New Year’s Re-Run: De-Influencing Tay + Kay

Summary

Podcast Summary: De-Influenced with Dani + Jordan

Episode: New Year’s Re-Run: De-Influencing Tay + Kay
Date: January 1, 2026
Host: Dear Media
Guests: Tay and Kay

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Overview of the Episode

This episode features a candid, in-depth interview with influencer couple Tay and Kay—a duo with immense cross-platform success (over 10 million TikTok followers, 5.4 million Instagram followers, and 2.6 billion YouTube subscribers). Hosts Dani and Jordan guide an unfiltered conversation that traces the pair’s humble beginnings, rise to digital stardom, relationship dynamics, religious values, creative process, community impact, industry insights, and their unique approach to "de-influencing."

The conversation is fun, honest, and occasionally hilarious, packed with practical wisdom and personal anecdotes about the ups and downs of content creation, family life, authenticity, and resilience.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Viral Journey: From Small Towns to Social Media Superstars

• Tay and Kay grew up in traditional, small-town Southern environments (Alabama and Oklahoma respectively), with both describing relatable, modest upbringings ([02:49–03:52]).
• Neither started with ambitions of internet fame. Kay got on TikTok at the insistence of a much younger co-worker, and their first video was simply a fun, edited recap of a road trip that initially went unnoticed ([43:04–44:43]).
• After a New Year’s resolution in late 2021 to post one video a day, their audience began to snowball. By the end of the first year, they’d reached one million followers ([45:04–45:59]).
• Their rapid growth was propelled by authentic, unscripted content, comedic skits ("acting like my wife"), slice-of-life stories, and later, pregnancy-related vlogs, which fostered community and relatability ([47:54–48:39]).

2. Navigating Personal Histories & Family Dynamics

• Both come from divorced, religious backgrounds and share strong family ties, including frequent visits back home, Snapchat streaks with relatives, and support from both their families regarding their online presence ([02:48–05:07]).
• They discussed blending their family—Kay’s first marriage at 18, divorce, and raising her daughter as a single mom before meeting Tay ([13:20–15:46]), as well as Tay’s role as a stepdad and their careful, gradual process of integrating him into Kinsley’s life ([25:07–26:13]).
• Both emphasized gratitude, character building through tough times, and the role of faith in fortifying their bond and guiding their parenting ([07:30–08:25]).

3. The Transition to Full-Time Influencing: Opportunities & Challenges

• Before social media, Kay was a dental assistant; Tay, an Air Force veteran, became an electrical engineer ([26:35–26:49]).
• When their channels took off, Kay described feeling "very normal," acknowledging imposter syndrome and her desire to use their platform for good ([27:05–28:18]).
• They see their purpose as spreading positivity, modeling healthy relationships, and building community:
  • “If I’m instilling in young people right now, like, have a good strong relationship, then there’s got to be some crazy benefits down the road for that.” —Tay ([28:34])
• Their follower demographics span from children (YouTube) to parents and grandparents (Instagram), thanks to their genuine, family-oriented content ([29:56–30:51]).

4. Content Creation Philosophy: Science, Art, and Authenticity

• While their content is spontaneous, they acknowledge a methodical editing approach, attention to engagement metrics, and lessons learned from Discord creator groups ([51:41–54:31]).
• Notably, Tay discussed community strategies for maximizing TikTok virality:
  • Monitoring share/like/view ratios
  • Focusing on compelling first-second hooks
  • Engineering relatability and broad appeal in captions and visual cues ([52:27–55:19])
• Dani praised the technical precision Tay brings to short-form content:
  • "I think there’s a little bit more of a science and engineering to it that I don’t think you get credit for..." —Dani ([51:29])
• The pressure to balance real life and content (“your job is your life and your life is your job”) was a repeated theme, especially concerning kids and family privacy ([57:02–58:36]).
• Both couples admitted to occasional creative burnout and described routines they've developed—editing in the mornings, keeping evenings family-focused—while letting their daughter’s interest (or lack thereof) dictate her level of content presence ([59:51–60:21], [58:18]).

5. Relationship and Work Dynamics

• Tay and Kay avoid collaboration friction by keeping some creative ideas secret from each other, preserving authenticity in ‘reaction’ videos and pranks ([62:10–62:46]).
• They review every video and caption together for approval—especially to avoid typos and mismatches in voice ([65:31–66:09]).
• The hosts, Dani and Danny, contrast this with their own struggles balancing content creation, platform management, and sharing control ("I’m a terrible collaborator" —Jordan [66:51]).

6. Platform Insights: Instagram vs TikTok

• Instagram is Kay’s favorite for its raw, unfiltered Stories and genuine community engagement; Tay prefers TikTok for reach ([67:20–68:32]).
• For meetups and local engagement, Instagram provides higher turnout and engagement due to ongoing churn and active follower base, versus TikTok’s static numbers ([69:13–70:00]).
• In terms of monetization, past TikTok brand deals were lucrative, but nowadays deals are often bundled across platforms. TikTok is best for impressions/exposure, while Instagram wins for direct conversion and sales ([71:00–72:29]).

7. Cancel Culture & Hate

• Both have dealt with criticism and “talking head” callout videos on TikTok, but share the perspective that consistency and not quitting keeps you “uncancelable”:
  • “You actually can’t cancel anyone that keeps posting…” —Tay ([79:57])
  • "I made more money when everyone was talking bad about me." —Tay ([80:58])
• Dani discusses normalization of cancel experiences and how the hate “wave” often leads to more audience growth ([80:11–81:22]).

8. Health, Advocacy, and Openness

• Kay details her five-year struggle to get a lupus diagnosis, her family history with autoimmune disorders, and how she’s coped with uncertainty, symptoms, and advocating with medical professionals ([89:36–94:29]).
• She was candid about postpartum anxiety/depression and the role of self-advocacy, which resonated with Dani’s own experiences ([95:01–95:11]).

9. Personal Joys, Gaming, Board Games & Future Goals

• Tay and Kay wind down by playing video games—sometimes even “shooter” types—and have matching gaming setups ([81:41–82:41]).
• Kay notes the gaming community can be hostile to women, but that’s helped her develop a thick skin for online hate ([83:12–84:01]).
• Both couples bond over board games and express interest in arranging game nights ([85:16–85:27]).
• Looking ahead, Tay would be happy doing the same thing in ten years; Kay wants at least two more kids and to explore long-form YouTube ([85:31–86:08], [96:17–96:22]).

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Memorable Quotes & Notable Moments

• On rapid growth:
  "We started getting a little bit more traction ... at the year mark, we [had] a million." —Kay ([45:59])

• On real content:
  "People felt like they were getting snippets of our day and of our life ... That's why the pregnancy content did so well, because people felt like they were on the journey with us." —Kay ([48:02])

• On staying grounded:
  "I don’t feel like God’s given me the success to just sit on it and like, have it to myself. I want to do as much as I can for others." —Kay ([28:18])

• On science of virality:
  "We had figured out at one point, like on TikTok specifically, if you got to this certain view count at this certain amount of time and like your share ratios, your like ratios and all this stuff was good enough. It would, it would just go by skyrocketing." —Tay ([52:27])

• On authenticity:
  "I think a lot of creator couples and families go through this where it’s like, am I creating this moment for content or because it’s truly authentic to what my daughter, my wife want in the moment?" —Dani ([57:45])

• On cancel culture:
  "You actually can't cancel anyone that keeps posting." —Tay ([79:57])

• On advice to aspiring creators:
  "Anyone can do it as long as you keep your head in it at all times. Momentum is everything." —Tay ([87:58])
  "It really is a lifestyle change." —Kay ([88:12])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Guest intros and following (00:19–01:13)
• TikTok origins & viral journey (43:04–45:59)
• Religious upbringing & faith (06:07–08:25)
• Military and engineering background (08:51–13:46)
• Transition to influencing & family blending (13:20–15:46, 25:07–26:13)
• Content creation process/strategy (51:41–55:19)
• Relationship and content collaboration (62:10–66:09)
• Platform differences and business (67:20–72:29)
• Handling criticism/cancellation (79:14–81:08)
• Gaming and decompressing (81:41–84:01)
• Health journey & advocacy (89:36–94:29)
• Future plans & advice (85:31–88:12, 96:17–96:22)

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Podcast Tone & Language

The episode is marked by a warm, conversational tone—honest, sometimes self-deprecating, frequently humorous but consistently genuine. Both the couples and the guests are candid about their personal and professional journeys, openly acknowledging their vulnerabilities and lessons learned. The banter is lively and relatable, especially when discussing the mundane (childhood memories, first computers, video games), the technical (editing, analytics), or the existential (family, faith, purpose).

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In Closing

This episode offers a rare and refreshing window into the real lives behind the online personas. It’s both a masterclass for aspiring content creators and an affirming listen for anyone curious about the influencer lifestyle, the power of authenticity, and how to "de-influence" with heart.

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Listen if you want:

• Behind-the-scenes stories from viral creators
• Smart, actionable insights about content creation
• Honest talk on the costs and joys of public family life
• Warm, funny rapport—and plenty of “insider” creator stories

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Follow Tay + Kay:

• Instagram/TikTok/YouTube: Search “Tay and Kay” or "tayandkay"
• Upcoming: More jewelry launches with Relary, interest in long-form YouTube

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Transcript

[Danny]

Foreign.

[Kay]

The following podcast is a dear media production.

[Danny]

Hello, and welcome back to your favorite podcast, de Influence. Guys, that was so bad.

[Dani]

Not bad, not bad.

[Danny]

No, I like it. We're gonna keep it. It's raw. Okay. Hello, and welcome back to your favorite podcast, Dee Implants. We are so excited to welcome this week's guest, and they're a duo. Duo that have taken the Internet by storm. They have more than 10 million followers on TikTok, 5.4 million followers on Instagram, and over 2.6 billion subscribers on YouTube. We are so excited to welcome this power couple, Tay and k dub.

[Dani]

Wow.

[Unknown Host 2]

10 million.

[Dani]

When did that happen?

[Kay]

Last year?

[Taylor]

Yeah.

[Kay]

No, no. Did we hit 10 million this year?

[Dani]

Yeah, it had to be this year.

[Taylor]

I think this year sometime.

[Kay]

Maybe this year.

[Danny]

It's so rare to be, like, so successful on every single platform.

[Kay]

It's wild. I don't even. I have no words. I don't even know how it happened, to be honest. It's like we just started posting for fun one day, and then all of a sudden we had, like, all these views, and it's so fun, but I definitely. I couldn't tell you how it happened.

[Danny]

It's wild. And so when you started posting on all the platforms, was it all, like, you were posting on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok all the same time or what? Did one take off? First it was TikTok.

[Kay]

Yeah, we started on TikTok, and then we, I don't know, maybe like six months later, started posting on Instagram. Did we start posting, like, the content we were posting on TikTok or did we backlog it?

[Taylor]

I don't remember. So I did one thing really good at the beginning, and I saved all our raw videos. And so when we finally decided to post to Instagram, I was like, oh, I got, like, six months of videos. So, yeah, we, like, just threw them all out there.

[Kay]

We did the same with YouTube, which.

[Danny]

Is so smart to just keep all the raw because we used to film everything on Instagram stories, and then it would disappear, and we were actually filming in the app. So I was like, why are we doing this then? We have nowhere else to put it. Yeah, but that's when we started posting on TikTok. It was like the same thing. You would just take our content that we were filming stories and, like, repurpose it totally and re edit it. And sometimes, like, the stories were completely different. And I'm like, babe, you can't be posting a completely different story on TikTok.

[Dani]

Versus just wrapped it in a New narrative.

[Danny]

Well, y' all have been so successful, you're killing it. I love how real and relatable all of your content is and that you guys are such a good example online and so family oriented. It's so sweet. So on this podcast, though, we like to kind of de influence who we are interviewing. So I first want to de influence Yalls, like, childhood, your background, your upbringing. So can you tell us more about each one of yalls childhood, growing up and, like, where you guys are from?

[Taylor]

Oh, yeah.

[Dani]

Yeah. Me first.

[Taylor]

You first. So me, I. I'm from Alabama, so just north of Birmingham. It was like a mix of, like, the city and the country, I guess. You know, you definitely had the lifted trucks and stuff, so.

[Dani]

Did you have a lifted truck?

[Taylor]

It wasn't lifted.

[Kay]

He did have a truck, though.

[Taylor]

My brother had a lifted truck and.

[Kay]

Everyone else still has a lifted truck.

[Taylor]

Yeah, he does. Yeah, it was. It was your typical, like, Southern, you know, kind of grow up riding four wheelers and stuff. And it was a really good time.

[Kay]

I grew up in Oklahoma. Pretty much the same thing, except just a little bit more like casinos and things like that. But really, it's the same thing. Just very flat, no trees and small town. I basically grew up in a town that there was Nothing for like, 40 minutes in any direction. So you were really living in a bubble. So when I moved away from that town, I was like a fish out of water because I wasn't used to. I mean, I had a Walmart, I had some gas stations, a lot of Mexican restaurants, and that was pretty much it.

[Danny]

Wow.

[Dani]

Do you all have siblings?

[Kay]

I do.

[Danny]

A lot of brothers.

[Kay]

Yes, I do. It's all brothers.

[Danny]

Were you close growing up?

[Kay]

No, not. I mean, I wouldn't say we weren't close, but they're much younger than me, so I was six when my youngest or my oldest brother was born, and then I was 14 when my youngest brother was born.

[Dani]

Okay. So big age gap.

[Kay]

Big age.

[Dani]

Got it.

[Taylor]

Okay.

