St Pete Soul Podcast
Episode Transcripts

00:00:04:13 - 00:00:30:02 Brittany: Welcome to the St Pete Soul podcast. I'm your host, Brittany Ranew, a local real estate professional in Saint Petersburg, Florida, and I help people fall in love with the Sunshine City every day. In these episodes, I sit down with local business owners and get to tell their stories. So we pull back the curtain and let you discover what makes Saint Pete so special. So come along with me and let the Sunshine City warm your soul. 00:00:34:12 - 00:00:52:22 Brittany: Hi, everybody. Brittany Ranew here the host of the Saint Pete Soul podcast and local realtor and welcome back to the show. So today I'm excited to have Gabrielle Troyer on today. She is a lifestyle blogger and founder up a rooftop collective here in Saint Pete so hi, welcome. 00:00:53:15 - 00:00:55:18 Gabrielle: This is so cool. Thanks for having me. 00:00:56:00 - 00:01:07:06 Brittany: Yeah, absolutely. Glad we work this out. Let's see, we we met at, like, a girls networking group book and bottle. Like, I feel like it was forever ago. 00:01:07:21 - 00:01:09:21 Gabrielle: Yeah, it was a while back. Yeah. 00:01:10:23 - 00:01:16:19 Brittany: But we just kept up on social media, like, you know, a lot of us do these days, so I'm glad we could work this out. 00:01:16:21 - 00:01:17:21 Gabrielle: Yeah, me too. 00:01:18:23 - 00:01:23:14 Brittany: Well, to start, tell everybody a little bit about yourself and your background. 00:01:24:00 - 00:01:53:24 Gabrielle: Yeah, sure. So thanks for having me, guys. I've never been on a podcast before, so I'm really excited. I listen to podcasts all the time, so thanks for having me. So yeah, I have a normal job, a 9 to 5. I'm in digital marketing and I've done that for about six or seven years now. And I actually went to school originally to be on television, and I did television broadcast. I really thought. 00:01:54:08 - 00:02:31:00 Gabrielle: I was going to be the next Giuliana Rancic in Hollywood. And I had a very narrow scope of what I was interested in. I was not interested in covering, like, the hard hitting stories of the town. I also I realized after graduating, I wasn't really that interested in moving to the middle of nowhere to get my foot in the door with broadcast. Which is pretty much a necessity. I had been dating my now husband for a very long time. I'm very close with my family, so I was like. Okay, good. What am I going to do with this now? Content creating really wasn't much of a thing. 00:02:31:22 - 00:03:57:24 Gabrielle: You definitely had more popular people on like Instagram and stuff like that, but it certainly wasn't too much of like a full time like, possibility now. So I still do my regular digital marketing job now, but I started Rooftop Collective because when we moved to Saint Pete, we're originally from Sarasota. So when my husband and I moved to Saint Pete, we kind of like started just seeing how much was available to us. In Sarasota. It's a great area, but there just wasn't a lot of like young people that were just kind of getting started in life, kind of trying to go on an upward mobile track. So he came over here for grad school and I started seeing all these people my age and like when I learned to drive back in Sarasota, I would pull up to a red light and thinking there's going to be like some like cool guy next to me and there was always an older person. And I was like, What is this? So my husbandand I moved to Saint Pete and we absolutely loved it. And it just became so clear to me that my 9 to 5, it's such a necessity for us, but it's not like feeding what I wanted to do. I started wanting to create content really ultimately doing, working with people on the red carpet you see all these people in, they're like talking to people and everyone's like, you know, jazzed about it. Now I'm I find myself, I'm like this desk job, which is great, but it's like I'm not creating anything. So I started Rooftop Collective. Pretty much right when the pandemic started or right before. 00:03:58:26 - 00:04:13:28 Gabrielle: And now we're here. So yeah, I have an online website and it's rooftop dash collective dot com. And then I have like so many other people, a small Tic Tok. I haven't quite figured that out yet, but. And Instagram as well. 00:04:14:28 - 00:04:36:03 Brittany: Awesome. So. Well, it's interesting to hear you talk about how your 9 to 5 isn't really feeding your soul, which is what a lot of people say when they're, you know, get start a business, the entrepreneurial spirit, like you have this creativeness inside you and you need to get it out. So yeah. 00:04:36:18 - 00:04:58:00 Gabrielle: Absolutely. And my options, you know, I see these people that they they leave their normal jobs to follow content creating or maybe they even start a social media company. And like I think that's so admirable and I want to do that. I just know, like where we're at right now, like we're trying to save for a house and it's just like the adulting part of me is like, you should probably keep your job for a while. 00:04:58:09 - 00:04:58:24 Brittany: Yeah. 00:04:59:07 - 00:05:00:29 Gabrielle: You know, after hours on my weekends. 00:05:01:17 - 00:05:07:08 Brittany: Yeah. But that's the cool thing about you have this business and you get to do whatever you want with it. 00:05:07:10 - 00:05:34:20 Gabrielle: So pretty much, yeah, there's no like pressures, which is when I started that was like big to me because the minute you start putting expectations and because you know, you can use your job as a hindrance or you can say, Hey, it's kind of a safety net. You don't have to make income right off the bat or ever if you don't want to. I mean, rooftop collective, it's not really I don't make any money off of it. It's just a very expensive hobby I've picked up. 00:05:36:09 - 00:05:58:09 Gabrielle: But it's just something that it feeds my soul. Yeah, it really does cater to that creative side of me and I'm able to have such amazing experience, like the fact that I'm on your podcast right now. That's just because one day I decided, you know, Hey, let's just go for it. Let's create, you know, an Instagram and see where it goes. And I still have like the biggest, like, imposter syndrome going on. You know, there's so many. 00:05:58:11 - 00:06:01:07 Brittany: Oh, oh, I do, too. It's okay. 00:06:02:06 - 00:06:22:09 Gabrielle: I feel like it's so relieving to like, see people like. You doing what you're doing. You know. Like, when I look at you, I'm like, she is like. This amazing real estate agent. She's, you know, connecting people in the area, you have such an important role. It's crazy to me to hear you feel that way, too, so it's kind of comforting at the same time. 00:06:22:24 - 00:06:51:29 Brittany: Yeah, I mean, I feel like especially as women, like, we need to support each other because it's. You know, it's the imposter syndrome, I think, is something that a lot of women especially struggle with. And it takes so long. I feel like it just takes a lot of reps, a lot of like building that confidence and whatever, like avenue that you're in before you maybe feel like you conquer it. I mean, I've definitely made progress, but I'm not there, so I'm with you on that. So yeah. 00:06:52:02 - 00:07:29:16 Gabrielle: I guess it's always good to remind ourselves that there's a difference between feeling like you have imposter syndrome, but or just like having goals you haven't met yet. Like, it's kind of like, I mean, I am not the best person, to use an analogy, to go to the gym like I've been. So I'm very transparent on my social media about where I'm at with my health journey. But I, do feel like when you go to the gym for the first time in a while, you're kind of like at leaset for me, I'm like, What am I doing here? Like, what am I even supposed to pick up? Like what am I doing? And then after going like the reps you set after going for a while, you're kind of like, Oh, wait, I'm kind of like a gym person. Like. 00:07:30:02 - 00:07:36:29 Gabrielle: I got this, and then you start taking pictures in the gym and then you've reached your peak of confidence in the gym. But you got to start somewhere. 