Trading Secrets – Episode 261

Remi Bader: From Being Fired Twice to Powerhouse Creator — How She Built Her Career on Unfiltered Honesty, Pursuing Her Passion in Fashion, and Staying True to Who She Is

Podcast Host: Jason Tartick (Audioboom Studios)
Guest: Remi Bader
Date: November 3, 2025

Episode Overview

In this candid and inspiring episode, Jason Tartick welcomes Remi Bader, viral content creator, entrepreneur, and influential figure in fashion, to discuss her unconventional career journey. Remi shares how being fired twice and feeling like an outsider led her to build a thriving platform rooted in honesty, self-acceptance, and relentless authenticity. Together, they detail the financial realities of social media success, mental health challenges, and Remi’s transformation from uncertainty and rock bottom to entrepreneurial triumph—including million-dollar brand deals and becoming a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Remi’s Early Career & Struggles in Fashion (06:14 – 10:26)

• Passion and Early Internships:

  • Remi was drawn to PR/marketing with a long-standing interest in fashion but doubted she belonged due to her body type.
  • “I remember being in that room for one of the fashion shows and, like, looking around the room and being like, oh, no one looks like me. Like, no one's curvier here, whether they were a model or just worked there... I can't do fashion; it's not the place for me.” (Remi, 09:00–09:17)

• First Jobs Post-College:

  • Assistant at Bravo TV (NBC Universal)—$40k/year, fired from the position.
  • “I wasn't a good assistant, for sure. Which I wasn't accepting of back then... It was a big job that I guess I just... My mom always said, I don't think you could be an assistant. I think you one day will need an assistant. She was right.” (Remi, 08:03–08:32)

• Feeling Like an Outsider:

  • Culture shocked by lack of body diversity in fashion spaces; the pivotal moment instilled self-doubt but ultimately laid the seeds for her unique path.

2. The Turning Point: Unemployment and Starting Social Media (13:22 – 14:56; 19:10 – 20:50)

• Job Losses and COVID:

  • After being fired twice (Bravo & Title/Jay-Z’s company, due to COVID), Remi was unemployed during the pandemic, struggling financially and emotionally.
  • “I literally just started making videos talking about me being in a bad... That's what happened.” (Remi, 14:53–14:56)

• Binge Eating and Money:

  • Opened up about spending all her savings on food and Ubers during a difficult period and building viral content from her vulnerability.
  • “This is the first time in 250 episodes I heard someone said that I had almost zero dollars from binge eating.” (Jason, 19:08–19:13)
  • “I would just like Uber home, order from like seamless Postmates, whatever it was and just like literally sit on my floor and like eat. But I literally did that to a point where I had $0.” (Remi, 19:23–19:41)

3. Viral Social Media Growth & Breakout (21:54 – 25:33)

• Rapid Growth:

  • Posting on TikTok in late 2020, blew up in January 2021 after a ‘Free People’ haul went viral.
  • “All of a sudden… hundreds of thousands of followers. It was insane. I'm like, what do you do with this?” (Remi, 22:56–23:01)

• Proactive Networking:

  • Cold-messaged agents at UTA, seeking representation after noticing what other creators were doing.
  • Negotiated her own early deals ($300/video), supplemented income with “fit modeling” (few hundred dollars per gig), and had the support of her dad at rock bottom.

• Major Financial Leap:

  • First significant brand deal: $15k for a few videos—a shocking leap from previous $60k annual salary.
  • “Just being authentic and telling your journey—you can make 15 grand... I’ve never seen this money before.” (Remi, 25:11–26:32)

4. Financial Transparency: From Zero to Seven Figures (26:47 – 28:08)

• Monetization Explosion:

  • Estimate: Over $1 million in first full year (2021) from content—more than 10x previous salaried work.
  • “I'm gonna guess, over 200 grand, year 2021.” (Jason, 27:13–27:15)
  • “Oh, I think, I think a million.” (Remi, 27:18)

• Distribution:

  • Agency (UTA) took 10% of deals, lawyer 5%, no manager at first; emphasized importance of legal help (“most important...someone told me, get a lawyer before anything with these deals”).

• Managing New Wealth:

  • Despite new income, habits (binge eating, mental health issues) didn’t change overnight. Spoke candidly about financial discipline and rechanneling resources to self-care and therapy later.