[Dani]

And what about you? Siblings?

[Taylor]

Yeah, I have one sister and three brothers. And closer age gap for my brothers, the two older brothers. So we were really close.

[Dani]

Are you all so close, like, in adulthood with your siblings?

[Taylor]

Yeah. Nice.

[Kay]

I have, like, Snapchat streaks with.

[Dani]

They're unreal.

[Kay]

Yeah, they're.

[Danny]

She's so, like, cool and hip.

[Kay]

They're keeping me hip. I have Snap. Snapchat streaks with pretty much, like, everyone in my. Like my mom, my dad, my grandma, my two of my brothers. Yeah, I have, like, several.

[Taylor]

They're getting in, like, four digits yeah.

[Kay]

Like, we're, like, up there.

[Danny]

Wow. So they all still live. Your families both live in Alabama and Oklahoma still?

[Taylor]

Yeah.

[Danny]

So y' all go back and visit a lot?

[Kay]

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Well, my mom's actually in Texas, but she's up, like, in the panhandle area of Texas. But we see her pretty often, and we go back to Oklahoma to see my dad often, too.

[Danny]

So what do y' all siblings think about what you do online?

[Taylor]

I think they think it's cool.

[Kay]

I think they think it's cool.

[Danny]

I don't know.

[Kay]

They don't really talk a whole lot about it, to be honest. But, I mean, I. They've said in the past, like, that's really cool. Like, you're getting tons of views, you.

[Taylor]

Know, but, yeah, they're supportive.

[Kay]

Yeah, definitely supportive.

[Danny]

Yours. Your brothers are, too, and your family. Yeah, yeah. It's so fun. Cause that's how my brother and I, like, we grew up in Dallas, not too far from. Far from here, actually. But it was actually the one thing that brought us together was social media, because we were so different. And then he started posting on YouTube and kind of introduced me to it. And so it actually was, like, something that brought the family together because, like, I never played video games with him. I played sports. Growing up. We were just so opposite, and so it's actually really fun. And especially having, like, kids, too. Like, I know you have a daughter that's older.

[Kay]

Yeah.

[Danny]

And it. I mean, I don't know if she's into social media, but I feel like it kind of, like, brings. Brings everyone together.

[Kay]

Yeah.

[Danny]

So that's so sweet. Did you guys grow up religious at all?

[Kay]

So. Yes, we both did. Well, I did. You can. You can tell your story.

[Danny]

Yeah.

[Kay]

Tell us your story, and I'll tell my story.

[Danny]

Tell us your testimony.

[Taylor]

Yeah. No, both sides. My parents were divorced, and both sides went to church. I was, like, typical Southern Baptist. Like, big. Big Baptist church, you know, with all the. The orchestra and all the, you know, instruments and stuff. Yeah. And that was pretty much all the way up until I was 18 and. And went to the military, so. Oh, wow.

[Danny]

You went to the military.

[Dani]

Yeah. Did you always want to join the military?

[Taylor]

No, not really. I just.

[Dani]

First of all, thank you for your service.

[Taylor]

Thank you.

[Danny]

Thank you.

[Taylor]

I wanted to go to college, but we didn't have the money for college. And so I was like, well, I could go to the military, and then they would pay for the college. So that's pretty much it with why I went to the military.

[Danny]

I want to Hear more about your experience first. You can tell us about your.

[Kay]

Oh, okay. I kind of like Taylor grew up divorced, parents very young. I think I was 2 when they got divorced. But they were both in church, same as him. I grew up pretty much Baptist. I always went to a Baptist church growing up. And then as I've gotten older, I think it's more like non denominational. Yeah, it's kind of what I do now. But both my faith family's religious.

[Danny]

Yeah. How much does faith play a factor in your, like everyday and your family these days?

[Kay]

Oh, I think 100%. Like, it's always like, it's a big part of my life.

[Taylor]

I mean, especially the music. Yeah, it's always jamming the Christian.

[Kay]

Oh. I'm always like, if I'm going through anything stressful or scary in my life, like I'm jamming to some praise and worship music. That's just. It's always playing in our house. We don't talk a lot about it, I think on our channel, but it's definitely there. Like we have music playing in our stories sometimes.

[Danny]

Do y' all go to church in Dallas? You should come with us to Watermark.

[Kay]

Oh, you go to Watermark?

[Danny]

Yeah, it's like. And it's kind of in between us.

[Kay]

Oh, okay.

[Danny]

Like we're close to, you know, in Dallas. Central of Dallas.

[Kay]

Okay, cool. Yeah, we.

[Taylor]

We're still doing online.

[Kay]

We're doing online right now. We were going in person to a church in Allen, but I got a little scared after having Ellie taking her to the nursery. And so we kind of just went back to watching it at home. But yeah, I think we would love to get back in to a church.

[Danny]

It's kind of nice to go to a big church too, where like, okay, this sounds horrible. This made me sound like a horrible Christian. But I like to sneak in, sneak out. Especially when I did have a newborn. I would be like. Because, you know, like during the music, it was two lads. We'd sneak in and then just pop out and like, our friends are like, you want to come stay with us? I'm like, no, I love you guys. I'll see you later. Yes. If you want to sneak in with us, you're totally welcome.

[Unknown Host 3]

Okay.

[Danny]

I want to hear more about your. Your military experience. How long were you in the military?

[Taylor]

Four years.

[Danny]

Okay.

[Taylor]

Yeah. And what was Air Force?

[Dani]

Air Force.

[Taylor]

Okay.

[Danny]

What was that like?

[Taylor]

It was pretty cool. I mean, I think it was really good for me because, you know, they're really good at, like, I'm not Going to say I was, like, reckless as a kid or anything. But they're really good at, like, getting you in line and, like, making you think, like, what do I want to do with my life?

[Dani]

And ye.

[Taylor]

I think it's because the military, like, kind of sucks a little. Like, you know, because you're always, like, getting yelled at, and there's all these rules that you're, like, punished for at all times. So you're, like, constantly thinking, like, what am I going to do with my future when I leave here?

[Dani]

You know, what are the different, like, dynamics between each military branch? Like, don't army guys probably talk crap about Air Force guys? It's like police officers and firefighters. Like, we're all on the same team, but, like, we also have these, like, different nuances.

[Taylor]

Oh, yeah.

[Dani]

Like, what are the different nuances between military branches?

[Taylor]

I know. Like, the Air Force is, like, the Chair force.

[Danny]

Like, I've never heard that. That's funny.

[Dani]

Like, Like, y' all just sit in.

[Taylor]

Chairs all day jobs. It's.

[Dani]

But it's also, like, a little hardest to get into. Right? I think.

[Taylor]

The Air Force or the Coast Guard. No, Marines are, like, the easiest. Well, physically or physically?

[Kay]

It's harder to get into the Marines.

[Dani]

Academically, I'd say maybe, is what I think.

[Taylor]

Like, Air Force, Coast Guard. I don't know. There's like, a Space Force now maybe that's harder to get into.

[Danny]

That sounds tough.

[Dani]

That's cool.

[Taylor]

Yeah.

[Dani]

You should someone.

[Taylor]

Maybe I'll go back and do space reenlist. Got to get both the Force. I won.

[Dani]

The Space Force covers college tuition.

[Taylor]

Oh, I'm sure it's above the branch. I think all those benefits.

[Dani]

Do you have any idea what the Space Force does?

[Taylor]

Something with space?

[Unknown Host 2]

I'm sure.

[Taylor]

No, I don't.

[Dani]

It's so funny because it was like, right when, like, everyone's talking about aliens. Like, like, I think it was Trump, like, he launched Space Force, and everyone was like, it's happening. It's coming out.

[Taylor]

I don't want to, like, deep dive into modern warfare too much or anything, but I know, like, drones, satellites and all that nowadays is such a big thing. And so I could imagine that space for something to do with. With satellites and surveillance and, you know, even at some point, maybe weapon systems being on satellites and things like that.

[Dani]

You were an electrical engineer, right? Okay. So did you. Did the Air Force influence you to want to become an engineer, or did you want to go become an engineer and so you went into the Air Force?

[Taylor]

I don't know. If it was either, I didn't really even up until I kind of had an idea leaving the Air Force of what I wanted to do. But even as I left, I wasn't super sure I went the electrical background, because the computer, like, software engineering and electrical engineering overlap a lot now. And I liked to code at the time, and so it was just a good overlap.

[Dani]

Did you teach yourself to code? Yeah, while growing up.

[Unknown Host 2]

What?

[Dani]

What? How did you teach yourself to code? Did you just, like, tinker or was it like you were doing your MySpace profile?

[Danny]

Yeah, that's what we were doing.

[Dani]

Definitely the.

[Taylor]

My HTML. Yeah, definitely HTML on that. But no, it was a lot of tinkering. Yeah, a lot of, like, I want to make this thing happen and then try to figure it out. And then I ended up getting some books and like, then I realized that was silly. I shouldn't have done that because the books don't really help you, like. Yeah, you just have to code. You can't read your way into knowing how to code.

[Dani]

What was the first brand of your com like, your first computer? What brand was it? Compact. Yeah, that's what mine was too.

[Danny]

Were you coding?

[Dani]

No, I wasn't coding. But it's so funny. Like, we all remember these, like, old computer brands that are never around. Like, that's what we played, like Freddy the Fish on and stuff.

[Danny]

Yeah.

[Taylor]

Did you play Red Alert 2?

[Dani]

Yes. Red Alert 2 was amazing.

[Danny]

No, I do remind. I remember having the big computer with. Was it Minecraft?

[Dani]

Oh, you played Minecraft.

[Danny]

No, my brother played Minecraft.

[Dani]

Yeah, he played Minecraft for sure. And then I League of Legends and World of Warcraft.

[Danny]

Yes. But yes, I did play Sims. I was on the Sims.

[Dani]

Yeah. Roller Coaster Tycoon.

[Unknown Host 2]

Do you guys remember?

[Kay]

Oh, yeah, I remember that.

[Danny]

That one was cool.

[Kay]

That was cool. That was hard, though. I always get frustrated because it was hard to build roller coasters. I could never have been, like, an.

[Danny]

Architect, even in the game.

[Dani]

So interesting you should do this because you're an engineer. Someone should go back and like, re recode all of these old games that, like, carry so much nostalgia value and just bring them back. Like, reboot. Like, I tried to play Red Alert 2.

[Taylor]

It's so hard.

[Dani]

Literally, like last month I was like, I wonder if you can do it and you have to go through all these, like, coding things. And I was like, I can't do this. So, so funny.

[Danny]

K, what did you do after high school?

[Kay]

I got married.

[Danny]

You got married?

[Kay]

I got married at 18.

[Danny]

I didn't realize you were Married before.

[Kay]

I got married and I had. So he was in the Air Force also. You'll have to know each other.

[Dani]

You have a type.

[Taylor]

We didn't actually know each other.

[Kay]

I have a type, apparently.

[Taylor]

Chair Force.

[Kay]

You'll have to understand, I grew up in this very small town that had an Air Force or an Air Force base in it. And pretty much unless you wanted to marry somebody from your high school, like the only other single guys were in the Air Force. I mean, that's just. That's all there was.

[Danny]

Yeah.

[Kay]

If that. If the Air Force base leaves that town, that town is going to be a dead town. I mean, it's just. That's what is keeping it going. That's why we have a Walmart.

[Taylor]

They did have a Walmart.

[Kay]

Yes. And so when I got out of high school, I was more rebellious, I would say. I was very like, I went out of my mom's house. I want to do my own thing.

[Danny]

I can't picture this side of you.

[Kay]

I was trying to be very independent. I mean, but I. At the same time, I just kind of wanted to do my own thing and be an adult. I felt like at 18, you're an adult. You know, everything was very naive as a child or as an 18 year old child. But I did get pregnant with my oldest daughter, Kinsley, and had her at 19 and then we ended up getting divorced at 21.

[Danny]

At 21.

[Kay]

So you already.

[Dani]

How long did you guys date before you got married?

[Kay]

Three months.

[Dani]

Three months?

[Kay]

Yeah.

[Danny]

You're 18.

[Kay]

Don't recommend it. Don't recommend it. I thought I was so in love, y'.

[Danny]

All.

[Dani]

So was he older?

[Kay]

He was older. Two years older than me.

[Danny]

Me.

[Dani]

Yeah.

[Danny]

So after the divorce, where did you. What did you do after that?

[Kay]

To be honest, I was not in a good place when I got divorced. I didn't. I was staying with my grandma in her guest room. I didn't have a job for a while. And then when I did get a job, I was making like 200 a week. Like, it was really bad. I had a car, but I wrecked it and it was totaled. So then I didn't have a car. It's not right. It was a bad time in my life.

[Dani]

It's okay.

[Taylor]

It worked out.

[Danny]

This is the character building stage of your life.

[Kay]

It really was. It was just a really low point in my life. But it really did make me so much more appreciative of what I have.

[Danny]

Now and stronger, probably.

[Kay]

Yes. I learned a lot. I really did. At one point I moved two Hours away to the city, to Norman, Oklahoma City area. I was only there for about four months, and then when I moved back, Taylor and I had kind of been dating at that point. And when I moved back, we ended up moving in together.

[Dani]

And how old were you when that happened?

[Kay]

22.

[Dani]

22. Okay.

[Danny]

And where were you working when you. When you met Taylor?

[Kay]

When I met Taylor, I was working at a place called Factory Connection. I don't know if you know what that is. It's very. It's kind of like Ross, but very small. Like, way smaller than Ross. There's not a lot of them. And that's the one that I was a key holder.

[Taylor]

Oh, wow.

