Transcript of Losing Everything in Business: How Adversity Builds Determination | The Real Comeback New

I owned about 7 to 8 fabric stores in the industry of New York City. You know, you are talking $25,000 to $50,000 rent a month. Me and my husband, we worked for everything that we have. After COVID, it was really a hard moment. We went from having 7 stores to having almost nothing.

Most people would retreat.

Diana Marashkoutour is open for everyone.

And they have Prosecco there too, just so you guys know. Hey, what's up guys? We're back. Before I introduce today's guest, I've been building something in the background and I need you involved in it. It's something that you haven't seen from me before, and it's going to be massively impactful for you. So go to www.thedeterminedsociety.com/nextlevel. Now for today, we have an amazing designer, Diana Marac, uh, of Diana Maratch Couture in New York City. She's built an amazing freaking brand and she's a close friend and actually invited my ugly ass to walk in Fashion Week. So welcome to the show.

Thank you so much, Sean. It really means a lot to me. And also just knowing you as a person, like you just brought like a lot of positivity, a lot of exposure and a lot of just positive energy to my brand. And I just love that about you.

Well, I appreciate you noticing that because I can tell you what, that's the first time I've ever been to a fashion show. All right. Much less participate one. And when I was back in the green room, oh man, it can get catty back there. People are very stressed. And I'm just like this dude looking around like, yeah, why is everybody so mad? Like, I'm here about to shit my pants because I don't know if I don't know what's going to happen out there, you know what I mean? And so, no, it was a great experience and But seriously, it meant a lot to me in mid-January when you asked me to do it because doing something like that was never on my bingo card. And now that I've done it, I'm like, I kind of want to do it again and do multiple. So not from a standpoint of like, hey, yo, I'm a model, but it's really cool to get introduced to different circles, right? And different skill sets that you can acquire by doing things that are uncomfortable, which is what we talk about here. Walk us through your journey a little bit.

You know, you've been— hold on, I got to tell the audience this. Diana has been with the same man, which is her husband now. They got engaged when you were, what, 16?

I was engaged at 16, got married at 19. Coming from North Africa, they do not believe in, like, dating as much. It's straight up marriage. And just bringing a different twist, being an American Moroccan, Emirati, just the North African, and at the same time super American. I just wanted to be with my love, like, with the person that I trust. I felt like he was my father at the same point as my love, you know. And I feel like he made me really powerful in my journey to kind of like accomplish everything that I wanted to accomplish.

Well, I, you know, kudos to the two of you because that is a very rare thing. You know, I think I've had— I don't know how many girls I've been with since I was 16. Okay, listen, I'm not saying it's— it's in the— anyway, we'll— I digress. But, you know, it's a rare thing, right? And to have somebody to support you and give you strength through building something that, that you've built. And, and look, like, I— you know, the viewers, if they have— or the listeners haven't been to your boutique in, in New York City, it is insane. And I'm going to tell you what it like the work that you've done and the materials, just everything is beautiful. But what stands apart for me is the experience inside with your sister, your employee. And it just— it— I mean, listen, I can't walk in there and not stay there for an hour and a half, 2 hours. It's like a freaking movie when you go there.

I mean, it's still a small business. It's a family. Owned business. I brought my brother in as a partner. In 2003, I started the business. I've been in the industry since 1994, started the business in 1999. After my father passed away in 2006, I just thought that I need a little bit more help to make the business a bit bigger. And that's when my brother came in and we just— we are on the same page. He brings something different than I do. And of course it's still Diana Mirage and we just bring it to the next level. I dream about this stuff, you know, I dream about my vision, I dream about my designs. It comes really natural to me every day. It's not like somebody that has to be kind of inspired by someone. I mean, I am inspired by a lot of people, but I just feel like I have no competition with anybody. I have my own lane, my own vision, and I'm just bringing it forward.

Wow. Okay. So before we get into the journey of starting the brand and everything that goes along with it, I do want to touch on that. Staying in your own lane.

Yes.

You don't have competition. And what I want the audience to realize is when Diana or somebody like myself says I don't have competition, that's not arrogance. That is, we know what we're good at and we know what our lane is. We try to focus on that one thing and the peripherals don't matter.

Right.

And so I want like that, that is an amazing thing.

I just feel like I also do seminars. I, I, I help other designers come up from nothing and I give back to the community universities like, like what we just did for St. Thomas University and many other schools, high schools. I give back to the United Nations, being a peacemaker and just being involved in the community and also being awarded by Joe Biden as the best business in New York City in 2005— 25, I'm sorry. It just makes you look at the bigger part. If you just concentrate on yourself and everybody Everybody has their own lane. It's just like you are driving a car. You have to stay in your lane.

You know, it's so— it's one of those things that it's easy to say but hard to do, right? Because sometimes when we're in the grind and our nose is in the pavement, we're trying to beat the shit out of this whole thing and let it— and get it to grow. You know, sometimes it's easy just to kind of look up to the left and the right of you and be like, yo, what is everybody else doing, right? And to be able to fully focus on your own journey is truly a gift. There's not a whole lot of people out there that can do that. And if I'm being fully transparent, I still look to the right and left of me, right? Because I want to know what's going on out there. But sometimes I can get a little caught up in it, right? And so what are some of the things that you've done over the years to keep you centered and not look to the—

You know what it is? I collaborated with a lot of people. A lot of people did some bad things to me, and it does make you kind of upset at the moment or when it happens. But you just move on. You kind of like stay very much in your lane. And what comes around goes back around. And karma is—

it's— she's a bitch—

is really real. And just seeing a lot of things that I have done, and I collaborated with certain people, and they try to be on my same level or in my circle or They use my name to get to certain parts or to certain lanes. And you know, I just look at it and then I have people sending me messages, oh Diana, they wanna be you. And I'm just like, I pray for them.

You know?

You know?

That's one of the things, you know, when I started this, I thought I had to echo somebody else's energy because I saw what was working for somebody else. I was like, okay, well I need to be that. And what happened was nothing. It was crickets because I wasn't being myself.

Right.

You know, and I think what we have to realize is everybody is a limited edition one of one.

Yes.

I mean, it's a cliché for a reason, right?

I mean, there's no other Sean.

No, there's not.

There's no other Diana Marash. So even if I sell Diana Marash Couture tomorrow, I'm still Diana Marash.

Right, right, right. So walk us, walk us, walk the audience through the journey of starting this brand. Like, because You know, I would imagine there's been multiple evolutions of the designs, etc. Walk us through.

So just to tell you, I started in this industry at 16 years old.

Wild.

Since 1994. Okay. So I was the fashion consultant. I was a fashion textile designer. At the same time, I used to design dresses and style people just once a week. I can only take one client a week. Because I'm still 16 years old. I was dating.

Yeah.

You know, I was having fun.

You had shit to do, baby. You had shit to do.

And then it grew to this thing that people just want a little piece of Diana. And when they come in and they really just want the experience with Diana Mirage, it's really the experience of being dressed, owning your own look. And I just try to make sure on men and women because we are unisex, that you are still the same person in the clothing. I want you to feel great. I want you to feel like you're coming in where all eyes are on you. But at the same time, very respectfully.

