Dare To Be Fearless with Alexa Curtis

Over the last 5 years, I've learnt a lot about choosing the right friends. When it comes to choosing who you surround yourself with, parents aren't the easiest people to talk to for advice. I wish that I had had someone to talk to about this topic. Hopefully these 5 signs will help you choose the right crowd and be the happiest version of yourself.

Erica Portillo is a licensed clinical social worker and online therapist, specializing in depression, anxiety, relationships, self esteem and career exploration. Her passion is inspiring others to create balanced lives using her Mind Design techniques. She shares her advice on her blog and Instagram Ask Erica.

Between dating apps and Instagram filters, we all just want to fit in. That might mean getting invited to your high school party, or going to Coachella...with your "girl gang" and your Taylor Swift face on. But what about when we find ourselves alone, on a Saturday night, listening to Taylor Swift and wondering why we can't all be like her?

Before her freshman year of college, Amanda Zuckerman and her mom Karen were on the hunt for fashionable dorm decor and it took going to an endless amount of stores to finally put together a look that felt like Amanda's style for her dorm room at WashU. Preparing for college is overwhelming in itself and they found themselves wishing there was just one place that had it all. Say hello to dormify.com. What originally started as a content only blog for dorm decorating advice, blossomed into a one stop shop for all trend driven, yet practical decor items. We hope our online store, active style advisor community, and editorial content inspires you to express yourself through unique and chic small space decor.

Michelle Grant is a boss babe. After studying finance at the University of Pittsburgh, she founded LIVELY. Now ladies, you know what it's like to squeeze and shove your tits into a bra. It fucking sucks. There's nothing worse than feeling like you can't feel comfortable in your own body. LIVELY delivers bras and undies that take the best elements of high style and comfort. The concept behind the brand started after Michelle found herself in Victoria secrets, looking for bras, when she became inspired by real life, plain and simple. Then came LIVELY.

Anthony Quintal aka Lohanthony was born and raised in Methuen Massachusetts. At the age of 10 Anthony started making YouTube videos with a group of friends he made on the internet, under the channel name 'SevenIncredibleKids.' In 2012 Anthony started posting videos to his own solo channel under the name Lohanthony. Anthony quickly rose to internet fame after his "car vlogging" and "basic bitches" videos went viral - even getting retweeted by the likes of Katy Perry. After freshman year of high school, Anthony transferred to online school so that he could then move to LA and pursue acting as well as further his Youtube career. We caught up with Anthony this past week to discuss what it was like gaining so much popularity at such a young age. We discussed the pressures he felt of constantly posting to social media to trying to be someone on video who he no longer felt he way. We then delved into why he has decided to take some away from being in front of the camera and the different avenues that he plans on going down in his future. Follow Anthony on social media @lohanthony. Alexa at @alexa_curtis and Gabe at @gabe.cash. And of course, This is Life Unfiltered Podcast at @thisislifepodcast

Last week was an important week in the world of social media and mental health. We wanted to hold off on having a guest this week to cover the latest news in the world. As you know, a 19-year-old boy in Florida purchased a gun and shot 17 people in a Florida high school last week. Through Alexa's work with her nonprofit on social media and mental health, she frequently conducts in-depth research on how social media is warping the way teens view themselves. Back in January, Alexa was invited to speak at TEDxFranklinHighSchool, so she was incredibly invested in research when the shooting occurred. On Episode 17, you'll hear Alexa explain her opinion on guns and mental health, how we can prevent young people feeling isolated and depressed, and how her TED talk went. If you feel yourself becoming depressed or anxious, or find yourself noticing someone around you become isolated, please check out the resources page on www.medianav.org. Follow Alexa on social media at @alexa_curtis and This is Life Unfiltered as @thisislifepodcast on Instagram.

