Clean Girl Is Out
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It's February 1st, cheers! Earl Girls, it's now February 1st, 30 Hard is over, it's done with, we made it, thank god. 🎵

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This is actually just water in here because I'm recording this not on February 1st, so you know, we gotta stick with our water for right now, but by the time this episode comes out in two days, I will be done with the 30 hard. Now, for anyone who has

Absolutely no idea what I'm talking about. The 30 hard is a challenge that is supposed to be the 75 hard, but I cut it down to 30 days because I felt with my schedule and my lifestyle. I was like, we have nothing going on for January. I'm going to try this out. 30 days, no alcohol, working out twice a day, a gallon of water a day.

Um, you keep yourself to a diet of your choice. My diet of choice was kind of just making myself cook more. I cut myself off of Uber Eats. I have not touched the Uber Eats app all of January.

round of applause. I am like an addict on Uber Eats. I'm ordering everything on there. Even when it's like coffee from downstairs in my building, there's a coffee shop down below and I will Uber Eats it up to my apartment and I'm like, wait a minute, wait, wait, wait a damn minute. I'm paying $20 for a $5 coffee and I just got into like a really bad habit of being on the go and I

I mean, part of that had to do with just like the lifestyle. I was traveling. I was on a plane literally every other day. And I was like, I didn't really have any time to do anything. So I kind of got into bad habits when it came to like my health, cooking, my mental health.

And I have really worked on it this past month. And we need to just recap everything about it. The good, the bad, because now it's over. And what I have to say is I don't think I'll ever do this again. Maybe next January, but probably not. I don't think I'll ever do this again. But I'm so happy I did it. I would not change anything about it. I have no regrets.

So why would you not do it again, Alex? Why would you not? Let's go over, I feel like the question that everyone has the most with the 30 hard is why did you do it in the first place? Some people thought that I was just changing up my life forever. I think people thought that I was going to be like a health nut all of a sudden, like my content was changing forever. No, that is not the case. We literally have... Hi. Oh, I missed you too.

Um, honestly, I think maybe soon. I'm recording for Hot Mess right now. Do you want to say hi? Yeah. Hi. Hi, guys. I finally sit down to record and I gotta FaceTime one minute and it's gonna derail me again. Love you guys. Miss you. I miss you. All right. Sorry.

Brief call from my little sisters, but we're back. In February, we have one, two, three, four, I think five trips planned. We are partying on almost all of those trips. And this weekend, my best friend Sarah from college, I was roommates with her all four years, is coming to stay with me. So obviously we're going out, we're gonna be feral rats, and we're getting right back to it. I'm very, very scared. I feel like I forgot how to drink.

And I don't know. I'm just... I know after like one sip of one drink, I'm literally going to be falling on the floor like drunk. So that'll be fine. It'll be a cheap date. You're welcome, Braxton. But I really wanted to do this to get myself into better habits because...

I just kind of lost it. And now I feel good. Like, I wake up and I want a glass of water. That's normal for most people, but I would literally drink coffee, energy drink, coffee again. Like, I would maybe have one glass of water throughout the entire day, which is very bad. And...

I will say, now I'm loving water. Water is great. Don't know where that's been my whole life. And my skin has cleared up. So I'll show you guys right now pictures of my skin in the beginning of the month first now. And it has made the biggest difference in my skin. And a lot of you guys keep saying that's alcohol. And I think it like obviously helps not drinking alcohol, but I don't really think that's like what cleared my skin. I definitely think it's the...

Switch up in the skincare routine I've been using I have been getting facials every two weeks and I think drinking water has made such a big difference in my skin So any of my girls who are dealing with acne? I've never been able to clear my skin ever ever ever ever if you guys remember the acne episode I literally said the only thing that has ever been able to clear my skin has been accutane and

This month, we whipped it around. She's back in shape. Her skin is healthy.

I'll keep you guys updated though once I have a few tequila sodas if my skin goes back to shit. But I don't think it was completely the alcohol. I really don't. My takeaway from this month, the hardest part, which I know everyone is going to say, the alcohol was definitely the hardest part for her. She definitely could not go 30 days without alcohol. I've seen comments, people being like, well, she's definitely sneaking alcohol into her bedroom at night. She's not vlogging it. She's not showing us like...

Some of you guys have no faith in me and it's very disheartening. The alcohol was actually not the biggest struggle. We're going to get into that part in a minute. But the biggest struggle for me was the working out twice a day every day because my body was not used to that in the slightest. And then even when you're like sore and tired from working out,

I'm usually in the headspace where I'm like, oh, I just worked out. So now I can give myself a break for a week and a half. Like now I don't have to work out ever again. And this has kind of had to change that habit in my mind. And I've had to get up and work out every day.

The one workout is outside, so I've been going on walks, and it's made me realize how much is close to my apartment building that, like, I need to stop ordering food and ordering my coffee. Like, it takes me 10 minutes to go walk and get a coffee, and it's nice. Like, I live in Miami. Like, get outside, Alex. Get out of your dungeon of a room. I do feel better. I do feel stronger. In the beginning, when I was working out, I definitely felt, like, horrified.