00:07:37:18 - 00:08:03:08 Brittany: Yeah, baby steps. Just do something, you know? Even if it's messy. It's action and it'll get you moving, so. So, okay, so you talked a little bit about like you were in Sarasota and just the lifestyle difference between Sarasota and Saint Pete. What's like what's been your favorite thing about Saint Pete? Like, why? Why do you love it so much? 00:08:03:24 - 00:08:31:15 Gabrielle: It's so easy to fall in love with it here. I sound really corny. But I don't even care. Like it's totally the truth. There is something for everyone here. My husband's, like, so big on, like, the outdoors. He loves how many parks we have here. I mean, which is I think Saint Pete has like one of the biggest uninterrupted areas of, park by the water in I don't know if it's the country or Florida, maybe it's not. 00:08:33:02 - 00:09:19:25 Gabrielle: But that's like huge and I'm like big on events and restaurants and new happenings. Like that's what my blog focus is around. It focuses around new restaurants and bars that are opening events that are coming up. Like I just basically want to grow rooftop into being like if you're new to the area or if you have lived here for a while and you're like, Hey, what should we do this weekend? Like you're like, Oh, well, let's go check out this page. I'm not doing that perfectly yet, but like the fact that I live here, it actually makes it quite easy because there is literally so many new things happening, 24, seven new restaurants happening every other day. I'm hearing about and I'm this isn't even an exaggeration. Every other day I'm hearing about. Some new restaurant, either here in Saint Pete or across the bridge in Tampa. 00:09:19:27 - 00:10:07:11 Gabrielle: But I would say that's like an obvious answer. But what I really tell people is that, honestly, people are very casual and friendly here. Everyone has dogs, everywhere is dog friendly. So to me that is such a key part of living in downtown. Like, I know I might not live in the downtown area forever, but for right now, like I want to enjoy that as much as possible because when you move either out of Saint Pete or maybe out of the downtown area, you're going to start running into like, you know, normal life, adult life. Like you might be closer to a target, but you're not supposed to bring your dog in to target. So, I mean, just the friendliness. And the opportunities that it gives people, whether you're starting over from scratch and like you just got out of a relationship and you want something new. Like this is a very welcoming area to get started in. 00:10:08:07 - 00:10:16:27 Brittany: Yeah. I was going to ask you like how you felt like if it was easy to plug in and find community that sounds like it sounds like you feel like that's the case. 00:10:17:07 - 00:11:22:20 Gabrielle: Yeah, I think it is. You have to be as women. I mean, I feel like it's hard to meet new friends. Especially out of school, because all of a sudden, I mean, a funny example is like I had a brief stint in Jacksonville where Tyler and I had to move there for his work before - so we left Saint Pete went there for a couple of months and came back - and I was in Jacksonville and I walked up to these girls in a coffee shop purely because I was just wanting to know where to live. Like I wanted to know, like. Hey. You're my age. Like. Where do you like to live? Like, what's the cool area around here? And I think they thought I was like either trying to like stalk. Them or. Like maybe I was hitting on them or something. They I kid you not pretty. Like they looked at me and scooted away like it was like out of a movie and I was like, Saint Pete could never or would never. No. So I mean, about getting connected and stuff. I think it's possible. I think it's always a little awkward at first, you know, whether you're just like seeing a girl and you're like you kind of vibe and you're like. 00:11:23:17 - 00:12:28:03 Gabrielle: Can I have your number? But like in a non creepy way, I just want to hang out. Like type of thing. But that's something that I think could always be improved. Something that I've been trying to do with Rooftop is this New Girls in Town Brunch. We've had two of them so far. It's just an idea I had because I felt like I wanted friends and I wanted like a non-professional way of making friends because I started going to like the professional networking groups. And those are great. Those serve a purpose, for sure. But I felt like everyone wasn't being like their weekend self. You know, everyone kind of brought their, you know, their suit self. Yeah. And so the new girls in town brunch is something I'm trying to do more often. But basically we get a reservation at a restaurant for brunch and we open it up to people to sign up. It's first come, first serve, and then all these girls that don't know each other show up to brunch and hang out. And it's been really, really well received. So I'm trying to do more of that. But I think for the most part, yes, it's super welcoming, but I feel like there's always could be more opportunities if that makes sense. 00:12:28:14 - 00:13:10:15 Brittany: Yeah, but like people like you, who do you know a new girls brunch.That's what I feel like there's those kind of opportunities here that people are thinking about to do and their cities aren't doing. And I don't know, I feel like it might just be, you know, St Pete, I've always felt like has this like small town vibe to it, even though we're a bigger city in relation to other cities. And of course like the whole Tampa Bay area is large. So I do think that helps. And yeah, it does take, you know, you got to be brave like you're saying to put yourself out there. As an adult it's definitely much different making friends. It is kind of like dating like you alluded to. 00:13:11:19 - 00:13:28:04 Gabrielle: And if anyone hasn't tried Bumble BFF. I recommend it. I've met some great friends out of the area from on there too, so if you're really lookin don't knock bumble bff. There is no shame in the game being. Like, hey, I need to meet some new friends. Like, I love that. 00:13:29:29 - 00:13:56:02 Brittany: That's cool. So you so you mentioned, you know, your original plan in life was to get into, like, TV broadcasts. It sounds like that. You know, that really has helped you with rooftop eclectic because Rooftop Collective, excuse me. So you're able to kind of like know how to present yourself on camera and try to be yourself on camera, which I think is always a challenge for a lot of people. 00:13:56:11 - 00:14:20:15 Gabrielle: Oh, absolutely. It's scary. Definitely. I think - I guess you're right. I guess I didn't really think about it too much until you really said that. I kind of always just tried to do what I naturally felt comfortable doing in school. I didn't really sit there and go, What wouldn't be a good financial decision? Luckily, you know, my family was like, you know what? What are you good at? 00:14:20:17 - 00:14:49:12 Gabrielle: Or What do you have an interest in? And really tried to push me and give me the opportunity. I've had. I mean, I think I've done like doubled in the to the double digits of unpaid internships when I was in college. Like it was definitely something I was committed to. I just didn't think practically about. I guess I kind of just take steps like I don't really think super long term all the time. I kind of just like take things in step. So one of the benefits of that is like you're really in whatever you're doing in that moment. But the bad side, it's like. Wait a minute, what was the plan? 00:14:51:16 - 00:15:46:06 Gabrielle: But yeah, I guess that's true. And I mean, in social media nowadays, it's so easy to get too much in your head. And I've talked a lot about that on my social too. Like, because rooftop isn't my income, I am able to take breaks on there, but I've struggled a lot with okay, well if I take a break now, it's been like two weeks. How do I you know, the algorithm is not kind to people who take mental breaks off of social media. And it's just it's scary because I'll watch my insights, I'll watch my engagement and followers just start tanking. And it's kind of hard to like jump back in it because you start thinking back to square one. Kind of like the gym analogy, like if you stopped going for a while, you get back in there, you're like, Well, I don't even know what a barbell is. Barbell, I don't know. But it shows I have not, been in the gym in awhile. But yeah, it's been scary. 