INTERVIEW: Crystal Renee Hayslett Talks Launching 'ORS Unapologetic,' Hair Growth Secrets, Building Her Brand + More

Summary

The Breakfast Club — Interview: Crystal Renee Hayslett on Launching ‘ORS Unapologetic,’ Hair Growth, and Building Her Brand

Podcast: The Breakfast Club
Hosts: DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God, Lauren Rose
Guest: Crystal Renee Hayslett
Air Date: April 13, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode features an in-depth and lively interview with actress, entrepreneur, and media personality Crystal Renee Hayslett. The conversation centers on the launch of her new haircare line, ORS Unapologetic, delving into the importance of embracing natural textures, hair health secrets, the business of self-care, and Crystal’s journey of authenticity, intentionality, and brand building. The hosts and Crystal discuss representation, the realities and myths of haircare, and the power of community, ownership, and legacy—infused with laughter, cultural commentary, and advice for listeners of all hair types.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Launching “Unapologetic” with ORS

Timestamps: [02:41]–[04:54]

• Crystal shares her excitement about the launch, the year-long process, and her commitment to creating a product she believes in.
• Why “Unapologetic”?
  Crystal recounts a pivotal, personal story about FaceTiming her father with her natural hair, his reaction, and how it led her to embrace being unapologetic about her natural texture.
  • “...it took me to actually embrace my hair and really understand what worked for it... It allowed me to become more unapologetic and just really own it.” — Crystal Renee Hayslett [03:14]
• Collaboration with a Black female chemist was vital to ensure authentic, effective formulations for Black hair textures.
  • “That was important because understanding our hair textures ... I wanted to make sure that it was right for all hair types.” — Crystal Renee Hayslett [04:08]

2. The Product Development Journey

Timestamps: [05:54]–[07:58]

• Crystal describes hands-on lab work in Chicago, product testing, and a process of authentic refinement—using her own hair as a testing ground.
  • “I literally went in there with a doll head ... I can feel it and tell, this doesn’t have enough slip ... It did not work that first time, and we had to go back to it and get it right.” — Crystal Renee Hayslett [06:11]
• Emphasizes the science behind her line and her refusal to put her name on anything she doesn’t personally use.

3. Representation, Texture Conversation & Community

Timestamps: [08:13]–[13:14]

• Hosts and Crystal discuss texture diversity, the experiences of Black and biracial women, and stigma around “good hair/bad hair.”
  • “...a lot of the curly girls are biracial. They have like a different type of texture than the real Black girl ... Sometimes it’s like, I wish my hair was like that. No, your hair is beautiful.” — Crystal Renee Hayslett [10:26]
• Open acknowledgment of being underrepresented: “It’s for everybody. But also for the girls who don’t feel seen in that space where they put stuff in their hair and they’re like, it ain’t doing what it need to do.” [11:05]
• Respecting each journey: hosts share personal and family anecdotes around natural hair styles and struggles.

4. Hair Health, Maintenance, and Growth

Timestamps: [13:14]–[15:05]

• Tips on maintaining curls and recovering from heat damage:
  • “Heat damage ... I’ve had to do the big chop, because it’ll grow back, but it’s coming from the root, so you gotta get all the damaged hair off so it can really flourish.” — Crystal Renee Hayslett [13:19]
• Weekly deep conditioning, oiling, and the long process of wash and set (“takes about an hour and a half” with thick hair). [14:26]
• Real talk on product effectiveness for different textures, including for children and various curl patterns.

5. Ownership, Brand Building, & Vision for Legacy

Timestamps: [08:44], [10:01]–[10:22]

• Crystal explains how a simple Instagram partnership with ORS evolved into product co-development, business equity, and legacy creation.
  • “Ownership is everything. And you can’t build legacy without ownership ... If it’s not yours, there’s nothing to pass down.” — Crystal Renee Hayslett [10:01]

6. Pricing and Accessibility

Timestamps: [24:03]–[25:05]

• All products are under $22; Crystal emphasizes affordable self-care for her broad fan base (from teens to elders).
  • “We wanted to make sure ... everywhere in between it wasn’t ... and we’re living in times where everything is inflated. People are struggling. So I wanted to make sure when it comes to self-care...”— Crystal Renee Hayslett [25:04]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Whatever I put my name and my face on ... I need to believe in it.” — Crystal Renee Hayslett [07:27]
• “Your hair is beautiful, and with the right products, you can have your curls, too. We all have different curls, you know, but to be able to be unapologetic about it and own it was a big part of it.” — Crystal Renee Hayslett [10:33]
• “I be in there. ... Years of me, like, figuring this out.” (on wash-and-go routine, embracing the long learning curve) — Crystal Renee Hayslett [14:49]
• “We sat in front of a computer for hours ... We came with this saying ... ‘I’ve learned that caring for my curls isn’t about perfection. It’s about connection to my roots, my texture, and every woman finding her way.’” — Crystal Renee Hayslett [22:05]
• “Batana oil ... from Honduras. People don’t understand, honey, okay, it’s the real deal.” — Crystal Renee Hayslett [22:43]

