Steven Bartlett - Alex Cooper

1) Alex Cooper, who hosts the extremely popular podcast "Call Her Daddy," talks about her parents and how their careers influenced her. Her father loved his job, and this made her want to follow suit. Her mother was a psychologist, which meant that she had a deep understanding of the human mind. Alex initially found her mother to be irritating when she asked her questions about how she felt. However, as she grew older, she realized that this opened her up to the importance of emotional intelligence. Alex says that although she put on a persona to the world, she still felt like the girl who was bullied. Creating content was her saving grace, and she views it as her true purpose in life.

2) Alex reveals that she was bullied in school and found a journal of hers from that tough time which contained dark thoughts. She believed that killing herself would make the bullies realize the impact of their comments. Cooper also talks about how our experiences can leave imprints on us as adults, and she shares that she used to hate everything about herself and tried to change her appearance because of the bullying. She acknowledges that she is still in therapy and is in the process of working through it all but thinks there is something beautiful about connecting with her fans in the meantime.

3) Alex also discusses how creating content was her outlet to express herself and become the confident woman she always knew she was but was tainted by her experiences. She reflects on the fact that the trauma from early adverse experiences stays with a person, and no one has managed to take it to zero.

4) Alex discusses the role therapy has played in helping her become more vulnerable and authentic on and off camera. She initially struggled to open up in therapy, fearing judgment from her therapist and feeling like she needed to keep up a facade of having everything together. However, after a pivotal moment where she opened up on her podcast, she was able to fully disclose her struggles to her therapist and work towards personal growth. Cooper also reveals that she sought therapy due to struggles in her business partnership and living situation, highlighting the importance of mental health in all areas of life.

5) Alex shares a personal struggle of compromising her morals and mental health while producing her hit podcast "Call Her Daddy" during a difficult time behind the scenes. She recalls being in a co-dependent relationship that was taking a psychological and physical toll on her, and how it was affecting her other relationships as well. Looking back,she wished that someone had told her that it was okay to leave a situation that compromised her well-being. However, despite learning the hard way, Cooper understands the factors that need to be in place professionally for someone to love their work, and the importance of discussing expectations and visions with any partners involved.

6) Most successful people have made mistakes and wished they had done things differently in their business journey. Alex discusses how important it is to envision the end goal and be mentally prepared for success. She admits that while she and her co-host, Sofia Franklyn, were unprepared for the success of their podcast "Call Her Daddy," the experience helped her learn what she needed to do differently in future deals. Alex emphasizes the importance of knowing what you want and sticking to your vision, even as you navigate the pressures of success and the many people who may want a piece of it.

7) Cooper talks about how she had to manage her people-pleasing tendencies when she realized that she was doing things that were unhealthy for the sake of preserving an image for her show. She goes onto discuss how it is not worth losing yourself to achieve a goal and how being on a world stage and feeling the pressure of public perception can affect people's mental health. She recalls feeling like the public villain and struggling to tell the truth behind closed doors, but eventually realizing that people's opinions didn't matter and that she couldn't control the narrative.Finally, Cooper talks about her former relationship and why she wouldn't contact her ex-partner in a 60-second conversation on her last day, as they both have different sides to their stories, and it's best that they go their separate ways.

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8) Alex discusses the success of her podcast, Call HerDaddy, and how it became the most listened to female podcast in the world. Despite being exclusively available on Spotify, she explains that the podcast's success still doesn't fully register with her. She attributes the show's success to the trust and relationship she has built with her audience as she talks about sex, a taboo topic for women that often carries shame. She recalls how many women have come up to her on the street and shared personal details about their lives, highlighting the importance of the relationship she has built with her listeners.

9) Alex discussed her dedication to her audience and her focus on creating quality content for them, often sacrificing personal relationships and important events to keep her audience satisfied. She also talks about the high standards she has for herself, never having deleted an episode that she published, and always working to innovate and make the show better. However, she also acknowledges the personal cost of being a CEO and maintaining the show's success, admitting that it can be difficult to balance being a creative and a business person.

10) Alex discusses the pressures and rewards of the podcasting industry. She opens up about her people-pleasing tendencies that caused her to keep employees who were not performing, and the pressure to constantly one-up oneself with "crazier" content for more views and clicks, describing a "diabolical feeling" in her head. She admits to feeling embarrassed about some of the things she said in early episodes and struggling to balance her personal life and content creation. Cooper also reflects on the lack of creative freedom in the industry, the pressure to constantly produce content, and the need for breaks and new avenues of stimulation.

11) Alex discusses her passion for podcasting and her love for connecting with people and discussing various topics. She explains that the financial impact of her Spotify deal hasn't affected her much and that she still feels like the same person. Alex also talks about the challenges she faced while dating due to her show's increasing popularity, with some men feeling insecure about her success. Despite these challenges, Alex remains grounded in who she is and believes that fulfilling relationships, not material possessions or financial success, are the richest things in life.

12) Alex Cooper opens up about her life beyond the Call Her Daddy podcast. She talks about her insecurities growing up and how she wants people to love the version of herself that worked on self-love and respect. She shares how her partner's support and respect for her job has allowed her to be 10 times better at her job. She defines success as having passion and drive towards something that consumes one's life, even if it's not the same as hers. She also talks about the vulnerability of guests on her show and how they write a question in the diary that is later turned into a card game for others to play.

13) Alex picks questions from conversation cards and answers them. One of the questions was about what pain she enjoys having, and she talks about experiencing the pain of true love and going through difficult moments with her partner. She also shares that she thinks her younger self would be proud of her for staying honest with herself, staying loyal to what she wants, and going for it, even if she took a lot of risks. When asked what she would say to her younger self, she would encourage her to hang in there, ask for help, and love herself.

14) Alex talks about her upcoming business launch that will expand the Call Her Daddy brand to new places. She mentions that within the next month, she will be launching something that will elevate and expand the brand that she is passionate about. She attributes her success to asking the world for what she wants, and she advises listeners to lead with a compass of what they want and ask people for help. Cooper shares that she has had many meetings with people she finds brilliant, and they have allowed her to think past what her brain was limited to seeing, which opened up a world of possibilities for her. She reminds people not to be afraid to ask for help, have conversations, and discover unique ideas that make enterprises stand out.

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15) Alex discusses the qualities that make for a good guest on her show, Call Her Daddy. She emphasizes the importance of being open-minded and willing to express thoughts even if they haven't been fully thought out. She aims to gain the trust of her guests in the first few minutes of meeting them and encourage them to be vulnerable and open as this makes for the best show. She also discusses the things that she keeps to herself and the importance of not immediately revealing everything, taking the time to gain insight before speaking.

16) Alex reflects on the fear she experiences regarding her public-facing career. Despite her love for the job, the daunting nature of having millions of people listening to and watching everything she says and does makes her doubt whether she is doing the right thing. She discusses the pressure that comes with the public's perception of her and the constant need to perform and reflect on whether she has taken it too far. Although she loves her job, it can be scary at times.