[Kay]

So I was. I was cool because I could take the key and lock the store up. Um, but that's the one. I was making, like, $200 a week. I mean, it was really bad. But I ended up moving to Norman, and I went and I worked at a bar and grill as a waitress on campus corner over by ou. And then when I moved back, I went and worked at Sally's. Hair. Hair Sally? Yeah.

[Taylor]

Yeah.

[Kay]

So I worked there for about two years until we moved to Alabama.

[Danny]

And then how did you guys meet?

[Kay]

We met through mutual friends, so. So I had recently, about six months or so, been divorced, and we had, like, this group of friends that we would hang out with on the weekends. On the nights I didn't have Kinsley, I would go hang out with these friends, and I noticed him with this group of guys that we knew one night in particular, and I was like, who is that cute blonde guy? And they're like, oh, that's Dudley. They were like, that's Dudley. Let me introduce you. So that was actually the first night that he had gone out from his. Like, from getting back from his deployment. So that's why I had never seen him before, because he had been deployed. So. Yeah. And then after that, we were just pretty much inseparable.

[Dani]

And so that was how many years ago?

[Taylor]

10.

[Kay]

10 years ago.

[Dani]

2014. So you dated for how long before you guys got married?

[Taylor]

Two years.

[Kay]

Two years.

[Unknown Host 2]

Two years.

[Danny]

Where were you deployed?

[Taylor]

Afghanistan.

[Danny]

For how long?

[Taylor]

Only like six months or so.

[Danny]

What was that like?

[Taylor]

It wasn't that bad. It was kind of fun, really.

[Danny]

What'd you do for fun?

[Taylor]

Played Russ. You know Russ? No, it was a game.

[Dani]

Wait, what's what?

[Taylor]

Yeah, it was a computer game. Oh, yeah, he still plays that one. Yeah, we had Wi Fi.

[Danny]

What were you mainly doing there?

[Taylor]

We were like. The mission was like. It's called, like, Guardian angel mission. And so like these people would teach the Afghan military and stuff and we would just stand around and make sure that either the Afghans didn't kill the people teaching the Americans, like the students, or people didn't come kill the students.

[Dani]

And wow, did it feel like a tense environment when you're over there?

[Taylor]

At first, just because I wasn't comfortable with it, but.

[Dani]

Right.

[Taylor]

And maybe this was just complacency, but towards the end I was really comfortable.

[Danny]

Yeah.

[Dani]

Was it culture shock for you just being over there?

[Taylor]

Oh, yeah.

[Dani]

Away from that long.

[Taylor]

Yeah. I mean, they. The military does a good job of like bringing things in that make you feel comfortable. Like I said, I had wi Fi and I brought my laptop with me. And so when I wasn't working, which I mean we did like a six in one schedule. So six days on, one day off. So I could play, you know, video games or whatever. So yeah, they had an Xbox and stuff in there.

[Unknown Host 2]

Y' all know we are on a serious health and wellness journey in our house. We're getting rid of the toxic products and welcoming ones that support a more holistic lifestyle so our family can grow and thrive.

[Unknown Host 4]

This doesn't just stop at the cleaning.

[Unknown Host 2]

Products or with what's in our fridge. We're making changes all the way down to what we wear. This is where cotton comes in. Cotton is a natural fiber that comes from the earth. It feels good on your skin by being gentle, it allows your skin to breathe, which makes it a great option for us with the Texas summers already upon us. It's also hyperallergenic, which makes me feel good as a dad, knowing I'm putting the best fabric I could possibly choose on my kiddos and their sensitive skin. It's not just for summer though.

[Unknown Host 4]

We wear cotton every day because it.

[Unknown Host 2]

Is the comfiest, most natural fabric that you can get in so many different styles like denim, corduroy and flannel. Cotton is versatile so you can wear it in any style, season or occasion. Plus it's long lasting. Cotton is durable, is easy to wash and care for, keeps its shape and doesn't pill. Cotton is the fabric of our lives and make sure you are checking your tags to ensure it's the fabric of your life too. We learn more at the Fabric of Our lives.

[Taylor]

Com.

[Unknown Host 2]

So when Shopify approached us for a.

[Unknown Host 4]

Partnership is really a no brainer for us. Divi has been tried and true to the platform from the beginning. When we started Divi, we truly did not know where to start. It was so hard. We were Operating out of my unborn son's nursery, our unborn son's nursery at the time. And we knew that we wanted to kind of launch something very quick, fast, easy, scrappy. And of all the platforms, it seemed like everyone in E commerce relied on Shopify to do so. Danny leaned a ton on me to figure out the back end of the business, you know, and so I didn't want to mess it up because she would have been quite mad at me. Shopify has honestly been a total game changer for us. It's basically been the backbone to our business, giving us the ease to start and the flexibility to grow. And we can kind of manage our business from anywhere. The craziest thing is that we have been on Shopify from when we were just doing 500,000 to a million to 10 million. And we'll probably stay on Shopify until we're, you know, 300 million plus. I don't think we will ever actually go off of Shopify. In fact, I think a lot of the bigger companies and the biggest brands that, you know, are switching from their own technology stack over into Shopify directly, which just speaks to how powerful the platform is. I really could pull up sales from the past hour on my phone right now. It makes it so easy to keep an eye on sales and manage them from afar. And I know that as business owners, it really gives us peace of mind. I will say though, that I had to turn off the notifications because, you know, I started. When you're early in your company, it you love the dings, but then when you're later, you know, it becomes really unhealthy. It's like scrolling social media just to always watch your sales all the time. But it's good to know, like, every once in a while we'll actually pull it up and we'll look at, you know, the sales for that day or during Black Friday, we'll track it more directly. And it's weird to be able to manage your entire business from your phone, you know, and with how well versed it is now in connecting to our financials, I can even call our CFO and really ask him very direct questions about the numbers for that day, which has been super helpful. As our brand continues to grow, I know that we will never change anything, you know, about our technology. We'll always be with Shopify for the reasons I mentioned. So if you're ready to build your own business, whether it's merch, a passion project you've been sitting on, or even a summer side hustle get on Shopify.com, danny, and make it happen today. Because we did. And now we've sold more than 2 million bottles of the scalp serum that started it all from my unborn son's nursery in a Shopify store. So thank you, Shopify, for sponsoring our podcast and being the best e commerce platform ever. We love you.

[Taylor]

You.

[Dani]

Where are you so close with a lot of your, like, servicemen? No.

[Taylor]

No, I don't think so.

[Dani]

I felt. I. I feel like the. The brotherhood side is, like, the big part. Right.

[Taylor]

It's really weird because you make.

[Dani]

You're really missing out.

[Taylor]

You make really good friends in that moment. Like, I can think back to, like, every stage, like, basic training and then tech school and then being at the base and being deployed. And I always had a friend that I was, like, super close with. Like.

[Dani]

Right.

[Taylor]

Call it battle buddy or whatever you want. Like, I had someone that was, like, my friend.

[Dani]

Yeah.

[Taylor]

But then the second you leave that stage and go to the next stage, you just like, I never talked to him again, like, every single time.

[Dani]

Do you think the military for you was, like, kind of a. Like, there's. There's almost like, two different types of people. I feel like it's like the military for you was like, hey, I really want to go to school. This is a way for me to kind of serve my country and then be able to go to school. And then there's others that are kind of like, this is what I was born to do. Like, this is my life. So do you think that, like, because for you, it was more of just, like, a means to an end. It was just like a chapter in your life versus, like, others? I feel like other servicemen we talk to, they're like. Like, they're my brothers. Like, you know, like, they're at my weddings and stuff.

[Taylor]

Like, you call that, like, high speed? Like, those guys were high speed.

[Danny]

High speed.

[Taylor]

Oh, interesting.

[Dani]

So what does that mean?

[Taylor]

That's just like, they're, like, gung ho. Like, they're in it.

[Dani]

You know they're in it.

[Taylor]

Yeah.

[Dani]

Okay.

[Taylor]

The high speed guys are, like, the ones that were, like, really into the military, which. Nothing against it, right?

[Dani]

Yeah, it's just a different.

[Taylor]

Honestly, I'd say that's better because you should try to be the best at everything you do. So maybe being high speed was the way to go.

[Danny]

Yeah. Wow, that is so interesting.

[Dani]

So then you guys got married. Okay. And so. And then what brought you guys to Dallas?

[Kay]

When he graduated, he kind of applied all over, and he ultimately landed the job In Dallas. There were a couple in Dallas that he was kind of debating between, but ultimately the one that he chose was just the best offer that he had. Really. It was actually the only two offers you had were in Dallas, but he did apply to several areas, and this is just kind of where we ended up.

[Danny]

Can I ask you a more personal question? When you started dating K, were you intimidated or scared that she had a daughter before because you'd become kind of like an instant stepdad?

[Taylor]

I don't think so, because we did take it so slow. So, you know, at first we were dating and we were both very standoffish, and we were like, maybe this will go somewhere, maybe it won't, and we'll try. And so I think because of that and because we dated for so long, it was a very, like, slow step process. It felt very natural. At no point was I like.

[Kay]

We also didn't let Kinsley meet him for a long time. Six or seven months. I really wanted to be sure because, like I said, I had jumped into something initially with my ex, and it was just. I didn't want to go down that path again. And so I wanted to be sure before anybody met my daughter. And he was the only person I've ever introduced to my daughter. And he was great. I mean, from the get go, they hit it off. I mean, they were just like little besties. It's really sweet. I have some videos of them the first day, and we took her to feed the ducks, and he had her on his shoulders. She was only. She had just turned three, so very little.

[Danny]

So she probably doesn't really remember much before you.

[Kay]

I've asked her. She said, I don't remember anything before Taylor. Like, she only remembers Taylor.

[Danny]

That's amazing. So that she really had, like. And I know that she's close with her with her birth dad, too, but it's like, that's really cool that she had you as well her entire life.

[Kay]

Like a bonus dad.

[Danny]

Like a bonus dad. Yeah. Okay, so you guys got married, you moved to Dallas. How in the world did you were. Were you working in Dallas?

[Kay]

I was.

[Danny]

What were you doing in Dallas?

[Kay]

I was a dental assistant.

[Danny]

Okay. How in the world did you go from dental assistant, electrical engineer to, like, one of the most famous TikTok couples ever in the world? Like, how in the world do you.

[Dani]

Feel like a famous TikTok?

[Danny]

I mean, I've hung out with you guys multiple times, and I gotta say, y' all are so down to earth. I don't feel like y' all are TikTok famous. And then I like read that and I'm like, oh, my God, they have 10 million.

[Dani]

I was like, 10 million. Wow. I was like, that's cool.

[Danny]

That's huge.

[Kay]

I definitely feel like, what is that? What is that? When you don't feel imposters. Imposter syndrome a lot. I don't feel like anything special. I just kind of feel like myself how I've always felt. Obviously I make more like wiser choices these days, but I do feel just very normal.

[Danny]

Yeah, well, it happened really fast.

[Kay]

I did.

[Danny]

Right. In the past two years, if I'm not mistaken.

[Taylor]

Two and a half years.

[Kay]

It'll be three years in January.

[Danny]

Three years. So it's kind of hard to like, even soak it in and realize what's happening because by the time you do, you've grown another 3 million followers, which is so wild.

[Kay]

Yeah, it's happened very fast. But yeah, I just, I'm very. I'm just feel very thankful, very blessed, you know, that's why I do so many giveaways because I just feel like I want to give back because I was in a place before we started this where, you know, we didn't know how things were going to get paid. We were living in, you know, a little rinky dink rent house. You know, I've. I've been in. In hard times and so I just like to give back and help because I don't feel like. I don't feel like God's given me the success to just sit on it and like, have it to myself. I want to do as much as I can for others.

[Dani]

And so what do y' all feel like is like one of the core purposes of your platform? Like, you know, you have 10 million followers. It's obviously been a huge blessing that God has given to you guys. Like, what do you guys kind of talk about and think about every day of, like, this is why we're here, this is why we're doing it.

[Taylor]

I think for me at least, and maybe it's different for you, but for me, I feel like I see all the time in the comments, like, especially when I'm doing like a big surprise or something for K, like, I'm going to do this for my wife or I'm going to do this for my girlfriend or something. And I feel like it's maybe it's a motivator to like, have a healthier relationship or a better relationship. And I think that's great because I think like, that's like the Most important thing really if you think about it like because you have to raise your kids right and you have to do that together. You can't have like the single parent household raising the kid because like the two parent households like so important, you know. And so if I'm like instilling and like the young people right now like have a good strong relationship, then there's got to be some crazy benefits down the road for that from that.

[Dani]

Yeah, it's, it's, it's cool because like as TikTok has kind of blown up, it's sort of created this like conveyor belt of content. So you're just scrolling, it's going to feed you this. It's very different than I would say like when we you know, kind of grew on Instagram where it was like you had to almost like very intentionally decide who you were going to follow. And I think it's cool what you guys are doing because it serves up a sort of positivity on the conveyor belt versus what I typically get which is not that, you know, it's, it's more like outrage or clickbait or you know, rage bait, dating type of content. And so what is yalls demographic like? Is it.

[Taylor]

It's mainly women?

[Kay]

Definitely mainly women younger, kind of all over the place.

[Taylor]

Like baby, like, like baby having age.

[Kay]

Mainly is the main. But we, we definitely have a big younger audience on YouTube, like YouTube Shorts.

[Taylor]

It depends on the platform.

