Episode 1 - audio

Paris is hosting a podcast called Life and Lemons. She talks about real-life topics with real-life people. She shares why she started the podcast and what to expect from future episodes. Paris also discusses her personal life, including being a wife and mother of two boys. She talks about her career change and her side business with a beauty company. Paris is also passionate about writing children's books and shares her experience with self-publishing. She created a journal called "Life Shit With or Without the Lemons" and explains the motivation behind it. She hopes to inspire others to share their stories on her podcast. Hello. Hello. Hello, everybody. Hello, everybody. My name is Paris. Thank you so, so, so, so much for joining my podcast. It is called Life and Lemons. Now, I would love to ... Hello, everybody. Thank you so much for joining my ... Hello, everybody. Thank you so much for joining my podcast. My name is Paris. I will, obviously, be your host, and my podcast is called Life and Lemons, where we talk about real-life things with real-life people. Everything and anything, pretty much nothing, is off-limits, so let's get into it. I do have my iPad just next to me with a few dot points of what I was wanting to speak with you about today, and pretty much give you a rundown into why I started this podcast, what we're going to talk about in this episode, and what I really hope to get out of this podcast, as well as what you can, as listeners, can actually expect from this podcast. I do have a few things planned for this episode. I actually do have a few more things planned for this episode, where I'm going to let you all in. Okay, guys, so in this episode, I do have a few things planned out for this episode. We are going to go into why I started this podcast, what I'm hoping to really get out of this podcast, as well as what you guys, as listeners, can expect to learn, know, hear from this podcast and from me. Now, there are a few other things that I did have planned for this episode. I'm actually going to let you guys in on a few of my secrets. Now, these ones are going to be very surface-level secrets, sort of just light-hearted ones, just to really break the ice. But what I have planned for the next few episodes that are going to be coming over the next few weeks, they're going to be a lot deeper, a lot deeper, and they will be a few more secrets, maybe a few regrets, too, thrown in the mix. So let's start off by introducing you to me. Again, I'm your host. I'm Paris Wright. I have lived in Western Sydney for all my life. I am 25 years old, turning 26 this year in June, actually. I am a wife, so I am married to the absolute love of my life, Corey Wright. And together, we shared two absolutely amazing, beautiful little boys. My eldest is Mason, and then, yeah, so he's three years old. And then I have Jamie, who is one. So Mason's turning four this year, and Jamie's turning two this year. So very, very exciting. Two little boys. I absolutely love being a bluey mum. Now, what else? So, yeah, so Corey, what I'm doing right now, I've gone through a slight career change recently. So right now, I am working, like, my main nine-to-five job as a sales agent in an insurance company. So I work for Pet Insurance, and that's been amazing. I've been doing it for about four, close to four months now, and I absolutely love it. And, I mean, does, I mean, saying I love it, like I, you know, I'm calling people and trying to sell pet insurance and everything, and whilst that's, you know, fantastic, I truly love the company that I am working for. They are the most supportive, inclusive, beautiful company. They are all about, yeah, inclusivity, inclusive, inclusivity, fuck knows. They are all about being inclusive. There is a wide demographic within the company, and you all have the freedom to do what you, or be whoever it is you are, and it's just so amazing because I don't think I've ever witnessed that from a work environment. I've never been in such a supportive working environment where they are so kind and loving and supportive, and so many, like, they truly show you how much you are valued as an employee. And that's just amazing. Like, I'm working as a sales agent, and I feel like I've found a place that I never want to leave from, which is amazing. That's what you want from a job, really. So, yeah, that's what I'm doing at the moment. I do have, since resigning from my previous job around six-ish months ago now, I've just been trying to explore hobbies and what I really want to do with my time in this world. So I'm really trying to find things that I like doing, getting creative, and I am not a creative person whatsoever. So you'll find me trying my hand at writing children's books. So I've just recently published a children's book that I wrote dedicated for my grandparents who have passed away, as well as my husband's grandmother who also passed away. And for me, I did all of it start to finish. I, you know, self-published on Amazon. I used AI to generate, like, the images that I was wanting. I wrote the whole story myself. And obviously, you're going to, you know, if you've seen it, it's going to seem pretty newbie. I'm not a professional whatsoever, but I am so, so, so, so proud. So, so proud of even just doing that, because for me, my grandparents were my best friends. And so for