This is... Dominated with Cindy Eckert

Meet Cindy Eckert. Cindy Eckert isn't afraid or embarrassed to talk about sex...she's made a living doing it.

She is passionate about women, has made women and their needs her priority, and she loves pink!

This billionaire reveals how to be on top in a room full of men.

 

Then, we turn the tables and Cindy interviews Paris and introduces her new spinoff show DOMINATED.

Paris is the perfect first guest as we find out how to DOMINATE!

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is Paris. Hey everyone, I'm so excited about today's guest.
She is my friend. She is beautiful, she's a girl
boss and just a visionaire and an amazing woman. And

(00:23):
welcome to the show. Cyndia, thank you for having me.
Look at this pink dress. I am dying. I love
our pink, our shared pink power. I had to wear
a pink for you. Thank you obviously the pink Queen.
Thank you if our listeners go to our instagram to
check out these great outfits. I did not get the memo, unfortunately,
I see that. Yeah, what the hell. I'm trying to

(00:44):
not take it personally. We're not off to the best
start hunter a specific pink like you guys matched. This
can't be easy to find this fabric everywhere, you know.
What do you call it? I call it shocking pink
because I don't think either one of us were made
to be subtle. I agree. We're kind of like the
Beverly Hills Hotel vibe, like the pink and green. That's true. Yeah,

(01:04):
you're complimentary. Thank you, so you can say this is
all I asked. This is all I asked. Well, welcome
to the show. Thank you, thanks for having me. I'm
so excited to be here. How did you too? Meet?
We met through my mom a couple of years ago
and I've been friends ever since. The best part is
her mom had me over and I was talking to
just some folks about what I did. And I was sitting,

(01:25):
you know, up in the living room, like up the
two steps and I'm in the middle of speaking in
Paris yeals out how old are you? And I was
it was just so, I don't know, It's so funny,
like how she commands your attention immediately, and um, and
then I think she paid me a nice compliment and
I almost died because how nice is that to be
complimented by Paris? Well, I just think that you're so

(01:46):
beautiful and you like how just like look so young
and you've accomplished so much. So I was just surprised.
I was like, how could someone who looks like that
like I've accomplished so much? Thank you? Well, likewise, thank you.
I'm surrounded by powerful women, but I want to know
for those that don't know, what is it that you accomplish?
So I'm best known for getting female viagra approved by

(02:07):
the FDA. How's that I'm gonna talk about sex today.
Um So my background is I've built and sold two
companies and the last one was this product that the
media dubbed female viagra. Not really how it works. It's
not a blood flow issue. It's a brain flow issue
for women. But it was the first of its kind.
There were twenty six f d A approved drugs for

(02:28):
some form of male sexual dysfunction, and not a single
one till we broke through. Here's the cool part. So
that was in twenty There wasn't even this term femtech,
like femtech is, you know, all these unique technologies products
for women that got coined in and it's gonna be
a fifty billion dollar category by amazing spearheaded by some

(02:50):
incredible people too. That's so, what do you mean though,
brain flow versus blood flow? I get the blood flow
understanding too well. Mechanical lift right, hydraulic lift. You know,
for women, their most common issue is lack of libido.
They once were happy with their sex drive. Something changed.
They're really bothered by it. And it happens to a

(03:11):
huge percentage of women. So a third of women who
are surveys say that they have kind of issues with desire.
So what we learned scientifically is there actually is a
brain chemistry phenomenon here. So if you take a woman
who has this issue, it's called the medical term for
it is hsd D. If you take her, put her
in a pet scan. Put a woman with a normal

(03:32):
EBB and flow of desire, expose them to erotic use,
their brains light up totally differently. It's neurochemistry. And I
think that women finally were being taken seriously for something
that's biological. Was long overdoe definitely, How did you do that?
So I ran a company for men. So my background

(03:53):
is I went into pharma, like right out of school. Um,
I really just wanted to work for fortunes. Most at
mired company, it happened to be a pharmaceutical company. I
always think, like you know, sliding doors kind of moments
in your life, like what was the company at that time,
And at the time it was a company called Merk,
And I fell in love with the science and changing
people's lives, and then you know, along the way, I

(04:16):
kind of chased innovation and went to smaller companies. Irish
Catholics so naturally go into sex. When I started my
first company, I had one of the male drugs. So
I was one of the people leading a company with
you know, one of these like multitude of options. I mean,
think about it. You haven't watched the super Bowl for
twenty years and not been told that sexual satisfaction matters

(04:38):
if you're a man. And that was really the piece
of it that when this science emerged for women, I
was running that company for men, and I looked around,
you know, big companies, big pharma. No one ran toward it.
Everyone ran away, and I was like, that just makes
no sense to me, and I'm running away with my

(05:01):
queue to run in. So I sold off my business
in men. I went back to zero. So it's profitable,
it is doing so well. And I went to my
board and I said, we're selling this like we're going
to get the first product to prove for women. And
they were like, take a vacation. You're losing your mind.
We're running this very successful company. We've gotten past the

(05:21):
hard years of startup, like it's profitable, And I said,
you know what, absolutely not, Like this is now my
calling in a way, like no longer was I going
to just be there to serve the needs of men.
I was going to solve the real issue for women
and UM, and on the basis of that, science went
to work and took it to the f d A
and that was its own crazy story. Well that's so

(05:43):
powerful because I feel like, you know, there's such a
stigma around that, especially women absolutely talking about that, because
it's always been such a male dominated world and the
business world everything, and UM, I just think it's so
brave of you just to come out and UM stand
up for all of us. The truth of it is,
I got left out of every room, laughed out of
every room when I first did that. But you know

(06:05):
there's something about UM walking out of those rooms and
thinking watch me. Yeah. I always have felt that way too,
just like being underestimated and wearing the pink and just
like being so girly, and people just don't take it
seriously sometimes until you make them and be like, hello,
I know what I'm talking about. I know. I love that.

