From Facebook Friends to Business Moguls: The Monday Swimwear Story
In this week’s episode, Valeria sits down with Natasha Oakley and Devin Brugman, best friends and co-founders of Monday Swimwear, for an honest and energizing conversation about building a business, growing through friendship, and redefining leadership. Natasha and Devin open up about the rare bond that has held them together for over a decade, one built on unwavering trust, shared values, and deep emotional loyalty. They reveal how they’ve come to trust each other even more than their romantic partners, and why that unshakable connection is the foundation for everything they’ve built. The trio also explores how they launched a globally recognized brand without formal fashion training, what it means to lead as women, manage teams with heart, and stay grounded while scaling a company. From navigating dating in your 30s and freezing eggs to staying obsessed with work and each other, this episode is a love letter to ambition, authenticity, and choosing the people who lift you higher.
Follow Tash: https://www.instagram.com/tashoakley/
Follow Devin: https://www.instagram.com/devinbrugman/
Follow Monday Swimwear: https://www.instagram.com/mondayswimwear/
Shop Monday Swimwear: https://mondayswimwear.com/
Book Recommendations:
Excessively Obsessed by Tash Oakley https://a.co/d/aski91P
The Power of Now by Ekchart Tolle https://a.co/d/8DeuoAV
Sex at Dawn by Christopher Ryan https://a.co/d/2ZiptCN
Good Morning, Monster by Catherine Gildiner https://a.co/d/3ud8vUW
Attached by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller https://a.co/d/ivLtVkS
Shop my look from this episode: https://shopmy.us/collections/1898265
Follow me: https://www.instagram.com/valerialipovetsky/
What we talked about:
01:00: Swim Week in Miami04:00: How Tash and Devin first met
07:00: Building a business on friendship and trust
12:00: The secret to their communication style
14:00: Managing team dynamics with empathy
20:00: The Bikini A Day origin story
24:00: Designing swimwear that actually fits
31:00: Choosing partners
34:00: How Monday Swimwear became the standard
38:00: Dating in your 30s with clarity
41:00: Freezing eggs and taking the pressure off
47:00: Opening a store and staying playful
51:30: Wellness habits that keep them grounded
54:00: Advice for aspiring influencers
56:00: Running a brand that lasts
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Healing, Humor, and High Drama: Stassi Schroeder on Life After Vanderpump
This episode is brought to you by Natural Cycles: The company changing the contraception game with the world’s first FDA-cleared birth control app. Whether you're looking to prevent pregnancy or plan for it, the Natural Cycles app offers a non-hormonal, non-invasive alternative to traditional birth control. Right now, you can get 15% off an annual subscription plus a free Bluetooth thermometer when you visit https://www.naturalcycles.com and use promo code VALERIA at checkout. Natural Cycles is for 18+ and does not protect against STIs. Always read and follow the instructions for use.
In this episode, Valeria sits down with Stassi Schroeder for a conversation that’s equal parts hilarious, honest, and unexpectedly deep. They talk about Stassi’s early experiences in the spotlight and what it feels like to return to reality TV with Vanderpump Villa after years of personal growth. She opens up about the emotional toll of growing up on camera, how motherhood has changed her, and why she’s giving more attention to what matters most now.
Stassi shares how writing her latest book helped her rethink ambition, identity, and the myth of balance. She also reveals her decade-long struggle with self-harm and what helped her finally stop. The two dive into joy as a healing practice, the emotional cost of perfectionism, and why fashion is still one of Stassi’s favorite forms of self-expression (just don’t expect her to wear neon or crop tops). They also get into motherhood, mental health, alone time as a survival tool, and even egg-based spiritual cleansing.
This is a layered look at what it really means to evolve, how to stay grounded in chaos, and how to laugh at yourself along the way.
Follow Stassi: https://www.instagram.com/stassischroeder/
Shop my look from this episode: https://shopmy.us/collections/1717550
Follow me: https://www.instagram.com/valerialipovetsky/
Mentioned:
Vanderpump Villa on Hulu: https://www.hulu.com/series/vanderpump-villa-bf42f6f5-db26-4429-85e0-17e86d161c98
Stassi Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5vYFtK213TmWUvTVynh0IL
You Can't Have It All: The Basic B*tch Guide to Taking the Pressure Off by Stassi Schroeder: https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1668049929
What we talked about:
00:31 Hair and Makeup Talk
01:45 Nail Care and Personal Preferences
02:39 Vanderpump and Personal Evolution
06:46 Writing and Vulnerability
07:39 Balancing Life and Work
10:42 Joy and Self-Improvement
16:47 Mental Health and Self-Care
38:05 Reflecting on Self-Harm
39:07 The Catalyst for Change
40:02 Finding Coping Mechanisms
40:31 A Turning Point in the Relationship
45:26 The Importance of Alone Time
46:37 Fashion and Style Evolution
01:00:35 Navigating Motherhood and Identity
01:03:07 Balancing Work and Personal Life
01:07:26 Dealing with Jealousy and Social Media
01:11:35 Concluding Thoughts and Future Plans
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome to "Not Alone," a podcast where we dive deep into the stories that shape us. Hosted by Valeria Lipovetsky, this space is dedicated to revealing the raw, often unspoken challenges faced by women from all walks of life. Each episode invites you to listen to heartfelt conversations with inspiring guests who open up about their personal battles, breakthroughs, and the lessons learned along the way.
Follow Valeria on Instagram, Youtube, and TikTok.
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