- She's made headlines this year
for using her charitable initiative
"Be Strong" to get millions,
millions of PPE items delivered to medical workers
in all 50 States!
(audience cheers) Bethenny, you were first here.
There were a few people that jumped in first.
You were one of them.
How did you do it?
- We always jump in first.
It's a disaster relief initiative
and you have to just have that sort of
run and gun type of personality.
It's extremely intense
and you have to have an intense personality
and you can't wait
because it's too late if you wait.
So, and you have to navigate a lot of corruption
and counterfeit PPE.
We did $20 million of PPE,
over $20 million of PPE for COVID.
And we did in excess of 2 million units,
we did over a million hazmat suits
and over a million masks to all 50 States.
(audience cheers) - I mean, come on!
When we're all sitting there in fear, immovable-
- [Bethenny] I know.
- You got up there and took action!
- [Bethenny] It's crazy! - It is so impressive!
It's inspiring!
- [Bethenny] Thank you. - It's incentivizing!
Okay, so, your podcast "Just Be",
you talk to a lot of really respectable doers out there.
I was blown away by the caliber of people, very focused.
- I kept the caliber tight.
It's not about being the most famous person.
It's about being someone who is a baller,
who's a gangster, who's done it,
who started from the bottom, now they're here,
a visionary, a game changer.
And, there's a rant in the beginning where I'm a moron
and talk about the minutia that
I just think about it in my head.
And that sort of a little bit of humor.
- Well, comedy and humanizing things is a good thing.
- Yeah, it's a little bit of humor
and crazy story about SIA and just insane story
about Gary Cohn, who worked with Trump.
Like, just crazy stories that have happened to me.
But then we get into the meat, which is,
it's not foreplay, it's the main act.
It's like, listen, people are giving me,
Mark Cuban's giving me an hour of his time,
Paris Hilton, an hour of their day.
That's like dog years.
That's a lot of time for them.
They're so busy and they're giving the tools,
the keys to the kingdom, how they think, how they operate.
And there are so many threads
between all of these successful people.
They could be so different
but they have the similar work ethic.
They have a similar way of thinking about things,
decision making and I have threads with them.
And so people at home can collect all this information
and use that for themselves to be
whatever type of entrepreneur,
or successful mom, or business person,
whatever they wanna be.
I mean, this is true access
to information that can be a game changer for your life.
And you have already been an inspiration to many people.
And, actually I have a surprise.
There is someone here who wants to thank you,
especially because of the entrepreneurial
inspiration and courage that you gave to her.
So, she is an entrepreneur
and a mother of three, please welcome Lauren Levy.
(audience cheers) Hi Lauren!
- Hi! - [Drew] Welcome!
- [Bethenny] How are you? (Lauren screams)
- Hi! - [Drew] By the way,
I just wanna say,
this is the first time we've had three women
at this desk, so I'm very excited.
This is a real moment for our show.
- You look beautiful! - Thank you!
- How are you?
- I'm so excited to meet you, both of you!
This is like a dream come true!
- Lauren, I would like you to tell Bethenny
about your company because I'm freaking out at the
sort of unique approach that you have
and being parents and where you also have an end game
for this as far as like, it's a full life circle
plan that you have.
I am blown away by your business concept!
Will you share it with Bethenny?
- Sure, so, Magnetic Me is a lifestyle apparel brand
that I founded about 10 years ago.
And we make so safe, magnetic fastening clothing
to make you know, getting dressed easy.
So there's no snaps, no buttons, no zippers.
We initially started with baby
and now we do nursing and we're expanding and growing.
- And you're also providing it for people with arthritis.
So, for parents who have babies-
- [Bethenny] Smart, smart! - I know!
This is, I mean, I think your business model
is extraordinary!
I work with a woman, Dr. Aliza Pressman,
and we were just doing a thing for Domino Magazine for kids.
And it's like,
put the mirrors where they're dressing themselves
at their level.
You do not hang mirrors at your eye level.
You give them clothing that can snap
you know, in a certain way,
so that it incentivized them to become their own dressers.
Parents with babies, they're running around.
It's so hard to keep it all intact.
This is a real game changer.
And then, the way that you're helping
also people who need the help.
I just think your business model's so interesting!
- [Bethenny] It's amazing! - [Lauren] Thank you!
- [Bethenny] Yes, it's unique.
- It's great for, we call them, "No Drama Pajamas"
for toddlers who hate getting,
you know, clothing over their heads.
- [Drew] How about no drama for the parents?
I mean, I've like,
I've lost my mind trying to dress two kids.
- Yeah, the nightly struggle is real.
So, we have a little magnetic fastener and opens wide.
- [Bethenny] That's perfect!
- [Drew] Did you have a question for Bethenny
on any advice? - Yeah, so,
I'm so inspired by you!
I come from such humble beginnings, like you do!
Our stories are like, remarkably similar
and I've just watched you, you know
your sheer will and your grit and your determination.
And it's really been such a pleasure
and just so inspiring watching your journey.
- [Bethenny] Thank you. - I just wanted to
say thank you.
And like, your highs and your lows
and you know, through starting Magnetic Me,
it's just been great watching somebody do it.
- It's hard to do! - It's hard.
- It's hard to do at any level.
It's hard to do at any,
even though I've been on television,
you have to be relentless.
You have to be focused, laser focused
and just it's about old school hard work.
That's the key to success, the old school.
- And now, you're also an amazing mom
and a mogul, but you're also a philanthropist.
And, we're looking to start a non-for-profit called,
"Big to Little, Little to Big"
where parents or anyone who buys our clothing
can use it and then send it back and we can up-cycle it
to, you know, struggling or needy families.
- [Bethenny] Oh wow!
That's amazing! - Yeah.
- And that's perfect actually!
That's good for disaster relief too.
There's like, that's a very big need.
I would say the key to, for me,
the key to philanthropy and why it's connected
and it's been so successful,
because I was a nobody starting and no,
even though I was a successful business woman
no one was trusting me in this space.
I couldn't get flip flops
or rain boots for the first, for the hurricane Harvey.
But I just hustled.
As I do with business,
you have to be totally transparent
and take people through the story.
This is what we're planning to do.
This is how we're planning to do it.
If it shifts, it could have been when we were
in The Bahamas or the Amazon fires,
we're trying to get planes to shower water over there.
But then we had to change it.
First, it was sanitizing kits for COVID
and then it became, "Okay, we're letting everyone know."
You're not perfect.
And in the moment, you have to be very transparent
and people have to understand exactly where their money
or whatever, you know,
if they're donating money, where it is going.
So, every dollar is important
and philanthropy has become so not transparent.
People have no idea what percentage is being taken.
We give 100% to the effort and we explain
that you gave a dollar, it went to buy this bowl.
This is where your dollar went.
You gave a hundred thousand dollars.
It went to help all these people.
People wanna feel that it's personal,
just like in business.
If you're investing your money
you wanna know where exactly is it going?
Am I getting a return on my investment?
And, that's the key to it in my opinion.
(audience cheers)
- I think there are so many secrets
by the way, we're gonna put you up on our website.
- Thank you! - [Drew] I would love
to support your brand!
We can sidebar and ask questions.
Thank you Lauren, thank you Bethenny!
- [Lauren] Thank you!
(upbeat music)