(06:26):
I think that is part of you know, why we
instantly bonded is there's, you know, this unbelievable kind of
power in underestimation to unapologetic And I'm not going to
change who I am. I like pink, I am feminine.
I actually believe that that's a power in the board
room and in the bedroom. And so I was never

(06:47):
going to compromise that because everybody wanted me to, you know,
wear a black pant suit and pull my hair back.
Did you say a billion dollars earlier? I did a billion? Cash?
Killing million cash billion cash? Is that? Like? I mean, obviously,
when you started and you wanted to work for the
most admired fortune company all that stuff, money was definitely

(07:09):
something that I think a lot of people care about
to a degree. But a billion is that just like
beyond your wildest expectations or did you expect that when
you started? And you know what, honestly, I set out
to change the conversation about women and sex forever, exactly
what Paris said. This should not be shameful. It affects
millions of women. We should be able to talk about it. Um.

(07:30):
But the but the outcome of the billion dollars was
a bit mindploying to say, and not because the value
is certainly there, Like the market was there for men.
The E D market or you know, all the viagrassy
allie drugs is a six billion dollar category now globally,
and so the market opportunity was definitely there. I do
think I take a little bit on the taboos like sex, money,

(07:52):
Come talk to me. Politics, just leave me out of this.
But sex and money, let's talk about them, because they
are to complete taboos for women. And so when I
sold it, they shelved it. They didn't launch the product.
What And I was devastated because that really, you know,
in so many ways, like the mission of that is

(08:14):
so dear to me. We fought so hard for women
to finally have one. All of these women were counting us,
and then they couldn't get it. So I fought back again,
and I went and talked to their CEO. I said
give it back, and they laughed at the beginning. And
then when they wouldn't pay attention to me um, I
sued them because they hadn't met all their obligations under

(08:37):
the contract. And in exchange for dropping the lawsuit, they
gave it back to me for free and we kept
the billion and now I invested another female district. Yeah,
that's the crazy story. It's incredible. So they were literally
trying just like buy it and then hide it. You know,
it's so weird, is I think companies of that side,

(09:00):
It's like you can never underestimate, like what's going on
politically inside And they had another product that was a
huge product um that they wanted to, you know, put
all their attention on. This was launched. There were a
lot of factors that went into it. So I don't
know that not necessarily the conspiracy theory, but it was
crazy that they had paid a billion cash and weren't
launching it. You know, if you look at success, what

(09:22):
does it look like? And I think you realize it
doesn't look like money. It looks like impact. That's really success.
And so that allows I take nothing away from people,
you know, wanting to make a lot of money, how
they use it. If they spend it on crazy things, right,
that's awesome that they've they've created that freedom for themselves

(09:42):
or bulldoz there. Let's just build another one, this one
for six months, and we're going to do it fast
because I'm gonna get a bunch of cruise on here.
I don't care about over time. So what would be
your advice for because I feel like you've you've dropped
some really good bombs on us, But what's some good

(10:05):
advice for young women out there who goes I feel
like what you've accomplished a lot in Paris. You too.
To a normal person, before you did it, it seemed
entirely impossible to create a career and brand yourself the
way that you did, and and earn the amount you've earned,
the impact you've had now, especially with everything you're doing recently,
and obviously for us any same thing. What's your advice

(10:28):
for those girls who think it's just I can't do that?
What's the great quote? It's never impossible until it's done,
or it's believed to be impossible until it's done. That's
the quote. I got it wrong, right, It's why would
I ever do it? I didn't go to Harvard Business School.
I didn't have a rich uncle when I began, like
I didn't have any of those things. And I think

(10:50):
it's anything that you you know, deeply commit to you
have the ability, I think, to accomplish. It is about
that resilience at the end, Right, how do you just
keep showing up? I think life is constantly testing you
in terms of how bad do you want it? Will
you keep showing up? Um? So my answer is there's

(11:12):
nothing that's outside of your reach. Not really good advice Paris,
I believe that too. I believe that anything is possible,
and if you really work hard enough and you're a
good person, I feel like good things will come back
in your life. And I think anything is possible. Really
can I out now? I I really this is something

(11:33):
consistently I think I talked to female founders about. Especially
it is we really do celebrate unicorns, right like who
are the billion dollars unicorn status? Who are the unicorns?
And I think it's really simple. You've got to embrace
the workhorse to become the unicorn. It's not sexy, but
anybody who's really gotten there, they have worked their tail

(11:54):
off to get there, Like they were their head down
doing the hard work. And that's a bit of the
is connects. So that better piece of advice I needed
a minute. What is the advice? It is, put your
head down, do the hard work. The workhorse becomes the unicorn.
That's the truth. I love. That was really good, especially
for Paris spirit animals. Unicorn. Paris is a unicorn. Like

(12:19):
if you think about that, who are these people that
you know have captivated our hearts and the news feeds
and we we look at and they're they're really sort
of unique and special. That unicorn status she crushed. She
works harder than almost anybody I know, and I think
people don't realize that. You know, she's up early, she's
on an airplane, she's traveling all over the world. Workhorses

(12:40):
are the unicorns. Yes, that's a good answer. I like that.
I gotta workway fucking harder. I was hoping you were
going to say, it's really just like a right time,
right place kind of thing. This sucks. That's well, there is.