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Business, Teamwork & Glimpse into Crystal’s Multifaceted Career

Timestamps: [18:37]–[20:17], [25:23]–[27:44]

• Working with supportive executives:
  • “…there’s been nothing that I have brought to them where they weren’t like, okay, let me make a phone call ... whatever I want to do, whatever God has planned inside of me, they help make it happen. And this was just another one of those dreams.” — Crystal Renee Hayslett [18:57]
• Crystal’s expanding portfolio: acting, music, live podcasting, and more. Her community follows—and supports—all facets.
  • “Everything kind of like flows into every avenue that I’m doing. ... They pick up on everything. And it’s so many generations. It’s a blessing...” — Crystal Renee Hayslett [27:44]

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Upcoming Events, Availability, and Community Connection

• Unapologetic is available at ORS.com, unapologeticors.com, and Amazon.
  [18:19], [28:45]
• Crystal will appear at the Black Effect Podcast Festival in Atlanta, April 25th, hosting a live podcast and a Unapologetic booth. [21:37], [29:12]
• Plans for product pop-ups, live podcast tours, and in-store launches: “This summer is going to be crazy. I’m excited. But sell it out, y’all.” — Crystal Renee Hayslett [29:06]

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Tone, Vibe, and Final Impressions

• The episode maintains the signature Breakfast Club blend of sincerity, humor, and real talk.
• Crystal’s transparency and authenticity are celebrated; hosts and guest mutually affirm the beauty in natural hair, community, and Black entrepreneurship.
• The dialogue is affirming, inclusive, and witty—grounded in both personal stories and practical advice.

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For Listeners

Whether you’re a fan of natural hair journeys, entrepreneurial hustle, or simply seeking a motivational boost, this episode is packed with wisdom, anecdotes, and actionable insight straight from Crystal Renee Hayslett—a true testament to living, creating, and loving yourself and your roots, unapologetically.

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Transcript

[Host/Announcer]

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[Host/Announcer]

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[DJ Envy]

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[Nissan Advertiser]

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[Charlamagne Tha God]

hold up.

[DJ Envy]

Every day I wake up.

[Julian Edelman]

Wake your ass up.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The Breakfast Club. Y' all finished or y' all done?

[DJ Envy]

Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy. Just hilarious. Charlemagne, the guy. We are the Breakfast Club. Lauren Rose is here as well. We got a special guest in the building.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Who we got?

[Julian Edelman]

Who we got?

[DJ Envy]

Crystal Renee Haisley.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Welcome.

[DJ Envy]

How are you feeling?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Good morning, Crystal.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Good morning, everybody. How y' all feeling? Good. Blessed.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Black and Holly feeling.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Listen, Amen to that Charlamagne.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You always hustling. You got a new haircare line, Unapologetic.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yes, yes. Unapologetic is a launch that I'm doing with oris. It launched today. We are here in New York. Tonight. We're gonna be in Times Square.

[Lauren Rose]

Congratulations.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Doing some giveaways. Got a billboard. I'm just excited, man. This has been a year long journey getting it right. And we're here finally.

[Lauren Rose]

Why the name Unapologetic?

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Honestly, it was so long that it took me to actually embrace my hair and really understand what worked for it, you know? And I talk about this story one day. I FaceTime my dad, like every day. And any girl who has natural hair knows by day five is like a big. Looks a little crazy. But most time people like when you think it's crazy and it's time to wash, like, oh, my God, I love your hair. My dad answers the phone, he goes, what is wrong with your hair? And I said, oh, my gosh. I was like, dad, I was like, do you know how long it's taken black women to actually embrace their hair? And I was like, and how many women would literally cut off their left foot to have this much hair on their head? And I was like, this is why women go to resort to the perms or resort to other hairstyles. And he was like, I never thought about that. And in that moment, it allowed me to become more unapologetic and just really own it. And that's why we did Unapologetic.

[Lauren Rose]

I love that.

[Host/Announcer]

Did you work with a black female chemist?

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

I did, yes.

[Host/Announcer]

That was important.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Listen, she's so good. That was important because understanding our hair textures, you know, and we got in there and I was trying the different products, making sure they mix together. I've been doing my hair myself since the third grade. And then I went natural in 2010. So I used to be in the kitchen doing YouTube videos, making some avocado masks for my hair, trying to really take care of it. So when I went in there, I already knew, like, okay, I can't mix this together because it's gonna leave flakes on my hair the next day. I wanted to make sure that it was right for all haircut. All hair types. Because you go to these, you go to the shelves, and it says all haircut types, and it ain't for all types. That's why I got on the hat today. Still trying to find so unapologetic. I brought you something. Thank you. You ain't gotta call. I got you. Thank you. I do.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You feel like you're having to prove yourself a third time because you had to prove yourself as a stylist. You had to prove yourself as an actress. Now you gotta prove yourself as a haircare professional. You feel like you're having to prove yourself a third time.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

It's not proving charlamagne. It's more so just stepping into spaces that I'm passionate about and making sure that I have the science to back it up so that when we do put it on the shelves, there's nothing to prove. The science speaks for itself. Yeah. So I don't feel like I'm proving, but we definitely gonna show up.