Horrible. I was like I cannot do this for 30 days I couldn't even pick up a five pound weight and now i'm on to the 10 pound weights with my arms We're getting big and buff and strong and I definitely can see like some more muscle definition. I'm feeling better Going forward. Am I gonna work out twice a day seven days a week? No, that's not in the cards for me not in the cards for my schedule It's not happening but I will say like now I

Got into a habit of working out and my body feels good and I feel good. So I'm going to be eager to like go work out when I do have time. And I'll probably try to get outside every day and walk. And I think with going to the gym, I'm going to try and go like four or five times a week, which is a lot for me compared to how I used to go. It was like four or five times a

in two months. So big change. Now, let me tell you about the difficulties of not drinking because it was different than I thought. Like, I was just like, oh, man, like,

I'm really gonna just like crave a drink. Like I just want to like go out with my friends and take shots. And I thought that was going to be a struggle for me, but it actually wasn't at all. Like I was sitting in my room, in my house, at dinners. I'm like, I don't want to drink right now. Like that is not a problem. I'm not an alcoholic. That's fine. The part that got me with not drinking was being social.

I did not realize how socially awkward I am until I did not have a drink in my hand. Taking you back to the first week that I went out being sober as a rock,

I didn't know how to talk to anyone like I felt like there was a big flashing sign above my head that was like sober sober she's sober like this girl over here doesn't know how to socialize and I went to this pregame and then I went out with my friends and I was like I am such a loser like I don't know how to talk to anyone and I also for the first time was like witnessing everyone else be really drunk and messy and

And I just wasn't. So I was like, wait a minute. Is that, like, what I'm looking like when I go out? Like, do I look like the girl in the corner that's just, like, flawing over and slurring her words? And I was like, oh my god, like, what the hell? And that was definitely another big realization for me. I was like, okay, don't know how to talk to people when I am dead sober. And

And then as the month went on, I kept going out. I wasn't going to not go out because I don't know. I like to be social. I like to be with my friends. So I wasn't really understanding why I couldn't talk to people. And then I realized...

It was just a mental block that I was having. Like, there was nothing wrong. Like, towards the end of it, I went to this horse race this weekend. And this guy came up to me and he was like, you're the most fun, sober person I've ever seen. Like, I was flailing around, dancing, like, being myself, making jokes that aren't funny. And I almost appeared as if I was drunk, but I was just having a good time dancing.

And it was just like mentally I think it just took me like a week or two to get over that hump of being like wait I feel so awkward because i'm not drinking right now. And then I was like, why? Would that make me feel awkward? That makes no sense So once I got over that little hump I was fine And I honestly was like I don't even need a drink like i'm having a great time like what do I need alcohol for? so now i'm like worried i'm like

am I going to want to drink? I'm going to want to drink. But am I going to want to get that drunk? Like, I feel like I'm going to just appreciate having a damn glass of wine or a tequila soda. Like, I don't think I need to take it to the point of like,

ripping shots every five seconds and like drinking until I don't remember anything so that's great I'm gonna go out this weekend though so if you follow me on TikTok you will probably witness me going out for the first time drinking I'm gonna vlog it how it's going I'm probably gonna be so deathly hungover like it's not gonna be fun for me

My friends are already preparing. They're like, we're going to have to carry Alex out of the bar the first week in drinking because I'm going to be such a lightweight because I haven't drank in 30 days. 30 hard, great. My skin cleared up. I feel stronger and healthier, realizing that I can be very social and fun and myself without having a drink or a drink in my hand. And all of these things are seeming very positive. So why is it that I would never want to do the 30 hard again?

Why is it that I don't want the kumbaya piece sitting in my bed and not having to talk to anyone? I'm going to yoga. I got really into yoga this month. I have been mentally spiraling, which you think it would be the opposite, but I realized I am just better in like a fast pace environment. Like go, go, go, fast pace. The second that I sit there,

And I don't have anything to do. I don't have something to pack for. I almost... It's like I have free time to myself. I was freaking out. I... Oh, I also started therapy this month, which has been very great, very helpful. But I've just had way too much time to think. I think I like to be stressed out. Like, I don't like...

free time and peace. I don't like it. I like to feel like I am lost in the sauce, have no idea what's going on. I'm 10 steps behind. Like I have been a procrastinator my whole life. So for me, I need to always feel like there is like some fire under my ass and like I have to just keep pushing and like

I just have been too peaceful this month. It's been way too peaceful for me. I need the chaos. Like, I need the hot mess back in my life. I am a hot mess. I always will be. It is a lifestyle for me. And speaking of hot mess is a lifestyle. Finally, the day has come. The merch is all here. This is what I'm surrounded by right now in this room. We have three sweatsets. We have a blue. We have a green. We have a red. And then we have two t-shirts. And...

designing this merch has been so much fun it's been in the works for a while now so I'm finally happy that we have it and this next week we are going to be letting you guys know it's going to be dropping we're going to be able to buy it it's going to be pre-order it's going to be a lot of fun and

And I'm so excited because this is my first time coming out with merch. I feel like usually people just, I don't know, make merch and come out with it. I've never done that. So I feel like this is just going to be fun. And now like the Earl girls, like we're really going to feel a sense of community here because I'm going to be walking down the street. I'm going to see someone else wearing the hot mess merch and I'm going to be like, oh my God, like I'm going to be able to come up to you and be like, I love you. You're my best friend.

