Teen Beat with Danielle Fishel – Episode: Lala Kent (March 4, 2026)
Episode Overview
Danielle Fishel welcomes reality TV star, entrepreneur, and podcaster Lala Kent for a candid conversation about growing up outside the spotlight in Utah, navigating faith and family, becoming a reality TV phenomenon, and reimagining self-image after motherhood. The two bond over childhood experiences, career trajectories, beauty standards, and the transformative power of vulnerability. Both share raw insights into friendship, forgiveness, body image, motherhood, and hopes for love and the future. The episode will resonate with anyone who's ever felt like an outsider, struggled with self-acceptance, or had to laugh through growing pains.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Introduction & Early Praise
- Danielle sets the tone, describing Teen Beat as the place for guests to share their “awkward teenage stories,” emphasizing empathy and mutual understanding.
- Danielle’s elaborate, affectionate intro details Lala’s trajectory from “bar hostess” to “star of another show, Bravo’s The Valley,” calling her “unscripted TV’s cool older sister.”
- Lala, laughing: “Wow. That was like the most spectacular intro I think I've ever had in my life. I love it.” [04:03]
Dancing and Going Against the Grain
- Danielle asks about Utah’s ballroom dancing culture; Lala says ballroom was a main credit in junior high, but admits, “I just could never get into it. ...I like to think that I can move, and I like to think that I'm athletic until I try. And I'm like, oh, I am so awkward.” [04:27]
- Lala admits she’s intimidated by the idea of doing Dancing with the Stars:
- “It would take me out of my comfort zone in such a way that I think I'd have a panic attack. ...Now I want to say, if that opportunity presented itself, I think I would be all in for the mere fact that I want to feel uncomfortable so badly.” [05:55–06:21]
- Danielle and Lala commiserate about being perfectionists and struggling to be vulnerable while “being watched while you're learning something that's very vulnerable.” [07:24]
Faith, Family, and Being an Outsider
- Lala describes growing up in Utah, with a father who left the Mormon Church before her birth and a Christian mother:
- “There were so many things...he clearly had been told his entire life that were not good...where it was almost like I had to coach my dad through those moments...It's all good, man. Let it go.” [08:55]
- “I gravitated towards people who also didn't have Mormon families.” Lala explains her family’s approach to “spirituality not organized religion.” [09:56]
- Both Lala and Danielle traded strict religious upbringings for a more personal faith, discussing the pressures and specific moments that led their families to step away from organized religion. Danielle recalls her family leaving the Catholic Church after realizing it was “a money making enterprise.” [10:46]
- Lala talks about the unexpected burst of Mormon representation in pop culture, e.g., Real Housewives of Salt Lake City:
- “I never expected that. ...It's something I recognize but I'm not close to.” [12:17]
- She recalls feeling like “the black sheep” at her Mormon relatives’ gatherings and the subtle (and not-so-subtle) forms of judgment and misunderstanding. [13:13–14:19]
Generational Cycles and Being an Old Soul
- Lala emotionally discusses how her dad’s love for the arts was likely stifled by religion:
- “I think his upbringing was really hard. ...I struggle a lot with that now that he's Gone...I babied my dad so much...like, you're good enough, you don't need to beat yourself up.” [15:25]
- Both agree they acted as “little therapists” in their families from early ages, often feeling responsible for others’ emotional health.
- Lala: “It's a blessing and a curse...I was never able to be a kid.” [16:07]
- Danielle: “It never felt like I was supposed to be young. I was always an old woman in a young person's body.” [17:02]
- They joke about being “85 years old” at heart (“It's 7 o' clock. I've got to get to bed.”) [17:52]
Young Love and Teenage Crushes
- Lala describes her “first boyfriend in the third grade” and her “glow up” post-braces in seventh grade, joking about delivering the line, “You go through girls like you go through underwear,” in elementary school—a line she got from her mom. [18:21–18:41]
- Her healthiest relationship was her high school sweetheart (“six-four man”), with whom she lost her virginity—an experience she values for its intimacy and positivity:
- “...That is kind of what tees you up for your relationship with sex going forward. ...I'm so grateful that my first time being intimate with somebody was just that. It was intimacy, it was partnership.” [19:49–20:20]
- Both reminisce about early crushes on gay classmates and the iconic nature of these formative experiences. [21:39]
Navigating Scandal, Friendship, and Social Media
- Danielle asks about high school drama:
- “Everybody knows everybody [in Utah].” Lala feels LA is “freaking smaller” when it comes to social circles. [24:06]
- Transition into the arrival and impact of social media:
- “Social media is my worst enemy...I have imposter syndrome and all of the things that they want me to do that get millions of views, I look at and I'm like, oh, my gosh, I'm so embarrassed.” [25:46–26:07]
- Danielle relates, saying she mainly used social media “for work purposes” starting with Girl Meets World (2014) and still struggles to post about products, even ones she loves.
