Joe Quattrone 00:33
Gentlemen, we were just joined by pop sensation, Destiny Malibu, it’s a little bit off the beaten path for what we usually talk about in FUZZEE land. But give the audience a little bit of a sense of what you think we unpacked with Destiny on this episode.

Kary Youman 00:48
I mean, when I when I, just after that episode, talking to Destiny, I think when I hear her story, what I see is, like I think about concrete, and I think about a seed like growing through the concrete, you know, it seems like she’s had, you know, some circumstances around her. And she’s been able just through her own creativity and her faith just really sort of maneuver her way through that. And I think the audience will be inspired and may even pick something out of the interview.

JM Guthrie 01:12
Yeah, I was actually, I really enjoyed that time. Like, we probably could have talked to her for another hour about a bunch of other topics. I think the thing that really stuck for me or stuck out is that when we talked about products and practices, and we typically think about that in regards to substance, I think her answer made it really clear that that’s something that can be applied to mental wellness in general. And so something that I think we can think about as we go forward, just even on the macro aspect of the show, is that what we’re touching on obviously, addiction and alcohol is such a core component of mental wellness or mental illness even. There’s so much more as you go up into mental wellness as a whole. And I think she really started to uncover that as part of the interview. Yeah,

Joe Quattrone 01:59
She’s dealt with incredible trials and tribulations. And Kary, I think you and destiny both put it really well that it’s very paramount that you talk about how you’re tested inside of your testimony. So you can give that as a gift to other people. And we’re very grateful that all three of us are able to come together often and talk about our stories. But we’re really grateful for all of these instances where we have these amazing guests and they come on and they talk about what they’ve gone through and how that didn’t break them. So with that, I’ll let’s get into the interview. Destiny Malibu is an all American multicultural bilingual singer, songwriter, musician and podcaster destiny is best known as a pop singer specializing in high energy genre blending music, who is an American Idol alumni. She performs at schools across the US and is currently performing multiple dates in Las Vegas. Destiny sound is similar to artists like Ariana Grande, Ellie Goulding and Iggy Azalea with over 200,000 followers and subscribers on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and others. Her content has over 7 million total views. Say my name, her latest song and music video releases a huge success garnering 1 million plus views on YouTube in the first 24 hours of release. Destiny Malibu as seen on ABC Fox News and Univision is an American Idol alum and has performed in standing room only dates at Virgin hotels Las Vegas in 22 and 23, where she also filmed her mental health focus podcast the Destiny Malibu podcast Destiny Malibu has also collaborated with American Heart Association John Paul Mitchell Sirius XM professional fighters league among others, and has performed internationally in Singapore, the Dominican Republic in the USA at the Texas rock fest, Florida Music Festival House of Blues Hollywood, the Viper Room and schools across America traveling on her 45 foot tour bus with lineups that have included Earth Wind and Fire Plain White T’s and others. Destiny wrote her first song a million kisses at the age of nine and at 17 She was signed as a songwriter to Burnett Music Group. Her love to share her music in person has led her to performing her own songs worldwide. So Destiny I’ve already kind of done a pre read on your bio because I wanted to make sure I got it all in and it’s a very extensive and I gave these gentlemen a little bit of a preview of who you are and stuff like that because me and you do have a little history together and some correspondence from LinkedIn. And you know, you’re a fan of Gary Vee and we’ve kind of conversed on that stuff before but V tells the audience that’s just going to be tuning into this episode. Give us a little bit of the background. I mean, I know you’re, you know, an amazing record as to the recording artist I’ve downloaded say my name. I’ve watched it several times on YouTube.

Kary Youman 04:50
Great, great song.

Joe Quattrone 04:55
Baby. Yeah. And you’re also a mental health advocate which all of us do. You guys are as well. But give us the quick elevator pitch or the 30,000 foot view of who Destiny Malibu is, so we can catch the audience up real quick.

Destiny Malibu 05:07
Yeah, so everybody’s everybody that’s listening. And thank you Joey and Kary, and Jay for having me. I’m so excited to be here. And I’m a singer, songwriter, and mental health podcaster, I have been making music my entire life. My mom was a professional recording artist herself, she was a Latin pop star. So I fell in love with music really young. And some of my earliest memories were watching her write and record. So I just knew right away that this was what I wanted to do with my life. And as I was touring, and just in general was close friendships and with family members, I realized that mental health was a huge issue. And I knew that it was something that affected people close to my life, it had really affected me at one point in my life, and some friends. But when I was training in high schools and colleges across the US, and going to these different schools, that’s when it really hit me how big of an epidemic this mental health crisis is globally. And horrifically almost every single school that I went to, there had been a suicide recently at the school. And that just completely broke my heart and still breaks my heart talking about right now. And I just think it’s so important to bring the conversation of mental health, more to the public and talk about it more and let people know that it’s okay to be wrong, authentic, and you don’t always have to say, I’m good when people say how are you, you know, you can find those those close people where you can really have intimate conversations about what’s your feeling and what’s going on in your life.