They're going to be like, um, I'm borrowing my friend's sweatshirt. Like, who are you? Why are you talking to me? What are you doing? But I don't know. I think it'll be really fun. And yeah, this is kind of the collection. So I decided for this podcast episode, I'm so proud of it that we're going to sit on it and record. Something else that has just been such a treat, so fun, is my mom came and stayed with me this past week. She actually just left.

And she stayed with me for about nine days. My mom calls me up. She's like, hey, I know you're not doing much this month. Like, I'd love to come down to Miami. I'd love to spend some time with you. And it's so funny because...

I don't know, it felt like roles reversed. You know, like when you're younger, like you're going to stay with your parents or going on trips with your parents and they're taking care of you. And my mom's calling me up like, I just want to come stay over at your apartment and come hang out with you. And I was like, yes, like, let's do it. Like, sleepover. Here we go. She refused to sleep in my bed the whole time she was here. She wouldn't sleep with me. She kept sleeping on the couch, which granted we do have the comfiest couch in the world.

But I was like, mom, like just sleep in bed next to me. And she was like, no, like we will kick each other in the middle of the night and probably like chop each other's heads off. So I'm going to sleep in the couch. And it worked out pretty well. And it's funny because I feel like my mom now is not that she hasn't been my best friend my whole life, but she definitely feels like

Like a friend now. Like I think when you get older, the relationship with your parents changes. Like before you're younger, like they're a parent, they're your guardian, they're the ones telling you yes and no. And then when you become an adult and you're making decisions for yourself, they're not really there in that aspect anymore. And...

Over the past few years, I've really realized like how much fun I have with my parents. Like I like to go out with my parents. I like to go to dinner with them. I like to call them up. I like to tell them what's going on in my life. Like our relationship dynamic has just shifted so much. Growing up, my parents got divorced when I was in second grade. Third grade, they stopped living together. So...

haven't really like grown up or don't really like remember growing up too much with like both of my parents in the same household and I will say because of that dynamic it was always just me my mom and my sister in one house and

My mom has always felt like a sister to me. Like, I don't know how to explain it, but like we just because there was no guy figure in the house. Like, yes, we went to my dad's house a lot and we saw him. But just like in our household, like it was just me, my mom and my sister. So it's like we're girls. We're walking around naked. Like I would tell my mom everything, tell her about guys. And I've been so grateful to have that relationship with my mom because she

I just think if like my dad was still in the house while I was growing up, like I don't think it would have been the same dynamic between us. Like we are so, so close. And I tell my mom more than she even wants to hear. Like she's like, Alex, please stop telling me all of this. Like I would tell her in college when I would like hook up with guys, she's like, Alex, like, please, I do not want to hear it. And then growing up, my dad was kind of the strict parent. Like he was the one that, you know,

We were deathly afraid to go out in front of, like, he would pick me and my friends up from parties in high school. And if he smelt alcohol at all, like, we were in a lot of trouble. And I...

Just being me, just being the oldest child and the hot mess. I got myself into a lot of trouble all the time. There was times I like went to parties and like locked myself out of my dad's house. I was like throwing sticks and rocks at his window to try and wake him up in the middle of the night because I was locked out.

And one time he picked me and my friends up from a party. And I'm like, guys, everyone act cool. I know we had a few beers at the party, but everyone, no drunk guys, like pull it together. Like we're in high school at this time. And obviously we're not supposed to be drinking. And we'd be in the back of my dad's car. He had that like SUV car where it has three rows. And all of a sudden we're in the car and I hear one of my friends like, and I was like, oh my God.

my god and my dad was so mad because he knew that we were drinking because one of my friends threw up and I was like no dad like she just got carsick like she was sitting in the third row of the car like she is just like very you know prone to carsickness she can't sit back there like we weren't drinking um so it's just funny like the different dynamics I had growing up with like my mom and my dad and now just because I'm older I'm like very close with both and

and I actually work very closely with my dad when it comes to work. He's like my manager. My parents are like my best friends now, but it definitely wasn't always that way growing up. They were more parents, as they should be, and you know, that relationship changes over time. But as my mom has been here the past week, she has wanted to go out. She's like, let's go clubbing. Let's do the stuff we normally do.

and Big Al's been quite a loser because I'm not drinking. I'm like, let's just like go to bed. It's 11 p.m., mom. Like, let's go get tucked in. Let's go to bed. And it's just funny because it's so like out of character for me. But don't worry, guys. We are snapping right back into it for February. I also just like realized like I just got a glimpse in the camera that I'm wearing a bun right now in my head.

and I've never podcasted in a bun before, and I'm not sure if you can actually even see the buns. So I might look like a hard boiled egg sitting here with the microphone right now. So don't judge me, sorry. But we spent a lot of time with my mom, Kristen and Braxton. Braxton is my boyfriend, Kristen is my roommate and best friend.

