That’s So Retrograde turns five this month and we are first in line to celebrate the weekly podcast that has us laughing into our adaptogenic lattes. Co-hosts Elizabeth Kott and Stephanie Simbari bridge the gap between comedy and wellness with flip realness—it’s no wonder they’ve been coined “the Ab Fab of the new age.”
We couldn’t wait to get into the minds of these BFF’s for a little ‘she-said, she-said’ to share what revs them up, their latest vibe and critical insights on maintaining peak work-wife status year after year…
we are: Elizabeth Kott and Stephanie Simbariof of That’s So Retrograde
Our Mission: Making wellness fun and accessible through curiosity and humor!
Hardest Truth About Owning A Business Together:
Elizabeth: The stakes feel higher creating and building something with someone who I am so close with outside of anything that has to do with work.
Steph: Sometimes you just want to be friends but have work to do and that can be challenging to create boundaries.
Loveliest Truth About Owning Business Together:
Elizabeth: It is a lot of work but we have so much fun.
Steph: How much we trust and care about each other and what we are doing.
Health Habit That Changed My Life:
Elizabeth: Right now, refraining from alcohol has brought on a new form of clarity and connection with myself that was missing for a while.
Steph: Learning to say no—radical truth of self, anti-codependency. Also, eating for my blood type. And on a “health” tip, nutritional muscle testing has healed my eye inflammation in a major way (shout out to Vee’s Honey).
Craziest/Coolest Thing I Learned From A Guest:
Elizabeth: That’s hard because I have basically an Encyclopedia Britannica of lessons…coolest right now is the cycle syncing method from Alisa Vitti. It is a game changer—through following our own biological rhythm we can maximize productivity, creativity and overall quality of life. This is crazy because this information is relatively new to mainstream, and its like why weren’t we given this intel sooner?!
Steph: Definitely the cycle intel from Alisa Vitti was mind blowing on a cultural and personal health level—some things in my chart have been insanely spot on. Remington Donovan’s numerology reads have given me such incredible guidance; bonding with Fran Drescher over cannabis was insane bucket list shit; Marianne Williamson checking us for infantilizing ourselves was epic…it’s honestly impossible to list a best/favorite because it’s all been wildly crazy, cool and expansive!
Currently Obsessing Over:
Elizabeth: Prima night magic face oil (it is fragrance free and really good for any sort of skin irritation), Rising Springs water, my Imperfect Foods weekly produce deliveries, Matcha Bar Hustle Zero Sugar Energy Drink, a really minimal skincare routine and Handel Group life coaching.
Steph: Nip Lip lipstick that is prescribed based on your nipple color, Root Of It All tinctures, facial cups with the Prima oil, Ilia super serum skin tint, Yachak Sparkling Yerba Mate, jewelry from Joy and You Were Born For This by Chani Nichols.
Always In My Day Bag:
Elizabeth: Saie brow butter, Avene thermal water spray, Dr. Bronners hand sanitizer, Ilia Super serum skin tint, Rooted Powder ginger packets and at least five different lip things (right now: Henne Organics, Beauty Counter, Laniege, Bite Beauty and Aquaphor).
Steph: Tiny Moleskin notebook, a pen, rms concealer, Brett Glam brow gel, dental floss from Cocofloss, hand sanitizer, Kiva Edible, a bunch of loose vitamins and bobby pins, a spicy or sweet essential oil from Nemat Perfume, Ouli’s Ointment all-purpose balm and Givenchy lipstick (Rouge Interdit Vinyl Noir).
What I’ve Learned About Myself While Building A Business:
Elizabeth: Everything and nothing.
Steph: So much, but I would describe it more as confirmation of things I’ve always felt but never had language or experience to validate.
What We’ve Learned About Each Other:
Elizabeth: That Steph is the smartest person I know.
Steph: That Elizabeth is the smartest person I know (she made me say this).
What I’ve Learned About Wellness:
Elizabeth: It’s personal, and there is absolutely no one size fits all. Also, I hate the word wellness.
Steph: It’s always evolving, and gentleness is key.
What I’ve Learned About Self-Care:
Elizabeth: It is not a thing for the to-do list or something you “should be doing,” it is about making space, aligning to your needs and what will serve you best in any given moment across the board.
Steph: It’s joyful to do and people should talk about it way less.
Can’t Live Without:
Elizabeth: Sleep Crown pillow, facials from corrective skincare, Dr. Barbara Sturm foaming face wash, my iPad and Rent the Runway unlimited plan.
Steph: Eight hours of sleep, Lord Jones bath salts, my Tiles, Four Sigmatic coffee packets, Standard process Spanish Black radish and Metagenics Methyl Care.
Current Mantra:
Elizabeth: Choose easy.
Steph: Less is more.
What We’re Up To Next:
Breathing, hydrating and world domination!!