It's a great point because when, when we— when I went there, it was actually kind of funny. I was panicking at first. They said, "Here's your blazer." I said, "Okay, what about my pants? What about my shirt?" And they're like, "Oh yeah, we don't have that." I'm like, "Well, we measured." I'm like, "Okay, no problem. I have black jeans." She goes, "Yeah, go ahead and wear those." And so what I thought was going to be an adverse moment, I was like, "What's the solution? What do I need to go do now?" And so I went to a store and I got this black shirt and it came together. Perfectly and I felt like me, right? You know, I—

so, I mean, you're not the traditional, like, wear a suit to work. They know, you know, now you are Sean. You like to be like still a bit fitted, sporty, but at the same time you want to look elegant, you know? So it's the new 2026 now. Not every— unless you're in finance, then you're wearing a suit. But, you know, even the finance guys don't want to wear a suit every day. You know, so just going into a club or a dinner, you want to look like fashionable in a blazer but still be in a V-neck t-shirt and a slim pair of pants. And I think that's why you wore Converse on the runway.

I did wear freaking Converse. I wore black Converse, black chucks, baby.

And you know what? I have your blazer and your picture on my product online.

I know.

And DianaMarashCouture.com.

And it's called, if you may know, it's called the Sean Blazer. It's called the Sean Blue Blazer. And go check it out. Like, You know, it's funny because nobody's seen me in anything like that, but I was very comfortable in it. And, you know, I just— I was like, wow, like, dude, you can dress it up a little bit, man. This is pretty cool.

Yeah. So, no, like, you know, again, 25% of my clientele are men, 75% are women, you know, and going through, like, I just show them every type of personality of every person in a suit. Or in a blazer, bling blazer, simple blazer. And then men just look at it. Oh, I see. This is more me. I see. This is more me. And I'm like, okay, well, look at this one. Oh, this is more me. I don't know about this one. Maybe this is too feminine, you know? So, I mean, Diana Mirage is always about stepping out and taking the shine, but at the same time, in your own personality and your own skin.

That checks out.

Yes.

Because that blazer I wore, that was pretty shiny.

Yeah.

Right? I've never worn anything like that before. And it was your design and it was a little more dressed up than I've ever done. But again, like I can't stress enough—

With your personality.

Right. I didn't feel like, what am I—

You didn't feel like you was too flamboyant.

No, not at all. Yeah. Not at all.

And then a lot of guys, like I must have shown it to like, 15, 20 guys, and like, they were just like, oh, this is more like me. And I'm like, okay, well, that's Sean. We love him, by the way. You should watch him.

Yeah. And buy the blazer.

Yeah. And buy the blazer. Press that button. You gotta remember, guys, Diana Marash is a small business. We do work on sales to support our brand, and we have to make sales to stay in business. And we are not typical brand just out there that is made in a different country. We are made in New York.

Like, you see it happening real time in the back of the store.

I mean, listen, it's made in New York. We make everything officially made in America, made in New York. And how many brands is made in New York?

I don't have the answer to that, but I would say not very many.

Yes.

Right. So, all right. So you started in fashion when you were 16, when you started to move into building your own brand. Talk about the journey, because here's what I want to extract for the audience here is, is the hard moments, the, the, you know, the consistent peaks and valleys of growing something. They, they need to hear that. Hey guys, we're gonna take a quick break and we're gonna slide into our recovery segment brought to you by Therabody. What an amazing technology that Therabody has. And it was founded on a really cool story by Dr. Jason Wurzeln. It was founded on pain. He got into an accident and had this extreme pain in his arm and found that percussive therapy really helped. So he created the very first version of the Theragun with a Makita drill just to pilot and test to see if his pain could be relieved by percussive therapy overall. And surely it was. So now birth to the Theragun and now Therabody, who has a multitude of products to help you recover emotionally and physically. And some of the products even help with stress, meditation, and better sleep and just overall better wellness.

And when I had Dr. Jay on the show earlier in 2025, it really spoke to me because his platform was founded out of, out of physical pain, and the Determined Society was founded out of emotional pain. And so it felt natural for us to partner up. So here we are, an official partnership with Therabody, and I want to talk to you about some of their products today that I've been enjoying, that I think you need to understand and know more about so you could potentially implement them into your life. And I'm not going to get into a big deep dive of the actual science and everything like that, I'm just going to give you some anecdotal information based on the products that I'm using and that my wife is actually using too, that is helping us out a great deal at home. Because the great thing about these products, guys, is you can use them anywhere. You can use them in the gym, you can use them at home, in your bed, in your living room. Hell, you can even drive with a Theragun Pro+ in your car and use it on your quads, use it on your arms, whatever that is.

The first thing I want to talk about is the Theragun Pro+. I bring that in my gym bag every day to the gym, and when I'm warming up, I use it to warm up. I put it on my arms, whatever body part I'm using that day. I activate those muscles, and what I find is I'm able to move my body a lot quicker and I'm a lot stronger on those days that I do actually bring it and utilize it. I just think it's a great way to understand your body and the connection between your strength and your muscles and being warm and being able to perform. Because it's one thing to go work out, but it's another thing to perform while you're doing it. And the Theragun PRO+ helps me do that. Another thing that I really truly enjoy is the Jetboots PRO+. These things are wire-free. There's no hassle, there's no cords, there's infrared LED light, there's that compression therapy. And I've been having bad pains in my ankles, both of them actually, for about a year, and I don't understand where it's coming from. But when I started using the boots religiously after a leg day or after a cardio session, I throw those boots on and I find myself a lot looser afterwards.

I find myself lighter, and then the next day there's no pain in my lower extremity, like my feet. The other thing that I really enjoy is that product really helps me recover a lot quicker. And let's face it, that's the most important thing when we're trying to move our bodies or we're trying to succeed in life is we want quick recovery emotionally and physically. And these products help me do that and they can help you do that as well. One of the other things that I really want to go into because it's helping my wife out a ton with headaches and being able to distract from the noise in her mind. And honestly, it helps me with that too, is the SmartGoggles. Whenever we feel a slight headache coming on or things are getting really heavy just in our minds, just thinking about all the stressors, all the things out there that we can't control, we throw the goggles on, get in a quiet place, and there's different cycles on there and different intensities of vibrations and massaging that you can either turn it up or turn it down. And what I really enjoy is it allows me to focus on what's going on with just me.

And I think about things. And the massaging with the smart goggles relieves either headaches and it relaxes me and relaxes my wife to a point where we can fall asleep better. We are preparing to kind of downshift and shut down and slow down for the evening. So I heavily recommend them. The other thing it's really good for is just creating a peaceful time in your day. And what I found since using the smart goggles and then the other products is it works for me, it works for my family, and I know it can work for you too. So I want you guys to think about things that you are struggling with. If it's lower back pain, or you wake up in the morning, your neck is tight, I'm gonna tell you, the Theragun Pro Plus will help that out. They have cold therapy on it, hot therapy. I mean, think about that. When I opened that box and realized that I could have heat therapy and cold therapy and a Theragun changed everything for me and also really made the thing that I hate doing the most is warmup, made that very easy for me just by applying it to the muscle group that I'm going to use before I do it and in between sets, which promotes quicker recovery between sets.

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Well, I mean, listen, I got married at 19 years of age. I've been married for 25 years. And me and my husband traveled everywhere. We were a hardworking couple that we worked for everything that we have, and we made some bad mistakes on certain things. I had at one point— I'm also a textile designer, so I owned about 7 to 8 fabric stores in the industry of New York City. And, you know, you are talking $25,000 to $50,000 rent a month for each store.

