Awf The Record

Celebrity stylist and self-proclaimed Director of the Divas Scot Louie is taking the group chat to fashion school.
In this episode of Awf The Record, Scot joins Jeannette Reyes and Mona Kosar Abdi for a masterclass on personal style, taste, body type, red carpet strategy, and what it really takes to become unforgettable. From styling stars like Kehlani, Ryan Destiny, and Beyoncé to building his own brand through Dinner Plus, Diva Academy, and his signature “to us,” Scot breaks down why style is not about buying the most expensive thing in the room. It is about knowing who you are, what works on your body, and how to make every look feel intentional.
Scot also gets into the politics of fashion, why great styling can change someone’s trajectory, how TikTok has flattened personal style, and why people are confusing trends with identity. Whether you are building a wardrobe, shopping on a budget, dressing for your body type, or trying to unlock your inner diva, this conversation is your reminder that taste cannot be bought, but it can be studied. Tune in!

KEYPOINTS:

00:00 - Introduction: Scot Louie opens Diva Academy with the truth about taste
02:34 - Scot defines what it really means to be a diva
04:12 - How “clawing for comfort” shaped his career
06:05 - The making of a diva starts with discomfort
07:11 - Red carpet styling is about creating a full story
10:33 - Zendaya and Law Roach show how styling becomes image architecture
14:10 - Fashion still has a long way to go for women of color
19:00 - Great style matters, but having a stylist is a luxury
21:07 - Taste is not about price; it is about knowing what works
29:35 - Dressing for your body type requires honesty, not trend-chasing
39:15 - TikTok has flattened New York fashion and personal style
44:03 - Being a stylist means babysitting insecurities
45:48 - How “to us” and Diva Academy became part of his brand

QUOTES:

"Styling is a rich bitch sport."  – Scot Louie

" Every diva you know has dealt with a level of discomfort, whether it be scrutiny with how they do something, how they show up, how their career is outlined. You have to sit in that discomfort. A lot of people shy away from it.” – Scot Louie

"You don't need a stylist. You don't. Right? Like you need taste. There you go. That's what I'm getting at. And taste cannot be bought."  – Scot Louie

GUEST RESOURCES 

Scot Louie 
Website | scotlouie.com
IG | @scotlouie 

RESOURCES: 

Keep in touch with Awf The Record:

Youtube: @AwfTheRecord
Instagram: @awftherecordpodcast
TikTok: @AwfTheRecord

Mona Kosar Abdi
IG |  @monakabdi 

Jeannette Reyes
IG |  @msnewslady 
Keep in touch with Awf The Record:
Watch on Youtube: @AwfTheRecord
Follow us on Instagram: @awftherecordpodcast
Follow us on TikTok: @AwfTheRecord
Visit our website: www.AwfTheRecord.com
 Follow Mona on TikTok and IG
Follow Jeannette on TikTok and IG

Cari Champion knew what it felt like to be watched, judged, and picked apart before she was ever fully allowed to speak. In this segment, Cari opens up about her time at ESPN and First Take, where she says everything from her outfits to her makeup to her presence on screen was scrutinized. She reflects on being told to tone it down, navigating the boys’ club, and learning that visibility in sports media did not always come with protection. Cari also gets honest about her relationship with Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless during that era, why she felt hazed in the middle seat, and how she eventually realized that being a woman, looking good, and being smart were never mutually exclusive. It’s a sharp, candid conversation about sexism, scrutiny, and what it costs to be one of the first to push the door open.

RESOURCES: 

Cari Champion 
IG | @carichampion

Keep in touch with Awf The Record:

Youtube: @AwfTheRecord
Instagram: @awftherecordpodcast
TikTok: @AwfTheRecord

Mona Kosar Abdi
IG |  @monakabdi 

Jeannette Reyes
IG |  @msnewslady 
Keep in touch with Awf The Record:
Watch on Youtube: @AwfTheRecord
Follow us on Instagram: @awftherecordpodcast
Follow us on TikTok: @AwfTheRecord
Visit our website: www.AwfTheRecord.com
 Follow Mona on TikTok and IG
Follow Jeannette on TikTok and IG

Cari Champion has never been afraid to speak her mind, even when the room made it clear she was supposed to stay quiet.
In this episode of Awf The Record, Cari joins Jeannette Reyes and Mona Kosar Abdi for a raw conversation about journalism, sports media, career reinvention, and what it really costs to be a Black woman who refuses to shrink. She opens up about starting as a one-man band in local news, getting fired in Atlanta, finding her way into sports through the Tennis Channel, and landing at ESPN’s First Take, where visibility came with intense scrutiny, sexism, and the pressure to “just tee up the topics and lay out.”
Cari also reflects on leaving ESPN, betting on herself, moving into digital media and politics, dating after divorce, and why sports can never truly be separated from politics. It’s a funny, honest, and deeply validating conversation about knowing when a room no longer serves you, trusting your voice, and building a career that makes space for all of who you are.