5 years ago, the word paleo would have sounded like a word out of a science booklet. Fast forward to 2018, and gluten-free and paleo are as popular as Instagram. If you're not following a paleo diet, your friends and family have most likely already told you how much better you'll feel if you convert. Kaitlin Smith suffered with gut problems for a while, before she started tracking almond flour sales in grocery stores. As diets like Atkins and South Beach Diet faded out, healthy lifestyle choices like paleo and crossfit hit the market, hard. Instead of trying to become the next Quest or Think Thin bar, Kaitlin started Simple Mills, a paleo food company, that sells products like pumpkin muffin kits (made with coconut sugar and almond flour), almond flour crunchy chocolate chip cookies, and frosting made with organic ingredients and cane sugar. If you've ever had a Simple Mills product, you know how freakin' tasty the stuff is too. She's gone from a team of herself, to a team of 27 people and growing. What started as a test in her Charlotte, NC kitchen, has made Kaitlin a leader in the food revolution, getting attention from places like Forbes, Whole Foods, and Thrive Market. She was on Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2017, and Simple Mills lives on shelves across America in over 1,200 stores! Follow Kaitlin on social media at @simplemills and Alexa at @alexa_curtis and @thisislifepodcast.

Danielle Robay is a force to be reckoned with. At the ripe age of 27, Danielle has already made her mark in the world of TV. She's an entertainment journalist, blogger, influencer, AND TV host: there's obviously not one career goal Danielle can't accomplish! Starting at Entertainment Tonight and CLEVVER TV, before heading to guest host on shows like Dr. Drew and the Teen Choice Awards, Danielle moved back to Chicago to take up a gig as the host of WCIU's The Jam. With over 160k followers on Instagram, Danielle's feed is filled with inspiration and self-love dedicated pictures. Born and raised in Chicago, Danielle has a special place in her heart for the place she grew up in. After going back and forth between politics and entertainment television, Danielle decided to pursue entertainment TV and start her blog Pop Politics, that molds together two of her favorite topics. Follow Danielle on social media at @daniellerobay and Alexa at @alexa_curtis and @thisislifepodcast!

Back in 2011, A Life in the Fashion Lane was a little blog with a simple mission behind it: to inspire young adults to follow their dreams. Seven years later, Alexa has managed to make her side hustle into a full-time platform for young adults. Sponsored by brands like T-Mobile, British Airways, and Lane Bryant, A Life in the Fashion Lane is the go-to site for everything relating to body image and teens. Every company starts with a concept and a dream for what that idea will hopefully turn into one day. On Episode 14, you'll hear Alexa discuss how she knew she was different, what set A Life in the Fashion Lane apart from other blogs, and how you too can follow your dreams and get paid to do what you love too! Follow Alexa on social media at @alexa_curtis and This is Life Unfiltered on @tilupodcast/@thisislifepodcast.

We are THRILLED to welcome two mega-moguls to This is Life Unfiltered today! Lulu Eschelman, designer and entrepreanur, along with ex- E! News host Catt Sadler, joined us at our studio in Culver City to talk about what being an entrepreanur in front and behind the camera is truly like. Lulu and Catt teamed up to create the Jacki bag for Lulu's handbag line, LumillaMingus, that gives back to women and kids across the world. Two ladies with a mission, eh? That's what we at This is Life Unfiltered are all about. Follow Alexa & This is Life Unfiltered on social media at @alexa_curtis and @thisislifepodcast.

We've all dealt with some form of anxiety or depression. In recent light of Logan Paul's terrible video in the Japanese suicide forest, Alexa sits down to talk about her personal struggles with anxiety and depression. This episode covers how to manage your anxiety, tips on dealing with depression, and how you can proceed with reaching out for help from a specialist. With this episode, we are hoping to bring more awareness to all mental health issues, and most importantly, show you that you can recover from what you are going through. Each day you may battle something new, but that is never a reason to give up on yourself or your friends. You deserve to be happy- never forget that. For more mental health resources, please see www.medianav.org. Follow Alexa and This is Life Unfiltered on social media at @alexa_curtis and @thisislifepodcast.

With over 1 million YouTube subscribers, Chelsea Crockett knows how to work the internet. Originally from Illinos, Chelsea created her channel on July 3, 2011, uploading her first video one month later. Though she initially fell in love with beauty and posting about makeup, Chelsea is considered an Internet personality now, posting videos about her boyfriend, her religion, and her personal life. She's a major body image activist, and is as open and honest with her followers as one girl under 21 could be! A few years ago, Chelsea had a show on Seventeen Magazine's YouTube channel (called 17before17) where she took on tasks to do (like surf) before she turned 17. We're incredibly excited to have her on This is Life Unfiltered today. Now that it's a new year, it might feel like it's time to clean your social media feeds and fill them with inspirational content. Why keep negativity in your life, ya know? That totally describes how we're feeling this year! Follow Chelsea on social media at @chelseakaycrockett & @chelseacrockett.