That's insane.

So So, you know, giving or taking, whatever, I was opening stores, I was doing really great business. And after COVID, it was really a hard moment. We went from having 7 stores to having almost nothing. Like, you know, we didn't have any employees. Everybody was on unemployment. We didn't know what was going to happen. Me and my brother was behind the scenes working. I made about— I donated about 20,000 masks to people who were on the front line. And I sold a lot. I sold a lot of masks to just get through, sold fabrics, sold textiles, was on CNN as Made in New York masks and just making improvement. And a lot of these landlords, kind of like made us go towards the wall and our leases because there was no such thing as COVID in our leases. There's no chapter that protects us in any way. That means if I don't pay, I have bad credit, you know?

Yeah.

So I couldn't have that, you know?

You know, it's interesting because a lot of small businesses were in that position during those times, right? Like the pandemic. Ushered in a lot of different things, you know, a lot of different opportunities for people like myself included.

Right.

But, but also what it did is transition people out. Right. And you stuck through it like you didn't. You condensed from 7 stores to, like you said, almost nothing. It was you and your brother in the back doing, you know, the designs, you know, the shipping, everything, everything.

We are really direct to consumer, like wholesale, retail. Just doing it all, and at the same time still paying the insurances for employment and everybody being on unemployment. I kept a very good relationship with my employees, and some of them came back, some of them didn't. And it was just— we had to negotiate every lease one by one. We even had a restaurant at one point that we had to close down in COVID.

You know, there's one thing that stuck out that I want the audience to really take in. When you guys were struggling and you lost all your employees and all that stuff, you donated masks, but then you also sold masks, right? And then earned an opportunity to be on CNN for Made in New York masks. I want to let you know something here, that's rare, okay? Because most people would retreat. You found a way to get it done. It didn't fucking matter if it was selling a dress or a blazer. It was like, okay, if it's a mask, I'm gonna sell it. And I think that is such a special thing about you specifically, you know, in this, in this, you know, direct conversation is, right, you didn't give up. You didn't beat your head against the wall. You might have beat your head against the wall a little bit, but you found a way to generate revenue. And I think there's a lot of people out there right now that if they don't get what they want, they're like, there's no jobs. Well, listen, listen, there's no jobs, right? Because you lost your job in corporate.

But I can tell you what, if you go to any McDonald's, you know, they're hiring managers for $90,000 a year plus full benefits. But nobody will do it because of the pride and the ego, right?

I mean, listen, you have to work hard and stay with a mentality that is open. And as you know, being a small business, you just have to work hard. There's no— you cannot say no. Yeah, you have to keep it going.

Yeah.

And just like clients, you have— my main focus is delivering the product. If I promise you and I take your order, it's being delivered. So that's my main focus.

You— in my, in my experience with you since meeting you in January, you've never broken a word.

No, whatever it is, I'm— I do not burn bridges. Also, if the person burns their own bridge, that's on their own risk, you know, and I just let it go and I just keep going, staying in my lane.

Again, that's an important point, right? Because when you're able to do that and it's not— it's a simple concept, but it's not easy to execute, right? But once you— once you really get into that, the world opens up to you because you're not distracted constantly.

Right? I just feel like after 40, I stopped thinking about what other people think. And just concentrating on my peace and my creativity. And everybody else, what they say doesn't matter to me.

The creativity aspect.

Yeah.

If you were worried about everything else, the external factors, you cannot have peace. And if you don't have peace, you cannot create, you cannot visualize, right? What you want to—

what you want to build out in fashion and business, you have to be creative. And if somebody messes with your peace and also your creativity, it's a problem. You have to keep it going. We are not for everyone at the same time. And if you want us to help you, we are here. Diana Marash Ketur is open for everyone.

And they have Prosecco there too, just so you guys know. And a lot of freaking comedy.

Yes.

And a lot of freaking comedy. You know, when you were going through this specific time of, I guess, contracting the business a little bit because of everything that was going on in the in society. Were there ever any moments where you sit there, sat there and said— I'm not saying you committed to this thought, but like, I should just move on, I should just quit.

You know what it is when you work so hard, so much, um, and sometimes it comes a moment that you're like, I give up, you know? And I did that with the restaurant business, um, where I was like, you know, arguing with my brothers that were my partners and in the restaurant business. And I also, I'm a real estate investor. Also, I'm an interior designer. So I built this restaurant with love and like tile by tile. So, you know, the feeling that shut down March 23rd, we had to close down the doors, you know, and we didn't know that if we was going to close for a month or two or three. And it came to a point that I said, you know what, we lost. Even my husband, when he heard how much we lost, he's like, babe, oh my God, we could have invested in real estate instead of the restaurant. I'm like, could have, would have, whatever. Yeah, keep it rolling. Let's keep it going. And sometimes you just, you just drop your cards. But God is great. If you have passion and you have creativity and then you're a good person, you're gonna keep grinding and you're gonna get yours.

Yeah, I think it's important to also note that when you're all of those things, all those characteristics, traits, whatever you want to call them, but also take action.

Yes.

Right? Like the action.

Be consistent.

Yeah, the consistent action. And the one thing that I love to highlight here is everybody thinks you got to go 1,000 miles an hour every single day. You've got to knock everything out. Like some days, some days a win is just putting on your shoes and going for a walk. And when you do that over and over again and you commit to something, It's like an investment account, right? It's compounding interest.

It's like a reboot.

Yeah.

You know, sometimes you have to take your kids to Mexico and just disconnect, you know?

Yeah.

And I want to even go to Naples. You know, Naples, we coming to see you, Sean.

I know. It's such a blessing to like— I mean, when people— I mean, I don't really think people understand how much it means to me when they travel. You know, to see you.

Yeah, we came miles away.

It's nuts to see you. It's not—

we was driving at 11 PM at night yesterday.

Yeah, now they're gonna think you drove from New York. She didn't, she flew, but they were on the East Coast of Florida. They drove over here after a long event that you guys did at St. Thomas University that you already mentioned. Um, but like, that, that's the cool part about connecting, right?

And networking is giving back to the community, right?

And then doing things like this, like, this is so cool, and it's a treat for me. So, yeah, again, thank you.

It's a pleasure, Sean.

And all the FaceTimes, all the damn FaceTimes, you know. I don't think I FaceTime more than twice in my life until I met that guy. Until Matt came in my life, you know, it was like there was FaceTimes with the wife and the kids, but I enjoy it because it's an additional connection.

Yes.

You know, like You live in New York. He's in New Jersey now. So if I can lock eyes on you guys, then I feel like it's right here. Yes.

Yeah. It's all about, like, supporting other people with creativity and just staying positive.

Yeah. The support part. Yeah. Like, to me, like, when, when— and this is why I always I like to retract a lot of things I said at the beginning when I was starting. I'm doing this on my own, right? I may have been the only one in the show. I may have been the only one messing around with, um, iMovie trying to edit it, right? But people were still there. Like, my wife and my kids were still there. Like, you know, my guests that were having on the show that still supported me it wasn't the sport that I thought I needed, but it actually was right. And it is to me. When, when you look at this whole thing, whether it's you're building your brand or me or whomever building whatever, you got to really look at what's really happening. You're never alone, right?

