MALLY RONCAL: EPISODE LINK
OVER 50 AND FABULOUS FACEBOOK LINK
TRANSCRIPT:
COLLEEN: Welcome back to Hot Flashes and Cool Topics. We are really excited for the conversation today with Mally Roncal. Welcome to the show.
MALLY: Yay! – Hold on, before we even get started, I am actually having a little bit of a hot flash. I have my over 15 fabulous fan. Here we go. [Flips fan open] Yeah, there we go. Thank you. Oh, yeah, I thought like you remember when we were like little girls and we get those little paper fans and we would play with them who would have thought that now in our fifties they they’ve become they’re back in our lives. I never I never not have a fan somewhere near me just in case. You know, then we did it for fun. Now it’s a necessity.
COLLEEN: We have the little electric ones that you press the button.
MALLY: I love it. Yes. I love it. Wait, are you in your closet?
BRIDGETT: We’re in closets, yes. We’re in our taping. Mine’s kind of a walk -in closet that has shelves. But I put my Pyrex back here, like normal, but you know, try to look normal. But yeah, we’re in, Colleen’s is really small,
COLLEEN: Good thing I’m not claustrophobic. Well, I kind of am, but we don’t talk about it. We just pretend it’s not happening, but welcome to the show. We are so excited to have you on and talk about all the fun things that are going on in your life and the world of women over 50. So let’s get started first with your career and how you kind of got on that. You’re now doing the over 50 and fabulous show on the Q ambassadors, the Age of Possibility. So much is happening.
But let’s start with how did this all come about? Where did you start and how did it evolve?
MALLY: Okay, well, that of course, you know, it’s funny when you’re in your 50s. I feel like you’re, you know, when you’re growing up, when you’re, you’re on your career, when you’re having kids, when you’re doing this thing, you really are on a bit of a hamster wheel. And I don’t know about you guys, but I very rarely, even with your wins, especially with your losses, you don’t tend to like, well, sometimes with our losses, we keep looking back, but that’s a different conversation for another day. But you know, you kind of just keep on trucking and you keep on hopefully growing and hopefully moving forward. So it’s funny, when you’re in your 50s sometimes and people ask you questions like this, you do tend to look back and go, “Well, nah, I’ve done some sh *t, haven’t I?” And I think we all have to do that, you know, as we’re getting older is to toot our horns a little bit more and not be afraid you kind of say, “Yes, I’ve worked hard. I’ve done a lot of things that I’m proud of.” So I encourage my sisters like you to do that often because I think we’re so trained as women to be like, “No, no, no, no, no, no.” You know, think about it when someone says, “Oh, you look pretty today.” The first thing you say is, “Oh, Oh, no, I didn’t get enough sleep and look at I have bags under my eyes like, you know, you can just say thank you, you know, and I think that that’s great so thank you for asking that question and I’m going to keep it short because you know it’s been a long career but basically I had jumping forward to my makeup career actually started as a fashion designer, which is really, you know, it was something that I always loved. I always just loved being the daughter of two Filipino doctors. I was very much expected to become a doctor, which I actually wanted to do because they were my inspiration, except for all that stuff that you had to like do doctor things. (laughing) You know what I mean? I wanted to just, you know, help people feel good. That’s all I, that’s what I realized was in my heart. I didn’t necessarily want to be a doctor. I just wanted to help people feel better in whatever way that was. So I ended up going through fashion design school. I ended up becoming a fashion designer and then transitioning to makeup, which was always my love, always my number one passion. It was the thing that I was that girl in high school that was like popping your zits in the bathroom, doing your makeup for prom, like all that. That was my love. And then by the grace of God, I was, I was living in New York City. I ended up, you know, working hustling, doing every job I could, ended up becoming a celebrity makeup artist, meaning that I was traveling the world with Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez and Celine Dion and, you know, we did Mariah Carey, we did Rihanna, we did, it was an incredible, amazing career, Mary J. Blige, all of the above, and I loved every second of it.