[DJ Envy]

I think a lot of time, I don't think men respect it like your father didn't until they got to deal with it. Right.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Talk about it.

[DJ Envy]

When I had to take my daughters to dance and I didn't know what the hell I was doing, and I was trying to comb, and it was going left, and I was trying to make it go right. And you know, a dance, you got to have a slick back.

[Lauren Rose]

Yes.

[DJ Envy]

And that's. And my daughter's hairs are curly, and my wife's trying to tell me what to do.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And you don't want to hurt them when you're combing their hands. Oh, my God.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

That's the whole thing.

[DJ Envy]

I don't think you understand until you got to do that. Because I didn't know what it was. Then my wife telling me, go to CVS and get this product. And then there was no products for. It was difficult.

[Lauren Rose]

It was difficult because there was no products for us.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Black and brown.

[DJ Envy]

Not at all. So it was very, very difficult. So when I was gonna say, so when you got the chemist, how does that work? I've always been pretty curious about that. Like, how do you decide what's gonna work for what type of hair? And do you try it immediately? Because you can try some shit that just fuck your hair up immediately.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Right.

[DJ Envy]

So what's that process?

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

That's a Great question. Envy. So the lab was actually in Chicago, Namaste Labs, which is where ORS their offices are. So we go to the lab. They had already started working on some products. So I got in. I literally went in there with a doll head, a wig head, and, like, started using the products on it to see how it worked. And I'm the type of person, I can feel it and tell, this doesn't have enough slip on it. I need some more water to this. This is too thick. So when I started trying it, I was like, all right, we need. This is. It mixes well, but I feel like we need a little more activator with the gel to really make the curls pop. And so we. I went home. I was so excited, y'. All. I was like, all right, I'm gonna do a YouTube video just showing the people the process. Listen, y', all. I put that stuff on my hair. It didn't do what this is doing. I was like, yeah, this ain't it. So we literally had to go back to the drawing board saying, hey, we need to add more water. We need more nutrients, some oil. I need the shine. I need some more thickness to this. I was like, I'm not a mousse girl. You know, big fella, big west back here, he just add water. He can throw some water on it and some mousse and be fine. I need the gel and the mousse and the leave in. And so figuring out all the products that you can work, but it did not work that first time, and we had to go back to it and get it right.

[Lauren Rose]

I love that you're so hands on with it, Jess.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

I'm so big on making sure that whatever I put my name and my face on, a lot of people just like, oh, yeah, figure it out, and I'll just throw my face on it. No, like, whatever I put, I need to believe in it. It doesn't matter. Even if you call me for a brand partnership, if I don't eat it, if I don't use it, if it's not something that fits into my everyday life that I can really get into, I can't put my name behind it. So this is something serious, because what you're putting on your head is seeping into your body. I had to make sure that it was clean. I had to make sure that it worked. So this. Yeah, putting my name on something, I had to be very hands on with it, but I'm hands on with everything. My team will tell you.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

They're probably like, why the Name Unapologetic.

[Nick Dickenpole Show Host]

Yeah.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

So I just asked her that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, I didn't hear.

[DJ Envy]

She just explained the whole thing. Just rewind a little bit.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

It's okay.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I'm sorry. I heard that. I heard the answer. I didn't know that was the question.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yeah. Yes. Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I just thought you were talking about your pop.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

No,

[Charlamagne Tha God]

no.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

He's the reason why I. I started being more intentionally unapologetic about my hair because of that comment, like, what is wrong with your hair?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You know what's interesting, though? I say that to my daughters all the time. I always say, I don't know why, but always something. They got beautiful skin and beautiful hair.

[Host/Announcer]

Yes.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

That's important. That's good. I'm glad you do that. Because they go out into the world and they don't always feel beautiful or seen. So the fact that you're instilling that at home is very, very important. Kudos to you for that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And why'd you partner with ors?

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Wow. So this actually started off as a brand partnership. A lot of us are influencers, and people call us to get behind their products. They had called us to do a reel, just a Instagram reel, because they saw me doing my hair. They're like, oh, she'd be great for this product. And Nishana Ayers, being who she is, she was like, yeah, we're not interested in selling squares on Instagram. Let's build a line. And they were like, actually, we do have a new line that is in ideation, and Crystal would actually be perfect for it. So it turned from a reel on Instagram to building a line, having equity in the company, and really building something bigger than what it could have been if we had just. They're like, oh, yeah, we'll do the Instagram post. So that is why ORs, because they wanted to initially work with me. But if you think about it, I'm not sure if you guys remember the. They still have it. The green olive oil.

