Celebrity and Political Rally Stories with Nikki | EP 050 !

Celebrate our 50th episode with the return of our first guest, Nikki Stanzione!

➡️  Meet the Guest: Nikki Stanzione
Join us as Nikki shares Hollywood tales featuring Meryl Streep, Joe Pesci, and Dustin Hoffman and many more. She also gives an insider's look at covering a recent political rally, balancing journalistic neutrality with her signature lighthearted approach. From crashing award show red carpets to navigating Coldwater Canyon with Joe Pesci, Nikki's stories capture the excitement of showbiz and the unpredictability of news reporting.

Don't miss this special episode filled with laughter, nostalgia, and valuable insights on seizing opportunities in the entertainment industry.

➡️ Chapters
(00:01) - 50th Episode Celebration With Nikki Stanzione
(06:16) - Political Rally Experience and Friendship Challenges
(17:09) - Dinner With Joe Pesci and Memories
(26:11) - Crashing the Producers Guild Awards
(33:12) - Life Lessons and Career Opportunities
(43:53) - Staying True to Future Plans

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➡️ More about the guest: Nikki Stanzione
Website: https://nikkistanzione.com/index-1.html
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikstanz/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikkistanzionetvhost
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkistanzione/

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The Gurus & Game Changers Video Podcast  follows the paths of influential leaders from humble beginnings and/or seemingly insurmountable obstacles to where they are now.

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➡️ Thanks for watching:
#Hollywood, #Journalism, #Entertainment, #Media, #PoliticalRallies, #JoePesci, #LosAngeles, #MerylStreep, #DustinHoffman, #NewsReporting, #LifeLessons, #CareerOpportunities, #Authenticity, #Passion, #TonyRobbins, #QVC, #TalkShow, #PersonalRelationships, #PoliticalLandscape, #Diversity

Transcript

00:01 - Stacey Grant (Host)
Our 50th episode, Mark. 

00:03 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
Our 50th episode Our 5-0. Hey, happy anniversary. 

00:06 - Stacey Grant (Host)
They say that most podcasts fail after six episodes. Look what we did. 

00:11 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
We defied the odds. We refused to take no for an answer. We made it to 50. We don't care what anyone thinks. 

00:19 - Stacey Grant (Host)
We don't care who listens to us or not. It's fine we're doing this for us this is cool because we get to have one of our favorites back in the studio. 

00:26 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
It marks a great moment because she was our first Nikki Stanzio and our first guest ever returned for our 50th episode Celebration. We're pros. We're pros now. 

00:36 - Stacey Grant (Host)
Well, you know what I feel like the 50th interview with her is even more entertaining, more informative more fun Everything, more stories Than the first one and more stars with more star power. 

00:49 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
Oh, my God. 

00:50 - Stacey Grant (Host)
She mentioned Meryl Streep, joe Pesci, dustin Hoffman, dustin Hoffman I mean. Sharon. 

00:56 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
Stone, jennifer Aniston, and these are all people that she has had, I guess, experiences with because she was out in Hollywood for a long time has had, I guess, experiences with because she was out in Hollywood for a long time. Then there's a whole other part, because now she's in the news world and she's covering political rallies. 

01:13 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
And she was there in Butler PA, not that long ago. 

01:15 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
Former president. President Trump was shot and while we cover that first, I guess 20 minutes or so. 

01:22 - Stacey Grant (Host)
I was like you said it before, but I was riveted on every word, like she's like I talked for so long. I was like you said it before, but I was riveted on every word. She's like I talked for so long. I'm like, really, it's been an hour and 25 minutes, I thought. 

01:28 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
Yeah, it was only half, and some footage that you have not seen yet, 100% Right off of her phone. Yeah, it's great stuff. 

01:34 - Stacey Grant (Host)
Really have to watch this guys. It's kind of fabulous. Yeah, if you're listening go over to. Yes. 

01:41 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
So enjoy another great conversation with Nikki Stanzio. Happy 50th. 

01:46 - Stacey Grant (Host)
Mark. Happy 50th Hi, I'm Stacey. 

01:54 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
And I am Mark, and this is the Gurus and Game Changers podcast. Welcome everybody. So today's guest was our first guest ever on Gurus and Game Changers. Her episode was so popular, she was so beloved, beloved and she's so much fun that we figured, since this is our 50th anniversary, 50th episode, what better way to celebrate than have one of our most beloved guests back today joining us nikki stanzione, here again to tell us all about her wild experiences and great life lessons from hollywood, from the news, from from movies and so much more, and we could not be happier to have her here. 

02:29 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
I'm happy to be here. This is exciting, literally. I had the best time on that first episode and I've had such good feedback from so many people that loved it and they said I had no idea about this, about you, or all these things that they learned about me. 

02:49 - Stacey Grant (Host)
And I thought, wow, I didn't even realize all of those things until we started talking about them. 

02:50 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
Well, I hope you have more things. Oh, I, she doesn't seem to run out. She's not going to run out, that's for sure. 

02:53 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
Yeah, running out of things to say is not usually my, my downfall wow, we are thrilled to have you back here like, in fact it was my idea. 

03:01 - Stacey Grant (Host)
I have to say I was like, wouldn't it be so? Cool if we had nikki come back, because she was our first episode and 50th episode, and so we've I've been stoked me too finally made it happen. 

03:12 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
It's the positive energy we all love that about we gotta have to listen. 

03:14 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
I have bad days too we all do, but in general I I try to bring the energy as often as I can, because if you don't, what's the point? It's good to be back here, it really is in all seriousness, because you guys, what you've done with this podcast has been so great. So many people have been listening. They tell me they're always learning lessons. I know I do. 

03:31 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
I've had people from all generations, yes, how much they loved your episode kind of is yeah, yeah, I mean, why do you think you're here again? People in their 80s, people in their 20s yeah, and everything in between, yeah I love. 

03:42 - Stacey Grant (Host)
Well and actually your short. The one about johnny depp is our most viewed short are you serious, it's a fun story. 

03:49 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
Ever that was listen that story. My own best friend was like wait, you never talk about that story. I forgot about it until we started talking that day and it came to me and I was like my gosh, that's a great story to tell that well, so what have you been up to since we have last chatted? 

04:03 - Stacey Grant (Host)
I know that you were recently in Butler, pennsylvania, for that event. 