Joe Quattrone 06:51
I agree totally. And there’s plenty of ways to attack the mental health epidemic out there. There’s obviously, you know, dealing with it the way that we are right, we’re attacking it from the angle of, you know, alcohol, in substance abuse and going that route. But there’s all kinds of different forms of mental health issues that people suffer from. But given that you are a little bit younger than our typical audience, our typical podcast interviewee, and you’ve been to college campuses recently, I think for me and JM and Kary, it’s probably been about 20 years or so since we let’s just say it’s an amendment.

Joe Quattrone 07:33
Really, it’s a great grace in the quads of various different institutions along the eastern seaboard. Tell us a little bit about what you’re seeing out there in the colleges these days when it pertains to alcohol usage and abuse. What my assumption is, is that alcohol use has gone way down, but I could be completely wrong. I haven’t been on a college campus in a minute. Tell us about what you’re seeing out there on the streets.

Destiny Malibu 07:56
Yeah, I mean, I guess that would probably depend on, you know, what circle of people you’re hanging out with. So I mean, I think it’s great if your goal is a sober living, to try your best to surround yourself with supportive people who understand that goal, I will say that, in my experience, pretty much everybody I know, drinks and does those things. And that can be an interesting environment to navigate. Because I don’t drink my friends know that I, I started a sober journey, because one of my close friends was, was really, really, really struggling with alcohol. And so I decided, you know, to support them that I was going to do a sober living and let them know that they weren’t alone. And we could go out together. And they didn’t have to be the only one that wasn’t drinking and stuff like that. And it was very interesting to see the response of some people, even today. I mean, it makes a lot of people very uncomfortable. I think we’ve been programmed to believe that you can’t have fun without drinking. And that’s like one of the main social aspects when you go out. People want to drink. People want to do those things. And, you know, I’m not going to say that there’s something wrong with that. I think everybody has the choice to live their life the way they want. But if you or someone you know is struggling with it, you know, it’s really important to surround yourself with people who are supportive and to be able to have those open conversations. And for me, even though Thank God, I don’t personally struggle with alcohol, I felt so good not drinking, that I maybe drink like I’ll have a glass of wine or something like once a year, like on my birthday or Christmas or something, but I don’t drink pretty much 99% of the time and that has been a really beautiful experience not only getting to know myself but but in social interactions. Just learning how to navigate sober is like a whole deeper connection actually with other people.

JM Guthrie 10:05
Totally. No, I feel that it’s interesting that you? Well, first off, that’s awesome that you did that for your friend. There’s a lot of people out there that need people like you to stand up and be that shoulder to lean on. And so congratulations for doing that. That’s amazing. Thank you. Just as a question about the friend that was struggling, outside of having, obviously great support from you, what was what was the path that they took to try to find, you know, a sober lifestyle, or, you know, to try to beat alcohol as an addiction? Was there a specific sort of practice that they went after?

Destiny Malibu 10:44
Yeah, so I have a couple of friends who struggle with this. And so it’s different for each one. But for this particular friend, they still actively go to AAA and they joined and I think that that’s a beautiful community. My grandfather, who unfortunately passed away last year, was an AAA member his entire life. And so I had gone to meetings with him sometimes, because he used to tell me, Oh, you have to come and hear these stories. Like they’re incredible. And it was beautiful to see, I even went with my friend a couple times too and it’s so beautiful to see that community just supporting each other and uplifting each other. Because I think a huge, huge, huge fundamental part of healing is having community and having people you can talk to in all aspects of mental health, it’s so important to remember that you’re not alone, and to find those people that you really resonate with. And those people who, who can support your journey, who may even be on a similar journey to you and just encourage each other because, you know, healing is not a linear experience, you know, there’s ups and downs. And one of the beautiful things about AAA, for example, is that you have a sponsor. And when you’re feeling like you are having a weak moment, there’s somebody that you can call or somebody that you can talk to, and not only with alcohol, or with drugs, or any of those things in general, just with our emotions, having someone you can talk to save lives. So I think community is so important and so beautiful.

JM Guthrie 12:31
I mean, I love that I don’t know how much you know about our story or why we started this podcast. But the reality is, we always talk about how everybody’s decisions are different. And then everybody’s path to whatever different relationship they have with alcohol is different as well. We’ve had a couple of people that have talked about AAA, and we’re big subscribers to that path. And certainly, that strategy, and that works for a lot of people. And it’s worked for even some of the people on this podcast today. But the whole idea of what we want is to provide exactly that outlet, right is to be a community, and to be a group of people, including our guests, like yourself, have friends that have been through similar journeys and want to be that shoulder. And so we also want to be very flexible in what that looks like. We’re not here to say how you get there. And so, you know, I think one of the things guys that we can take away already from this conversation is, how do we offer that shoulder for people that don’t have the Destiny Malibu’s in their life that are willing to stand up and say, I’m going to do this with you? Because I care? Right? How can we be there for the people that don’t have the sponsor at AAA to pick up and call the phone? How can we make this a channel that this community can reach out to and find the support of not only our team, but obviously all the folks that we’re so fortunate to involve ourselves with? Like Destiny today?

