Episode 29

full
Published on:

14th May 2025

From Miami, With Love: Q&A Edition

It was hot, hectic, and so iconic — welcome to the Miami Grand Prix, Radiant Icons. 🏁🌴

In today’s tea time sesh, Amanda spills the post-race tea from a weekend that was equal parts fangirl fantasy and full-throttle chaos. From live listener questions and unfiltered opinions to standout moments (and major misses), she’s breaking down what made Miami magic — and what could’ve used a red flag.

You’ll hear about partying with the radiant icons, powerful fan activations, and what it means to stay confident in a male-dominated space when you’re showing up as your full, radiant self. Plus, Amanda’s already manifesting her dream podium for 2025 — because fangirls don’t just watch, we envision the future.

🎧 Tap in for hot takes, behind-the-scenes stories, and a reminder that your voice belongs in every room — even the paddock.

Connect with Amanda:

Follow Amanda's DTBI Journey!

Shop the Paddock Icons Collection today!

Got a question for Amanda or a topic you'd love to hear discussed on a future episode? Submit your question to the "Dare To Be Iconic Hotline" today!

Time Stamps:

00:00 Welcome to Dare To Be Iconic

01:39 It’s DTBI Hotline Time!

02:06 Track and Weekend Review

06:32 Hot Takes and Opinions

08:17 Iconic Performances and Misses

09:59 Fangirl Moments

13:33 Future Fan Activations

14:52 Staying Confident and Iconic

16:46 Miami Grand Prix Takeaways

20:03 See you next week!

Transcript
Amanda Paolicelli:

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What's up, radiant icons and welcome

back to Dare To Be Iconic, the podcast

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made for icons daring to be themselves.

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I'm your host, Amanda Paolicelli

and for today's Tea Time sesh,

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it's dedicated to the Dare To Be

Iconic hotline, but specifically.

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Those Miami Grand Prix questions,

'cause I got a lot of them, you guys.

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I, I got a lot of questions about the

Miami Grand Prix and I am ready to

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spill the tea about it right here, right

now and answer your questions live.

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But before we do that, make

sure to connect with me on

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socials, on Instagram and TikTok.

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It's @amandapaolicelli_

and @daretobeiconic_.

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And if you're on LinkedIn, you

already know what I'm gonna say

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radiant icons because I love me.

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I love me some LinkedIn.

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It's Amanda Paolicelli on there,

so make sure to connect with me.

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All of my socials will be linked

in the show notes below and also.

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I know, I know there's a lot of updates

in the Dare to Be Iconic world 'cause

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there's a lot of iconicness happening,

especially in the last couple of months.

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Like, oh my gosh, you

guys whiplash, right?

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But um, if you haven't heard, there is

a new merch drop for Dare To Be Iconic.

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The Paddock Icons Collection is now live.

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You can find that in the show notes below.

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It's on the Dare to Be Iconic Etsy

Shop and also the Dare To Be Iconic

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website under the merchandise tab.

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Again, that's linked in the

show notes for you guys.

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So now that we're done with the

Dare to Be Iconic announcements,

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let's get to the tea, shall we?

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I am literally so excited to be

answering all of these questions

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because I've gone through every

single one and all of these questions.

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Woo.

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You guys never disappoint.

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Okay, you guys never let me down.

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And these are good.

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These are spicy, these are hot.

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It's honestly as hot as the Miami Sun.

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You see what I did there?

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Alright, radiants icons, are you

ready for your tea time sesh?

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Because it is starting now.

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All right.

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First question, be honest.

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Did the track and weekend live

up to the Miami hype this year?

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You want my honest opinion,

I'm gonna give it to you.

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It's a yes and a no.

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Now, going into the Miami Grand Prix,

I had a lot of expectations, right?

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Because Miami last year,

the hype was unreal.

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The FOMO was unmatched.

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Like it was insane.

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So I came in to the Miami Grand Prix

week, I should say, because it was a

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week experience with high expectations.

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And throughout the week I definitely took

note of the things where I was like, ah,

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this is not what I thought it would be.

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And the things that completely exceeded

what I thought the week would entail.

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Right?

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And so there's, there's a good

and bad, it's a yes and no.

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This is what I have to say.

