Fueling The Dream with Anja

Amanda Paolicelli: 00:00:06

What's up, radiant icons, and welcome back to

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Dare To Be Iconic, the podcast made

for icons daring to be themselves.

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I'm your host, Amanda Paolicelli.

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And this week we are bringing back

everyday icons for the one, the

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only Anja from Fueling the Dream.

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Anja is not only a radiant icon, but

she is an F1 content creator and podcast

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host and aspiring F1 sports journalist.

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Um, Anja is going to make her

dreams come true everyone.

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And this episode is proof of it because

it's all about following your dreams

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in the face of adversity and just going

for it, which is honestly probably

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the definition of dare to be iconic.

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I don't know.

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There's so many definitions of dare

to be iconic I can't keep track.

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I mean all of them.

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They're just so good But anyway before

we get into Anja's tea time sesh Make

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sure to connect with me on socials

for an exclusive sneak peek of Dare

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To Be Iconic's First ever yearly

er, New Year, Iconic You, the: 2025

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planners who living your most iconic

life that is now on sale on Amazon

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and ready to ship internationally.

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So for all my radiant icons who

just can't wait to get their hands

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on this planner, trust me it's a

good one, so I totally understand.

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But if you are in the U.

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S.

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or outside of it, don't worry,

Amazon has got you covered.

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Make sure to click the link in my show

notes and to connect with me on social

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so you can get an exclusive sneak peek

of what makes this planner so iconic.

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And while you're at it, make

sure to go to daretobeiconic.

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com to check out all the new and

exciting announcements such as Fast

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and Iconic Lando Bash, an iconic meetup

for the fangirls by the fangirls.

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I am so excited so excited to meet

you guys at the Miami Grand Prix.

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: 00:01:50

So you haven't gotten

your tickets already.

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: 00:01:52

Don't worry.

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: 00:01:52

I haven't either.

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: 00:01:55

Neither has Kimmy.

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So it's okay.

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But honestly, if you guys are

thinking about going to the Miami

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: 00:01:59

Grand Prix, make sure to check

out Fast and Iconic Lando Bash.

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I can't wait to meet you guys and

to celebrate F1 the way we know how,

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which is coming together and just

living it up and just being iconic.

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So anyway, all that information will be

found in the show notes below, you guys.

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So I can't wait to see you there.

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But anywho, let's get into this

week's Tea Time Sesh with Anja.

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I hope you guys enjoy it.

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Honestly, I know you will because

it's going to speak to your

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soul because it spoke to mine.

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Anyway, are you ready, Radiant Icons?

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Because your Tea Time

Sesh is starting now.

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Anja, welcome to the Dare

To Be Iconic podcast.

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How, how are you?

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Anja: I'm very good.

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How's your day been?

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Amanda Paolicelli: My day has been good.

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While we're recording this

Baku just happened, but I

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haven't been able to watch it.

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I've seen everything on social media,

so I heard it was a wild race, but I'm

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so excited to get deeper into it on your

podcast, which is Fueling the Dream.

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And I will link that in the

show notes below for you guys.

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So let's get into it.

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What does the word iconic mean to you?

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And how do you dare to be

iconic in your everyday life?

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Anja: Personally, I think that

for you to be an icon, you've

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got to first respect yourself.

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I dare to be iconic in my everyday life.

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I think me working towards

my goal for sports reporting

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as a student of law school.

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I don't know why I'm studying in

that, but I, I'm planning a second

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plan, like, if I don't become a sports

supporter or a sports journalist or a

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PR manager, I can, uh, go with my degree

to college and become a sports lawyer.

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Amanda Paolicelli: Actually

wanted to talk a little bit more

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about you chasing your dreams.

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Obviously, our love for F1 bonded us,

but it also is a big part of your life.

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How did you embrace that passion and

start your journey of fueling the dream?

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Anja: Firstly, I started, like, watching

in, like,: 2022

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gonna like this sport, it's just cars.

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But my, uh, chemistry teacher got me

into it, like, I heard them arguing,

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who's gonna win, Lewis or Max?

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And I was like, I want to root for

Lewis because, he was my favorite

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driver, but it all started, like,

n, like, the first year, like: 2022

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I had a friend, and we were talking about

how lovely it will be to Interviewed

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other drivers . I was very shy to

start because I don't know I felt like

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I was going to be judged to this day.

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Uh, I have like a fan group of

four and only one friend knows

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that this whole thing exists.

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So I don't know, I'm very scared.

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Yeah, because I don't know, because

in my country and in my school.

