I was in the fit meetings, the marketing meetings. I was up there, I met the board members. I was really intertwined with that brand and I cared about it so much. And I felt like I had so much unfinished business because I was always told they were working on extended sizes. I would ask all the time and they kept telling me, we're working on it, we're working on it. So I was like, okay, great, I can't wait for the day where I get to announce that they're going up to like a 4XL and it never happened. And so part of me, like that my hope died with that moment when my contract got cut because I felt like I was telling so many people, they're working on it, they're doing it, it's gonna happen. And then I was gone and nothing, like I have so many people that still message me saying, it feels like when you got cut, everything, nothing progressed since then. And I feel like I would be willing to say things have actually backslid. Now I feel like the early 2000s, like scary skinny. Across the board in the industry, it has gone backwards. It's really soul destroying and we can talk about that and the potential Ozempic tie in, I don't know, but yeah, that, so yes, what happened was I had this chunk of money and luckily I decided it was time. I was like, I am never going to feel disposable again. Fuck this. I was like, I felt like I was not enough for so long and I finally felt like there was a company that believed in me and would never make me feel like this. And I just got dropped, I was disposed off. They used me for what they wanted to, they got that extreme growth. I wish I would have had Dev be part of that deal because she probably maybe could have gotten me equity or something. Instead of just cash, you wanted to have a piece of the pie because you helped to build it. I mean, I bought stock. I bought stock in the brand, which that's not- Inside of training everyone, I just loved the brand so much. I literally invested in it. Yeah, truly. But yeah, so I had to go back to the drawing board and a lot of tears were cried, a lot of like, what do I do now? Like, how do I build myself back up from this? How do I find myself again? And that's when I was like, I have not showered in weeks, Phillip. I am a mess. I was giving myself these negative affirmations, which is not me. I'm a positive affirmations girlie ever since my eating disorder recovery. And I realized getting in the shower and just- cleansing myself, getting that reset, smelling good, was literally the first step to trying to improve how I felt about myself. And I was like, I had a very colicky baby, shout out to all the moms with colicky babies, you know how hard it is to even have a shower. Because when your baby is screaming, or if they don't nap long, and it's 30 minutes, you are literally picking like, oh, am I gonna eat right now? Or am I gonna cleanse myself? Or am I gonna maybe take that nap that everyone tells you, nap when your baby's napping? So, I realized the power of self-care in the shower, that's where it started, this idea for Salterre. I was just gonna say, when they kicked you out of their lunch table, you said, I'm not gonna try and get back to your lunch table, I'm starting my own cool girls club. Absolutely. And you born, what I would like to call your one and a half baby, in between your two kids, Salterre, you literally just felt gross as a mom. And you were like, I wanna feel clean, I wanna smell nice, I want my skin to feel smooth, I want everything to be great. But, come on, you were a model, you were an influencer, you don't know how to go into a lab and make stuff. I do not. How did you actually build this company? Support for this show comes from Lufthansa. A flight is more than just a flight, it's a journey, and a promise of a destination. But how you travel matters just as much as where you travel. And with Lufthansa Allegris, you can find a high quality travel experience to relish every step of the way. The Lufthansa Allegris first class suites provide almost floor to ceiling partitions and closable doors, creating maximum privacy for travelers. They also come equipped with a spacious dining table, individually adjustable and temperature controlled seats with a do not disturb feature. Plus, the wide seat in your suite can easily be converted into a bed that is over six feet long, ensuring a restful night's sleep on board. And if you fly Lufthansa Allegris business class, you'll have five different seat options to choose from, such as extra long bed, the privacy seat, or the extra space seat. Enjoy your travel experience tailored to your needs. No matter where you sit, you'll wanna stay on your Lufthansa flight for as long as possible. Say yes to Lufthansa Allegris and visit lufthansa.com. So I had a lot of connections, right? Which I will say is invaluable. But the way I did that was any opportunity I had, I introduced myself to people. And yeah, I just kept a lot of these really close knit, good relationships. And I had someone called Juliana in my life who was in PR in New York. And again, I had like PR at that time. And so basically word got out of like, I was trying to start a brand. And at that point, there was the center who was a brand accelerator, who were also looking for people to join forces and basically build