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The track itself not my favorite.

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It is not my favorite circuit.

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And again, I am only comparing it to

Barcelona because as you guys know,

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last summer I went to the Spanish

Grand Prix and that track was amazing.

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I had the time of my life.

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It was easy to navigate.

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We had the fan stage there, which Miami

does not, and I think that is definitely

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an element that Miami is missing.

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I, I definitely did miss that aspect.

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There were a lot of great opportunities

in Spain at the track, and it was also,

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it was closer, you know, everything was

near each other as compared to Miami.

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It's a larger track there.

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So many things going on.

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It, it's a lot, you know,

you are walking a lot.

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It is a lot.

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It's, I think it's more than Spain.

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Maybe it's the same.

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I, I don't know.

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It felt longer.

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Right.

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It's a larger campus.

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So going back to my original

point here, when it came to the

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actual grand weekend, right.

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Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as a general

admission individual, in this case,

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Miami, did not live up to the hype.

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In my personal opinion.

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I think the GA experience, the fan

experience in general in Miami for

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that Grand Prix weekend, there are so

many elements that unfortunately fell

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through that they could have done better.

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And I think for general admission

especially, you know, as compared

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to other tracks like Spain, you

know, you can bring your lawn

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chairs, you can bring your blankets.

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You can't do that in Miami, you

know, and so the general admission

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experience as a whole, not my favorite

thing, it did not live up to the hype.

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However, when it comes to the

external fan activations like the

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Williams fan zone, never disappoints

when it comes to the F1 Academy

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activations that they had in Miami.

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Absolutely exceeded my expectations.

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We did not have that in Spain.

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The only activation that we truly

had was the fan fest and was the, um,

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they did something new with the cars

down the street, um, and then they

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had the Williams fan zone, right?

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Like those activations were great.

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Obviously the Williams fan

zone is a firm one for me.

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I, I truly believe if you are going to a

Grand Prix where there's a Williams fan

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zone you need to go to, it is the best

way to set up your Grand Prix weekend.

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Um, however, there are more external

activations in Miami that really allow

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fans to be a part of the experience

that made Miami worth the hype when

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it came to the actual experience

like again, as a GA individual,

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it did not live up to the hype.

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However, the F1 Academy Paddock

absolutely amazing 'cause again,

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they didn't have that in Spain.

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So for me, it's really,

you gotta pick your poison.

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Do you want all those external fan

activations that truly make the weekend

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worthwhile, or when you're talking about

just that weekend in itself on the track.

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I don't know.

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I, I genuinely don't know.

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It's not my favorite circuit.

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My experience as a fan wasn't the best.

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I definitely had a better

experience in Spain when it comes

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to the actual Grand Prix days.

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Um, but the external activations in

Miami, there was so much to do when there

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were so many opportunities that, for me.

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It was worth it.

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So that is my honest opinion.

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Now let's get to question number two.

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What was your hot take from

the Miami Grand Prix weekend?

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Do not hold back.

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Well, I promise you I won't hold back.

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I don't hold back on any of my opinions.

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I think my hot take would be.

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If you are doing the Miami Grand

Prix, please do a grand stand.

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Do not do GA.

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The GA experience, like I mentioned.

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The answer previously is not worth

it in Miami, it is not worth your

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money and you are not getting

the most bang for your buck.

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I know a lot of people said that online.

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I do not agree.

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I strongly disagree with that statement.

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I think if you are gonna shell

out money to go to Miami and if

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you can afford it, because I know

grandstands are extremely expensive.

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That's why I didn't do it.

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If I can swing it, I would

do a grandstand seat.

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I was even talking to, um,

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someone really important in my life

and I was telling them that Personally

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going back for next year, I think I

would kind of dabble with the idea of

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doing a single day grandstand ticket

'cause those were really affordable.

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Actually they were like

$65 on Friday and Saturday.

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Obviously Sunday it's, you know,

it gets up into the hundreds.

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But if you can afford to go to the Miami

Grand Prix, right, and you're thinking

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about doing a grandstand and you're

kind of dabbling with the idea of.

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Do I do all three days?

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Do I do two days?

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Do I do one day?

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I would look into that grandstand

option and see which one is the

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best for you within your budget.