Kary Youman 13:55
I was just gonna say, you know, having friends is like destiny. I’m just curious about you. You know, you said something earlier about being okay, not being okay. And, you know, I feel like, you know, for your destiny, I mean, you’re in the spotlight, like one of your videos has millions of views. Like that’s incredible. You’re like a celebrity, you know, I would imagine there’s a level of pressure from fans, from family, from friends to to be okay, you know, you’re living this life, like, Hey, you got everything, like, how could you have a problem? And I’m just curious for you, how do you sort of balance this persona, you know, as an entertainer, but also like, what you actually need, like, how have you been able to find that space for yourself when you’re, you’re not feeling like a rock star one day, you know? Right?

Destiny Malibu 14:41
Well, that’s a really great question, Kary. And I would say, you know, social media has its positives and its negatives, but I will say that one of the positives that I’ve seen really come out in the last few years is so much more or vulnerability from people across all platforms. And I think there has been a movement where people are realizing that, you know, I would say probably like, in my grandparents age from what they’ve told me, you know, people didn’t talk about mental health. And in general, they weren’t as vulnerable. So people say, Oh, how are you and you’re like, Oh, I’m good, and you go on with your day. And I think in today’s society, people are realizing that there’s so much more opportunity for connection, when you can find those people that you can really be vulnerable with, and really have a conversation with. So for me in my career, you know, I’m really big on trying to have a positive mindset to letting yourself feel your feelings. Not you know, toxic positivity, but, you know, allowing yourself to feel things, but then working to actively redirect your thoughts and trying to actively work and build your skill set of being able to pick yourself up when you’re having a difficult day and redirect your thoughts. I think the power of thoughts is incredible. And when I was younger, I used to think that I had no control over my thoughts. I used to think that I was completely helpless to whatever emotion hit me. And as I’ve gotten older and had more experiences, I realized that the power of thought is that we actually do have a huge influence on the way that we think. I’m not saying that you have, you know, 100% control when you’re dealing with something like clinical depression or something. But we do have a huge influence on ourselves and others with our thoughts, you know, if you’re looking in the mirror, and you’re telling yourself, oh my gosh, I’m so ugly, oh my gosh, I hate myself, your body, your words are powerful. So your body physically responds to this. And I think in my career, and in my, in my music, I try to promote as often as possible in my lyrics and my songs in my interviews, that we do have an opportunity to, to get better, to, to redirect our thoughts to have community to refocus our mindset and, and be the person we want to be in my brand new song, say my name, I think, was probably, which actually has been my most successful video with over a million, I think it has like 1.5 million views now, which I’m so thankful for. And that whole song, I wrote about my personal experience with mental health. And I think people, that’s why they really resonated with it. If you watch some music video, I play the role of a high school cheerleader who seemingly has it all, you know, she’s, you know, got the quarterback boyfriend, and, you know, got all of her posse, and seems like she has it all together. But you see, throughout the music video that I’m struggling with alcohol, I’m struggling with drugs. And that internally, I mean, I’m in chaos. And at the end of the music video, I throw my pills away. And I decided to start a new journey in my life and a new lease. And so in my career, back to your original question. But to your original question, I think that, you know, finding that balance of talking about something, and then we’re also having like my fun pop music, but also letting people know that it’s completely okay and necessary to have these raw, authentic conversations about what so many people go through.

Joe Quattrone 18:49
Yeah, one thing that I think connects really well to that story is I remember when I first started at Vayner, some like 10 or so years ago, it was at a time in society where people really didn’t talk about their mental health issues, not like they do today, at least. And I remember one of my employees actually had to take a short term disability to actually go into an inpatient facility to deal with her stress and anxiety and stuff like that. And I feel like mental health broadly had its moment kind of over the past 10 years as people have been drawing more awareness to people’s situations, and D stigmatizing, you know, broad mental health issues. I think we’re also entering in a similar phase for alcohol and substance abuse where it’s okay to talk about your problems and your substance abuse issues, whereas maybe it wasn’t okay, just 12 months ago, because now we’ve got celebrities, we’ve got influencers, we’ve got people that are self identifying as either massive substance abusers or even casual substance abusers and, you know, realizing that there is no help for you unless you call unless you wave the white flag. One of the biggest issues that I’ve seen on the just regular mental health side and now on the alcohol side is, yeah, you could be somebody that’s massively struggling with addiction, or you could be somebody that’s massively struggling with anxiety, or bipolar depression and stuff like that. But there’s all kinds of varieties of these forms of issues. And especially if you have a functioning version of it, it’s really hard for you to get support from people around you either at your office or within your immediate circle, like your friends, families, loved ones, if nobody knows about your issues, it’s hard to get the help you need. So that’s one of the things that I’m hoping that we get across as we continue to have these pods, especially with somebody like you, you live out in LA, which is like the epicenter of functioning, you know, dysfunctionality? What would you say? Would you say that, we’re kind of getting ready to enter into that era where people are starting to feel more comfortable disclosing these issues? Or do you think we still have a long way to go?