(13:00):
You should be investing in certain things that will get
you there. Maybe that's a good That's another piece of advice,
like how are you making your money work for you?
Trying to invest in Paris n f T it's ridiculous.
I got I tell Paris, I go, hey, I got
fifty bucks, just give me one of the n f
T s And she doesn't respond. And so yeah, that's

(13:23):
good advice. Yeah, if you could do something, because I
feel like you've obviously picked such a unique lane, if
you could do anything else, Pars, besides what you're doing,
what would it be? I would be When I was little,
I wanted to be a veterinarian or like, yeah, veterinarian.
But then I saw that you have to give them
shots and do surgery on them and they cut them

(13:44):
open and like they die And I was like, no,
I'll just work really hard and buy a lot of
pets one day. That's a great like. I think your
your method worked out well. These dogs are living well well.
I think a good question for we have a lot
of female listeners. And also I think this question is
good for other people. But how do you how does
a woman negotiate her salary in like today's workplace where

(14:07):
it feels tough, And that's a question for you to parents. Okay,
here's my answer. I think we get obsessed about, you know,
the wage gap, and we're thinking about going in with
I want like this percent, that's what I want. And
what I would ask is that women play the game
of variable comp How do you get skin in the

(14:28):
game or a piece of the value you create? So
what if you became less obsessed? If I get five
thousand dollars more, I get two thousand dollars more. What
if you said here is what I could deliver. If
I delivered this, would you give me a piece of it?
That was really a huge change for me from starting
in a corporate job to figuring out Wait a minute,

(14:52):
I want equity. I want a piece of this company
that I'm working so hard to build, or I want
to have a bonus structure or where if I deliver
you know this to the bottom line, you give me
some of that back. And I think that's really going
to change the game for women, is if we start
to think about comp around ownership and what we keeping

(15:14):
a piece of the value that we create. Yeah, I
think it definitely incentivizes people as well. Um, for me,
I I feel very blessed that I've been able to, um,
just do things that I love that are so much fun.
Like I'm the one who invented getting paid to party,
where I'm literally paid a million dollars to show up

(15:34):
to a party and like have a glass of champagne
and be on the microphone and be like, Hey, what's up, guys,
Let's have a good night. So like my whole like
I guess, like mind frame around it is, it's been
very like I feel very blessed. It's been very easy. Um.
So yeah, I don't negotiations for your salaries there like
we want to pay grand entry level and it's a

(15:58):
sixty hour week just to start, like, really want you
to work hard in parents is like, yeah, but what
if I get a million and I only show up
once I drink a little bit of champagne at work
and then I go home. This is a negotiator that
is absolutely right. Listen to what Paris has to say.
I think the comb between the two of you is
perfect in terms of inspiring especially young women to live

(16:20):
their best lives because I feel like it's such a
good balance between the two you. Paris has figured out
the like think about in her business is right. She
has a piece of this value that she's creating. And
I think that ownership is the distinction of playing a
longer game and what can be transformational wealth. So if
you think about what you make is just a paycheck,

(16:41):
and how do I increase that paycheck? You're leaving out
you're playing you're playing the short game. It's very immediate
and I get it, like we have to do that
for bills, for all of those things. But find a
way to have some piece of it that's the longer
play and that you are potentially going to get, you know,
a big outcome and exit or something like that. That

(17:03):
that's what I'm focusing on a lot more now because
I've had, you know, nineteen product lines. My fragrance is
about to come out, and I feel like I've done
so many license he deals for so long, and now
within the past couple of years, I've really just been
building my own businesses, so I am the one owning
the big piece instead of me, you know, working my
ass off, traveling around the world promoting, and then getting

(17:24):
a small piece when the company is getting everything. So
I've really changed my business model and that sends so much.
That's great. This is Paris, this is seven sliving questions.
Are you ready for seven questions? It? Okay? When you

(17:46):
were little? What did you want to be when you
grew up? CEO? I mean I have two big brothers
and they will tell you that every game like I invented,
I was the CEO of And literally my first hustle
is my brothers would pay me to bring them things
from the refrigerator, like to the couch because they wanted

(18:07):
to not get up while they were watching their shows.
And I'm like, I'll get it for you, but you're
paying me for it. So little entrepreneurs since the beginning, Yeah,
that's probably true, that's cute. What is the worst date
that you've ever been on? And why? God? Okay? Um,

(18:27):
so this guy tells me he's going to pick me
up really early, like six am. I have to be
ready on a Saturday, which is awful surprise, you know,
this is not good on a Saturday, Like no, six am,
and we're comfortable clothing. That is a horrific setup because

(18:48):
now I can't wear cute shoes. Now I'm mad. And
he picks me up, drives me to the middle of nowhere,
and he's taken me to a tiger rest. You and
at the tiger rescue. We had a private tour. Now
this is like a legit good tiger rescue. He takes
me to this not Tiger King or wherever that remember said,

(19:11):
not that. Um we go there. We're on a private
feeding tour and I get to like feed the cats.
Now mind you, it's you're not really touching them, You're
like a little bit away. But the first thing they
hand me is a frozen rat. And I'm like having
to be cool, right, like I'm not phase. I'm like
picking up this rat, like putting it a shoot. Now

(19:34):
this date, I am going to marry him, So this
is just and that was our first date, so you know,
you never know. There that's the perfect data idea. The
worst date that turned into ultimately my fiance. Wow, loves
that's great. Yeah, I've never heard of a worst date

(19:54):
turning into that, but I like it. First kiss, you
have one minute to tell us everything. Um, seventh grade dance,
and you know, it's like that perfect Like they dimmed
the lights in the gym and we're like that slow
the answers like this, and I mean, I don't know

(20:16):
what was playing at the time, and um, and so
finally like he's going to go in to kiss me,
and my big brother was picking me up, and all
of a sudden, I can hear like doors swing open
to the gym and my brother dressed as Santa Claus
for no reason because it's not December, coming in to

(20:39):
embarrass his younger sister. And he's like, why are these
lights so dim? And they turn up the lights and
it was like the saddest little quick peck. Okay, that's
all good. First celebrity crush and current celebrity crush. Oh um,
my current celebrity crush has to be Warren Buffett. What

(21:03):
I get it. Let me come on, not like but
like crush, were just I love like if there's one
person you could get in the room and like sit
down with, I'd love to sit down for a puff.
And Hunter has been disappointed in me. For the record,
I get it. It's that haircut, you know, I mean,
come on, type of guy. He lives in the same
house like he I don't know, bought way back when

