Olivia Ponton is launching a new era for her book podcast — and as part of that, the influencer and model is looking to recast the blonde stereotype to show that someone can be both obsessed with fashion and beauty as well as intellectually curious.

Ponton is renaming the show from “Booked & Busy” to “Booked, Blonde & Busy” for Season 2, which launches Monday (June 1). It will be available on all major podcast platforms including Spotify, YouTube and Apple Podcasts. She says that while books remain the anchor of the show, the new season expands beyond traditional author interviews, encompassing conversations with her friends, people she admires and industry “it-girls” — all of whom happen to be book lovers.

According to Ponton, the structure of the new season is built around creating a larger cultural conversation around books. Every month, “Booked, Blonde & Busy” will spotlight one book or series as the central theme, with one episode featuring the author themselves and the others featuring guests from the “atmosphere” of that world, whether that’s a beloved reader, role model, industry personality or close friend of Ponton’s who deeply connects to the story.

The rebrand of Ponton’s podcast to “Booked, Blonde & Busy” embraces the blonde stereotype in a self-aware, “playful” way, she says, to reframe it with the idea that identity can be multifaceted.

“I wanted ‘Booked, Blonde & Busy’ to feel more like where I’m actually at right now: someone who loves reading, but is also really into beauty, fashion and those more feminine, lifestyle spaces, while still craving more meaningful conversations,” she tells Variety. “This season feels more personal and a lot more layered… It’s still rooted in books, but it’s also about the people, conversations and ideas that sit around them — and I’m really excited for everyone to see that side of it!”

The first book featured in Season 2 of the podcast is “Sex and the City.” In the premiere episode, Ponton talks with Danish model Josephine Skriver, centered around life in New York City and the cultural phenomenon behind “Sex and the City.” The next episode will feature Candace Bushnell herself, author of the “Sex and the City” book series that became the basis for the hit HBO show.

Ponton (who turns 24 on May 30) rose to fame on TikTok and Instagram and through her work with brands like Burberry, Tory Burch, Ralph Lauren, Victoria’s Secret and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She has more than 10 million followers on social media, including 7.5 million on TikTok and 2.8 million on Instagram.

The biggest misconception people have of her, Ponton says, is that they “feel like they fully know me from social media, when really they’re only seeing small, curated pieces of my life. The podcast gives me space to be a lot more open and thoughtful, and show a side of me that isn’t always visible online. I’m still figuring things out like everyone else, and I think this season really reflects that in a very real, relatable way.”

Since its October 2025 launch, Ponton’s “Booked and Busy” has featured deep dives into books including Rebecca Yarros’s “Fourth Wing” and Kiera Cass’s “The Selection.” She also hosted special guest Alex Aster (bestselling author of YA romantasy series “Lightlark” and middle-grade fantasy series “Emblem Island”), who unpacked world-building, fan theories and enduring reader questions.