these brands together. And when I had that, and I'd taken other meetings, I took a meeting at actually one of the fragrance houses that I worked with through Aerie, because I also had four fragrances with them. So I'd learned a lot about branding, about product, but that was very much white labeling. And I knew that's not what I wanted to do, because again, I- You don't own it. I don't own it. And that whole progress of me in my modeling career was having ownership over my body and not being a set of measurements. And then there was the component of, the business side of it and the contracts and then being like, I feel like I built this brand or I like that brand is part of me. And it's not, I'm just like, disposable. You were just a sticker and they removed it and rubbed the glue off. Exactly. But you wanted to be the car, not the bumper sticker. Absolutely, I love that analogy. So I've met Ben Bennett, he's part of the center and he likes to stay in the background. He doesn't like to take the spotlight, but he is a creative genius. Not only that, everyone again he's met through his career, he's poured into. So he has this team, this core team of people at the center who just, they love each other, they're like family. And so I had to get into the family. So we like dated and we're all like, I'm like scared of this word now because you used it earlier. And I was like, we're family. I'm like, are we? Right, but no, it's really incredible because we had to like date and really get to know each other because the trust that you have to have if you're going to business with a partner is everything. And he knew what I've been through and he knew that if I was gonna do this, that was it. And I would give everything to it and I get this one chance to put out this brand into the world that's mine. And I'm so glad, obviously it wasn't called Iskra Body Care or, you know, like, you know, it's it. And we talked about this so much and I was like, this has to stand on its own. And we both agreed product first. So in that sense, I was like, I know what I want the vision and the mission of this brand to be. And you maybe noticed on our products, it said, everybody is welcome here. That's the mission. For me, body care is one of the most accessible products that you could create. Hopefully, I think most people shower, right? And there's no size to that. There's literally no size. And hence why we have these really powerful fragrance collections, because I wanted to touch different people with different, you know, fragrance stories that hopefully resonate either brought back memories or empowered them or made them like feel a sense of self. So yeah, we basically, I got in with the center and they had the infrastructure and that team. So I was able to specialize in what I did best. And they brought what they did best, which was the product development and the research development. And it's just, it's been life changing because I could not have done this on my own. And I really respect people that do. And I've met so many founders that, some of them are really proud of obviously being like, I did this from my garage, the ground up, and I've met other ones that said, no, I got funding from day one. And there's all these different experiences. But I think the most important thing to me is that you always love your brand. And I said that to Ben, I was like, I would rather share this with you, with someone, so I could remain loving this brand and what it stands for and focusing on what I specialize in, rather than burning myself out to the point where I hate this brand and I can't go on. How did you decide how much of the company you were like, I need to keep this, but I'm willing to give up this much percent of the company to like get it off the ground? Yeah, I mean, I knew that he came with so much experience and the team and it was scary. We went back and forth. I had an incredible lawyer, Jennifer Justice, that's her actual real name. That feels like a cartoon lawyer. Yeah, I mean, she's such a badass. And so, yeah, we went back and forth. And it's like, at what point are you arguing about something that doesn't exist yet? And it's a really trust the process moment. It's a really like, stop listening to all the outside influencers and voices, all the people who already are trying to get a chunk of this non-existent thing and literally think, what to me do I feel like when I look at this organization is it's really like an infrastructure and what am I bringing? How much time do I wanna invest in this versus the rest of the team as well? So I feel like that's how the percentage kind of like felt. And it was risky, I'm not gonna lie. I do not take a salary, like my business partner does not take a salary and we're five years in now. And so all of it was a risk. But you just have to have the right partner to just go on this journey with. So I feel like it's on a play by play basis because I knew what the center was bringing and I knew how valuable that was versus if it had just been any Tom, Dick and Harry, I would have probably been like, oh, you know what, I'm gonna keep more control. I was like willing to be like, you know what, you can have majority of this because you know what you're doing. And it's like my honor to be able