(21:26):
I won't date a guy over four eleven. So Warren
Buffett's perfect for me. That's amazing. Okay, First crush, I
want to tell you guys about my best celebrity sighting. Yes,
can I do that? My first crush I think probably
was Jason Bateman on Silverspoon probably right, Um yeah, I

(21:48):
like I'm good at picking them like they have he
is he has a good long game. I think Buffett
doesn't have a long game ahead of him. That's a
different strategy. I love that. Okay, Next, your top three
bucket list items. Top three bucket list items make a

(22:10):
billion worth of wealth for women. Meet Warren Buffett and
have Paris planned my wedding? Are you gonna write a
pink wedding dress? Oh? I don't know. You have to
you'll be my consultant. I love it. Yeah, okay, both
the fiance is getting ready for the big days. I

(22:32):
love it. I know it's exciting. I know, I'm so
excited to call each other for some advice. I know, Ken,
what is the craziest thing that you've done lately? I
went with Whitney commings to uh like she actually was
in Raleigh performing and stayed at my house and like
that might have been the craziest three days of my life.

(22:53):
So it was just I mean, you guys know and um,
and it was just incredible. So that might have been
some easy stuff. We went on a plane together and
she was trying to teach me how to like bond
with horses, and the things that she did seemed a
little like off what she the parts of the animals
that she likes to touch. So being led by Whitney

(23:17):
and that terrible answer, but the truth I do. My
friend always says to me, and if I'm outside with
like the pigs and like they're screaming because somebody's over
like trimming their hooves. So she's like, what is your life?
What are you doing? Like how is this you? What's
happening that yeah. How long have you on Whitney? Um,
we met probably a few a few years ago now, yeah,

(23:41):
and we saw each other again at your birthday and
uh and she she wrote me anner and said, I'm
coming to Raleigh. What am I doing other than robbing
your house? And I was like, you're staying with me?
And we had a blast so much. She killed it.
I mean again somebody else. I have great admiration for
how Whitney has structured even her own business and you know,

(24:02):
figured figure that out and keeping so much of a
percentage of what she makes versus I think conventional contracts,
Hollywood contract You know, she's a genius. What is your
most prized possession? Ah? Um, my mom always gives me
little blue birds. So they're hiding all over my house,

(24:25):
a little bluebirds of happiness. And I think probably those
over the years from my mom, like little glass, little
glass blue birds. Yeah. Do you collect them? Yeah? How
many do you have? I don't know too many to admit.
And they're just like hidden and then you take them
and put them somewhere. I usually hide them around the house.
They're like all over in different rooms. Yeah. See him

(24:47):
any smiles as you walk so sweet your top beauty secret.
Have great sex. That's hot. That is a good answer.
It's very good, very good for your skin, very good.
Like there's a lot of good science here. But yeah,
I have great sex. So if any of our listeners
are listening and they want to help their skin out,

(25:11):
good luck, have fun, have great sex. Kevin. Kevin's ms
are open camera writer. Yes, what is your spirit animal?
My my spirit animals? Actually mo that I rescued, which
I so I would have been able to answer the
question until I would have probably said rabbits before because

(25:34):
you stay on the theme. No, it's definitely this dog
Molikitty because he his tongue hangs out permanently, and I
think that there's just something about people's perception of him
versus reality, and I think it goes back to our
like this is the most underestimated little creature who's absolutely

(25:57):
living life on his own terms. And I love it. Amazing,
absolutely amazing. All right, it's my spirit animal too, now, Yes,
because he's got the name of like a parody rapper
and he speaks with a lisp. As it turns out,
good to know, I mean you would, of course, Well,

(26:17):
it was really lovely having you on this podcast. Thank you,
thank you for having me so much great to spend
time with you. Guys. Next time you'll wear the pink.
Next time, I'll wear the pink. Absolutely, I've learned my lesson.
I love it. Feel alienated right now like I've made
a boo boo. Thanks for having me, guys, Thank you.
This is Paris. First of all, you don't know me.

(26:44):
We all about that high school drama girl, drama girl,
all about them high school queens. We'll take you for
a ride in our comic girl cheering father drama queens
girl fashion. But you're tough, girl. You can sit with us.
Girl on the Queen's Drawn Queen's DRAWNA Queen's Drama Drawn
MC Queen's Drama Queens. Hey, this is Bethany joy Lynn

(27:07):
and Sophia Bush and Hilary Burton and we have a
podcast called Drama Queens. I feel like it's a walk
down memory lane that also might be a little bit
of a stumble down memory lane. I mean we'll have
cocktails sometimes, so we might leave stumbling. I'm good with that.
There are no fans like One Tree Hill fans. There
is no family like our family. So we got together

(27:30):
to do a rewatch podcast to relive the show, as
so many of you have so many times, because to
be honest, we haven't Yeah, we haven't seen it since
two thousand and two, two thousand three. We can't wait
to take this trip down memory lane with all of you.
What would our characters be doing right now? I think
Hayley would probably be I mean, she's got to be
close to an empty nuster now right like um Jamie's

(27:51):
out of the house. She might she might be finally
ready to live out those wild years that she cut loose.
You know what I mean. I think it might be time.
I'm gonna say a lot of therapy. Peyton Sawyer is
in so much therapy right now, well not long ago.
I found my vote Brooke Davis for president Penn, I

(28:12):
don't know, as Brooke Davis senator or something. There's so
much cool stuff to imagine for them. But before we
can go forward, we got to go back to the beginning.
You nailed it. Make sure you all listen to Drama
Queens on the I Heart Radio app, on Apple podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, thanks for listening.

