[00:00:10] Ray Latif: Hey everyone, I'm Ray Latif and you're listening to the Top Podcast for the food and beverage industry, Taste Radio. This is episode 238, which features an interview with fitness icon and home workout pioneer, Denise Austin, who recently launched Ever Better, a platform lifestyle brand that debuted with a line of snackable protein bites. Just a reminder to our listeners, if you like what you hear on Taste Radio, please share the podcast with friends and colleagues. Of course, we'd love it if you could review us on the Apple Podcasts app or your listening platform of choice. Few faces in the fitness world are more familiar than that of Denise Austin. Known for her vibrant personality, motivational tone, and sleek physique, Denise Austin sold over 24 million exercise videos and DVDs over the past four decades and hosted one of the longest-running fitness-focused television shows. Today, she's setting her sights on the food business with a launch of Ever Better Snacks. Co-created with brand management firm Healthy Lifestyle Brands, the line of protein and probiotic infused cookie bites launched in 2020 and are positioned as healthy indulgent snacks for women. The products are the first part of a platform that will encompass Denise's website, magazine, and workout videos, all of which will come under the Ever Better umbrella. As part of our interview, Denise spoke about her rise from college gymnast to one of the most recognized names in fitness, how she evaluates food and diet trends, the formulation and branding of Ever Better Snacks, and how she plans to be involved in the brand's development. Hey, folks, it's Ray with Taste Radio, and I'm honored to be with the legendary Denise Austin. Denise, how are you?
[00:01:58] Denise Austin: Oh, I'm so great. Hi, Ray. How are you? Are you fit? You look good.
[00:02:04] Ray Latif: Thank you so much for saying that. I don't think I'm quite as fit as you are, but I am excited. I don't think you want to feel my tummy. It's like a bowl of pudding right now, but I'm working on it. I'm working on it. That's okay. It's probably from eating at Simsies so often.
[00:02:20] Denise Austin: Every time I'm in Manhattan Beach, where you're based... My favorite burger in the whole world.
[00:02:25] Ray Latif: See, I was going to ask you if you actually go to Simsies.
[00:02:28] Denise Austin: Simsies is a... Oh, all the time. We're good friends with the owners and they're the best people. And I go there and Tin Roof, they're all the Simsies.
[00:02:37] Ray Latif: Yeah, because if you are in Manhattan Beach and you're based there, if you're visiting in the area, you've got to go to Simsies. But looking at the menu, I wouldn't have expected that you'd be someone who goes there on a regular basis.
[00:02:50] Denise Austin: Of course, everything in moderation. I'm about balance. I have a beer there. I have French fries. Well, sometimes I get the sweet potato fries, but I love their burgers. They're so good.
[00:02:59] Ray Latif: They have a pretty extensive beer selection, too. What's your poison?
[00:03:02] Denise Austin: I try them all.
[00:03:05] Ray Latif: It's incredible.
[00:03:06] Denise Austin: I like a Pilsner. That's always my favorite because it's a little lighter.
[00:03:09] Ray Latif: Well, Pilsners are great, but this is incredible because I'm assuming people who are listening and watching would be like, Denise Austin, she drinks beer? Really? Wow.
[00:03:17] Denise Austin: Everything in moderation, you know. I have my 80-20 rule. 80% of the time I eat really healthy, really clean, and then 20% I love my treats and why not?
[00:03:28] Ray Latif: Why not indeed. One other thing I read about you is that you only work out for 30 minutes a day. That can't be true, is it?
[00:03:35] Denise Austin: It's true, only 30 minutes and I do it most every single day. I've done this for 40 years, right? 30 minutes, I get it in, I get it done in the morning because I'm a morning person. It's part of my morning routine. I love to get up, get it done. And then I feel really good all day. Like I don't have to worry about how to squeeze it in. So I've done this when my daughters were little, I got up before they got up in the morning and I've kept it up ever since.