00:15:46:08 - 00:16:46:09 Gabrielle: But the thing that I find like the most therapeutic is just being honest with people on it because I feel like the right people that get it, they'll stay following and they'll sympathize and empathize. But you know, if you're looking for someone that's like churning out content, 24 seven, that's just not going to be me because that's just that's not my life right now. And fortunately and maybe someday it will be. But it's a little difficult being yourself on social. It's always something I'm trying to embrace and promote too. Like I don't use filters that change my face because even though after like two glasses of wine, I've sat in my bed at my door, look at the filters, and you're like, Huh? I want. Don't I look like that? You know, and it messes with your head. And so I always try to just be like, I don't filters as much as possible or I don't use those face shaping filters just because for me, I know it wouldn't be positive for my mental health. So being yourself is scary, but I swear it's worth it in the end. 00:16:47:15 - 00:17:03:09 Brittany: Absolutely. And I think, you know, your vibe attracts your tribe. So you know, like you're saying the right people will come along beside you and continue to follow you, support you. Yeah. You know, for years, as long as you're out there, you know, being yourself. 00:17:03:11 - 00:17:21:03 Gabrielle: So yeah, I'm sure as a real estate agent. I'm sure that's like, exactly like you want to maintain the people you meet in your field and you're like building people's families and you're providing a home. So I can only imagine that's so true. Like, you have to be someone that people really connect with authentically. And clearly you do. You're doing a great job. 00:17:22:01 - 00:17:39:28 Brittany: Well, thank you. Yeah, but it's it's true, though. Like if you're if you're portraying yourself as one way on any kind of online advertising and then people call you and you meet up with them and you're like a totally different person, like that's going to be a turnoff. 00:17:39:29 - 00:18:08:20 Gabrielle: So I know you're like, cat fishing people. It's so awkward. Like, Yeah, I feel you. That's something you have to think about because I don't need to give myself more anxiety over things, you know? So in the moment I may feel like, yeah, snatched love that. And then if I meet them, I might be like, Oh, okay. Like, I wish I looked like that in real life or something. So yeah, people, real people have flaws and you know, like sometimes my face is fuller than it is and other times. And that's just a part of life. Yeah. 00:18:09:00 - 00:18:11:00 Brittany: Absolutely. Yeah. We got to embrace it. 00:18:11:10 - 00:18:12:23 Gabrielle: Yeah, 100%. 00:18:14:28 - 00:18:38:21 Brittany: So. Okay. So you started it with the name Rooftop Collective, which obviously relates to like rooftop bars and that kind of thing. So we talked a little bit about how you've evolved in some of that with the new girl brunch, kind of talk a little bit about like all of the different content and like those different avenues that the blog and all that's taken. 00:18:38:23 - 00:19:59:17 Gabrielle: You know, I think, um. I think what's been really neat is the experiences that this has afforded me. Like I've said, you know, I don't make money off of it, but this is so much more like doing this with you means so much. It's more fulfilling. I was at a shoot the other day, a friend of mine. I mean, this is so cool. I'm in Saint Pete, so I'm meeting girls my age doing things like they are all showing what they feel their purpose is to the fullest extent. So a friend of mine is an amazing makeup artist. She also has an online magazine she started putting out because I'm sure she just wasn't busy enough. But I was able to be in the photos for this upcoming magazine issue, and I was like. Who gave me the right to be in these photos? Like, I'm only here because like. I started something and like, all these opportunities are just things that I wouldn't have had the opportunity to have said yes to had I started this. So I started Rooftop Collective with the concept of, Oh, I want it to be a blog, because my current role is in digital marketing. And I was really trying to learn more about search engine optimization and how to build a website. I was making websites and like when websites came out, I was making websites as a kid. Like my dad like was very. 00:19:59:23 - 00:20:37:06 Gabrielle: He. Shocker. He works with computers and everything. And so me, when I was a kid, he was showing me how to do all of these really cool things. So I knew I wanted to have a website because I was trying to find something that would set me apart a little bit because a lot of people have these amazing Instagrams, but they might not necessarily have a website. And so my website's definitely doesn't receive the same traction as Instagram does, but it was really more of a project for me to see, okay, if I write a blog post about this place, how can I optimize it to try to capture some of the organic searches online? Okay, that was my mindset. So I knew I wanted a blog and I wanted an Instagram because Instagram's way more fun. 00:20:37:15 - 00:21:09:00 Gabrielle: Than a blog. So I started this and I came up with the name because I loved the word collective. For some reason I it there was no like, I cannot tell you what the reason was. I just really liked it. So yeah, I was like collective....I like it. To me it sounds like something that could scale. Like if I ever wanted to have some type of agency or whatever, like it makes sense, like something like that. And then rooftop I just...100% rooftop bars are my jam. You can't beat it like. 00:21:09:02 - 00:21:10:25 Brittany: Nothing wrong with that. Absolutely. 00:21:10:27 - 00:21:28:09 Gabrielle: Yeah. So that's kind of like where the name came from. I was, I think sitting at one of the bars, ou know, the bar in inside of karma, the little tiny karma juice. I don't know if you know what that is like. It's a very small little area. I don't even know if it's open full time. I was sitting there. 00:21:28:12 - 00:21:29:13 Brittany: Oh, yes, yes, yes. 00:21:30:09 - 00:21:41:12 Gabrielle: It's just like this little tiny place. I was just looking for a place to work outside of the apartment. And I started just coming up with names and asking strangers. What do you think of this name? And they're like, okay. 00:21:42:06 - 00:23:08:02 Gabrielle: And that one kind of stuck. So that was the name. But the different experiences you asked me about. Yeah, I've definitely tried to kind of expand out from just having pictures on my Instagram. I work very closely with a good friend of mine named Christina that does most of all of the professional photography on my blog. And so her and I together have been able to approach restaurants sometimes before they open to even just take photos of their cocktails and popular bites that allows me to get content. And then she allows the restaurants to use that as well. And then she has a portfolio. So kind of like this little ecosystem we created, which has been really nice. But with the New Girls in Town Brunch, that was an event. So I started thinking recently after one of my breaks off of social media, I was thinking I was kind of getting in my head. And I was looking at other girls accounts that were really they're popping off, you know, lots of engagement. They seem to always have these opportunities. And I was like, you know, you start comparing yourself and you're like, wait, okay, wait. I can do I can compare myself, but in a constructive way. So I started looking like, what are they doing that I'm not doing that I could be doing? And I realized that a lot of them were like posting very frequently. They're posting content that wasn't like perfect, you know, that was just like here is sharing my life, you know? And I was like, okay, I need to do, I want to do more of that. 00:23:08:12 - 00:23:47:04 Gabrielle: And so then I started reflecting on what has been really popular with my followers since I started, and it was an obvious answer. These brunches have afforded me the opportunity to meet a lot of women that are coming from all walks of life. It gets great new followers that engage with content and it allows you to have fun. Like, who doesn't like a brunch? So New Girls in Town is something that if you go on my website, you can sign up for to be on like a list to be notified of the next event. I just started actually something I'm still in like the beta phase, but I want to find a way to incorporate the same vibe as the new Girls in Town Brunch, but in a volunteering way. 00:23:49:11 - 00:24:37:08 Gabrielle: Yeah, because like, I felt I wanted to volunteer and it's scary. Like, you don't know where to start. Showing up to a volunteer site on your own is a little intimidating. At least it is for me. So I'm kind of trying to work out the situation where you can sign up, like all you can go on our website and there's a new tab there that says volunteer, and you can click that and you can sign up. And I'm trying to work with volunteer opportunities in the area. So let's just for example, we all meet up together and we do a beach cleanup like myself and whoever signed up and then let's go get cocktails after. After we volunteer and doing something really meaningful. So it kind of has that like social aspect, that's philanthropic. 