[Kay]

Like we'll be out in public and there's like seven year olds that'll recognize us. I mean we have a very young audience base on YouTube. But then yeah, it definitely depends on the platform. I feel like Instagram is more like that mom, moms to older like maybe grandmother's age and then Tik Tok is definitely like teens to like young parents.

[Danny]

Yeah, that's really rare to be able to appeal to such a wide demo. I feel like it's cuz you have such a youthful energy to you. You could honestly be like 19 years old and people like, people like oh she's my age.

[Kay]

You know, it's, that's, I've confused a lot of people. Yeah, they're like you have a 13 year old daughter, like what?

[Danny]

Yeah, they have no idea.

[Kay]

Trust me. It's, it's wild to me too because she's like she, she wears my clothes. I mean when you were talking about Stella taking your things, I was thinking to myself like that's literally Kinsley. She'll come in my closet and be like can I wear Your shirt. And I'm like, kinsley, I bought you the same shirts. Well, it's at my dad's.

[Dani]

Yeah, straight up. I thought that that was your sister. Like when y' all came over for the giveaway, I was like, oh, it's her sister.

[Danny]

Do you tell people how old you are?

[Kay]

Yeah.

[Danny]

How old are you?

[Kay]

32.

[Danny]

See, we're the same age. Yeah, I wouldn't have thought we're the same age. You look like you're literally 19.

[Kay]

Oh, my gosh, we are so tall.

[Dani]

I would have said like 24, 25 is what my guess. I guess that timeline wouldn't worked out with what you said.

[Kay]

But, yeah, see, it's. As I've gotten older, I appreciate that. But when I was a kid, like, I was the late bloomer. I was not the one the boys liked because I looked like a child when everybody else was like, looking all womanly, you know, And I never, I didn't get to that point until later. And it, it was just something I hated when I was little. I hated how round my face was. I was like, I look too young. But as you get older, older, I think you appreciate it.

[Danny]

People always tell you when you're younger, they're like, you're gonna love it one day. Like, no, I want boobs.

[Kay]

It turns out they were right.

[Dani]

So when you guys got married and you, you know, started living together and everything, what did you guys see your life looking like? Yeah. Before social media, what was the five year plan?

[Kay]

I mean, for me, I always had the dream of being at home with my children, but at the same time, I had always dreamed of being in the medical field, particularly dentistry. I think at one point I wanted to go to be a dentist, but it was a lot of school. And by the time I got into dentistry, I felt like I was too old. And so I kind of settled with dental assisting, if I'm being honest. But I loved being in that field. So at that point I was like, this is what I'm going to do. I'm just going to succeed and excel at being a great dental assistant. And I wanted him to obviously, like, go to school and do what he wanted to do. And I think what he wanted to do was, was engineering. And then really I didn't, I didn't anticipate having like a larger than life life. I guess I really just thought we were going to have a very humble.

[Taylor]

Have a little house, have a picket fence.

[Kay]

Yeah, that's. That was my dream. You know, I think that's a lot of people's dream. And I just really wanted to have, like, my little family, my house. Buy a house one day, you know, backyard, and just.

[Dani]

Yeah, I might forget this question, so I want to ask you, like, obviously, your lifestyle looks way different now. Do you guys miss that dream of just a more simple life in the kind of hustle and bustle and pace of what it means to be a content creator?

[Taylor]

I think we keep it pretty simple.

[Kay]

Yeah, I was going to say the same. I feel like even though, like, obviously it's a little less simple than. Than what we could have had, I guess I do try to keep it as simple as, you know, just raising my kid and doing fun things with the family.

[Taylor]

And I didn't show up in a Ferrari, you know, like, not yet. No.

[Dani]

I would say it's more the opportunities, like the invites, the, hey fly here to do this. It's probably that. That typically, I think for a content creator makes the life less simple. We struggle with that a lot. Because you. If you truly want to keep your life simple, you have to say no to all those opportunities far more than most people have to say no. Right. And so that's probably the hardest thing to protect. It feels like to keep things simple is like, we want to be home as much as possible with our kids, you know, oh, my gosh. But this is such a cool thing, you know, it's once in a lifetime.

[Danny]

Are you good at saying no to opportunities?

[Taylor]

Oh, yeah.

[Kay]

I feel like we say no to a lot, especially, like, brand deals and things like that, because for me, I turn down so many things because If I'm not 100% behind it, then I don't want to share it to my audience because I was on the other side at one point. I watched influencers and I watched their stories.

[Taylor]

I watched Danny Austin.

[Danny]

She's so different now.

[Kay]

But I really did. I would be influenced by things, and sometimes I'd get it. And I was like, this isn't that great. And so when I was given the opportunity to, you know, share things I like to people, I really do 100% believe in what I share. So we turn down things all the time. I mean, people send us stuff and they're like, please, I want to work with you. And really, I just really didn't like the taste of that or, you know, whatever it may be.

[Danny]

What about, like, extravagant trips to New York Fashion Week or concerts or things like that that are just, you know, they're so fun and it's such a cool opportunity, but a lot of Times, it doesn't really make sense. Sense with the everyday lifestyle. Being a mom, I. I'm asking more so because I struggle with that. And there's all these fun opportunities. I'm like, I want to go and I want to speak on that panel, and I want to do this. But at the same time, like, those things also really exhaust me and. And wear me out, even though they're such great opportunities. And I'm so thankful. How do you pick and choose? Kind of like the more extravagant trips and opportunities.

[Taylor]

Kay's anxiety level.

[Kay]

My anxiety, really? No, I. I really do. I feel like if. If we're invited to big things like that, we tend to say yes because we see it as. As this is a dream opportunity. You know, nobody. Nobody out there. If they tell you they wouldn't do it, they're lying. They would do it too. And we look at it as building. Building our. Our brand, you know, and it's an opportunity that. And not only that, but if it's something we take the kids on, it's another opportunity to travel. And that's something that we really didn't get as children, to travel and go places and see the world. And so I. I love that I'm able to give my kids that. And maybe it's not as simple as our life was growing up, but it's still amazing, and anybody would be doing it if they could. That's how I feel on that.

[Danny]

So how did.

[Unknown Host 3]

Because we never.

[Danny]

We kind of glazed over this. How did y' all go from being a dental assistant electrical engineer to posting content? What was the inspiration behind it and what was the first video?

[Dani]

I think it was him.

[Taylor]

He did it. It was a mix.

[Danny]

Were you following influencers?

[Taylor]

No. No. Also.

[Dani]

Okay, who did you follow? Who was your core rotation back in the day?

[Kay]

I don't know if I want to say.

[Dani]

Come on.

[Danny]

They'd be so flattered. You have to.

[Kay]

Yeah, Okay.

[Taylor]

I remember one. It was. It was the. It wasn't their name. It was. You know, back in the day when OG influencers would have a blog and they would have a clever word and that would be. And they would transfer that to Instagram. It was something like, giddy up, Buttercup.

[Kay]

Oh, dress up. Buttercup.

[Danny]

Buttercup.

[Kay]

I followed her. I followed. I did follow you. Oh, my gosh. I will say. And then I followed, like, Daryl, Ann, and all of them. I had a wide range of.

[Dani]

What about Emily? Probably Emily, because they were, like, really good friends.

[Kay]

I don't know.

[Dani]

Champagne and champagne.

[Kay]

Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes. That's how I knew her by was champagne.

[Danny]

Yeah, Champagne.

[Kay]

Yeah.

[Dani]

She was funny. Yeah.

[Unknown Host 4]

If you want to start the year off right, get to the Container Store. They can help you organize any space in your home and pretty much your entire life. From high quality organizers for your fridge and pantry that make eating healthier a real possibility, to closet storage that helps you see what you actually have, they've got the best solutions out there. They can also design a custom closet, pantry, office, even a garage that makes everyday life easier and more organized. Design services are free. We've used the Container Store's custom ELFA system in our garage and have other products throughout our entire house. Dani is obsessed with the Container Store. Whenever she gets in that cleaning mood, she always wants new Container Store products to organize with. So if you don't know how to get started, the experts at the Container Store can help you find exactly what you need this year. Find solutions for all your resolutions, the best selection and service at the container store. Visit containerstore.com and use code Danny at checkout for a discount on your purchase. That's containerstore.com C-O-N T A I N E R S T O R-E.com and use code Danny for a special discount.

[Unknown Host 3]

All right, so one of my big goals for 2026, and I'm saying this out loud so I can actually follow through, is finally building a real travel fund. Not the extra cash in the random account that magically disappears when life happens, but an actual plan. And I realized something. Managing your money doesn't have to be.

[Danny]

A struggle this year.

[Unknown Host 3]

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[Unknown Host 2]

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[Danny]

Yeah. So you followed like the, the og like Instagram.

[Kay]

Yeah.

[Danny]

Girls.

[Kay]

Yeah.

[Danny]

Bloggers. Kind of. Okay. And then. Okay, yeah. So tell us about the first video, the first idea where you're like, I want to give this a shot.

[Taylor]

So K was had just gotten tick tock because a friend at work, I.

[Kay]

Had another assistant I worked with and she was like 10 years younger than me. She was like 19. And she was like, you need to download TikTok so I can send you all these funny TikToks. And I was like, I'm not downloading TikTok. And it took her like three months of convincing me. And then I was like, okay, fine, I'll download it. And I don't. I wouldn't even say I was really hooked on it or anything. It was mainly so she could send me stuff. And then Taylor and I, we were coming back from Oklahoma from like a, like Christmas thing. And so something, side note, something that Tay has done with my youngest brother, the one that I was 14 when my mom had him, something that they've done every single year with Kinsley is make like this home video. And it's like, it's like a movie and it's a sequence, so there's been like seven of them and they tell a story. And so every holiday that we're there, they add onto it, they add onto the story. And it's something that my mom and I get to sit and watch after two days of them working on it. And we like, pop popcorn. It's just like a whole fun thing. So Tay had just finished editing that year's holiday movie and he was like, I just, I'm in the editing mood, I want to edit something. So I was like, well, why don't we just film our trip back and we'll just film like, I don't know, random stuff, like going into a gas station. I mean, it was the most like, random things.

[Taylor]

And I thought it was going to be a hit. I was like, my 15 hour drive in 15 seconds. I was like, that's going to slap.

[Kay]

Like that title is so co. And then I was like, well, we can just post it on my channel and then, you know, just see how it goes. And I think it got like 10 views or something. It was like.

[Danny]

So it didn't pop up.

[Kay]

It did not pop up. But it was so fun. And that was like, at the very end of December. And then I think, like, three or four days went by, and then it was New Year's, and we were talking about New Year's resolutions. And I was like, you know, that was really fun. Why don't we make a resolution this year to do one video a day and just post one video a day and see what happens?

[Dani]

Just for fun.

[Kay]

Just for fun. Because we had so much fun together doing it. Even though it got no views, that really wasn't what it was for. For us. It was just something that we found, like, oh, this is a hobby we can do together. And our family enjoyed it, you know, like our parents. And it was very, very. Just silly and fun. And then I think after like a month, we started getting a little bit more traction on our views. Not anything like crazy. I mean, like, I'm talking, like 700 views or something. And a lot of people, when you.

[Danny]

Think about it, it is.

[Kay]

I actually have. He has a video of me sitting on the couch, and I was like, tay. And I'm, like, refreshing it. And I was like, it has 200 views. It has 350 views.

[Taylor]

I've got 8,000 views. And she was like, I was freaking. Do you know how many people that is?

[Danny]

That's a lot of people.

[Kay]

Like, this is so crazy. And then trying to think, oh, he asked me, how many followers do you think you want to have at the end of the year? And I was like, I don't know, maybe 10,000, but that's like, a lot. I don't think we'll get that. And at the year mark, we. A million.

[Danny]

You are kidding me.

[Kay]

No, it was insane. It was actually crazy.

[Danny]

Did you even know what was happening? Like, were you. When you started posting, were you like, oh, people like this type of content, or were you just posting and it was working?

[Kay]

At first, I feel like we had no idea what we were doing. We just posted the most random stuff. And then we kind of started realizing, like, oh, this is the kind. I think we did, like, the acting like my wife's for a while, and so he would act like me and those all.

[Danny]

I've never seen that. I've never seen that. Those from you. I mean, I've seen them online, but I didn't know that you did.

[Taylor]

Yeah, and they did pretty good. They had like 4 or 5 million on each.

[Danny]

They're so funny.

[Taylor]

I love this.

[Kay]

Those Were. Those are still, like, one of our most highly requested to bring back.

[Danny]

Really?

[Kay]

They're like, bring back the acting. Like my wife's.

[Taylor]

And then what was the. Oh, remember when that series we had where we would k. Would always get packages? And so I would go down there and it was. You ever seen those package lockers where you. And then you never know which one's going to open. You, like, put in your number or whatever, and then one of them randomly opens. And so we play this game where Kay would put the number in, and then I would hold my head up against one of the doors and try to predict which one was gonna open so it would hit him.

[Kay]

So it hit him in the face.

[Taylor]

And we did that.

[Kay]

That one went really, really viral, I feel like that. And we did that one for a couple of weeks or maybe even a couple months. It was a while.

[Taylor]

It was a series.

[Kay]

Yeah, that one was fun.

[Taylor]

Wow.

[Kay]

It really didn't turn into what it is now until, I don't know, pregnancy. Well, right before pregnancy, we started filming more the way that we do now, but pregnancy.

[Dani]

Really. What year was everything you just said, what year was that?

[Taylor]

2022.

[Dani]

Okay.

[Kay]

Yeah, 2022.

[Danny]

This is so recent.

[Kay]

Very recent.

[Dani]

So recent.

[Kay]

And then last year we were at a million, and then I got pregnant and it went, oh, my gosh, like up to 9 million last year.