5. Dealing with Success, Partnerships, and Mental Health (30:21 – 33:26)

• Impact/Reality Disconnect:

  • Public success didn’t cure private struggles—success amplified pressures.
  • “I was still spending money and doing the same thing in terms of that... I couldn't work on my mental health and things like that.” (Remi, 29:52–30:21)

• Major Deals (“Grammy of deals”):

  • Year-long partnership with Victoria’s Secret PINK was career-defining (“that was my biggest...they resigned me for the next year!”).

• Financial Responsibility and Family Support:

  • Advised listeners to get professional help with finances (“my dad was in my ear, like, get someone to help you with your money...do not be dumb”).

6. Trading Secrets and Lessons Learned (15:17 – 17:19; 34:19 – 35:22)

• Vulnerability as Superpower:

  • “If you're in a room and…something different about you than every other person there, that could be a superpower.” (Jason, 15:17–15:28)
  • Remi’s uniqueness (humor, body type, honesty) became strengths in the emerging, authentic content space.
  • “TikTok created a different kind of, like, content creator that, like, you were allowed to, like, be who you are…and it wasn’t about looks.” (Remi, 17:11–17:21)

• Manifestation with Hard Work:

  • Cautioned against “manifestation without effort” — credited relentless action as key to achieving the inconceivable.

• Legacy and Family Misconceptions:

  • Addressed (online) claims that her success was due to family connections; clarified her father worked in lower-end women’s jeans sales, not high fashion.

7. Social Media, Success, and Setting Boundaries (46:09 – 50:43)

• Handling Public Scrutiny and Negativity:

  • Facing backlash, especially following weight loss surgery, Remi emphasized the ongoing need to set healthy boundaries—even when fans expected openness.
  • “You owe, you owe no one anything. Like in this world, if you don't create boundaries...No one knows Remy Bader. We get to know what we see from Remy.” (Jason, 50:02–50:43)

• Protecting Mental Health:

  • Cited high-profile examples (Paris Hilton, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift) to illustrate the importance of not defining oneself by public opinion or online commentary.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Why Authenticity Won:

  • “I took something that I was insecure about and put it into…making it into something else. Again, I really do think it was a lot of that vulnerability and just talking about being honest and open.” (Remi, 15:38–16:19)

• On the Power of Action:

  • “Manifesting...comes with a lot of effort too. So like, you can make something, you could want something. And if you want it, I think you just need to act on it.” (Remi, 13:24–14:12)

• On Coping with Setbacks:

  • “I got let go again. So I thought…even though that was for a reason, I was like, oh, wow. Like, I am not going to be successful. Like, I thought…I was something wrong with me.” (Remi, 10:26–11:10)

Highlighted Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Highlight | |---------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 06:14–10:26 | Remi's early career journey, doubts about fashion industry, getting fired, and emotional impact. | | 13:22–14:56 | Advice to her younger self, manifesting plus action, leveraging uniqueness as strength. | | 19:10–20:50 | Binge eating, spending all savings, how her lowest point seeded viral honesty online. | | 21:54–25:33 | TikTok breakout, getting agent, first brand deal, DIY management hacks. | | 26:47–28:08 | Financial leap: first year income, importance of contracts and financial planning. | | 30:21–33:26 | Mental health struggles during rise, Victoria’s Secret deal, impact of family guidance. | | 34:19–35:22 | Vulnerability backlash, dealing with misconceptions about family connections. | | 46:09–50:43 | Setting boundaries as a creator, managing public/private life, advice on integrity and self-care. |

The Takeaways

• Pursuing authenticity—even that which feels like a “liability”—can be your biggest competitive advantage.
• Success is never linear: firing, struggles, and rejection often happen just before the breakthrough.
• Money and public recognition can’t fill internal voids or mental health needs—self-awareness and care are essential.
• Social media stardom is fast and volatile; protecting boundaries and integrity are non-negotiable for longevity.
• Vulnerability attracts both advocates and critics—a “noise” that signals growth and impact.

Final Words

Remi’s journey is a masterclass in self-acceptance, authenticity, and unconventional financial success. Her transparency about money, mental health, and career mishaps helps destigmatize tough conversations, reminding listeners that their pain points can become platforms for change and prosperity.

“You don't need to be…skinny to be successful…for anyone that is like, ‘I wish I could be doing this right now.’ Like, okay, so, like, get up and start doing the work to do it.” (Remi, 13:24–14:12)

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