00:24:37:12 - 00:24:58:23 Gabrielle: Philanthropic aspect and you're, you know, making a difference. If we love the city, let's give back to it. Yeah, we'll see how that goes. It's still in like the I'm working it out phase. But if you have any recommendations of places to volunteer? You know, let me know. But I'm reaching out to a couple of places so far, and I think I have some pretty good ideas of how to get it started. But we'll see who's who's interested. 00:24:59:18 - 00:25:25:21 Brittany: Yeah, that's a great idea. I mean, that's I mean, that's like cool way of combining giving back to the community plus the social aspect, being able to meet, meet new people that way. You know, it's I agree. It's it feels great to volunteer, but it is scary to make that step to go by yourself to something. So having a group to do it with is a great way to get started. Yeah, absolutely. 00:25:26:05 - 00:25:38:18 Gabrielle: Yeah, we'll see. I'm excited about it. Even if it's just you and me ready out there. We'll do some water testing or something, and then we'll go get some drinks and some. Some food. 00:25:39:04 - 00:26:00:29 Brittany: Yeah, well, I was thinking, you know, like coastal cleanup, like beach cleanup, that kind of stuff is usually usually a lot of like organizations that do stuff like that and it's always needed. So that is a good avenue. I support Tampa Bay Watch. And they they do have some volunteer events every once in a while. So that might be a good, good place to look at too. So. 00:26:01:02 - 00:26:09:25 Gabrielle: Okay. Yeah, I haven't I haven't reached out to them. I'm trying to get a good mix, right? So I'm trying to get like things that are outside. Inside. 00:26:10:10 - 00:26:10:25 Brittany: Yeah. 00:26:11:00 - 00:26:46:24 Gabrielle: You know, even if it's something that I organize myself, I know that a couple of areas here are currently doing school drives for teachers. I did not know that teachers in the area get $200 for their school supplies for the year. So that's ridiculous. I was shocked. So they're doing these school drives. So I was like, okay, maybe I could like. If people don't have time to go, maybe I could have them Venmo me money and then I'll record myself going to the dollar store. Or something like that. So I think there's so many opportunities because there's no wrong answer. As long as you're trying to do something positive for the community, that's a step in the right direction. 00:26:47:08 - 00:26:58:20 Brittany: Yeah, absolutely. That's awesome. Yeah. So yeah. So let's let's switch gears a little bit. I'd love to hear like what's what's your why? Like, what keeps you up in the morning? 00:26:59:16 - 00:27:03:26 Gabrielle: Well, typically it's my dog, you know in the morning. 00:27:03:28 - 00:27:04:22 Brittany: I'm all about that. 00:27:05:21 - 00:27:59:19 But I think my why it's such a good question, I think it changes and I feel like that's kind of normal in different seasons. My why when I was younger was like, okay, I have to do this. I just it's something I have to go to school, I have to do this, I have to get the grades, whatever. These days I'm realizing, okay, I'm on my own now. Well I'm not on my own. Like, you know, I'm married. But, you know, in my head I'm on my own and I'm thinking. Like, okay, what is my why right now? And right now I'm just trying to this sounds corny, but I just want to authentically provide my personality in my own way by creating content into this space. Like, I know I want to stay in Saint Pete long term. I want to be involved. I want to have an impact somehow, someway. And so I think my why is like I just want to have an. Impactful life. 00:27:59:21 - 00:28:15:22 Gabrielle: In some way. And I think that's everyone to a degree. It sounds really like it's deep and it's scary because like you hear about it. Like there's this ticktock audio going around right now and it's like one day you're going to die and everyone will forget you, you know? 00:28:16:00 - 00:28:54:14 Gabrielle: And then it's like so it's like. So just screw it, do whatever you want. So, I mean, it's very like harsh, you know, but it's kind of like when you boil it down, you start thinking like, after I'm gone, have I made anything? Like, Have I impacted the world? And I think creators, that's how they maybe feel that need. They feel like they want. They create things. So when they're gone, they're still there. And so I think. I think like something that I recognize that I can be good at is I recognize if I'm feeling sensitive in a certain area, like if I feel like intimidated about something, I feel I try to find other people that feel that way and then try to resolve that. 00:28:54:24 - 00:29:25:26 Gabrielle: And so, you know, my why is I want to be authentic and I want to be myself and I want to promote that for other people to feel comfortable to do so. And so they don't feel like they have a risk of getting rejected because that's kind of what scares us all. So I want to be authentic. I want to create and I want to have an impact. So what does that look like practically for my why? Just means getting up in the morning and like doing a little bit better than you did the day before, you know, having grace and and not following a perfect routine. 00:29:26:03 - 00:29:41:18 Gabrielle: So I've been really my way is like really trying to do that consistently. My word for the year this year was consistency. Ironically, that was the year, also the word of the year last year. And I wasn't consistent....So I was like same word. 00:29:42:11 - 00:29:43:15 Brittany: Yup keep it going. 00:29:44:27 - 00:30:05:04 Gabrielle: So just doing a little something and being able to check off something for me on a practical sense every day, like just being able to get up and say, I did something that was on my list of things to do. That's what that looks like everyday for me. But bigger picture, I just want to be able to kind of like impact this area in a positive way, even if it's a small way. 00:30:05:22 - 00:30:47:14 Brittany: Yeah, well, I completely relate to that because that's actually my why as well, making a positive impact. I love St Pete, so I get to do that here at least for now. So I. That's really cool. And it's when you said, you know, being a creator, you know, and I have that creative background as well, which is why I have this podcast. It's just these outlets for people who love to be creative. So I think it's it's a cool way to make that impact and it definitely feeds the soul. So it's really cool to hear you talk about that. I think that's a great why. 00:30:47:16 - 00:31:44:08 Gabrielle: Yeah. You must feel like a rush, I imagine, when you hit publish on your podcast episode right? You created this from nothing. And all of a sudden you've coordinated getting guests on, you know, making your topics, stuff like that. That's all something you fabricated from absolutely nothing. So to be able to like post it and get even one view, like when I get like one, like someone shared something. So I thought this is so, so cool. Someone said, I think it was a girl I follow named Britney and she has such a such a cute Instagram. I think it's called like Hello Sunshine, if I'm remembering correctly. But she shared something about how people kind of get in the habit of going, Oh, I only got like 50 likes on something. But if you had 50 people in a room saying Great job or complimenting you. That would be surreal. So it's just to me, I was like, Holy cow this is the way. 00:31:44:10 - 00:31:55:24 Gabrielle: That we're counting the engagement. And even if it's for like a business reason, you're engagement. You're in like the insights and stuff. We have become so used to just not being impressed by something like that. 00:31:56:06 - 00:32:03:19 Gabrielle: Granted, some double tapping is not the same as two people driving down to meet you somewhere. But you know, when you think of it that way, you're like, holy cow. 00:32:03:21 - 00:32:11:20 Gabrielle: Like, 50 people, liked my thing. Wow, that's really cool. And I was like, That is how I need to do a little bit of a shift in my mindset. 