[00:04:03] Ray Latif: So I actually did an interview with Jake Steinfeld a few weeks back, and he said that he gets up at three, I think he said 3.30 every morning and does a 45-minute routine. What time do you get up?
[00:04:14] Denise Austin: I like to sleep. I get up at 6.30.
[00:04:17] Ray Latif: See, that sounds much, much more reasonable. So let's see, I think my waking up habits, though, have been affected from coming from a big family. I have a lot of brothers and sisters in my family and everyone will always be getting up at different times. And so in my adult life, I've never liked getting up early because I always had to get up early as a kid. I know you come from a relatively big family.
[00:04:38] Denise Austin: Lots of chores for all those kids. I'm one of five, so I can kind of relate. I know you have like 10?
[00:04:45] Ray Latif: Yes, yes. There's 10 brothers and sisters. I have 10 siblings, so there's 11 of us total.
[00:04:50] Denise Austin: Wow.
[00:04:51] Ray Latif: Yeah.
[00:04:52] Denise Austin: That's so cool.
[00:04:53] Ray Latif: I would love it. The chores thing is funny too, because if someone didn't do their chores, I'm the oldest of the boys, if someone didn't do their chores, I'd get in trouble because I'm the one who's responsible for them doing their chores though, so.
[00:05:04] Denise Austin: Oh my gosh, my mom in the kitchen cupboard, we'd open it up and it have all of our names and rotation from dishes to, you know, the dry, whatever. So we had it all in the kitchen. I wish I kept that. That would have been interesting. I would have give it to my own daughter.
[00:05:22] Ray Latif: It's such a good system. I wonder, I mean, with all those drawers, you probably kept in relatively good shape, everyone having to do this, but was your family, I mean, growing up, were you all fitness oriented?
[00:05:31] Denise Austin: Well, I grew up, my dad played professional baseball, Joe Catnage. And so he was on the San Diego Padres and the St. Louis Browns in 1946 and 47. So I kind of grew up, you know, going to a lot of sports games, but I was a gymnast as a little girl. I started late in life at 11. And I got a full athletic scholarship to college, which was wonderful for me. And then graduated with a degree in exercise physiology. And there's five kids and we're all pretty fit. My brother played hockey, unusual for a LA kid. But he loved hockey. And then the rest were my sisters. And they, my one sister is great at tennis. And I married into a wonderful tennis family. My husband's one of five Austins. Remember Tracy Austin? She won the US Open twice. So we have a lot of sports in our life. And my husband's a sports attorney representing basketball players. So I love sports. I love football, every sport. We love it.
[00:06:39] Ray Latif: Fantastic. Having this deep background in sports and fitness, I assume this is something that you thought you'd want to continue throughout your life. But as a career, back when you started, it didn't seem like there were a lot of paths to be a fitness instructor in the way that you've become a well-known fitness instructor. What sparked your interest in this possibility?
[00:07:03] Denise Austin: Jack LaLanne.
[00:07:04] Ray Latif: Jack LaLanne.
[00:07:05] Denise Austin: Jack LaLanne. I hope some of you remember Jack. He was my mentor. After college, I met him and I said, can I come on and do handstands on your back, on your TV show? Because my grandma used to do his TV show. And so they said, sure. Him and his wife, Elaine LaLanne. And to this day, I'm still great friends with for 30 years. He was my mentor. I talked to him all the time. and I was honored to be a speaker at a celebration of life. And I still talked to his wife, Elaine Lalaine. So truly, he gave me my first start. And I started in 1980. So this was the beginning of aerobics, especially in Los Angeles. So I could say I was at the right place at the right time, but I worked really hard too. So I just love what I do. I saw that people love. to exercise and get the best feeling from it, those endorphins. And I just felt like I can feed my energy through the camera to people. And then it just grew. And I didn't know where it was going to go. I just continued to evolve through the times. And I'm very proud of my fulfilled career.