[Dani]

So you transitioned to the type of content you're in now around 2023.

[Danny]

Like, they need to, like, run studies on y'.

[Taylor]

All.

[Dani]

Like, yeah. What was the kind of catalyst for. For transitioning to that type of content? It just fit into your lifestyle.

[Taylor]

Better timing. It was. It was so much easier to just film randomly than to make some, like, skit. Skit. Yeah.

[Kay]

And really, it. And it. I felt like we started building a really good community when people felt like they were getting snippets of our day and of our life, especially, like, on Instagram. But. And I think that's why the pregnancy content did so well, is because the people felt like they were on the journey with us. And the good, the bad, all the crying that I look back on and I'm like, that was so cringy. But at the same time, it was very real and very raw. And I. I was okay sharing that because I had so many people that would reach out and be like, I totally understand what you're feeling right now. And that made it worth it to me, because I don't. I didn't want people to feel alone because pregnancy is. I mean, you know, it's a scary journey. Your hormones, I mean, you. You feel all kinds of stuff. And so I just really wanted other women to feel like they had somebody who could publicly tell others, like, this is normal. This is what's happening when you're pregnant. And I just. I think that. And the journey, following along the journey really helped build up our community a lot.

[Taylor]

Yeah.

[Dani]

So I think that the reason I pointed at you and said, I think it was you is so you guys were over here filming for a giveaway. I think it was like, Daryl, Ann, Dani, you and someone else. And I watched you film that giveaway, and you were precise. So. So my. My thinking it was kind of the first time I had ever been exposed to probably how much goes into a TikTok.

[Danny]

But also you really. Because Jordan used to film all my content.

[Dani]

Yeah.

[Danny]

Like, everything for two or three years. And when we even whenever you started posting on TikTok, like, I didn't even have the app. And he built us to almost a million followers.

[Dani]

Yeah.

[Danny]

Just taking all of my stuff. So I, like, when I saw he doesn't do it anymore as much anymore, because when we launched jv, he didn't have as much time. Yeah, but when I saw you doing it, I was like, oh, this is deja vu. Like, I remember these days.

[Dani]

But what was so interesting to me is that when we did it, it was like, it was photos. Like, 2017 was all about, like, Instagram photos. And then they launched. I think it's dead now. Igtv, you were big, which was, like, long form. And I loved that because, like, I loved editing, just like you love editing. I loved creating stories and, like, getting people engaged. But it was more long form because that was when Instagram was like, hey, we're going to compete with YouTube. So then that died out, and then Instagram stories came about, and we got really good at that, and we just, like, learned how to integrate it into our lifestyle in a very, like, real way, which I think.

[Danny]

What, you guys didn't even plan the content. It was just that whatever happened that day.

[Dani]

And then reels came out. And I think that for me, it was hard to comprehend, like, that attention spans were going to go plummet down. So I was, like, always trying to fit. Like, I was, like, mad at reels because I was like, I can't fit what I want to say in 60 seconds. So when you guys came over and you were leading the charge on filming this giveaway, I was like, okay, this is a real. This is going to be like 30 seconds. And you like, I don't know if you remember this, but you like knew how to kind of micromanage almost every second of where people were going to fall off at every moment. So like there was a time where they were like explaining or showing off the prizes and you were like, there needs to be something in the shot that like catches their attention. So I think that someone like threw dollar bills down. And so I agree with Yalls story that I think that you guys found a really natural, like amazing way to capture your lives. But I think that there's a little bit more of a science and engineering to it.

[Kay]

Yeah, for sure.

[Dani]

That I don't think you get credit for, but I want to use this, this podcast to give you credit for. So at what point did you start really kind of like diving into the science of editing and attention span?

[Taylor]

Like a few months in, I like started getting into communities and stuff.

[Dani]

2022.

[Taylor]

Yeah, yeah, it was in 2022. So during that zero to a million stage communities. Yeah, like discord groups and things like that. Yeah, yeah. Other creators that are trying to figure it out too. And yeah, I got into communities and.

[Dani]

Don'T give away your secrets but like what kind of things?

[Danny]

Honestly they probably don't even work anymore because it changes so fast.

[Kay]

It does change. You have to be able to adapt.

[Taylor]

Yeah.

[Dani]

Help us understand. Like I think people will be really interested in like what the conversations looked like in these discord communities at the time. Is it like, hey, I'm trying, I got a million views by clipping it at this second mark or doing like two second intervals, like what were some of the, what's some of the vernacular around those discord groups?

[Taylor]

So like Danny said, it changes so much. So now the strategy is like dead. That we had figured out. But we had figured out at one point, like on TikTok specifically, if you got to this certain view count at this certain amount of time and like your ratios, like your share ratios, your like ratios and all this stuff was good enough. It would, it would just go by skyrocketing.

[Kay]

Yeah.

[Taylor]

And so you would be like trying to figure out like in the video itself, like how do I edit this, how do I zoom, whatever to get the like ratio and everything, you know, to that point.

[Dani]

Did it have to do with a drop off time? So like, hey, if I can keep them engaged for. And it's so crazy we're saying this because YouTubers are like, can I keep them engaged for a minute? Tick tockers are like, can I get them for Three seconds. Yeah.

[Taylor]

Yeah.

[Danny]

What was the second.

[Dani]

Yeah, what was the second time frame?

[Taylor]

It was rough, I think. Well, it was more of how the average person completes. So it's like how you need like 50, 60 of the average person to watch the entire video. And like, it didn't matter the percentage that fell off as long as at the end of the line, you were at around 50%.

[Dani]

Yeah.

[Taylor]

Right. Right. It's changed so much now. But, Danny, you'll. You'll kind of get this. I think the biggest way for us that we found is the idea, like, if you have a good enough idea. You know this because you did YouTube. If you have a good enough idea, you can have a really boring video and, like, the idea itself propels the video.

[Danny]

It's always the most. It was always, for me at least, the most mundane. I feel like when you tried too hard, it, like, wouldn't make it. But if it was just like a. It was. If it was a unique topic that was mundane. Like, I don't know how to.

[Dani]

Well, it's. It's very much like. Like youtubers and like a Mr. This is like, Mr. Beast is famous for this. It's like you have to know the thumbnail. Yeah. Before you know anything else.

[Danny]

And so that's always had the thumbnail and the title to our YouTube videos before we ever. And film the content. We wouldn't even know what the content was going to be. But you liked the title of the thumbnail.

[Dani]

But how do you. How do you apply that to what you guys do? Because Yalls is such real life that you can't. I guess. I guess you can kind of. Kind of have an idea going into the editing. So, like, hey, like, I think that this is kind of what the story is going to shake out to be.

[Danny]

Or do you know, going into the.

[Taylor]

Filming, it's a mix. So, like, for example, I might have a video that Kay and I think is really funny of Ellie doing this.

[Unknown Host 2]

Yeah.

[Taylor]

How do I turn that into something that's gonna get 20 million views? And so then I'm like, okay, well, I need. That first clip needs to have certain text. And it could say anything. It could say Ellie's doing a lip thing. But, like, who's Ellie, first of all? So all those people that don't know Ellie, they're not coming in. So now it's our daughter and, like, Kay's now my wife and, you know, like. And I'm like, broadening and making it more generic. So that's like, one piece of it. And Then it's like, where do we start? Like, we filmed this moment and we have this moment. Where do I start the video to where people are going to actually see this cute thing happen. And so then it's finding that point in our filming that makes sense. It's just all those little details.

[Dani]

It's like a puzzle. Like, I think that's what the fun of editing is. That's why I used to love to do it. It's like you're. You're trying to take all this raw footage and piece it together into a puzzle that will make sense to someone who's never watched it before. It really is like the artfulness of editing.

[Danny]

Why do you think Yalls videos that are so personal about your day to day get so many shares?

[Taylor]

Maybe it's like relatability. Like Kay's really good at just showing herself. And I think a lot of people are like, I go through that exact same thing. And you know, other people aren't sharing that.

[Kay]

Boyfriends like do this for me. You know, all the surprises and things.

[Taylor]

That we do, that's another part. Like, so we have like the random moments that because we film every day, you know, you do stories, you. You end up with so much footage, you're like, which one's actually going to go on the story.

[Dani]

Story.

[Taylor]

Right, right. And we do that except we have one more element and we're like, which one's good enough to be a real. And then take that off and we're not going to put that on our story and that's going to be a real. Yeah, but then you also have the planning aspect of like. Like for example, our eight year wedding anniversary. Like I was, I had already planned for a month. Like, I know what I'm gonna do like for K. And like that surprise. You know what I mean? And like so I like filled the room up with balloons and like hid the presents in the bedroom. And so like it's kind of like, like I was saying the ideas too. You have to have those ideas ahead of time and.

[Dani]

Totally.

[Taylor]

Yeah.

[Dani]

No, I mean we, we know that whole. It's kind of weird because the, the life of a content creator, you end up realizing that the job is your life and your life is your job. And so what was very odd and I think what burnt me out, you know, probably a year or two ago, before Divi even Rip.

[Danny]

He. He used to help me film.

[Unknown Host 4]

Well, so.

[Dani]

Burnt me out was like us having kids. Because when it was just us, it was so fun to create these moments and it was like we were a team doing it. But when we had kids, I really felt like. And I. I think that I. In the same way that you are really good at the TikTok side, I think I was really, really good at, like, the Instagram story and just Instagram side in general. Like, I really understood the science and the artfulness in that era, but what I realized was, like, man, I feel like I'm contriving our lives and, you know, to a certain extent, like, with our kids. Right. And so when our kids were really young, it just. Psychologically, I couldn't wrap my mind around it. Like, I really struggled being like, okay, like, am I planning.

[Danny]

Not when our kids were really young is when they started to get older.

[Dani]

Yeah, sorry. When they started to get older and, like, we're cognizant of, like, what was going on, I started to have a moral dilemma in my mind. And I think that you guys are doing it really well, to be clear. But I think a lot of creator couples and families go through this where it's like, am I creating this moment for content or. Because it's, like, truly authentic to what my daughter, my wife want in the moment. And I just. I struggled through that. Like, and I'm curious, like, do you guys ever feel like you struggle with just that natural nuance of being a content creator?

[Taylor]

I think for now, it's very natural. Like, you were saying it was natural in the beginning. We. We've talked in the past about, you know, when Ellie gets old enough, if she's disinterested, you know, we'd probably just put her, you know, like, she wouldn't appear in the content as much, you know, and. Because at the end of the day, like you said, it's our life, like.

[Dani]

Yeah.

[Taylor]

And so if it's not fun, then that would suck because you have to do it every day, you know, like, I put a video out every single day. And there's a difference between editing something that I'm really excited about and enjoy, and a moment that I like. I'm enjoying rewatching. And then, like, I hate to say it, but, like, sometimes I do branded content and I'm not enjoying it. And I'm like, I gotta chug through this.

[Dani]

Yep. Because it's part of the job. Yeah. Do you guys. So the dynamic I feel like is happening is probably similar. Ours, where you all film during the day, and then you're probably with the kids, and then you go into your cave. Yeah, you probably edit. Yeah, you probably edit until, like, what 12 o'.

[Taylor]

Clock.

[Kay]

So we kind of have, like, a good thing going right now. It always hasn't been like this. It's really been. Since we've been able to get Ellie on, like, a good routine. So she goes down a seven. Like, if it's any later than seven, she is not having it. Like, she's unhappy. So if we put her down at 7, we kind of use the evenings right now as like, our us time to just really not film, not do anything. Like, we just hang out together, whether that be. Be like playing a video game together or whatever it may be, but we do that together. And then usually he'll edit, like, in the mornings. Am in the AM Right now, so.

[Dani]

Interesting.

[Kay]

Yeah.

[Taylor]

So the first thing I do, I wake up and I edit.

[Dani]

Do you feel creative in the morning?

[Taylor]

Yeah. After coffee and everything.

[Kay]

I'm like, in the day.

[Danny]

I think I could never edit at night. Never.

[Taylor]

It.

[Dani]

He used to kind of an odd bird.

[Kay]

He used to.

[Dani]

Because I feel like editors are typically. They'll go in a cave at night and that's where they get their kind of, like, creative second win.

[Taylor]

Well, I think for. For me, it wouldn't work if, like, K isn't around me when I edit. I do go off on my own and do. And that has to be that way. If Kayl come in and ask me a question, I'm like, hey, I'm in the zone.

[Dani]

Like, I totally feel that I. I would, like, literally take my phone and I'd be like, okay, bye. Like, family vacations. I just disappear. They'd be like, where Jordan? And it's like, oh, he's probably editing.

[Kay]

Yeah.

[Danny]

Oh, my gosh.

[Kay]

I was literally in labor. And I swear the nurses were. Were probably like, gosh, this absent husband over here. But I was, like, telling Taylor, I was like, do not stop editing. We have to have that video today.

[Dani]

He's like, no, this is gonna slap.

[Danny]

Yeah, I do the same thing. I'm like, you go do your thing. Like, leave him alone.

[Kay]

Yes. Like, he. Like, I am very supportive of him just doing his thing as long as it takes. And then I'll just take Ellie, you know, Kinsley, and go do our thing and not bother you.

[Dani]

It's so funny because it's like, this is just such, like, a insider inside baseball story. But it's like, you know, I. I think I Even in our family kind of got this reputation. Like, when we go on family vacations with our extended family, I got this reputation of like, oh, like, he's not present or he's not interested. And I really was. And, like, we would be able to watch this, like, content back, and it was, like, such a fun, you know, I don't mean this in a bad way. Manipulated view of, like, what happened, but it was a more beautiful, like, wholesome.