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I think you're going to get, you

know, judge that, but that's why my

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parents started supporting me last

year in like November 1st, I think.

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And I had a opportunity

like to, to start a podcast.

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And I was like, if I want to become a

reporter and go to uni for, for this whole

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thing, I gotta have a resume or something

because I loved, uh, Lizzie McIntosh.

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She was my first inspiration and

I was watching them and I was

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like, I want to start a podcast.

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I wanted to be called like Fueling The

Dream because I wanted the podcast to

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be like for future drivers and future

engineers so they can fuel the dream

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through me and to get inspiration

because I have, I have had many guests

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and I had the opportunity to interview

Jess Edgar and when She came everything

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changed because a lot of people

started coming to me and I made many,

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many friends that I'm very grateful

and hopefully I can meet someday.

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Amanda Paolicelli: And it all started

because you put yourself out there and

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you decided to chase your dream even with

that fear of, you know, maybe being judged

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or not everyone particularly liking it.

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You did it because you wanted to do it

and you just faced your fear and said,

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you know what, goodbye to my comfort zone.

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So as you said Fueling The Dream is

only a year old, what would you tell

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Anja from a year ago when she was scared

to take the step towards her dreams?

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Anja: Just do it and don't be scared

and that You're gonna get through all

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of the things because last year's school

was really hard for me personally.

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I I hate it I hate it,

but The podcast helped me.

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So just be yourself and don't

let everyone else judge you.

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Don't let them ruin your dream

because if you you gotta do it what

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you like to do because It's kind of

iconic, and it has been very great.

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Amanda Paolicelli: It is iconic,

and at the end of the day, you have

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to choose yourself because you are

the person you are going to stick

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with for the rest of your life.

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So we got me thinking, a big theme of

your Dare to be Iconic origin story

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is saying goodbye to your comfort zone

and obviously believing in yourself.

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So, what are some steps that you

can Recommend to the radiant icons

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who are listening to this right

now on how to step outside of your

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comfort zone and say goodbye to it.

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Anja: Firstly, You know, I have a

stutter, even if you have something

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like, like a disability or something,

it's normal and you gotta do it.

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Like that's, that's the reason,

like I didn't wanna start with

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like it's very scary, but I mean.

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End of the day, it's you and the sport

isn't gonna judge you because there

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are a lot of people with, um, like,

disabilities and their following into

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their dreams and they're like very iconic.

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And if you want to go into sports

journalism my, my advice, read

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your questions before because

when I interviewed an F4 driver.

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I stuttered, I had to redo it

in the interview, but he was so

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respectful, so respect to him.

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And for the last thing, if you want

to go like, to a race alone, do it,

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because you will make a lot of friends.

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I wanna go alone next year, and I don't

know how that will go, so let's hope for

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Amanda Paolicelli: Oh my

god, wait, girl, what?

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Go alone?

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I'm kinda scared!

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Anja: Want to go alone next year to

Hungary, but I'm scared myself, so

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I respect if you don't want to do it

But I have met a lot of girls this

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year like the friendship exchange

thing It was iconic and I also met a

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girl in the paddock and she was the

sweetest I mean she was younger than

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me shout out to her and shout out to

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Amanda Paolicelli: What has been your

most iconic moment so far through

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this process of fueling your dream?

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Anja: That's really hard.

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Oh my God.

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Okay.

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I mean,

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Amanda Paolicelli: if story,

we want to hear the story.

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So please spill the tea on it.

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Anja: Definitely in Hungary,, I mean, I

was just sitting on, um, on Sunday, just,

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uh, watching the Formula 3 race, I don't

know who won, but, uh, I was like bored

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because there were the cars, like they

were in another section and I was like,

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What if I literally dimmed every formula

2, every formula 2, and every formula 1?

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I emailed and DMed them.

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I'm very sorry to, if any team

is watching, but I get a DM back

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from Jensen Motorsport I think

they're not in F3 anymore, but I

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get a DM back and I was like, nah.

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I had my phone at like 35 percent and I

was like, don't, don't, don't die then.

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Amanda Paolicelli: I would have died.

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Where was your power pack?

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Girl!

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Anja: It wasn't working.

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Amanda Paolicelli: Oh my god, you were

the one I went to for advice for Barcelona

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and the biggest thing you told me was make

sure you have a Sharpie and a power pack.

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Girl, I'm

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so dead.

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Anja: No, and I get a DM back with

your number and I was like, I can't

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call you, I'm outside of my country

and it's gonna be a lot of money.