But in my heart and soul, I always knew that I wanted to start a makeup line, and I always knew that I wanted to connect with men and women and teach them how to look and feel their best. So it was always just part of the journey. I loved every minute of it, but I also wanted to have kids. I wanted to stay in one place. And you know, when you’re working with celebrities, you’re on the road, you’re living in an airplane and you’re living out of a suitcase. And that was great in my 20s and early 30s. But then I was like, ooh, I want to like be a mom and I kind of like, you know, and I wanted to have a little bit more stability. Anyway, ha ha stability started a makeup line. 20 years ago, came to QVC and launched Mali Beauty,
and it’s just been an incredible, incredible journey. I get to go on and teach all my tips and tricks, I get to create incredible makeup so that you and feel your most powerful going out there into the world. And then with that journey, a couple of years ago, QVC gave me the biggest gift on the planet and let me work on a show called “Over 50 and Fabulous.” And it has truly changed the trajectory of my life. In a nutshell, that’s kind of how it started. But my husband, Phil, who is my biggest, we just actually had our 25th wedding anniversary.
COLLEEN: Happy anniversary! You redid your vows, right?
MALLY: Yes, oh, and it was amazing. It was something that we always wanted to do, but as you know, it’s always like, we’ll do it later. We’ll do it later, we’ll do it later. Then we were like, screw it, we’re just gonna do it. And I’m so glad we did because it really helped all of us come together, our family, and just celebrate, you know, celebrate something, which I think, again, speaking to our over 50 friends out there, it’s time to celebrate when you can. You know, it’s, we’re moving and shaking. If we all have the honor of living till we’re 100, like we’re past halfway, guys. So we need to keep cracking.
BRIDGETT: Yeah, you know, I’ve read your book, your of your love lashes and lips, yes. You know, what I read it about your first day on QVC. But your parents are, you know, your mother was such an inspiration and both your parents. And I thought, well, okay, this is what happens when you have all this love is somebody like you that just, I just felt like you spread it. You’re spreading the love and Positivity and and that’s just you know what I wanted to say about I just want to tell you that I really didn’t have a question
COLLEEN: Well, we can kind of follow up with that. Positivity preacher. What exactly does that mean?
MALLY: Okay, so what it means is this positivity preacher is not about toxic positivity Okay, if I have one more girl or somebody writing on my Instagram say, you’re spreading toxic positivity. That is exactly what we’re not doing. We’re here to talk about the fact that yes,sometimes life sucks. Sometimes it’s hard. We go through seasons that are so incredibly difficult that you feel like you could die, right? Like you can’t even get out of bed. You know, it’s so painful. But our job as positivity preachers is to Yes, live in that space for hopefully not too long, but then look to positive energy. Look to gratitude. Look to those happy little nuggets of joy that maybe you can instead of living in that dark place, it’s about looking to those little, and it could be anything. It could, it needs to be simple. the minute you start saying like, well, I’m only going to be happy when I lose 20 pounds. I’m only going to be happy when I get that job. I’m only going to be happy. Then you’re freaking screwed. Okay. Because it nine times out of 10, the journey is so big to get there that you’re never going to be able to enjoy the moment. And every day is a gift. So if it’s your favorite cup of coffee if it’s sitting with two brand new girlfriends that you’re just going to laugh and enjoy and get ready I’m going to come to Tennessee knock on your door so get ready.
COLLEEN: Door is open. Look at the address.
MALLY: Okay. I love it. These are the things you have to look for so that’s kind of what positivity preaching is all about and it’s not about everything is fine. Everything is fine because we’ve all done that we’ve all done that and we know that that is that that actually hurts us and it will come out that is one thing I do want to say guys if you’re not letting out your stress, your anxiety, your fear, your depression if you’re not putting it out into the world and asking for help it will find its way out absolutely will I suffered from alopecia for many years. I mean, guys, I, I’m going to say this by the grace of God, thank you, Lord, this is all my hair. But I will tell you this, I was like, almost bald at a certain point, because I, and I believe, guys, in my heart that it was, yes, it must have been, you know, I had low iron, I wasn’t taking care of myself, all that stuff. But I I believe also it was because mentally I was blocking my worries, fears, and pushing everything down and pushing it down and know everything’s fine. I’m a mom, I’m a business woman, I’m a superwoman, I can do it all. And my hair just went right out of it. Right because your body, your mind, your spirit, the universe, God, whatever is going to get your attention and whatever way it can it will and that’s how it got me because of my vanity.
