We've got an awesome guest with us today, Hannah Gullo, who's not only a flight attendant on private jets but also the person behind some seriously delicious macro friendly protein balls.
We're diving deep into Hannah's journey, from spending her days in the air to her venture into the world of fitness entrepreneurship. She’s got quite a resume. Spilling the tea about all the ups and downs, giving us a real peek behind the curtain of her life and what it’s like to work on private jets while starting her own businesses.
We are talking self-care, fitness goals, and finding your own version of success. Hannah's story is all about embracing change and rolling with the punches and how we are all just on this journey in life.
Grab your favorite snack, bonus if it’s a tasty protein ball from Hannah’s amazing company, Dat Health Dough, and settle let’s chat mental health, starting business adventures, and how fitness plays a role in keep you sane through life's ups and downs.
Connect with Hannah on Instagram @gains.and.planes
Connect with Sam on Instagram or TikTok
We've got an awesome guest with us today, Hannah Gullo, who's not only a flight attendant on private jets but also the person behind some seriously delicious macro friendly protein balls.
We're diving deep into Hannah's journey, from spending her days in the air to her venture into the world of fitness entrepreneurship. She’s got quite a resume. Spilling the tea about all the ups and downs, giving us a real peek behind the curtain of her life and what it’s like to work on private jets while starting her own businesses.
We are talking self-care, fitness goals, and finding your own version of success. Hannah's story is all about embracing change and rolling with the punches and how we are all just on this journey in life.
Grab your favorite snack, bonus if it’s a tasty protein ball from Hannah’s amazing company, Dat Health Dough, and settle let’s chat mental health, starting business adventures, and how fitness plays a role in keep you sane through life's ups and downs.
Connect with Hannah on Instagram @gains.and.planes
Connect with Sam on Instagram or TikTok
The culture is very like, everyone wants you to get married young and have kids young and you know, like it's very, it's intimidating because I feel like we were lied to. We were led to believe that you should have, your, Crap together in your 20s, and I'm like I'm almost out of my 20s And I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up listen I'm 39, and I'm like is this what I'm gonna do forever.
Yeah, yeah, scary It's so scary like my resume is freaking 10 pages long
why am I getting this degree? If I don't know what I'm going to do with it. And it's costing me thousands of dollars out of my own pocket, to get through this and I was like, I just don't know if that's, if that's what I want to do. I think the real big issue would be going through life doing something that you absolutely hate.
Yeah. I mean, I've done a lot of stuff and I still don't know what I want to be. I think that's a great thing about being human though, is we're supposed to have the human experience, but our minds, or I would say like elementary school and just what's projected, on the media and things is you're supposed to pick a career, build yourself up and do that.
And what happens is like, I thought you were like, I want to be a cop. And then you found out that that was the worst thing in the entire world. I'll be honest with you. I never wanted to be a cop. I did it on a whim. I was like, well, I don't want to wash cars anymore.
I would look at people who were doing the same thing for 30, 40, 50 years and I was like, I That's actually terrifying to me and I'm not sure if that's kind of what Projected all of this, but I mean I just like well I guess I'll try this for a couple years and see if I like it and if I don't like I'm not boxed into it
I think everyone has a different idea of success, I guess Well, success is whatever you want it to be. And the problem with the projection of success is, you know, you see the girls who have the bags and I'm like, Oh, well, once I have the bag up, that'll make me successful or you see, you know, the house or the pool or whatever it is that you're comparing to.
And what we don't realize is that we each get to write our own version of what success looks like.
working out saves. It's a lot of people's lives. No, it's the only thing I do for my mental health.
Yeah. I do a lot of things for my mental health. But yeah. But a lot of people think it's like, Oh yeah, you're just going to look a certain way. I'm like, that may have been the case starting out. , you want to like look a certain way, but like once you're in it, like I noticed, you started running like runners get this high people who become bodybuilders or like like you get this euphoric high from it and on the days when you don't get that euphoric high. It's the only thing that gets you out of bed sometimes
the reason you don't have the energy to work out is because you don't work out. Yeah. So like the second you start forcing yourself to do it, you're like, Oh my gosh, I actually want to do this now. Clearly, you're not getting the results you want by yourself, just ask someone for help.