00:32:12:03 - 00:32:22:23 Brittany: Yeah, that's a good point. Yeah, absolutely. So what's like what's your favorite thing about having this business which, you know, you may have kind of already answered this, but. 00:32:24:01 - 00:32:58:26 Gabrielle: I think the opportunities it's making, giving me to really, you know, I was sharing about that the the magazine shoot I was a part of recently and I was talking to some of the other girls that were a part of it. And, you know, two of them did professional modeling part time. And then they're like, and what do you do? And I was like, I'm just a regular person. And so I was like, I was literally, like, thinking, like, wow. Like, this is so cool. Someone asked me to be here, and I'm just a regular person. I don't have a portfolio or, you know, whatever. Well, you got to smize. 00:33:00:25 - 00:33:02:06 Brittany: You do have a portfolio. 00:33:02:08 - 00:33:25:04 Gabrielle: Oh, I guess I do now. Yeah. But, you know, to me, it's like that was really cool. So just the people I've been able to meet and the opportunities that I've been able to say yes to. There's a lot of opportunities I can't do because of the 9 to 5, but the ones that I'm able to do or just, you know, create from scratch, I think has got to be my favorite thing about this for sure. 00:33:25:18 - 00:33:31:14 Brittany: Yeah. Is there any other opportunities that you can think of that have been super cool in the past couple of years? 00:33:32:23 - 00:34:06:07 Gabrielle: I want to do more. There's certainly some I want to start pursuing that I haven't. My opportunities that I've had tend to be a little bit more like reactive than proactive. You know, someone reaches out and that's amazing. It just takes time, obviously. I think I eloquently said in a past Instagram story like dreams don't move forward unless you do. Like something stupid. Sometimes you have to spend time creating those opportunities. Yeah, I would say any time like I got to meet like the owner of Wild Child and I'm such a like proponent of that restaurant, like. 00:34:06:09 - 00:34:07:05 Brittany: I love that place. 00:34:07:14 - 00:34:51:28 Gabrielle: It is a can't miss place. It just truly is. Any event. Like if it's casual or not, like totally I recommend going to Wild Child, but I got to meet the owner and he's such a amazing individual that really he's a creative, you know, you can tell that he wants to leave an impact in this area and obviously he's killing it because he has the wild child. He also owns the Benz down here. Two different places that he's been able to fabricate out of nothing. So just getting to meet different restaurant owners has been a huge highlight. I got to meet the new people that are now own 400 Beach and a couple other places, and they're doing some renovations on what was a Natas originally, which was probably a good reason why I moved here. Nata as exclusively. 00:34:57:17 - 00:35:30:15 Gabrielle: Having the opportunity to kind of like just chat with people that are here for the same reasons. I mean, granted, opening a restaurant is a much larger scale than creating an Instagram reel for sure. But, you know, being able to talk with them and hear their whys and what gets them going has been really neat. So opportunities, just any cool pictures, honestly, that I've been a part of. Yeah, I've been able to be in photos. As for a couple of different boutiques around here, which was really fun, too. Just things that I would have never imagined that I would be asked to do. 00:35:30:17 - 00:35:39:13 Gabrielle: I think and just putting myself out there and being like well, I hope this works out. Type of stuff. So yeah, those have been all really, really fun. 00:35:40:19 - 00:35:51:28 Brittany: Awesome. So what about some, like, long term goals? What would Rooftop Collective look like in the future? 00:35:52:29 - 00:37:01:01 Gabrielle: Hmm. Tough question right. I would love to have this be like my full time responsibility. The only way I would see it going is if I was able to start adding like social media, media management on top of all of what I'm doing. The reason I say that is because I want to protect the rooftop collective that I've created so far to be organically what it is. So like I want to be able to like showcase events and opportunities in the area.For people that are moving here, something that I've been doing is on I used to do a lot more of was during COVID apartment reviews. So I've actually had a few videos where I walked because people were contacting me and like my friends, they want to move here, but you couldn't come down. If you're living in a city, you can't come down, do a tour, and you can do a 3D viewing all you want. I'm going to show you like what the place smells like or anything. So I did a couple. 00:37:01:03 - 00:37:31:24 Gabrielle: I did one for my current building and my old building and another building in the area. And they've gotten a couple thousand views on Instagram, and I've got her on YouTube. I've gotten a lot of people reaching out to me, like asking questions, like follow up questions about that. When people were especially in lockdown, when they were not able to come out or like tour in person, even if they were in the area, these walkthroughs were really helpful for people. And I'm just honest, like, you know, showing what it looks like and stuff. So doing more content like that I think would be really, really neat. 00:37:32:29 - 00:38:01:08 Gabrielle: Having people work with me on this would be really neat. I mean, it's called Rooftop Collective. You're suppose it's a collective is like a mishmash of random things, right? So one of the reasons I probably I just realized this now why I liked the name was because it didn't nail me down into one thing. Yeah. So, wow, I had like a light bulb moment on your podcast, I think. So in the future, I want to I want to do this more. I have so many ideas that I'm not doing. 00:38:01:28 - 00:38:32:23 Gabrielle: And I want to have a list for like when people come and do their bachelorettes here, like where should they go? Okay, well, let me that's easy for me to think of. Let me, you know, put up a list like an option or something like that for people to look at. I want to do more of that and I want to partner more with some of the amazing vendors like out of COVID came so many strong women. Oh, my gosh. So many girls that I've met have either that either lost their job during COVID or realized that their job that they were at was not doing it for them and have created businesses. 00:38:32:25 - 00:39:29:28 Gabrielle: So all of these like pop up like picnic events, beach set ups, charcuterie opportunities. All these companies that I've been able to see grow are born from these women that are like, you know, just hustling. I mean, I am so impressed, inspired, like beyond like these girls that are going up at like 6 a.m., setting up a beach set up by themselves. And then doing the content for it and then tearing it down like that whole concept of like leaving your 9 to 5 to work for yourself to work 24 seven is so true and I'm so inspired. So I want to keep doing it. I want to keep doing this. I want to tell their stories. I want to like network with them, partner with them, you know, in whatever way it works out. But for the future, I want to do more of that. And I don't know, like more events. I think I really think that there's an opportunity and St Pete in Tampa for networking events that aren't networking events if that makes sense. 00:39:30:00 - 00:39:34:15 Gabrielle: Yeah just get togethers and meetups I guess for a social reason. 00:39:34:22 - 00:39:36:12 Brittany: Yeah. Yeah. The social aspect. 00:39:36:29 - 00:39:57:04 Gabrielle: Absolutely. I was even able like one of my good friends moved here and I was able to introduce her to one of the girls that came to the brunch. Who was looking for a roommate and made it possible for my friend to move here. Mind blowing about how you look back and you're like, oh my gosh, like all these connections. So I'm definitely wanting more of that. 00:39:57:29 - 00:40:00:20 Brittany: Well, and that's making an impact right there. So. 00:40:01:00 - 00:40:04:15 Gabrielle: Yeah, I guess you're right. Yeah, this is like very therapeutic. Thank you. 00:40:06:23 - 00:40:17:09 Brittany: Hey, I'm here for it. You know, like I said, I want this to flow organically and that's that's what's happening. So it's good. I think we're keeping with the authentic organic theme. 00:40:17:11 - 00:40:19:15 Gabrielle: So yeah, it's good. 00:40:21:10 - 00:41:02:09 Brittany: Well, the apartment reviews, I, I remember seeing those and I'm glad you mentioned that because that's actually really cool. And you know, from a real estate perspective, it's interesting because, you know, we don't really you know, we don't have access to those apartments. You know, the apartment complexes don't hire a realtor to lease their places. So, you know, I try to often help people move here to relocate and find rentals. And, you know, having there's just not a lot of information for me to give them for these. So like that, that right there is a very useful tool and a resource for people. So if you could do more of those, I think that would be amazing. 