BRIDGETT: You know when you’re we’ve heard from different people that especially a specialist trichologist that’s the word I was it was coming into my brain that yeah that that is your hair since you don’t really need it that shows one of the first things when another part of your body is stressed. It just is one of the first things to go.
MALLY: You just gave me chills from. Yeah. Wild.
COLLEEN: Because if your body’s constantly a fight or flight, then your hair is not a necessity in your fight or flight.
MALLY: Speak for yourself. Now I’m just kidding.
COLLEEN: It’s using that energy for something else that you
BRIDGETT: And you know, it is. And when you’re saying it’s so important to, I feel like when women do share their struggles, and I say this all the time, but I truly believe it, is that other women don’t feel alone. So when you share that, when you share struggles, then it just helps someone else, and they reach out and then they’re thinking, okay, I’m not the only one, I’m not the weirdo, this is happening to other people and I’m so thrilled to see other women coming out and saying this is what happened to me and it’s almost like you feel this kindred like they’re kindred spirit or something that even if you don’t know them you feel like oh I know you you know just because they’re well you know
MALLY: It that’s what you do every day I mean you the two of you just bring so much comfort to people and joy and you know laughter and humor and living in this space and education you know so that is something I give you so much love and I commend you for sitting in those rooms and getting into that space and saying you’re not alone I mean this is what we need in this world so you’re doing amazing work you really are
COLLEEN: Thank you.
MALLY: Right. I’m a 50 -plus woman who needs to feel like there’s connection. You’re doing that. So thank you so much.
COLLEEN: Right back at you because we can say all the same things to you as well. When you started doing the over 50 and fabulous, did you notice, because we’ve noticed, like I mentioned, we’ve been doing this for five years now, that when you get a woman over 50 on to talk about a conversation, You realize that even if they are the most different on paper, there’s so much more we have in common Did you find that when you started doing over 15 fabulous a thousand percent?
IMALLY: t’s funny. Yes to your point. It is true We’re all so different and you know where we come from and who we are and and our religion and our color and and and our You know, I don’t Again, I’m so funny with words because the brain fog is real. –
BRIDGETT:Yes, it is.
MALLY: That’s the one thing I think that, you know, I’ve been selling makeup on TV for 20 years and before that I was, you know, I always go on TV and talk about makeup tips and style tips and all that. And I’m like, sorry, I have no word for that. It’s just completely gone. But you know, any background, you know, these are the things that I find are so interesting that and in a weird way makes me feel so good and gives me so much hope because I think in the world we live in now,
whatever, you know, we have three teenage daughters and my life is aside from, you from helping them to just be physically healthy. Obviously, most important is mentally healthy and feeling like that they’re not alone, that this world loves them. We’ve got a bunch of unicorns over here. That’s a whole other conversation. We got a gay one. We got a spectrum one. We got a mini -me, which is the one that scares me the most, if you want to know the truth. I’m just kidding. I’m so gay. I’m just But you know what I mean, like, you know, so, so yes, when you have reached this point in your life, I feel like we have so much in common, not only what we’re going through with perimenopause and menopause and how things physically change for us, but I think the mortality of knowing that we’ve been through so much and yet there is still so much more. And boy, do we need a community to help hold ourselves together.
I think that that’s something that we can all agree on, which is so beautiful, you know.
BRIDGETT: Yeah, no, it is. And you found some really great representatives. How did that go about? How did you go about finding these women for the age of possibility?
