Take the Elevator
This podcast is purely about elevating people through individual life stories and experiences in the Elevator. In the Elevator, what's key is maybe changing your perspective; having self-actualization; embracing your purpose; and acting on it as we grow from one another. There is a whole different point of view when you look up to elevate.
Take the Elevator
323rd Floor: Weaving with Life's Twists and Turns
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When our dear Tallulah faced a brush with danger, our hearts raced and our world stood still. Join us as we recount the twists and turns of navigating a pet's injury and the tumult of emotions that come with it. Our story doesn't end at the vet's office, though; it's also the launchpad for a discussion on the 'art of the crossover'. You'll hear all about a personal leap from the structured world of learning and development into the whimsical realm of children's literature co-authorship. It's a tale of unexpected joys, new challenges, and the thrill of tapping into long-dormant dreams.
This episode is a tapestry of insights, weaving through the lighthearted yet demanding world of social media management, to the craft of character creation and the finesse required to navigate multiple artistic roles. We don't just talk shop; we explore the vibrant landscape where creativity meets strategy, and how that translates into cultivating a nurturing space for children and families to bond, create, and grow. Ideal for parents, creatives, and anyone looking to infuse a little more color into their professional lives, this episode promises to be a heartfelt and enriching experience.
Look up, and let's elevate!
hey, it's jen the builder and the cory and we're on take the elevator and if you follow us consistently, you're probably like where the heck do they?
Speaker 2go. Oh so let me tell you where we went and tell you how sometimes we just get a little sidetracked, and this one was not. Um, let me say it like this. This one was a little bit more traumatic than any of the other sidetrackings. So a couple of weeks ago we were going somewhere I can't remember exactly where we were going and as we walked outside to let the dogs in, our youngest dog, our baby dog Tallulah, was walking very strange and it freaked me out because I was thinking to myself what is she doing and why is she walking like that, and to our dismay. Jen, do you want to pick up the story from there?
Speaker 1uh, yeah, uh. So to this day, to our dismay, to this day, we don't know what really happened I think we speculate that she tried to get out on the golf course, got out, was either attacked by a coyote, probably not another dog on the golf course but something yeah um, and then, or she was trying to get back in, because she does that she gets on the golf course, plays and then comes back, like she got caught under the gate or the fence, which is what we thought.
Speaker 1But the vet saw a bite mark. Yeah, so yeah. And our little Delula? Oh my God. So we didn't know what was going to happen.
Speaker 2Yeah, we were very scared and it was freaky seeing your dog bleeding and in that torn up Right and yeah, and in so much pain.
Speaker 1So we took her to the vet and the reality of because this is what the vet said the bite by her throat, if it's punctured too deep and it interferes with her breathing, then we're gonna have to make the decision. He leaves to do the x-ray and the kids are grown, adult children are like what do you mean by make the decision?
Speaker 2yeah man.
Speaker 1So you know that kind of way where you have to have that talk. And yet I said you know he, she's gonna be fine, she's breathing just fine, it's not labored I. I feel good about this, but the thought of putting talula down for something like that was really really sad.
Speaker 2Yeah, when you have a fur baby that you have grown very much so attached to, I get it now. I didn't understand it completely before when people would lose animals and the emotional roller coaster that they would be on, but I really do understand it now and I'm going to report the most positive good news she is so much better, she's completely healed. And when oh, let me clear something up because you did say something, I'm sure somebody listening is going to say Tallulah goes on the golf course and plays.
Speaker 2She does not play golf, she just goes. Oh no, she runs around on the golf course yeah, and she's like, oh, that's my playground, and then she comes back but yeah, she's doing much better and we are doing much better in a much better space, and so that was part of the reason why we had to take some pauses.
Speaker 1And then and she was- two weeks, right with her um staples in with the cone of shame, and so it was hard to see her, you know, and she's healing, it's all itchy. And I just thought, man, like our dogs are so reliant on us to take care of them and and be able to figure out what's wrong with them.
Speaker 2And, yeah, I just I fell in love with them all over again all over again, but I had to share that part and I just really wanted to get in there some a good topic. Jen, this was something that you actually crafted and you threw it out at me, excuse me, and I thought to myself that is a phenomenal topic let's go with this, let's do wonder which one you're talking about.
Speaker 2So I said, jen, tell me about the art of the crossover. Now, if you're a basketball fan, you know the crossover is what gets people tripped up, and there's a term that happens. When you get crossed up, they say your ankles were broken, and so in the same way excuse me we're talking about being able to go from one skill set, specialty into another skill set and quite possibly another specialty. Tell me about your cross-up, jan, and how that's been implemented in your life and in your work.
