Podcaster Sofia Franklyn Gets Real About Everything from Her Morning Routine to Dating in Candid Interview (Exclusive)

Sofia Franklyn is no stranger to navigating life in the spotlight. 

Franklyn, 31, is known for her quick quips, not-so-kosher dating advice and, of course, her podcasting. Host of the Sofia with an F podcast — which has brought on guests such as Abby Lee Miller, Kenan Thompson and Amber Rose — she got her start on Call Her Daddy, where she co-hosted with Alex Cooper from 2018 to 2020.

The Utah-born entrepreneur has built her podcast from the ground up, where, in addition to celebrity guests, she spills details about her life and gives unfiltered big-sisterly advice. 

Franklyn sat down with PEOPLE to talk about all things beauty, wellness, dating and even what to do when you find yourself in a sticky public situation. 

PEOPLE: Let's start by talking about your morning wellness routine. What time do you wake up? And do you set an alarm?

SF: It could range from 6 in the morning or 5, and not on purpose, but just because I can't fall back asleep, to 10-something, which I don't like. I try to do 9 a.m., but things can get a little wonky.

And I sleep with nightshades, so there's no way the sun would not wake me up. I would just be out without an alarm.

Can you walk us through your morning routine?

SF: My morning routine is extremely important to me. Everyone who knows me knows that needs to happen first thing in the morning, or we're in trouble. So the first thing I do, depending on how tired I am — or if I'm okay, if I slept a full seven hours — I’ll meditate, and I'll use the Waking Up app just in my bed. I make sure to not look at my phone. Obviously I look at it to put the app on, but I won't look at texts or calls or emails or anything. So I'll meditate. If I'm way, way, way too tired, I will crawl into my kitchen, make a cup of coffee, go back to bed, drink it, and then I'll meditate. So sometimes those things will get flip-flopped. Then I will do — this is going to sound really funny — vocal exercises.

What do you do next once you get out of bed?

SF: And then I will make sure to get 15 minutes of body movement. Usually it's Pilates, unless I'm working out with my personal trainer. I will also make myself a glass of Athletic Greens. They're not sponsoring me. I don't know if they work yet. I think they do.

I then make my bed — that is huge. I used to never make my bed. I never thought it was a big deal. And now I think it is a very big deal.

What’s your beauty routine in the morning like? 

SF: I actually will only wash my face with warm water. I won't use any products. I do that at night and the morning. I like to keep it pretty simple. I just discovered hyaluronic acid serum, which people knew 20 years ago and have been talking about, and toner. I'm not even joking, I just started incorporating those two things in the past few weeks. So I will put that on. And then either oil or lotion, or every few days, a self-tanner. I wish I could wear my hair down, but it just doesn't work out for me. I got a haircut — that's my Roman empire that ruined my life in 2023.

What do you think of the 5-9 before 9-5 trend on social media?

SF: If the sun is not out, I do not believe that you should be awake. That's my take. Unless you're a night-shift worker, your morning routine needs to be somewhat simple and manageable. Spending four hours in the morning on that? No, three of those hours should be spent on something else that you're passionate about.

What do you think of pressure from TikTok to achieve a perfect wellness routine?

SF: I like it as inspo. I just think everyone, especially young, impressionable girls, need to keep in mind what real life is, and it doesn't always look like that — and to just take pieces of what you like and use 'em. 

Last year, you had a viral clip talking about checking men’s bank account numbers on a first date. Can you give more insight on that unique dating stance?

SF: That will follow me for the rest of my life. When I tell you I was working out at the gym two days ago, and a random person came up to me to talk to me about specifically that. I do want to give it a little bit of context. I don't see anything wrong with it. I will say, I ask it in a certain tone — I'm laughing. So if they are like, “You're obviously joking,” then I'll be laughing, “No, I'm not,” so that I don't 100 percent freak them out, but it will open conversation. I'll be like, “Well, why not? What are you hiding?”

Have any men asked you to show your bank account after you asked them?

SF: I've had a couple, and I say no. And the reason why is because I know the reason they are on a date with me is for just as superficial of a reason, which is the way I look. Or if they wanted clout, which, it wouldn't be that much clout, but, I don't know.

But neither of those things are bad. They're surface level. You need to be attracted to someone, and you need to know the financials that someone else is working with.

Speaking of looking for a relationship, you said on your podcast that you are done with the “shadiness” in dating — that has been part of your brand — and are ready for a long-term, committed relationship. Can you explain more about that?

SF: Coming from someone like me, because my brand and genuinely who I have been as a human, has been not really a romantic in terms of commitment — always one foot in, one foot out, never really gave myself to someone, a little bit of this man-eater slash men ain't s--- vibe. And now that I'm older, I regret some of the things I've done in the past, the shady things. And I want a real relationship. I do believe that good guys exist, which that coming out of my mouth is like, "Wait, what?" I am ready for a real committed relationship, and I do want kids — not right now, but I have to start thinking about it. 

Has that revelation changed how men approach dating you? Are they sliding into your DMs?

SF: It's always been there. I'm not sure if there's been this influx after my comment. Maybe a little bit. I think it's less overtly sexual comments, and maybe I'm getting a little more, “Can I be your boyfriend?” comments, which is really nice and great.

Would you date someone who slid into your DMs?

SF: If whatever they wrote in their DM and their profile — if both of those things I found interesting — then yes. 

I also need to Google them, see what we're actually working with, and then we can go from there.

What are red flags on a man's Instagram profile?

SF: Their profile picture with another girl, that s--- happens all the time. I'm like, “What world are we living in?” If they have pictures of just their car, no, we don't need to see that. Unless they're a car salesman, then maybe I would give them a break. I know this is going to be bad, but any quote. I don't care if it's a Bible quote. I don't care if it's a movie quote. I don't care if it's a Winston Churchill quote. It's totally cringe. You just can't do it.

On your podcast, you speak your mind freely. You recently had the situation where you brought on a guess you had said unkind things about previously. How do you navigate that scenario?

SF: I will bring it up. That would be just so awkward and not true to the brand and just not real if I were to just pretend like, "Oh, that never happened." I address it right away and I like to talk things out. And I like a little debate on the show. Granted, usually it's something I said that requires no debate, just an apology on my end, and I will give that to whatever person right away. 

You’ve navigated many situations during your time on the internet — do you have any advice for getting through a public feud?

SF: I would say public apologies rarely work in your favor. Even if you have the best intentions, people will say, "You weren't sad enough, she made this comment." They will just pick it apart. I think that you should talk to that person directly and apologize to them. And just speak from the heart, but know that any apology video you put out there will get negative feedback to some degree. 

As one of the O.G. podcasters and someone who’s blazed her own trail in the industry — what’s your advice to anyone who’s thinking about starting a podcast?

SF: Be really excited about what you're talking about, and don't worry so much about, "Well, everyone's talking about dating." If that's something that you feel you know a lot about or like to talk about, go for it. And the great thing about podcasting is in the early stages, the overhead is so low. Buy a Zoom recorder; buy a mic. Voilà.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.