And it's just been so fun hanging out all of us, especially Braxton and my mom, because my mom is so obsessed with Braxton. Like she is like he is the best boyfriend you've ever had. I'm obsessed with him. You're never going to get any better than him. Like he's perfect.

my grandma's obsessed with him and my grandma's never met him she only knows him through like my tiktoks and it's just so funny because they are so close braxton and my mom and they have been like ganging up on me this past week like i i was like hello like the two of them are like uh you know like

She gets so annoying. Like, what is she doing? Like, they're making fun of me. I'm like, guys, like, hello, like boyfriend over here. I'm like the two of them are just like ganging up on me and having fun. But I'm glad I'm glad they like each other. I think my mom has always liked my boyfriends. So that's never been an issue.

Thank God. Like, she's always liked them, but I think, I don't know, with relationships, I think the way it kind of goes is, like, you introduce your boyfriend to your parents or your friends and you want them to like them as much as you do, so sometimes you don't, like, share all the shit that goes on. Now, I definitely do and...

there's really nothing like Braxton doesn't do anything bad. I'm almost like, hello, like, can you do something shitty? Like, what's what are you hiding? What's wrong with you? But, you know, like my mom would be like, oh, like, I love, you know, for example, Chad, the cheater. She's like, I love him. He's the best. And then we break up and I'm like, he cheated on me like 45 times and he was actually so horrible and toxic. And my parents are like, hello, like, this is the guy you've been bringing around and like,

bringing into your family, and yeah, so anyone can relate to that. I feel you because there's definitely been times where my parents are, like, romanticizing a boyfriend that I've had, and I'm like, wait, I actually just haven't told you how much of a shithead they are until we break up, and I have been so, so, so, so, so very grateful that my mom has been here because she did

All of my laundry for me like she did like 30 loads of laundry I was like, how did you do more loads of laundry? In this week than I have done since i've moved into this apartment She was cooking all my meals for me. I felt like a little kid again I was having so much fun and it really helped with all the FOMO that I was feeling from this past month. Uh

Just because there's certain things like I haven't gone, I haven't like gotten on an airplane, gone anywhere, haven't done anything super crazy. And I've been saying no to a lot of things. And usually I'm very big on saying yes to everything. And my FOMO has been kicking in. I don't know if anyone else deals with FOMO. If you don't know what FOMO is, it's fear of missing out. I...

was having horrible FOMO this month. Like, for me, having to say no to things and not go out and just sit in my bed and, like, watch someone else go out and have fun, no, that's never been in the cards for me. Like, I am always the person who wants to go out and have fun. I definitely struggled with FOMO a lot. My, well, I guess I didn't struggle with FOMO. I was

I needed to struggle with FOMO more my freshman year at college because I said yes to everything. Oh wait, I guess I did struggle with FOMO. What am I saying? I didn't miss out on one single party or event or anything my freshman year of college. I was out seven days a week, all night, every night.

Then we'd go to class. Then we'd go get lunch with friends. Then we'd go out again. Like, I was a crazy monster and I have just always been that way. Like, I like to be at everything. I'm always nervous that I'm gonna, like,

miss an opportunity to meet a new person or make a fun memory like I don't know why I really get stressed out about FOMO and I envy the people that are able to just like sit in their bed and like look and tap through like stories of people at a party and like not want to be there like that's just not me like I wish that I didn't care so much but I always am just like oh

Like, I want to be there. Like, I would be having such a fun time if I was there. And that has been a big struggle for me this past month because I've been not really going to that many big things besides, like, you know, going out with my friends. But I have been saying no to a lot of things and I have been hating it. And I'm at a point now where I'm like, I don't need to be at everything, but I need to do something because no, I can't. I can't sit in my bed anymore. I cannot...

not go out anymore. I cannot not have fun anymore. It's not me. I was trying to be mature and I'm not there yet. That's not in the cards for me. I'm not an old lady yet. I'm not settling down. I'm

Getting married, having kids. I think even when I'm doing that, I'm gonna want to like go out and have fun. So I, this has been a great month. If you guys can't tell, I'm like jumping out of my skin right now. I'm like, I cannot wait to go out with my friends this weekend and be a feral rat. We've been calling it, it's going to be a feral February for me. Like, we are going to

LA. We're going to Vegas for the Super Bowl. We are going to Aspen. I think I'm going to Paris. I think I might be going to Jersey or New York at one point. Like, I am so excited to

So the next time that I complain, if I'm like, oh, I'm so stressed out, I'm traveling around so much, I'm doing so much, one of you guys needs to come back and yell at me because I'm telling you right now, I'm going to be so grateful for it. Like, I want to be living out of a suitcase again. I want to. Like, I don't know why I chose this life for January. But it was good. Goodness came out of it. But now...