00:41:02:20 - 00:41:37:20 Gabrielle: Yeah, I think you're really right. And that what's been interesting for me because I'm not I'm not going through necessarily the apartment complex themselves because I want to show what it's like. Like I don't want to show go show a model unit or whatever. So I want to be helpful to people because if you imagine, like you work with these people all, all day long, they're moving the relocating to a place they've never been to before. Like that's terrifying. So they can, like, kind of see what it might actually be like. And, you know, I'm very transparent. Like I tell, like the opinions I've heard or what I've seen firsthand. 00:41:38:02 - 00:42:02:01 Gabrielle: So, you know, if you guys are watching this and you live in an apartment in the downtown area that I haven't covered yet hit me up. Out of like people that live there because I'll show their unit and get their opinion on what it's like living there so that I could totally use some help on scouting out some more people that live in different apartment complexes. Yeah. 00:42:02:18 - 00:42:11:12 Brittany: Yeah, that's cool. Again, I think that would just be a really great resource. So yeah, I'm glad that you've thought of that idea. So keep it up. 00:42:11:14 - 00:42:14:26 Gabrielle: Thanks for encouraging me to do it. I just. I need to get on. Add that to the list. 00:42:15:24 - 00:42:21:08 Brittany: I know the list. It just keeps growing. So. But that's okay. One step at a time. Right? 00:42:21:27 - 00:42:26:14 Gabrielle: Right. It just goes up to what's your why. Get up in the morning, make a small step in the right direction. 00:42:26:27 - 00:42:34:15 Brittany: Yeah. So what's like what's some of your favorites? Favorite things to do around the city? 00:42:35:19 - 00:43:21:19 Gabrielle: I love walking. Honestly taking my dog out for a walk. I can't really do it in the summer right now. But just being able to kind of like walk without headphones and like listen and kind of like people watch while you walk because everyone's generally in a good mood because, you know, if you're out for a walk, you're not that upset and you're out for a walk. You actually might be from out of town visiting, you know? So people are looking for an ice cream cone, like pointing at the windows. It's verycCute. Yeah. So I like to do that, but I do that because I do live downtown and I can do that. I know some people hate the scooters. I do like going for a scooter ride every now and then. I've wiped out on them before. So, I mean, I get I get why people don't like them. 00:43:22:15 - 00:43:59:01 Gabrielle: But I like doing that also. Something I don't do enough of that I do enjoy doing is going to the museums. I just feel like it's a good thing for your soul. I don't know why. I don't understand the art. Sometimes I feel like it speaks to me. But knowing that we have this in our backyard, I think if I looked into the future and I moved away from this area, I would look back and been upset at myself that I didn't take advantage of how many museums we have in this area. So I definitely want to do more of that and I enjoy doing that, especially since so many of them have changing exhibits, which I didn't know museums did. 00:43:59:03 - 00:44:23:26 Gabrielle: So I need to really take advantage of that. Honestly Tyler and I go out to eat all the time. I love going out for drinks down here. There's just so many great places with more on the way that truly whatever you're in the mood for, you can find. I just went to the arcade bar for the first time. I don't know if you've ever been there. It's called right around the corner. It is so cute. It is like a little house party. 00:44:23:28 - 00:44:42:26 Gabrielle: When you go in there, it's like very low key and they have like very old Nintendo set ups on like little TV screens. And it was fun. You know, you just kind of go there for a chill, like laid back night. And I got to kick Tyler's butt at some Mario. 00:44:42:28 - 00:44:50:15 Gabrielle: So I think just trying new places, to be honest, I like just the experience of trying something new is probably my favorite. Like, that's what I get a rush off of. 00:44:51:06 - 00:44:57:18 Brittany: Yeah, yeah, I agree. I mean, my husband and I go out to eat a lot as well. So just those different opportunities. 00:44:58:04 - 00:45:02:03 Gabrielle: Do you have a favorite spot to go out? Like what's the place you probably go more often than not. 00:45:03:19 - 00:45:04:05 Brittany: Probably Wild Child. 00:45:05:16 - 00:45:13:11 Gabrielle: Really well same. Or like, I feel like. We're addicted to it. Yeah, I definitely agree with you on that. 00:45:14:02 - 00:45:19:11 Brittany: Well, nd Book and Bottle like obviously that's not a dinner place, but they have food. 00:45:19:13 - 00:45:20:05 Gabrielle: Wow. I didn't know. 00:45:20:07 - 00:45:28:04 Brittany: That. I mean, her appetizers are fantastic. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I'm there way, way too much, but that's okay. 00:45:28:17 - 00:45:38:04 Gabrielle: If you guys if you're watching, you haven't been to book and bottle like just after this podcast. You know, tell your boss your loging off for the day and go to book and bottle. It's so cute. I love that place. 00:45:43:03 - 00:45:45:09 Brittany: So when did you move from St Pete to Sarasota? 00:45:45:28 - 00:46:02:26 Gabrielle: We moved here. Uh, I don't know. Probably 2017. We got married in 2017 and we got married in St Pete. So I would say 2017 since we've been here. Yeah. 00:46:02:28 - 00:46:23:26 Brittany: Okay. So I moved here in 2015. It's like I was just going to ask you, like I was just exploded and there's been so much growth. What are your thoughts about that? Like, how how do you see it continuing to grow or are you excited about it? Like, do you see the directions going? You think it's cool? 00:46:24:29 - 00:46:59:09 Gabrielle: I mean, that's such a good question. I love that. Okay. So the other day I was walking around, I call it affectionately, the party block. It is the square of bars. It used to be where McDonald's was. And you know, it's where first Fridays. And my friend started calling it the vortex. Which it.......Woof woof (her dog Paige barks) She's like, Yeah, the party block. This is my look alike, basically. 00:47:04:18 - 00:47:11:06 Brittany: Anyone that's listening on the podcast is like, what is going on? But just go to YouTube and watch the video because your dog is adorable. 00:47:11:18 - 00:47:52:08 Gabrielle: Thank you. So, yeah, we were walking around the vortex, if you will. And, you know, it's just the area where first Friday, as all the bars are down there. And I used to go down there a lot. I used to live a little closer to that area. When we first moved here. We would go out there on Fridays, and it used to be very different than it is now. And I say that, and it almost sounds hypocritical for me to say that, because I know that before my time here, people were already saying that about this area. When I first told my parents we were moving to St Pete, they were like, But why? That's the shadow lands. Like the Lion King, like nothing over there. 00:47:52:10 - 00:48:34:10 Gabrielle: And I was like, no, guys. It's so different. You haven't been there in a long time. My parents remember St Pete, kind of like a not so great area. Obviously it's quite different now. So I kind of do want to acknowledge the fact that even though I say.... Oh so much has changed, like I don't even realize how much has changed until, you know, if you had to ask somebody who's been here for a longer time. So I do acknowledge that. That being said. We're walking around the party block area and there used to be a bar called McFadden's and like that was like I think one of the more popular places. And now it's like a steamer bar, like they're selling like oysters and mussels and stuff and there's something else opening. I think it's the honky tonk bar. 00:48:34:18 - 00:49:57:16 Gabrielle: It's going to be a country bar. Like, I think like the singer is named Chase Rice. He's opening this bar or like restaurant concept there. And it's I'm not surprised because right across the street is they're building I think it's like a hotel slash condo concept or something like that. But they're building so many new, very luxury high end either condos or apartments in the area or hotels that I understand that that party block area, I think slowly it's going to get cleaned up a little bit because you're going to attract people that aren't interested in plastic cups and bottomless drinks and stuff, which there's a there is a time in your life where that's what you want. And like, I recognize that. So I kind of miss some of those old places I remember, but not because I would freaquent with them now, but more of a nostalgic feeling. Aw, it's gone type of thing. You know, I think the direction the city is going is really exciting. I think it's going to bring a lot of really new happenings to the people who are here. My fear, though, is what's already happening, which is the prices have just gone up exponentially. You've obviously seen this. I've seen too many of my friends consider moving or leaving the area because the people who've been here can't afford it anymore, because the people from out of state are paying top dollar. 