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But my hot take, don't do GA.

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If you can splurge on a grandstand,

even if it's for one day, even if it's

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for two days, that is worth your money.

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More in Miami, I promise you.

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Next question.

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Ooh, this is a good one.

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Okay.

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Which driver had the most

iconic performance and who

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totally missed the mark?

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Ooh, okay.

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This is, this is a loaded question,

but let's get into it, shall we?

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Okay.

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So when it comes to the driver who I

think had the most iconic performance

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throughout the entire weekend as a whole.

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It's gonna be Oscar Piastri.

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Now you guys know I'm a big papaya girl.

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I love McLaren, but also Lando

Norris is my favorite driver, right?

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I haven't been shy about that throughout

this entire dare to be iconic journey,

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but when I think of the 20, 25 season,

right, and I, I think of the overall

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picture of it, Oscar has impressed me

and he's always been a favorite of mine.

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He hasn't been, obviously at

Lando's level for me, however.

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Oscar is coming close you guys, and

Oscar has had iconic performance

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after iconic performance.

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Now, who totally missed the mark?

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You know, there's a lot of teams in

general that have missed the mark this

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season or even this weekend in Miami.

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And, um, you know, I'm not

gonna say a specific driver.

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I'm gonna say there's a, you

know, there, there is room for

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improvement for some individuals.

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Um, and that's, that's where I'm

leaving that and it's where I'm leaving

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that, I'll keep that part to myself.

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But most iconic performance goes to

Oscar Piastri, who I thank you guys will

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become the world champion this year.

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I know that's also a hot

take, but I do believe it.

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I think Oscar will be the world champion

this year, and I think McLaren will

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become constructors a thousand percent.

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All right.

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Next question.

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What was your biggest fan girl

moment during the Miami Grand Prix?

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There were so many fan girl

moments for the Miami Grand Prix.

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Like, I'm not even gonna lie to you guys.

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There are so many fan girl moments.

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I just, I have to name 'em all off

Lia Block saying she, my question

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four, she signed my phone case fan

girl moment a thousand percent.

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Um, the day after that, that

was the F1 Academy Premiere.

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Seeing Reese Witherspoon and

Susie Wolf on the stage before me.

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Absolutely insane.

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Mind blowing fan girl moment.

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Okay, miss L Woods herself.

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You guys like what?

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Third one, let's see.

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The female quotient event in a whole

that made my entire like weekend,

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life literally, uh, fan girl moment,

just being in that room, but also

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meeting Susie Wolf, um, fan girl

moment to the max, like she's the icon.

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Uh, later on in the day, I met

Abby Pulling the F1 Academy

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World Champion from last year.

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Huge fan girl moment.

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Um.

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Joanne and Alba, two of the current F1

Academy drivers that are on the grid.

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They waved to me on

Saturday in their garage.

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Literally fan girl moment.

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'cause I had to turn around to

Katie, Katie from Race Tips and

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be like, did that just happen?

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She goes, yes, Amanda,

you're not dreaming it.

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So yeah, that, that's a

fan girl moment there.

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Um, and I think like, just

witnessing the podium, that's a

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fan girl moment in itself too.

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And like also meeting

all my online friends.

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That's a fan girl moment.

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'cause I'm like, oh my

God, like you're real.

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Like you're here in front of me.

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Like we're, we're hanging out.

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Like that's a fan girl moment.

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So again, like Miami was filled

with so many amazing iconic fan

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girl moments and those are all them.

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I can't, I can't sum up one to, 'cause

it was just like fan girl central for me.

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Like I was living my most iconic life.

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Like truly my most iconic life.

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'Cause so much happened in

Miami and it was literally just.

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It was just amazing.

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Yeah, those are all my fan girl moments.

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I can't choose one.

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I can't do that to myself because

everything was just too iconic.

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Like I promise you.

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If you could party in Miami with any

driver, who are you picking and why?

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Well, obvious answer here.

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Lando Norris like, I mean, I don't

even think like, come on you guys.

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It's gonna be Lando.

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I think Lando would have a good time.

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He would know where to go because

he won last year in Miami, right?

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So he has all the connections.

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And then also, like Lando Norris

is my favorite driver, so why

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wouldn't I wanna go party with him?