Self-Worth, Vulnerability, and Accepting Help
- Both discuss the discomfort of promoting products online and why “asking anybody for anything ever makes me feel worthless.” [28:20]
- Lala: “I feel that way with men. I don't need you to buy me anything... I don't want to owe you anything.” [29:14]
Forgiveness, Growth, and Friendship
- Lala shares her perspective:
- “I don't hold a grudge. I think if a productive conversation is had, I can move on pretty quickly...I forget, I move on.” [29:50]
- “If behaviors have shown me something...You stay over there and I'll stay over here. Just pretend like we don't know each other.” [31:09]
- Both value real forgiveness, not “recordkeeping” in relationships, and acknowledge that sometimes “we're not meant to be friends.” [32:06]
Body Image, Beauty Procedures & Motherhood
- Danielle candidly discusses her aging body after cancer and two kids, sharing her insecurities about postpartum changes:
- “I don't recognize what's going on anymore from, you know, chest to below my belly button. ...I've recently started thinking, I think I would feel significantly better about myself if I had some sort of breast lift...And yet I struggle...that's probably coming from a really unhealthy, not evolved part of my brain.” [38:08]
- Lala empathizes, describing her own post-baby body issues: “I'm so insecure about it. ...I can't be on top of a man. Are you crazy?” [36:09]
- Discussion of Morpheus treatments, tummy tucks, and boob jobs as routes to feeling better in your own body, not for “anybody else.”
- Lala: “If you feel that you would feel better with a little nip tuck, you should do that. ...We have to feel that way. And if that comes with me getting a little procedure done, then I'm gonna freaking do it.” [39:53–41:09]
Sneakerhead Bonding
- Both share a mutual passion for sneakers, especially Jordan 1s and 4s.
- Danielle: “I was a heel, almost exclusive...after having kids, I was like, what are we doing? ...Before I became just sneakers, I was all about the heels.” [43:20–43:53]
- Lala confides she “evolved into” being a sneakerhead after motherhood, prioritizing comfort, saying, “I just want my closet full of different sneakers...I love them.” [42:55–43:20]
Parenting, Sibling Differences, and Raising Daughters
- Lala describes her two daughters and how different their personalities already are:
- “Ocean is just the girliest of girls...Sosa is just kind of mimicking right now...They're so different, though.” [44:38–45:24]
- Both acknowledge the challenge of parenting children with divergent needs and personalities, and the need for flexible approaches (“You can't parent them the same.”) [46:26]
Local Recommendations & Manifesting Love
- Danielle asks for Valley (San Fernando) “hidden gems”: Lala recommends “little Izakaya on Sepulveda” for sushi—“You would think that this strip center...there's nothing there. ...You got to go. ...They're all open and they're all popping.” [47:39–48:54]
- On romance, Lala predicts 2026 is the year she'll find her person:
- “I am open to others, anything and everything that you want to bring to me. ...I'm actually very open to finding my person. So I just. I just feel that way.” [49:14–49:21]
- Danielle gives an eclipse-themed manifesting tip: “Between now and March 3rd, you write down the things you want, but as if you already have them.” [50:19–50:52]
- Lala: “That's gonna be what I do tonight.” [50:52]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
Ballroom Dancing and Awkwardness
- “I like to think that I can move. ...And I like to think that I'm athletic until I try. And I'm like, oh, I am so awkward.”
— Lala Kent [04:27]
Faith and Growing Up LDS-Adjacent
- “...I gravitated towards people who also didn't have Mormon families. ...My mom was raised very Christian and my dad was raised very Mormon...let's just raise our kids with spirituality.”
— Lala Kent [08:55]
Being a “Little Therapist”
- “...Looking back, it's like, oh, wow, how amazing as a child that I could do that. But as a child, taking that on felt like a huge burden. I felt like, yeah, I was never able to be a kid.”
— Lala Kent [16:07]
Body Image after Motherhood
- “I'm so insecure about it. ...It's when I move a certain way, like I can't be on top of a man. Are you crazy?”
— Lala Kent [36:09] - “I don't recognize what's going on anymore from, you know, chest to below my belly button. No clue whose body this is.”
— Danielle Fishel [38:08] - “If that comes with me getting a little procedure done, then I'm gonna freaking do it.”
— Lala Kent [41:09]
Forgiveness and Moving On
- “I don't hold a grudge. ...I forget, I move on.”
— Lala Kent [29:50]
Manifesting Love
- “I think I'm gonna find my person this year. ...I just feel it.”
— Lala Kent [49:14–49:21] - “Between now and March 3rd, you write down the things that you want, but as if you already have them.”
— Danielle Fishel [50:19]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Intro & Lala's Welcome – 04:03
- Dancing, Rebellion, and Vulnerability – 04:27–08:39
- Religion, Community, and Family Dynamics – 08:40–15:56
- Therapist Kids and Old Souls – 16:07–17:49
- First Crushes/Boyfriends and Teenage Love – 18:21–21:39
- Social Circles, Scandals, and Social Media – 24:06–26:39
- Self-Promotion and Asking for Help – 27:38–29:14
- Forgiveness & Friendship Philosophy – 29:50–32:32
- Body Image, Surgeries, and Confidence – 32:58–41:50
- Sneakerhead Bonding – 42:10–44:18
- Motherhood & Raising Kids with Different Needs – 44:18–46:53
- Valley Hot Spots – 47:39–48:54
- Manifesting a Relationship – 49:14–50:56
Final Thoughts
This episode blends humor, vulnerability, and reflection—capturing everything from awkward childhoods and adolescent disasters to real talk on religion, love, plastic surgery, Instagram anxiety, and hopeful new chapters. Both Danielle and Lala are frank about their insecurities and coming-of-age struggles, making for an unusually honest, relatable, and inspiring listen.
To Hear More
Stay tuned for Friday’s bonus episode featuring even more from Lala and a listener-submitted teenage cringe story!