It was a reality check for me. I'm ready to get back to it, back to my hot mess lifestyle that I'm used to. I know I'm rambling on about that right now, but I just really wanted to tell you guys how excited I am. And I am going to do a segment that I haven't done in a minute.

the get real with me segment. I'm gonna go take off my makeup, do my skincare routine, talk to you guys about how I got into a car accident this past week. That's been another thing I've been doing over here, getting into car accidents, not great, not fun. And I've never been in a car accident before. I have a lot to tell you guys about it. So we're gonna switch over to my bathroom. I'll see you guys there in a second. ♪

This episode is brought to you by Tinder. We all have a dream of how we'll meet that special someone, right? We think it's going to be this big romantic moment. I'm going to be walking down the side of the road. He's going to see me, think I'm the most beautiful girl he's ever seen, turn right back around, come sweep me off my feet. But that's never a

quite how it happens. I mean, I met my boyfriend at the bar, at a party, you know? I mean, I feel like that's how it happens when you go out. Some of you are still waiting for a meet cute moment to happen, but in reality, you might be more likely to find your meet cute on Tinder. A new relationship starts every three seconds on the app.

and the time it takes you to get a drink. You could have already met your special someone. So don't overthink it. Open Tinder and take a chance on romance. No matter how your journey starts, you may join the millions of relationships that started thanks to Tinder. Explore all of the possibilities for yourself. Tinder, it starts with a swipe. Download Tinder today.

This episode is brought to you by Joiba Bubble Tea. If you're a fan of bubble tea, then you guys have to try this range from Joiba. I've seen this all over my TikTok and personally, my little siblings are obsessed with this Joiba Bubble Tea. They show me videos all the time. So Joiba Bubble Tea, it comes in several delicious flavors.

Hello, time to get real with me. We have not done this segment in a minute. I'm going to be doing my skincare routine and taking off my makeup right now.

which has kind of all fallen off my face already. I basically really only have mascara left. And, side note, but I keep getting hives on my neck and I don't know what it is. I don't know if it's like perfume or whatever, but I keep getting them here and then I got this big bump here that like feels like a big cystic pimple, but I don't think it is because it's really itchy and just came out of nowhere.

So, I don't know what I'm allergic to, and I had hives, like, a little bit back here. Honestly, it might be because I self-tanned. So, for today's Get Real With Me topic, we're gonna talk about two things. One, Botox. Two, I got in a car accident. So, lots of fun over here. Um, I feel like I...

I don't know. I don't know if maybe I just don't like Botox. Like the girl who does my Botox is great. The results great. I just don't like the fact that I like can't move my face. Like I don't like it. It's really freaking me out.

So I think in 2024, I may be quitting Botox. Maybe up here, but like I had a horse race this weekend and I was smiling in pictures and I was like, I don't think I can move my face and I feel like it looks like I'm smelling a fart. I don't know if anyone else gets Botox or has gotten Botox and felt that way, but maybe it's just because I just got it and it's like really strong right now and it'll...

wear away a little bit, but I was like, I feel like a robot and I don't think I can smile or like, this is like me making an angry face, but that's like what you want. That's, that's what the desired results are to do. But for some reason it keeps freaking me out and it's, I'm almost getting like claustrophobic from it. But, um, that's not really the main point of what I wanted to say during this. I just wanted to let you guys know what I was feeling there. I

if anyone else feels the same way, if they've ever gotten botox. But I got in a car accident

My first car accident, actually. I'm 23 years old. My name is Alex. Nice to meet you. But I had never gotten in a car accident before, so I didn't realize how skittish I would be after. And the whole thing was just honestly pretty traumatizing. Like, I got out of the car afterwards. I was crying. Everyone was fine, but I don't know. I just...

I'm never... I was just so shocked, like, by feeling so many different emotions and, like, what if everyone wasn't okay? And it was honestly really scary when it happened. I was...

two driveways away from Braxton's house. I was going to pick Braxton up and like it's so crazy because I'm just like I almost made it. I was almost there. I was pulling up like literally at the intersection before his house and that's where it happened and it was not a fun experience. We were out in the

three hours and I don't know the tow truck guy the police officer everyone spoke Spanish and I like couldn't I couldn't speak to anyone because my Spanish is not that great honestly I used to be in honor Spanish in high school it was a little bit better and then I kind of forgot how to speak it which I should definitely learn again because I'm living in Miami and everyone speaks Spanish here

car. It's in the shop. It's gone right now. It was not drivable. Neither of our cars were able to be driven after the accident. It took a full hour to actually move it 30 yards. My whole wheel of my car popped off. I'm very grateful, but this was the first car that I bought for myself. My car in

