- Do me a favor, promise me this because everyone's
following you right now, and so they're gonna tell me
tomorrow that you fucking bullshitted.
- I know, that's why I was--
- Yeah, it's over.
- Making me nervous 'cause you're all over.
- Yeah, you're in deep shit now.
Everyone's watching.
Make an Instagram video where you just talk about things.
- So just riding this fucking wave that GaryVee just created
'cause I know you fuckers will destroy me if I don't do this
so you know, I'm fucking quarantined and bored as fuck,
so let's do this shit.
(upbeat music)
- [Gary] You've got your perspective.
(cheering)
I just want to be happy, don't you want to be happy?
- Hey, Gary.
- Hey Laura, how are you?
- Good, so excited to be on with you.
So I have like 1,000,000 questions so I was trying
to compile them.
So I more or less want to be a writer as my career.
I've had a travel blog since 2008.
I wrote a book last year.
I kind of did everything self-published.
I wanted to learn everything.
I kind of wanted to learn the ropes of it all.
So I love that, it's great, but the sales are not there.
I sold like 65 copies just my own marketing
and all that stuff and with my own platform and all that,
but I have a second one and I'm not sure
what to do with it because--
- You're worried about the sales?
- I'm worried about the sales,
but I also want to get it out there.
Like I want this to really be my career
and I'm not sure if this is like, because I get stuck
at like, I've been doing for 12 years, dah, dah, dah,
like maybe this is something, like is something
I should keep going with or is it like--
- Hey, 12 years is a real at bat, like I'm proud of you.
You persevered and hung in.
Like this is tough to say, but sometimes maybe not.
There's a lot of people who want to be a rapper
and they're not good enough.
There's people that want to be actors and not good enough.
There's people that want to be writers and not good enough.
Now, you know I'm mister optimist,
but I'm also mister practical.
I don't think that has to be a bad thing.
Let me tell you why.
I think the energy of it not working for this period
of time actually in a lot of ways sometimes becomes
a self-fulfilling prophecy of not letting it happen.
I believe that if you go and try to jam on some other stuff
that also makes you happy, be creative,
sometimes that becomes the unlock.
All of a sudden, like I could see a scenario where you start
like fucking starting an hour podcast
'cause ironically you also like flowers.
That creativity gets going a little something,
but then that triggers the creativity.
You start finding yourself two years later starting
to write a little bit and then popped off what you're doing.
- Yeah, I mean, I started writing on Elephant Journal too
and it was a different type of writing
because I don't travel like I used to.
I started this when I was 18, so I'm 30 now,
so I've changed so much within that period of time,
so I actually enjoy that type of writing so my website
is now where I have my travel when I can, and then I write
also whatever I want to write about, but my main thing
about my books is like how to deal with anxiety and--
- How much free content are you putting out on the Internet
with you on video form talking about those subject matters?
- I actually hate video.
- Why?
- I'm just not a video person, like--
- You're a video person right now.
You're doing extremely well.
- I know, but I hate it.
- Why, are you self-conscious about your looks?
- No, it's not that, I just don't feel
like I have the personality for it.
- You're wrong.
- I really don't.
- You're wrong.
- Yeah.
- You've decided that for yourself subjectively.
- Yeah, yeah, I mean yeah, I guess.
It's just, it's not, I guess it's uncomfortable for me
to kind of like talk to myself, you know what I mean?
- Yeah, so what you could do is actually start a Zoom
or a live.
You could go live where there's other people.
Like right now Jerry Young's here and sunshiney
and Robert Blake and that makes me feel more comfortable,
like Raweet Girva, like Brian B.
I mean, I couldn't disagree with you more.
I've done this a ton and recognize
when people are wildly uncomfortable with video.
You've arbitrarily, from an insecure place
or a subjective place or an ideological place
or just a random thought place have decided that.
- Yeah, but didn't you say too though,
'cause I've followed you for so many years
and I'm huge on your content,
like if that's not your strong suit, should you not?
- That's right, that's right,
but I've got a problem with that.
You've given writing 12 years,
you've given video zero fucking days.
I don't know if it's your strong suit
and guess who else doesn't know?
You.
- Right, yeah, no I get it.
- Well good 'cause that's some real shit.
Like that's a fun moment.
You might be right, I'm just intuitive about this
and feel like you could definitely talk to the video camera.
- Yeah, I would just have to like, you know,
I'm sure it's uncomfortable for a bit, but I guess I just--
- Oh my God, watch this.
Are you watching in a way
that you can see comments somewhere?
- Yeah, a little bit.
- Real quick everybody, how many of you are doing video now,
like it, but hated it at first?
Go, give me a yes.
I promise you, you're about to be blown away.
So many people struggle with it at first,
but like you're gonna see so many yeses right now
because people, almost everybody, by the way.
That's actually most people, I mean look at this,
this is fucking ridiculousness.