[00:08:18] Ray Latif: Yeah, I mean, you're a remarkable athlete. You're a remarkable fitness instructor. Everyone knows about Denise Austin. Thank you. The fitness mentor. But I don't know if you get enough credit for your work as a business person. Did you have any formal education training in business?
[00:08:37] Denise Austin: In business, my dad, he was the head of sales for M&M Mars candy company for 45 years. So when I was a little girl, we used to have to go to all the grocery stores because he was the head of sales and we had to line up. All the M&Ms perfectly, the Milky Ways and Three Musketeers. We had to make sure they were center, front and center, eye level on the shelf. And he really gave me, since I was five, we have pictures of all five of us kids at the stores, you know, on big freestanding displays at all the grocery stores all over the country. We used to travel with him and do some of the fun things. I really, truly credit my dad for my ability to market and to sell and to care about your customer, because that's what my dad did. So I really think, I mean, I got my degree in exercise physiology, but honestly, it came natural for me because I grew up with it and watched my dad and all the paperwork all he did. And I was a part of his life, especially when it came to that.
[00:09:50] Ray Latif: Were you in front of customers? I mean, where did you get your personality from? Because you have a very vivacious, effervescent personality. I mean, was that always who you were? Yes.
[00:10:07] Denise Austin: I was, I think it voted going to be the most successful. I don't know. I've been like this forever. My mom's kind of, you know, she passed away, dear God, but she was always funny and people always wanted to be around her because she was kind of the light of every, you know, room she walked into. And I, I don't know. It just comes natural. You know, I tell people w have a choice in life. Th First of all, how you thin how you move. So get up a
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[00:11:32] Ray Latif: You mentioned eating, which is essentially what we talk about 50% of the time on this show. The other 50% is what you're drinking. And I wonder where you stand on the cornucopia of food and lifestyle trends that we're seeing come into our industry, whether it be back in the day, low fat, now today, you know, keto, paleo, et cetera. What are your thoughts on these diets, these trends?
[00:12:00] Denise Austin: Well, I love them all and I really research everything, you know, because it is what you eat and we are how we move, how we eat and how we think. So food is very important. It's about 70% of it. The rest is exercise, but what you eat is the key. So for me, I always follow the trends just because I like to taste everything and I like to research it and see why it's good for me. Like flaxseed, I had to get really into that. Then I wanted to learn about chia seeds. So I have gone with the trends to understand it because it's all to look better, to Ever Better, to be at your best, to live longer and stronger and feel good as you age. and I'm 63 right now and I am all natural, haven't done anything yet, but I believe it's all the continued kind of interest I have because it's very important to me. I talk to every doctor about everything. I was on the president's council on physical fitness and sports where there are 20 top people and so I still talk to so many of my top friends that are doctors to ask them questions. I'm a very curious person, always have been. So I think that's part of my learning ability. I love to learn, especially when it comes to food. So I'm really excited about my new brownie bites and my protein bites because I've been working on it for a long time, trying to find the right taste, because taste to me is very important. If I don't like it, I won't eat it.
[00:13:36] Ray Latif: Well, let me just start by saying that I encourage people listening on the podcast to go and watch our video too, because you would never know in a thousand years that Denise is 63. You would say, okay, Denise, she's probably about 27. There's no way. It's impossible to think.
[00:13:54] Denise Austin: You're really looking right. Come on, Ray.
[00:13:58] Ray Latif: Well, you look fantastic. And you can tell that it's so important for you to feel life and to feel life through good food, good exercise and good people. But going back to the food component, you said you eat healthy 20% of the time, I'm sorry, 80% of the time, and then 20% of the time, it's snacking or I don't want to call it junk food, but you know, food that's not necessarily healthy.
[00:14:21] Denise Austin: Yeah, I'd put the beer in there, I'd put the wine in there.
[00:14:25] Ray Latif: So when you're talking about snacks and snacks like Ever Better, do those fit into the 80% of the time healthy or can they also fit into the 20% snacking part?