Welcome to the podcast. Thank you. I'm excited to have you here. Thanks. I'm so excited to be here. All right, Hannah, welcome to the Samantha Parker show. Thank you. This is where we have cool music.
Yeah, I'm sorry. All right, Hannah, so tell me your whole name. Hannah, like my middle name. Yeah, what's your name? Hannah Grace Gullo. I wish you had a middle name. I never got one. Did you really not? No, I got ripped off. We're gonna send a memo to my mom after this. We'll just give you a few like cool ones.
Like we'll just give you some. Yeah, I like some Hypoparva though. It's a good name. It fits. It sounds, it sounds like What it should be like. This sounds like a good podcast. I know. Okay, so you are a flight attendant, but you're also super into fitness and then you have this really cool company. So tell me like a little rundown about yourself.
Okay. I was, , I was telling Jen earlier , my resume is pretty, pretty intense for somebody. I feel like it's pretty intense for somebody that's not 30 years old yet. Right now, , like you said, I, I am a flight attendant for a charter company. I got like, what does that entail? So, you know, like they have a typical like airline.
So like you have, Delta, United, American, well charter is kind of like, I mean, I kind of jokingly refer to it as like the redheaded stepchild of the company, but, it's actually a little bit more high end. So it's not typically, it's private flights, right? Yeah. Yeah. So you like rent the plane.
Like if you wanted to go like on a bachelorette, like trip or, we do a lot of sports teams. So we'll do like soccer teams, baseball teams. We do a lot of basketball teams, volleyball teams. I did like a gymnastics team a couple of weeks ago. So right now we are trying to branch. do we want to do a international, but it's like the company is so new.
So this company is like only a year old. Where do you fly out of? So I I'm based in St. George. So that's one of the really good things about this company is that I don't have to. Commute so a lot with like all the airlines and stuff like they have to commute so that you have to like kind Of figure out your own way to get to your destination.
Yeah in my head you were going to vegas Yeah, no, I actually they deadhead me from so deadhead I don't know if you know what that term is, but i'm actually pretty new to this industry So I was never anything having to do with the airlines before so this is all very new to me as well but deadheading is when you they pay You for me to have a, an actual seat on a plane from here to wherever they need me.
And then my charter plane will be there. And then that's where we pick up our passengers and take them from point A to point B. Okay. Are you allowed to talk about your passengers? Like, have you ever flown with anyone super cool? I haven't. not that my passengers aren't cool, but like, they're all special.
Exactly. No, like nobody like famous or anything yet. At least not for myself. I've had a couple of supervisors that have had some pretty cool, like bands and musicians and stuff like that. But myself, no, I haven't. Okay. How old are you? Did you already say? I'm 28. You're 28. So you're 28. You fly these charter, I mean, you're not flying them, but you fly these charter planes.
You're super into health and fitness. And then you started this dough company. Okay. That's baller because I want you to know at 28, I hadn't even finished college yet. Well, and I had two kids and on my second marriage, honestly, that's, I mean, like, thanks for saying that, but like, it's just such a big insecurity for me, if I'm being honest, because like living in this town.
I don't know if you can feel this way or if anybody else feel this way, but like, I'm not from here. I'm from Buffalo, New York. I've lived here for 10 years and I feel like this, I don't know what word to use this age. It's ageism. Well, kind of, but it's also just like, it's relative to, for me anyway, it's relative to like this state specifically where if you look at the culture, that's a good word to use.
The culture is very like, they want you to like, everyone wants you to get married young and have kids young and you know, like it's very, it's intimidating because I mean, I don't know, like I talked to a lot of my friends about it. I'm like, I feel like we were lied to. We were led to believe that you should have, your, Crap together in your 20s, and I'm like I'm almost out of my 20s And I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up listen I'm 39, and I'm like is this what I'm gonna do forever.