[Host/Announcer]

Yeah.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Back in the day, like, this is that company. They're known for perms. They're known for their relaxers. But now they're branching off into the natural hairspace. Yeah. So to be a part of that growth for them is important for me.

[Host/Announcer]

How about. Well, first, Cardi was just talking about that with her brands and a lot of the brands that she's working with, like, being in a celebrity space, like, trying to build something that is she can give to her kids, that builds legacy and her decision to start doing that.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yes. So important. Ownership is everything. And you can't build legacy without ownership, you know, because you can do something, but if it's not yours, there's nothing to pass down. So I think that's very important. I love what Cardi's doing, and a lot of people talk about how saturated this space is, but I feel like it's so much room for everybody, Right? Yeah.

[Lauren Rose]

Especially because not every black girl's hair is the same as the next one.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Exactly.

[Lauren Rose]

You know, So I think it should be more, you know, just speaking to

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

that, too, because a lot of the curly girls are biracial. They have, like, a different type of texture than the real black girl.

[Lauren Rose]

Yes.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

So that was important to me, too, to show, like, hey, you may not have that texture, you know? And sometimes it's like, I wish my hair was like that. No, your hair is beautiful. And with the right products, you can have your curls, too. We all have different curls, you know, but to be able to be unapologetic about it and own it was a big part of it. And that's a big part why I wanted to do this too, because I don't have the biracial hair. I have, like, real, for real.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What do you mean, real black girl?

[Host/Announcer]

I said real black girl one time.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

It's a different Charlemagne.

[Host/Announcer]

It's a much a big difference.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

It's a big. We have something for them, too. Like, they can use the mousse, you know, like, it's for everybody. But also for the girls who don't feel seen in that space where they put stuff in their hair and they're like, it ain't doing what it need to do.

[Lauren Rose]

Yeah, I love that you said that. Because my hair buckshoty, whitey.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

You know what I'm saying?

[Lauren Rose]

I understand when it's too dry.

[Jordan Thompson]

You see?

[Lauren Rose]

Day five, day two, like child. But my girl, can we see? No, do not do that.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

That's what I have on it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But you want her to be able to see, so she wants a product.

[DJ Envy]

Don't she gotta know what she gotta recommend? Now I'm on tv.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

I ain't got time.

[Lauren Rose]

Now, my daughter.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Don't you reach for her hat.

[DJ Envy]

She was trying to slap your hat off. That's crazy. Don't do that.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

But no, no.

[Lauren Rose]

My daughter, she is, you know, mixed race, and her curls are not as buck. Hers, she ain't got the buck shots, but she has the b. You know, biracial head.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Hers is.

[Lauren Rose]

But so you said. It's not like my hair is way thicker and more coarse, but, like, they have Big Wes's hair. Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah.

[Lauren Rose]

So my daughter's like that.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

I call it add water hair.

[Lauren Rose]

Yeah. So unapologetic. Unapologetic brand. Your brand. Y' all do have products for me and my daughter.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Exactly.

[Lauren Rose]

Okay.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yeah. For your daughter, I would do the mousse. Okay. Yeah. Because you.

[Lauren Rose]

As soon as something touches it, it curls up immediately.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yeah, yeah. So you don't need a lot for that.

[Lauren Rose]

Good to know ours.

[Host/Announcer]

Are we having a texture conversation?

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yeah.

[Host/Announcer]

A lot of us be scared to have it. Yeah. And I don't know why, because the textures are different.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

They. Yeah, it's like an elephant in the room.

[Host/Announcer]

But why, though? Like, it's very obvious when your texture is different than the other. And we went through that whole era of good hair, bad hair. Remember when Chris Rock did the whole thing and people were trying to have the conversation then, but now I just feel like, especially with beauty brand owners, they never actually get into textures and the difference between them and why there's, like, stigmas and like, the. Almost like the battle in between the textures.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yes. Yeah. I think probably because, you know, people, you don't want to offend anybody, you know, but it is, like, it's the reality of it, you know? And I think as a hair care owner is just making sure that we have something for everybody. Yeah. Yeah.

[Lauren Rose]

Is it true?

[DJ Envy]

Is it true if you lose your curls? They don't. It's hard to get them back.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

You got to cut it off. It's so hard, especially for heat. I've done the big chop, like, three times.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Really?