So you know what it is? When we looked at your picture and then we got like the Google Drives and all the links and everything, and me and my assistant was looking at the picture and I'm like, he really sold the jacket. Like, you know, it's also like having a brand ambassador that kind of believes in your brand. So you kind of like style it in your own way. But at the same time, you love it. You just like selling the jacket. And, and that's what I need. It's brand ambassadors that sell my clothing. And also, we love you in the look.

Yeah.

You know, because another man will be looking at that picture and be like, ooh, I want that. I'm ordering this. I've been watching it for like 10, 15 times, and it's gonna come a day I want this one.

Yeah.

And I have a lot of clients that are that way. They're like, I just want this. What should I do? Well, sell me. Or dianamarashcouture.com. I'll send you a link, then you can check out.

You know, it's funny. Like, I'm glad it worked out.

Yes.

Have you actually sold those jackets?

I actually did not sell that jacket, but we had a few men that looked at yours and ordered the same kind of jacket.

Okay.

And burgundy and brown and black.

So they, they bought, they bought that jacket.

So yeah, so they did custom because, well, they didn't have as a good body as you did.

Well, thank you.

They needed custom.

Okay.

It was a special size.

Mm-hmm.

You know? Yeah. And, and, and you know, it, it's just, it worked out.

Well, it's cool that, you know, I went there and I was just doing something fun and, you know, a couple of dudes like, I want this but not that. And it, and it led to something. Yeah. You know, I think that's really important. So, I mean, you can throw whatever you want on me and you can throw me on your side. I will do it in a heartbeat. Yes, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Yes. I mean, I feel like the red jacket that you're supposed to wear to the ward tomorrow, we still want you to be on the red carpet.

To me, right?

I mean, it's not that far away. You're only 2 hours away. I know.

I'm— I'm working through it. I'm actively working through it. And it's funny because I do all the things, right? I'm constantly moving. And when I start to feel like, all right, Sean, your internal governor is blown up right now, I got to give it some thought. And that's kind of what's going on right now because we did New York last week or this week. I don't even know what fucking week it is. It was this week. And then potentially Miami on Saturday and then Tennessee on Monday, right? And so, you know, and there's some big interviews happening in Tennessee, so it's like I just work through it and I'm like—

I mean, you have to take what you can chew. Yeah, definitely. Yeah, you have to work on yourself. If you feel like you are not great to come, it's fine.

Yeah, no, I appreciate that, but I think that's also a lesson for everybody is like you want to be able to do all the things like as a designer, as a show host, and growing brands, right? You want to be able to do it all. But there's a cost to that, right? And for me, the cost is I get really short-tempered, right?

Of course.

You know, I get overwhelmed.

Of course.

When, when you're, when you're doing too much and you've, you're, you're, you're biting off way more than you can chew. What are some of the things that you go through, like your reactions?

So like I was telling Matt, like even though my husband calling me, he calls me and he's like, when you coming? When you coming? And I finally told him I'm coming tomorrow night. And he's like, but you literally coming Sunday morning. Like that's not tomorrow night.

Yeah.

And you know what, like with me, I get really homesick. I just want to see my husband to the side, my twins. And, and I just feel more at home. Like, I just need my own bed. It doesn't matter if you're in a $1,000 a night hotel room or a $500 hotel room. Your bed and your husband and your kids next to you, it's the best thing ever. And just being like an entrepreneur, but at the same time a family person, people respect that.

Yeah, I don't think there's, you know, there's a difference, right? Like when you're building something and you think that you have to give all your time to the thing and then the people that suffer the most are the people that are supporting you the most, which is your family. And I went through that at one point and I'm like, what in the fuck am I doing? Like I'm supposed to be doing this for them, but they're, you know, I'm consumed by this thing. And it created an amount of turbulence in here.

Well, listen, you have to understand, they are still different. Like, you know, they are different people than you are personally. You know what I mean? Like, even though my husband was my great supporter, my kids are my great supporters, and they have— everybody has their own visual.

Yeah.

So they are not Diana Marash herself. So they can never be in the brain of Diana Marash.

No.

Because Diana Marash knows what she's accomplishing this week. But, you know, next week it will be family life.

Yeah.

And life will go on. And remember, it's one life to live.

Yeah. Yeah. You got to maximize.

Yes, I know. But you have to also work on your peace and your health, because if you cannot be perfectly healthy to do something, then you have to back off.

Yeah.

Because sometimes it's just not for you.

Yeah. And those are, those are hard moments, right?

It's okay. You don't have to overthink it.

No, but, but it's like when you do too much and then you're not around the family, because I, because you're going through what you were saying about, you know, it doesn't matter if it's your bed or not and your husband's like, when are you coming home? Like, I love the fact that my wife wants me back before I even leave.

Right.

I mean, you know, but we were doing a group text, you know, and, you know, I was like, I hadn't even departed Fort Myers yet. And Jackie goes, hurry up and get home. And I, and we were, you know, chat with Matt. I'm like, I haven't even taken off yet. But, but like, I would rather have that than someone.

Yeah, of course.

Like, get the fuck out. I've had it. No, there was a point, there were some times where, you know, back in the day, she goes, man, I was really happy when you took that trip because I couldn't handle your shit.

Yeah, exactly.

We were on the verge. Like, we were— well, I was You know, I don't even know. I think it was probably like a good 4 years ago where I had to— because I wasn't doing this full time yet, but I was still in medical sales and I had to go to Portugal for this. Yeah, I went to Lisbon.

I love Lisbon.

Yeah, I didn't really have a really— okay, I'll get through that.

Don't worry. It's fine.

Well, no, we're going to get there. Yeah. And, you know, and I didn't know this at the time, but like it came out later and she goes, you know, that trip happened at a really cool time. She goes, because I was really struggling with you. And so when, when people think everything is okay, right? Yeah, we argued a little bit, but I think it's super important to check in with your partner and be like, hey, where are we?

Do you know? You know what it is? It's so funny. Me and my husband never check where we are in because I'm so much in a run. Like, he can't catch me enough to be— so when I'm right next to him, I'm like, babe, you don't even know what to do with me. When I'm right next to you? He's like, because you're right next to me, it just feels right. Can you just stay there? Don't go anywhere. Like, I'm like, but you just like stopping my time. I'm like, right next to you. What are you gonna do with me now?

Oh, shit.

Can you like do something with me? And you know what it is?

See, this is, this is getting interesting. This is, this is what life's really about. I know, I think that's good though.

You know what it is? He's busy. I feel like after— he looks really young. I'm 44 years old. I'm very proud of my age. I feel like after 40, I found myself. Uh, he's 8 years older than me. He's 50. And I feel like after 50, all he wants to do is for me to be right next to him. But I'm at the point in my life after COVID, 5, 6 years after COVID, that I'm A lot of doors are opening.

Yeah.

And you have to take it. At that moment, he's like, oh, do I really have to go? Do I really have to shave? I'm like, babe, you tell me.

I have to shave. That is such a freaking man, dude.

He's a real man, man. And I like it like that.

I ask my wife all the time, hey, should I shave? Like, should I shave? I mean, is it too long? No, you got one more day. Yeah, I have to ask her, right? Because I don't know what it is, is I think it's like the man wanting— yeah, wanting to know where the wife's at. Like, hey, do you like this? Or, you know, do I look stupid? Should I shave it? I mean, I, I can— I can—

I mean, me and my husband don't even have that time because it's like in and out, in and out, in and out. Like, when he kisses me and I see something like perking, I'm like, okay, you're gonna have to shave.