04:08 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
I was. We could talk about that. Can we talk about? Sure, coming from? 

04:12 - Stacey Grant (Host)
someone I haven't talked to, somebody who's been there in person no, I'm glad you asked. 

04:16 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
I mean it's. It was definitely a terrifying experience. I'll tell you. First and foremost, since we were last together you know I have been we talked about hopefully getting to work more on QVC and doing more home shopping, and it came to fruition it was wonderful and I continue to do that. But I've also had because I freelance, I've had opportunities to work with news corporations and do news reporting. So I was actually hired to work that day on that Trump rally and cover for the news what was going on in. 

04:44
Butler, pennsylvania, july 13th. So it was a very hot day it was. I'll have to show you guys videos and I'll post them, but it was a very hot day. It was a very big crowd, and I mean big. When you hear on TV and this is the thing I've learned from doing these types of events and it's not getting political or even opinionated but what I've learned learned and I'm sure it happens on both sides is that the things you see, you really can't believe until you live right every, and that goes for everything. 

05:13
It's not the same as when you're in person mainstream media is going to tell you the story they want you to know, and when you're there for yourself, you get to see the story that is wow and I've learned that so much, and it's something that I've talked about, because there are a lot of people who are very, very tempered climate right now, very divisive. 

05:29
Yes, there's a lot of narratives, there's a lot of talking points on both sides. There's a lot of hatred and anger and judging and name calling. There's just so much of it, and so it's a tough business to be in because you really don't want to go there to the point where you're not allowing yourself to stay open-minded, right, of course, and so I try to stay very open-minded. Of course, I have my own opinions, but I think it's important to be informed, and I think it's important to be realistic and then make your opinions based on that right. So I thought you know, doing news coverage gives me a chance to be on the front lines and see what's happening and be able to formulate an opinion that is informed and educated, and even if it's different from somebody else's, that's okay. 

06:08
That's why america's great yes, right, we're allowed to have different opinions and express them and and welcome them, and that's that's what it's about. Yeah, but it is interesting when you cover especially this particular side of things and you go to a rally like that. When you hear stories like all the rallies, I don't know what the people are going to be like or what's he going to be like. Right, all I'm telling you guys, no matter what your political persuasion, it doesn't matter when I tell you this is my truth, I have never seen a kinder group of people that that was. 

06:40 - Stacey Grant (Host)
That was what struck me first was these people are so happy to be here so when you first got there and none of anything was in anyone's mind that was gonna be happening interviewing people. 

06:49 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
Why are you here? What issues are you are important to you in the new election cycle? Why, what are some of the things you want to hear from president trump today on the on the stage? Have you ever been to a rally? What? What are you concerned about in the con? You know the current administration and moving forward, etc. Et cetera. So I'm talking to all these people and I'm talking to people, and this is the other thing that struck me the diversity of the crowd, right. So I'm talking to kids, I'm talking to middle age, I'm talking to senior citizens, I'm talking to veterans, military, white, black, hispanic, asian, a lot of Vietnamese, a lot of Korean, a lot of Indonesian. There were just. I mean, the crowds were interesting because you would think, because of what you're told, right, you get told okay, well, it's always going to be this way or that way. You would think it might be just one group of people. 

07:35
When you're in the media, what happens is you go on the risers. So the risers are where the media stands and you're, you know CNN, abc, cbs, you know NBC, fox News, all of them, all the different media. Ok, all on a riser. You have your camera, people, you're up there You're getting everybody kind of revved up. What's about to happen? You're reporting on what you're seeing, you're seeing the crowds, but you have a bird's eye view because you're you're elevated. So we're kind of parallel to where Donald Trump stands. Oh wow, because he's on a stage across the way, and then you have all the risers behind him where all the people are seated, and we're kind of directly there, and then you have the people on the ground. 

08:14 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
So you're directly in front of him. Yeah, in bird's eye view, as if the cameras. You're with the cameras, yes, yes. 

08:25 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
Now, on this case, I personally, personally, because the risers were so full. I was actually on a side riser, so I was actually. So let's say, let's say he's here. I was here with some media here and then other media here and then the crowd here, but the crowd behind me is what. 

08:35
I have to show you a video. I couldn't see the end of the crowd. I literally could not see the end. I would say there had to be at least 50,000 people, it was just and I had the thought of. This is the biggest crowd I've ever seen in one place at one time, other than maybe a concert like a big concert venue and it. I hope people stay nice and be well behaved, because this could be scary if it wasn't, and it was hot and I mean like dripping wet sweating, hot, like 90 something degrees, humid, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, blazing sun, and I thought, oh my gosh, everybody's in such a good mood. 

09:09
This is. This in itself is interesting, wow. And he plays a lot of good music. You know, of course Elvis makes me happy. He plays a lot of. Elvis plays all this music. So people are like at a concert. They're singing along, they're, they're just hanging out, they're waiting. The temperament is incredible, the, the positivity, the patriotism. It's kind of like I always say it's almost like when you're at a super bowl that kind of patriotism. You may not always love the same teams as someone else you're gonna high five and hug the person. 

09:35
Yeah, exactly, and you're like usa all the way, and so everybody's patriotic, everybody's happy. The rally starts here's. What is so crazy is that I turn off my phone after I do all of my interviews. I'll take pictures sometimes to show friends, and I put my phone down to my side and I stand and I watch and I let him do a speech and for whatever reason you know, like when you butt dial somebody, I misrecorded from 6.08 to 6.12 by mistake. 6.08 to 6.12. And he got shot at 6.11. Yeah, wait. 

10:11 - Stacey Grant (Host)
Yeah, I watched it back. 

10:12 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
It was on my phone, because my phone is doing like this, so it was just audio, not. Yeah, you don't. All you see is like the sky, you see like shaking. And then you see you hear me say, oh my God, you hear the shots, you hear the rustle, you hear people kind of going crazy. And then I ran under the risers to protect myself. 

10:31 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
I really see something that said take a look at what happened, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my god. It's interesting because you live this double life of very dark, heavy news right on camera and then you live this other part of your life on camera. It's very upbeat and very happy and very connective and conversational. It's just it's an interesting paradox that you have to go from one to the other, one to the other. 