[00:14:36] Denise Austin: They actually can fit a little in each place, because what I wanted to create is a really good snack that tastes great, especially I start out with the brownie bliss, a brownie. I wanted it to be healthy, so I put some protein in it, because protein is really important, especially as you age, you want to keep your muscle tone. And then also, I wanted to make sure it wasn't chalky. It was really important to me because I have tasted so many out there and they all have that chalky taste. So I wanted to make sure it wasn't chalky. So we went through almost two years of trying to figure out the right one. And we have come out with it now. And I also put probiotics in there because it's great gut health. Because as I learn more Ask more questions. Gut health, of course, is so important. So this is why probiotics have been added in, which is one of the first, I think, to be in a snack. So honestly, it's a healthy snack, but it, you know, it's still a snack. One's a brownie bliss. I have four different kinds, which is my favorite too, is pumpkin spice joy. Then I have a double chocolate delight, and then a chocolate peanut butter. So there's something, a taste for everybody, but we also have a box that you could get that has all four varieties. So that's fun too, to have a taste test to see which ones, what flavors you like best.
[00:16:04] Ray Latif: Well, I'm certainly getting hungry hearing you talk about brownies and chocolate and peanut butter and healthy snacks. It just sounds like the perfect, perfect snack. It sounds like that perfect mix of that healthy and at 80% and 20% you were talking about concentric circles. They're meeting at Ever Better. It seems like, but let's back up for a second and talk about why you created this brand. You know, what was the inspiration behind Ever Better?
[00:16:29] Denise Austin: Well, first of all, I have two daughters and we're always looking for kind of healthy snacks because we are a snack family. I love around three o'clock or, you know, we at dinner time after, we always say, what's for dessert? And so we're always looking for it. So for a long time, and my daughter Katie Austin is following in my fitness footsteps after she graduated from USC and she also was on athletic scholarship in lacrosse there, D1 program. And she, when she graduated, she said, mom, I want to follow in your fitness footsteps. And I was so thankful and I'm enjoying it. And she's a real foodie. She actually makes everything gluten free. She makes everything low in sugar. So honestly, the kids nowadays really know every ingredient more than even I do as a, you know, my age group. putting our heads together, we said, why not come up with a snack line, starting off with our very favorites, little protein bites, because that's what we've made in our own kitchen before. So we came up with this. We went and we had a great meeting with the owners. They flew out from Atlanta, a great bakery company that is gluten-free bakery. So that was one of the biggest things for my daughter. And so then we just put our heads together, kept trying different tastes. And it's kind of like a family business now. So it's really exciting. And to be honest with you, when people are in grocery stores, who shops? It's your mom. Maybe it's your daughter runs. And I always find it very interesting, this mother-daughter bond. when it comes to food. We've talked to so many women. We're talking constantly on social media to moms and daughters. And they really, one will kind of say, I want to try that. And then the others will come home with a different kind of taste. So I think it's really important that it is kind of both demographics to enjoy a snack that everyone in the whole family will enjoy. even kids that want only gluten-free or some keto-friendly. So we've really made everybody happy in this, which I think you'll love the taste.
[00:18:51] Ray Latif: I do. And you sent me some samples, and it is a great product. There are a lot of great products on the market. There are a number of snack brands that are now promoting themselves as better for you and with benefits, such as probiotics or protein. With so much competition out there, how do you stand out? And I know you as the face of the brand, your name on the brand, you know, has a, has a big part of that point of differentiation, but what are some other ways that you're really looking to amplify the awareness of Ever Better?