(28:35):
Don't forget to leave us a review. You can also
follow us on Instagram at Drama Queens O t h
or email us at Drama Queens at I Heart radio
dot com. See you next time. We are all about
that high school drama. Girl Drama, Girl, all about them
high school queens. We'll take you for a ride at
our comic girl sharing Drama Queens d It's my girl fashion,

(29:01):
but you'll tough go. You could sit with us Girl
Drama Queens, Drama, Queen's Drama, Queen's Drama, John mc Queen's Drama,
Queen's Well, now that Paris has got a chance to
interview me, I think it's about time I get to
interview Paris Hilton, the boss that I know, who has
created an over four billion dollar empire. I want to
ask her tough questions about money and even how did

(29:24):
Paris Hilton ever first make money? This is dominated let's
jump right then, so can I share when we first met.
Everybody has an impression of Paris Hilton, isn't that true?
And she walks into a room and you have a
preconceived notion. And what I loved so much about Paris
in the first few minutes is how she absolutely defied

(29:47):
so much of what you believe you know about Paris right.
She is so incredibly on point from a business perspective.
Her questions are incredible. As we were talking, and I
think we immediately found chemistry and two women who not
only love pink, but love I think, challenging the status

(30:07):
quo and really owning our own destiny. I couldn't think
of anybody who has dominated more than Paris Hilton to
start this series. Thank you. You remember about the first
time we met. I just remember everyone in the room
just being like mesmerized by you and just so intrigued

(30:31):
and interested in Even before I met you, before you
came over, my mom was just like raving about you,
like you need to meet her. She's so smart, she's incredible,
and like just talking like this pink pill and it's
something that you know, we've My mom and I have
never even discussed sex or anything like that before, and
you just came in and we're talking about it all
and it was just like crazy to be in the

(30:51):
same room with my mom talking about things like that
I've never even spoke about with her in my life,
So it was pretty cool. When we were around the table,
it became almost like a confessional in the best way.
And I think women were opening up and talking about
something that we all deal with but none of us
talked about. And I loved that moment. And I think
Paris was in many ways leading by like being unapologetic

(31:15):
and talking about it. So I was immediately struck by
you talk about a time when you felt very underestimated,
or how you've used underestimation as like a secret weapon.
Oh my god, I have been underestimated. Uh too many
times to count, but um yeah, I think you know,
just from the simple life character that I developed, I

(31:36):
was underestimated from the moment I, you know, hit the
news waves when I started my career, and it was
something I got stuck into because it was that the
whole world I knew who I was, So um yeah,
it was something I didn't recently like for people are
finally understanding who I am now, like back then, for
so many years, people have just like I said, underestimated me. Thought, oh,

(31:59):
she's like the deads blonde Barbie, which comes from a
wealthy family. She spoiled and people have never really I
think also being a woman, they they like to underestimate you.
They don't want to give you the credit for the
work that you do, and you know, people I don't know,
just in so many ways, it's been really hard sometimes
just to have to live in that kind of with

(32:20):
people thinking that of me when I knew the truth
all along. Yeah, you know, I obviously I've seen so
many tapes of you through all of the years, and
I've seen you put into really uncomfortable situations in that
where they absolutely were underestimating who I know you to be.
But you've always handled that with such grace, and I
think that's the way you do it, right. You just

(32:42):
take in that underestimation, walk out of the room and think,
watch this, watch me. And I think, for you know,
all of the people listening, underestimation is an invitation to
surprise people. And if you start to see it that way,
if you lose the the shackles of kind of self
doubt or imposter syndrome that we so often talk about,

(33:05):
and you actually think this is kind of fun, Right,
I'm just going to gamify this. Um. It's really it
can be quite powerful. Yeah. I think it definitely con
fuel you to even want to do better because you
just want to prove them even more wrong than they
ever thought. Possible. So how did you transition from exactly
what you said, The Simple Life into really an empire

(33:27):
builder in your businesses? Like, how did you make that transition? Well,
when The Simple Life came out, there was nothing like it.
The show is the first of its kind, so this
is the beginning of reality TV. And UM, as soon
as it came out, that's when I saw the power
of it because we had over thirteen million viewers, which
was insane, and I just saw that this actually could

(33:48):
be a huge platform for me to build a business
and a brand. So right away I was like, all right,
I want to develop my first fragrance. I want to
do my own clothing line, I want to do an album,
I want to write a book. So I just knew
with having that stage, in that platform and that audience,
that that was my superpower to build a brand. And
also another way, you know, by playing this character and

(34:10):
then just to be like ha ha laughing all the
way to the bank. And I'm not a dumb blan,
I'm just very good at pretending to be one. Yeah,
I like the last laugh, right I. Um, I was
laughed out of every room when I was going through this,
And I always think like, who's laughing now, right? It
give you a billion reasons to believe and uh and

(34:31):
I'm laughing all the way to the bank. But so
talk for a second about um seeing that potential like
you saw that opportunity to to build a brand. How
are I want people to hear like, how is Paris
Hilton as a boss? So so what is that like
for you? Even I want to are you tough? Because

(34:55):
you're so sweet? I also have to say for everybody
like one of the real surprises I think, and and
anybody close to Paris will tell you this is she's
so sweet and thoughtful, and we'll send you a tax
out of the blue, just checking in on you. And
that's really such a special part of you. But are
you that Are you tough on people who work with you? No?