11:07 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
And it's also hard because I've always been a very politically correct. I always try to make sure that I never upset anybody, on any side of anything. I'll tell you, the hardest part of that job is that when I cover something positively that somebody doesn't like, they get mad at me or they. I think they judge me for my values or my thoughts, and vice versa. If I don't judge something the way they want it to be and I say it how I feel about it, if it's negative, then they start to think of me differently too. So it's it's something I have to be very careful with, but it's it's hard because I don't want my friendships or the people I love and care about to think of me differently if I do something to cover news for somebody that they don't like. 

11:48 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
Right. 

11:49 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
I mean, I would never feel differently about them. So that's the hardest part of doing that for sure. 

11:55 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
Have you lost? 

11:56 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
friends. 

11:56 - Stacey Grant (Host)
Yeah. 

11:57 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
I feel some of my friends are not. I don't think I've lost friends, but I can feel a difference in some of my friends who are not Colder. Yeah, I feel a distance and it's it's really makes me very sad. 

12:09 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
It's unfortunate. 

12:10 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
Yeah, because I, you know, I just, I just want our country honestly to be safe and I want people to be prosperous and I want, I just want peace and safety and I want our country to thrive Right, and whatever that means for you, if it means that you're Democrat or Republican, whatever side, as long as you're informed, make that decision. But if I work representing somebody, that doesn't mean that I'm not still the same person you loved yesterday. I'm just doing my job and representing something that I believe in, even if it's different. I mean, do you agree with everything your husbands and wives say every day? Of course not. But your values might align, but your personality stuff may not always work every day. So that doesn't mean that you're a different person. It just means that you have certain beliefs that align with something else. So that's been a tough thing. I'll tell you, have you had kissing scenes In acting classes more than in real work? I've had a couple that seems worse. 

13:06
Though I hate it, I'll be honest, it's part of why I hated acting Really. I mean, I shouldn't say I hated acting, I loved acting, but I hated the industry. 

13:13 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
You're not getting paid to kiss the guy in a class. 

13:15 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
I didn't like the industry of acting because you had to sometimes do things that you wouldn't even necessarily do in real life right, and so I guess yeah, I mean acting. 

13:24
That I and I don't mean like what I was saying about finding something to love about them. Yes, that's, you find a way to make it work. That's what acting's about. But when I say about real life, meaning you're choosing a job where you're doing things with people that may be uncomfortable and are you comfortable with that? Because, even if it's acting, you're still touching their lips, you're still breathing on each other, you're still touching each other, and I used to say that all the time. I remember when I used to be in acting class and I, um, and my ex-boyfriend was also in acting class at the time this is in our 20s and I used to get so mad. He'd always get these love scenes and I hated it, I mean I he'd be like it's acting babe, like that's it and. 

14:05
I'd say it doesn't matter if it's acting. You're rehearsing and you're making out with her whether it's acting or not, and I hated that. So, yeah, I that was something I was not a big fan of in that in that world. I kind of stayed away from it as much as I could, but here and there you get those. I love acting when it's fun and wholesome and easy, but I'm not the girl who's going to get undressed. 

14:23
You know, the most I've ever had was, you know, had a bra on or something and I wore my biggest, thickest, most covering, non-sexy bra ever, because I just didn't feel comfortable, I feel like body double yeah, and you know, listen, I'm a jersey girl. I'm not like some little, you know prudish girl who's who's uncomfortable with everything. But I personally just know my parents, my family. I don't want to embarrass them, right, and I don't want to embarrass myself and look back. Go oh no. So I try to make choices. I could be proud of us like I always think like. 

14:54 - Stacey Grant (Host)
And the kissing scenes like. I think I heard something where Dustin Hoffman used to like just to mess around with the actresses, like take a bite of an onion before he did a make out, did, yes, yes, the best could you imagine, like you have to do it graduate. 

15:09 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
Wait a minute okay, we have to talk about dustin hoffman now? 

15:12
uh oh, because this is another thing we did not talk about last time. Good, so we talked about some of my auditions, but we didn't talk about that. I was working I think I told you I was working as a DJ MC. Yes, and I DJ'd parties for weddings and bar mitzvahs and sweet 16s, and that was how I made a living while I was doing auditions during the week and acting. And so one of my very first, my very first party that I DJ'd was DJ's wedding DJ Tanner from Full House. I DJ'd Candace Cameron's wedding and the whole Full House, entire Full House cast was there. But then I DJed Candace Cameron's wedding and the whole Full House, entire Full House cast was there. But then I DJed Dustin Hoffman's kids bar mitzvah, nice, and he was so lovely. 

15:54 - Stacey Grant (Host)
Oh, I'm so glad. What a nice guy. 

15:56 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
I love him. He was so nice and so down to earth and just like a typical father he was great and his whole family was wonderful. I mean to earth and just like a typical father, he was great and his whole family was wonderful. I mean this was like late 90s, yeah, and it was. It was amazing, he was fabulous and it was so cool because at the time I it wasn't like we were like we are now with our phones, oh yeah, so I couldn't. I remember going to the phone like there were. I think there was a pay phone even by the bathrooms and I went and called my mother collect or something. I was like, oh my gosh, I'm doing Dustin Hoffman's kids. 

16:26
But when you DJ, you know you do the party, you get paid right, but sometimes the parents, or the or the parents of the bride or the parents of the barman or whoever it is, will come up and give you and say thank you so much, you did such a good job, and I remember him doing that, but I also remember him just being really really nice, really cool. I'm gonna tell you my favorite one, which I can't believe I didn't tell you last time I know I can't either, but thank your favorite celebrity of all time, somebody that you're in the industry, so you met a lot, so who's your favorite? 

16:53
well, there's a well, that's a hard one because there's a few favorites, but this story is my favorite story. I had a really fun experience with joe pesci, because my dad is very close friends with people who are very close to him and they all play golf together in New Jersey. This was back. This was back when I first moved to LA, so it was late 90s and so it was coming out of the casino time, so he had recently done casino. So my dad's friend, being as kind as he was to do this, uh, had him get in touch with me and he said he would take me to dinner. So I'm like this new I mean new LA person. I mean to me this was like very new and fresh being in LA. So he picks me up. 

17:38
I came down, came down the stairs. It was like one of those apartment complexes where you're, you know you. It's not like you have a doorman and you go into a building like you come down the stairs, and so I I got in the car. I don't remember what he was driving. I got in the car and we went on. I believe we took Lord, uh, coldwater Canyon Cause I remember it being very windy. 