to- You gave the majority away. Wow. Well, it certainly paid off. Yeah, I mean, it's, you know, I still have a really decent chunk of a very big pie now rather than I would have had this tiny pie. Tiny pie for, I don't know how long, 10, 20 years. You know, I can sleep at night knowing that I have this team that's got this brand and they know exactly what they're doing. I don't have to worry about HR, we have HR. That was one thing, because I've had small businesses myself. I've also had little ventures where like I've partnered with, I had a media company very briefly with a host that was on ABC and it just was so stressful. And he would take meetings I wasn't involved in and like it just has to be the right dynamic. And when you feel that, I'm like, yeah, I trust you. And I trust that you're gonna do what's right for this brand. And, you know, we said that at the beginning, it's like, we're not always gonna agree on everything, but we got to do what's best for this brand. It's better to have one slice of a mega pizza than to have a personal pan pie. Personal pan. Yeah. I love that so much. And I love that this new business that you've built, one, you have ownership, so they can't kick you to the curb the same way they did before. But two, it's really scalable. The amount of work you do does not change, but people can buy infinite numbers of these products. And I'm not trying to downplay how hard you're working on Saltier, but it is passive income to a point. Yeah, to a point. You have your passive income, you have your investments, you have your still modeling career, you have your influencing career. Can you give us kind of just a breakdown of where the percentages of your every single year income comes from? What's your biggest earning piece? What's your smallest? Yeah, that's really interesting. So I feel like right now, because Saltier is, I have the ownership, but we're sitting on it, and we're waiting for that day when hopefully when transact, there is nothing coming in from that right now. But that has actually kept us laser focused on- So every dollar that comes in goes back into the company? Yeah, basically. Yes, of course. But yeah, it's going back in and we sell out a lot. I'm so proud to say that we sell a lot. I'm aware, I go and there's nothing on the shelf at Ulta. So we're trying to keep up with not just our inventory, but again, that product development because we have to keep coming with newness or else people get bored. So that is really where I see it. I'm like me not taking a salary enables us to just keep on going with this newness, like this growth, this exponential growth. So yeah, that's sat there, but yeah, it's essentially 0% right now. So I would say how I break this down is my social media and influencing is probably still the biggest chunk. Okay. Yeah. Again, I feel like that's because I'm able to go out, and Dev is too, every brand I use and love, I'm like, Dev go reach out to them. That feels exponential to me. I'm talking about, I could be drinking that can of pop and be like, oh my gosh, this was delicious. I wonder if they'd want to work with me or I get home and I wipe my butt with this new toilet paper that I have, that's made out of plants. I'm like, Dev reach out to the plant paper. Yeah. Like, whereas modeling, you kind of a sitting duck waiting for brands to have a shoot that you fit right for. Yeah, or into. So that's more of a like, you kind of wait for them to call you. Yeah. So that I'd say the influencing is like, probably it's gotta be 60, 70%. And I say modeling is like 10. Again, right now this year, I'm doing less because most shoots are LA or New York. And I was trying to travel less because of my baby. So it's gonna be a smaller chunk this year. And then I would say, I say investing as about 20%, something like that. But yeah, then there's also speaking deals. There's also other things and I really love sweat equity deals. I think that that's a really missed opportunity if you're an influencer and you're not taking sweat equity deals. Yeah, talk to me about sweat equity. Yeah. So I have a deal with a fitness company, have a deal with an investing platform. And basically I have promoted them in exchange for equity. And obviously these brands have not IPO yet. So I'm getting in early. If we can, it's nice to get obviously like founders. Yeah, of course. It depends. And it could be anything like I got pitched 0.03% of a company recently. And do I believe in it? Do I think it could grow? Is it gonna be worth talking about and posting about potentially? So those types of things, again, you don't wanna get burnt out. You don't wanna be promoting everything. But if you really believe in something and you can get equity in something that in the long run, who knows what that can turn into. I see a lot more value in that than just the quick cash grabs of posts. I feel like you learned so much in the early aughts and you were like, we're not making that mistake ever again. I know. You don't gotta teach me twice. I literally went from one client, just Aerie. I had an exclusive deal. I could not shoot for anyone else, which kind of did ruin my modeling career because my agent was like, well, we can't pitch you for anything. I couldn't even be on something like, I don't