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Heat damage. Because I go through these phases where I want my hair straight, you know, But I don't want to put a perm in it. So I'm constantly putting heat on it. My hair. By the time, like, day three of just putting heat on it, I can already see the curl pattern loosening up. So I've had to do the big chop because it'll grow back, but it's coming from the root, so you gotta get all the damaged hair off so it can really flourish and make a conscious decision. I'm not gonna put heat on it. Gotcha. Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

And how often do you have to, I guess, maintain your hair to make sure those curls stay?

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yeah. Honestly, I do like weekly deep conditions. And that's another thing with natural girls, especially my type of hair. I have to condition my hair. Cause it gets dry fast. I have to use a lot of oils to keep it shiny. Because, you know, your daughter, her hair is naturally shiny. It's got that Luster ours, we gotta add something to it. So for me, at least once a week, I'm deep conditioning, making sure I'm giving it that extra care that it needs. Yeah.

[Lauren Rose]

How long does. Cause people don't understand the natural hair journey, like styling it, whatever that stuff takes. Hours. And your hair is long and thick. And it's thick. How long does it take for you?

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

I've gotten it down now, girl. I can wash and have it, like washed and styled because I shingle my hair. I section off and like, literally had to pull it with the gel together to make the curls pop. And that takes about an hour and a half. I sit on the dry and kind of let it set because it takes forever for my hair to dry too. Yeah. Like, if I don't let it. If I let it air dry, it'll take two days for my hair to dry because it's so thick. Yeah, yeah. So, yeah.

[Lauren Rose]

But you got it down to 90 minutes.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yeah. I be in there.

[Lauren Rose]

Wow. That's how long it take me with this little bit of shit, girl. I'm sitting there, she like, ouch.

[Jordan Thompson]

But you're new in the journey.

[Host/Announcer]

You're new in your journey, though.

[Lauren Rose]

I am. You know, so it still takes me

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

years of me, like, figuring this out.

[Lauren Rose]

16 years.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yeah.

[Lauren Rose]

So that's how you got it down to 90 days.

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[Jordan Thompson]

Conversations about volleyball go beyond the court.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Today we have a little best friend compatibility test.

[Jordan Thompson]

Okay, how long have we been best friends for?

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Since the day we met.

[Jordan Thompson]

As the League1 volleyball season heads towards its final stretch, there's no better time to tune in. We really are like yin and yang, vodka and tequila. You'll hear unfiltered analysis, behind the scenes stories and conversations with leaders making an impact across the sport. Today we have Logan Lednecki. I feel like our fan base in general is very connected. Just like a comforting feeling getting to play at home. Whether you're following the final push of Love season or just love the game, serving pancakes brings you closer to the Action. And the people shaping the future of volleyball. Jordan Thompson had that microphone out. God forbid we make mistakes or cuss at our coach.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Like when talking two times.

[Jordan Thompson]

Open your free iHeartradio app. Search serving pancakes and listen. Now, this has been serving pancakes. And we'll catch you on the flip side, okay?

[Nissan Advertiser]

Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.

[Julian Edelman]

This is Julian Edelman, host of Games With Names. On our latest episode, we got comedian Blake Anderson from Workaholics and the hilarious this is Important podcast.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Let's go.

[Julian Edelman]

We did beat him in improv. You had an improv against the team? Yes. We would pull up, their schools would be there with signs for us. It's competition. What you would win is a bottle of Goldschlager. James Fester threw it out of a van because he didn't want us drinking it. For more games with names, visit the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast.

[Iris Palmer]

I'm Iris Palmer and my new podcast is called Against All Odds. And that's exactly what the show is about. Doing whatever it takes to beat the odds. Get ready to hear from some of your favorite entrepreneurs and entertainers as they share stories about defying expectations, overcoming barriers, and breaking generational patterns. I'm talking to people like award winning actress, producer and director Eva Longoria.

[Guest on Iris Palmer's Podcast]

I think I had like $200 in my savings account and my mom goes, what are you gonna do? And I was like, I'll figure it out. We had a one bedroom apartment for like $400 a month and we all could not afford. Like, I was like, how am I gonna make $100 a month?

[Iris Palmer]

I'm opening up like I've never before. For those of you who think you know me from what you've seen on social media, get ready to see a whole new side of me. Listen to Against All Odds with Iris Palmer as part of the my Cultura work, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

So I've been doing this for a long time, like figuring it out.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Remember when Sarah Jakes took her stocking cap off and it was so inspirational. I love that right now and be so inspirational.

[Lauren Rose]

I'm telling you. Where can we find this or when can people find it?

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Because I'm right now.

[Lauren Rose]

I keep calling you but right.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Everybody can't call me. But yes, right now it is on ors.com you can go to unapologeticors.com or you can go to Amazon, but we're sending people Directly to the site. They already buying it? Yeah, they've been up since 9 o' clock this morning purchasing, because they dropped at 9am this morning.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How is it working with Ashana? Because Ashana is.

[Lauren Rose]

Man, every legend

[DJ Envy]

before you dance. You know what I realized today? She comes from the label family. She got you on a label run right now.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

No, for real.