Destiny Malibu 21:02
I think that we, as a society, have made huge progress. And I’m very thankful for that. In the last few years, I’ve never seen so many people talking about mental health artists, influencers and just, you know, friends and people just being more open. So, of course, I think that there’s always room for growth, there’s always room for improvement. So I do think that we have a long way to go. But I’m really thankful that this has become a topic that people are so much more willing to discuss.

Joe Quattrone 21:37
Well, you said something about, I mean, you said being your authentic self and a previous statement. So I love latching on to something like authenticity, because it’s such an obtuse and vague word. But I feel like one of the reasons why people struggle with that and talk to me a little bit about like, growing up in like the limelight spotlight, you know, Hollywood all that kind of stuff in response to this, but I feel like the more people front or try to be somebody there not, the harder it is to come out with this information and get the help that you need. Would you agree with that term? Is it the pressure of the influencer lifestyle in Southern California or fame? Does that happen? Does that force people into their shell a little bit and make them maybe hide these disclosures and prevent themselves from getting the help they need?

Destiny Malibu 22:27
Yeah, Joey, I would definitely say that it was a difficult decision a few years ago, to really decide that I was going to open up and start talking about this, even for myself, even for someone that’s so passionate about it, because unfortunately, I think that there is a lot of shame surrounding mental health. And when I have talked to some people, I know that they have different people who have told me similar responses. Oh, I don’t want to tell anybody that I’m suffering from depression, because they’re gonna look down on me. They’re, they’re gonna look at me differently. And you know, whether you’re in Hollywood or you’re in everyday life, that is always something that I think, can cause people to question whether they want to be their authentic, authentic selves. And be honest, I will say that it’s very important to decide who you have those intimate conversations with, because, for example, a trusted friend, a teacher, a mentor, a coach, maybe someone at church or in AAA, someone that you feel safe with, because unfortunately, I think some people have opened up to someone before and then gotten burned. Yeah, I’m not a positive response, like I remember many years ago, sharing with somebody that I was going through really bad depression. And, you know, I don’t blame them because they had never experienced depression. But their response was something along the lines of, Oh, why are you depressed? Like, you shouldn’t be depressed, like, you have so much like, they were kind of

Joe Quattrone 24:16
they’re shaming or guilting. You? Yeah.

Destiny Malibu 24:19
So they were almost kind of disgusted that I would have, you know, any emotional issues. So I think it’s important to try to be selective on who you share things with, but to also, you know, try to educate people in a moment. When that happened, it was a little hurtful, but when I reflected on it, it’s also like, well, this person has never experienced this. So you know, you have to try to take that perspective of empathy. Okay, well, they might not understand but you know what, this person over here who really severely struggled with depression and is doing better this is probably someone who’s going to understand what I’m going through a coach a mentor, like I said, someone and he or either one of these committees or what you guys are doing, like what you guys are doing is incredible. And I’m so thankful that you guys are promoting this message and bringing awareness because it’s people like you guys, you know that the world needs more of us and we need more people that are going to be empathetic and open. And that shoulder to cry on, like Dan was saying earlier,

JM Guthrie 25:20
man, that’s Wow. So a couple things to unpack. And I actually have a question for all of you. You know, the interesting thing is, I don’t know if you guys saw that Webster’s dictionary word of the year was authentic. For 2023. Which is an interesting meaning. For me, the company that I started 10 years ago and sold earlier this year was called authentic. So there’s kind of special aspects of that total outside of this conversation. But it’s interesting that listening to you talk about, say my name and the success that you had, and the challenge you had, really being vulnerable and transparent, and going down the path that your heart was telling you to authentically. And then that being the most successful record that you’ve put out. And you’ve obviously got this video that you’re really passionate about even talking about the narrative, which is super cool. I’m just interested, like, what do we think is the reason all of a sudden, being more vulnerable? Is it okay, being authentic is okay? Saying you’re not okay? Is okay. People like us are starting channels like this to have this conversation. I was wrapping my brain about this yesterday with my wife trying to figure out, what was the reason? What drove us to this point? But I’m interested in destiny, obviously, in your perspective first, but you know, Kary, and Joey, we haven’t talked about this on the show. I’m interested, like, how did we get here? What is the reason that all of a sudden people are like, it’s alright to say that I’m, you know, on tilt for some reason, or that you’re making me feel uncomfortable? I

Joe Quattrone 26:54
have a very specific answer to that. But destiny, go ahead. And let’s, let’s get your take on it first.

Destiny Malibu 26:59
Okay, you can go first, if you want.

Joe Quattrone 27:02
I think it’s social media and the millennial generation at whole. If you if you look economically, there was a study that was published about the year

JM Guthrie 27:10
comes the doctor care, there was a doctor was gonna cover this one? Well, no, I

Joe Quattrone 27:15
I mean, it’s very fascinating. So there was a study that was published recently that shows each generation from Gen X millennial and Gen Z, in their expectation of how much money they need to live in Millennials were like four times higher than every other generation. Gen Z was like, almost like the poverty level of what they think they could use to survive off of Gen X just has no expectations for themselves in general. But I think what we’re seeing now when it comes to this, like authentic self conversation, and people wanting to be free of secrets, and free of lies, and free of like pomp and circumstance, it’s an overcorrection, for the influencer era of the 2000s of the Instagram age of, you know, 2010 to 2015, where there was a lot of people trying to emulate and be other people, but not really trying to be themselves. So we had a massive era of people not feeling that they were good enough. And they were trying to become something that they weren’t. And now Gen Z is coming in, and they’re kind of knocking over the Jenga board, and they’re saying, Now, fuck all this, we’re gonna do something completely different. That’s my take.

