Our Playground

Madi Baldwin is the founder and host of Gen Z Girlies - a podcast dedicated to inspiring Gen Z women and non-binary folk to pursue their dream careers. They’ve interviewed guests including Forbes 30 under 30 CEO’s to filmmakers and artists. In our conversation, Madi and I talk about the power of peer-to-peer conversations and what it really means to be an entrepreneur. We also dive into Madi's...

Rachna Kumar is a recent graduate from the University of Washington Foster School of Business and is now a full-time strategy consultant. She is also a content creator with a community of over 17k on TikTok where she shares life in Seattle, college advice, and so much more. In our conversation, Rachna shares how she landed her first brand deal with Mejuri, if you really need a niche in order to gr...

It's the annual SUMMER RECAP episode!! It's been 365 days since the previous summer recap so go and listen to 2022's episode, you know, for funsies! Jaylah and I talk about how we spent our summers, our favorite reads, and what we're looking forward to for our senior year. We also tease a super exciting project that is launching SOON! For podcast updates and more, follow  @ourplayg...

Today, we are joined by Alex Ellsworth who is the current DECA High School Division President serving over 220,000 DECA members!! She previously served as a two-time Nevada DECA Association officer and is now a student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas studying hospitality and international business. In this episode, we unpack what DECA is, how members can make the most of their DECA experien...

Today, I am joined by Julia Dixon, the founder of ES.AI, a startup creating AI tools that help students tell their authentic stories in their college essays. In this episode, we dive into how Julia’s background in college tutoring led her to create this company, why we should all implement AI into our daily routines, and her advice for crafting a unique college essay. Try out ES.AI: https://esai.a...

If you aren't into reading then you NEED to listen to this episode. I sit down and share my ultimate guide to becoming a reader this summer. From my favorite books that will get you addicted to reading, my personal reading journey, how I read so many books (hint hint...may involve my Kindle), and so much more. For podcast updates and more, follow @ourplaygroundpod + @allyphan_ THINGS MENTIONED...

Have you ever thought about the impact of the single-use cotton rounds and makeup wipes that we use in our daily beauty routines? Turns out, 75% of the population wants to be more sustainable. Today, I brought on Lena Chao, the founder, and CEO of Clean Circle - a low-waste personal care brand that creates products to tackle beauty waste and address the environmental impact on our skin. We chat ab...

Today's episode is a special one! After two years of Our Playground, I sit down and share 4 lessons that I've learned after speaking with nearly 50 guests and producing 50 podcast episodes. From realizing that podcast growth is s l o w to the importance of giving yourself space to experiment when starting out. This episode is perfect if you have a podcast, or have been thinking of starting...

This week, I am joined by Julia Diaz, founder of Abitare Collective -- a brand that creates apparel that inspires you to get outside and celebrate the world that we live in. In our conversation, we talk about Julia’s start in entrepreneurship running lemonade stands, why she felt like she needed to pivot her business, and we unpack what it’s really like having businesses as high schoolers. The cha...

This week on Our Playground, I am sitting down and doing a solo episode! I recap how the end of the school year is going, including my favorite things recently (The Inheritance Games, Girl Scout Thin Mint Pretzels, and Cocokind!), and I answer all of your questions that were submitted on Instagram! If you want to have your questions answered in the next solo episode, follow @ourplaygroundpod on IG...

Today, I am joined by Anna who is the entrepreneur behind Anna Made Design Co - a handmade greeting card shop - and the creator of Soaring Together - a platform empowering teen business owners. Anna also recently started Soaring Stories, a podcast sharing biz bestie-style chats! In today’s conversation, we talk about how Anna’s passion for entrepreneurship came about, how to grow a business on Ets...

Today, Jaylah and I are sitting down and doing a HUGE life update. We talk about work and school (ofc) and we also talked about our time in Florida for DECA ICDC - including Disney World, sprinter van drama (windshield wiper malfunctioned??), and Jaylah's near-death experience (don't worry she is fine :) Also, you have to listen to the whole episode for all of this to make sense!!! LET&#39...

Meet Nikita Charuza, the founder of Squigs, a brand that makes effective products rooted in Ayurveda and a mission of "happy headcare". Their two hero products include the Double Shot Face Serum and the Gooseberry Delight Hair Oil, all of which has gained the attention of Vogue, Allure, and Glamour. Prior to starting Squigs, Nikita was a full-time beauty editor at Popsugar and last year, she decid...