Yeah, you said perking. I didn't know where you were going with that.

I mean, You said kissing.

You're like, in and out, in and out, in and out. I'm like, it sounds like he knows exactly what the fuck to do with you.

I'm like, oh my God, he just knows. I mean, like, sometimes he'll be like really aggressive. My husband is an Aries and he's a very straight up person and he'll tell you how it is. If he doesn't like something, he'll just tell you. And I'm just looking at him, okay. We do not need to get there. And, um, you know, I just, I was like, babe, if somebody like sees us together, they'll think you're abusing me or something. He's like, they don't know us.

They don't know us. And that's another thing, it's like when you've been— and this is, this is why I love that we're, you know, the conversation has shifted into family and it shifted into partnership, you know, with your, with your spouse. And I think that You know, in this life, no matter what it is we're doing, like, the home base is so important. But also, your relationship is so proprietary.

Of course. Like, you have to feel safe. You know what I mean? Like, for me, I'm such a girly girly. I mean, I've been with my husband since I was 16.

That's wild.

Like, I mean, that's crazy. Like, sometimes I'll go— like, one time I went to LA and it was Grammy weekend, and it was an opportunity to get into the Grammys. And then it started raining and something canceled. And then I literally, like, picked up my husband's— like, I called my husband and I was like, I started almost crying. And he's like, babe, do you want me to just buy you a first flight right now? You need to actually have that type of person on your shoulders. Like, do you want me to come? Like, who's bothering you? Like, I have to have your back. So that's the type of person I married.

Again, that's the support aspect.

Yes. Like, we have no time for feelings.

Yeah.

You know what I mean? He'll get over it. He'll be okay. But the love has to be over everything. You know what I mean? Like, I understand sometimes you don't have to talk to your partner about certain things, but it has to be like sometimes just the visual. You just look at her in the eyes and she understands what you are saying.

Yeah.

And that's what me and my husband do. I just look at him and I'm like, okay, he needs some space.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah.

I'm gonna talk to you tomorrow.

Yeah, I'll see. I'm gonna go over here. But it's important to know your partner and to understand the needs of the other person. Because if you don't understand the needs of the other person, things can get very contentious, right? Very rapidly.

And everybody's sensitive. It doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman. And it's really just getting to the bigger part and just moving on.

You said everybody's sensitive. I subscribe to that. Okay, Sean, I do. I truly believe that everybody's sensitive. I think there's a lot of people out there that say, I don't deal with emotions. I don't have emotions. I have thick skin. I am not sensitive. That is such a lie.

Yes.

And I just don't know where— I don't know how we got there. Every— I mean, like, you are born with feelings. And like, of course, and I don't care who you are, male or female, you can be an alpha female, alpha male, whatever, doesn't matter. You have feelings. Because sometimes, and you can always tell, right? You know, like the macho man, or the, you know, they call them the manosphere, right? They get on they get on social media and they just puff their chest, yelling and screaming.

It doesn't inspire me.

But right, no, no, it's, it's hilarious to watch. I laugh my ass off. I just don't care. Like, dude, if you didn't care, you wouldn't be so energetic, right? If you didn't have an emotional response.

They have— that's what's called a disorder. I'm sorry, that's not feelings. That's in a different level. Sometimes just being a wife and a husband to anybody, what I say, if your husband looks good, be like, babe, oh, you look really good today. Yeah, you should like amp them up. Like, oh, that color looks really good on you. And you know, sometimes I'll just do that to my husband, and sometimes he just needs it.

Yeah.

Or somebody, he'll call me, somebody's making me a hard time at work. I'm like, babe, they can't even afford you. I'm like, can you look at the big picture? Like, you are here and they are way below there.

What does he do?

So he's, he's like instructor also. Like, he used to have his own trucking company, and after COVID we did sell it. So he went into management of trucking, and he works for a big company that we actually donated 100,000 masks. That's called Waste management.

Oh wow, that's a small company, right?

It's a very small company.

Yeah, for the audience, that's sarcasm. That's a massive—

and you know what it is? They want him to do much bigger in management and a lot of different things, but he refuses because he just doesn't— I mean, at the same time, like, I tell him, babe, you are worth too much, you know what I mean? At the same time he goes to work driving a $200,000 car. I mean, that's pretty bad. Also, like, plays with their emotions, you know what I mean? But at the same time, we do need the health insurance. And I am in a small business. And we have to play the cards right.

You know, listen, it's all about teamwork. Hey, no, that makes, that makes perfect sense. You know, there's, there's, it reminds me what you said to him. What's his first name?

Uh, his name is Omar.

Omar. Okay, what you say to Omar in those situations is a lot like what my wife Jacqueline says to me. I remember when I was starting this and I would get a relatively bigger name, right? Like, oh my God, I can't believe it. And she looks at me and she goes, they get to talk to you.

Yes.

Like, what are you talking about? You're you're the one. Like, they get to be in your presence. They get to have this conversation with you because they're gonna figure out who you are.

Yes.

And they're gonna be like, wow, special dude.

And even though you're a really amazing, nice guy, you know, but, but we— I don't think sometimes you can be too nice.

Well, you know, yeah, it's okay. But like, my thing is, is like, you don't look at yourself, or I don't look at myself like, okay, that person gets to talk to me. I still don't, because I believe like everything's like really a really level playing field. And we're all on this earth together, right? And we're all going through— we're equal.

We all believe the same.

We are all going through something, right? The only difference is I like being connected with people that love to have good conversation, that are vulnerable, that are open, right? Closed off.

But she keeps you grounded. Oh, dude, she actually tells you what's— what you're worth.

Oh, yeah. Oh, no, you know, she'll ground the shit out.

Yeah. So even though— yeah, exactly. That's great. That's a good person to be with.

Trust me, pulls no punches.

Yes.

Pulls zero punches.

That's what I told my husband. I'm like, okay, come on. This is just an employee. And you're working for a public company. And it's okay. And I'm like, babe, well, do you want to take responsibility and be like the big, big manager? He's like, No. I was like, okay, so just ignore it.

Yeah. But it's good to have that because, and again, I love that the conversation shifted here because there's so many people that are listeners that have questions about how to run a successful relationship.

Yeah.

You know, how to improve their marriage. And I think it's really about communication, but most of it really is Like, if you can find a way to be empathetic towards your partner, no matter what they're going through, no matter what you feel about that moment, like how you feel about what Omar's going through means nothing. You have to dive into like what he's going through and be like, okay, like, I hear you. What do you need from me? Do you need me to listen? Do you want advice? Because I'm here. And if you can't do that as a partner, It's just—

I mean, sometimes, sometimes I'm super busy, but he is trying to tell me something. And sometimes he, he calls me and wants to talk to me about certain things. But I'm— when I'm right next to him, he wouldn't talk to me about nothing.

He just— and I'm like, babe, he misses you, dude.

I'm like, yeah. I'm like, babe, can you say that when I'm right next to you? Like, right now on the phone, It's just, I have people in front of me. I don't want to talk about it. But you know, like, again, like I said, women, men, you can be whoever you are, you're still sensitive in your own way. You still have emotions. And it's really a strong woman and a strong man to pull you through. And that person really has to love you unconditionally.

You know, I love that. It's, you know, Knowing your partner is so important.