Speaker 1So I'm really thinking about the crossover we're talking about, and I remember now what we said in passing so this is going from let's see a learning and development manager who does write. I write content, I design and develop, and then I deliver, implement the thing Right, and that's been fun, and I also write sometimes as a blogger and in my journal, avid writer. The crossover is going from that into being a co-writer for a children's book and there you have it. Yeah, and I'm gonna say this and I don't play basketball, so I'm gonna go more with a road map and I'm gonna say it's been a highway to happiness. Um, it's been quite the road trip and you know, for those who know me know, I love a good road trip, so I can associate a lot of things with that.
Speaker 1So, um, the destination of being a co-writer of the book was something we mentioned, not anything that I thought was actually going to be a thing. I thought, okay, I'm on a road trip, we're taking a pit stop and just thinking, oh, what do you think about this? And that's not really. You know where it's going. So how has it been?
Speaker 1I am smiling, right now because it's like, wow, that's something that I've always wanted to do was write a book that would get published, and I never thought it was going to be a children's book co-written with you.
Speaker 2You know that kind of way. No, I, you know that kind of way. No, I definitely know that kind of way, and I just wanted to kind of pause on that for a second before I get into my cross, uh, cross up, crossover scenario. Um, jen is a phenomenal writer, first and foremost, and then second to that, she's, um, she has the ability to imagine much more than I thought she, she, uh, could. Um, I typically have the very vivid outlandish over the top imagination. I got a chance to see just how active her imagination is and how over the top it can be, and it's pretty shocking. And so I think, personally not just because I'm involved and she's involved, I think because once I read it, it's probably no, I'm going to say it it's definitely the best book to date.
Speaker 2And if anyone is following us, you know that Oswald the Wise Old Owl is coming out very soon. And then the next book in the series is Sheriff Slinky Snake, and that's the one Jen is featured in as a co-writer. And so a lot of people may be thinking to themselves wow, they're putting a lot of content out, they're writing a lot of books and they're really, you know, getting ahead of themselves. But I was told that this is what we need to do and should do. When we're, you know, getting ready to pretty much put together an entire package is just continuously talk about it. So people are aware of what's happening and what's being built, what's happening and what's being built. But, jen, kudos to you and congratulations. I hope you truly understand the magnitude of what this means.
Speaker 1Oh for sure I do. What's funny about the whole thing is when you're with someone every day or you're in the thick of things. However, you look at this and you're so in it of things. However you, you know, look at this and you're so in it, you don't see it. So I always wanted to be a writer and I thought, oh, it's all right, I'll just publish a couple of blogs here and there, no biggie, um. And then to think of co-writing with you, and that being the route on this road trip has been amazing. And you know what, cory, honestly, I'm glad that you got to see that side of me, because here's the thing in the career that I'm in, and then what I do for business, right coaching and things like that. It doesn't lend itself to how I have functioned on the right side of my brain. So I am very playful, very imaginative and creative, and it's been years since I've been able to do it to that level. I think the last time, honestly, was when we worked with a youth group.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1Or when I was constantly in music, right, and so having this come back has been so much fun, and I just want to say that notes on our iphones have been the best tool for us, because that's how we wrote this book together, right where you, you set the groundwork for this book and then I was able to read it and then it was seriously a collaboration chiming in, and, because it's your book originally, you were able to bring to life and stay true to form on the way the dialogue took place with the characters, and I'm just going to say this. I said, corey, do you really want me to write this? Because I really feel like it's turning into a nove novella or it's got a little bit of drama. And what I love about reading the book now, which hasn't been published yet, because this one's coming out towards the end of the year, right um is that first, I'm like, oh my god, I got to co-write a book with my husband for a series that I absolutely adore, and the characters have come to life.
Speaker 1In fact, my favorite person that read the book outside of you is our son-in-law, john, and remember that we were on a road trip. Speaking of road trips, how funny. We were on this little road trip and you handed him your phone and we asked him to read it and, on the spot, of course, being a teacher and just so wonderful with English language and very playful and creative with his own voices and characters and stuff, brought that book to life at another level. And I thought, if someone can read this book without any premise, without any kind of forward, and just go into the book and bring the characters to life that way, I just thought wow. And then the feedback him and Kayla gave us. Oh, I love when people know how to give feedback like that.