Destiny Malibu 28:22
Yeah, I would have the question. Really, I think saying it’s an overcorrection is really sad. Because with social media, you know, as we all know, it’s, you’ve heard everyone’s heard a million times the cliche of you know, it’s your highlight reel. But it really is, for the most part. And so, yeah, I think as an overcorrection, of, you know, all of these filters and perfect highlights and, and traveling and people, you know, displaying their best parts of themselves to an extreme that we, you know, probably didn’t see, as much before social media, I think that mental health is us probably have become a much greater issue than ever before, and then stack on top of that, the pandemic, you know, with COVID, and everything, I think that really triggered a lot of people. I mean, how could it not people, all like this was a whole world event, and you know, in History Throughout history, all of the other, you know, pandemics were isolated to one area, and this was worldwide. So I think the whole world now people, you know, they’re isolated. I knew people who didn’t see anybody for months, you know, like, didn’t have family. You know, thankfully I have family in Las Vegas. So I was able to see my family during that time. But I think that that triggered a whole new domino effect of people’s Mental health issues either getting worse, or people experiencing mental health issues for the first time. And so I think that also sparked a conversation. Because a lot of people, I think there was a huge rise in suicide and divorce. And, you know, people were not used to being around, you know, other people so much if it was their family, and then in other situations, people had nobody at all. So

Joe Quattrone 30:29
you bring up a really good, I mean, think about just like the rise of like, the gotcha moments on the internet and people getting pinched, and called out for any kind of indiscretions and stuff like that. So I’m sure there’s a bunch of fear out there as well of like, Look, if you live a shitty life, and you’re an asshole, you’re gonna get called out for it. And so, one thing that I think is a good rule, it’s kind of like a good mantra to live by, or whatever, if you want to try to live your authentic life is think about how amazing it would be if you recited these three phrases to yourself every day, I’ve got nothing to prove, I’ve got nothing to lose, and I’ve got nothing to hide, right? Like, if you can actually say to yourself, I’ve got those three things, not, you know, whatever, then you’re probably living a pretty authentic life. And I think about that, usually in the context of substance abuse and alcohol abuse and stuff like that, mainly, because I’ve dealt with other people that, you know, not just myself, but I’ve dealt with other people that are abusing substances. And that last one is usually the key, there’s usually something they’re hiding. And, and, you know, I think it would be an amazing life for most people, if they can try to strive to live their life without those three elements, you know, don’t hide things. You know, don’t act like you’ve got like, like, you can’t reset your life and start over. You can, you absolutely can. So, you know, I think if we try to live more in that direction, we’ll wind up getting more authentic. What about

JM Guthrie 31:51
you, Kerry, man? What do you get on this? I’m sure you have a good thought on this, too.

Kary Youman 31:56
Yeah, I mean, it’s always fun to go last because you have a chance to just let all that marinate. But you know, I truly do have faith in humanity, because I have faith in myself. And I truly believe that this outer world is a reflection, although that can be painful, sometimes it’s a responsibility that I’ve chosen. So I just feel like we’re moving to a space where EQ is becoming more important than IQ. And as a result, people are realizing, and JM these aren’t my original words, but they’re realizing that like, wow, this mess, is part of my message, like these tests are part of my testimonial. And as a result, I just feel like we’re evolving. Like, it’s just natural for us to evolve. If you plant a seed, and you keep putting enough dirt on it, and you keep nurturing it with water at some point, it’s gonna grow. And I think just us as a species, we’re just realizing like, sweeping it under the rug, it’s just gonna cause it to just cause more mess versus let’s show it and let’s start to clean up. So I believe in humanity. We’re humans. I think that’s right. I

JM Guthrie 32:52
i think everything you guys all said really aligns to that. But at the end of the day, there’s a human connection to this, go ahead, Destiny.

Destiny Malibu 32:58
It isn’t gonna say, carried, I love what you said, my message is part of my testimonial. That’s so beautiful. Because everybody in life, no matter who you are, you’re going to experience tragedy of some sort at some part of your life. And I think in the mental health conversation, it’s so important to remember that we don’t have to have shame, about our mess, that you know, we can work through it and, and grow and evolve and that our mess is a part of our story. And those experiences make us who we are. And you know, even though I’ve had some very difficult moments in my life, as everyone has, looking back, I’m so thankful for each moment because it has brought me to where I am today.