[DJ Envy]

You doing. You have to do a freestyle before you leave. Too shy. I got you on doing radio. She got your Times Square.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

You go watch everywhere. No, this. Listen, this lady right here, both of them, Wes and Ashana, I'm so blessed to have them on my team. I was saying yesterday, you know, sometimes that you have people on your team that kind of undermine you, and you'll have these ideas and they kind of look at you like, I don't really know if you should do that. There's been nothing that I have brought to them where they weren't like, okay, let me make a phone call. All right, we're going to set this up. Yes. I love that. Like, literally whatever I want to do, whatever God has planned inside of me, they helped make it happen. And this was just another one of those dreams that literally I'm living right now because of this woman behind me.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I mean, it's rare to have executives that still just want to be executives.

[Jordan Thompson]

Yeah.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

You know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Like, now you got executives that want to be talented.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yes, for sure.

[DJ Envy]

Dancing all the videos.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

You know what I'm saying?

[Lauren Rose]

Stop playing with her.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

What is this? What record label is this?

[Host/Announcer]

Death Row Defro.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah. Defraud.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And you said you had somebody like that before?

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yeah, yeah. And it's like one of the. Where it becomes a conflict of interest, where it's like, okay, are you trying to be the talent or. And now I'm like, if you're going to get deals, are you getting them for me or you? You know, that's a real thing. So y' all don't have to worry about that. We all. They all. Both of them are entrepreneurs in their own right, have amazing businesses and doing their own thing. But there's. Even when there is synergy, we work together because we're a team, you know, versus, like, there's no competition. It's like we come together with everything.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How do you think you've been able to establish the connection with the audience that you have, Crystal? Cause, like, your podcast. Keep it positive, sweetie. Everybody loves your podcast. Like, how do you think you've been able to establish that type of real connection with them?

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yeah, I Think just putting it all out there. Charlamagne being who I am, I think for so long and for a lot of us, we live so much of our life in the light. We want to keep certain things to ourself. We don't want to share the hidden areas, the dark areas, the pits, and the. You know what I'm saying? The heaviness of it all. But when you share it and let people know, hey, I'm just like you. You know, we all going through our thing. We fighting our own demons. And when you put it out there, for me, that was the moment I realized there's nothing to be ashamed of. Let them know. Share those stories. And that is how we build this community, just through being authentic and being intentional about storytelling and sharing my truth. Yeah.

[Host/Announcer]

Yeah. To keep it positive. Sweetie. Girl's gonna eat this up.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Listen, they already. Girl, they was out last night. They done found the cause. We were doing, like, testing on the site. They already went through the site, figured out where it was, and they're like, it's saying sold out.

[Host/Announcer]

We like.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Cause it's not up yet. They were already trying to figure it out. But, yeah, they were up this morning waiting for 9am to hit.

[Host/Announcer]

That's such a blessing.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Are you gonna have a booth at the Black Effect Podcast Festival selling unapologetic hair?

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yes. I cannot wait for that. Thank you so much. I'm excited even to be a part of the family, but really excited to bring Keep It Positive, Sweetie to the festival.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So Crystal will be doing her podcast, Keep It Positive Sweetie, at the Black Effect Podcast Festival in Atlanta on April 25th. And now you heard she'll have the unapologetic hair booth out there selling product, too. And I'm sure a bunch of other stuff as well.

[Nissan Advertiser]

Yes.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Merch. All the things. Yeah. Thank you.

[Lauren Rose]

Did you do your own packaging?

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

We did, honey.

[Lauren Rose]

This.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

And that was not what it was.

[Lauren Rose]

I love it.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Was it Ashara?

[DJ Envy]

Why y' all give me the fan? Like,

[Lauren Rose]

hit it.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

We got a box for you too. And for you, Charlamagne.

[Lauren Rose]

There we go. But no, I love this. Mandela, I love your message to us as well. It says, I've learned that caring for my curls isn't about perfection. It's about connection to my roots, my texture, and every woman finding her way. That's what unapologetic is about. I love that.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yes. Thank you. Yeah.

[Lauren Rose]

Definitely sealed me.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yeah. We sat in front of a computer for hours while I was getting my hair braided one day in Atlanta in a hotel, and Ashana Was like, nope, nope, nope, nope. And we came with this saying to the first.

[Lauren Rose]

Packaging.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

A lot of packaging. Okay, I got you.

[Lauren Rose]

I got you. And I Love that. It's 100% authentic banana oil.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yes. From Honduras. People don't understand, honey. Okay. It's the real deal.

[Lauren Rose]

So the Honduras, that's where you find the most purest form of.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Of Batana oil. And it has such a strong coffee smell. So even getting the scent right to make sure that when you land with your man, he want to roll over and smell your hair. He's not like, oh, girl. Is the best part of waking up because it smell like. It smell like coffee.