Car and the car I had in high school, my dad had got for me. So this was like my first big purchase this past year. I was so excited. This car is like my baby. Love it so much. And she really, she took a beating. It was sad to see her go like that. I mean, she's fine. The car's not totaled, but I'm probably not going to have the car for two months now. And when this car accident happened, it was so loud. Like, it was like,

All of the neighbors of this intersection ran out of their house. Thank God Braxton was already waiting in his front yard for me to pick him up.

and he was out there. He had a few bottles of wine in this bag, and he heard the accident like everyone else on the street did, and he flew a young photo of the wine just spilt on the ground. His bottle of water just flung on the ground, and he ran to the rescue, like the superhero that he is, and got us

out of the cars but my airbags didn't go off because the side of my car was hit so honestly i didn't get hurt like my head didn't hit the glass or anything but my spine was like no no the

And it like whacked to the side. And afterwards, like I've had lower back issues my whole life. I think I got them from dancing. But after this, I actually could like not walk. Like my lower back was just so tight and it was so sore. The left side of my neck, I could not move.

for like a week and I've always prided myself on being a good driver. Like I think I'm a good driver. I don't think I'm anything anything crazy, anything bad. My family, friends may disagree with me but I've never gone into an accident before and

I always pride myself on that. Like, last year, my little sister Ashton, she drove right through someone's front lawn, hit a telephone pole, totaled her car. Like, that was never me. I was always pretty responsible when it came to driving. And now, I don't think you guys understand, and I'm sure this happens to a lot of people that get in accidents, but I cannot...

sit in the car and drive or be in the back of a car or the back of an uber without like freaking out the morning after we drove to yoga Kristen was driving and at every stoplight everything I was like holding onto the car like holding my breath I was gasping I have just been so skittish in my uber I took this morning I was freaking out and it's so crazy because now I feel like I've

I feel like a new driver again when you're going through all the rules that you learned in driver's ed in your head because I'm so petrified of getting in a car accident again. And when this happened, I didn't know what to do because I just had no idea. I was like, what is the protocol here? So I called my dad and of course I'm like crying. I don't know. I was just really overwhelmed with emotions. I was like shaking and crying.

And he's of course like, you dumbass, like, what happened? But he's happy I'm okay. And let me tell you, the biggest, not the biggest flop from this, but a big flop from this car accident was...

You know, on my month of health and wellness over here, I decided that I'm going to sign up for all these yoga classes. I've been really loving my yoga. I was really never into yoga before. And I decided because I kept going to yoga classes and renting a mat, I was like, I'm going to buy my own yoga mat. And I'm going to buy my own yoga towels, yoga spray. I'm going to buy the yoga backpack bag from that. Like I got the full thing. And

And I wanted to ball out when I got it. I got it on Aloe. And I think the bag was like $200. The mat was $200. Like it was so expensive. But I was like, you know what? I'm really liking yoga and I'll have this for so long. Well, not anymore.

when I got in the car incident and the car was being towed, Voxen was like, is there anything you need to get out of the car? And I was like, oh my god, yes, like my yoga mat, like my baby. So I hauled it out of the car and I put it on the sidewalk and we're dealing with like the police, the tow truck, we're waiting out there for hours. We finally ended up leaving and the next morning I'm going to yoga and

and I was like wait a minute where's my yoga mat and I was like holy shit I think we left it on the side of the road and I don't think we picked it up and Boxon's neighborhood's like small nice I was like I don't really think there's any yoga mat thieves out there and I was like it should definitely be there like it's the morning after so we go to Boxon's the next morning and

We go to the sidewalk where it was, like, it was by the bushes. It's not like it was in the middle of the road. And my yoga mat is gone. Gone. My yoga mat, my yoga backpack, my yoga towels, my yoga spray. So that was just like a very expensive flop on my end there. $500 worth of yoga supplies down the drain. I probably had that yoga mat for like two weeks and probably got to use it two times.

So that was just so sad and upsetting. And now I don't even want to buy a new yoga mat because I don't trust myself. But someone out there has my aloe yoga mat and I hope you love it. I hope it treats you well. I hope you're having fun with it. If you see this and you want to return to sender,

Just let a girl know. You can put it back on the sidewalk. I'll have Braxton look out for it. So, another message of the day. Be safe out there on the roads. Look both ways before crossing the street. Don't forget your driver's ed rules. Just thought I would let you guys in on that. Maybe you got in a car accident this week and you're feeling a little down about yourself too. Feeling a little skittish out there on the road. Big Al loves you and she feels you.

This top is the What Would Alex Do top I put on for this segment. And I love this top. And these are for photos of myself, but I kind of like that you can't really tell it's me. Like if you really look and you know the photos, they're from a photo booth, then you know what it is. But I was like, I don't want to put like a big thing on my solar shirt because I don't know why that would freak me out. But this is my What Would Alex Do shirt.

So next, let's get into what would Alex do where I'm going to answer some questions from you guys. Let's get into it.

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Joyba on Instagram and TikTok at joyba.fun for fun giveaways and to find a retailer near you. Back to the best time of the week, my favorite part of the episodes, What Would Alex Do?