Speaker 2Yeah, and I've been told that that's a very good way to get your book to the next level is by having people read it, by having the conversations, by having the feedback telling you what they liked, what they didn't like, how they felt about something, and so, yeah, that was one of those moments that you know although I'm a little bit in my own self when I think about this. So I thought it was already good, but once I heard it read with that kind of emotion, I was just floored. And again, you have to remember, I haven't written with you. I've never written with Jen in this context. So seeing her work combined with mine was so exciting and it just allowed me to really get comfortable, because I'm very leery most of the time of working with people in writing circum. You know situations. I've written with kayla um and I've written with a couple of songwriters, but in this way, I was nervous, I was, I was literally shaking like, oh, what's gonna happen? And then it just came together so beautifully it really did.
Speaker 1It really did. I hope I get to write more books with you. I hope that's the plan oh that's a must.
Speaker 1Um, that's a must, and I just love it because, you know, with a road trip, time means everything, and it just reminded me that the dream is there, there's a seed planted, a hope, and you don't know it's gonna happen. You don't know how it's gonna, how you're gonna get there, but I pay attention to what I usually call the signs, but the landmarks along the way, absolutely so, as the desire grows, as the interest grows, and it's like wait a minute.
Speaker 1This whole time I was supposed to work with my husband on this like I didn't know that's how that was supposed to happen yeah and so, and your support through it was amazing, and so what are we? What am I saying to people who are listening, um, about this? Is that I know you're going to share your story too. Uh, for me it was. I wasn't afraid of the crossover. I was very excited, um, because I knew that this crossover meant more trips, just like it, um, in the world of co-writing, and I'm excited for what happens next.
Social Media and the Furry Forest
Speaker 2And you know what I'm even more excited about? Because I know for a fact and this is about to shock some people, so brace yourself I know for a fact that there were individuals that thought that you were kind of coaching and secretively writing the book before. Isn't that funny, yeah, and so now they'll get to see your writing style versus my writing style and they'll get a chance to see what this was really about?
Speaker 1What do you think the difference is in our writing style?
Speaker 2I think you go a little deeper in detail. I think you you paint a slightly more colorful picture the character of the character, and, and and that's something that I'm learning from and I appreciate that.
Speaker 1Nice, thank you.
Speaker 2Yeah. So as far as me and my crossover, I've been born and raised to be a crossover and that's not a brag, that's just the truth. Usually I like to play the six man man. If you don't know what the six man is, uh, there's typically five players on the basketball court and then they have one guy that comes in off the bench and he can typically play flex in all the other, in all the positions yeah.
Speaker 2So I've been that guy. They needed someone to sing I sing. They needed someone to play I play. They need somebody to write I write. Somebody to act I act. You know, it's just one of those things, and it's not that I'm that gifted or that talented. I've just been around the arts and the entertainment world so long. I had an opportunity to study, and not in school, but in the school of hard knocks. So you just sit and you watch and you see how people prepare for these things and how they, you know, present, and then you just can't bear. It's not necessary to remember word for word, just the key parts of the script, and then you go from there.
Speaker 1And that's entertainment. Oh, that's a great tip.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, so that that's been my, my crossover specialty and, of course, you know, working hard in any nine to five is always something that I've tried to do. Um, that's just. You know who we were made to be. I think it was our generation, though, jen, if I'm being honest, we, we just wanted to work and get paid and do things ourselves, you know and grow up, and grow faster than we had to yeah very different from some others yeah, exactly, so I don't know if I missed it.
Speaker 1I'm sorry if I did what was your most recent crossover then?
Speaker 2um, my most recent crossover was and is, um, I don't know. I I've tried to think about what it would be, but I've been exposed to a lot of things lately, so, uh, oh, I know this whole social media thing is kicking my butt and if if I'm crossing over in anything, it's learning social media. And if anyone out there is listening and saying, I know exactly what you do, you know exactly what I'm going through when you talk about trying to perfect and master social media. It's algorithms, it's numbers, it's analytics, it's all this stuff that just drives you bonkers. But I'm not complaining, I'm just telling the truth and putting it out there. So that's been my latest crossover from all the other things I've been involved in and doing.
Speaker 1Yeah. So let me give a tip on the social media thing. Sure, if I may, because we are in no way experts, no way. We're actually learners. So if you're trying to learn the thing, I don't mind sharing with you, but please note, it's only been a day or two into it, so we have no results to report Exactly. So remember, I talked about using notes. And so here's the thing when something works for you, keep using it, yeah. And so here's the thing when something works for you keep using it, yeah, right.
Speaker 1And so I know what notes did for us as far as co-writing and the collaboration. So, corey's like man, I know I need to do social media. It's pretty necessary for the different work that I do and I just don't want to go into dreading it every day, like that would suck, to do something every day that you absolutely cannot stand to do. So here I am, in my left side of the brain. I said, okay, well, you know, you and I, corey, have a coach. We just started with a coach for both of us for the music stuff, and it's been really insightful. So one of the things that she shared was you know, you post whatever you decide. It is once a day, two to three times a week. Theme it make it fun. And I thought, yeah, we're going to make this fun. So Corey and I created different topics, with the hashtags even and what the themes were going to be.