17:56
Hey, like what does he say? I got there I said like he's like yeah, I heard great things about you from Jimmy and from everybody, and then family. And he's like, yeah, we'll go to Mr Chow's. So Mr Chow's is like a big time like deal making restaurant. It's like Spaga. 

18:10 - Stacey Grant (Host)
What do you wear to that? 

18:12 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
Gosh, I don't even remember. What do you wear to go out to? 

18:14 - Stacey Grant (Host)
dinner with Joe Pesci. 

18:14 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
I don't remember what I wore. I must have worn. Oh, what did she wear? What? 

18:17 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
do you wear? 

18:25 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
I was going me, I would have been like, like I think now it would have taken me a week to figure it out, but then I was like early 20s I don't even think, I thought I just was like oh, we're this, this is cute. I mean, what do we know? Right at that age, I thought I knew everything, but I didn't okay, so you walked into mr chow's sorry, so yeah, so he picked no but the car ride is the best, the car ride is the best. 

18:39
So so we're driving and it's very windy and I remember being like and he's like these streets are you kidding me with these streets here? And he's like talking about the streets of of california and how windy and how it's like. It's like a roller coaster every time you drive. It's like windy, windy, windy. I just want to get to the bottom of this thing. And then he's like I got some issues tonight with my contact. I remember him talking about his contact. He could not. His contact was driving him crazy. He's like this and I'm not gonna say it on here, but he's like this I've been contact and he kept cursing like the freaking contact and he kept talking about the contact and I was just I'm like I wish I was recording this because this is the funniest moment of my life. 

19:17
I'm in a car alone with Joe Pesci, who's my dad's friend, so I know he's gonna be respectful and very gentlemanly and be like very fatherly to me. He's going to be, and he was. And I remember thinking like he's talking about his contacts and he's making fun of the streets. And I am not. I don't have anything to like show for this, except my memory. 

19:36
And so we get to mr chow's and he sits down and he lights a cigar right, wow. And we're sitting at the table. He orders wine and he orders he's like just let me, I got like, don't even look at the menu, I got this and he ordered whatever. He's like I got it, I'll order. He orders all the stuff that he wants to order, which was all perfect, and he lights up a cigar and the waiter comes over Mr Pesci, I'm so sorry, there's no smoking in here. He's like get the out of here. Just like that, that's great. Just like that, in that voice. And they were like okay, well, well, unless we get a lot of complaints, he's like we're fine. So I was like oh my gosh, this is crazy. Am I like in goodfellas? 

20:17
this is weird and so I looked at him and I go you're funny he goes, he goes. You did not. I said I did. You think I'm funny? And he gave it back to you he did. 

20:27
He said you think I'm funny. I was like, yes, that was amazing. So, yeah, so that was that moment. And then we're sitting talking and he's telling me I don't get in this industry, this business sucks. And he's telling me all the studies, telling me how he got in, which was actually because he was Actually playing an instrument. I believe it was. If I'm not Mistaken it was a saxophone or the clarinet. He said he had played in lots of jazz clubs In New York and that's how he got discovered. Because Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese were in the club one night and saw him and they Thought this guy would be great for Raging Bull, and that's how that came to be. 

21:00
But, his favorite movie, that one of his favorite Movies, that he Was it with honors. It was amazing. But anyway he told me that was his favorite. So we're talking and he said to me I don't, you know, recommend this. If you were my kid I'd say, get back to Jersey and call it a day, he's like, but if you're talented and you want to give it a try, I don't want you to have regrets. And he gave me some really good advice and he it was just. It was just enlightening and exciting and fun. But then sharon stone comes walking in the restaurant and again, this is right after casino. So these two now are like pretty close. He stands up, he gives her a hug, he's like, hey, how you doing. And they're all huggy, kissy, every. And she's like, oh, and he's like you want to come sit down with us? She's like I can't. 

21:43
I've got a friends here and and I introduced myself to her very quickly and it was like when she was in her heyday you know, so it cool and then and then that was it, and I'm sure there were other people there that I didn't even know were there, but that was one of my, that was one of my better. 

21:57 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
Better moments Do you miss, you miss being out there. No. 

22:01 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
I don't. 

22:02 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
You did it. It was for its time. Yeah, I miss my best friend. 

22:06 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
I miss the lack of humidity. I miss, you know, some of the excitement of the glitz and the glam which I get to experience when I, when I visit him for his birthdays, I've been out there to visit um and when I've gone to award shows so you've been on the red carpet lately, mark was telling me I didn't know that, or you have red carpet stories from before for a long time. 

22:24 - Stacey Grant (Host)
Yeah, that has to be. 

22:26 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
You have got my best friend on the show, because he's really in that world what's his Christian. 

22:30
We've done so many exciting events together and we used to do we used to cover Night of 100 Stars or I think it was Night of 100 Stars, which was like the not at the Oscars, but it was a separate Oscar party at the Beverly Hills Hotel and we got to interview so many people and just other and other red carpet things as well. That we've done but it's just. It's interesting because when you are a lover of pop culture, you don't have to work so hard on the red carpet to ask these scripted inauthentic. Everybody else is asking questions. You ask the questions that you as a fan want to know right. 

23:03
Oh yeah, that's good, that is the fun part, yeah like I remember we did a red carpet the year remember my big fat greek wedding when that came out and that year they were all nominated. I mean it was huge and and when they walked up the the red carpet and we talked to them, I asked laney kazan, I asked her does the windex work? Right? Because that was the big thing was spraying wind? He kept saying in the movie you have to spray windex if you have a cut or something's wrong. 

23:29
I was like does the windex really work? Or we would ask sing or you know. You ask people the questions that you want to know and that's still how I, that's how I am even with when I interview in politics and news. 

23:40 - Stacey Grant (Host)
Yeah, I think it'd be so hard because, like you don't know who's going to walk up next. You can't prepare for that and Mark and I always laughed, because I always love to be like super prepared for everything, and he's's like let's wing it, let's wing it I don't know if I could. You know, like, all of a sudden, you're, you know, like you have all these questions for certain celebrities, yes, and then someone walks up and you're like wait, what movie are they in? 