[Danny]

Right.

[Dani]

View of it. And it was like, I was so proud of not what actually happened, but, like, the recreation and the storytelling of it, you know, and. But I.

[Taylor]

It.

[Dani]

It caused me to get this reputation, our family, of like, oh, like, he doesn't care. And I'm like, it's a job.

[Danny]

Like, doctors go off when they're on call. Mom. He's just editing. Like, it's. It's the job.

[Dani]

Again, part of the dichotomy of just, like, the burnout that I think that I particularly experience is I was like, man, like, I want to be like a. If we're on family vacation, like, I want to be there, you know?

[Danny]

Okay. I want to ask y' all a question. What is it challenging working together? And if so, what is the biggest challenge, especially filming and editing together?

[Taylor]

I think. I don't think it's a challenge. And I think we do something that we did accidentally at first, but it ended up working, is Kay has ideas in her head for videos and I have ideas. And we don't talk to each other about those ideas because it would ruin it. Like, if I tell K I'm going to fill our room with balloons, like, it's not going to be.

[Kay]

My reaction's not going to be as genuine if I.

[Taylor]

And so we don't really talk about content ever. Kate doesn't even get on social media most of the time. I mean, especially not TikTok or YouTube. Like, she really only uses Instagram. And so, like, we have this thing that we're doing every day, and it's like full time, you know, job and all these hours and all this stuff. But we don't really talk about it.

[Dani]

Yeah.

[Danny]

You're saying you don't fight?

[Taylor]

No.

[Kay]

Oh, we definitely have.

[Danny]

Just about what about.

[Unknown Host 3]

What are you.

[Danny]

What do you fight most about these days? Well, I mean, we fight about it all the time. So I'm just curious.

[Taylor]

What was our most recent argument? Let's see.

[Danny]

Is it me?

[Taylor]

I thought Kay was gonna be mad because it ended up not being a fight, but I really thought she was gonna be upset because I got this thing yesterday and it was a smoke machine.

[Kay]

Oh, my gosh.

[Taylor]

And I was gonna surprise Kay with a boo bath. And I ordered all this stuff on Amazon and It came in, and I have, like, this corner where I put my stuff, and Kay just doesn't go over there. It's like, I keep them in the boxes, and I leave them over there. And so K was doing something with Ellie, and I car up, and I set up this bath, and I accidentally bought, like, an industrial smoke machine that you would use in, like, a haunted house. And I put it in our shower, and I was expecting to just fog the shower up a little bit because I had this funny joke that I was like, I thought Kay would really like. And so I turned it on, and it filled the entire room to the point where you couldn't see anymore. And I was thinking to myself the entire time I was setting up the. The rest of the bath, I was like, kate's gonna walk in here, and she's gonna be like, what have you done? You didn't. No, But I really thought that was gonna be something.

[Kay]

I thought it was. I thought it was intentional. Like, I thought you were wanting it to look like a haunted house.

[Taylor]

It was so cute. It took so long to go away afterwards.

[Danny]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was.

[Kay]

It was rough.

[Dani]

So it's not content that you guys. First of all, I. You know, I. I'm friends with a lot of, like, I would just call them Instagram husbands, but I think they're similar, like, creator husbands or whatever. And I find that the best dynamic that keeps marriages strong in this space when your brand is like, y' all as a couple is, like, very defined swim lanes of like, hey, I. I do this, you do that. And I think that, like, you know, Danny and I had to figure out, like, where we trust each other and where we, like.

[Danny]

Well, I can tell you where we fought the most with when it came to content is when he ever posted and if he ever posted anything that I didn't approve first, I. Because I like, sometimes, especially because there's so many different platforms, but maybe, like, let's just say it had something to do with, like, breastfeeding. And I knew that I wanted to stop breastfeeding in a week. And then maybe he would post something and be like, I love breastfeeding. I'm like, that's not true. Like, I hate breastfeeding. And you just told everybody that I like it. And, like, if we would have sat down and, like, I know that you're going off and editing on your own, and maybe I had told him that I liked breastfeeding two weeks prior, but, like, that's not where my mind is at now.

[Kay]

Right.

[Danny]

And so it was things like that that we would fight over because I'm like, why didn't we just run this content by me, you know?

[Dani]

Yeah, I don't like. I don't like to be managed, though. Like, I would always roll the dice, and I'd be like, you know what?

[Danny]

So do y'.

[Unknown Host 2]

All.

[Taylor]

I'm the opposite. I. I give not only the videos every time to her, but then I give the caption too, and she approves it and spell checks it. Because we would have. She would get upset sometimes because I'd have all these typos, and she'd be like, you can't change it.

[Kay]

I did get upset.

[Danny]

It makes me seem like such an idiot by the way he spells things sometimes.

[Kay]

Because we're a couple and we're posting on a couple platform. Like, people don't always know if it's me or him talking. And if he puts all these typos, I'm like, that makes me.

[Taylor]

So when I put Peace of Mind, but I spelled it P I, E C, E instead of P, E, A.

[Danny]

Taylor, I would have strangled you. I've been so mad.

[Kay]

I'm like.

[Danny]

Because I'm like, I know how to spell, and he's a horrible speller. And I'm like, you're making me look so dumb. Or, like, just the.

[Dani]

Oh.

[Danny]

Like, sometimes even the way he doesn't post for me anymore, but, like, we kind of used to be more of that couple content as well. And, like, the way you would block, like, put the text covering the whole day. I'm like, you're covering my shoes.

[Kay]

Like, oh, yeah. You're like, you need to move the text up a little bit.

[Taylor]

And I shrink the video and make, like, a border. And Kay's like, I hate that. Do not do that. I'm like, I want to.

[Kay]

If you ever sing it, see it shrunk on our stories, it's because, like.

[Taylor]

How am I supposed to show your shoes? Because we didn't film it. Right. And so seriously, it's so funny.

[Dani]

It's like, if you're in the business, you know all these nuances. Like, I bet if I watched y' all stories or watched your tik tok, I be like, that has Tay written all over it.

[Danny]

That has k. I don't know. It sounds like y' all are more collaborative than Jordan was willing to be. He was not willing to listen.

[Dani]

My biggest. I'm not a collaborative person. I'm a terrible collaborator.

[Danny]

It makes it really hard to create content together.

[Dani]

So y' all don't fight over content.

[Danny]

I'm like, we're fighting now.

[Dani]

Like, this is why I quit.

[Danny]

This is why we have a podcast now. That's so true. Okay, so I want to ask, what is your favorite platform? You said you're on Instagram most. What is your favorite platform to create content on? And what is the most? What is the word? Lucrative.

[Kay]

Yeah, my favorite is Instagram, hands down. I love the story aspect. I love that we can share. Just very raw. Like, I don't know, like, there's no editing that goes into stories. You kind of post your day. I. I really do. I love stories. But I also love, like, that I feel like we have more connection with our community on Instagram. Not that we don't have a great community on the other ones, but I just feel like Instagram gives you a way that you can just communicate with everybody. Because I. I'm one of. People always ask me, they're like, why do you go through your DMS? Like, you should not be going through your DMs. But I go through my DMs and I reply to a lot of DMs because I. I feel like, okay, there's a reason this person sent this to me. They want me to see this. Whether it's advice or whatever, I love being able to reply to some of those people. But, yeah, I just, I love the community. Instagram's, hands down. I can't even tell you. Last time I was on TikTok, like, scrolling through, like, I get on for my page, but I don't scroll through TikTok at all. I don't know the content. Well, for one, we share. And so the content he watches is not really interesting to me. So the FYP, just like all video.

[Taylor]

Games and stuff on our FYPs not interesting.

[Kay]

But then if you like, on Instagram, that's where I scroll. And so it's all the stuff I like to watch. So I go on Instagram and he has TikTok.

[Dani]

Yeah, I was. I want to ask you guys about, like, the community and the differences in the. Your TikTok community and your Instagram community. So one of the things that, like, there's no exact formula to this, but it's kind of a feeling. I have always felt that if you have. And I'm just going to put random numbers to this. If you have 500,000 followers on Instagram and they're very engaged with your stories and you have a meetup at a mall, I think that you could have more people there than someone who has 3 million followers on TikTok and even gets good views. Right.

[Danny]

Well, is that true? Do you feel that way?

[Dani]

It depends.

[Kay]

I do.

[Taylor]

So a couple of extra aspects. How long have you had the 500, 000 followers and 3 million followers?

[Kay]

Are they new or followers?

[Taylor]

Like if you. Did you. If you have 500, 000 followers that you've sat on for seven years or did I mean, is it. You know what I mean?

[Unknown Host 2]

Yeah.

[Dani]

Okay. That's a really. So what's. What are other variables that factor into.

[Taylor]

The reason I say this is because on TikTok, no one unfollows. So if you have 3 million followers, you could have gotten a bunch of followers a long time ago and no one unfollows. So you just have them on Instagram. You're constantly battling the unfollow rate. You probably know that's so true. It's. And you're churning. You're churning followers at all times.

[Dani]

Yeah.

[Taylor]

And so in that case, yeah. 500,000 meet up, probably because you've held 500,000 followers for however long and churned new followers. And the person with 3 million, unless they just got it like right, then they're probably old and they may not even be active anymore.

[Dani]

Yeah, go ahead.

[Danny]

Is there. So that's a really good point about TikTok that you're not losing followers. People don't typically unfollow. They say, like, if you have 20% of your following on Instagram, super engaged, like that's really good. Is there like a percent ratio on TikTok that is really good?

[Taylor]

Probably, but Kay and I just shoot for a million views on every video. That's like our happy point. We've never raised that bar. We've always just said if every video gets a million views, then we're happy.

[Danny]

Do you feel like if you shared a meetup that you were gonna do in Dallas just on TikTok, you would have as much of an audience come if as if you did it on Instagram? So you feel like Instagram is more powerful in. In creating that really engaged audience, or.

[Taylor]

At least for a local audience, for sure.

[Danny]

So going back to the other question, which do you feel like nowadays is more lucrative and what do you feel like will be more lucrative in the future?

[Taylor]

I don't know about the future aspect of it. I think TikTok is. Well, it's hard for us now because like you said, we have the audience on all the platforms and so they bundle the deals.

[Danny]

Yeah.

[Kay]

And as far as brand deals, Go. I feel like it's definitely bundled.

[Taylor]

TikTok was always really like, back when we did it ourselves, TikTok was always the best platform platform, lucrative wise. Yeah. But nowadays, I don't know, because they, they put it all together into a.

[Danny]

Package and so what about like, conversion rate, though? Because you. Some brands probably like to measure exactly how many sales you're getting or clicks you're getting. Now you can. I'm still like out of the loop with TikTok, but you can put a link on TikTok now, right?

[Taylor]

Oh, I didn't know that. Oh, well, TikTok shop.

[Kay]

Yeah.

[Danny]

I'm like, you would know better than I would.

[Taylor]

Yeah. So I always told brands like, ex, if you want exposure. Yeah. Like, TikTok's great for that. Yeah. And then if you want, you know, clicks, then Instagram, like sales.

[Kay]

Yeah, sales are Instagram.

[Dani]

That's what we're finding on the divi side. I think, like, that's why I'm so curious because we, we. I think every brand had this like, FOMO effect, right. Where it was like, oh, my gosh, we've got to work with these TikTokers. They're getting so many views. I think that we're close to, if not there, where we're at the leveling out experience where it's like brands have devoted a lot of dollars to TikTok and they realize that they get a ton of impressions. But it's not the same conversion or ROI as like working with an Instagrammer on Instagram stories. Which is probably why they're bundling with you guys is like, hey, give us the views over here, give us the conversion over here.

[Danny]

I don't know, I kind of like struggle with that because I think that just there's so many brand deals on Instagram that it's so hard to trust people. And so I feel like the conversions are happening from TikTok. They just can't track them back.

[Taylor]

It could be.

[Danny]

I just feel like it's like I'm so sick of seeing like the same brands 24 7. Like, I want to know, like, what mascara are you really liking? What do you actually use? And when you're just doing a get ready with me on TikTok and I'm like, should even talk about it. I just saw it sitting there like, I'm going to go buy it at.

[Kay]

You know, Albertsons, because she didn't talk.

[Danny]

About it, but she didn't. That's why I want to buy it. So I do feel like it's like, just kind of more challenging to measure on TikTok.

[Dani]

But what TikToker do you guys feel like has the most engaged TikTok audience outside of y'?

[Kay]

All?

[Taylor]

See, that's hard for both of us because we don't. I don't scroll.

[Kay]

I don't do a lot of TikTok.

[Taylor]

I mean, I scroll TikTok for entertainment, but I don't scroll. Like, my brain's not turned on when I'm scrolling.

[Dani]

TikTok.

[Taylor]

Biggest following. You know, Keith Lee has a really.

[Danny]

Like, Is he the food one?

[Taylor]

He's the one that does the food. And I know this because when he goes to places, like, everyone comes to see him. Right. And it could just be the way he's filming his content. You know, maybe he shows the big Lee effect. Yeah. Maybe he shows the big audiences so that it gives the impression that there's big audiences and, you know, if you want to be in a video. So next time he's in my town, I'm gonna go. And maybe that's why. But it appears that he has a really, you know, are you guys.

[Dani]

Are. Do you guys use TikTok shop?

[Taylor]

No. Well, I did.

[Dani]

What's the culture around TikTok shop?

[Taylor]

Like?

[Dani]

Why? Why? Because brands are really starting to go there. I'm curious why some of the bigger influencers are not fear using it.

