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Stassi Schroeder on Her Reality TV Comeback, Working with Her Husband, and Mom Guilt

Girls Gotta Eat

Hosted by Ashley Hesseltine and Rayna Greenberg

1h 13m
Transcript

Original podcast

Summary

Written by a model from the transcript; not yet reviewed.

Stassi Schroeder joins Girls Gotta Eat to discuss her new reality series House of Stassi, premiering July 29 on Freeform and July 30 on Hulu. She explains the show was developed over three and a half years with former Vanderpump Rules producers Jenna and Foy, and is designed to break the fourth wall by acknowledging it's a job. She traces her career from The Amazing Race at 16 through Queen Bees to Vanderpump Rules, emphasizing she never had overnight success and calling herself a "roach" who can rebuild after any decline.

The conversation shifts to working with her husband Bo, who she says was unexpectedly open on camera despite her instruction to be honest with everyone. She discusses mom guilt, admitting her husband handles most school logistics and that she worries daily about whether she's doing the right thing for her kids. She shares a "switch places" exercise from the Bosticks: when feeling FOMO about a peer's life, imagine completely trading everything with them, and the envy disappears. She reframes her 2020 career lull as a period of "pregnancy bravery" that gave her confidence to plan her comeback, and calls reality TV her therapy because it forces conversations she'd otherwise avoid.

  • When feeling FOMO about a peer's life, Stassi recommends imagining completely switching places with them—spouse, body, kids, house—and the envy disappears. 56:18
  • Stassi calls reality TV her therapy because it forces hard conversations she'd otherwise avoid due to being too busy with work and kids. 1:09:32
  • Stassi identifies perfect-mom guilt as her biggest pressure, worrying daily about not doing school drop-offs because her husband handles most parenting logistics. 52:19
  • Stassi compares herself to a roach, saying she'll survive any career decline and build it back up. 28:32
  • House of Stassi was developed over three and a half years with former Vanderpump Rules producers Jenna and Foy, partnered with Scout. 37:49

Highlights

  • 25:34

    No Overnight Successinsight

    Stassi says she's been working in reality TV since 16, starting with The Amazing Race and Queen Bees before Vanderpump Rules. She observes that people with overnight success tend to develop an attitude and become wary of everyone.

  • 33:32

    Authenticity Beats Brandinginsight

    Stassi argues that early reality TV had no ulterior motives because cast members were just trying to get the next gig. Now people are scared to be themselves because they're building brands, which makes for inauthentic scenes.

  • 40:29

    The Edit-This-Out Trapinsight

    Stassi says she deliberately left unflattering moments in House of Stassi because she felt the second she started editing things out, it would be downhill from there. She wants to show what was really happening at this stage of her life.

  • 45:48

    Vanderpump Made Her Fear Fightinginsight

    Stassi admits that watching people react to her on-screen fights on Vanderpump Rules made her more afraid of conflict in real life. She has to remind herself that arguing with her husband is normal and not the end of the marriage.

  • 56:18

    The Switch Places Exercisestrategy

    Stassi shares a technique from the Bosticks: when you feel FOMO about a peer's life, imagine completely switching places with them—their spouse, body, wardrobe, kids, house. The feeling of needing to catch up quickly goes away.

  • 1:00:18

    The Food Truck Weekstory

    During her 2020 career lull, Stassi briefly considered moving to Italy to start a food truck, then managing her husband's career like Kris Jenner. It lasted about a week before she reminded herself who she was and planned her comeback.

  • 1:02:15

    Ground Zero Opportunityinsight

    Stassi reframes being at the bottom of your career as a time of opportunity: when you have nothing to lose, the world is your oyster and anything can happen. She contrasts this with her current life where two children mean she can't just switch gears.

  • 1:09:32

    Reality TV as Therapyinsight

    Stassi says reality TV forces her to have conversations she'd normally be too lazy to have because her day is full with work and kids. She calls it her therapy, and says it brings her closer to friends like Katie Maloney after a falling out.

About this episode

We are so excited to have sat down with Stassi Schroeder ahead of her new show, House of Stassi, to get candid about her reality TV comeback, this show’s contrast from anything she’s done before, why she didn’t edit out the “bad parts,” working with her husband, and what she’s most fearful of when it premieres. We also talk about her first TV stint (it wasn’t Vanderpump!), why reality shows are so much different now, filming with Katie Maloney again, the “Mandela Effect” about her and Jax Taylor, and why being on reality TV is her therapy. She also opens up to us about the pressure of being a perfect mom, being the breadwinner and how her and Beau co-parent, if she ever feels envious of her peers, and the trick she uses to avoid the comparison trap. Before Stassi joins us, we discuss whether you’d rather be seen or heard having sex and how we switched roles for this recording. Enjoy! Follow Stassi on Instagram @stassischroeder and check out her new show House of Stassi dropping July 29 on Hulu. Follow us on Instagram @girlsgottaeatpodcast, Ashley @ashhess, and Rayna @rayna.greenberg. Visit girlsgottaeat.com for more. Thank you to our partners this week: Bloom: Get 20% off your first order at https://bloomnu.com with code GGE. Good Wipes: Get a free pack at https://goodwipes.com/gge. Revolve: Get 15% off your first order at https://revolve.com/gge with code GGE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

0:00
1:13:55

16,146 words · 3 speakers

Speaker names marked are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

Topics

  • Reality TV
  • Career Resilience
  • Motherhood
  • Marriage
  • Authenticity
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Perfectionism
  • Friendship

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