(35:17):
I'm so shy and I hate confrontation. So even if
something bothers me, or someone is like being lazy or
doing something or they do something bad, I'm like so
scared to say anything, so I just won't say anything.
I used to just call my dad and be like
this person is being beyond like can you tell them
or can you fire them? Because I'm too embarrassed Um,

(35:38):
I don't do that anymore, but um yeah, I'm just
very bad with being like a bossy boss. It changed
over time, maybe yeah, yeah, I'm I'm not like mean
and bossy, but I just will get the boint across.
And I think it's good to applaud people who work
with you and celebrate them and make them feel really
good when they do something good. For sure, it incentivizes

(35:59):
them to want to do better and and really treating
everyone like family where we're just so close where people
I only have people in my life that want to
lift me up and want to support me and passionate
about what they do. So I think it makes such
as an amazing work environment where people feel so happy
and so good and excited to come to work and
it's so fun. It is fun. I think it's a

(36:20):
strength of women really to build for lack of our
community right even among the people who work with them.
And I'm so grateful for all of my team and
it's a big piece of how do I recognize them
and and and have this very familial, awesome kind of
culture where you've all the right incentives I think to
do well. So if it's hard for confrontation how do

(36:43):
you find the best people? Like, are there ways that
you find the best people to work for you? Do
you do you hire pitbulls? Like around you? Do you think, Yeah,
there's people in my life that can be the bad
guy I can cook on. Carter's really helped me, Like
he's so brilliant and such an amazing partner. And we

(37:04):
since we've been together, I've done like a whole overall
of my whole team, so everybody is new and might
have some of the most brilliant, talented creative, Like it's
just amazing, like what we've done. Even since the pandemic,
I've started so many different businesses. And before it was
all about traveling in deejaying and doing personal appearances. And

(37:25):
you know, since the world is shifted, I really just
had to change my business model. And um, I've never
had so many successful businesses going on at once. So
it's just so exciting, and I just I don't know,
I just it's so much to do. I'm so busy,
but I love it. I love it's so excited for you.
That's awesome that that's all going on. So I have
a favorite interview question for all people. So to the

(37:47):
point of like picking the people to surround you. My
favorite question I asked people is what is the first
way you made money? What is the first way Parishi
made money? My first thing, Um, well, before I had
like a job, I my sister and I lived in
Malibu every summer in the colony, and we would set

(38:08):
up like a lemonade stand. And then I would start
going into my house and like taking like my mom's
things and then selling them as well. So I'm sure,
oh my god, what did you sell them first? It's
like random like antiques. And actually, actually before I even
had lemonade, and when I was like eight, I would

(38:28):
set up like a store in front of my bedroom
with a table and I would just like sell things,
like to my sister if like her godfather gave her
a hundred dollars, I'd be like, I have this Teddy Bear,
it's a hundred dollars only, and they keep be like okay,
and like give me the hundred. It's incredible. Oh my god,
did your mom find out or did she never miss

(38:48):
these items? I have to know what happened with that.
I think this is the first time she's hearing about it.
Sorry Mom, Sorry Cathy. That I heard first here. That's
I knew you would be like in a ridge, little hustler.
I do. I love that question when I interview people
because so many people answer it as their first job,
and I think when they sit and think about it,

(39:10):
it's the people were like, but wait a minute. When
I was little, I sold my mom's aunties and then
I'm like, oh, I want to hire them because the
motor turned on really early. So you talked about your mom,
and certainly you know people have gotten to see a
view into your relationship. But what other strong women are

(39:31):
influences in your life? I actually I've read a little
bit about your grandmother's but I'd love to hear more
about that. Definitely for influences of my life, my mom
and my grandma. I think it all started with my
grandma because she was such a force and so strong
and just when she'd walk into a room, she just
like took it over. And it was just such a

(39:53):
huge force in my life for so long. And I
used to live with her actually in Palm Springs for
a year, so she was just like my best friend,
just so much fun, like make me laugh and give
me the best advice and yeah, She's definitely had a
huge effect on our whole family. I missed her so much.
Did I see in video that she would always tell

(40:15):
you could be anything? Yes? I think it's so important,
Like that's such an important narrative for girls, even at
an early age of you can do whatever you want
to do. And I think being surrounded by that gave
you that sort of freedom to choose. Yeah, definitely. Since
I was a little baby, she always was saying that
to me and just making me feel like I could

(40:35):
accomplish anything in life. You know, my dad has a
m I have nieces and nephews, and from when they
were really little, he would always be telling them, like,
you can do whatever you want to do, you can
do whatever you want to do, and he would make
them answer them back. Everybody's can think this is so strange,
and they would say because I'm an Eckert and because
of that, like they could do anything. But it's like,

(40:56):
how do we give people that power early on to
know that they can dominate? So what has it been like,
and you know, really a male kind of dominated space
when you've walked into these rooms, do you find it harder?
I guess to work with men than women. I'm just
curious about that. I think I've been doing this for

(41:16):
so long and I used to me like one of
the only women there was. Um, So it's something I've
really just gotten used to over the years. And yeah,
so I don't really have a difference between men and women.
I love working with women, I love supporting them. Um.
But there has been times, like earlier in my career
just starting off, um where I would feel, you know,

(41:39):
kind of uncomfortable. Sometimes, especially in the modeling industry, there's
a lot of creeps, so I'm sure scary, which you
would never experience with a woman. But I don't know,
just being alone in a room sometimes only with one
man is kind of would be scary as a young girl. Yeah,
I think there's a way that you almost have to

(42:02):
perfect your sense of humor to, like, I don't know,
diffuse those rooms and get out of them, right, is
how do you how do you get out of those
and not be be put in those situations? I get
asked that question a lot by women at conferences and stuff,
like what do we do if you know, we go
to dinner but he thinks that it's a date, and
like you say, don't be that guy who thinks this
is a date, Like you're not that guy you should

(42:24):
or you don't even say that to him. You say, oh,
this last guy that took me, I thought this was
a date? Can you believe it? And you like immediately
have like laid the table for this is not happening.
You don't even think about it. That was beyond. That's
exactly right. So um, so talk a little bit about
um beyond your grandmother's influence on you, which I think

(42:46):
is maybe a lesser told story. So many people talk
about your grandfather, of course, and your mom. What other
women do you look to? Mentorship is a huge thing,
I think for me and how we find our network
or circle of friends. Who are some of the women
that you having your circle? My sister, she's just brilliant,
She's strong, she's my best friend. I look up to

(43:08):
her so much. Even though she's my little sister, I've
always looked up to her as a big sister. She's
been just the more mature one, like bossy, just like more.
I don't know what do you ever called her? To
call any of your employees? I think that would be
a terrifying call to come from Mickey would be terrified.
I haven't asked you because I would feel too bad
for them. I love it, but I love her there.