[00:19:25] Denise Austin: I think it's really important to know the total picture of your lifestyle. Healthy Lifestyle is what I embody every single day. And this is all part of what I want to tell people, but also I want them to enjoy life. And I think that's important too. And that's why mine actually tastes really good, but also do have benefits. But I also want people to know that we're here for them. We listen to everyone. Katie listens to her. age group. She's 27. So she listens to her age group. I listen to mine. And between the two of us, we have really scanned the kind of demographics, two different age groups, to tell you the truth. So I am very interested in helping women over 45, and she's younger. So together, we want to do tours for stores. We want to be part of their programs to help women and guys, but mainly women, to find products that really do help and that taste great. So I think the combination of the people who trust me, I had a TV show for 24 years in their living rooms every single day. I've sold 25 million exercise videos and DVDs. And these women, I've been doing this for 40 years. I'm not just a little aerobics girl that just started. This has been my life. kind of everything I do, I walk and talk the truth and people trust me and I am a mom. I've been through having babies and menopause. So I've been there and I share everything with people and I think it's, honesty is very important and that's what we bring to the table with Ever Better. And it's Ever Better for you, why not? Anything that's gonna be just a little better for you, it's good.
[00:21:18] Ray Latif: For sure. You know, you mentioned two distinct age groups, those over 40 and then we'll call the millennial consumers. Yes. I would think it's kind of hard to distill messaging and communication, especially in your branding and packaging, when you're trying to speak to those two different groups. Were you involved in the branding and packaging process? And how do you get that message across on the packaging?
[00:21:42] Denise Austin: Oh, every step of the way we're involved both of us and my whole team and we got such a beautiful packaging company LPK out of Cincinnati and they came up with such a great you know we talked. day after day about my personality and Katie and I's desire to help people and you know this is your day to shine we have on the back and we also have you deserve it you are worth it things I've been saying for 40 years and they really nailed it and actually they're up for an award for our packaging And it truly does speak to everyone, every age group, because on the back it has a little picture of my daughter and I, mother, daughter, and family feeling, because it does start in your family, how you eat and how you feed your family. So the mom is extremely important. They're the ones that shop, and I'm a mom.
[00:22:41] Ray Latif: Now, your name and your picture are both on the package. Your picture on the back, your name is on the front. Was there any thought to boosting the amount of Denise Austin on the packaging, for lack of a better word? Did you ever think about making it Denise Austin's Ever Better, or do you really want that brand to shine on its own?
[00:23:01] Denise Austin: I love the name Ever Better and that shines on its own, but I also wanted the feeling of what the truth is this is a family business pulling together everything we have and I thought that was really important for moms who shop to have somebody who's maybe they're familiar with me to feel comfortable being the trust I I have with people and I'm I've been honest from day one I eat well, 8 times and he 20% of the time, I'm not a fitness fanatic. I'm not a diet person at all. I eat everything. So I believe that they know that. And I did want my name really big on it. It's very small. Ever Better still is my brand.
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[00:24:36] Ray Latif: So as we spoke about last week, the launch of Ever Better is the first part of a platform that you're creating that will encompass everything you do. Why lead with food?
[00:24:48] Denise Austin: I love food. Food is the main part of this world. I mean, every day you eat, every single day you're thinking about food. So for me, this was the key. And I'm a foodie, I'm into eating healthy, and I wanted to kind of come out with Ever Better because it's perfect too with Ever Better snacks. That's the first place I look for is how I'm going to eat a snack. OK, I already know I'm going to eat for breakfast, you know, maybe have some eggs, lunch, have a sandwich, dinner, you're going to have a little protein. But what about snacks? Snacks are the key. This is what you grab every single day. I throw my purse, I travel, I move. Ever Better is going to be on my deniseawson.com, which has been, you know, I have all my TV shows on there. So if anyone likes kind of nostalgia, you'll see some of my workouts. You know, I got 200 digitized. You can work out with me like you used to. I have all new workouts. We have some mother-daughter workouts on there. And we will be creating a whole Ever Better lifestyle. And that's what it's all about. It's about lifestyle. It's about how you're working out, what you're eating, how you're thinking, you know, to think positive. So we'll be doing a whole, you know, kind of wrap around Ever Better, because it's my very favorite name I've ever thought of. So I love it.
[00:26:10] Ray Latif: Well, let's talk about something that you are quite good at, which is selling. As you mentioned, I think you said 25 million videotapes over your career?