know, Sports Illustrated because I had to wear Aerie, which isn't very sexy. Right. And I like signed up to not be retouched. And so many of these magazines would only shoot with me if I was open to that. Or I had magazines lie and shoot me and then retouch me. And then I was like, oh, I can tell my KP, my arm bumps are gone. Like I'm not stupid. So yeah, it's been a journey of a feeling like I had a lack of control for so long that I was like, what can I do that feels like these are my decisions, building something that can't be taken away from me. And so with influencing and modeling, I really want people to know they don't just have to wait for that call. They don't have to wait for that phone to ring. Go out and figure out what else you can invest in or be part of. And who knows who you might meet on set? Who's maybe like starting up a small business or a local nail salon. There's a girl that I was speaking to, met her on set, did my nails. And she's like, by the way, I'm thinking about opening up a salon. Tell me more. You know, like there is opportunity everywhere. Yeah. I absolutely love that. But I want to take it away from the outside world and bring it inside inside. We're going into your home. I want to talk about your lowest low and your highest highs. Oh. You told me a story. you were at my special book tour and we shared this with some of our guests in Austin, but you had a really down, low, down bad money moment. Can you share that story? Yes, so right off of Aerie, that contract getting cut, I think I was looking for a way to feel like I hadn't failed. And I thought, oh, I wanna live in a nice house. I'd flipped four houses, but I'd never bought my forever home. And Austin was booming and I viewed this home. It's interesting how realtors sometimes persuade you. I was kind of getting told, oh, because of this boom, there are houses going on the market that never would go on the market. Could have been BS, hard to tell. But anyway, I fell in love with a house. If you're a house person, I know you get that feeling. There is sometimes, maybe you're a bag person, maybe you're a shoe person, maybe you're a foodie. I have to have that. It was like one of those moments I walked in and I was like, oh, I can see the vision. It's a diamond in the rough. Luckily it wasn't too aggressively. There wasn't bidding or anything and I got it and it was 2.1 million. So it was a hefty amount, but remember I had that money sat. So I was like, great, I'm gonna buy this. I took out a 2.5% mortgage, so incredible mortgage. So I was like, great, let me just keep that. What's the point in putting down a huge down payment when I've got 2.5%. I was like, great, I'll use the cash to start renovating it. And I got some bids, but this is 2021 in Austin where like I said, things were booming. And so I was meeting, I met up with five different contractors and basically all of them said, we're not available for at least a year. And when they said that, I was like, oh, at least a year. So we're talking, you might not start for a year and a half, two years. That's how it felt. And I was like, I'm not gonna sit on this house and pay rent for this long while it's being done up. I like to get things going. It was also kind of my project alongside building Soltaire. I was like, I'm building the house, I'm building the brand. And so the one contractor should have been a red flag. I can start tomorrow. No, he was so, to me, it felt like he was so passionate. I was like, oh my gosh, he gets the vision. He's in it, he's invested. He wants to stop doing everything, drop everything and go on this mission with me. Yeah, also he had a Zed. It was like easy construction with a Zed to which Philip will not leave me alone about to this day. He's like, you gave money to a company that had a Zed in their name, like red flag. Zed for all of the US listeners. She means a Z, a letter Z, easy spelled with a Z. Yeah, he was like, that should have been it from the beginning. I was like, well, cause Philip likes, I'm a Virgo. I do things my way. And sometimes it's very much like, just let her go off and do this thing. One of those things. So he was like, love the house, great. Are you sure you wanna do it? Yes, I'm sure I'm doing it. I mean, I would let you too. I feel like you had so much success at so many other things you were so passionate and headstrong about. He was like, okay, go do the house. And he'd seen, we literally just like flipped this house in LA and he'd seen, oh, she does this. This is a thing, okay. So started off demo process, wonderful. Cause it's very easy to knock things down. The next process framing also went wonderfully because his background was a framer. Then we started getting into the subs and this is where it all started going wrong. Subs being subcontractors. Subcontractors. He cut corners and he hired subcontractors that weren't licensed. And so the jobs were done shoddily. You use the word shoddily? Yeah. Shoddy jobs. Not done. Bad job. Bad job. Bad job. And so they did things like, they dug a trench in this pool deck, which then started leaking. So I don't know if it was fully intentional or just like complete naivety, but things started to get worse. And there was just like money. It was like a money pit. Things were