MALLY: Okay, so so very funny story. So in terms of the age of possibility, which is QVC. First of all, again, QVC is my home. It is my favorite place on earth. I always say it’s Disneyland for women. We are out there, we are doing our thing,
you know. And so it’s funny, over 50 and fabulous started as a show. We go live on Friday nights at 8 p .m. Eastern time, live on QVC. And then what I do is at 9 p .m. I go right after we hit a streaming show where I get one person on the over 50 I call it over 50 after dark and I get them on the couch and like we take off our shoes We get cozy we do and basically for an hour. We just talk and You know, we really just break down the walls. We really open really open up this community very much like what you do. There’s nothing off limits, you know what I mean? And we’re really able to embrace who we are, where we are and where we’re going. I always end that show with saying, you’re not too old, it’s not too late and your best days are ahead. Because that is something I think that we all need to be reminded of, especially in our 50s, that we still have time, We have a lot of time and we can do so much more. So, but if we started off just doing the show, I don’t want to say just doing the show. We felt passionately about building this community, but it came bigger and faster and stronger than it made our head spin. We could not believe how many women wanted this community and This tribe, you know So then we started I mean that the executives I don’t work there, right? I’m just part of but the executives started looking at this whole thing QVC has been serving the over 50 woman forever for the entire, you know, since the genesis,but they never put an actual name on it. They never said, this is who we are. So they said, why not just say this is the age of possibility. This is what we stand for. And this is who we believe in. This is who we’ve always believed in. And we want to be your destination. We want to be your home. And it became a very, very big, I don’t even want to call it a campaign. It’s like a brand identity. This is what QVC is and and if you know we flew like flying colors and then the you know The brilliant marketing team there and Annette Leavey leads this incredible team of Just fantastic brilliant women and men and they said let’s put together a group called the Q50 the quintessential 50 Which then which then will learn all about what this mission is and then just go out and sprinkle it all over the country. And we came together in Vegas in April as a summit to really dig into what this is all about. And I mean, we have Billie Jean King, we have Queen Latifah, we have Patti LaBelle, we have Dr. Mary Claire Haver, we have, I mean, the list of 50 is insane. Kathy Lee Gifford, like, and just from all different walks of life, Naomi Watts, I’m sorry, I just keep on dropping these names. –
BRIDGETT: Keep going, keep going, yeah.
MALLY: And so, and, you know, I didn’t have anything to do with picking these women, but it just was such a special, special moment in time. So, And so now we’re trying to really get each of these women together so that we could sit I just sat with Patti LaBelle for an hour a couple weeks ago on the over 50 after dark couch and girls She’s 80 she’s oh my gosh, and gosh Dreaming she’s still going. She’s still pushing herself. You know, she has the number one Pie company in the oh that oh,I yeah I did know she had that I forgot what it’s called Good life with Patty. Yeah. Yes. Yeah, I did see yeah, I’ve heard of that And again, she’s coming out with wines. She did Dancing with the stars a few years ago. I mean like if that’s not inspiration for us to keep on going, I think that, you know, what is, you know, you can, you can do it.
COLLEEN: What we see with women who are still having that positivity and that energy is one, they’re still out in the world. They’re still doing things because social isolation is such a problem for as we age. And two, they’re pivoting. They don’t, They’re not stuck in one career. They pivot, pivot, pivot. Have you noticed the same thing?
MALLY: A thousand percent. And I love you, Colleen. Thank you for saying that because I think the thing that I really feel passionately about and what I’m always pushing my ladies, my girls, my buddies, my homies, whatever you want to call them to do is to, yes, to pivot, to grow. to grow. That is, I think, the thing that’s so interesting. And I’m even pushing myself. I always say, I am a living, breathing, walking example of what the age of possibility is all about. Because I’ve always loved makeup. I will always love makeup. I will always sell makeup. I will always teach makeup. I will– because also too, as we age, our faces are changing. And let’s be honest, our skin is changing. Our makeup does not go on like it used to. We need new products. We need new techniques. We need new ways to help ourselves feel as fierce on the outside as we feel on the inside, right? So that’s something I always do. But I’m not just that, right? I love home decor. We I love I’m a little insane at the holidays girls. I have at least 10 Christmas trees every year
COLLEEN: Yes, and you tell my husband that because he gets made of two
MALLY: I’ll come over honey. I’ll come over and we’ll discuss and I’ll we’ll map it all out for him
COLLEEN: Oh my gosh, I would love that
MALLY: And then I’ll have my husband Phil just be like You just gotta let it do it. I launched, you know, last year Fierce Home by Mally, which is basically a holiday line because I love it so much. And it was so great guys, because QVC let me do it with Phil and the girls. So it’s truly like a family coming together and wanting to show how to live fiercely, how to celebrate, how to go out there. And you know, guys, you know, I’m a drag queen at heart, right? Like, RuPaul is one of my best friends. And I love, I love the energy of what like the drag world is talk about living out loud, talking about stepping outside your comfort zone, talk about, you know, saying look at me unapologetically, that’s what a drag queen does. And somehow I feel like especially in our 50s we need to lean into that energy a little bit more. So that’s why we named it Fierce Home because it’s one of those things that’s kind of like a, you know, drag, you know, gay term to, okay, Fierce, you know. And we were like, let’s be fierce, you know, and, and I have other things coming out that, that are not even beauty or home related that I’m so excited about that I can’t wait to tell you about.