So I asked you guys, because my mom was staying with me this past week, to write in any questions you had for me pertaining to like parents or family, any of those. So this is kind of like a curated what would Alex do segment. And let me tell you, you guys had a lot to write in about this. So I'm happy that I asked. All right, starting off, this question has to do with moving away from your parents.

Hi Alex, I'm writing because I'm in the process of moving away from home. I moved out of my mom's house a couple years ago, but this is not just a couple of hours, it's 13 hours away. This will be the first time I'm truly far away from my mom. When we lived together, we never got along, but since I'm moving out, we've been best friends and I'm sad to be moving so far away from her. How has moving to Miami affected your relationship with your mom? How often do you see each other and outside of calls, do you text?

Is there anything you do being so far away to keep your relationship close? Thank you. This is a really great question because when I lived with my mom, we would fight a lot. And I think that's normal, but I hope that's normal. We would fight a lot like sisters because like I said before, it was me, my mom, and then my little sister Ashton in the house. And

You know, me and my mom are the same person and neither of us sometimes like to admit it, but we are literally the exact same person. So I think when you're, I don't know, close to a parent, like, and you're living with them, you can kind of butt head sometimes. For me and my mom, I was like, sometimes like, I think I need my space. Like when I moved off to college and I wasn't living at home anymore, me and my mom got so much closer and became such better friends that

Just because we weren't on top of each other all the time. Like I just think sometimes like we are too similar. Like we are literally the same exact person and we will like push each other's buttons. So for me, like you said, like living apart from your mom was great. But now you're at this point where you're like, okay, well, I'm going to be so far away from her that I'm not going to be able to just like see her.

and that can definitely be really scary, but I don't know. I think I've gotten closer with my parents as I've been away and like when I was at college and since I moved to Miami. I will say though you have to keep in contact. All right, this question kind of has to do with overprotective parents.

Hi Alex, how would you deal with overprotective parents? I'm 18 and heading off to college this year, but I feel like my parents still treat me like a little girl and I really just want to have more independence.

For example, I feel uncomfortable wearing makeup around them or wearing more revealing clothing because I feel like they really don't see me as a teenager. That's really holding me back in terms of my social life, like not being able to go to parties much or my parents always being too involved by showing up and picking me up, which I'm grateful for, but sometimes I just want to grab a ride with friends.

Okay, so this is a really tough one because...

I don't know. I've kind of dealt with this a little bit in terms of me being the oldest child, and I'm not sure if you are the oldest or the youngest or maybe you're an only child, but being the oldest child, you are like the trial and error print for...

what is going to be going on. Like, it is parents' first time with you, and I know a lot of the times, like, I would get so upset because there were times, like, I wasn't allowed to, like, wear crop tops or go to parties or do certain things, and, you know, I would be, like, say, 17 years old, and then at 15 years old, my little sister was doing all of those things, and I would get so frustrated because I was like, hello? But really, where that's all coming from

I'm sure, is that they just love you and they're protective over you. And I think if you're 18 years old and you do feel like restricted in a sense, I think just talk to them. Just let them know like,

I love you. I'm always going to be your daughter, your best friend. But like, I do feel like I want to grow up a little bit. And I had to have some of those conversations with my parents, I think more so with like my dad, because my mom and I were always like, I said, my parents were divorced and my mom and I were really close. She was like my best friend's sister. So there wasn't a lot of things that like

I felt awkward doing in front of her, but like my dad, like I was like going to a party and I was like, um, I cannot come downstairs in this tank top right now. Cause I'm scared. And especially when I went to college, like he literally told me, he was like, if you go out to the clubs and like, you're not home by like this certain time, like I will call the police. I will have them pick you up, escort you from the club, like embarrass you, rip you out in front of all your friends. He was always, always the parent that like I would hang out with a guy and

Or I would go to a party. He would be there picking me up. I didn't answer He would do the find my iphone sound if you guys know what that is Like he would do find my iphone and my phone would bing it would be like bing bing bing and it doesn't stop like I would be at Boys houses and my phone would be binging and I couldn't stop it He would track me like I definitely dealt with this more so with my dad and

I think it's partly, like, you talk to them, but you also aren't gonna be like, hey, hey, bitch, I'm doing this now. Like, I'm 18. Like, sorry, I'm out of the house. Like, I don't think you come off in that way, but...

It is hard for them to like realize that you're getting older because they want to see you as like their little girl and they don't want you doing anything. And it's all about trust. Like they may be scared for you to go out to a party because they aren't sure like what is she going to do? Like, uh, I don't know. Like, you know, is she going to go off the rails? Like I always told my parents, I was like, here's what's happening. I'm going out. I'm having a drink, but I don't want to like

be blacked out drunk. Like, I don't want to be that girl at the party. I'm not going to take drugs. Like, I would just tell them those things and I think that gave them more comfort because they knew that they could trust me to tell them things. Like, I think if you break down that kind of barrier where it is scary to talk to your parents about that type of stuff, but I think...