Natasha Bure is one inspirational chick. At the ripe age of 19, she's got 100s of thousands of subscribers on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter, and has such a strong head on her shoulders. Did we also mention she's an author? Her book Let's Be Real, was released earlier this year and covers everything from acne to dating and everything in between. Natasha rose to fame alongside her mother, Fuller House star Candace Cameron Bure and has already made a name for herself in Hollywood. From starring in movies to competing on The Voice, this young woman has truly dabbled in everything, and managed to stay grounded all the while. She's a great example for young adults (and really anyone), on how you can do anything you put your mind to and stay humble when you've accomplished so much. We hope you adore her as much as we do!

Jenna Birch is a force to be reckoned with. Originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Jenna wanted to be a writer since the third grade. Since she's pursued journalism and writing full-time, Jenna has had bylines in magazines such as Teen Vogue, Cosmo Magazine, Yahoo and more. Jenna and Alexa met at the Talkspace conference over a year ago, and they bonded over a mutual interest of social media and dating, specifically how the modern dating game poses unsuspecting dangers for young adults. Jenna's first book, "The Love Gap" (Grand Central Life & Style, January 2018), a forthcoming dating guide for modern women trying to navigate today's complicated romantic landscape, comes to shelves in January of 2018! We're thrilled to see this powerful lady following her dreams from an early age and she's got some phenomenal tips for young adults when it comes to dating and breaking into the journalism side of the industry. We'll talk with Jenna about why so many men are afraid to date smart women, why women don't need to be married by 30, and more!

Back in 2015, Cycle 22 of America's Next Top Model premiered on The CW on August 5th. If you've never watched America's Next Top Model - Tyra Banks rose to fame when she started a show that enabled young models to have the chance to get industry connections and modeling contracts without having to be "scouted." Along came Mamé Adjei, a confident and striking model who ruled the show for the season and finished in second place. What stood out to us about Mamé, during our interview, was that she wasn't just a pretty face. Adjei won the Miss Maryland crown before competing on the show, and went on to compete in Miss USA. Though she didn't leave the show with the "ultimate" title, she's been able to grow her platform so drastically that she's now more than just a model. Her social media is filled with love and passion, which stems from her authentic and kind personality. She's a prime example of how you don't have to come from anything to become something, and everyone can benefit from advice. Follow her on social media at @MameAdjei and follow This is Life Unfiltered at @thisislifepodcast.

You may know Kimberly J. Brown from the hit movie series Halloweentown that first premiered in 1998. Since the premiere, Kimberly has appeared in three Halloweentown movies, and has starred in tons of other hit shows along the way. She's 32, and has been in the industry since she was 6 years old, performing, acting, and producing. Over the past ten years, she has proven that hollywood stars can stay grounded and focused on their work. Kimberly won an Independent Spirit Award for her performance in an indie film, which she says was totally unlike working on a high budget TV show like Law & Order: SVU. When she's not acting and attending casting calls, you can find her mentoring other actors, working on her YouTube channel, and writing children's' books. We had the chance to meet with her at our new studio in Culver City, CA and ask her everything about the entertainment industry and what people should know before they move to Hollywood to become a star. Oh, and we might've touched on those overnight sensations. Follow Kimberly at @officialkjb on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube! Don't forget to rate + review- let us know what you like and dislike on "This is Life Unfiltered" so far!

This week, we talked to Sophie Elgort about photography and avoiding the overwhelming social media noise when making a career for yourself. Sophie Elgort is an award winning photographer, daughter to famous photographer Arthur Elgort, and sister to Ansel Elgort. Born and raised in NYC, Sophie attended Brown University and says college was one of the most important times of her life. In 2016, she was named Forbes 30 under 30 in the arts & style category, and she also runs a nonprofit called Through Our Lens. The nonprofit aims to provide photography skills and mentorship to teen girls in the Manhattan area. Alexa met Sophie years ago at an event in Manhattan, and was instantly captivated by her strong and independent attitude, as well as her outstanding portfolio. Years later, Alexa and Sophie reunite to talk about the entertainment industry and what people should know before pursuing a career in the most competitive industry in the world. Follow #ThisisLifeUnfiltered on social media on Instagram at @thisislifepodcast and Twitter at @tilupodcast!