me to be able to do that and share that with others and show how amazing it is, the bonds you can have with grandparents. And I know a lot of other people can relate with that. It's, yeah, just something I'm really proud that I have done. I am actually in the process of writing a second children's book. And that one I've actually gotten edited. I've also, it's in the middle of being illustrated. And I've gotten a few mock-ups and, what's the word? I've gotten a few, I've gotten a few, oh my goodness. I've gotten a few, like, yeah, mock-ups. We'll just go with mock-ups. I've gotten a few mock-ups of sketches. I've gotten a few sketches. My goodness. I've gotten a few sketches from the illustrator. And I am truly so excited to share this one. This is something that I'm very passionate about. And I won't reveal too much about that. You will hopefully all get to know more about that and see what I've been working on eventually. Now, other than that, I have been trying to, other than writing children's books, I have been trying to find more for me, for myself. I've been trying to explore more. I've been trying to get really out of my comfort zone in what I'm used to doing. So I do manage a sort of side business, if you will, for a leading beauty company. That one's called MONAT. And so I am a market partner with them. And that's something that I'm still learning as I go. I'm very, very new to it. But I will say that it has been one of the best, not only opportunity, but one of the best experiences I have had. Because it's really given me the opportunity to, as I said, go out of my comfort zone and start this whole, you know, creating, being a creator and documenting my life. Not necessarily documenting, more so sharing my life and the things that I'm going through and just things that I found really useful for me, for my self-care. That was one big reason as to why I did join with MONAT. Because I was really, this year I said 2024 is going to be my year. And as part of that, I was, you know, really wanting to put more into my self-care, into my self-worth. Part of that is, you know, taking better care of my hair, taking better care of like my skin and what I'm using on my hair and my skin on my body. And for that reason, I did try out the MONAT products and then found that, you know, I love them. They are fantastic. So why not start sharing them, sharing what I love about MONAT and becoming a market partner. So hopefully generating a sort of passive income from that. Now, as I said, that one's something that I am still learning and very excited for what the future has to hold with MONAT there. Now, with that, this leads me into my podcast, the reason we are all here. No, so behind my podcast, and so it is called Life and Lemons, you will see here. So this, I created for this, I created a journal for myself just using Canva. So I designed a journal. So it's called Life Shit With or Without the Lemons. And then I've got Why Not Write About It. So yellow is my favorite color. It has been my favorite color since I was a kid. It's the color that I really, that really resonates with me the most. It's happy. It's joyful. It's just everything. So that's where the yellow, the lemon, that sort of thing comes into play. Now, the reason I created this journal initially was because I was really starting or wanting to start to get into journaling. And I thought, you know what, instead of going out and buying a journal from Canva or buying a journal with all these stupid flowers and quotes and, oh, so aesthetically pleasing, I wanted the reality of it. I wanted a journal that was just like, you know, build a bridge, get over it, basically kind of seen. So that's where I got Life Shit With or Without the Lemons. Because everyone's already, sorry, not already, everyone's always telling you, you know, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, it's like, oh, just tell me straight up. Tell me to my face. Just get the fuck over it, basically. And so that's where it came from. So Life Shit With or Without the Lemons. And then obviously you've got the Why Not Write About It, because that's the whole point. Write about a journal. So that's my new one. I am in the process of designing different ones. This is, so I am also recording myself, guys. So this is going to be a video as well for my YouTube and just some things that I'm going to post on Instagram and TikTok. Now, my original one, yeah, so I've got an original. Now, my original one is a hardcover. I've made it on a paperback. Still in the process of designing all that. Now, when it came to actually naming my podcast, I did want to keep it quite simple, not too many, excuse me, I did want to keep it quite simple, not too many words. So that's where Life and Lemons came from, Life and Lemons podcast. Because again, life, we all have a life that we are living and stories that really, really deserve to be told. So many things that you could not imagine someone going through or a story that you've been told that it's just unbelievable. And I truly think so many people have a story that do deserve to be told. And that is my hope for this podcast. And when it comes to the lemons side of things, because why the fuck not, really? Like lemons, because why the fuck not? It might not make sense. And that's the whole point of it, really. So what I hope to gain from this