You know what a friend of mine was like, like, you know, I mean, some people you see them online or on Instagram or like flashing things and that and that, whatever. And you think they are the happiest couple ever, right? And then after a year or so, you see them getting divorced. And I'm like, oh my God. I couldn't believe. I feel like they were the perfect couple. And you know what, a friend of mine was like, you know, you know why we were getting divorced? Because when I seen you and your husband, I always thought that person was not for me. Because it's just the way he was looking at you. Sometimes he's not telling you how he feels. It's really those eyes, like the eye moment, how he looks at you like Like he doesn't tell you because he doesn't want his like emotions to get like to a different level. And he feels like he's, he's like low in front of you. But it's just, it just like when that person looks at that person and they just love them unconditionally.

You know, you're bringing up something that struck a thought.

Yes.

Words are cheap. Action means everything.

Yes.

And so what Omar does is he takes action. And that's something that Jackie does. That's something that I do. She's better at it than me.

I can't wait to meet her.

Oh, dude, you're going to love her. Yeah, I don't— I don't know if I want you to in the same room. Like, these— they will dominate all of us. Like, we'll be done. Like, we're not even allowed to speak. Like, the energy that the alphaness is just— is crazy. But no, it's like, you know, like those are the things that, that couples need, and it's super important, right? Because, you know, without her, like, this would not happen. Oh, just— did you know how— okay, how many wives would truly be like, all right, go for it. Yeah, go for it. You know, put your corporate job that you're making a couple hundred grand a year, we're super comfortable, we have the best benefits ever because you're in the medical industry.

Yes.

Yeah, go, go, go talk on a microphone in front of the camera. Like, that's exactly—

it takes a lot of work. I mean, sometimes you have to sit down and say, what, what makes sense? You know, but you are building something big. And Sean, I'm super proud of you.

Thank you.

And sometimes as a friend, you just have to say to the other person, you did it. I'm proud of you.

Yeah. Yeah.

And you're a great person. I know I will meet this beautiful Jackie soon.

You will.

And I'm not forgetting her name, which is amazing.

Yeah, see, that's good. That's good. That's really good. But you know, it's like that. That's it. It's when you can truly understand your partner's passions and purpose, then you allow it, right? Because if the role was reversed, right? So let me stop real quick. Let me back up. When I met Jackie, we were both in sales, and we were like— her and I were, you know, I remember killing it. I mean, we were— she was in the Miami office, I was in the Fort Myers office, and I said to Dan, I'm like, who's that chick? Like, who is that? Like, she's kicking my ass.

Yeah.

And he goes, go get it. I'm like, she's got a target on her back.

Okay.

And I had never met her, but I wanted to beat her. Because I wanted her to notice.

Yes.

And then she did, and we formed a friendship. And then, you know, now it's, you know, the rest is history, right? But after, like, right around COVID, right? It's such a— I hate that it was so terrible for so many people, but I love what it did for my family. Of course, you know, because it was a reset. You know, she left corporate America and went to work with one of her with one of her friends and then eventually said, you know what, I want to be a teacher. Like, I've— something I've always wanted to do. Will you support me in this? I'm like, what do you— 1,000%.

What do you need me to do?

So I went, you know, she goes, well, I'd really like to teach at this prep school. I'm not saying the name because that's where my kids go.

Yeah.

And so I went to the headmaster, who I know very well, and I go, hey, Here's this resume. This is my wife. Like, can we find a sub position?

Yeah.

He's like, a week later, she was in the building.

Oh my God.

All right. And then she, I think she did like maybe 4 days. And then they offered her a contract for the next school year.

Wow.

And, and so as you know, when 2 salespeople are crushing it, and then they both transition to different careers, finances take a dip.

Right. And relationship starts hitting.

And that happened, right? It It was, it was, it was a turbulent time. But we both supported each other.

Right? The love has to be insane.

Yeah. I mean, I want her happy, right?

Of course.

You know, I mean, eventually, I'm gonna steal her and she's gonna be here full time. I have every intention of doing that as quickly as humanly possible.

Of course.

But, but like, she has the benefits.

So don't forget that.

No, I do. I do. I have. I will. She has hers, right? But then I— me and my kids.

Oh, you have yours as well?

Yeah, through Private. I mean, okay, it's, it's not as great as it used to.

It's not as cheap.

Oh my God. No, it's cheap. Yeah, but it's like, like I'm building my own fucking castle every time I need to submit a claim.

Yes.

You know, it's like I gotta do it myself.

I understand.

Well, she does it. She's a rock star.

Yeah, that's amazing. Yeah.

What started off in fashion and turned into relationships?

Yes.

You know, that's, that's just cool.

I mean, you have to understand, we bleed the same. We are human beings.

Yeah.

You know, so it doesn't matter— fashion, pharmaceutical, teaching— it all connects.

Yeah.

What were some of the other hard moments other than the COVID You know, to tell you the truth, I was not the person that really dated or went through different relationships. So that's why I tell my brothers, they've been in many relationships. Many marriages. So I never actually went out of the box because I love my husband. And I feel like when you switch relationships, your life kind of dips. And I just feel like you should choose the right person in your life. And if it's not the person that's for you, do not settle.

It's a good point.

I just felt like my husband was my support system. I felt safe. I did not know that my business is going to grow this big, you know, and he was just super supportive and I just felt safe.

Question, because I know when you got— so you said that you started Dana Morash Couture, it was at '90—

1999.

'99. Okay.

I was in the industry since 1994.

Correct. So 5 years after being in industry, you start your own brand, right? And like you said, you didn't know your company was going to get this big.

Yes.

And so just everybody who's watching and listening just knows, yes, she's a small business, but she is not a small business, right? There's a big difference, right? And so you had mentioned you didn't know it was going to get this big. And I didn't know we would be here.

Right.

But now that we're here, I know where we're going. So I'm like, holy shit, this is overwhelming. And you can't do that without an understanding partner. It keeps going back to that theme, right? Of like, you adjust and you sometimes you have to, you know, kind of— it's like Play-Doh. Life is like Play-Doh. Sometimes you have to mold it a little differently to make it work, right?

And sometimes Jackie probably looks at your interviews and she says, I like this person that was in the interview. And sometimes maybe she says otherwise. I don't know, you should not bring them around. Because, because you know what it is? She feels it. There's a synergy.

Dude, she's a witch.

I mean, dude, she feels everything you do. Yeah, my husband feels everything I do, even though he's not here and present with me all the time. But he's watching every step I do.

We have him on that camera right there. You can see you. There's one up there, you know.

Hi, babe.

Hey, Omar, what's up, dog? But no, that's the thing, right? And, you know, it's not so much about the guests that she would say that about. It would be people who come around and, you know, want a partner or, you know, I mean, like a business partner, I mean, like a brand or an individual. And she'll say no, like, right, that I feel It's so weird. She goes, I see a dark energy, you know?

Yeah.

And she goes, no, that person's like— I see gray.

Yeah. Well, you know what it is? My husband is the same way. He can meet a person in 5 minutes, and he's very street smart and not as— not as me. I'm not— I haven't been in the street. I didn't date anybody before my husband.

Yeah.

I mean, I must have had like a crush here and there, but not really anything serious. But he'll meet you in 5 minutes and he'll be like, I don't like that person. He'll definitely like you, Sean and Matt.

Thanks, Omar.

Um, but you know, he'll be like, I don't know, this is too much. He's like, billionaires are not on Instagram.