24:01 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
like, right, someone talked to you there. They have the pr people they have their pr people and they'll say oh, um, you know, pick a name, I don't know um austin, austin, aust Butler's coming up he's here, he's he's nominated for for for Elvis. He's out nominated for three different awards. He's just won the Golden Globe hey guys, thanks for listening. 

24:22 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review, give us a follow, subscribe, subscribe all those things, all those things. We love it because we read each and every comment and it helps shape the show, so we would appreciate it please, and back to the show and then you. 

24:37 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
So you have those people, but they don't, but they don't always tell you. I mean, that's just sometimes you can get the press leads will tell you those things. But also sometimes you have to rely on your co-host or your camera person, or sometimes it's just grab that person because they're right there and you just have to hope. Oh my gosh, I hope I can remember this person's last name. Oh my gosh yeah. 

24:56 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
Have you ever met someone that like I don't know this person and they're saying, oh yeah, what do I say? 

25:00 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
that's why I like when I got to work with him because he knows everybody's name and I'm like. He's like an encyclopedia but but when I've been on my own, there are times where I thought let's move to the next part, because I don't I'm not going to grab somebody and embarrass myself or make them feel any less important than they want. 

25:15 - Stacey Grant (Host)
But when you're sitting, when you're talking to somebody, this is what I always get like cringy about, like when I see people on the red carpet that are interviewing and they're interviewing like someone. Maybe that's not like the AA plus celebrity, but then the AA plus celebrity is like walking that way and I know that the producer's like you got to talk to Brad Pitt, you got to talk to Brad Pitt, you know, pull him over, pull him over and you're like still talking to this person. You don't want to be like thanks, and you can't right. 

25:41 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
That's the worst. 

25:42 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
What do you do? People do that. 

25:43 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
I mean, it happens all the time and when you get to that last half hour before a show, that's insanity and everybody insanity and everybody's just trying to get them in, just get them in the door, get them seated, get them going, and so you have to really hope in those moments that the that the good ones you want are coming by. But you grab what you can and who you can and you just go with it, because I think it's better to grab the people. 

26:03
you're the most knowledgeable knowledgeable about but even still, sometimes you don't have an option, and we I I interviewed ge Lucas. This was a. 

26:11 - Stacey Grant (Host)
This was a crazy one, Cause this was a this was a. 

26:14 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
We crashed this one. We didn't have press pass, we were crashers. Wait, how can you do that? It was a producer's guild awards and I and and usually we get, you know, press passes, you get approved. This was many, many years ago, before security was before, before nine, 11. So the press security wasn't as tight back then. 

26:37
And this was we had heard about this, this producers guild awards that was going. We heard they're going to have a red carpet and they're and there's going to be several celebrities. So how can we get in? And we were working on this pilot called starstruck, this tv show that we were working on, and we thought we have to get in. So we we told people we're're like, oh, we're with Starstruck, we're with Starstruck, and I don't know how it worked out, but it worked out. And we got on the line, but we were at the end of the line. So we were really like the last, which is not you want to be like the first, but we were the very last and, by the grace of God, of the camera and I said, oh, it's so good, congratulations and I was like, and the lighting was awful. 

27:20
I mean, it was one of those things I'm like looking back wishing the lighting was good. That was a big one, yeah, and it was one of my first times doing that and it was. That was exciting. I said to him you know, you're the first nominee of your kind to get this particular accolade that that he was being, uh, awarded that night and I said how does it feel, you know, making history again as the first person to receive this award? We talked about that and I, you know, and we just talked a little bit about movie making very briefly, because I said, you know, you're an icon in the industry and people, people are, look up to you as their role model, right? So what are some of the things that you, who do you look up to Things like that? And we would, we would ask people for this show, this pilot that we did, who they're starstruck by. 

27:55 - Stacey Grant (Host)
That was kind of the premise of the show. 

27:57 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
And so we got some interesting ones. I remember Suzanne Somers said she was starstruck by Barry Manilow. Barry Manilow said he was starstruck by Barbra Streisand, and I'm trying to remember. 

28:07 - Stacey Grant (Host)
Those were like the ones that I remember stood out to me it remember, stood out to me. 

28:10 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
it's interesting right when you were, you were talking about help. One of the things that annoyed you is everyone's in the business. Yeah, so everyone's a struggling actor. What percentage is the struggling and what percent is the actor? 

28:21 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
I think two percent is the working yeah the rest is struggling, I think so you wouldn't recommend people I would recommend, if you love it, it's fulfilling and exciting and amazing and creative, and you should go after it. But I would also say but have and when people say don't have, a backup plan because that means you're preparing to fail, I don't agree with that. Really. I think you can be, you can stay in the same world like I have. 

28:45
I don't think I could be a nine to five, you know, banker, I don't think I would be fulfilled that way. 

28:51
Right, but I do think that if acting didn't work out, I had my communications degree, I had my journalism degree, I went to school, I got educated and I had other work in other areas of television, so that if the acting didn't go as I would like it to, there would always be a backup plan that still allowed me to do what I love and what I'm good at, but maybe not necessarily in the exact way I thought it would be. 

29:19
And I think that's what people need to do is just, if you love it, find different niches, like within that industry or within that world, that you can find yourself success or at least some steady work. Once you dabble I hate that word dabble, it's a weird word but once you dabble in all of these different areas. You can kind of see where you feel the most comfortable, but you also then have the potential and the confidence to dabble in the other areas yet again if they come up. So even though I'm not acting actively, if an acting job came up I wouldn't be like, oh, I'm not an actor anymore. 

29:53 - Stacey Grant (Host)
No, of course I am. 

29:54 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
I was training to be an actor for many years. I would love to act, but I have to also pay my bills which is also why I sometimes work in the news world, which is so difficult sometimes and hard and cold and divisive, but it's also exciting and riveting and part of history. 

30:14 - Stacey Grant (Host)
Well, I know, emmymy when she was here was talking about the news world and when she goes to, like you know, to be on cnn or cnbc or whatever, yeah she always asks her friends in the industry like how are you? 

30:24
because it's hard, yeah, you know there's a lot of really difficult things you have to talk about and you know, just kind of have that like sort of shell and face with you know what I mean like and sometimes you have to talk about and you know just kind of have that like sort of shell and face, you know what I mean. 