Joe Quattrone 33:53
Let’s double click into that a little bit like most viewers and listeners don’t understand the tragedies that you’ve had to endure. And I think it’s interesting because you know, we’ve all had personal and professional tragedies that we’ve had to go through but you’ve got a very interesting situation because your destiny is the person but you’re also destined to brand and destiny the product in everything is kind of molded into one. I saw the news clips. I mean, I was living out in LA when your house went, you know, as part of the wildfires out there. And then I think a couple days later your sister’s school might have been involved in the mass shooting. So like tell us a little bit about what’s going through your mind during those crazy events also, meanwhile, trying to manage and maintain this product and brand called Destiny Malibu that you’re trying to put out there on an everyday basis. What’s going through your head, how are you holding this brand together whilst things are seemingly falling apart on the personal side?

Destiny Malibu 34:53
Well, that was in 2018 and it was definitely one of the most challenging experiences of my life. My family experienced two pretty severe tragedies within 48 hours. And growing up in Malibu, California, there was a wildfire. And it was the biggest wildfire since the 1950s. So tons of my friends and people I know, also lost their homes to this wildfire. And it was a very challenging time. And the next day after this wildfire happened, my sister was at, I’m sorry, the day before my sister was at the borderline Bar and Grill. So it wasn’t her school, but it was a country line dancing bar, and my sister loves country line dancing, and she’s amazing at it. And she knows, like every song, that it blows me away every time. But she was out country line dancing, and a shooter came in, and it was complete chaos. And people started screaming. And my sister explained the story to me that everybody was dancing, and they heard gunshots. And initially, people thought it was the song like there were gunshots in the song or something. And then all of a sudden, you know, people were being shot. And then there was this utter panic. And people started running everywhere, my sister got trampled. And people were drinking windows to try to get out of this big country line dancing bar. And this person, the shooter, had put ladders on the exits of this bar. So it was very premeditated, knowing that people were going to try to run out, it’s very sad that these types of events are still happening. And you know how something can happen years ago, but I didn’t go through it. But just knowing that my sister went through this is very hard, and knowing that I could have lost her that day is very hard to process. And out here in Vegas, where a big part of the country community as well, we still go line dancing, and do all that. And a lot of our friends out here, were also in the shooting that was out here in Vegas. And so a lot of the people are able to relate to my sister. And for a lot of them, it’s very, very difficult. And, you know, trauma presents itself in so many different ways. And one of my sister’s close friends, he actually charged the shooter to try to stop him and he ended up dying. And, you know, we consider him a hero and, and the sheriff that came in there, also passed away also hero and, you know, when when things like this happen, it’s it’s world shattering, you know, it’s, you would never think you’re gonna go out with your friends and have a fun night and that there’s going to be someone that comes in there with severe mental issues that’s going to try to take people’s lives. So that happened. And then the next day, I mixed it up the next day, the wildfires happened, and we lost our homes. So it was very traumatic. It was a lot in two days. And you know, for me, I’m so happy and so grateful that my sisters, okay, and I am so devastated for my friend and for my sister’s really close friend that lost her brother and the different people that passed away. And it’s in those moments that you have to decide, am I going to keep going or am I going to give up. And it’s really a moment of evolving as a human because I think a lot of times when you’re in that moment, you know, when you’ve lost everything you have, when you’ve gone through a dramatic experience like that. It’s unnatural to just want to give up, just say, I don’t know where to go from here. Thankfully, I have my family and, and my friends and that concept that I always go back to the community. It’s so important to have community because when you’re in those moments, when you’re deciding if you’re gonna keep going, you’re gonna give up. It’s so important to have people to talk to and somebody to lean on.

Joe Quattrone 39:49
Yeah, I mean, if more people would take that advice, we wouldn’t have as many of these atrocities in the world. So thank you for sharing your testimony.

Kary Youman 39:56
I can advise you that there’s definitely a lot of loss for your community. As my heart goes out to you all, thank

Destiny Malibu 40:01
you guys. Yeah. Well, there’s

Joe Quattrone 40:04
no real easy way to transition out of that topic, but I’m gonna try to do that. Right. Okay.

Kary Youman 40:09
Well, I will ask in terms of line dancing. Yeah, that’s just something I wanted to learn for a while. Looks like a lot of fun. There’s some fun videos that I’ve seen online, so maybe we can find you lying down. Yeah, you guys

Destiny Malibu 40:22
are in Vegas and you want to come live. My sister and I will definitely teach you some dances and it’s so much fun.

Joe Quattrone 40:27
So we need to, we need to have a song written for a line dance. And we need to have it only performed by people that aren’t drinking. I think that would be the fuzzy ish line dance. We’ll

JM Guthrie 40:40
call there’s definitely some blind dances that I’ve seen and I usually don’t partake. I just watched my family’s from my mom’s family’s from Georgia. So I’ve seen a lot of line dancing in my life. And beer is in the center of the line. He’s part of this bill. Yeah. So that we would be creating a whole new segment. But I’m here for it. No, we’re here for we’re here to create new segments. I love that

Joe Quattrone 41:02
sober sober line dancing. And let’s go. That’s it right

JM Guthrie 41:05
there. So I got two totally off-topic things. First is when I told my son, he’s nine years old, that we were interviewing you today. He knew who you were. And so I thought that was super. It was the first time he was like, oh, like he had a little bit of star shock . I just saw her video on YouTube anyway, so he’s nine. So you’re reaching an audience with a good message through whatever you’re doing online. And I love that I love the story behind the video. I feel even I feel