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Like I feel like.

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He would just be such a good time

to go out with like, I feel like

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he would have all the connections.

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He would know who to talk to, where to go.

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And like, even honestly, I feel

like Morning Garrick's would pop up.

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You know, like I, I feel like we would

be set, like the night would be perfect

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and it would just be like amazing.

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Like I think you would have

like the best time of your life.

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So if I'm choosing someone

to go out within Miami.

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I would pick Lando Norris,

like I just feel like on all

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fronts it checks all the boxes.

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You know what I'm saying?

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Like, yeah, no, I'm

partying with Lando Norris.

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I know he just became a dad

this Miami weekend, which is

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so Max Verstappen coded like.

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Literally so Max Verstappen coded, but

like I feel like Max can also have a

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good time, like he knows how to party.

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So he would be my second

choice a thousand percent.

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And then maybe Yuki.

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He would be fun.

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Like we would have a good time.

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You know what I mean?

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So Lando, max and Yuki, those

are the drivers that I'm

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picking to party with in Miami.

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Ooh, I love this question.

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If you could start a fan activation

or event for next year's Miami

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Grand Prix, what would it be?

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Honestly, and I've been thinking

about this a lot actually.

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I would amplify Lando Bash.

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I would make it bigger than

it already was this year.

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Like this year, Kimi and I.

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We killed it.

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Like we literally did kill that shit.

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Like we exceeded our expectations and

everything came together so beautifully.

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Like even better than we

both could imagine, right?

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And hope for.

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And I think for next year, if

I were to do an event or fan

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activation, I would amplify the idea

of Lando Bash on a grander scale.

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Um, 'cause that is definitely

something that I have in the works.

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I have something up my sleeve

'cause you guys know I always do.

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But I would do something like

Lando Bash, but on a grander scale.

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And yeah, that's all I'm saying because

I'm not, I'm not giving away that

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secret just yet, but I will spill

the tea on it when the time comes.

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But just know a D-T-B-I fan activation

will be in the near future, just

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do weight rating and d icons.

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I can't wait to meet all of you

again, basically, is what I'm saying.

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Okay.

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Lando Bash was iconic, and what

I have planned next is even

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more iconic, so stay tuned.

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All right.

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Next question, Amanda, how do you

stay confident and iconic in spaces

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where you feel underestimated

like we often are as fan girls?

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So being a woman entrepreneur, and

also being a fan girl and being

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in a space that is male dominated.

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There's a lot of things against me, right?

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I am a woman who is championing women to

embrace who they are in a male dominated

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sports space where you know, they don't

really like women voicing their opinions.

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And when I go into a space where I enter

a space where I feel underestimated, I

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always have to remind myself of my why.

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Why am I here?

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Why am I doing what I am doing?

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For me, when I think back of the

purpose of Dare to Be Iconic, it is

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to elevate, it is to champion and it

is to empower other women to embrace

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who they are unapologetically- to

have true confidence in who they are.

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So for me, that is

going to be my strength.

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That is going to be my why.

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That will propel me forward in

staying confident and iconic in these

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spaces where I feel underestimated.

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And I am doing it for you guys,

and I am doing it for myself.

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I am doing it for that little baby

Amanda, who was too scared to love

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what she loved so unapologetically, who

was so scared to dare to be herself.

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I am doing that for little baby Amanda.

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I am doing that for you guys because

I am here to make a difference, I

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am here to use my voice and empower

you guys to also use your voice.

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So yeah, if these people underestimate

me, so what I know what I bring to the

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table, so I'm gonna stay confident and

iconic in that because I'm too much of

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a bad bitch to let them bring me down.

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What's one thing you'll take from the

Miami Grand Prix weekend to help you

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dare to be iconic in your daily life?

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I just have to start off saying that

there are so many things that I'm taking

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away from the Miami Grand Prix, but if

there is one thing that I have to pick,

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it actually goes back to last week's

tea time ses and the first lesson, which

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is community is everything, and when

we come together, we rise together.

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And the reason why that one thing will

be the main thing that I take away from

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Miami is because it proved the message

of dare to be Iconic, which is daring

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to be yourself is the most powerful

act that you can do for yourself.

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And when I saw this iconic,

beautiful community of women come

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together throughout the entire week.