30:35 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
Well, and sometimes you have to also realize, going back to what you said earlier about social media and people commenting and the negativity, and you have to remember, people will also pull the soundbites for their purpose. 

30:45 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
Exactly yes, they will pull a soundbite Politics 101. 

30:48 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
That's Politics 101. And you see it on every. I mean, you see it on both sides, you see it everywhere. People will pull the soundbite that works best in the favor of their narrative. And so if you say something and you have only good intentions and you have a full statement, but then one line is pulled, taken out of context, it can suddenly seem so bad. And then you start backtracking saying, oh my gosh, I have to be so careful, what am I going to do now? I don't want people thinking this of me. So you have to, you have to just do that and you have to say you know what, when, when I'm doing this job, this is, this is my goal. 

31:20
My goal when I'm on qbc is to promote this company, to promote this vendor, to sell this, to show people why I love it, why I'd wear it, why I'd want to buy it for people. I love call it a day. When I'm working on the news, I want to inform the people on the information that I have. If it's opinion news, I can give an opinion, but that doesn't define me Right. So I but, but I'm but. I'm doing the job for this network today and that's who I need to focus my goal on, because they're the ones that are paying me and are expecting me to represent them. So those are the avenues that are paying me and are expecting me to represent them. 

31:51
So those are the avenues. 

31:53 - Stacey Grant (Host)
If you could do one thing from now on out of all the things that you do, what would it? 

31:59 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
be If I could do anything. I wanted and had all the finances and somebody said here you go, here's the money, here's the studio, here's the audience, here's the TV network, whatever. I would want to have like a revival of either like a Carol Burnett show, where I could have the, you know, talk to the audience, be a host and then do skits and have and have guests or some something along those lines, like that type of a show or a talk show, I mean like an Oprah type of show. Those are those are the areas where I feel really, really comfortable. 

32:31
Nice, and I would like to do something where I could give back, like where it's something that gives back, so that people could actually get something from it, where they're learning or they're getting opportunities or something, so it wouldn't feel selfish, because then it I don't know, I don't think it would be as fulfilling that way, but that that's probably where my, my wheelhouse is. But I also, I also really love um. I didn't tell you this, but I had met Tony Robbins many years ago and I really, really love um. I didn't tell you this, but I had met tony robbins many years ago and I really, really love his work. 

32:58 - Stacey Grant (Host)
Tony, how did you meet tony robbins? 

33:00 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
so I actually I'm hoping to get some work with him actually, because there's some opportunities and he's I I just I really believe in what he preaches, because he actually practices what he preaches, which I learned from meeting him. I often say that my, if I had any regrets, I mean I would say one of my regrets is that I didn't, I didn't follow that. I was so young, it was in my twenties, and I really wish that I had recognized the poignancy and the how important that moment was, because I learned so much and the life lessons were incredible and just being in the atmosphere with people who are billionaires and who have this lifestyle but work their booties off to have it, but really their entire existence is based on helping other people have a better existence, that's their whole life, right? And I thought now I thought, gosh, if I had stayed in touch and recognized the moment for what it was and really rode that wave of that, of that connection the trajectory of my life might have been very, very different at this point I wouldn't 

33:59
be freelancing and struggling often and single and who knows. I mean all of these things. So it could have been, but I believe things happen for a reason right. So I circled back kind of to taking some of his courses and and really getting back on track with some of the things he teaches, because it's really all just about being energized and going for what you love and how important your words are and the things you say. And I did say and this is weird, but after I took it I wrote down in one of my journals and I said out loud that I hope that one day I have an opportunity to either work in this election cycle, because it's such an important moment in our history of America, and or to work somehow with Tony Robbins' team. And now I'm getting opportunities for both. 

34:45 - Stacey Grant (Host)
And these are not small little baby-sized goals. 

34:48 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
These are like, okay, the biggest, most important motivational speaker, well-known around the world, or the biggest you know, well known around the world, or the biggest you know the most well-known politicians in america, and both of them are sort of working out right now wow. 

35:02 - Stacey Grant (Host)
So when you met tony robbins, what was? Was he like everything you think? 

35:06 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
does he. 

35:06 - Stacey Grant (Host)
But can you just be normal with him? Like I feel like if I was around tony robbins I'd be like, yes, well, I really am working to raise money for charity and I am getting towards my vision and I have my goals and I'm always kind, Like I don't think. 

35:21 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
I'd be able to be like yeah. 

35:22 - Stacey Grant (Host)
Tony, let's have a beer Like. 

35:25 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
I don't. You know, I think I would now, and you know it's interesting because I'm going through this process of of working with him a little bit and doing some things with his companies and I haven't even mentioned that I know him yet. I mentioned that I've met people through working with him but I haven't really talked about that yet because I'm waiting till I see him in person to tell him that story again. 

35:44 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
And. 

35:44 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
I'm sure he'll remember, but when I was around him, all I remember thinking is I can't be lazy at all, because this is the least lazy person. I would say, donald Trump and Tony Robbins are the two least lazy people I've ever seen in my life, because they travel every single day. They go from place to place. They don't take a break ever. 

36:02
You're like when do these people rest ever? So at that time again, I was kind of young. I don't think I was realizing as much. It's amazing how in your 20s you just go with it. You're just hanging out like you have a glass of wine, like we all went to eat. We went, we went, uh, water skiing. We went um on the speedboat. We went hiking. We went to waterfalls. We went to a church he built for children of fiji because they don't have any place to go to school or to worship. So he built them a school and he built them a church and when they they saw him, they come running to him and he's like their God, I mean he gave them a life. 

36:35
These people are so kind and lovely and wonderful and they don't have very much, and I remember him telling us don't tip the people in the villages, like when they do things for you. Don't tip them with cash. Tip them with things they can use. Tip them with a robe or slippers or towels, things that you have that you know can help them have a day-to-day better life, because the cash doesn't mean much. 

36:56
There's nowhere they can really not much they can do with it, right, so I thought that was interesting. Wow, uh, yeah, but he's so good to these people and he practices what he preaches and I I mean, we had this one night where we had to jump in this abyss of darkness water no thank you and I was like oh, no, yeah, I was like oh, no, no, no, that's when tony and I were part ways I'm afraid of airplanes. I mean, I'm afraid of everything. 