- Yeah, but I guess, so my other quick question though is
because I have this second book and it's for my anxiety
for teens 'cause a lot of kids are struggling with it.
- You need to make three videos a day on TikTok
about anxiety for teens for four months and then
when you put the book out it'll fucking sell like crazy.
This is why we're having this convo.
- Yeah, but do you think there's a difference
between self-publishing or traditional or it doesn't matter?
- No, both win, both lose.
I think nobody knows who the fuck you are
and then when you try to sell something it's hard to sell.
- Yeah, because the problem is is like I've gotten a lot
of feedback over the years of like, oh, I love your stuff,
I love your stuff, but then I'm like,
but it's not showing in sales or it's not showing
in numbers, you know what I mean?
I'm like, what the fuck am I doing wrong?
- What you're doing wrong is not building a personal brand
to leverage against.
- Yeah.
- Meanwhile, you're also crushing this video conversation.
Everyone's going crazy.
No seriously, don't do this to yourself.
- Yeah.
- I want you to do two to three fucking videos
on TikTok a day about anxiety and you'll fucking have,
like in three months you'll have a real audience
of young adults that will want to buy your book.
Like we're fucking in the prime moment of being able to get
to that audience 'cause of TikTok.
Like it's a fucking gift.
You won't open the fucking gift.
It's a gift, you won't open it, it's free.
- I know, I was starting to play with it a little bit
and put out, I put like, you know, I'm just messing with it
to try to get it out there, I'm trying.
- But you're not putting yourself in it?
- No, not necessarily, but I mean, I posted one
and I got like 400 views and I was like, this shit's insane.
- So what the fuck are we doing here?
- I don't know.
- What's your Instagram?
- It's traveljerzgirl, but it's spelled J-E-R-Z girl.
- Dustin, find that, pin that, I want everybody.
How many followers do you have?
- Like 1,850 I think.
- Nice, nice solid number.
Good, let's get that up.
So is that right?
- No, it's J-E-R-Z, no Y.
- No Y, Dustin.
Laura, what part of Jersey are you from?
- I'm actually from Edison, New Jersey.
I'm from the same town.
- That's amazing, what high school did you go to?
- No, he spelled it wrong again.
- I know he's a fucking, Dustin, go ahead, Laura.
- Do you know Edison High School?
- Yeah, I would've went to J.P. Stevens.
- Oh, we didn't like you.
- I know, I'm aware, but good news, I moved right
before high school to Huntington County
so I went to North Huntington High School.
Laura, listen to me, you're making a huge fucking mistake.
- Yeah, all right.
- What do you mean all right?
Like we need to talk this through.
- No, I mean, listen, I mean we're all fucking quarantined
so I have nothing but time so I might
as well just say fuck it and try it, right?
- Look, every, like Beth wants to follow you so bad.
Like people want to.
Listen to me, you're a Jersey girl, you can do this.
Going through Edison High is way harder
than fucking making a TikTok.
- Well, I also, because I feel like I resonate
with you so much because we're from Jersey
and I knew you were from Jersey somehow 'cause the cursing
and the Jerseyness, I'm like nah, he's from Jersey,
but I also feel like that could, I'm sure you've had
the same thing where it's like, hey, you shouldn't curse
so much, but I'm like that's me though.
- Fuck them, exactly.
I promise you, you be full of you
on TikTok three times a day.
Really get into the culture of TikTok,
what kind of videos to make, and you fucking,
Laura listen to me, these young girls and guys need you.
- Yeah.
- Don't do this for me, don't do this for you,
do that for them.
Make YouTube videos, do it for them.
Now you have 2,045 followers on Instagram.
What's your TikTok?
- It's the same thing, traveljerzgirl across the board.
- Twitter?
- Twitter, same.
- Do you have a YouTube?
- I do not, but I have--
- 'Cause you don't make videos.
- No, I tried back in the day, I tried,
and I was like nah, fuck that, I'm not about it.
- Listen to me, listen to me, I'm telling you
this moment was for this.
- Yeah, yeah.
- Corona happened so we could talk.
- I agree.
- So good.
- Yeah.
- You're a fucking Jersey girl,
you should not have a problem with this.
I mean that, you could do this.
Tell me some real shit.
Tell me why you're not doing it.
Is there anything I'm not thinking about?
Like weird stalker boyfriend or fucking bad,
I'm being really real with you.
- No, no, no.
- I want you to win so I want to know.
- It's just like uncomfortable,
it's just uncomfortable, honestly.
- I think, intuitively, I think you can break through.
- Yeah, and I honestly think it's just like a--
- And Laura, real quick before you finish
'cause I want everybody to hear this, I swear to God,
I don't do this all the time.
There's a lot of calls I do.
There's a lot of people I interact with.
I don't push them all the time
'cause I don't always think they can.
There's some weird fuckers out there I've met.