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Okay.

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Not just Lando Bash.

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It was through the entire week

and weekend where I saw women come

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together time and time again to

celebrate the sport that they love so

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unapologetically and show up exactly

as they are without fear of judgment.

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So to me.

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When we all come together and

embrace who we are, right?

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Embrace our most iconic selves,

that shines throughout, right?

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And we attract people who are

also daring to be themselves.

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We are creating and cultivating

this community of women who uplift

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each other, who champion each

other, who elevate each other.

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That is something that I will take with

me forever because it proves that this

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messaging of dare to be iconic, right?

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That foundation of what I

say dare to be iconic is,

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is happening time and time again when

I see women come together and do that

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exact thing and be exactly who they are.

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And that is the one thing that I will

take away from Miami Grand Prix is the

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magic of being who you are, embracing

it and how it attracts other people to

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you who are also on that same mission.

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Because we're all daring to

be iconic together because

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daring to be iconic, right?

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This journey of it is not only an

individualistic experience, or journey.

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It's a community journey as well.

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We are all on this

journey together and so.

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When we come together, we rise together

and community truly is everything, and

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that's what I'll take away from Miami.

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Who do you want to see take

over the Miami podium next year?

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Manifest it.

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You know what?

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I'm gonna be so controversial here,

and I'm not gonna say the answer that

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you guys expect, which is Lando Norris.

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I'm gonna say Nico Hulkenburg.

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I wanna see him on the podium.

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I wanna see him get his flowers.

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It is in due time, and I will

sob seeing Nico get a podium.

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And then on top of that.

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I would love to see Yuki get

a podium in Miami next year.

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Like I think that would be so

iconic, like literally so iconic.

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Um, so yeah, I'm going so off the rails.

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Very, very delusional.

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And you know what?

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I'm gonna manifest it Yuki and Nico.

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I wanna see them on the podium

and I think it would be even

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more iconic if it was in Miami.

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I'm just saying.

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Yeah, that's what I'm

manifesting for next year.

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:

And my last question, in one word,

describe the Miami Grand Prix.

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Well, that's easy.

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The Miami Grand Prix is iconic

and always will be iconic.

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:

All right, radiant icons.

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:

That is your tea time sesh for today.

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Time really does fly when you're having

fun because I love, love, love the Dare

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:

to be Iconic hotline specific tea time

seshes They're literally so much fun.

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:

Like I love answering

your questions like I.

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:

Oh my God.

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:

But anyway, if you enjoy today's

episode, make sure to subscribe, to

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leave a Rating, A review to tell your

friends about us, to tell everyone and

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anyone, because we love more Radiance

icons in our iconic community of ours.

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And I, again, I will never get

tired of saying that you guys

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like, I literally love it.

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And I love you guys.

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So anyway, I will chat

with you guys next week.

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Remember Radiant icons, dare to be iconic.

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Bye.

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About the Podcast

Dare To Be Iconic
Embrace Your Iconic Self
Are you ready, radiant icons?

Welcome to "Dare To Be Iconic," the podcast made for icons daring to be themselves. Hosted by your favorite icon, Amanda Paolicelli, "Dare To Be Iconic" is not just another self-help podcast—it's your weekly tea time session where Amanda spills all the tea on topics like self-confidence, self-improvement, healing, and personal growth.

Why Choose "Dare To Be Iconic"?

~Real Talk, Real Transformation: Amanda's journey from heartbreak to triumph is the heartbeat of the show. This podcast is a safe space for raw, authentic conversations about healing, self-confidence, self-improvement, and personal growth.

~Practical Tips: Amanda shares practical, actionable tips that you can implement in your daily life. From overcoming setbacks to cultivating a positive mindset, each episode equips you with tools to navigate your dare-to-be-iconic journey.

~Community of Radiant Icons: Join a community of like-minded individuals who are also on their dare-to-be-iconic journey. The podcast is an invitation to be part of a supportive community that celebrates victories, learns from challenges, and grows together.

~Midweek Boost: Need a midweek pick-me-up? Tune in every Wednesday for your weekly tea time session.

Subscribe now, radiants icons, because your tea time session is starting.
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About your host

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Amanda Paolicelli