Once you start implementing those things into conversations and talking to them as an adult, I think they will, you know, realize that you're getting older. It's going to build trust in your relationship. Hi, Alex. I literally love you. Oh my God, love you too. So my question is, have you ever had an argument with your mom that got

or turned really bad to the point where you or her had to leave and take time to step away. Me and my mom got into an argument and I moved out for a week and then came back and now we have a really good relationship but at times we still find each other not able to fully talk about everything that happened with the argument. Is that normal or are we just holding grudges against each other? Ugh,

what a fun topic, arguing with your family. I wouldn't know anything about that. I never test my parents and argue with them. I actually really, really relate to this one, and this past year, there was something that happened where, if you follow me on social media, you see, like, I post my family all the time, all hanging out together, all good, we're all super close. And

But there was an argument that came up this year that kind of put a lot of space between my family. Like, none of us were really talking. It got super, super awkward. I didn't want to call any of them. Like, I felt like I couldn't tell them anything. Like, it got to the point where, like, we, like, our family group chat, no one was talking in it anymore. And it was so upsetting.

And I knew that, you know, there's been times in my life where like that's happened before where, you know, you fight with your family and then because they're family, like you're always going to get to a place where you can forgive each other and, you know, you move on. But I didn't want that to be the case. Like I, we were arguing about something that I think a lot of people had a lot of built up tension towards and, you

I knew that it wasn't healthy, that like we would kind of just in a few months or a few weeks or whatever it was, everyone would kind of like not talk about it anymore. Just pretend like it didn't happen and start hanging out and being like happy and healthy again.

Because we've done that my whole life. Like, there has been times where, you know, we would all fight and then just pretend like nothing happened and go back to normal. And I think since I've been little, there's that same problem that we've had in my family that no one's talked about. So when it happened this past year, me being health and wellness over here, I was like, you know what? I think we need to go to therapy. And everyone was like, Alex, literally, go kick rocks. We're not going to therapy with you. And it took a few sessions, but...

We all kind of sat talked let out our emotions and I think therapy is a good way to talk about something especially in a family manner where you need like a mediator there to just Keep it cool. Keep it calm because you are Essentially so close with your family that I think things could like heat up really fast and like you can say things that you don't mean Everyone was so mad at me because I wanted us to go to therapy but

family we went to therapy we did like three sessions and it was hard at first and then by the last session that we did like when I tell you it was just so nice to talk about like a weight had been lifted off my chest and

And everyone had thanked me. They had come back. They were like, Alex, thank you for making us do that. Like, I feel so much better now. Therapy is the answer to everything. My dad and I had a falling out, but have mended our relationship over the past couple of years.

Alright, I don't know why.

I just started tearing up. Okay, well, this will be so fun. First time crying on Hot Mess. I don't know. That one is just sad and hurts my heart to hear because it takes a lot of maturing as the child that when you, you know, get into an argument with your parents or you don't agree with something that they've done,

It takes a long time and a lot of maturity to realize that it is your parents' first time living as well. Like, they are human. This is their first time having kids. This is their first time probably in a marriage. Like, they fuck up. They make mistakes. Like, that is normal. Like, they're humans. You know what I mean? Like, they're not evil. And just because they do something that...

you wouldn't want them to do or you know wouldn't think that they're capable of doing because they're your parents and I think you kind of like idolize your parents and put them on this pedestal like you have to have to realize that they are just people too like it is their first time at life so I think you know if your sister's younger she might have a harder time grasping that concept but I think just stressing to her that

What I just said, like, it's hard because you don't want to see your parents do something that you disagree with, but they're also your family and they're your parents. And I think, again, having them, like, talk through it or maybe you talk through it with your sister and encourage her to talk to your dad. Like, she obviously loves him and she may...

not want to talk to him or see him at the moment because she's feeling resentment towards him, which is normal, and she may be stubborn. I'm stubborn too, so I get it, girl.

But I really do think once you can acknowledge the fact that they fuck up too, like they are just human. We all do it. We all make mistakes and being able to forgive is a big part of relationships, especially with your parents. Also guys, as I am reading through some of the other questions, um,

and stories a lot of you guys wrote in about this subject, and I can't get to everything, but my main overall goal of this segment and topic and how to get through some of these things, I think it's gonna be some family therapy, okay? I, like, am not a therapist, so I cannot sit here with, like, your family and, you know, tell them what they're doing wrong or tell you what you're doing wrong, but...

I really think therapy would be helpful just because I saw it work with my family and I think it would help you guys. All right, well, that is all for this episode of Hot Mess with Alex Earl. Thanks for tuning in, guys. Don't forget to follow, subscribe, like this podcast.

I'm so excited but so scared for the weekend ahead. Going out for the first time post 30 hard. Gotta get back on the horse. Gotta get back out there. I may need some therapy after this week. Oh, good thing I have it scheduled for every Tuesday. I love you guys. Bye.