Yeah. And see, that's the thing though, like what you just said, like, I don't like— no, not that person. Like Jackie will literally tell me no. Like there's, there's something I don't— within 5 minutes, like, she's a smart woman. I don't even think it takes her or your husband 5 minutes. No, I, I think it probably is like, it's an energy, right? And a lot of times I'm very gracious with it, and I have more of a—

I would like to try it. Yeah, I was like, let me see, I think we should give them a chance. Why not?

Maybe I'm misreading this. And she'd be like, No, you're misreading the levity of this, that this is not good. Do not do this. And there's times where I listen, and sometimes it comes to be being true.

Thank God Jackie is really right, right?

Yeah. There's times where I don't listen. You're right, I'm sorry. Yes, because when are you going to listen to me 100% of the time? I was like, probably never, you know.

But you have to understand, we have passion, we are creative. Yeah, they are not.

Yep.

Even though my husband has some kind of creativity, but they look at it from the visual part. We are in the production. So sometimes somebody wants to collaborate with us and be like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yes, yes. And then they're like, no, yeah, no.

And then they're right.

And they're right.

Like, they're right. It's like having, like having another parent, just like, yeah, can you just chaperone me please, babe? Because I don't know what's going on.

He's like, what they bring it to the table? What they promising you? What are they doing for you? You know?

Yeah.

And it makes you like, it's good to have that person in your circle.

Yeah. No, it sure does. It sure does. And you have that.

Yes.

Right.

And you have that too. You have Jackie.

Sure. You know, but the thing is, is like, you know, I— when I look at— when I look at that, like, it takes a special partner to be like, we were at that fashion show. And there was hundreds of people, hundreds. How many models did you have?

So we had about 80 models and we have about 250 people. That's all that we can actually get into the space because I could have had 500, 600 people. Yeah, you know, it's just, you know what, like what I learned in the industry, don't burn your bridges with people. Let them burn their own bridge.

Where did you learn that though? Did you have a moment where you burned a bridge and you're like, I can never do that again?

No, I never learned it anywhere. It's just I was a self-taught type of person and I was just— I taught myself to just kind of like, I'm just a genuine nice person, you know? And if I like somebody and having the passion for fashion, it's just I want to just create.

Yeah. Yeah.

And when the person has a different vision to do something otherwise, how can I protect myself from that? Yeah, I can't. So they are burning their own bridge.

You know, I don't, I don't burn a lot of bridges.

Yeah, but I have— you're in Naples, but I have very nice here.

But I have burned a few. That is nice. It is nice.

It's not New York, baby.

No, but I have definitely burned a few.

Listen, it's okay. As a man, Like, my husband comes, he's friends with somebody, all of a sudden he would never call them. And sometimes I don't even ask him that question. Because I know deeply inside, he didn't like something that that person did. And as the leader of his family, he cut it off. Because I'm the type of person that doesn't cut it off. And he does.

It's hard for me too. Yes, it's hard for me.

Yeah.

But when there's certain things that will get me to a point where I'm like, I'm laughing because, honey, you have Jackie. I know, but it's okay. But if I am looked down upon or if I am discounted, that bridge, I'm going to light that fucker on fire.

Listen.

Because I can't be around it.

Yeah, exactly. Well, I agree with you 100%. Like, you know, as us as people, just like coming into Diana Mirage, being a brand ambassador is something, but being also a client, and you are like, when they are lowballing you on how much you are worth, you like, do you know how much is my brand?

Hard. Yeah, that's hard. Yeah.

Do you know what is my payroll every Friday? And Matt seen it. I have to take out cash, check, everything. I have to just keep signing envelopes, making it work, you know. And sometimes they don't understand, as a small business, you do not have to get paid certain weeks or certain months because you have to make sure that your business is running. And when people don't know how much you're worth, or they don't appreciate what you do, they do not belong in your circle. Because you can see them from far away and say hi and bye.

Sure.

But to tell you the truth, you have to know what you're worth.

Well, see, in value— value is an interesting one, right? Because where you get lowballed, where it comes to me is Hey, I want to pick your brain. I want you to help build my show. And they expect me to do that for free.

Well, honey, they do that with me for production. Remember my shows? I'm the producer.

Yeah. Yeah.

You know?

Yeah.

And it's—

but it's interesting, right? It's like, yeah, I can't— I can't do that. Like, you want to build something or you want something from Diana Marash, you got to understand that there's a— there's a value attached.

There's a cost to that.

But it's—

it's—

not necessarily just the, the garment, the brand, or, you know, whatever it is I'm wearing. It is the knowledge. It is— you are asking for a piece of my intellectual property.

Well, I just feel like I get that a lot, honey. I'm just used to that. So, so a lot of people, I want to collaborate with you, I want to do this, I want to do that, and they want to really use your name to build their production. And you have to be careful. That's when you come in and you become really smart. And you say, listen, let me send you my proposal. Let me send you my deck. This is what I do, what I do. We can do this for 2 weeks. We can do this for a week. We can do a consultation online. And you cannot give more than what they paid for. Maybe you'll give like one freebie here and there. But you can't give everything.

No. And again, like, I want to be— I want to be clear. I don't want everybody to think I'm just a complete asshole. Like, if I know somebody, right, and they need my help, I'm there, you know? But like a stranger being like, hey, can I pick your brain? I'm like, I don't—

it doesn't work like that.

I don't know you.

Yeah. Like, you can order something for me and support me. And then maybe we can work on something together. Yeah, but it takes time for things.

I am—

it's not 1, 2, 3.

There's this one person one time that kept sending me messages. I really want to pick your brain. I'm like, I'm sorry, I just— I, I don't—

it's just that word turns me off.

And, and so they asked probably 10 times.

Oh my God.

So I'm thinking, this person's must— this person must be motivated.

Really, really in love with you, Sean.

They really They really want to learn from me. So I sent them, you know, a calendar link with a payment attached to it and the dates. Like, hey, you could pick these times, but hey, to book the call, you got to pay me $2,500, right? Oh yeah, they didn't respond.

They didn't book.

So then you learn, like, no, no, no, they, they just wanted something from you. They don't actually value you.

I mean, you know, when people see something really interesting and great being built, they want a part of it as well.

Yeah.

And you know, as a producer myself, I used to have a lot of photographers that I just, that I just invite. I invite random people. Even in my show, I had to block a lot of people and not invite them because they come in as a poison almost as a cancerous cell into my event. And I am trying to have the best of the best in my show. You have to be inspired by the fashion and the production and admire the show. You cannot come in and you're not like a potential buyer, or maybe you do have buyers, or you're just in love with fashion. You cannot come in with a a bad attention that, oh, I just want to do whatever she's doing.

There's so many people that want what somebody else has.

Yes, you have to be like, you have to be original. You can be you. Yeah, you don't have to be Shawn. You don't have to be Diana. You could be Jessica.

Yeah, I think that comes from childhood, right? It's like the not enough, or not enough love. Or just, I don't feel like I'm enough for whatever reason it is, right?

I mean, well, that's then, that's when there is education and people go to college and they pay for college to learn. Or sometimes you just have to take classes. And again, they can have a consultation with Sean and pay for it and you can inspire them and they can have a consultation with Diana.

They can, they really can. So what's next for Diana Marash.

So as you know, I already released my first perfume. And the second thing we are doing is the second perfume. It's called Vanilla Musk.