COLLEEN: Okay, you’re going to have to come back and show that.
MALLY: Absolutely. Right. That’s the thing. So yes, Colleen, to your point. The fact that, you know, Patti LaBelle obviously has been one of, they call her the godmother of rock and soul, right? And she has obviously, you know, one of the most amazing singers of all time. However, she makes pie. She has a home line. She’s dancing with the stars. She went on the mass singer. She, you know, just was, you know, at the DNC singing at 80 and just keeps on growing. And I think that’s the secret to success. Not necessarily on a global level like Ms. Patti, but even just for you and me sitting there, maybe listening right now, it’s about pushing yourself to a new place that maybe is a little bit scary, you know, um, but dang, what kind of inspiration are you going to find on the other side? Like you could find a whole new, you know, a whole new energy that you never thought lived within you. And I think to me, that’s, that’s what’s the most exciting and being over 50 and giving less f’s, if you know what I mean, right? It allows you to live in less fear, I think.
BRIDGETT: I think it does. At this age, just we talked to a guest last, or maybe two or three weeks ago about the open door. And she was just like, well, I just saw an open door and I’m like, okay, here I go. I’m gonna go through the open door and see what happens. And how it’s, it’s not, if it doesn’t work out, it’s not really a failure. It’s just, you you try life lesson life lesson and learn and move on and but I do think people like Patti LaBelle are so inspirational they just see this like Colleen said you know they pivot they try something else and just you know like you you’ve done throughout your career too like you were just saying too you know it is it’s amazing and I do have to say thank you QVC because you’re recognizing this age.
MALLY: Well, that’s something. And here’s another thing. Thank you for saying that, because there is no shame. I apologize. My statistics are not the best. You could ask them over at the QVC, they know. But yes, the over 50 woman, honey, she’s shopping, OK? She’s got some money. She’s doing her thing. She’s also the decision maker of what is purchased for the home, you know, for the most part, right? This is something. And, and,
and she deserves to be honored and she deserves to be put up on a pedestal and treated like the queen that she is. And that’s what QVC is doing. And that’s what QVC. And again,
unapologetically, and I’m going to say something I’ll probably get in trouble, but whatever it is. Again, I am so sick and tired of, I know that social media is a blessing. I know, because we’ve all benefited from the fact that we’re able to just go out there and talk to each other. I am so sick of these women that go on these pages and will say the most awful, horrible things. And the whole idea of age or possibility, the whole idea of over 50 and fabulous, the whole idea of what you ladies do is to build a community and lift other women up. So what the hell is your problem? People out there with your fingers on your keyboard and say, she’s stupid, she’s ugly. What ugly. What do you know? Girls, I have a question. You do this a lot. What is the psychology? What do you think? Yeah. What’s the benefit they’re getting from doing that? I mean, I got to hold myself back girls.
BRIDGETT: I know. I know. And I see I know the 50 and fabulous page and you know, you’ll see some great people and you’ll you know, people put in their picture up and I’m proud of that, you that, you know, whatever they’re wearing, but you do see some ugly people responding. And it is like, you know, Colleen, and I think, you know, when we back when we started, we were doing research. And one of the weird things was women felt like they had to be in competition with other women because they felt like there wasn’t enough space. Like there’s so much air in a room. There’s a finite amount of space for women.
COLLEEN: But it’s really infinite and the more we build each other up, the happier we are. I mean, the number of fabulous women that we have met in the past five years. It’s incredible.
BRIDGETT: There may be two. Maybe we will name names. Later. But like out of 250, 300 episodes or more that we’ve had. They, you know, whatever, 298 are fabulous, you know?
COLLEEN: Yeah, but I do see that, and I’m like either they are extremely unhappy. – I think that’s a big part of it. I think the unhappiness and the isolation, they want someone else to feel what they’re feeling.
BRIDGETT: I think so. And then sometimes it could be bots. Sometimes I think it’s bots.