00:49:57:28 - 00:50:32:13 Gabrielle: So, I mean, my rent went up, everyone's rent went up. And it's just, you know, your work doesn't always see that. They don't really stop there. I guess they don't really care to raise it, you know. So, you know, everyone's talking about inflation and the cost of living. And I think the fact of the matter is this is an extremely expensive area to live in now, and that's not great for the people that have been here. So my concern is that for sure, I'm hoping things start to level out, but that was certainly very shocking and scary and sad because, you know, every dollar it goes to rent is less dollars that you can spend a wild child. 00:50:32:24 - 00:50:36:07 Brittany: Priorities people. 00:50:36:09 - 00:50:40:02 Gabrielle: Yeah. Come on. We need our, cocktails and our chicken sandwiches. 00:50:40:13 - 00:50:40:28 Brittany: Yeah. 00:50:42:13 - 00:51:29:24 Gabrielle: So that was an obvious kind of thought. But also, you know, I think the quirkiness of Saint Pete is at risk a little bit. You know, when you start bringing in very major entities, you can maybe start to lose some of that mom and pop feel that we all love so much. I think it still is doing a pretty good job of maintaining like there are a lot of like individual entities that are moving in. It's not like we have like a Chick-Fil-A downtown or something like that. Yeah. So that's good. I hope it stays that way. That's all I'm saying. I want unique concept, even if it's if they're the same restaurant group like the Hunger and thirst group that owns, you know, 20% of downtown. It feels like they have their dirty laundry, they have parks and rec, they're killing it. You know, they're doing a great. But each place they open is so unique and cool. 00:51:31:06 - 00:51:33:21 Brittany: They're keeping that St Pete vibe with what they're doing. 00:51:34:09 - 00:51:47:02 Gabrielle: Well, I'm for that, so I'm really excited. But I also, you know, I'm a little scared just due to the cost of things in general and, you know, wanting to maintain the weirdness of St Pete. And I say that very affectionately. 00:51:47:08 - 00:52:14:15 Brittany: Yeah, no, I'm with you. And that's that's totally fair. I think the the pandemic really accelerated that growth that we would have seen with St Pete on a more gradual basis. So I think the city you know I'm really involved with the chamber, the St Pete Chamber. So I see the leadership like trying to be as proactive as they can with like, you know, doing affordable housing projects and looking at all that. 00:52:14:17 - 00:52:32:06 Gabrielle: So I think see more of that like being talked about, which I think is a huge step in the right direction and what a task they have. Holy cow. Like measuring or balancing, you know, new growth versus, you know, what the people are wanting. Like, that's. That's a job I would not want. 00:52:32:08 - 00:52:57:03 Brittany: Yeah. It's tough. I mean, yeah, the balance is good where it's really, really hard to balance. But I think, you know, I think we've got a lot of good people in place to try to help with that currently. So hopefully that, you know, stays over the long term and we have good leadership that helps keep it all, you know, keep St Pete funky and weird and special. I mean, that's that's what I'm looking forward to. 00:52:57:19 - 00:53:29:20 Gabrielle: Absolutely. I think too, like on Central, there's a lot of like kind of going away from the water. You know, there are a lot of abandoned buildings and stuff that could be transformed into something really cool. And I've seen ...I don't remember who made it, but somebody was showing like what the these businesses used to be back in the day versus then what happened. And I didn't realise that so much of the area that I'm in, in downtown, we used to be kind of like unused space for a while. So I love the concept of taking an unused space and turning it into something, and I think I have seen a lot more of that. 00:53:29:22 - 00:53:46:25 Gabrielle: You know....It's not like I'm seeing a whole lot of people that have closed down a business that then it turns into something. So the more often that we can see unused space getting maximised, I think that's really exciting. So that's the part I'm excited for. 00:53:47:07 - 00:54:01:13 Brittany: Yeah, for sure. Well, so to wrap up our conversation a little bit. What I would love to ask you....what's a typical day look like for like a content creation day? What does is that look like? 00:54:02:00 - 00:54:37:01 Gabrielle: Okay, well, there is no typical day that is for certain. You know. Sometimes I'm posting on my Instagram story like ten times a day because I feel like I'm doing something. Oher days it's, you know, I'm at home folding laundry and I'm not posting at all. So I've been trying to like show both sides of it because I think that's important for people to see. So a typical like I'll talk about a dream typical day. This is definitely not what is typical because truly it's waking up, going to work and then meal prepping and trying to go to the gym and, you know, folding laundry like truly. 00:54:42:29 - 00:55:14:15 Gabrielle: We're manifesting days here in the future. She wakes up at four. Yeah. No, I'm just kidding. Waking up, taking my dog out on a walk before it gets so hot out. Tyler and I on the weekends, we love going to hot yoga, so you can go to like Sun State or Body Electric. We like both of them. So going to I saw you interviewed the girl who opened Sun State. That was so cool. I started following her on social media from your podcast, so that was really nice. 00:55:15:19 - 00:55:16:21 Brittany: She is a cool person 00:55:16:23 - 00:55:41:24 Gabrielle: I was like go her, I want to open something. But waking up, we love starting our weekends with hot yoga. It's such a good way to kind of like set the tone for the weekend and you feel like you did something physical. So that's always really nice. And then going to a coffee shop we love like Paradeco or Tyler really likes Black Crow. Like that's like our two vibes. I'm Paradeco and he likes Black Crow, which is like so different. 00:55:41:26 - 00:55:42:26 Brittany: Way different. 00:55:43:01 - 00:56:26:17 Gabrielle: I know. Right. And so, you know, we'll pick a coffee shop that we want to go to or something like that. We have some great amenities in our building right now, so we're trying to get the most out of those before we do eventually find a house that has, you know, no amenities whatsoever. But I just if I'm doing like content creation, I'll try to connect with my friend Christina and we'll kind of either work at intermezzo. That's like another favorite spot that we have and kind of just like go back and forth on, like, content, ideas or places to reach out to. Mostly it's myself just kind of sitting by myself, you know, with a cocktail if it's not too early in the day and I'm like trying to either write a blog post or basically make a brain dump of all the ideas I have, and trying to prioritize what makes sense to do. 00:56:27:02 - 00:57:07:03 Gabrielle: I'm personally still getting the hang of that. That is a skill that I know. Some people, when they're doing content full time, they like can batch content like there's no tomorrow. To me, it's still something I'm trying to get the hang of. So just kind of sitting down and making like a workflow that makes sense and also trying to blend what I want to post about from my personal life versus what rooftop generally posts. You know, so finding that balance too is really important to me because, you know, if you start following me because you want restaurant recommendations and I'm like complaining about how I haven't like, I don't know, like cook dinner or I can't cook something at home or something completely unrelated. 