(43:32):
That's good. Anybody else that you look up to as mentors, well,
I think that you are amazing. I really look up
to you. I'm inspired by you. How what you've done
with your career and now that you're just really supporting
other women in their businesses and making people's dreams come true.
And I just think it's really incredible, and I commend
you for what you've done. Thank you for all of us.
Thank you. I love that piece. There's nothing better than

(43:54):
helping somebody else get there right. It really is so rewarding.
And Paris is really truly puts sort of women on top,
I think in a way that I love to. Let's
talk about Nikki were just a second, because now you
said that, what is the difference between the two of you, Like,
what was the balance between the two of you growing up? Well,
just growing up we were always very different. Like I

(44:16):
was such a tomboy, like I didn't care about fashion,
was like going fishing and like being outdoors, and Nikki
was always like getting dressed up and really into fashion.
And she seemed like a little bit more shy and
I was more outgoing. And then when we became teenagers,
she became like the s gatekeeper where she would see

(44:37):
guys or girls like trying to be my friend or
hang out and she would be like, no, that person's
like bath, they're hungry, tiger, just like always tell me
the truth. Yeah, and no one. I don't know. I
didn't really have had so many yes people in my life,
my whole life, and she's always been the one that
would be like, no, and just tell me how it is.

(44:57):
Would you say you've been lonely? Yeah, there's been times
before I was engaged, just traveling for two or fifty
days out of the year and always being alone and
these foreign countries all the time, with like having nobody
there with me. It has been really hard. Yeah, I
think about that being such a big piece of so

(45:17):
many women I know who really have dominated they there
is a loneliness, there's a loneliness. And entrepreneurship there's a
lineliess as you're doing there's a loneliness when you're the
first in doing things. And I think it's something that
is That's why I asked you about mentors. I really
love to. Even when I decided to invest in women,
I'm trying to figure out, like do they have a network,

(45:38):
because this is going to be really lonely. I don't
know if you even know this about me. My childhood,
I was in the Fiji Islands, so I very I
started like living there. Lived there in Fiji. Yes, So
my dad came home. I was from Rochester, New York,
like you know, upstate New York, almost Canada, freezing all
the time. And my dad came home and he said,

(45:58):
want to go to Fiji? And I said, what's Fiji?
And I went and spun the globe and I was like,
that's the other side of the world. I want to
go to Fiji's great because we're moving there in two weeks.
And I really had this. And then I moved every
single year from the fourth grade through my senior year
of high school, and so I was always like the
new kid, totally uncool. And I tease that it's a

(46:21):
bit of alone on the island, and I think that's
also one of our bonds. Like I think about your
time at boarding school and feeling very isolated, with the
entire world already presupposing what you're gonna do. So how
do you break out from that? Like, how do you
break out from that everybody assuming or telling you exactly

(46:42):
what you're gonna do, all of that pressure. Um, I
think just I feel like everyone's always had these misconceptions
about me my whole life. I've just learned just to
not pay attention to that and just know who I
am deep inside, and especially getting into the public eye
at such a young age, being a teenager, it was

(47:04):
really difficult hard enough without being in the public eye.
I can't even imagine it. It was a nightmare sometimes
just having to wake up every morning and page six
or like a tabloid is writing some crazy story and
then my Mom's like, what the hell. So it was
just very hard for you know, most of my life
just to go through that. But I've just learned over

(47:24):
the years that people are going to think what they want,
and what matters is what I think of myself and
what my family and my friends and people who I love.
You have for other women on that, like, is there
is there something you tell yourself? Honest to God? I
think of like even Ashley Graham with her mantras, and like,
is there something you tell yourself? Before you walk into
a room, just like you're a boss. Don't be shy

(47:49):
and just be you and you're awesome. I think it's
a good reminder. I'm so happy to see how happy
you are in life right now to You're in such
a happy place personally, and I love watching it for you.
So what was the story early on? So it's interesting
to me, and I know you've said this before that
you were a tomboy. What's the story? Like your grandmother

(48:12):
would tell me about you when you were very little,
that would tell us like you were going to accomplish
all of this. Mm hmm. Ever since I was little,
my grandmother would always say to me, like, you're you're
Marilyn Monroe, You're Princess Diana, your grace Kelly. She would
just always say these things to me. And then, Um,
one time she went to this psychic and the psychic

(48:34):
told her, your granddaughter is going to be one of
the most famous and most photographed women in the world
one day. So it's something that she predicted like when
I was like maybe five years old. Um, and I
came true. That's really incredible. You said that you're not
a tough boss, but have you ever had a tough boss. No,

(48:55):
I've always been my own boss. Okay, So for people
watching you from Afar, everything you touch turns pink, it
turns to gold. So what is That's why I asked
you what your first job was, because I knew you
were a hustler. And where does that come? Like, that
work ethic, where does it come from? Just from the
way that I was raised. I feel that my parents.

(49:18):
I'm very lucky that they instilled that hard work ethic
in me from a very young age. And you know
when you come from a privileged family. I've lived in
l A my whole life, and I've been friends with
a lot of people who, you know, hope, come from
these very wealthy families, and a lot of them never
had a job. They're just handed allowance and they get,

(49:39):
you know, money thrown at them all the time, and
you know they're not happy because I've never accomplished anything
on their own. And my parents, ever since we're teenagers,
have really instilled in us to want to do something
with our lives and want to make something of ourselves
and be proud of that and didn't spoil us. And
I think that's something that's really important to do because

(50:00):
you can spoil them. You know you're able to financially,
but you will destroy your children if you do that.
You love it more if you earn it. Don't you
so much more if you earn it? Yeah, I think
that's a that's a huge piece. I do see your
work ethic and I have such admiration. And we were
talking about the workhorses are the only ones who become
the unicorns, and I think that's so true. And we just,