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And I was like, I have a

WhatsApp, so what if I do that?

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And firstly, I called

them and no one answers.

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And they're like, call me, call me.

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And I was like, I'm calling you.

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And thank God, um, I think her name

was Delfina and we messaged and

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I had, like, 30 minutes to walk.

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And I, I, I think I ran, and

there were many people going into

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the track because of this one.

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And I was like, if I miss

this, I'm gonna go cry.

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And I was with my dad, and we ran.

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We ran through people, I don't know how,

and, and let me tell you, it was very hot.

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I had, I had this much of water in

me and I don't do that people don't

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worry because you and I have like 30

percent and I was like that you will

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have to leave me here because they

do not have a paddock pass for you

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because it was me and another girl.

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Let me tell you first,

the walk to the paddock.

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That's a full workout.

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You will have to work like 20, 30 minutes.

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It's all on the road.

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I almost got run over by a Lance

Stroll, his dad, and Toto Wolf.

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Amanda Paolicelli: How iconic,

wait, that's so iconic.

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Like you, like you stepped

outside of your comfort zone.

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You said, you know what?

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I'm going to DM these teams because

what's the worst thing that could happen?

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And look at what happens.

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So what was the biggest lesson from

that then that you can take from and

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apply to your everyday life, basically?

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Anja: Definitely just shoot

your opportunities because

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you've got nothing to lose.

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Amanda Paolicelli: Have you seen the

TikTok where it's like, you want it

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so badly because you already have it

like your future self already has it?

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I think that's so important for us

to remember that we just have to keep

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believing in ourselves and chasing

those dreams just like you're doing.

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What does it mean to you to

live out your dream right now?

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Anja: I mean, it's quite awesome because

to be like lucky to have like a community,

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I know it's very small but I do have

a community and I don't know it's very

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lucky and very awesome because at the

end of the day they're like true to you.

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A lot of my followers are like aspiring

sports There's journalists or peer

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managers, or even drivers, like, I'm very

lucky to have this and live my dream.

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And, like you said, I have like

a whole folder on my TikTok,

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like, future life, and it's, and

it's cute, like, for journalism.

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Amanda Paolicelli: I do too, I do too!

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Anja: And you're living in London

or Monaco or something like that.

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Amanda Paolicelli: Wait, wait, wait,

have you done the thing on chat GPT,

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I was just talking about this with

Agatha the other day, where it's

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like, you plug in your dream life

and they give you, like, the stuff.

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I promise.

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Oh my god, I gotta do

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that.

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I'm gonna do

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Anja: the

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Amanda Paolicelli: whole

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Anja: thing.

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I'm gonna do the solo, but

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Amanda Paolicelli: hopefully

the solo will be the solo.

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is the resolution in life.

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Anja: Let's hope so.

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Because like I said, having like dreams,

even, even like as a sports reporter,

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like my second, it's just, it's like

a peer manager and like being lucky to

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have that and to live my dreams or like

go to, like, I would love to travel the

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world, like that's one of my main goals.

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Like I always like have on my TikTok,

like that I'm going to go live for in

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London or Spain, I mean, I would love to.

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I'm just saying no because my country is

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Amanda Paolicelli: I feel like

you're planting the seeds for your

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future life, you know, because you're

already living Most of it, right?

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And you're just building it.

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So how for you being mainly in the

sports journalism section, right?

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And representing a group of women, how

has that affected your mental health

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while you're chasing your dreams?

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Anja: I mean, thank God

it has not been bad.

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That's at the time, you know, there's

hard because you're, I don't know how

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to say it, like you're, I guess there

are more, yeah, females in the sport

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journalism scene, and I get that, but, I

don't know, you gotta be respectful you

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will hurt people's feelings, like, if

someone says something very mean, I'm very

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emotional, like, I'm very emotional for

that, especially because of my shyness.

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In real life too, when I was interviewing

some drivers, I was so shy, but for

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the sport journalism scene for all of

the females, I think, you know, I think

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I'm very good at it, like, covering

up, and I think, thank God, like I

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said, it hasn't been very bad, and I

think you gotta firstly, like, Care for

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yourself, because I have taken, like,

a lot of breaks, and I think that, um,

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that helps you even, like, even when

you gotta work towards your dreams, you

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gotta take a break sometimes because

it can become a lot, like, very often.

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Amanda Paolicelli: You are literally

speaking to my soul right now.

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Breaks and boundaries are, like,

what I am living on right now.

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It's insane.

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So that's really cool that

you picked up on that.