podcast is, number one, the main reason for starting was as a sort of journaling experience for myself and my mental health. So that's sort of where I was wanting to share my own stories in the hopes that it reaches people who are going through maybe similar things or things that I'm not going through, but that I can help shed some light that we are all going through some really difficult times, whatever it may be, and that we are not alone in these times and that there are people out here that are willing to listen, willing to help and learn. So that's me. I want to be able to share my life, my stories in the hopes of also having guests on to explore various topics. Now, this is really going to have a wide variety. So this can range from anywhere. So this could range from sex. It could range from domestic violence and all the different communities out there. It could be religion. It could be mental health. Now, mental health is something that I'm very, very passionate about, as you will find out later throughout these episodes. So really expect anything and everything from this podcast that you will hopefully be able to take something from, learn from. And honestly, if you have a story that does deserve to be shared, I would really, really love to hear from you because that's what I'm all about. I really want to tell the stories. I want to get it out there and for us all to come together and celebrate all our lives and the lemons that it has to offer. Yeah. So anyways, now let's get into the next part of this podcast that I had planned. So I am wanting to share with you a few of my secrets from, you know, throughout my life. Now, these ones are going to be pretty surface level. A bit of, you know, to break the ice, say, I don't want to reveal all my cards straight away to you guys. So yeah, there is definitely plenty to learn about me. And when I say plenty, I really, truly mean it. A lot of these things you will not have been coming across the next few episodes. So I'm actually so very excited to finally reveal these things. And you know what? Let's just get started. Hey, let's get started with going through some of my secrets. Now, I've written some dot points down here and I just, I can't believe I'm going to say some of these things out loud. Now, these may just be, actually, I might just say, so TMI warning for all the people out there who don't like too much information, but hey, this is what this podcast is about, anything and everything. And if you don't like TMI, I do not think this podcast is for you. So let's get started. So yeah, let's start with this secret. When I was very, very young, I was, goodness me, I was, I would say I was like, maybe like six, six or seven, something around that age. So I lived with my grandparents, my nonna and dada, from since I was a kid, since I was a baby, like we were living there on and off throughout my entire life. Even as an adult, I did move in back with them. Anyway, so when I was about, yes, I don't know, like six or seven years old, I had a wetting pants problem. So my grandparents' house, just for reference, is very, very big. It's four levels, if you will. So you've got like the cellar, you've got the bottom, the next level up, which is like a granny flat sort of situation. And then you've got the next level up, so like the level three, which is, you know, your standard kitchen, dining, that sort of, you know, scenario. And then you've got level four, all the bathrooms, all the bedrooms, stuff like that. Now level four, which is, yeah, where the bedrooms are, there was a bathroom and that's the one I would always go to. Now being a young kid in a huge house that, mind you, was built like years and years ago, it was squeaky as all heck. So you'd walk up the stairs and it would squeak. And, you know, being a kid, you're scared of everything. You make all these scenarios in your head. And it was just a scary house at night. You know, everyone's scared of the dark. When you're walking through, you have to turn the lights on, you jet to your room, jet to your bed. But yeah, anyway, so I was very terrified of this house when I was younger. And so when I would be at home and I'd really need to go to the toilet, I'd always end up wetting my pants because I was just too scared to actually make the journey to the bathroom by myself. Mind you, there was an element that we will add to this where I was lazy. I mean, I think that should definitely be mentioned because I couldn't just have been scared to the point where I was always wetting my pants. I mean, who knows? Who knows? Anyway, so there was a, it came to a point where, you know, I was wetting all of my pants. I was running out of clothes. I was getting in trouble. And so it got to the point where I decided, you know, nobody knows about this. So yeah, it got to the point where I decided to find a spot within the house, a sort of secluded spot, if you will, a spot that not many people would go to, and I would make that my brand new toilet. Now, it was carpeted, so it would like, by the... So it was carpeted, so that would be my spot. So when I needed to go to the toilet, I'd pull my dacks down. I would have also, I also brought napkins with me, so that would be my makeshift toilet paper. I'd, you know, I wouldn't, it was always number one. I never did number two there, so guys, don't worry. But yeah, I'd