happening. We found a natural spring in the foundation and the whole kind of foundation of the house had to be re-diverted and a like little divergent river had to be built like around them. It was just like that we realized that all the brick ties on the outside had all eroded. So the whole facade of the house could have fallen. And that was $36,000. Again, not expected that just had to be sorted. So we were just kind of throwing money at it, but I trusted him. But what happened was, and again, I don't know if this was naivety because he was essentially a framer that decided to become a general contractor and maybe didn't know how to run a business that well. He took all of the projects he was working on, money, and put it in one pot and then took out the money for each thing that needed to be done from the main pot. And maybe I was just able to give him this cash because I did have cash, this cash I'd saved because it's my security. And so what happened was, it really came to a head when the ACs were installed or not installed, they just got to the site, three AC units. And then two or three days later, I went to site and they were gone. I was like, where are the AC units gone? I'd given him the $50,000 and then they would disappeared. And he didn't give me access to any of the subcontractors that he'd used. I wasn't on any emails, so I didn't know who to contact. So that was like a red flag. And then he ghosted me for about six weeks and nothing was happening on site. I was like, well, this is scary. He claimed that his mom was sick. Maybe that's true, I don't know. Hopefully she's okay. But six weeks, I didn't hear from him. And finally we got this call and he basically said, I need more money. And I said, but I've given you $300,000. You're meant to be working on this, this, this, and this. Like, what about the AC? Oh, well, actually I'm not able to pay them. So they've taken the units back. They repossessed your ACs. They repossessed the ACs. And it was like, I can't talk about it now. It was very hard to say anything in those moments. It was just like, wait, you did that to me and us and my family? You're a better person than me. I would have punched him in the throat. I mean, if we ever saw him again in person, yeah, I don't know what I would do. Yeah. But I know what Philip might do. Because he feels like, yeah, Philip just feels like, why didn't I see this coming either? But he was just letting me get on with it. And so anyway, we're essentially, we'd already spent nearly a million dollars basically on the foundation, the framing, the demo, paying for all these things that never happened. All he overcharged us for. Because now when we've been speaking to other subcontractors and asking, how much would you have charged to rebuild this wall? Oh, like, you know, 1,000, 2,000, and we were charged like 11. So everything he marked up. It was also like a Ponzi scheme because he was using your money to build other people's houses. Exactly, the whole thing. And the most heartbreaking thing is, we're still trying to sue him, but he literally has IRS debt. He has HOA debt. And so even if we get this lien, which again, I've now spent probably $20,000 with lawyers trying to get a lien and trying to get him to court or something, there's nothing there to get. But I still want him to not be able to do this again. But there really is no protection, especially in Texas, to stop him from literally, you know, dissolving that company, creating a new one and starting all over again and doing this to someone else. So that's why I'm extra furious. Because it is just money. It is money. I work really hard. I know I can earn it back. He's lost me many years of living in this beautiful house that I fell in love with and wanted to be in when I had my second child. I envisioned her being born there and we missed out on those things. But the fact that he can walk away and it has not impacted his life at all, so he could just do it again, that's what is really hard to live with. So that was the toughest year because me and Philip, you know, we went back to that, what we had to do three or four years earlier was like, can we do this Uber Eats? Can we? And I know that sounds pathetic, but anytime, you know, you have those moments where you're having to scale back this comfortable lifestyle that you had, that you felt like you worked really hard to get to a point, I felt like I'd worked really hard to have that cash in the bank and sit there and be like, oh, wow, like, I'm a model that worked for so many years, either for free or for 100 pounds a day. Or I signed terrible contracts. Like I did shoots where I gave away total rights to my images, just because I needed the money so desperately or else I couldn't get dinner that night. And then I see the images plastered in, you know, drug stores, in gyms, and knowing I should have gotten paid so much more, but I gave the rights away to those images because I wasn't represented well, and I was young and I was taken advantage of. So for to get to the point where I felt like I was successful, felt like I'd achieved everything, lost the contract that felt like my sense of self, then tried this project and that failed and someone else took advantage of me. I was just like, wow. It was