00:57:07:10 - 00:57:23:20 Gabrielle: You're like, okay, what am I really getting out of this? So finding that balance is important, but probably doing something like that, getting some work done would be really a positive thing. Kind of romanticizing the everyday, you know, the that girl aesthetic that's been really popular. 00:57:24:13 - 00:57:32:13 Gabrielle: I think, you know what I'm talking about like, have you seen the content? Like where it's like, you know, a girl, she's making a matcha tea, but it's like so aesthetic, you know. 00:57:32:22 - 00:57:34:25 Brittany: I got you yeah. 00:57:34:27 - 00:57:40:02 Gabrielle: Interestingly enough, I've heard two sides to this. Like, you either hate the that girl aesthetic or you really like it. 00:57:40:09 - 00:57:55:06 Gabrielle: You hate it, it's you're probably in the opinion of thinking like, oh, it's you're not showing what real life is really like. You know, not everyone can open their bay front windows to the New York City and, you know, have a cloud couch, you know. And I get that, like, that's not my life. 00:57:55:18 - 00:58:37:06 Gabrielle: But I actually quite like it because it kind of forces me to enjoy the little things. Like if I'm at Trader Joe's and I'm picking up flowers, like, you know, making content of it, it's nice for me and making it look nice is something that I enjoy. So I probably say incorporating some of that in this perfect day. And then probably going to go get dinner somewhere. But yeah, definitely. That would be like a very nice day. Like seeing friends probably like out and about would be really nice too. So I am not like your wake up at 5 a.m. ready to go type of girl but I think up there somewhere in between. I definitely love a good checklist, that's for sure. 00:58:37:22 - 00:58:49:04 Brittany: Yeah. All about the checklist. Yeah. So a couple rapid fire questions. So what's your favorite spot to go to on a night out? 00:58:49:29 - 00:59:26:09 Gabrielle: On a night out? Well, we've talked about wild child a lot. Gosh I don't know. Depends on what the vibe is. You know, if you're new to St Pete, everyone loves the canopy. It's a great spot because you can't beat the views. And that's a great spot if you're trying to stay in St Pete though I would I just tried to happy hour at Savage and Savage is owned by the same a group that owns Rococo as well. So both have really good happy hours. So I would probably say, you know, go get some drinks and light apps out at savage or rococo because you're going to have that really good quality food. 00:59:26:11 - 00:59:58:28 Gabrielle: But it's like a little bit cheaper for happy hour. I think it goes to like six or so. So I'd probably start there and I'd probably, I don't know what I'd do in the middle. Like I guess it would depend on if I'm having a night where I want to go play arcade games or if I just want to set out to book and bottle and have low key wine night, but not really. And I normally always end at intermezzo just because at night it's cool in there, it's dark, you know, they have great a great cocktail list, they have great music. So that's always kind of where I end up at night. 00:59:59:18 - 01:00:09:16 Brittany: Yeah. I love Intermezzo. I'm there quite often. It is a cool vibe in there like and when they do like the holiday pop up. 01:00:09:18 - 01:00:40:09 Gabrielle: Oh yeah that's so cool. Some of my friends and family will like come to St Pete just for the pop up. I also love doing the aerial acts at The Floridian, so if you're into that type of vibe, they'll do really cool, like fire breathing. And like aerial acrobatic acts and stuff like that. So that's something that I find is really cool too. So I'll check out The Floridian every and it's like close by. So I'll kind of peek my head in there and see what's going on. 01:00:40:22 - 01:00:45:05 Brittany: Okay, cool. All right, so what's your favorite pizza place in town? 01:00:45:20 - 01:01:01:13 Gabrielle: Oh, my God. Okay, so very recently, I had friends over, and we bought every single pizza in the downtown area. Oh, my God. It was awful. Everyone's stomach hurt so bad the next day from all the pizza. 01:01:01:23 - 01:01:02:08 Brittany: Wow. 01:01:03:18 - 01:01:13:14 Gabrielle: Like every person had a box. And it was one of my proudest and not proudest moments ever. But it was kind of fun because you got to try them all. 01:01:13:25 - 01:01:20:05 Brittany: Okay? So, like, you should you should be the first person on this podcast that can answer this question correctly. 01:01:23:00 - 01:01:38:26 Gabrielle: Everyone's going to say the same thing, I think. But you can't go wrong with pizza box to me. That's like my favorite. I've only had it a handful of times, and every time I've had it, it's just better than the last. They have, like, a lover boy. Have you ever had that one? 01:01:41:21 - 01:01:43:19 Brittany: I usually get the Honey Boo Boo. 01:01:44:03 - 01:02:09:20 Gabrielle: Oh, I haven't had that one yet. Oh, man. And this is, like, such a good example of why it's so cool, because, I went in there and I think it was the last pizza one time that they were making and I like was chatting with this guy and he ended up being the owner of the place and he was telling me how he built this huge pizza oven with his wife. Where else do you get to just chat with the owner of the pizza place? But I would say pizza box. 01:02:09:22 - 01:02:19:15 Gabrielle: But if you haven't tried Colony Grill and you're looking for something different, Tyler really likes Colony Grill because they have like the hot oil pizza. Personally, that's not my jam, but he really, really likes it. 01:02:23:06 - 01:03:01:06 Brittany: Awesome. Well, this has been an amazing conversation, so great. Yeah. I mean, I feel like I learn so much more about you, and hopefully everyone else has. And everyone, please go follow her online. Because I love the fact that you go to these different restaurants and rooftop bars and it's just like this beautifully, aesthetically pleasing photo with, like, the cocktail or the the appetizer. It's just, I don't know, it really showcases all these super cool places that we have in St Pete. So I appreciate the fact that you're creating that. 01:03:01:23 - 01:03:09:00 Gabrielle: Oh, well, thank you. It's certainly my absolute pleasure. So if anyone is enjoying it that just is the cherry on top personally. 01:03:09:11 - 01:03:13:04 Brittany: Yeah. So okay. Tell everyone where they can follow your life. 01:03:13:24 - 01:03:56:15 Gabrielle: So you can follow me. So my website is rooftop dash collective dot com and that's where you can sign up if you're interested in volunteering like I talked about or a new girls in town brunch. You don't have to be new. New in town. We had tons of girls come there. They've lived here all their life. But you're here to meet the new girls in town, so definitely check that those two sign up areas if you're interested. I'm most active on my Instagram account, which is Rooftop Collective. A lot of times. Like, I didn't have my name on there for the longest time, so I would meet people and they're like. Oh, you're rooftop collective. But they don't know my name. So I'm like. Why did I not put my name? My name is Gabrielle. Well, you can call me Rooftop if you really need to. 01:04:00:28 - 01:04:04:17 Brittany: Awesome. Well, this has been fantastic conversation. 01:04:04:19 - 01:04:18:15 Gabrielle: Thank you so much for having me. This was surreal. So thank you so much for doing this podcast. You're doing such an important role. You're serving our community by introducing people. So I really, really appreciate that. Thank you. 01:04:19:20 - 01:04:35:07 Brittany: Thank you. I appreciate that. It's fun for me and I love seeing all of our cool spots like you do. So it's just fun to showcase that. So yeah, absolutely. I feel like for I feel like we're kindred spirits in that way. Yeah. Like you're great. 01:04:35:09 - 01:04:42:18 Gabrielle: No, you're great. We're both great. Well, thank you again. 01:04:42:20 - 01:04:44:13 Brittany: Thanks everybody for watching and listening. Bye. 01:04:46:26 - 01:04:47:11 Gabrielle: Bye. 01:04:53:03 - 01:05:07:13 Brittany: If you want more information about this episode and others, please visit my website. Brittany where news.com. You'll find more information about me. My passion for St Pete and real estate there. Look forward to connecting with you soon. Bye friends.