Drew Afualos message is loud, just the way she likes it.
But theTikTok star,podcast hostand author is quiet as she slides into the booth next to me.
Im meeting her for breakfast at Zaytinya, a sun-drenched mediterranean spot inside the Ritz in New York City.
Im one of three kids, and Im in the middle, she says.
In a way, we are.
Right away, I tell her, we have to start from thetippy-top.
OK, Im ready.
My dad had a run with the Arizona cardinals says Afualo, who describes Samoan culture as extremely matriarchal.
(Her mothers job as a public relations executive is testament to that.)
My mom was kind of single-mom in a lot of ways after my dad got drafted.
After football, my dad never had too big of an ego to do any job.
He was a mover, a bouncer, a personal trainer, an IT guy.
It ended up being a blessing in disguise, she says.
Within six months, shed gained a million followers.
InLoud, readers get to know Afualo on a whole new level.
You may wonder, How does this book about bad men jive with the men in her life?
Like her father and brother, with whom shes very close, and her boyfriend of seven years?
I wouldnt say Imanti-man.Im jutanti-terrible man, she says.
Why are we so afraid to say something like, Yeah, theyre all awful?
They dont care about saying sh*t about us [as women].
She continues, Women are constantly prioritizing mens feelings and worried about what they think.
Are men ever worried about how we feel?
I laugh, and Afualo cracks her million dollar smile, glossy lips stretching from ear to ear.
Theres this saying thats like, not all men, but somehowalwaysa man.
Afualo takes a bite of oatmeal as I check the time.
She has to go, lest she miss her flight back to Los Angeles.
Writing this book was therapeutic, she says before heading to meet her Uber driver.