do my business. I'd clean up and, you know, dispose of my makeshift toilet paper in the bin, and by the time that, like, no one walked there, no one ever knew where that spot was, so it would always dry out. And I can't, I can't imagine, I can't imagine, like, the smell. Oh my God, how embarrassing. But like, truthfully, I will just let you all in, like, let you all know that this did not happen for too long, I promise you guys. Like, I did do it for a little while, but it got to a point where I was like, what am I doing? Or maybe I got caught. I truly don't remember. All I remember is that I was a kid and I was peeing on the carpet and, because I had a wetting my pants problem. So that's one secret that I wanted to let you guys know about. And I will say that I promise you guys, the carpets have been cleaned many, many times before, I promise you. So there is no leftover Paris pee residue on those carpets. But, you know, the house has been sold now, so that's all good. Now, I did want to go, there is another secret that I was thinking of. I was trying to, before I started this podcast, I had written a list of secrets I wanted to get out on the first podcast, but keep it really surface level. So this is another one I thought of. When I was younger, again, it all happens when I was younger and always at my grandparents house. So when I was younger, you know, it was the generation where everyone smoked, all my parents smoked, my grandparents smoked. My nonna was actually the one who taught me how to roll a cigarette when I was, I was so young, like I wasn't smoking it. She wasn't, I don't even know. So she, yeah, she taught me how to roll a cigarette, you know, with the tobacco and the papers and I don't know what they're called, the buds, but I don't, I don't know, the filters. Yeah, filters. Anyways, so when I was younger, I would say I was like, I was quite young. It could have been anywhere from like eight to 10, not in that like nine years of age sort of bit, but yeah, it could have even been younger. So I have a, you guys will learn as the podcast goes on that I have a good memory, but my timings of things can be a little bit off, but you'll learn the reason for why and everything later down the track. Now, yeah, so for this, so my parents would always smoke. Now my parents separated throughout my whole entire lifetime. So it, anyways, so my parents would smoke when like, say my mum would finish a cigarette and she'd go out and totally dispose of it safely out the front. So she'd flick it out. It was, you know, probably partially lit, let's be honest, but hey, anyways, moving on. So she'd, yeah, she'd flick her cigarette, cigarette, sorry, out the front and she'd go inside. So what I decided to do was I was like, oh fuck, this smoking thing sounds really cool. Like everyone's doing it. Everyone's, everyone's talking about it. Like it's out there. So, you know, maybe I should do it too. So I decided to sneak out the front or wherever she's, you know, chucked that cigarette, I would sneak out there. I'd go find it, this partially lit cigarette and I'd, you know, I'd take a few puffs. I'd, I'd practice how I put my mouth on it. I'd practice, you know, puffing from it. How like, do you breathe it in? Do you just blow it straight out? So yeah, I did that for a little bit. I would just sneak and then I would, I'd actually sneak their cigarettes and try my hand at it, but like a full cigarette from the beginning is a lot to handle. So I wouldn't, I would never have finished the whole entire thing when I was younger or anything like that. Oh my God, I just choked. So yeah, like it was, it wasn't like I was smoking from a very young age or anything like that. It was just sort of like a curiosity thing that I did get, get past only to start smoking. Socially in my, you know, late teenage to adult years, but I can say I have kicked that. It wasn't even a habit. I never did it for very long, but yeah, I do not like smoking cigarettes whatsoever anymore. And you can thank my husband for that. So thank you, Corey. Now, I'm just trying to think of a few more secrets that I should tell you guys. Oh my God. Okay, I've got one. Now this one, this one's probably, for my family and friends that are going to be listening, this one's going to be, you know, partially a shock, partially a TMI and partially a trigger warning. So again, guys, if this, if you're hearing this and you're like, I don't know if I want to hear this, probably switch off, but hey, we're all about honesty here. Okay. So for my people who are listening, I would like to inform you all that I'm actually bisexual and I have been since I was very young, not in a confused way, not in a confused way, not in a confused way, not at all. Definitely some curiosity added to that sort of scenario when I was younger. And then it moved on to like my teenage and adult years where I definitely liked girls. I still do. Definitely more about, you know, the men side of things. Hence my husband, my lovely, lovely husband. Anyways, so I, yeah, curiosity, you know, exploring that whole side of things when I was younger. So now, I, you're going to get to know a lot about me and my life as we go on and it will explain a few things, but for now, let's just go through this. So when I was younger, about, oh, about six years old. Now, that's going to sound like I was very