MALLY: It could be. – It could be. There’s that engagement. Well, that’s another thing that drives me crazy is like, part of me is like, we need to just ignore them. But you know what happens is they’ll write something and then all of a sudden it becomes a big conversation. And so somewhere it could be bots actually, Bridgett, you’re saying it’s true because–
BRIDGETT: Sometimes I think there’s bots that just like to stir up stuff that aren’t even real people, you know?
COLLEEN: Which is frightening that a bot would be kind of that. Yeah, but it could be real people too. And in a certain way it’s bringing you engagement,
BRIDGETT: But it is, it’s sad because I know that that’s there to build people up and I’d love seeing the women sharing their photos and feeling good about themselves.
MALLY: And you know, it’s always like heart, heart to you, heart You know, it is, it is, thank you for mentioning that. So if you’re wondering, you face a fake, hello, QVC has a Facebook group called Over 15 Fabulous, and we are well over 400 ,000 followers. which is so incredible and such a blessing. And so if you do we’d love for you to join we’d love for you to be a part of it because it really is ultimately a very positive loving place you know and and and to know that there are 400.000 other you know women out there that want to be your sister is kind of incredible right and kind of amazing and you know in terms of like QVC I, you know, I’m, I’m not embarrassed to tell you that I have it on pretty much 24 hours a day. One of the things I little hack that I have, if you have dogs, like when we leave the house, I always leave QVC on because they like sound, or at least I think they do. They haven’t told me, but I’m pretty sure. It’s such a good place because it’s always happy. Like the thing is, if you have a movie on. There could be an explosion or whatever. I was like, what’s going on? It’s a great, it’s the background noise of what QVC brings is so special. Because it is the only place I think on TV that you can have 24 hours of happiness. You know, right?
BRIDGETT: That’s a good point. Yeah. That’s what I so if you just have it on in the background, if background. If you need some noise. Yeah, I’ll have to turn off the news. My husband has the news on and then I get all anxious and worried.
I’m like, could we just turn on KBC? I’m not going to get anxious with KBC. No, unless my item’s selling out, right? Oh, it’s going quickly and you’re like, Oh, I need my
MALLY: Oh, yeah, so I think that that’s really something. Again, so in this time of our lives, surrounding ourselves with positive, good, loving people, like yourselves, and also just putting ourselves in that space of joy, I think is very, very important. We all have a lot of work to do. We all have a, I’m not gonna lie, right before I came on with you guys, I was sitting at the kitchen table and my I have a 17 year old daughter who’s on the spectrum and she is very like she just tells it like it is and there’s no. And I was like doing this kind of thing around the kitchen and milling around and talking to myself. And she was like, are you okay. And I was like, no, yes. I don’t you know what I mean and she’s like, it’s It’s gonna get done mom, whatever it is. The voice of reason. Yes, it’s funny, right? Like those things sometimes we need.
COLLEEN: Yes, it is. And the energy that we give off, we don’t even know we’re doing it.
MALLY: Yes. And I don’t think, I mean, I’ve seen that as I’ve gotten a little bit older, my multitasking skills are going down. Like, I just can’t multitask the way I used to. I know. And that’s the thing. It’s like, doesn’t, again, that I, we attribute that to the brain fog. I mean, we’ve all said it a million times where you, you know, walk into a room and you’re like, why am I here? You know, that’s, that’s normal at this point, I think. But yeah, I’m with you, girl. It’s like, if I didn’t have the alarm on my phone. It’s getting to the point now where I will say I kind of make it a game. I don’t know if this is silly, but like again, we have to make ourselves laugh. So whatever, like, I’ll talk to, you know, the phone lady, you know, because, right, she’ll appear. She’ll say, “Hey phone lady, set an alarm for 25 minutes to get your ass moving. And she’ll say it. And she’ll say it’s good for you to get your ass moving. And I’ll be like, OK, let’s go. I need that. I need to say that. OK. It’s just a great little
Again, positivity preacher, find little ways to make little giggles in your day, whatever whatever you can. It’s really at the end of the day, the best way to live. And I’m going to say that with, you know, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer before I turned one year old. They gave her six months to live and she lived for 17 years. And I’ll tell you, if I had not learned one thing. I mean, I learned everything from her. She does my everything. But she taught me to embrace every single moment, even the ones, because it does take you to, you know, on a journey and to look for the joy, look for the joy. I mean, I’m going to get real and say there’s nothing more inspirational than a woman laying in a hospital bed and saying to you, look at these ice chips, they’re so perfectly shaped. So when I eat them, as if I literally my only food in the day, they’re perfect. And you’re like, how do you have that much positivity in your brain that can’t teach you something? I don’t know what can.