Joe Quattrone 41:35
even though last time Jack said that it was about Mr. Beast. So yeah, exactly the way

JM Guthrie 41:39
and we haven’t interviewed that guy. But we’re friends. He’s a friend of the show, too. But anyways, the second part is American Idol. Closet, like, psycho fan to some degree like so I remembered you from American Idol when he said that it was like, Oh my gosh. So let’s talk about the judges of American Idol first, and that’s a good one. I’m sure you followed the show as a child, since your mom was in the space, you obviously were on it. I think what an 18 or 19 was really that same year? Yeah. Right That same year that all that so that man you had liked the great things that maybe came of that or the not so great. And then obviously all the tariffs. So let’s talk about the judges. Yes. I think it’s still the same judges today that it was that is that right?

Destiny Malibu 42:25
Yes. I just want to say real quick. Before I answer that question, I want to say hi to your son. So what is okay,

JM Guthrie 42:31
His name’s Jack. It’s actually John Michael Jr. But his name is Jack. Yeah. Thank

Destiny Malibu 42:35
you so much for listening to my music. And I love you. Yeah,

Kary Youman 42:39
that’s got a fan for life. Right? For life for

JM Guthrie 42:42
sure. That’s awesome. Yeah, I appreciate that. No, I’m just curious, like, judges on American Idol. Right. There were four different groups of them. I’m curious where you put this latest judge panel, because I have a perspective on it that I won’t lead the witness on. But I’m curious what your thoughts are on the show generally today versus when it started. And the judges? Yeah, you know,

Destiny Malibu 43:03
It’s very interesting to see the evolution of the shows. I think there’s so much talent out there in the world. And you know, whether it’s the voice or American Idol, or these different shows, it’s every year. It’s so amazing that these shows bring to light so many talented people and give them a platform. So I think that they’re very cool shows and they’re very entertaining. And my experience on American Idol was very cool. It was very nerve wracking and an honor to sing for Katy Perry, and Lionel, Richie, and Luke Bryan. And it was just an incredible experience. I remember when we were filming that they all came out. And Luke Bryan put his arm around me and we’re walking them like, oh my gosh, like, Is this real life?

JM Guthrie 43:57
You’d have asked me to do a line dance. We had a few of those.

Destiny Malibu 44:02
But yeah, it’s very cool to you know, singing for people that have had such huge success. And I’ve always been a huge fan of Katy Perry. And she had some huge hits, you know, Teenage Dream, that album and all of her songs on there. She’s an incredible performer. So the whole experience there was very cool. And I you know, wouldn’t change anything. I’m thankful that I got to be there. I was in a few episodes. I was in the commercial for the show in Times Square, which was crazy. That’s amazing. Yeah. And yeah, it was it was just very cool jams

Joe Quattrone 44:41
before you’ve trashed the judge panel, which is where you’re going. Let’s give it up. Just give it up for Katy Perry for a moment because she is part of the Mito movement having launched her own line of mocktail drinks. So Katy Perry, we don’t know you personally, but you’re welcome on the show, wherever you want to come.

JM Guthrie 44:58
And actually Interestingly enough, a lot of those tracks on that record you mentioned, another friend that were all from the same part of Virginia Reston, Virginia, stand up. And a friend of ours that we grew up with is Ben Levin, who goes by Benny Blanco and did a lot of those songs with Katy Perry. So some connection to those records with Oh, wow, that’s amazing. And I was not gonna poop on the judges, I actually really liked the judges. I think the judges right now are really actually pretty cool. And I, I say that because they’re all so distinctly different. And it actually ties back to a lot of what we’ve talked about today, there is a human connection between the three of them, that only exists because of the respect they have for one another. And the fact that they’re willing to be vulnerable. I mean, they are, they are friends outside of that show, they are vulnerable with one another, they lean on each other, they are struggling with the same things. And it comes through in how they represent that show. The same thing happens on the voice too, to some degree, you see that. And that’s why those shows are so great, because there’s a human aspect to the people. It’s not just robots going out and saying, like it used to be with some of the other previous hosts on that show. So I’m actually a huge fan of it. I hope they keep going because I appreciate the connection and the humaneness that they bring to very different backgrounds and very obviously different people, both from an origin story as well as obviously, who they are on this planet. So I’m not Pooh poohing on him. Yeah,

Joe Quattrone 46:32
Well, let’s switch gears here a little bit, because we are running a little bit lean on time here. And I want to get to our last segment that we typically do with all of our guests or with most of our guests at least. And we call this the two peas or products and practices. So one thing that we want to, we want to kind of leave with our audience, when we talk to our guests is a practical tip or piece of advice from our guests on how they can replace alcohol or substances in their life with a different product or practice. So like we’ve made JM and carry and we’ve talked ad nauseam about the different kinds of non alcoholic drinks we like and mocktails. And we’re just like substituting bars for, you know, other kinds of wellness retreats and stuff like that. Are there things that you do when you’re trying at meetings, AAA meetings, whatever? Are there things that you do to take your mind off of alcohol and a sea of young people around you all the time? Like, what do you do to kind of allow yourself to not be, you know, not have FOMO? not want to go there and not want to do that?