[Lauren Rose]

You know, the gonna be washing them bonnets evil.

[DJ Envy]

So child, you know, they don't.

[Lauren Rose]

You know, I love my baby.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I love this.

[DJ Envy]

There's anything that can help hair grow.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

This Batana oil. Batana. That's one of the.

[DJ Envy]

Which one is that? Can you give it to Lauren?

[Host/Announcer]

Stop playing with.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It's from trauma, though.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

She got dropped on her head.

[Lauren Rose]

She almost died.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Are you serious?

[Lauren Rose]

Yeah, Almost died.

[Host/Announcer]

I. But I was young, and I did a backflip on a bed, and I had to get stitches, so it's never really. It hasn't really ever.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Oh, it's probably a scar. Yes. It probably won't grow because of the scar. Yeah. That's a great story, though.

[Host/Announcer]

You get on my nerves.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Great story, though.

[Host/Announcer]

She gonna always keep it positive, you know? Y' all get on my nerves. Price points. What are your price points? Like? Because, you know, right now, people are like, oh, my God, I gotta go out and spend my money. Yes.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yes. I think everything is under $22.

[Lauren Rose]

What?

[Host/Announcer]

For hair? Like, girl, do you know. Girl, can you buy a big thing of black jail for this girl?

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

I know.

[Lauren Rose]

Trying to find a big thing of black jail.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Now it's 20, 26.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, my God.

[Lauren Rose]

Your mother used to probably use on your sisters.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yep. For sure.

[Host/Announcer]

I feel like you got to keep that in the house just because.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yeah. It's just.

[Host/Announcer]

Okay. But. You. Yes. Thank you. You mold short hair down. Oh, you know what? I was gonna leave you alone. And all the coloring and all the things. All right. That you be happening over there.

[DJ Envy]

She got hair dye. That's what you should. Oh, no, no, no.

[Host/Announcer]

I was going to you. I was going to you after we talked to the price points.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yes. So, yeah, Nothing is over 22. That was important as well.

[Host/Announcer]

Yeah.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

You know, my fan base ranges from, like, 15 years old all the way to 80, you know, so we wanted to make sure that everywhere in between it wasn't. And we're living in times where everything is inflated.

[Host/Announcer]

Yes.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

People are struggling. So I wanted to make sure when it comes to self care and loving on yourself through your hair. You like it?

[Host/Announcer]

Yes. It smells like. Like a. Like a candle.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Like a honey vanilla.

[Lauren Rose]

Real like cocoa vanilla.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yep. All the things sandalwood.

[Lauren Rose]

Mm.

[DJ Envy]

Now.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, wow.

[Lauren Rose]

You filming for season five of the team and that was rumored. Is the coming up in tv.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Rumor has it. I don't know if I can tell you that yet.

[Lauren Rose]

Oh, my gosh.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Rumor has it. All right. She ain't gonna say no, but I'm working. I'm working always. I got a lot of stuff coming. I did a movie with Courtney Glaude last summer. Just found out that it's going to theaters. AMC wants to be in theaters. Congratulations. We'll definitely be back to talk about that. Something completely different than what you've seen with Fatima. I got stretched in this one, so I'm super excited about that. Yeah, I got some short films. We're actually gonna be showing that in Martha's Vineyard, so we'll be doing a screening for it just so people can come see it. So if y' all in town store, please pull up. Yeah, we doing. We doing all the things. What else we got going on? Music. Oh, yeah. When you talked about record labels, I have music coming out too. Trying to really make me do everything that's good.

[DJ Envy]

Wink if you need help getting out. Just wink if you put too much pressure on you. We need help getting out.

[Lauren Rose]

Superstar. She good.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

We do it.

[Host/Announcer]

Everything.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

I feel like it's time, though. You know, we're in see 10 seasons of Sisters and I feel like that maybe hopefully it continues to go, but I feel like now is the time to go ahead and start, like, venturing off into other spaces. So I was like. I did call it one day. I was like, I'm ready to do. I think we were in DC doing a live show in November, and I was singing other people's songs, and I was like, it's time for some original music. So we've been working on music for like a year now. And yeah, we work talking with some labels, trying to figure the distribution out, but they working. Yeah, no days off, literally.