a low, low. And then it gave me self-doubt even with Soltaire, right? It was like, what if this doesn't work too? And that's why having my team was so reassuring because I was like, but I know that they are amazing at what they do. And so even if I falter, they also have that, you know, we're doing this together. You're not alone in this. So thank goodness for Soltaire. That was the light at the end of all of these tunnels. It really has been. And it's not just because it's a successful business. It's because of the messages I receive about how the products are impacting people. We got this beautiful email the other day. It was like an essay. And it was a woman who very much resonated with me, wasn't showering, did not feel good about herself. Even when she did use products, she felt like she still didn't smell great. She used our products. Her husband started giving her compliments. She started feeling more confident and powerful. She started dressing differently. All these things. And I was like, wow, that's the impact I've wanted to have my whole career. And like you said, at the beginning, I had to go out and physically do that. I hugged people in airy lines. I went to malls. I was having to physically be there. Now I have these products that, like you said, are an- Can be that warm hug when you can't get home. They are that warm hug, exactly. And they can go out and touch anybody around the world for $12. Yeah. I love that so much. We started this podcast with you talking about how you really appreciated the fact that your dad was very honest with you about money, about the mistakes he made. And I feel like you've been like that today with me. But I do wanna talk about your highest high. Yes. It's not Salter. It's your two kids. Yeah. Your beautiful family. I wanna wrap this podcast up with one final question is, if you could have them learn any one money lesson from you, what would it be? That is a good one. I feel like this is what a lot of people say, right? But a small amount invested is something. I feel like there is this false narrative that you have to, the rich get richer, right? But people who have barely anything done correctly, invested in the correct way, over time it will build something. Like I said, I came from Kidderminster. I came to America with barely anything. I don't might not look like an immigrant when you think about it. I was an immigrant in this country with zero credit. And I lived in a shared apartment with five people. And I didn't drink, go and drink Starbucks every day. I did not drink alcohol. I did not buy new clothes and new things. I saved that money so I could get to the point where I had that money to invest in something. And so I want my children to know, and I'm gonna expect them to, not think we're sorted. We have a trust fund or our parents have been investing for us over time. So we're not gonna, no, I want them to understand and see the value in, this is what I have. This is how I can make it grow. And everyone can plant that seed and make something grow. It might not look like the person next to you. And it might get cut down or it might die sometimes in the winter, but it can grow back. And so that would be my biggest lesson to them. Another powerful story of resilience. And I think that is a perfect way to end our podcast. Iskra, tell everybody where they can find you and where they can get Soltaire products. Yeah, so we've just launched an altar. I'm very, very excited. So you can grab Soltaire in store in your local altar. You can grab it in Target. You can grab it on soltaire.com. You can follow us at soltaire on Instagram and that's soltairebody on TikTok. And I'm Iskra, I-S-K-R-A. And you can find me on Instagram with my cute fam or on TikTok. And yeah, thank you so much for listening. And thank you, Viv. It really means a lot. And I just wish we had more transparency about finance because I think I would have learned a lot sooner and not been taken advantage of. You're the absolute best. And it's been a pleasure chatting with you. Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Net Worth and Chill, part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. If you liked the episode, make sure to leave a rating and review and subscribe so you never miss an episode. Got a burning financial question that you want covered in a future episode? Write to us via podcast at yourrichbff.com. Follow Net Worth and Chill Pod on Instagram to stay up to date on all podcast related news. And you can follow me at yourrichbff for even more financial know-how. See you next week. Bye. Thanks to Lufthansa for supporting this podcast. Some think of flying as just a mode of transportation, but Lufthansa understands that how you arrive is just as important as where you arrive. No matter if you fly first class or business class, Lufthansa Allegros elevates your journey. Lufthansa Allegros offers a range of new features and amenities across all classes. The first class suites provide almost floor to ceiling partitions and closable doors, creating maximum privacy for travelers. In business class, you can choose between five different seat options, tailor your travel experience to your own needs and elevate your air travel. 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