BRIDGETT: Yeah, that impressed me so much. You know, about your mother, I was like, wow, how, you know, you put in her book, in your book, gosh, it’s, is it like 10 years old? Yeah. I know. It’s like a… It’s good for another, I think. Yeah. But just, you know, how she took you to get makeup on when you were, when you, I don’t, I’m looking at the time because I’m sorry to take up so much of your time, but, but how she took you, even though you were like in, like, young, or you want – Like young or you want to share that?
MALLY: I think I was in like fourth grade or something. Like we went for a full fit. We went to the Elizabeth Arden counter at SACS I think and she was like, “Give her the whole face.” And he’s like, “Okay, she’s a child.” And she’s like, “I know, but I could die tomorrow “so we don’t know. “So let’s do the whole makeup.” And he was like, “Okay, let’s Oh, and it was the 80s guys. So, you know, it was not a natural look, shall we say. And it was like purple eyeshadow and pink lipstick and pink, and she was like, I love it. Let’s buy the whole thing. And it was just, you know, but she wanted to make sure that we experienced all the things that we want to experience. And as awful as it is to live with an illness, and again, trying to find the joy in everything, whatever that could be, is what kind of a weird gift it is to never say, “I’m gonna do it later.” I’m gonna do it now because And honestly, I’ll say, because I was raised that way, I do that. I do that with our girls, you know? I mean, I’m not saying every day is like a, you know, freaking circus party, although sometimes it does feel like it. And oh God, I have a husband that, you know, also embraces that philosophy in life, you Um, and that’s what I try to encourage. So as awful as it was, it was actually in a weird way a gift because we didn’t miss anything, you know, I was, I was, I wish I could bottle up and sell what she had because I mean, that energy,
COLLEEN: but you’re walking in her legacy and you’re teaching your daughters to walk in that legacy. So she’s here and passed to you.
BRIDGETT: And that’s what I’m like, cry if you cry I know I know but it is it’s like okay that is why you are the way you are and and I was like wow what incredible parents she’s right there walking with you because you’re right sorry to make you cry but I was just so impressed I’m not trying to be Barbara Walters but it was just like what an Incredible woman and your father too. You know, you’re just you know, both of that but I also would love to hear About tours But I would love to hear about the age of possibility
MALLY: Yes, so yeah part of this journey Barbara. (laughing) Barbara Bridget, yeah. So, yeah, so part of the mission of the age of possibility and, you know, QBC’s journey to really lift up the over 50 woman and celebrate her and the biggest way is going to her. So it’s been an amazing journey so far. We went to, you know, Cape May, New Jersey. We’re going to New York City for Fashion Week. We were in Kim Gravel’s home of Atlanta. You know, we went and really just taking the message on the road and inviting people who maybe who don’t watch QVC or don’t know about QVC, inviting them to join us and embrace this journey. So it is about, again, having fun, community, just building this tribe. Of course, we could talk about shopping. That’s that goes without saying because it is part of what we all do best. And but yeah, so we’re we if you go to qvc .com, or even we always post it on the over 50 and fabulous Facebook group page and I will always post wherever we’re going if you follow me at Mali Ron Cal I am always talking about it this is like what something I’m so so super passionate about so yeah we’re we’re everything as you know we pivot so I can’t say too much about exactly where we’re going because sometimes it changes on a drive oh yes right as you know But yes, if you follow me, Mally Roncal, Instagram and Facebook, and then also QVC obviously, and then join the over 50 and Fabulous Facebook Facebook group, it’s always at the top. There’s featured posts. If you go there, it’s constantly updating where we’re going and what we’re doing. But it’s a good time guys, there’s food, there’s hanging out.
