The rise of the health and wellness industry has meant many things: stretchy pants at every turn, baby boomer parents suddenly taking an interest in turmeric and workplaces implementing mindfulness initiatives. But it’s not just physical and mental wellness that’s seen a recent boom; previously “hippie” spiritual topics like crystals, tarot card readings and astrology have also flooded the mainstream. These days if you eavesdrop at any dinner party or coffee shop, you’re likely to hear someone mention how the recent retrograde cycle is affecting their specific sun sign, or how a new relationship is meant-to-be because of how one person’s chart syncs with someone else’s.
Stephanie Simbari and Elizabeth Kott of the wildly successful (and ferociously witty) That’s So Retrograde podcast and Instagram account @soretrograde are at the forefront of this burgeoning mega-industry. On their podcast and social channels, Elizabeth and Stephanie share informed commentary and savvy knowledge of the cultural zeitgeist with a devoted following from all over the globe.
Contrary to what some might expect from a platform devoted to rising signs and lunar cycles, the That’s So Retrograde team tackles everything from hard-hitting activism to lighthearted commentary — and they do it with aplomb, effortlessly manifesting wellness into both serious and whimsical conversations.
Stephanie and Elizabeth are babes because of their bold entrepreneurial spirit, their wicked sense of style and their talent for discussing a wide-range of thought-provoking, relevant content that makes us think.
What does ‘Babes Supporting Babes’ mean to you?
Stephanie: It means not seeing other women as competition but rather as people you can either support or collaborate with.
How did you get started in your line of work? Was it something you intentionally sought, or did it come to you organically?
Stephanie: I started as a stand up comic with a passion for yoga, astrology, and a number of different spiritual texts. The That’s So Retrograde podcast came as an organic evolution from the mix of those things plus my friendship with Elizabeth.
When you were a kid, was there an artist, movie or album that had a profound effect on you?
Elizabeth: RENT — the soundtrack, the stage production, the cast, you name it. I was obsessed.
What city feels most like home to you?
Elizabeth: Los Angeles and my parents home in Michigan.
What new trends are you noticing in your industry?
Elizabeth: The democratization of wellness — booking platforms to connect with healers, an uprising of streaming services for meditations and workout classes, clean beauty being readily available from the drugstore to Sephora, you name it. It’s fun to witness!
Stephanie: CBD is the hottest ticket in town.
If you could go back in time, what year or era would you travel to?
Stephanie: 1915 — the year my grandfather was born.
What is your relationship with social media?
Elizabeth: I guess it is similar to my relationship with pizza. I love it, and in small doses it can be great and fun, but too much too often makes me feel icky.
Stephanie: It’s problematic. I’m working on it.
What would you consider your “superpower”, aka the thing you can do better than anyone else?
Stephanie: I’m very good at being myself.
Elizabeth: Connecting people.
What characteristics do you most admire in the people you work with?
Stephanie: Integrity, communication, and transparency.
Elizabeth: Dependability, consistency, pointed vision and a sense of humor.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Elizabeth: It’s a tie between getting multiple facials a month (I love Corrective Skincare LA) and buying really nice olive oil. Right now, my favorite is Brightland.
What was your first job?
Elizabeth: My first job in LA was working in celebrity gifting suites at award shows.
What is your most treasured possession?
Stephanie: My sparkly Yves Saint Laurent sunglasses from Matches.
Elizabeth: My mom’s paintings. She is a really talented watercolor artist — and at this point, I have quite the collection. When people ask me about the artwork pieces in my home, I am so proud to say that my mom painted them.
What personal characteristic(s) do you have to work on the most?
Stephanie: Making space for myself.
Book everyone should read?
Stephanie: The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Singer.
Elizabeth: American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers by Nancy Jo Sales.
What person or organization would you love to collaborate with and why?
Stephanie: Russell Brand; Oprah; Whoopi Goldberg.
Keep up with That’s So Retrograde on Instagram @soretrograde.
Keep up with Elizabeth @elizabethkott and Stephanie @ssimbari.
Introduction written by Alexis Sheridan.
Photography by Ryan Pugsley.