37:17 - Stacey Grant (Host)
I was like I'm a scaredy cat water, though deep water, no, no no, he told us, you'll put life vests on. 

37:23 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
It's about a 20 feet jump. Whatever we didn't and I was like, oh, I'm scared of heights, I, I, I made all day all day I kept saying I have a cold. I don don't think I should do this. I came up with nine billion reasons why I couldn't do it Nine billion. And we're in the car, and I was actually in the car with him on the way there and he's like you got this and he's playing the Beatles in the car and he's all about music. 

37:43
Music, like your physiology is everything. It pumps you up in the car. We get there and everybody's got their life vests on and I was like I'm not doing it, I'm sweating just thinking about this. I was like I can't, I'm so nervous my palms are sweating. Guess what we put it on? Put on the life vest. The sky is just stars, it's all pitch black, just stars. And I jump and I swear it was like if I jump it was a mind game, it was a mind game about taking a leap of faith. 

38:11
You called it. You called it five minutes ago, sweet, it really wasn't a deep jump. No, it's a big body of water, but it wasn't deep. You just jump in. And we were like, oh, we're all floating in the water and it was very, very, not a very, very high jump. But I didn't know that because it was dark, so I know if I go, but it might be, I don't know like this. But he does firewalks and all kinds of stuff like that and we you know he's done the thing where you, you break the boards with your hand your bare hand done all I mean it's. 

38:38
It's wild how the power of your mind you don't realize how powerful your mind is, and I remember just being like oh what, this worked yourself up though didn't you. 

38:50 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
I did For no reason I did. 

38:52 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
But yeah, that was a great moment, wow, yeah. 

38:54 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
We always hear that to be successful in Hollywood at some level, you have to sell your soul. All those most popular, all those award winners, they signed over. So how true is that in Hollywood? 

39:05 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
In entertainment. I would say it's more of the fight to get ahead, and I think there are a lot of people who will take those moments like the one I told you about in Vegas, where they'll say, well, if I have to wear a bathing suit to an audition, I'll do it, because if it means I can get to this part of this level in my career, I'll do that. I think people will. I'm sure the casting couch is a real thing. Thank god I didn't experience it, but I know people who have and I'm sure there are people who will go along. I mean, we hear the stories right about yeah so many people. 

39:40
I don't know them personally, but I know through other people's stories of many people who have said well, you know, I typically wouldn't sleep with this person, but if it means I'm gonna get a job, I'm gonna do what you gotta do. You hear people say things like that a lot. You know, I just don't. I, that's to me, that's selling your soul, because it's it's completely going against your own morals right you are yeah yeah, and you're selling and you're selling out. 

40:04
You're not getting a job based on because you deserve it. You're getting it based on something like that I can't feel good, like you know no no, it doesn't. 

40:11
And I did have an experience where I had I didn't I don't think I told you guys this one I was in miami because I lived in miami for a while when I was hosting the game show and I went on an audition for a movie and the casting director was very popular. He's a very popular casting director. There are a lot of people love him. I do not. Uh, he had me come in and I learned my lines. I was, I was ready for this, I was ready, I went in there. I think I gave one of my best auditions and you know when you know, you know when you're like, oh my gosh, what did I just do? 

40:40 - Stacey Grant (Host)
versus nailed it nailed it. 

40:44 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
Yeah, I went in and I nailed it. And he says to me I'm going to use his exact words. He said to me you know what? You deserve that part and I said thank you. He says you should be the one that gets this part. I said, oh my gosh, thanks, he's like, but you will not get this part. And I said why? And he I swear to god this is his words. He said to me because you're not cancer skinny and you have a small chest. And I said okay, wait, what I literally was like am I in the twilight zone because you hear stories like this but you don't think they're real? I said I'm sorry he was. You've probably seen some of the girls going in and out of here today. He says they got the boob job. They're cancer skinny. 

41:31
I said let's back up. First of all, don't say cancer skinny. I said cancer means you're unhealthy, it means you're sick and I know too many people who have lived that life that that's an insult to me. To hear you say that as an attainable goal that's, my goal is to look like that and using that word is, I think, really inappropriate, actually, and very disrespectful. You said that good for you, yeah, and he was like no, I'm not sick. Listen, I'm not disrespecting people who are sick. I'm just making the point. Like you know, you're not heavy, but you're not like a little like every like. That's what they're looking for. They want a skinny body, big boobs. That's not. You're not going to get this part. I'm just telling you being honest. You should want me to be honest with you. It's like if you want to go and get, you know, lose some weight and get plastic surgery, you know, then you'll probably get more work out here. 

42:17 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
What was the movie Do? 

42:18 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
you remember? Wow, I don't think anything, even was an independent movie shot in. 

42:24
Florida, but he did a lot of casting in Miami. He still does and he struggles with his weight all the time. I've seen him go up and down in his weight many times and I went in my car and I swear I never get upset like this. I got in my car and started to cry because I thought when people say it's not personal, that's as personal as it gets. And now does this mean that I should not continue to audition in Miami because of that? But also I was so angry and disgusted with the business that I was like I don't even want to be in this business if that's what they want. 

42:52 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
Right. 

42:53 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
That was a big one for me. 

42:54 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
Yeah, it's a dirty feeling, yeah, yeah, coming out of those things. 

42:58 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
Isn't that terrible. Can you believe that? And the guys like people love him. And I had and I don't tell anybody about it cause I don't ever like to call out names or ruin people's career but I mean, I kept my mouth shut about it. I still, to this day, have not said his name or told anybody who it is, but I see his name everywhere and I know people love him. 

43:15
I'm like really they don't know the underbelly yeah so that's to me selling my soul would have been going and getting the boob job and starving myself for three weeks you didn didn't do it. 

43:28 - Stacey Grant (Host)
No, I did not and look at you, I mean. 

43:31 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
So you didn't let the industry change you? Yes. 

43:33 - Stacey Grant (Host)
End of story. End of story, and that is you, nikki Stanziani, that's me. 

43:36 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
Yes, I don't know For all it's worth. There's good, there's bad, but that's me, this is me. 

43:43 - Stacey Grant (Host)
You manage to not do those things Like, you're probably in the small percentage of people who Don't think there wasn't a part of me that thought, oh, I was self-conscious. 