KEY POINTS:

00:00 - Cari Champion reflects on becoming visible overnight and being hated for it
02:07 - Cari defines herself as funny, disciplined, sensitive, and a disruptor
03:28 - Speaking truth to power made Cari a problem in corporate media
05:06 - Cari’s early local news career taught her the purpose of journalism
08:00 - Getting fired and rehired in Atlanta became a turning point in her career
14:12 - The Tennis Channel became her unexpected entry point into sports media
17:39 - Cari breaks down how she landed ESPN and became a barrier-breaking host
21:40 - First Take was the hardest job of her career because she was not allowed to be fully herself
24:53 - Cari opens up about the criticism, sexism, and boys’ club culture she faced
33:08 - Leaving First Take, finding SportsCenter, and eventually betting on herself

QUOTES:

“The only time I really knew I was doing my job [was] when I knew that I was changing minds and helping people and affecting change.” – Cari Champion

“It was never about making it big. It was always about telling the story.” – Cari Champion

“I went from a nobody to somebody overnight, and everybody hates me.” – Cari Champion

“It’s okay to be a woman and look good and be smart. None of that. Those aren’t mutually exclusive.” – Cari Champion

RESOURCES: 

Cari Champion 
IG | @carichampion

Keep in touch with Awf The Record:

Youtube: @AwfTheRecord
Instagram: @awftherecordpodcast
TikTok: @AwfTheRecord

Mona Kosar Abdi
IG |  @monakabdi 

Jeannette Reyes
IG |  @msnewslady 
Keep in touch with Awf The Record:
Watch on Youtube: @AwfTheRecord
Follow us on Instagram: @awftherecordpodcast
Follow us on TikTok: @AwfTheRecord
Visit our website: www.AwfTheRecord.com
 Follow Mona on TikTok and IG
Follow Jeannette on TikTok and IG

Kennedy Ryan knows exactly who she’s writing for, and she refuses to let publishing’s outdated assumptions shrink that vision. In this segment, Kennedy opens up about centering Black women on the page, on the cover, and in the audience, even when the industry suggests that doing so could limit sales or mainstream appeal. She breaks down why Black women are not a niche market, but a powerful readership with their own economy, cultural influence, and buying power. From sold-out theaters to New York Times bestseller lists, Kennedy makes it clear that when Black women are centered and celebrated, they show up, bring their people, and move the culture forward. This conversation is also a reminder for any creative trying to build with conviction: know your why, write from your center, and be prepared to fight for the stories that matter most.

GUEST RESOURCES
Kennedy Ryan 

Website | kennedyryanwrites.com/about/ 
IG | @kennedyryan1

Keep in touch with Awf The Record:

Youtube: @AwfTheRecord
Instagram: @awftherecordpodcast
TikTok: @AwfTheRecord

Mona Kosar Abdi
IG |  @monakabdi 

Jeannette Reyes
IG |  @msnewslady 

Keep in touch with Awf The Record:
Watch on Youtube: @AwfTheRecord
Follow us on Instagram: @awftherecordpodcast
Follow us on TikTok: @AwfTheRecord
Visit our website: www.AwfTheRecord.com
 Follow Mona on TikTok and IG
Follow Jeannette on TikTok and IG

New York Times bestselling author Kennedy Ryan is not just writing romance. She is writing Black women into love stories where they are centered, desired, protected, and loved outrageously.
In this episode of Awf The Record, Kennedy joins Jeannette Reyes and Mona Kosar Abdi to talk about the craft, conviction, and cost behind her work. She opens up about getting her first book deal at 40, why romance is often dismissed because it centers women’s pleasure, and how writing from a specific point of view actually expanded her audience instead of limiting it.
Kennedy also gets honest about burnout, depression, motherhood, marriage, and the pressure of navigating major Hollywood deals while still fighting for visibility in publishing. From centering Black women on the page and on the cover, to raising the bar for what love can look like, this conversation is a reminder to never settle, in romance, in work, or in the life you are building for yourself.

KEY POINTS 

00:00 - Introduction: Kennedy Ryan on Black love, romance, and raising the bar
02:37 - Kennedy explains how her storytelling process evolved from ideas to intentional discourse
05:39 - Kennedy shares why decades of writing in the dark prepared her for “overnight” success
09:48 - Romance is often dismissed because it centers women’s pleasure
14:04 - Why Kennedy centers Black women on the page, on the cover, and in the audience
17:44 - Her advice to young authors: figure out your why and be prepared to fight
20:23 - Kennedy opens up about the cost of success, burnout, and struggling to celebrate
34:30 - Faith, community, therapy, and medication helped her survive the hardest seasons
56:18 - Her relationship commandments after 29 years of marriage: trust, reciprocity, and never settle

QUOTES 

"I want to put black women on the page who are being loved outrageously." – Kennedy Ryan 

"I could write the man that I believe you deserve. I could write an experience that I believe honors you, that is a partner you can trust, a partner who's faithful, a partner who honors your dreams and your ambitions." – Kennedy Ryan 

"There is enough in culture that tells black women we don't deserve, and that tells black women that we shouldn't expect. So, I get to write an outcome that says, no, actually, you deserve the best, and you should expect a partner who loves you and whom you can trust." – Kennedy Ryan 

"Racism costs us all money." – Kennedy Ryan 

"I call it being the architect of your own existence, build a life that you love and you're excited about, and you're not waiting for anything, and when that partner comes, invite him or her into that, but you're not waiting to build anything." – Kennedy Ryan 

RESOURCES: 

Keep in touch with Awf The Record:

Youtube: @AwfTheRecord
Instagram: @awftherecordpodcast
TikTok: @AwfTheRecord

Mona Kosar Abdi
IG |  @monakabdi 

Jeannette Reyes
IG |  @msnewslady 
Keep in touch with Awf The Record:
Watch on Youtube: @AwfTheRecord
Follow us on Instagram: @awftherecordpodcast
Follow us on TikTok: @AwfTheRecord
Visit our website: www.AwfTheRecord.com
 Follow Mona on TikTok and IG
Follow Jeannette on TikTok and IG