Speaker 1And now Corey goes into notes, plugs in, he commits to one post in notes in three categories once a week. That's it. I go in there like the good woman that I am. I go in there and I'll do like. Just a restructuring of the sentence. Um, run it through things like grammarly and see if they have a better option or whatever, and I'll put the final copy of the post in the notes. Corey goes in and says, okay, I'm posting whatever day is Monday, wednesday, friday let's say, let me see the date. Oh, here's Monday, copy paste done. But you, corey, find the picture to go with it and we're going to start creating reels and everything. And's the thing, right, about a road trip. You've got to experiment. Sometimes you're going to get lost. You're going to understand there's going to be some delays because you're figuring it out. Um, and that's what we're doing, right?
Speaker 2now. And you know what made it fun for me? Uh, the way we set it up with notes and writing in there and all that kind of stuff, it made it a lot like storyboarding. Yes, we like storyboarding yeah, I love storyboarding. So I was like, oh yeah, I can put this here. Yeah, and oh, this is where I say this and so it just made it a little bit more exciting and interactive for me, which makes social media a little bit less daunting.
Speaker 1Yeah, so I'm glad you have done it. The thing is is, I don't know if we were wrong for doing this, but we have quite a bit of social media as far as pages for the different things, yeah, so let's run that down.
Speaker 2We have Jen the builder. We have take the elevator. We have the Jenco sound company. I have my fuzzy furry forest fuzzy furry forest, a shameless band, and if that's not enough, we got a couple of more. And so it's just like man, we got to post for all this stuff.
Speaker 1Yeah that that might have been a learn right, like how many different things should we have here, but you know it is what it is and I've just learned to. Okay, maybe we don't post every day here, but anyways, I am gonna put a plug in here. Uh, the fuzzy furry forest. Oh, I can't wait to talk about this. Actually, we're talking about other things regarding the forest All things fuzzy furry forest.
Speaker 1So, if I hadn't said it before, the fuzzy furry forest is a place where all these creatures come together with all their different personalities, talents, their abilities and just coming as who they are. And there's going to be some issues because it happens in community, and sometimes there's ethical issues, moral issues, and the question is is like, what are they going to do? And once they've done it, how do they move forward? Right, so the forest itself itself represents a space of belonging and inclusivity, and I'm I just love it because they're all so different yeah and um, yeah, so the website's up.
Speaker 2Good job, cory, it looks amazing I got a book trailer out right now yes, looks so good.
Speaker 2It's on the fuzzy furry forestcom and it's also on fuzzy furry forest youtube channel, which I am uh launching as we speak. Uh, there will be some book readings on there, there will be some interviews on there, there will be some really fun things. Some exciting things are coming for the fuzzy furry forest series and, uh, this wasn't supposed to be solely about the Fuzzy Furry Forest, but it's playing such a huge role in our lives right now we just can't help but talk about it a little bit.
Speaker 1And everyone. There's a song for Ruffles. Check out the video If you're not already following on Instagram. The handle is what exactly? Corey forest? No hashtag, I mean no, um. What are those called the lines?
Speaker 2all the underscores, yeah, all that kind of stuff. Well, if you go fuzzy furry forest, oh they'll find it.
Safe Community for Kids
Speaker 1Yeah, so please, please, follow. Uh, there's gonna be posts every other day. We going to have contests and things like that. It's going to be fun and if you follow, guess what? And your kids, they become the fuzzy furry forest friend. Yeah, and there's different things like art contests, raffles, um, there's questions to engage them. Like I love the one that's coming up that has a question and Like I love the one that's coming up that has a question, and so it's a character spotlight, and then it asks you the question about your kids. And we're just trying to create a space of community for kids to feel safe and be who they are.
Speaker 2A comfortable space for's safe and everyone feels like this is something that they can be involved in. We don't play the funny business and the strange things that happen in society. You know, I don't want to have, you know, questions asked just between kids and adults. I love for parents to be involved. I love for kids to have their parents present so that they can ask their parents hey, what does this mean, what does that mean, how do you go about doing this or that? So, yeah, it's just a very safe space and I wanted to make that clear.
Speaker 1Beautifully said. Well, it's just a very safe space. I wanted to make that clear Beautifully said Well it's so good to spend time with you today. We hope that wherever you at, you're safe and that you're having an awesome day and that you're elevating because you know wants to take the elevator. We say look up and let's elevate Every day, elevate and let's elevate.