43:53 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
To this day, I'm always self-conscious. I'm like, oh, do I need to lose weight? I mean, I'm always self-conscious. I think we all can be right and, of course, I always think I could afford to lose 10 to 15 pounds every day of my life, but it's just not easy. 

44:03 - Stacey Grant (Host)
Doesn't everybody think that it? 

44:04 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
used to be a lot easier. And then I look at the pictures of when I said that, when I thought it was easy, and I'm like I should have just been happy with that. It's not so easy anymore and I love food. I love food, I do, I love food yeah. 

44:23 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
What is your message? Everybody's got that music inside of them, based on their life, based on their experiences, everything they went through and learned. What's that message for that person? 

44:32 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
I have this same message today that I had in 2004 when I auditioned for qbc in the national whatever host audition, where, with joan rivers remember I told you 20 years ago that was I believe 2004, and they came and they interviewed the top five finalists and we all had to give like messages of what we thought. 

44:49
And I watched it back a few years ago and I was like, oh my gosh, I haven't changed at all. I literally said, if I could give you any advice, it would be to just be true to yourself. Stay true to who you are. If you deviate and you say, well, I think this is what this person would want me to be, this is what this person would want me to be, or I think this is where I should work, because it might be more in alignment with people in another job I do, or maybe I think I should. 

45:17
Whatever it is, whatever it is, whether it's in your personal or professional life, I think if you do that, it's never going to feel right in your gut, you're never going to be able to do the job with passion, because if you don't do a job with passion, it's very obvious, I think, and you're never going to feel right in your gut You're never going to be able to do the job with passion, because if you don't do a job with passion, it's very obvious, I think, and you're never going to be a hundred percent authentic, and I cannot talk like this for hours at a time on a camera or even with people. If I wasn't believing in what I was saying because then it would just be a bunch of BS and I would not only feel terrible about it, but it wouldn't come out easily I'd have to try to think about what was I going to say, because it wouldn't be real yeah, I hate that feeling. 

45:50 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
Great advice. It's hard to follow sometimes as you're growing up and going through things staying true to who you are. Oh yeah, yeah, definitely, but it's definitely on the other end of it, you feel so much better knowing that you did and I make mistakes. 

46:01 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
I mean obviously I go why did I do that? 

46:03
I shouldn't have said that or sometimes I'm a little too vocal and I say, well, I probably shouldn't have said that, oh no, or you know, and I know can be judgy and opinionated and make comments that might not align with that, but I'm human and we all are. But my intent I know in the in my deep down in my gut that my intent is genuinely just that that things are good for the people in this world and that we don't have evil and we don't have danger and we don't have, you know, all of those things that unfortunately come to light a lot more often than they should. 

46:51 - Stacey Grant (Host)
So what's next for you, Nikki? Well, what's coming up? Maybe Tony. 

46:55 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
Robbins, maybe some stuff with Tony Robbins, possibly We'll see how that goes. Either way, I'll always continue to kind of learn, because I feel like you always have to be coached on some level to continue to grow and improve, which there's always room for, I definitely through this election cycle. I mean, I don't know if this is going to live on this podcast, so you know who knows what happens at the end of that. Uh, but in the meantime I'm excited to kind of be on the campaign trail and see what's going on and be a part of history, and of course, I still love being able to be on home shopping and work with QVC and. 

47:27
I love. I love connecting with customers and people in that way and ultimately, who knows, maybe I'll actually meet the man of my dreams, fall in love. You know, it's been a while. It's been a while. Listen, I never talk about my personal life because it's personal right, but I but I have been so focused the last couple years. I really I've been so focused on my fam, being around my family again in New Jersey and my career that I really haven't put my head there at all. But at some point I would like to not do all these incredible things alone. 

47:57
I'd like to have somebody to share it with and somebody to witness the excitement of my life and to be able to witness the excitement of theirs. Even if the excitement is sitting home watching TV, I don't care. I just want to be able to have somebody to share life with at some point, whenever that's meant to be. Look if, ultimately, if I could have my own talk show, I'd be very happy and talk to people about the real issues Not a celebrity coming on to promote their movie, not even about politics, but just have people talk about the real things, right, like you do the real life things and the real life things and and feel like they're in a group of people that, uh, they're not alone, because I think so many people think that they're the only ones going through things, you know, even just at every stage of our. 

48:34
I have friends that are in their 20s all the way up to their 60s, and I have parents in their early 70s, and I can tell you that every single person I talk to always says I'm not quite exactly where I thought I'd be at this point in my life Right, you hear that from every age group. 

48:47 - Stacey Grant (Host)
Yeah. 

48:47 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
So what does that mean, right? So I always think that would be something to explore. I'd like to explore that somehow in a talk show format. 

48:53 - Stacey Grant (Host)
Maybe we could do something together. Love that, yes, please. I like that idea. I'm here for it. 

48:57 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
Yeah, so I'm out, am I? 

49:02 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
out. Sorry, need you in that, awesome thank you. 

49:05 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
Thank you for coming back, thank you thank you for the three hours of traffic it took you to get here we appreciate it it's worth it. 

49:10 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
It's always awesome. Thank you for giving me so much time to just fill my heart every time. I love you guys every time I love you guys so much and I love looking at you your gorgeous blue eyes, not your shirt, thank you. 

49:23 - Stacey Grant (Host)
She's the best, don't start. 

49:24 - Mark Lubragge (Host)
Please don't get her going. 

49:26 - Stacey Grant (Host)
You're cute too, mark, and thank you. 

49:30 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
Where can we find you? I mean, on Instagram. You can find me at Nick Stanz N-I-K-S-T-A-N-Z, and on YouTube as well, and then on TikTok, and I think on TikTok it's Nikki Stanzione Official or something like that. Yeah, and on Twitter, which is now X, is Nikki Stanzione. It's easy to find me. We'll post, I'll post. 

49:47 - Stacey Grant (Host)
I got it all in show notes. We'll put it all on show notes, don't worry, it's all good. 

49:51 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
And Facebook Nikki Stanzione TV host. 

49:53 - Stacey Grant (Host)
I should have really just kept it consistent. I really should have kept it consistent, but you know, some names aren't available on different platforms. It's all over the place. Love you guys. Love you love, you love you. 

50:05 - Nikki Stanzione (Guest)
Thank you guys, Thank you guys. 

50:12 - Stacey Grant (Host)
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