[00:26:18] Denise Austin: Exercise videos, VHS and DVDs together.
[00:26:22] Ray Latif: Wow. Incredible. So I assume if you sold 25 million bags of Ever Better in the next few years, you'd probably be quite happy.
[00:26:30] Denise Austin: Oh, that'd be good.
[00:26:30] Ray Latif: Yeah.
[00:26:31] Denise Austin: That took a long time to do.
[00:26:34] Ray Latif: Yeah, exactly. That's very true. But you can probably sell more bags of snacks or bags of snacks will sell faster than videotapes and DVDs. I would assume anyway.
[00:26:43] Denise Austin: Yeah. More people want to eat than they want to exercise. So I know that.
[00:26:48] Ray Latif: Very true. What is going to be your role in this retail rollout? Because Ever Better currently sold direct to consumer and I think in some retail stores, but you know, how do you envision your participation in getting into retailers and talking to those buyers about why they should put your brand on shelf?
[00:27:07] Denise Austin: Oh, this is my favorite part, Ray. Are you kidding? I love to talk to retailers. I have a letter even from Sam Walton back in the day. Can you believe it? He wrote to me. I did a 1984 Hypermark grand opening in Kansas City and no, Wichita, Kansas. And he was there and I met him and I still cherish the letter he wrote back to me saying how wonderful it was to meet me. So we will be a huge part of it. I will make presentations. I will be part of any of the public relations. We want to do wellness festivals. We want to be involved. This is our baby. This is our family baby. we want to be totally involved in every step of the way through social media. I have, which is fantastic, I have my own magazine that's been out in all the grocery stores, Walmart, Target, and in the back is all the ads about Ever Better. So having my own magazine is a wonderful kind of platform, too, as well as both of our websites, my daughter's, Katie Austin's, and mine. I love to do in-store promotions and marketing with companies, with all the different in-stores. That is exciting to me. And we could offer fitness routines for this. It goes hand-in-hand with exercise and eating. So it's a wonderful way to really marriage the both. Both are important to us, to everybody.
[00:28:38] Ray Latif: Well, it certainly sounds like you're not shy about jumping in with both your feet and really getting your hands dirty, so to speak.
[00:28:45] Denise Austin: No, I have no fear. I mean, I started my own business like this, you know, 40 years ago. I called up the Today Show and I got Steve Friedman on the phone. It was 1984. No fitness, you know, piece or segment on the show. And I got no, I just said, he'll let you know. He called the secretary and then and then one day I got him. And he said, oh, I love your energy. Come on up. And I got my on the Today Show and we got 10,000 letters in the first week. And so I became the fitness correspondent for the Today Show back in 1984 to 88. So it really gave me a wonderful start. So I have no fear. It's OK.
[00:29:33] Ray Latif: As an entrepreneur, you have to have no fear and you have to have no fear of hearing the word no, because you're going to hear it a lot. That being said, a lot of entrepreneurs that I've talked to are sometimes hesitant about putting themselves out there as the face of the brand. But in your case, you're not only the face of your own brand, you are the brand. And I would think that unless you live that lifestyle that you're promoting, that you're putting out there, that's gotta be kind of hard to keep it up all the time, to keep up this persona. Are your personality and your persona one and the same, though? I mean, I bet you're twice now.
[00:30:13] Denise Austin: Oh, yes, it is. You get what you see here. It's the same for me. So it's, uh, I'm not an actress. This is my entire career and my entire life. And I've been like this for 40 years and you can't get appointed by the president to be on the president's council. I, I put my integrity first for everything I do and always have. And that's my longevity, you know, that really, stands on its own, and that's important to me. So to be honest with you, for 40 years, I believe my integrity has shined through, and I think that's the most important, and I'm going for it. Yeah.