You know, they're not gonna,
but I really think you can do this.
- Yeah, I mean 'cause I want, like with my books too
'cause I've struggled with anxiety too so it's just like,
it's very personal to me so I just feel like between--
- I need you to be more vulnerable in your videos then
and put it on TikTok.
Help these kids.
- Yeah, okay.
- I'm telling you right now, you can't imagine
how huge you can get on TikTok with this truth,
with this Jerseyness, with like once you get going,
like I talked to somebody the other day
and she's a little bit more of a comfortable
content creator.
It literally took her four hours.
She DMed me, she's like, you fucking changed the game
for me already, I'm killing it.
Like voice impressions, different things.
There's so much cool shit going on there.
I think you can find your spot, I'm telling you.
- All right, I believe you.
- So are you gonna do it or are you like bullshitting me?
- No, I will.
I mean, I'm not gonna lie to you, I am very uncomfortable
about trying to do it, but I'm gonna play with it and see
and just, I mean I have nothing to lose at this point.
- You have nothing to, what's gonna happen?
You're like fucking, your best friend from college
is gonna be like, oh, you fucking suck at TikTok?
- I can get over that, but--
- So listen, then that's what I believe.
Like I'm systematically going
through the cliche reasons one doesn't.
Now, I'm not stuck.
I almost feel like you just fucking decided.
- Yeah, yeah, but things change, right?
- Yeah, you can undecide.
- Yeah.
- Lauren, do this, please.
- Yeah.
- Do me a favor, promise me this
because everyone's following you right now,
and so like they're gonna tell me tomorrow
that you fucking bullshitted.
- I know, that's why I was--
- Yeah, it's over.
- Making me nervous 'cause you're all over me.
- Yeah, you're in deep shit now.
Everyone's watching and everybody's following.
Everyone's following you now so tomorrow they're all
gonna be back 'cause I'm back tomorrow.
I'm about to wrap up here at 9:00 a.m.
I can't wait to see all of you back.
We're all following you.
I'm gonna put my whole team on it.
- No pressure, right?
- I need you to make two or three TikToks today
and two or three Instagrams.
Make and Instagram video where you just talk about things.
- Okay.
- You can do this.
- I'm uncomfortable as fuck, but okay.
- I like that because the most uncomfortable as fuck shit
usually leads to the best shit.
- Yeah.
- By the way, they need to hear you, you can help them.
Do you understand that if you get serious
about TikTok you're gonna save a child's life?
- Yeah, I know.
- Well, you're not saying shit with 65 bullshit books sold
on fucking Amazon, Laura.
- Well, no, yeah.
- Are you looking at me?
Do you understand right now?
- Yeah.
- So here's what's really gonna happen, listen to me.
You go on TikTok, you go fucking ham.
You're gonna build a real fucking audience, I promise you.
I can feel it with my whole fucking soul.
A, you're gonna save kids' lives in that content,
B, a bunch of them are gonna buy books
which is gonna make you happy 'cause you've been wanting
to be a fucking writer for your whole life,
and it's gonna be a fucking self-fulfilling prophecy
of fucking good versus you decided you don't do it
and nothing fucking happens.
- Right.
- I mean, and those 64 books, you know fucking half
of the people that bought it.
- Yeah.
- 2/3.
- Yeah.
- Uncle Lou bought fucking 20 of them.
- Mhm.
- So let's fucking get serious here, Laura.
- Okay.
- TikTok to the fucking face.
- Okay, I mean, I don't even know
what the hell I would say, but--
- I'm gonna tell you what to do right now.
- Okay.
- You're gonna go and right now, literally hang up,
and watch three, four hours or TikTok.
Literally, watch, click through trending topics,
go in your feed for you page and just watch,
watch, watch, watch.
You're gonna see trends.
You're gonna be like, oh, everyone's doing this.
Okay, my way of talking about that
through the lens of anxiety.
I'm gonna make this video.
You're gonna fucking figure it out.
I believe in you, you're creative.
- Okay.
- All right.
- All right, well thank you so much.
- You're welcome so much.
And then she took action.
- I'm legit cringing as I make this, but thank you everyone
for your support.
It's overwhelming.
I promise to make videos.
No idea what they'll be.
You guys are awesome and I thank GaryVee
for giving me that opportunity to just push me
to keep going and do stuff that's uncomfortable
and vulnerable and that's all what I'm about
and I'm just here to let people know that uncomfortable shit
can be done 'cause I'm doing this right now
and I'm cringing, but in a, you know, shit's crazy.
It's fucking crazy.
I don't know, we'll see where this fucking goes.
So I'm just riding this fucking wave
that GaryVee just created 'cause I know you fuckers
will destroy me if I don't do this.
So again, just very grateful for what he's done,
and again, we'll see where this goes and, you know,
I'm fucking quarantined and bored as fuck,
so let's do this shit and see.
(upbeat music)