[Host/Announcer]

For a lot of people who would have all that going on, it was. It would feel so disjointed and all over the place. But like, you. Yours like flows. Because that he mentioned your audience, your community is like, dialed into so many parts of your life. Like, when we did the live conversation on film. Yes, there were girls. Let me tell y'. All, first of all, they were having panels all throughout the weekend. Her panel sold it out. I mean, people were on floor. They were waiting for, like, almost an hour plus to get into the panel that she did. They came with their own merch. Her face, and I mean, her as Crystal, the Tina stuff. Like, all different phases of her life on their shirts. Generations. It was moms, daughters, grandmothers. Like, I've never in the podcast world, I'm, you know, new. I've never seen anything like that. And I told you then, like, yo, this is crazy. Like, the way that they are about you. So you have that community where you can kind of throw all this stuff out there and it'll make sense.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yeah. And it's crazy because, like, I had sent a song that I did with to Tyler and he was like, we gotta put this on Zatima. So, like, everything kind of like flows into every avenue that I'm doing. I'm like, yeah, that makes sense. But yeah, you're right. It just. They pick up on everything. And it's so many generations. It's a blessing, for real, because you just never know, like, who your story's gonna touch, you know? Yeah.

[Lauren Rose]

And so that you are such an inspiration for all of us girls, like, for real. I wanna say black girl. I know some little white girls gonna be like, for me too.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

No, honey, we had. We had some Caucasians in D.C. like, they pulled up on us.

[Lauren Rose]

Oh, the D.C. ones?

[DJ Envy]

They.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Oh, yeah. When they came to the meet and greet, I was like, okay.

[DJ Envy]

I said Caucasian.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Like, the animals really mean, like, aliens.

[DJ Envy]

Like, we had some Caucasians pull up on us.

[Host/Announcer]

He was going through a safari, like. Yeah, because you got the Capital riots

[Lauren Rose]

ones in D.C. then you got the regular ones in D.C. you know, so. Different ones. Different ones. I'm glad they was with us, though.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So unapologetic product. Tell them where to get it again.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Right now you can get [e-mail] you can get on Amazon. It's also going to be in stores soon, so keep looking out. We're going to be doing pop ups. I'm going to take the podcast on a live tour while we're jumping to different cities, we're also going to be doing pop ups with the hair. So, yeah, get ready. This summer is going to be crazy. I'm excited. But sell it out, y'.

[Lauren Rose]

All.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Go get it. Get it for your daughters, your mothers, your boyfriends, everybody. It's for Everybody.

[Bob Pittman]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And April 25th, Crystal Renee Hayslett will be at the Black Effect Podcast festival in Atlanta, Georgia. Pullman Yards. Go to blackffect.com right now to get your tickets. Blackffect.com podcast festival.

[DJ Envy]

That's right. Thanks for joining us.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Thank you.

[Lauren Rose]

Thank you.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

It's always so much fun when I come and see y'. All.

[DJ Envy]

It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Hold up.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Every day I wake up.

[Julian Edelman]

Wake your ass up.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The Breakfast Club. You're finished or y' all done?

[Inner Balance Advertiser]

If you're feeling off fatigue, mood changes, skin shifts, yet your labs say everything's normal. You're not alone. Meet Oestra from Inner Balance, the first all in one prescription strength bioidentical hormone cream that's natural and effective and only takes one drop, 10 seconds a day. Oestro replaces five to six products women typically use to treat symptoms and is third party tested to ensure the highest quality. Visit innerbalance.com today to start feeling like yourself again. That's innerbalance.com on the serving Pancakes podcast

[Jordan Thompson]

Conversations about volleyball go beyond the court.

[Host/Announcer]

Today we have a little best friend compatibility test.

[Jordan Thompson]

Okay, how long have we been best friends?

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Since the day we met.

[Jordan Thompson]

As the League1 volleyball season heads towards its final stretch, there's no better time to tune in. You'll hear unfiltered analysis, behind the scenes stories and conversations with leaders making an impact across the sport. Whether you're following the final push of Love season or just love the game, serving Pancakes brings you closer to the action and the people shaping the future of volleyball. Open your free iHeartradio app search serving Pancakes and Listen.

[Nissan Advertiser]

Now presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.

[Bob Pittman]

Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia, and I'm kicking off a brand new season of my podcast, Math and Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing. Math and Magic takes you behind the scenes of the biggest businesses and industries while sharing insights from the smartest minds in marketing. Coming up this season on Math and Magic, CEO of Liquid Death, Mike Cesario.

[Julian Edelman]

People think that creative ideas are like these light bulb moments that happen when

[DJ Envy]

you're in the shower where it's really

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

like a stone sculpture.

[Julian Edelman]

You're constantly just chipping away and refining.

[Bob Pittman]

Take to interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick and our own Chief Business Officer, Lisa Coffey. Listen to Math and Magic on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Nick Dickenpole Show Host]

On paper, the three hosts of the Nick Dickenpole show are geniuses. We can explain how AI works, data centers but there are certain things that we don't necessarily understand.

[Julian Edelman]

Better version of play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

Yes.

[Lauren Rose]

Which, by the way, wasn't Taylor Swift who said that for the first time.

[Crystal Renee Haisley]

I actually, I thought it was. I got that wrong.

[Nick Dickenpole Show Host]

But hey, no one's perfect. We're pretty close, though. Listen to the Nick, Dick and Paul show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Host/Announcer]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.