After years of being told no, Kelli Hutchinson-Chappius, owner of The Hair Show, is finally getting her time in the spotlight, and she’s bringing her three best friends, Kristy Langlois, Kelly Mentel and Jennifer Myers, owner of Article & Thread, along with her. Starting as a radio show then a podcast, the foursome have taken their show Glitter & Gossip from car radios to local televisions as they start their newest venture as a live talk show with Pelican Broadcasting, which airs at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays on Cox channel 11. We sat down with the girl-power team to learn more about their journey to the small screen and where they see themselves next.

1. How and when did Glitter & Gossip start?

Kelli Hutchinson-Chappius: The first radio show aired in June of 2018, but it started the spring prior when Alfred Adams decided to start a radio station. Shortly after, he asked if I wanted to have my own show on the station because he knew about my public speaking. To be honest, going into it, I didn’t know if it was real or not. Of course, I picked Kristy as my co-host because she is my best friend and partner-in-crime. From there, we expanded.

2. What’s it like to work together? Does being friends help or add tension?

Kelly Mentel: It definitely helps! We worked at the salon together before we did the show, and we each helped run a portion of the salon. We all already knew how to work together. As for the banter on the show, we aren’t scared to say things but we are always understanding. We don’t take offense but we still make sure everyone’s feelings are considered.

Jennifer Myers: I think the dynamic and flow of conversation are really good because we are truly friends. We have each other’s backs, and it’s like a team.

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3. How did the group come together?

Kristy Langlois: As soon as I found out about Kelli getting a radio show, I knew she was going to make me do it. Then, she asked Kelly Mentel to have a segment and we did one or two shows like that. After that, we had Jennifer on as a guest and she just added so much. It was so different than the first two. She added a dynamic we couldn’t explain. It just rounded us out.

Myers: I had just moved upstairs and a couple of stylists had come into my store to check it out. Kelli is this larger-than-life personality. It was like a tornado coming through the door. But she kept coming upstairs and we became good friends. It was an instant connection. One day she busted through the door and told me that she got a radio show. She always has these “What?” kind of stories, but she isn’t making things up. She just always has cool things going on. They wanted me to come on to interview as a business owner. Then they invited me to stay on with them. It was so much fun, so we invested in better equipment and we started recording in my back office. Now, we are more than 40 weeks in. It’s the perfect dynamic.

4. What has it been like to make the move from radio show to podcast to television? What is the biggest difference with television?

Langlois: From radio to podcast, I really had no idea that we were doing a podcast until a week later when I saw it on our Instagram, haha! Jennifer is definitely more technical so she just did all of that. For television, I knew it was going to happen because Kelli has always wanted that. I’m just along for the ride. I was more nervous to see myself on television than actually doing it.

Mentel: It’s weird because it all happened so fast. It’s been awesome and exciting but it’s still all so new to us, especially television. When we do radio, we are more in our element. Right now, we’re just transitioning and learning how to do television–getting out the nervousness.

Myers I think that we can be a lot more candid for radio and podcast than we can on television. We’ve gotten so comfortable doing radio that, for television, it’s like ripping off a Band-Aid and finding our rhythm. There is a pressure to not screw up on television since we are live, but I think it helped us a lot that we started with radio.

Hutchinson-Chappius: It’s all such a learning curve. Trying to figure out how to record and do audio and sound was so hard at first. Now, the move to television is just crazy. There is no editing with television, so it’s been both hilarious and humiliating, haha! We have to be visually stimulating, where we only had to be entertaining-sounding before. We’ve been hidden behind microphones for months and now our faces are plastered everywhere.

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5. What can listeners/viewers expect from the show?

Langlois: Just funny, unfiltered us. We want to put it out there that not everyone on television or radio is perfect. We do mess up. We do fight with each other. We aren’t aiming or striving to be perfect, we just want everyone to have fun and enjoy it.

Mentel: Silliness with a hint of seriousness. Friends having fun and distracting you from everyday life.

Myers: Authenticity is the word. What you see is what you get.

Hutchinson-Chappius: Definitely entertainment, but we want to be more than a talk show. We want to be informative and show our love for our community. I want people to turn off their television with the warm fuzzies.

6. Your show is relaxed and fun. Do you think not taking yourself too seriously has helped to make the show successful?

Hutchinson-Chappius: I do. I think there are a lot of really serious people doing really important things. But that market is taken and I don’t want it. I feel like with everything that I do, I am just a very chill person. I have a big personality and I like to be comfortable. I think that allows people to be on our level. We want to be real. Being a chilled show allows people to relax and take it all in.

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7. Kelli, do you think your background in pageants helps with hosting the show?

Yes! My husband and I have been together for 10 years. He has seen me at my best and worst. At my worst, I said I was going to lose 100 pounds and become Miss Louisiana. I lost the weight and went to this pageant. The director asked what my talent was, and I decided to make it public speaking. I started going around town to halfway houses and churches to practice, and I realized that I loved it. My target was young women, and I was talking about things like body image, weight loss and rape. It helped me learn how to talk to people in a way that builds them up. I enjoy touching people’s hearts, and I have struggled with the things I talk about, but that is part of my healing. Talking about those things helped me gain the confidence to put myself on larger and larger platforms. Without every kick in the face, I wouldn’t have had all of those ways to connect with others.

8. How do you think the show adds “glitter” to people’s days?

Langlois: The glitter is the funny and the uplifting. It’s us messing up but owning up to it and keeping it in the show so you can laugh at us and with us. You never know what people are going through, and I love thinking that this show might be what some people look forward to in their week.

Mentel: I think it’s people being able to turn their lives off for an hour and turn funny and crazy life on. The glitter is the distraction and the reasons to laugh.

Myers: It’s kind of like how the only things I watch on television are documentaries and news. But sometimes I throw in something like Desperate Housewives. Sometimes you just need something less serious, a little nonsense.

Hutchinson-Chappius: The glitter is motivational. It’s the part that makes you feel good. It’s the stories that touch you. It’s the underdogs. The glitter is getting there and it’s the heart of the show.

9. Where do you see the show going next?

Hutchinson-Chappius: I would love for our show to stay here for a while and let us perfect our craft. Then we go national. Being on a major network isn’t unreachable, but we aren’t ready yet.

10. What is the biggest thing you hope to accomplish with your growing platform?

Hutchinson-Chappius: I definitely want to reach out to more women–females that are entrepreneurs and that have big dreams. I am all about reaching goals and dreams. I have three daughters and I want them to see me going as high as I can so they can see me reaching all my goals. We are a girl power show first and foremost. After all, we are the first all-female talk show in Louisiana.

To listen, watch and learn more about the show, visit glitterandgossipshow.com.