(50:22):
you know, a lot of people I think miss out
because what's this expression I've seen like they don't work
hard because it's dressed in or they missed success because
it's dressed in overalls and looks like hard work. It's
a simple life reference. Okay, wait, you did have bosses
in Simple life though? That were I forgot about that.
I can't believe I didn't catch you on that. Who

(50:42):
was the worst boss on simple Like? You had somebody
who was a terrible boss there? The guy at the
dairy farm. It was so mean, like he just kept
like yelling at us and you had to like get
the milk and the cows and was just so gross.
And we like, we're so just tired because we've been
there since like six and the more name like milking
all the cows, hurting the cows, like doing I think

(51:04):
it was our first job out of the entire series.
So it was just like a kind of culture shock
to us. And then we ended up like running away
and then just going into this jacuzzi and like laying
out in bikinis. And then he was like, you're fired.
If you've gotten fired from um on none in real
life and the Simple Life, every single one. We did

(51:26):
every single job, and I've now that, Yeah, you're right,
I've done a lot of crazy jobs I've worked at.
I need to hear more of these jobs. Okay, go
through some of those jobs. I worked at um this
place called Colliente and Florida, which is a newist colony,
as like housekeepers, and we were what else do we
do that It's true that the people who go to

(51:46):
a newst colony or not the people who should go
to the newest colony round. It's everyone you don't want
to see naked naked. That's incredible. It was so weird,
just like walking around, like being like in the couch
and one sits down, but they had to sit a
towe all down before they least, and then we went
to the nightclub that night because we were bored and
people are dancing naked on the dance floor, was like

(52:07):
so weird. It was definitely an experience. I'm so happy
I did that show. I know that's great experiences. Okay,
now that we're naked, can we talk about sex for
just a second. You knew if the conversations me, we're
going to get to sex somewhere. So I think this
is really more in the context of taboo, like you're
a sex symbol. Really like you're a sex symbol. Um.

(52:31):
I'm not sure if Justin had a poster review my fiance,
but I'm pretty sure he did so. Um, And it's
funny like that we we can talk about sex that way,
but we can't actually like have a real conversation about sex.
What What is it do you think that holds like
creates all these taboo sex money you pick whichever one
it is, Like, what is it that's holding the conversation

(52:53):
back for women? It's just I think it's just been
like that forever. Like even the way I was raised,
my mom was so shy she wouldn't even talk about
it with me. It's nothing. We still don't talk about it.
The only time we were talking about it, it was
in front of you when he came over. But um, yeah,
I think that's just something that's instilled in women, you know,
all over unless you know they are someone who just

(53:16):
will come out and do it. But it's something that's
very hard to do. Yeah, Like even now, I get
so shy, Like even hearing the word Harris did freak
for a second when I said that. Everybody. I don't
know if you caught that, Um, but I but look,
I think it's like speaking up for yourself, and you're
doing that right now in SPADs Like I couldn't be

(53:38):
prouder honestly to watch your activism, your advocacy. Can you
talk just a little bit about that, Like, what what
is it that? What would you tell other people they
need to do to really advocate for themselves? Um? Well,
for me, I you know, I've never been so proud
of my life. Just after I did my documentary, you know,

(54:01):
I had no idea how the world was going to
react when I was discussing things I never talked about,
just all the abuse I went through as a teenager
at all these schools, and it's still happening today. And um,
just to know now because I've used my voice, I've
really turned my pain into a purpose. And I just
passed my first law in Utah last month, so that's yeah,

(54:24):
it's so exciting. And now we're taking it to a
federal level, so it'll be illegal in all fifty states.
And it just makes me so proud. I know that
me is like a sixteen year old girl stuck in there.
It would be so proud of the woman I am
today to be sticking up for what's right. And this
is going to affect you know, generations of children from
you know before who went through it once, who are

(54:45):
in there now and in the future. So the fact
that I could have made such an impact in that
way is I feel like I've done a lot of
things in my life that I'm proud of, but this,
by far is the thing I'm most proud of. I
was going to ask you that question. I figured that
was the answer, which is awesome. I'm so proud of
you for that too. I think, um, you know, I
watch you and have so many sort of flashbacks of

(55:07):
me standing at the f d A and like fighting
the establishment. If you will for for change, for good
and um and I think it's just admirable what you're
doing there, and I do believe for everybody. Let's be honest,
nobody would have thought that Paris Hilton would change the
game this way. No one would have thought that, right.
A lot of people say that to me there is

(55:27):
like there's one word I would not think of you before,
And I was like, activists, that's right. But I think
that's proved to everybody that they have that within, even
from you know, the most unexpected places. I think if
we speak out for ourselves, we're actually speaking out for
each other on things that just don't make sense. Um.
So I love watching this frontier for you and everything

(55:50):
that you're working on. Now I need till excited. So
what does the word dominated mean to you? Dominated? To
me means being a boss and really just stepping up
for what's right and just not letting anyone or their
past define you and just being yourself and being strong.
Why is that hard to be yourself in this world?

(56:13):
I think because the world wants you to be someone
else sometimes and people feel like they need to conform
to that. And when you think about it, you don't
have to Dial. It doesn't matter what other people say
or what people do. Everyone is their own person and
they should be who they want to be. Take that
from the woman who absolutely everybody believes should be a

(56:34):
certain thing because of your last name, because of how
we watched you grow up from a very early age,
and you have absolutely defied I think what people would
have expected and done it on your own terms. And
in that way, you truly have dominated. Thank you a
great example you two. Thank you Paris for being my friend.
How how good is this? And I kicked it off

(56:54):
with Paris Hilton like that is incredible? So the bar
is really high. But you and I are going to
compare notes. There are going to be incredible women that
we talked to who have crushed it, many of whom
we both call friends. And I just want to make
sure that all the women out there that I think
both you and I want to see be incredibly successful
dominating their own life. I love it as an honor

(57:17):
to do your show, So thank you so much. Thank
you for being here, Thanks for listening to this is Paris.
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