Destiny Malibu 47:37
Yeah, well, that’s a great question. I would say that, you know, I’m big on supporting everybody’s right for choice. And everybody’s right for free will. So, you know, I go out and, you know, some of my friends are drinking and some of my friends are doing this and, you know, if if they don’t have an issue with it, like, I’m happy for them, and you know, for their choices and their freedom to make their choices. And, you know, most importantly to me is to see the people around me happy. And to try to have, you know, beautiful conversations with them. I’m really, really big on communication. I’m really, really big into psychology, like any free time I have. My favorite things to read are self help books and how to become a better communicator, and how to connect with people on a deeper level. That’s one of my biggest passions. So for me, I mean, I think there’s a lot of pressure to go out and, and drink and that is the fun of going out as drinking. But for me, the fun of going out is connecting the buttons.

Joe Quattrone 48:47
So let me ask you this. Are you a big fan of the Irish exit? Do you like to leave the bar? Because if you’d like to connect and talk to people, my guess is you probably don’t like being sober while people are talking to you drunk. So do you? Do you head out a couple minutes early and not tell people like what’s your strategy there? No, I

Destiny Malibu 49:04
I can pretty much hone in on his Navia to a knee brace. With me, who is sober enough to have a conversation? I actually do have a couple of friends that when we go out that also don’t drink which is really cool. Some of our art especially at our country line dancing bar. I have one friend who I love immensely and he’s Mormon and he doesn’t drink so I found some a lot.

Joe Quattrone 49:32
Real quick. Let me bridge the gap between our generation in jet jam son Jack’s generation and maybe you can be the bridge that we all need. mullets, what’s going on with mullets and society right now. And is it a question like I mean, it seems like they’re all over the place in normal society. But are they even more prevalent at line dances? Like what’s happening with mullets with the generation below Gen Z.

Destiny Malibu 49:58
You know, in my personal opinion, I will say it’s a very specific type of person who can pull off a mullet. And for me, the type of people that I see with them is always a person that I love. I’m gonna say in my experiences, and not saying you know, that’s like a general blanket statement, but like usually they’re very charismatic. They usually don’t care what people think, they’re usually very fun and they’re usually, you know, just easy to talk to. So I’m a fan of the mullet. I’m also a fan of the little mustache that I think got popular from What’s that movie Top Gun? Top Gun do not I swear every guy at the bars had had a mustache and I was like, I gotta like it.

JM Guthrie 50:49
What happens when I do this on the video? Do you guys see this mullet? It’s restoring masculinity traditionally but can I can I show my I wonder if I can show Oh, here we go. Can you guys see this mullet?

Joe Quattrone 51:03
I can’t see them.

JM Guthrie 51:05
I have to figure out how to show it. It’s a picture of No my son Jack. He’s nine years old. He’s a baseball player. He plays competitive for a nine year old to competitive baseball and all these kids have had mullets over the summer.

JM Guthrie 51:25
No, I’ll figure Yeah, I’ll make it I’ll make it happen because he has a strong head of hair and had a really good mullet going.

Kary Youman 51:34
I was gonna say man if I had the resources up top I’d give it a shot. I’m just Yeah.

Destiny Malibu 51:40
It’s fun. I like to see people you know experimenting and just having fun with life but I’m having a moment or mustache makes you happy. I say go for it. But it

JM Guthrie 51:51
I’ll say this, tying it all back together. One of the outputs of the voice is obviously Morgan Wallen, another big fan of Morgan Wallen is Jack. And obviously, he went from the mullet to clean cut, and I think he pulled it off and made a big statement by doing that. So anyways,

Joe Quattrone 52:10
All right. Well, you’ve been tuned in to the FUZZEE’-ish podcast. I’m your host, Joey Q joined with Kary and JMG, our usual suspects. Destiny, thank you so much for joining us. Destiny if our audience members want to consume some of your content, where would you say the best place to go? Is it your Instagram? Your YouTube and how did they get there?

Destiny Malibu 52:31
Yeah, so you can go to Destinymalibu.com. And there I have links to all of my socials, my TikTok, my Instagram, my Twitter. Well, I guess it’s called X now. My Facebook is my podcast. I also have a mental health podcast called The Destiny Malibu podcast. So if anybody listening today wants to connect with me, I’d love to be your friend. And you know, keep growing the community. And Thank you Joey and carry it damn so much for having me. You guys are so much fun and so thoughtful. And thank you so much for doing what you’re doing for the world.

Joe Quattrone 53:07
You can find Destiny’s episode on the fuzzeeishpodccast.com along with clips from this episode on all of our social media. So thank you very much for joining us. We appreciate you so much.

JM Guthrie 53:18
Yeah, thank you destiny.

Kary Youman 53:19
Thank you destiny.

Destiny Malibu 53:20
Thank you. Have an amazing day. Happy holidays!