Yeah, yeah, scary It's so scary like my resume is freaking 10 pages long like I've I've worked at gyms I've worked at I when I moved here. I worked at SWIG the soda shop for a few months. I was a cop I worked for TSA. I worked cars. Yeah, like did you go to the police academy and everything mm hmm? You That's awesome.
Yeah. I mean, I've done a lot of stuff and I still don't know what I want to be. I think that's a great thing about being human though, is we're supposed to have the human experience, but our minds, or I would say like elementary school and just what's projected, on the media and things is you're supposed to pick a career, build yourself up and do that.
And what happens is like, I thought you were like, I want to be a cop. And then you found out that that was the worst thing in the entire world. I mean, kind of, I'll be honest with you. I never wanted to be a cop. I did it on a whim. Okay. I did it on a whim. I was like, well, I don't want to wash cars anymore.
And I was paying to put myself through grad school. And I didn't want to go to grad school anymore. Cause I was like, what am I doing? I was like, I like, I was good at school. I did really well in school, but I was like, I don't want to be a professor. And I don't want to be like a psychiatrist or psychologist.
Now that that's bad at all. I just, it's not something I wanted to do. And so I was like, why am I getting this degree? If I don't know what I'm going to do with it. And it's costing me thousands of dollars out of my own pocket, to get through this and I was like, I just don't know if that's, if that's what I want to do.
I think the real big issue would be going through life doing something that you absolutely hate. Yeah, no, exactly. I remember thinking that as a kid. I was like, I would look at people who were doing the same thing for 30, 40, 50 years and I was like, I That's actually terrifying to me and I'm not sure if that's kind of what Projected all of this, but I mean I just like well I guess I'll try this for a couple years and see if I like it and if I don't like I'm not boxed into it Okay, you know, what's funny is I think you're sitting in here and you're like, I don't really have my shit together I don't know what I want to do.
And I was listing out these accolades because I'm like damn this girl's got it together I don't feel like that at all That's what I was saying is like it's so intimidating, but I think everyone has a different idea of success, I guess Well, success is whatever you want it to be. And the problem with the projection of success is, you know, you see the girls who have the bags and I'm like, Oh, well, once I have the bag up, that'll make me successful or you see, you know, the house or the pool or whatever it is that you're comparing to.
And what we don't realize is that we each get to write our own version of what success looks like. Yeah, exactly. Cause like I drive an old Jeep and it's my favorite thing in the whole world. I use that example all the time, but it totally is. No, I love that. I'm driving my grandma's car. My car is a 2008 Honda CRV and I love that car.
Yeah. The reason I wanted it, I mean, my grandpa, my late grandfather, he like, he kind of offered to get me a newer car. And I was like, I was a brand new driver. And I was like, no, I want grandma's car. Like grandma didn't want it. And she's like, yeah, I'll give it to you. And I know car payment. Well, like, right.
I ended up paying a little bit, something for it, but yeah, the car's paid off. It has a sunroof. I live in St. George. I was like, what more do I need? It's a Honda. It's going to outlive me. Yeah. Like, you know what I mean? Like, there's, I have no reason to be like, ungrateful for that. And so I was like, I look at some of these kids who like, go to the gyms and stuff.
I'm like, your car is worth more than my life right now. And I was like, you know what? It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. No, because that's, they're living their own version of their life. And I think that's sort of, maybe you need to, here, let's have therapy. Well, you need to take, you need to take a motherfucking step back and be like, I'm doing a damn good job.
Yeah. Thank you. I appreciate it. I appreciate it. Okay. So how'd you get into being a flight attendant that was it just like an opportunity that was offered to you? Yeah. Yeah. One of my really good friends, she was, she came from the airline side and so she's like, Hey, I think this is going to be a really good opportunity.