[00:30:56] Ray Latif: Well, a lot of people have taken to that personality. I mentioned your vivaciousness, your effervescence. And I feel like your fans that you referred to and the people that follow you and have been following you for years will continue to follow you as you continue to develop Ever Better. Are you going to have to tweak anything? Do you feel like you'll need to change any part of who you are or how you present to bring in new consumers, to bring in younger consumers? And I know you're working with your daughter closely on this, but do you feel like you need to change your approach at all to bring in new folks?
[00:31:27] Denise Austin: No, I am who I am. No sense changing now. It's working, baby. But I evolve and I change with the times. You know, I went from the VHS to the DVD and now to, you know, the web. So it's It's evolving. Of course I evolve. I learn and evolve and continue to create products to help people and that's my goal is truly to help people. I want them to Ever Better and I think you know exercise and eating right are the two most important as well as mental and physical but also emotional health. So all of it is so important and With my daughter too, it's the mother-daughter bond that I feel is so important that we're learning all over the country. Last year before COVID, we did a whole mother-daughter tour that we met with all these wonderful mothers and daughters. The bond of a mother-daughter really does create a Healthy Lifestyle. It really helps each other. They are accountability partners too.
[00:32:32] Ray Latif: For sure. You know, I actually spoke with a guy I know who is a coffee entrepreneur, and he had said that, uh, he was talking about an old business card that I showed him. And he said, the phrase he returned with was evolve or die. And that old business card was just this, you know, it was like from his first year now, you know, what he is and what the brand is all about is completely different, but evolving and evolution is difficult. You know, is there an example that you can talk about where, to change was really difficult, but you were able to do it anyway?
[00:33:05] Denise Austin: Well, years ago, when they started emails, I was like, emails, I'm not going to do that. I'm a calling person. I love to talk on the phone. I'm not good. And so it took me a while to say, all right, I'll create an email. So I think that was one of my first ones.
[00:33:23] Ray Latif: Yeah, well, keeping up with technology, that's certainly one part of it. I mean, I think social media is another part of this sort of evolution of how you communicate with folks. I mean, are you big into social media? I mean, I've seen, you know, you have a pretty popular Instagram page, but are you specifically involved in that? Are you personally involved in that?
[00:33:41] Denise Austin: Oh, absolutely. Instagram and Facebook are the two that I, I comment and you know, I read everything constantly and all my messages and I am in connection. I have a beautiful community. I have women of all ages, of all size, everything. That is my whole life is listening to them. I really understand them and we have had a wonderful, a lot of the people have been with me. for years. They remember me even in the Jack LaLanne day in 1982. So it's been a wonderful thing in the changes to see being able to connect instantly with your fans and your community. It's amazing. I love it. And Katie is the one that really got me going on Instagram. She created my Instagram. So Having a young daughter who's involved in social media like she is, is very fun and helpful too.
[00:34:38] Ray Latif: Is she teaching you about the sort of newer platforms like TikTok or Snapchat?
[00:34:43] Denise Austin: Oh, yes, Miller or Snapchat. She has them all. TikTok, I have to do dances with her. You'll be seeing our little Ever Better Bites in all of those.
[00:34:53] Ray Latif: Nice. Well, I'm not currently on TikTok, but you know what? I will have to check it out to see those dances.
[00:35:00] Denise Austin: She's really cute. Jamie Austin, check it out.
[00:35:03] Ray Latif: Well done, well done. Denise, this has been so much fun speaking with you. I can't remember when I've had more fun and had a bigger smile on my face in an interview. So thank you so much for taking the time to be with me today.
[00:35:13] Denise Austin: Oh, thank you guys so much. I really appreciate it.
[00:35:17] Ray Latif: We really appreciate it as well. Good luck with Ever Better and let's do this again soon.
[00:35:22] Denise Austin: Yes, thank you.
[00:35:23] Ray Latif: All right. That brings us to the end of episode 238. Thank you so much for listening, and thanks to our guest, Denise Austin. As always, for questions, comments, ideas for future podcasts, please send us an email to ask at Taste Radio. On behalf of the entire Taste Radio team, thank you for listening, and we'll talk to you next time.