[Taylor]

You know, like on Instagram, when a new feature comes out and you're like, I don't know if I want to touch that, because what if it hurts my channel somehow? Yeah, TikTok's like that, but, like, tenfold. It's like, there's stories on. On TikTok, but I won't use it because what if the analytics from that story affects my reels, like the overall analytics of my reel, and then hurts my reel performance?

[Dani]

Like, you guys have this really good thing going.

[Taylor]

That's why you don't see big channels doing TikTok shop, because they are not touching.

[Dani]

Yeah. Like, Alex Searle does not do tick tock shop.

[Kay]

That's what I was gonna say. That's when you asked me the last question. Yeah.

[Dani]

Tiana Rovillard, I think she's gonna be like, she's the one with the bag. Tt.

[Danny]

Yeah, no, that's fine. Probably Tiana Robillard.

[Dani]

I don't know.

[Danny]

She was. She's good friends with Alex.

[Dani]

Yeah. I think she's just a hard worker. She's rising to the top. Like, I think she's super smart. Like, she actually worked for Dar Land at Dudes, she, like, understand, like, Like, I think she's gonna be a big deal.

[Danny]

I like her.

[Dani]

Yeah.

[Taylor]

She used to search her up.

[Dani]

She did once. So she did a. I think I've talked to this about this on the podcast, but she's the first person that I have seen.

[Danny]

Oh, she just did. And it was so good. It was how organic she was.

[Dani]

Oh, my gosh. She was so organic. And I was like, that. That. That link converted to the jeans or what was it, the camo pants?

[Danny]

The camel pants.

[Dani]

I was like, dude, she just. Just slung some camel pants.

[Danny]

Oh, man, I almost bought them. And that's. Those don't usually get me.

[Dani]

It was so just like, nonchalant, like, oh, you guys have been asking a LinkedIn tick tock shop. That was it. And I was like, that's gonna make me like, you're so smart.

[Taylor]

Doesn't even describe them. She's just like.

[Dani]

She just says describe them. She's like, yeah. And like, she wore them a ton.

[Danny]

And, like, seemed like she was really serving me. Like she was helping me. Yeah, this wasn't about her.

[Kay]

She was like, your friend.

[Danny]

Like, she was like, she got my back. Back. And I was like. And then I think it's too. It's like when people do that, they just sprinkle in there. Like, you're like, I want her to get the commission. Like, I want her to be successful.

[Dani]

You know, that's.

[Danny]

When you see these links 24 7, you kind of get like, a little annoyed. But when they don't do it often, you're like, you get the bag, girl.

[Dani]

That's what. See, that's what I think. I think a lot of these TikTok TikTokers are going to discover TikTok shop. And I think it will be kind of like when Instagram mommy bloggers discovered Instagram stories. And I think it if the feature LTK or something. Yeah.

[Danny]

Okay, let's go into some maybe misconceptions. Actually, this isn't really a misconception. It's more. I'm actually just personally curious. How did you feel about moving to Dallas? You're technically in Dallas now. The Dallas mommy blogger community.

[Kay]

So far, I've loved everyone I've met, like, genuinely. I really do like the community that is built up here. I mean, I don't. I don't have a lot of experience meeting other groups. Like, I know there's like a Nashville group and. But I. I feel like I'm so proud to be in Dallas with all of these girls because I just really think so many of you guys have been so successful and, like, such an inspiration to some of us newer content creators. So, yeah, I love it.

[Danny]

That's so good. That's how I feel about the Dallas Mommy blogger community, too. I feel like everyone is so supportive. At the same time, we all are prioritizing our family so we're not hanging out every single weekend. Like, I wish that we could because we're all so busy, but it's like, when we do have those moments, like, we want to get together and we want to support each other, and so I'm glad that you're feeling the same way that that I do. If anybody comes for you, you tell me, I'll go beat them up.

[Dani]

I won't.

[Kay]

I will tell them. But I feel like everybody's so genuine, too, because you don't know, like, when you're on the other side of things. Like, you don't know, like, if that person's really like that. And then when you meet him in person. Like, when I came to. I came to Stratton's birthday party, and to be honest with you, when we left, I was like, did you know all those people were, like, on Instagram and stuff? And he was like, no. Like, everybody was just so normal. Yeah, everybody was so real and genuine and normal.

[Danny]

Yeah.

[Kay]

That I had no idea. Like, I mean, some of them, obviously, I knew who they were, but there were several that I had no idea. And I ended up following them after because I didn't even know that they were on. And I just thought they were just the most kind people, and they welcomed me, even though I feel like I'm kind of like the new guy. But I did feel very welcomed, and I loved that.

[Danny]

Oh, I'm so happy to hear that. Everyone keeps each other grounded. And I think kids keep you grounded, too. You can never get a big head when you have a kid. I walk into Stella's bedroom and she's like, mommy, you're so big today. I'm like, thanks. I actually felt like I was looking pretty good, but. Wow. Okay, let's see. Have you guys ever been canceled? I've been canceled twice, so there you go. I'll tell you. First, actually, at this point, I've probably been canceled seven times. Like, it's like, that's why I also don't get on TikTok as much, because I figure out all these things that I'm doing wrong that I didn't even know I was doing wrong. Instagram just seems a little bit more like, they'll DM you something mean. But TikTok, it's like all the Jordan calls them the talking head videos, where they're always, like, calling you out, and I'm like, oh, I didn't even know that. I, you know, strapped her wrong in the car seat or whatever.

[Kay]

Like, yeah, they're brutal.

[Danny]

Yeah, TikTok's brutal.

[Dani]

Don't have a lot of talking head videos.

[Danny]

I feel like we have a few.

[Taylor]

Yeah, we have a few.

[Danny]

And that's good. That's when you know that you're doing well, though. Like, you got to have some hate.

[Dani]

That is, like, what's crazy about. We talk about this a lot. Like, if we would have gone through the hate wave, like, we call the hate wave, like, 2020 era, because just everyone was mad.

[Danny]

Well, I was canceled in 2018.

[Kay]

18.

[Dani]

Yeah. And so. But if Tick Tock was around at that point, because you create these talking head videos, then those go viral, and then people create more because it's a strategy than to hate you. So it is a very vicious platform.

[Kay]

It is.

[Taylor]

It is. Yeah.

[Unknown Host 2]

Have.

[Dani]

I mean, have y' all gone through the talking head videos?

[Taylor]

We had. We had a period where there's a lot of people talking, but I feel like cancer, like, saying, like, were you canceled? Like, it makes people think. Like. Like, they think actually they have the ability to cancel you, but you actually can't cancel anyone that keeps posting.

[Dani]

Yeah.

[Taylor]

Unless the platform itself, what you were doing.

[Danny]

You're true. I'm still here.

[Kay]

Exactly. So when you said you were canceled so many times, I was like, but you're doing so much.

[Danny]

You're not canceled. You're right. Well, I guess. Okay. I have to be honest. When I was canceled, the word canceled wasn't even really a thing. That was, like, very new. Yeah. And so I didn't know if I was actually canceled or not. Like, I didn't know if I would make. Make a comeback. And, like, now I feel like enough people have been canceled that anytime that I feel like, oh, it's happening again, I'm like, it's. It'll be fine. Like, another day. Like, everything is okay. Yeah. Yes. Maybe I've made some mistakes from my past. That was so long ago. Like, I've. You grow so much in just a year that I'm just like, everybody.

[Dani]

They don't try and cancel you from posting. They try and cancel your will.

[Taylor]

Yeah. And it's the funniest part.

[Dani]

Mental state. Yeah.

[Taylor]

We had so many views during our, like, cancellation or whatever that we had like, the past cancellations. It's like, I made more money when everyone was talking bad about me.

[Kay]

Oh, the views were.

[Taylor]

Keep it coming. Keep it coming, please.

[Danny]

It's so hard to have that perspective. But it's true. Like, it actually does kind of help you grow, and it puts you on the map. Like, I had never been written about by People magazine, and all of a sudden, I was in there, and I was like, mom, look, we made it.

[Taylor]

You put it on your wall.

[Danny]

I'm like, at first, it took two weeks of crying in bed, and then I was like, like. But wait a minute. I was in People magazine. Pretty cool.

[Kay]

Put me on the map.

[Danny]

Yeah. Okay, so let's see what does.

[Dani]

You guys play video games together?

[Taylor]

Yeah.

[Kay]

Yeah.

[Dani]

I remember you telling me that. That's. That's cool.

[Kay]

I feel like that's something that I can't get a lot of other women like to. To relate to me on that. I feel like I'm so, like, weird.

[Taylor]

We're playing pubg right now.

[Danny]

I used to play some games.

[Dani]

You, like, play, like, shooter games?

[Taylor]

She plays real games.

[Kay]

Yeah, I do.

[Unknown Host 3]

I.

[Kay]

Well, okay. But to be fair, it was just something I started so that I would have something to do with. Hey. And, like, I knew how much he enjoyed it, and I didn't want to be one of those wives that was like, get off your video game. Like, because I knew he thoroughly enjoyed it. Like, that was his wind down. That was his decompression is to get on his game. And I wanted to be able to enjoy that with him. And so I think it was a joke at first. He was like, you play with me. And then I actually. Joy.

[Taylor]

She gets into you.

[Dani]

Like, have a headset and everything.

[Taylor]

We have matching setups. I'll have to show you a picture. Wait, so, okay, why are you talking?

[Kay]

That's what everyone says.

[Danny]

Why are you not streaming you and me?

[Kay]

I'm not good.

[Danny]

You would kill it. But I feel like it doesn't matter. I feel like you just have to look cute while you're playing games.

[Kay]

Yeah, I. A lot of people have suggested it.

[Taylor]

We have the whole setup. Everything you would need.

[Kay]

I don't know.

[Danny]

Maybe if you ever get, like, burnt out of creating the relatable content and you're like, I just need a break from my personal life. You could go. Go into that.

[Kay]

Yeah. I'm definitely the gamer that, like, they'll be like, he's behind you. And I turn the opposite. Like, I'm not good. I'm never gonna claim to be Good. But I do enjoy it.

[Dani]

Well, honestly, like. And I'm just so curious if y' all feel this, like, females in game chats and, like, you know, if you're actually, like, talking. I feel like when females play in these games, like, the culture's pretty ruthless. In the game culture. Yeah. Super mean.

[Kay]

So mean to. To women. Or they think I'm a little boy.

[Unknown Host 2]

Yeah.

[Kay]

Like, that hasn't hit puberty. I get that.

[Taylor]

All the time we've been playing this game. We've been playing this game where you're, like, in an office and you have to try to figure out Dale and Dawson. Dale and Dawson. Yeah. And you have to try to figure out which ones are the slackers. Like, think, like, among us, but, like, repackaged. And the men on that are so horrible. They all, like, role play as they're in the office. So they're like.

[Dani]

Yeah, it's just not actually mean. It's, like, vile.

[Kay]

Yeah.

[Dani]

You probably heard things about, like, said to you that you're like. Because you're. They're protected from amenity. Like, they don't. They can say whatever.

[Kay]

Exactly.

[Dani]

Babe. Try and think of the worst thing you could ever say to K and times that by 10. And that is what they say to her.

[Danny]

I honestly couldn't.

[Taylor]

That's why she handles the hate so well online, because she's like, this is.

[Kay]

I've been doing this since 2015.

[Danny]

That is funny. I. I could try to learn some video games.

[Kay]

I could tell you some, like.

[Danny]

I'll tell you what I played growing up.

[Kay]

Okay.

[Danny]

I did play Mortal Kombat.

[Kay]

Okay.

[Danny]

I played Zelda.

[Kay]

Okay.

[Danny]

I played Mario Kart 007 on N64. Gold Nye played that. I played all the super, like, Super Smash Bros, Super Mario, all that. I played anything that my brother was playing. But I. I'll tell you where he lost me was like, the Minecraft. He lost me and then he lost me at World of Warcraft. World of Warcraft. He, like. He played. He was actually really big in World of Warcraft. That was his thing, that one.

[Dani]

And then destroys families.

[Danny]

Yeah. But I liked, like, 007 and like, some of those, like, shooter games because they weren't too, like. Like, I don't know, grotesque and, like, too much. But I was still, like, competitive.

[Kay]

Yeah.

[Danny]

But, yeah. So that was kind of my jam. So anything in that realm.

[Dani]

Are you playing Call of Duty?

[Taylor]

Not really.

[Kay]

We've never really got into that one. We play Tarov. That one's pretty cool.

[Taylor]

Escape from Tarov. I. It Would take a long time to explain. Think a shooter game with extra steps.

[Dani]

You guys play board games?

[Unknown Host 3]

Yeah.

[Danny]

They love. We've talked about this. They want to play.

[Kay]

That's fun.

[Dani]

I switched over to Risk.

[Kay]

Oh, really? I've not played that one.

[Taylor]

I love Risk. I played that one. Something I did when I was deployed. Yeah, a lot of Risk.

[Dani]

You would be into, like, niche board games.

[Taylor]

Yeah.

[Dani]

Yeah.

[Danny]

We need to have a game board night.

[Kay]

We should.

[Danny]

We'll have game night. Okay, let's see.

[Dani]

Where do you all want to be in 10 years?

[Taylor]

If I could be exactly where I am right now in 10 years, like, that would be great. Obviously, I want to continue to progress and, like, maybe make a brand or a company like you guys have. But, like, I am just so content with our life right now that I wouldn't be mad if we just did exactly what we're doing right now for 10 years, obviously. Maybe pop more children out.

[Dani]

Yeah.

[Kay]

I feel like I'm on the. Definitely the more children.