She knew that I wasn't particularly happy or feeling fulfilled necessarily in the job I was at. I was working for TSA at the time, just in the St. George airport. And I just didn't really see the opportunity for growth that I wanted. And so she's like, yeah, I think you should come over and do this.
And I was like, all right, cool. So I just tried it. Yeah. Yeah? Yeah, when I got the job and, yeah. Does it pay good? I'll be honest, I'm not trying to like diss the company or anything, but like it's, it's such a new company and, I thought I was going to be getting paid more than I was, at TSA.
And so it's, at this particular moment, it's kind of even across the board, but. I do have to do a couple of other things to kind of like supplement income. So it's not like fantastic, but the reason I did it was because I actually wanted to utilize it, for benefits, like flight benefits. And, I actually really wanted to see like other places in the country to see if I wanted to live somewhere else.
So have you got to go like a lot of cool places? I've, I've landed there, but I haven't really had the chance to go and like adventure. So the kind of like the way that that company works is like we Sometimes we'll get in there super late like Nashville. I've always wanted to go see Nashville. I got, I get there late and then in the morning like we got to pick up our clients and then we take them to their destination.
And so it's like, The other thing too is the pilots. They're all retired airline pilots. So like they've already done. This is not as glamorous as I was picturing. I'm like, you're not like hooking up with different guys and like living your best life. I mean like I could, I guess if I downloaded Tinder and wanted to like do it outside of like St.
George, which is the only way I would do it by the way. I feel like Tinder. I, I miss the Tinder. Like I, I got, no, no, no. Like I, I skipped it. It wasn't a part of my generation. You're lucky. You're very fortunate. Yeah. In fact, I. I met my husband in a bar when I was 22 and we had like a one night stand. It was my birthday.
Nice! Yeah, but this is where it gets good is the next day I was like you have to leave my house immediately and I remember like pushing him out of the bed. Oh my gosh. He found me on Myspace. So see, Tinder wasn't a thing. He found me on Myspace and started messaging me like non stop like, hey, could I take you on a date?
I thought we had a great and I'm like, what the fuck? Hey, you should definitely, like, appreciate the fact that he, like, went after what he wanted, because guys these days just don't. They don't. See, that's what I'm saying. I never have had the Tinder experience. Not that I want it, but, like, it just wasn't a part of, like I can proudly say I've never downloaded a dating app, and I really want to keep it that way, but I have contemplated downloading it just to do it outside of St.
George when I'm not here. I'm like, you gotta go live your best life, nobody would even know. Nobody would know, exactly. I, I think it's just how the media and like different shows like project flight attendance. Although watch me end up on some murder, yeah, exactly, murdered, disappeared in Nashville.
They'll be like, Hey, Samantha, this is your fault. Yeah, you told her to do it, but have you, do you have any like fun stories or anything fun you've done being able to travel at all? Or does it just feel like work, work, work? I hate sounding like such a Debbie Downer, but it's like, this job's just, it's, it's honestly not exactly what I thought, and I promised myself I'd stick it out, so I'm gonna stick it out for a little bit longer, and if we can get the flight benefits, that'd be great, but, like, right now, we just don't, so, like, if I can't utilize that for the way that I wanted, then it kinda just doesn't work. it doesn't really fit into my life. Yeah. And even people will be like, Oh, what you do for a living is so fun because they see me posting the fun things. And I'm like, Oh, well, you missed the phone call where I got bitched out. Cause that video didn't perform or do you know what I'm saying? You didn't see me up at 2am fixing things.
And so it's never quite what you think it is. No. And it's, I think a lot of the jobs I've had, you feel like either a glorified babysitter or glorified, yeah. server or something like that. And that's kind of what I feel like, like flight attendants don't get a lot of credit for anything. And I, like, I, I'm a part of a lot of these, like private groups on Facebook where like customers and, passengers kind of like throw a fit and you have unprofessional people in every industry.