young and you know what? I was very young, way too young. So there was this girl, my same age, she was a year older than me, actually. So she was around my age group. She was like, you know, when you have, your moms are friends and then you guys hang out. So that's what it was like and then she had a brother. I don't remember their names. I think I remember the brother's name, but let's keep that closed, closed for now. Anyway, so she had a brother that was in the same sort of age group as my brother. Now, me and her were playing in her room one day and mind you, she was, you know, like, I don't know what she'd gone through. I don't know what she was exposed to. I don't know what she was watching, but she was like around the same age as me and she was, how do I put it? She seemed very sexual for a six-year-old, seven-year-old and so she would just often be like, if it was playing with Barbies, she'd always make them do stuff and then she'd be like, oh, Paris, let's put on these, you know, like these, my mom's boots and let's be sexy and it was all about sexy and sexual and sex and not necessarily like sex, but just, you know, it was just, it was just weird and as a kid, I definitely wouldn't never have thought too much about it. Now, as an adult and looking back at those, the experience that I did have, which I'm about to take you through, it was extremely inappropriate and I can say that with absolute certainty. It was extremely inappropriate and like, what the fuck? Anyways, let's go through it. So, all I remember is we were playing in her room, you know, she's got her bed, she's got all her toys set up and I'm being told by her, like, you know, let's take our clothes off, like, let's just, like, let's play, let's take our clothes off. So, you know, here we are naked and she's like, pulled me under her bed, okay, she's pulled me under her bed and she's just started kissing me. Now, guys, TMI, TMI, TMI, like, we're naked and she's started kissing me and that's the most that happened. It happened for like a second, I kid you not, a second and nothing's touching, nothing's doing anything, everything's pretty tame, other than the fact, you know, there's two little girls under a bed and they are kissing, you know. So, the doors opened and my brother appears and he's looked under the bed and he's gone, like, he's freaked out, he's gone, I'm telling mom and he goes and tells mom and then everyone comes in, they've pulled us out, we're getting in trouble. Understandably, guys, I'm not saying, like, you know, that's like, what the heck? This isn't something that you'd expect to see your two little girls doing, anyways. So, yeah, from, and I'm not, I'm not saying this was, like, my beginning of my bisexual journey, not at all, not at all, it was just, you know, it was just a secret that I was wanting to share with you guys because this is something that, you know, I actually, my brother would constantly tell me, like, if I had ever done something that I, like, if I ever have ever taken one of his things or he would use that as blackmail for me to, like, you know, buy something for him or do something for him or let him have the laptop or something so stupid, he would use it as, like, blackmail, like, I'll tell everyone what you did under the bed, I'll tell everyone what you did with so-and-so and for years, I was so deathly afraid, so deathly afraid that he was going to, you know, tell everyone this secret, this naughty thing, this awful thing, this disgusting thing that had happened and my life would be ruined and that was held over my head for, I cannot even tell you how many years until I got into my late teenage years and I started to realize, you know what, what does he, what can he really say? Like, what can really come from it? Nothing. And by then, I had very much realized I was bisexual. That happened organically, that happened with no, you know, people luring me under a bed. That was my own sort of, you know, went through myself. Anyway, so it came to this point where I decided, you know what, I'm not going to let these secrets, especially that one, that was probably my biggest secret going through my life, you know, up until, like, my late teen years. That was probably the biggest secret I had that I thought, like, you know, could ruin my life. Like, I was just shit scared. Anyway, so it came to the point where, like, you know, he never really told anybody. I think we sort of got past that. He didn't use that against me, you know, going into my adult life. It was something that, like, for example, my husband, my husband 101% knows absolutely everything about me. Everything, every dark secret, deepest regret, every single thing my husband knows. So this is something that, like, my husband, I have actually shared with because I want him to know every single part of my life and about me because I think that's really important. So yeah, that's one secret that really, yeah, I took throughout the years and held it quite close to my heart. There's something all you guys know about me as well, as well as knowing about my, you know, sexual orientation sort of status, if you will. Now, I did want to sort of just put in here, I think this is a good time to put this in, that this podcast is not about judgment. It is not for, yeah, it's not for people to come here to judge my story. I mean, again, I am completely