[Danny]

Wait a minute. We can't. We can just skip over that.

[Dani]

We're talking.

[Kay]

I want at least two more.

[Danny]

Okay.

[Kay]

I've always wanted four kids, and I feel like. And honestly, I could have a baby every year and be happy. Like, I love having babies. Like, I think it's the most fun thing. It's the most.

[Danny]

Oh, that's very rewarding thing.

[Kay]

I mean, now, don't get me wrong. I don't love pregnancy. Like, I don't love pregnancy. It's the having the baby and seeing the them for the first time. Like, the just absolute high you get from, like, having a newborn.

[Danny]

I love that part, too.

[Kay]

It is just epidural unmatched.

[Taylor]

And then Ellie is just, like, the perfect baby. Like, I think she's. She's good purposely so that we'll have more. And then they're.

[Kay]

They're gonna be. They're not.

[Taylor]

They're gonna be the worst.

[Kay]

I've actually been blessed with two really good babies. Like, Kinsley was so good. She.

[Danny]

Kinsley is amazing, y'. All. Like, I know that she's not in your content, but I've had a chance of meeting her a couple times. That girl is amazing.

[Taylor]

She's so, like.

[Danny]

She's so mature. Like, honestly, she could be your mom.

[Taylor]

Mom.

[Danny]

Like, she.

[Kay]

Me, you know?

[Danny]

And she's like, you ask her any question, and she really knows herself, and she's confident. She's beautiful. Like, you've done such a good job with her. Like, I was just blown away the first time that I ever Met her, I'm like, can we hang? Like, is that okay? Is that weird?

[Kay]

I feel like she's just very, she's just a very good kid. She has a great head on her shoulder. She's going to do big things, great things. She's not the kid that I'm ever going to have to worry about. Like, and thank goodness she was the one I had at 19 because she truly was such an easy baby. Like, you could put her in her bed and she would just fall asleep. There was no sleep training from the get go. She was just easy. And the only thing I will say is she's the pickiest eater I've ever met. Like, for a while she was on the beige diet. So it was like chicken nuggets, french fries, mashed potatoes.

[Danny]

Still on that diet. It was a 32, still going beige.

[Kay]

But yeah, both having two kids back to back that are great and like, well behaved. Like, I could have have like five more. But realistically we'll probably have two more.

[Danny]

Okay.

[Kay]

Yeah, I love that. That's the, the goal.

[Danny]

I love it. Let's see. What advice would you give to others getting into creating content right now?

[Taylor]

Anyone can do it as, as long as you keep your head in it at all times. Like, momentum is everything. And you guys know this.

[Kay]

Consistency.

[Taylor]

Yeah, consistency and momentum. That's it. I mean, ride the wave. We did. We've done a piece of content every day since we made our New Year's resolution.

[Kay]

You know, it really is a lifestyle change. I mean, you can't just expect to not make it like your life. You think about content every single day. You have to if you want to be on top. If you want to succeed, you have to do those things. You have to be consistent. You can't go a month without posting. Not saying you can't come back and make good views, but you're not going to grow the same way.

[Dani]

It is a lifestyle. It's not a job.

[Kay]

It's not. It's not a job job.

[Danny]

You gotta love it.

[Kay]

But that's what I love about this job is that it's really like integrated into just our normal life. I feel like I'm not working. I feel like I'm just living my life. And that's why I feel like when we, we post very like milestone content, like just slices of our day, and those are like memories. And now like, I'm thinking about Ellie turning one next month and I'm like, but I have a whole year, literally I'm gonna have 365 days worth. Worth of Ellie. Not just Ellie, but just our life. For 365 days, I'm gonna have that. And that makes it worth it to me. Even if it wasn't about the followers or the money or anything, the perks, I get to have all of these memories, and it is just so cool that we get to do that.

[Danny]

I love that, too. My mom's always like, you don't have photo albums. I'm like, mom, they're all over the Internet, and you can access them anywhere that you are.

[Kay]

Exactly.

[Danny]

You have been very transparent about your autoimmune conditions. That's kind of what you call it. You've started dealing. You started dealing with those about five years ago, I believe. Can you tell us more about that?

[Kay]

Yeah. So I actually have a family history of autoimmune conditions. My mom has lupus. She's actually a dis. She was a nurse. She's disabled now. And so it kind of runs in my family. So about five years ago, I started getting very mild symptoms. Like, not if I didn't have a family history, I wouldn't have been alerted to go to the doctor. I mean, it was very, very mild. Like, maybe some joint stiffness in the mornings, but I just felt like, okay, maybe I'm getting old, you know? And so I started seeing a rheumatologist, and initially they couldn't find really anything. My labs looked great. I looked pretty great. Didn't really have obvious swelling or anything. And then it just kind of remained the same for a couple of years, and then it just kind of progressively started getting worse. And I would say in 2022 is when I finally started getting some. Some of my labs started showing what I was feeling, but not quite enough to get a diagnosis to match all of my symptoms. Like, I haven't really said this online, but my symptoms match lupus. Like, I have almost every single lupus symptom. But it's a very hard diagnosis to get. Like, incredibly hard. And anybody who has it will tell you it took them five plus years to get diagnosed because you just don't. You feel horrible. You have all the symptoms and signs, but your labs look fine. And it's a puzzle. You have to have both, really, to get that. That proper diagnosis. So anyways, I got pregnant. I felt great during pregnancy, and then at about seven weeks postpartum is when I. I mean, the worst I felt ever. I didn't feel this bad before. I've lost about 50 of my hair. I actually have extensions now because it it got to the point where, I mean, it was very hard to look at. I mean, so few hairs in my head that on top of rashes, I can't go in the sun because I get just rashes. I don't burn. I just get rashes. So I do fake Tanner now, and it's. It's great. And then there's just so many symptoms. Fevers, daily fevers. But, yeah. So I just recently got a lab result back. That is really the main piece that my doctor wanted to see before giving me this diagnosis, which I don't have, by the way. I've not officially been diagnosed, but this is the one that she said for all these years, well, but this is negative. This is negative. And so now that it's positive, I feel like I have so much validation. Even though I haven't even spoken to my doctor about it, I already know, like, I'm gonna be able to walk in and be like, see, I told you. Like, this is what I've known in my heart is wrong with me. Because when it's yourself, like, not only, you know your body, you know when something's off, when the doctor sees you for 20 minutes every three months, like, they don't. They just see the pieces, right? They're not actually living with it every day. But I've researched. I could be my own rheumatologist at this point, because I've researched endlessly, every single symptom, every lab test, all of it. And I can tell you without a doubt, like, I know what's wrong with me. And so I just feel so much validation that I think I'm finally gonna get help and get the medication that I need, because that's the other thing is insurance won't cover if you don't have the proper diagnosis. You can't get on the medication because they're like, well, she's not been diagnosed with this, and so they won't cover it. So that kind of stinks.

[Taylor]

And for me, like, what helped me. What helped it. Click. Is Kay has, like, diagnosis of different autoimmune conditions where the. The doctors just kind of, like, took a shot, and they're like, I think it's this. I think it's this. And that kind of sucks to be like. Because there's thousands of autoimmune conditions, and it kind of sucks for them to be like, I think you have these three or four things, but, like, what if it isn't those four things? And what if it's just lupus and that? So, like, Kay's like, really research and, like, you know, I don't think I have five different issues. I think I have one issue.

[Kay]

I've been told I have rheumatoid arthritis. I've been told I have fibromyalgia, and I've been told I have Sjogren's, which are. And don't get me wrong, you can have, like, five autoimmune conditions. It's very common to have. If you have one, you can have multiple. So I'm not saying I don't have those other things, but there's so many of my symptoms that don't align with them. Those.

[Danny]

And your mom has lupus?

[Kay]

My mom has SLE lupus. She also has Sjogren's and rheumatoid arthritis.

[Danny]

Are. Do those usually. Is it genetic? Sometimes lupus?

[Kay]

I think they've been found to be genetic. I don't know. There's a lot of science behind it. Like, it's. I think you have, like a. I forget the percentage. You have a higher chance if your mother has it.

[Danny]

When you told your mom your symptoms, was she like. Like, yeah, that's probably what it is.

[Kay]

Oh, yeah. I'm literally my mom's carbon copy. Like, everything. Everything I experience, she's like, I literally get the same thing. So that's what's helped me keep pushing for this diagnosis because I know, like, my mom's experiencing it, and it's been five years.

[Danny]

That is exhausting.

[Kay]

It is.

[Danny]

And frustrating. And it just goes to show you, you really do have to continue to advocate for yourself.

[Kay]

Yep. Keep getting the test. Even if they're negative, they will turn positive if it's there.

[Taylor]

She had to actually end up coming off all of her medications. So, like, all the stuff that doctors had prescribed to help her with her pain and stuff for other autoimmune conditions, she just had to cold turkey, all of it.

[Kay]

I really think that those medications were what was causing my test to look normal because they were helping just enough that it wasn't able to show. And now that I've been just off of everything for, like, three months now, it finally started showing. And I was like, well, wow. Had to have been it.

[Danny]

Did you ever deal with postpartum depression?

[Kay]

I wasn't clinically, like, diagnosed with that, but I would definitely say I had a lot of that and anxiety, really bad. Same.

[Danny]

And I think that I had never taken a medication consistently like that. You know, if I had strep or whatever, flu, I would take something. But I feel like ever Since I started that medication, it's so hard to track, like, what is. Why are the night sweats happening? Are they from that medication? Are they from the pregnancy or are they from anxiety? Are they from. I'm just hot at night? Like, it's just so hard to track it until. And I'm so scared to go cold turkey, especially because I've had now three pregnancies in almost in four years. And so I'm like, I don't want to get off my medication because these pregnancies are hard. And so. But I will look forward to the day whenever I can just like clear everything and start from scratch and like really assess. But yeah, I'm sorry, that is for five years. That's a lot. But good for you for like, keep fighting for yourself and for trying to figure out what's going on. And I'm hoping that you get that clear diagnosis. So we'll be praying. Where can people find you guys?

[Taylor]

I don't know. Which one do you want? Which one do you want to shout out?

[Danny]

Like, just Google them. You'll find all their links.

[Taylor]

Go to our YouTube. We're gonna do long form at some point.

[Kay]

Yes. Oh, that's. Go to our answer to the 10 year question. I want to be making long, long form content.

[Taylor]

It sounds. Looks so fun.

[Kay]

Yeah. I want to do long form, like really bad.

[Taylor]

But not on. Not on our own. Like, I can't do it.

[Dani]

Would you ever hire an editor if.

[Taylor]

We were doing long form and I would even hire someone to film, like, that's the thing.

[Danny]

Because I don't know how you'd be filming for all platforms like that.

[Taylor]

I. We couldn't too much.

[Kay]

Like, we already feel like we're.

[Taylor]

We want to do long form, though.

[Danny]

We were doing long form and Tick Tock and Instagram stories at one point we hired this guy, remember Jack? Oh, yeah, yeah. And he came over and filmed us. And it was just like the flow was so hard because it was just like three different storylines that we just couldn't figure out how to match up all the storylines into one.

[Kay]

Yeah.

[Taylor]

You know, you definitely have to set a day aside and like film the YouTube video. Yeah, yeah.

[Danny]

But when you're doing daily stories, that's really hard.

[Dani]

Yeah.

[Danny]

At the time.

[Unknown Host 2]

True, true.

[Dani]

That was really hard.

[Danny]

Yeah. Any other projects you guys are working on?

[Taylor]

I don't think so.

[Kay]

I mean, we have like brand branded stuff we're doing.

[Taylor]

Yeah.

[Danny]

Can you tell us?

[Kay]

I have some new jewelry pieces that are about to come out, so I'm pretty Excited about those Shout out. Yeah, shout out to Relary. They're amazing.

[Taylor]

They're so. They're so nice.

[Kay]

They're. They're awesome. They'll actually be at the first birthday party. Really?

[Danny]

Yeah.

[Kay]

They're super sweet.

[Danny]

You should do another event with them.

[Kay]

Like a pop up.

[Danny]

Yeah, I bet people loved that.

[Kay]

I know everybody keeps asking if we're gonna do another one. I would love. I loved doing the pop up.

[Taylor]

We should do a joint pop up. That would be fun. Is that a thing? Like multiple creators do a pop up.

[Danny]

Yeah, I'll do it.

[Kay]

Oh, yeah.

[Danny]

We could do Divi and Rollery.

[Kay]

Get your scout.

[Danny]

Get yourself massage Rose Couture. Yeah, we do that.

[Kay]

Oh, yeah, for sure.

[Danny]

Okay, let us know. Hey, I'll be available. I'm not going anywhere. I got this baby that I gotta deliver, so. Okay, well, thank you guys so much for coming on the podcast and thanks for having us. I hope that y' all are over more. Playing some video games. Games. Maybe not. Sorry.

[Taylor]

Paintball, Board games?

[Danny]

Not video games. Maybe video games.

[Taylor]

Four people. That's pubg. That's a full lobby. Yeah.

[Dani]

Mario party.

[Danny]

Maybe you can convert. Oh, Mario party. I would do that. I would do that.

[Taylor]

Get the Wiis back out.

[Danny]

Yeah. Oh, my God. All right, well, thank you guys for listening to the rest of this episode. Make sure you leave a comment down below of your favorite part.

[Taylor]

Comment Something that people wouldn't understand. And then. And then everyone will be confused.

[Danny]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. What do people call just in the podcast?

[Dani]

He already said it.

[Danny]

Okay. Okay. We love you guys and we'll talk to you later. Bye. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.