There’s you know, all of You know, all of us, part of the Q 50 are so happy to be there. I think Carla Hall, yes. All right. We love Carla. We love her on a couple of times.
COLLEEN: Yeah. She, she’s just an, one of our, like, we just heart.
MALLY: Nothing not to love. Talk about living out loud, right? Yeah. Embracing who she is and owning it. That’s, you know, that’s an inspiration right there. Oh, yeah. I love her and I love her and dressed like nobody’s. Glasses and the dress and everything looks beautiful.
BRIDGETT: Yeah. Yeah. Really something. Yeah. And she’s from Nashville originally. She’s from Nashville.
COLLEEN: Yeah, it’s just that view. So many people look at 50 and older that things have been taken away from them. They’re empty nesters, their parents are aging. But we also have privileges that we earned by hard work and surviving those things that we didn’t think were survivable. So we like to talk about the privileges of being 50 plus. And one of our privileges is getting to talk to people like you and Carla. And if someone would have told Bridget and I that we would be talking to these amazing women five years ago. We wouldn’t believe that.
BRIDGETT: Sure, sure. – We were like, what?
COLLEEN: It is, it’s incredible. And we’ve actually done a couple of events. We did one in New York City, we did one in Nashville. And to get to see these women in person that attend, they are so excited to be connected and making friends and relatable. Oh, I go through that too. Oh, wait, you’re having a brain fog moment. I got you. Don’t worry about it. I get it. It’s just, there’s something so powerful about community at this stage of life. It’s great.
MALLY: You know what? It’s like, honestly, I think it’s the most powerful time of our lives, you know, in the sense that, um, you know, and you have to go through all that again, having three teenage girls. I am watching like real time, that kind of stuff that we went through when we were teenagers, but a hundred times worse because of that phone. I mean, well, like it’s talk about whatever that’s a whole social media text console
COLLEEN: And your daughters are really like our daughters were Bridgett and I both have daughters and they were the generation where they got the phone in internet. But it wasn’t since the day of birth for yours. They are the first generation that they’ve had it forever They don’t know any different.
MALLY: That’s right. That’s right And you know and it’s funny cuz sometimes when I get like a little snarky at the end of the night I’m like you’ve been on your phone You know like what and they’re not that bad. I will say for the most part we have taught them like that’s not real life This is real life, you know as we are talking through a computer. However But you know so but but so they’re pretty good at that But they’re like mom this is how we were raised like we don’t know any better like you talked about how you left the house and you were running around the neighborhood until the sun went down. Like we just didn’t really do that because you don’t let us out of the house. We know all the scary people that are out here. I know. So it’s like Touche, you’re right. It is.
COLLEEN: Well, we can talk to you forever.
MALLY: Love you. I want to come to wherever you’re going next you tell me and I know right now we’re looking at Nashville but um we’ll keep you posted we would love that we would absolutely yes we would love it yeah if your door comes Nashville please let us know we let us know be there promote it however help you guys that goes without saying yes we will keep you posted for sure oh thank you thanks because you need to be, you already are a part of this community because you just need to be together so we can hug.
COLLEEN: Oh, I would love that.
BRIDGETT: Yes, I love the size. I know, I love that it’s huge. Over 50 and fabulous. Loud and big.
MALLY: Yeah. It’s like we all are. I just want to give you one uh, I guess kind of like cheerleading session because really I am so first of all, I’m so honored to sit and chat with you and thank you. You’re both so perfect at this. You really found something so special that really caters to who you are in your heart. And I’m just going to keep on praying and believing and manifesting that it’s just going to keep getting bigger for you, that you can keep going out there and keep spreading this message and building your community and helping all of us who need this. You know, it’s funny what I found is no matter, again, if you’re a celebrity or if you are not, right? Because again, I’ve walked in so many,
you know, walked in so many worlds, if you will. You’re right. We’re all the same. We all worry. Well, my joke is, as a makeup artist, it was like everybody’s got boogers, honey. (laughing) I was saying, you’ve seen ’em too, ’cause you had to get up close. And I think that that’s something, again, that you both do so, so well. So I am your cheerleader. I’m over here just clapping and screaming. Keep on going, keep spreading love, keep educating, and thank you again so much for having me.
COLLEEN: Well, thank you. Thank you. Because you spread that energy. Thank you so much.