Today’s guest is Emily Bach, a sexual violence prevention advocate and the co-founder of Stories of Consent. Stories of Consent which was formerly Space To Speak is a platform contextualizing what consent actually looks and feels like through personal stories and education. It aims to destigmatize the conversation around consent because unfortunately, most of us don’t learn enough about it in scho...

Anushka Joshi is the founder and editor-in-chief of GEN-ZiNE, a global grassroots community for young voices rewriting the future. It started as a print-only zine in 2018 and has since then evolved into a multimedia collective inspiring young leaders. Today, we chat all about Anushka’s a-ha moment when she realized she wanted to be a voice in media, how she’s built GEN-ZiNE to where it is today, a...

Today's guest is Paige Cey, who is a community and brand builder. She was previously the marketing coordinator for Girlboss and currently, she’s in the process of building a beverage brand! In this episode, Paige talks about what it was like growing up as a triplet, how she got her foot into marketing and brand consulting, as well as how she landed her first job with Girlboss right out of college....

Today, we are joined by Gigi Robinson, a Gen Z chronic illness and mental health advocate. Through her work as a digital creator, public speaker, and overall a voice for the next gen, Gigi has been featured in all the major publications including Forbes, Vogue, and NBC. In this episode, she shares how she turned her early diagnosis into an advantage, her favorite platforms to create on, and why sh...

Sophie Beren is the founder of The Conversationalist, a non-partisan educational platform that is empowering a community of over 100,000 Gen Z to step outside their bubble, have the difficult conversations, and most of all unify together. And how do they do this? Through the first Gen Z talk show, “POVz” and a digital network on Geneva. Prior to this, Sophie founded TableTalk, a conversation club...

Shirah Benarde is the co-founder and CEO of NightCap, a brand that makes drink spiking prevention products. If you didn't know, drink spiking is something that happens in nightclubs, bars, and parties and mainly targets young women. Not only can drink spiking lead to hallucinations and blackouts but it can also lead to sexual assault and robbery. NightCap is loved by their community of over 400k o...

This week, Ally is bringing back one of her favorite episodes you do not want to miss out. Meet Larz May, the founder of #HalfTheStory , the first nonprofit on a mission to empower the next generation's relationship with technology. Larz started #HalfTheStory in college as a way to share her experience navigating social media and mental health. Now, #HalfTheStory is making waves in schools, state...

This week is the inaugural SOLO episode! Ally dives into her current favorites (Gilmore Girls, books, etc.) and her tips for thriving as a busy student. She also shares a little message about academic validation and mental health of course. Even if you aren't a student, hopefully these tips are still helpful or simply entertaining ;) Catch the latest on IG @ourplaygroundpod LET'S BE FRIENDS @allly...

Today’s guest is Gia Lee, the co-founder of NinetyEight, an LA-based marketing agency run by Gen Z. They’ve worked with brands including PepsiCo, Meta, Paul Frank (if you guys remember Julius The Monkey) and Fabletics on creative strategy, Gen Z consulting, and social media. In this episode, Gia shares how NinetyEight came about, what Gen Z is looking for in brands, and her best lessons as a young...

Stockholm-based interior architect Alyssa Anselmo is joining us on Our Playground this week! Now, while I’m not an expert in this industry, Alyssa has designed some pretty insane spaces. She’s the founder of Studio Anva and has a TikTok community of nearly 150k followers. In this episode, Alyssa shares when she first knew that design was her calling, how she designed a dreamy childcare center, and...

This week, Jaylah and I are going all in and doing a summer recap. We talk about our current fixations (the new Glossier Balm Dot Com👀, Kourtney Kardashian's new brand), traveling, Airbnb scams, what we are looking forward to going into junior year, and much much more. LETS BE FRIENDS - TikTok

Today we are joined by Rachel Shea. She’s a full-time model, content creator, and medical student with content that is truly unmatched. In this episode, we talk all things modeling, how she got started, her experience in the industry as well as what it has been like growing her TikTok. We also get into her recommendations for first time readers (she has the coolest bookshelf), why she turns down a...