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I think it's not really spoken about,

and I feel like it's not normalized

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about these breaks and boundaries

that we have to have, because it's

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necessary to pour back into ourselves.

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You know, so what do you do then in

order to pour back into yourself so that

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you can be the most iconic version of

yourself while you are fueling your dream?

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Anja: I mean, I definitely like probably

spend some time with my family or like

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go out with my friends and like have

more movie nights with my friends.

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I love reading books, especially,

um, I love, I love that book and

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because it's a really unrelated

thing in a book like, that's like

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Amanda Paolicelli: It's your

two favorite loves together.

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If you haven't read, um,

Drive Me Crazy by Carly Robyn.

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You have to read it, Anja.

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I love all the tips that you gave,

because I think it's so important finding

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something that fuels our soul and, like,

makes us feel alive, other than, you know,

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our passion projects or our businesses.

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How has self care and mental resiliency

played a part in your journey?

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Like, how influential has it been?

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Anja: I mean, I think it has been Very

good, because like I said, I take every

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step to, uh, to have a good mental health.

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Even like when I told my, my in

real life friend, um, about the

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podcast, I was like, I was shaking.

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You don't know how much I was shaking.

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I was like, she'll probably judge me.

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But at the time, She's a real friend.

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Thank you to her.

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Shout out to her.

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Thank you.

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Um, and I'm very grateful for her because

She has helped me a lot through my journey

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same as with my online friends like you

And to all of the group chats that I'm in.

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Amanda Paolicelli: That's so true though.

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Anja, I know I say this all the time, but

the Dare To Be Iconic journey isn't just

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like an individual one, it's a collective

one, and I truly feel like we can't

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embrace our iconic selves if we don't have

a support system backing us up, you know?

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And it's a support system

of people that we trust.

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Whether it's online or

in person, you know?

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Anja: I love both of them.

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I love both sides.

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Also, you gotta have self care,

like, and believe in yourself.

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Like, I, firstly, I was like, I don't

know if I'm gonna become a sports

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reporter, but at the end, I truly

believe, and hopefully I can do it,

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even in like IndyCar or something, like,

Something in the motorsport scene or

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even football, soccer, I don't know how

to say it, but I mean, yeah, self care

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and definitely a support system is very,

very important for the mental health

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thing because it's sometimes it's hard.

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Amanda Paolicelli:

Yeah, it is really hard.

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It's more quality over quantity.

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Definitely, yeah.

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You know, like, I think sometimes, like,

in the culture that we live in of like,

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social media and the numbers matter,

but like, when you really truly think

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of it, it depends on the quality of

people that you have in your community.

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It has to be somewhat reciprocated this

relationship of building a community

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of people that you can trust because

trust is such a core value when you

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are creating your dreams you know?

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What is one iconic insight that you want

to leave with the radiant icon community?

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Anja: Step out of your comfort zone.

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Follow your dreams, even if you're scared.

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believe in yourself and Don't get

involved with people that will judge

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you and don't believe in, in you.

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Amanda Paolicelli: And that is your

tea time sesh for today, Radiant Icons.

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I hope you enjoyed our

tea time sesh with Anja.

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: 00:18:02

Anja, thank you so much for coming

on Dare to be Iconic and sharing

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your DTBI origin story, you guys.

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: 00:18:07

I love hearing about how Dare to

be Iconic has impacted your life.

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And specifically in Anja's instance,

it's inspired her to continue fueling her

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dream, which if you guys don't know this

by now, her podcast is called Fueling

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: 00:18:20

the Dream, so it's just so iconic.

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But anywho, I think the biggest thing

that I've, taken away from my tea time

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sesh with Anja is that even in the

face of adversity, right, whether it's,

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you know, scared of judgments from

outside people, whether it's our own

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insecurities, whatever it is, right?

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Like we can't let that stop

us from fueling our dream.

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: 00:18:45

We can't let that dehabilitate

us on this process of going after

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: 00:18:50

that little dream in our heart.

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: 00:18:52

And I think that is just so beautiful

how Anja is using her platform to

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not only empower other young women

in Formula One, but to continue

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chasing her dreams, no matter what.

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And that really speaks to me,

and that resonates with me, and I

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hope it did for you guys as well.

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: 00:19:10

So anyway, Anja, thank you so much

for coming on Dare to be Iconic.

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I cannot wait to continue this

conversation on your podcast, so

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make sure to stay tuned, you guys.

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But anyway, I will see you guys next week.

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Remember, radiant icons,

dare to be iconic.

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Bye!