aware that people will judge and people will comment and, you know, I can't stop you from saying nasty things or doing nasty things and that's okay. But for the people who are listening without judgments and are listening, you know, and they have a story or a secret that they've held so close to their heart. For me, it felt so good finally telling, like, you know, Corey, my husband and revealing that and just being open about it and not sorry and not apologetic, you know, just being open and honest has really helped me, you know, get through life. Now, this podcast is not for people to judge. I want everyone to feel welcome, whether you are, you know, whatever race you are, whatever religion you come from, any demographic, like, I really want this to be a space of, as I said, just life and lemons, like, everyone's life, everyone's going through something that you could not imagine. Everyone has an amazing story and they might think it's boring or like, you know, I asked my husband, I was like, what's something that you would want to hear? What's something that you would say if you, like, were on my podcast? And he's like, well, I've had a boring life, like, not boring, just nothing too crazy, like, you know, compared to mine. And I said, and I've heard, I've heard about his life and whilst he hasn't, you know, hasn't, you know, suffered from like mental health or depression or he's never gone through big dramatic life changes or anything like that, I can say with certainty, his life has not been boring. He has a life I envy, a life story that I love to hear. I love to hear about his childhood and his parents and just everything that comes with him is what has made him who he is today. And that goes for everybody. So absolutely everybody is welcome. I'm not here to judge. I want to, I want to create this space where we have real conversation about real life things that are happening. Like, let's not hide away from this anymore. Like, I'm going to be getting into it, mental health, sex, domestic violence, religion, the LGBTIQ plus sort of community, just all of it. We're getting into all of it. And I'm so excited for each and every one of you to come along with me and enjoy this experience with me. And, you know, this, we are coming to the end of my first, we are coming to the end of my first podcast and I'm feeling, number one, very cold because I've had the aircon blasting in here because I didn't want to, you know, nervous sweat. Number two, I do need to go to work. So I'm not sure what relevance that that, but I am going to be leaving for work shortly after, you know, recording this podcast. But yeah, I'm feeling, I'm feeling so excited. I truly think that a lot of you, you know, a lot of you who will listen to these episodes will, I'm hoping just learn more about me, but also feel like you actually know who I am. That's, that's the aim of the game really. And I'm, I'm just so excited. This was my first episode. So I cannot wait for, for you guys to tune in for my next episode. No, I am so glad that you guys have joined me for my first episode with my podcast, Life and Lemons. Now, again, these secrets were pretty tame, pretty surface level, you know, a bit of an icebreaker, but I can say with absolute certainty that my next episode, what I have planned for you guys is just, it's insane and something not many of you are going to expect or see coming. So if that's something that, you know, you want to learn more about me, a little bit of more, a little bit more goss, I would really love for you guys to tune in. And, you know, I am hoping to have guests on the podcast eventually. And that can, I'm hoping, you know, to have a wide sort of variety of guests on the podcast, and we're just going to get in into it, guys, we're going to get into it. So please tune in for my next episode, where I'm going to reveal a little bit more of my secrets to you guys. They're going to be on a much deeper level, and I might throw a few regrets in there, in the mix, why not? Deeper, starker secrets, maybe a few regrets. Now, guys, we have pretty much come to the end of episode one of my podcast. That is all for today, guys. And I truly, from the bottom of my heart, you cannot imagine how, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for tuning in today and being here with me and listening to me. And I would love, love, love if you would tune in for my next episode of Life and Lemons. Now, if you want to be notified of any upcoming sort of episodes, any podcast information surrounding that, I would love if you could, you know, like, subscribe, comment to this podcast. So you've got Apple podcast, you have Spotify, you know, do all that, it would mean the world to me as well as following my socials. Now, I have those here. So for Instagram, it's, my handle is life underscore and lemons podcast. And then for TikTok, you just have life and lemons podcast. I am starting a YouTube because my hope is that I could get, I can get these, you know, recordings up on YouTube too. So you can actually see where I am recording from. So when that happens closer to then, I will let you know about that one. But yeah, anything you guys can do, just like, follow, follow my socials, and it would mean the world to me. And I can't wait to speak to you next time and talk about life and all the lemons it has to offer. Thank you guys.