Oh, so is that also unisex?

Yes, it's unisex. So I'm going to make sure you have one.

Oh, thank you.

Yeah.

When's that coming out?

It's, it's already— the production is done.

Beautiful.

Now we're working on shipping. Okay. And that's it. It should be in the store within a month.

That's really cool. Yes, that's really cool. The one that you have currently, what's it called?

Yes. It's called the Miracle Oud by Diana Marash.

It's really good. Yes, it's really good.

I need to get you that one too.

So good.

Yes.

Yeah. And it's quality.

Yes. Listen, everything that's quality is better than quantity. It's better to have one blazer that you love instead of having 50 that are just average and you're not getting the shine.

Yeah.

When you enter the room.

Yeah.

You know, and that's what I concentrate on is quality.

Well, you know, and it comes out in the work, right? It comes out in the material, the production of it, how it fits.

Yes.

Blazers are not comfortable. I felt so freaking good, right? And that I'm like, do I could wear this shit all?

Yeah.

And then I was like, at the end, I'm like, what do I do with this? And they're like, oh yeah, you got to give it back. I'm like, I want to give it back. I want to give this shit back. I don't know where I'm gonna wear it. Naples, Florida, but yeah, I'll wear it around the house.

I don't care.

But, but, you know, it's, um, I don't know where I was going with that, but, you know, just the quality of everything is—

I mean, you know, it's— Diana Marash is about wearing something that you feel good in, that represents your personality, but at the same time, it's comfortable in your own skin. You don't have to lose weight, you don't have to gain weight. To actually wear it. You can just stay you and we personalize it exactly for you.

You know, one day when we go to these award shows and we're accepting an award, I'm going to have a full-on Diana Mirage.

Yes.

And the inside of it's going to be the TDS logo.

Yes.

And we're going to customize.

We do customize.

So customize the hell out of it.

Yeah.

So bad.

Yeah.

Yeah. I'm excited for it.

I'm excited.

You know what it looks like? Yeah, I already know what it looks like.

You imagined that you designed it. Listen, I inspired you.

Yes, you did. Yes. And I was in your store this last week and I'm like looking and I'm like, oh my God, like, what? You know, like, okay, I got it. This is going to be really cool.

It's going to be cool.

Okay, so we have the new fragrance coming out within a month. What else? Like, what else can we talk about that you have going on?

As you know, I'm based in New York. And we do have a store in Jersey, but we also based in Dubai.

I didn't know that.

Yes, I'm also an Emirati resident.

Oh, damn.

Yes. And Dubai is an amazing country. Oh, we have to get you there.

My wife went. I need to go.

Yeah, but, you know, just linking you with the whole Women Leaders Club. So a friend of mine started this Women Leaders book and club. And I think I'm going to be bringing the book. I'm going to be the presenter in New York.

Cool.

And I think it'll be great. It's just she, she really inspired me. But at the same time, I kept it very super. She was a person that I was dressing like, just brand ambassador. And she actually inspires you. And she says I've done like a big show that I invited her. It was called Dubai Luxury Fashion Week that I've done in the Atlantic Hotel in the Palm, the best hotel in Dubai. And she came in as a guest and she goes, Diana, oh my God, this is amazing.

I'd really like to go there. Yeah, really like to do something.

We have to have you involved.

Yeah.

So, you know, just with everything coming in the world right now, We're taking a break. We are thinking maybe November, December, or even early next year and doing another event. But right now we're just trying to come see— No, in Dubai.

In Dubai. Okay.

But we will be building the book to be Diana Marash on in the book.

So awesome.

As a woman leader in New York.

So bad.

Yes.

Such a badass.

I think it's it. And she was a speaker in TEDx, so It's an amazing— she's doing some great stuff. I'm super proud of her.

That's really cool. I mean, you know, you have someone notable, you know.

Yes.

And that's important.

And sometimes you just have to be kind and you have to stay in your lane.

Yeah. And that's how it started, right?

Yes.

That's how we started, you know, this conversation was as long as we stay in our lane, no matter what happens, something is always going to another opportunity to be presented.

Yes.

If you lose something— because like, there was like, I think it was about 2, 3 weeks ago, Matt and Dan know and everybody knows, like, hey, we lost something. It crushed me. I— for 3 days I was like, I don't know how that—

oh my God, it's okay, but something better is coming.

It already has.

Yeah.

And we're waiting on it. Like, should have it today. So it's like, you know, you if we just stay the course, right? And that's what the Determined Society is. That is the nature and the foundation of this brand is like, hey, look, we know there's gonna be times where you just want to give up and say, fuck it. We know there's gonna be times where you're gonna want to hit the snooze button. There's gonna be times that you want to break your word to yourself, but you can't, because if you said it and you don't do it, then what you're telling yourself is I can't trust you. I can't trust myself.

Listen, I think you should keep this attitude going. I loved you from the minute you came into my store.

So sweet.

And like, every time Matt says something about Sean, I'm like, oh, I love him.

I love you too.

It's just— yeah, it's just one of— like, I feel safe with you. I feel like you should be safe with people that you work with.

Sure. You—

if you don't feel good about something, don't do it.

Yeah, it's fine. That's alignment, right?

Yeah, the next wave is gonna come. And I know in business we want everything, we want every opportunity.

Sure.

But sometimes not everything is good.

No, it's not. And, and sometimes things that you think are for you are not for you.

Yes.

In those moments where you fall down in that trench and because you want to curl up and just cry, Yes. Because you are equating to what you think you lost, but you don't ever think what God saved you from or what did I gain?

You didn't lose anything.

Nothing.

You are worth more.

Right.

Yes.

And so those moments you just really have to pay attention to and just know I'm like, okay, this is not the end of the world like I think it is. Because I have a tendency to catastrophize big time.

Listen, you're working on it. Yeah. You're working on yourself.

I'm a work in progress too.

We all working on ourselves.

Dude, I'll tell you what, man. I tell you what, I love it. Shit. Well, thank you so much for coming on. Yeah, this amazing conversation, sharing things about your business, your relationship, and just the essence of Diana Marash.

Diana Marash is here in Naples again.

Website?

DianaMarash.com. DianaMarashCouture.com. Listen, I love you guys. You can always reach me. WhatsApp me, 917-723-5357. DianaMarashCouture.com is open for business.

I hope you don't get penile pics now. Like, that's just, you know, you know, you're gonna get all these crazy messages. No, but, um, that's the one thing I do adore about you is your authenticity and your openness. And so take advantage of that, guys. Be respectful though in your, in your messages.

Yes.

Um, and, and go to, go to the website, check it out, and, and buy the Sean Blazer, please.

Yes. You know, you should search the Sean blue blazer.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Work it.

Work it.

You got to have the chest hair coming out like I did. You were hairspraying that shit. I'm like, damn it, I knew I should have shaved it. Let's put that down a little bit. Let's get this down.

It's like the manly part of you. I like it. I think it was selling the jacket. It was selling the look.

I like—

listen, I have so much more to come for your looks. Coming, coming soon.

Coming much more. Hey, and I mean, stay tuned. Whatever you need from me.

Yes, I got, you know that.

You know that. So thank you guys for watching again. Go to www.thedeterminedsociety.com/nextlevel and get ready for something big, guys. Hope you enjoyed today's episode. Share it with somebody you know, love, and trust. And until next time, stay determined.