It's not just airlines. It's not just, you know, serving. It's not just first responders. Like there's unprofessional people everywhere. And so it hurt, like it sucks to hear like people's bad experiences, but I'm like, yeah. Were you being a good passenger? Were you being a dick? Yeah, were you being a jerk?
Like, Yeah. You're lucky she didn't spit in your drink. You know what I mean? So it's like, I personally have to clean up. After a lot of the, like the passengers, like, so we do all the cleaning on the planes. We're the only flight attendants on the planes. And, it's kind of lonely. If I'm being honest, like we're just sitting there in the galley, like, like three, up to three, four, however many hours of flight is.
Flights are boring. Yeah. No, they really are. And so like, everyone's either back there sleeping or they're back there partying or doing what they're doing. And like, it all just depends on the flight. Yeah. Okay. Okay. So you have a really cool Instagram handle. Oh, thank you. What is it? Tell, tell the listeners.
Gains and planes. Gains and planes. Yeah. I actually just redid that not too long ago. Well, it's catchy. You should keep it. Thank you. so you definitely are into gains then? Yeah. No, working out. I don't want to, I don't want to sound like cliche, but like working out saves. It's a lot of people's lives. No, it's the only thing I do for my mental health.
Yeah. I do a lot of things for my mental health. But yeah. But a lot of people think it's like, Oh yeah, you're just going to look a certain way. I'm like, that may have been the case starting out. You know, you want to like look a certain way, but like once you're in it, like I noticed, you know, you started running like runners get this high people who become bodybuilders or like get into stuff like that.
Like you get this euphoric high from it and on the days when you don't get that euphoric high. It's the only thing that gets you out of bed sometimes. It is, and it's just become a very part of my life. Like, get up, go do the workout, and it's like I get to put in my headphones, I can listen to whatever I want.
Today, and my playlist is so wild. Do you have a wild playlist? Ah, honestly, I feel like I'm kind of boring. Like, some days I'll listen to country, but most of the time it's like rock, rap, like pop. I listen to country a lot. Yeah. Today though, this is where I get obscure. I'll pick, like, an obscure song.
Today I was just strictly shined down and I'm like, why am I listening to this show? Yes, I love that. That's like one of my older, older playlists. Like first gym newbie style like playlist. I love that. Yeah, where I listen to books. Yesterday I was listening to a running podcast. They had some really cool tips for running and it's my time.
Yeah. I answer messages while I do my treadmill. Mm hmm. Yep, yeah, I do a lot of my social media content, thoughts and stuff, like, if it's not, if it's not shower thoughts, it's gonna be treadmill thoughts, so I'll just write it down in my notes and come back to it later. I can't even tell you how many friends I'm like, coming live from the treadmill on pre workout.
Yes! Like, this is gonna be good. Yep, yep. Yeah, because it's kind of like, I mean, I, I would prefer to walk outside, but like, on the treadmill, you don't have to worry about bumping into people. So it's like, I kind of just put my head down and like, like you said, put your headphones in, tune everything else out and just go.
And then, you know, when it comes to weights, for me, that's like, weightlifting is my vice. Um, and I don't know, did you hear that one audio where everything's like super loud. And then as soon as you like, start working out, it's all like, Melodic and super calm and that that's exactly what like weightlifting is for me.
Yeah, and I personally I love going to the gym I feel comfortable there Sometimes I feel weird when I'm doing a lap trying to get like on a piece of equipment, you know So I'm like staring and I'm like, okay, we're not gonna be able to use that. But what could we use? Yeah, but for the most part I really feel comfortable at the gym Do you have tips for women who don't feel comfortable at the gym?
I remember my first time walking into the gym. It was a planet fitness in Buffalo, New York. And I was terrified. I remember thinking like, I don't know how to use any of this. I remember thinking, well, I know what the treadmill does. So I'll hop on the treadmill and then, you know, you're just like watching everybody.
I spent a couple of years at 24 hour fitness, a couple of years. Yeah. Just watching. Yeah. You just observe everybody. Honestly, if you can, if you can force yourself to. Tap someone on the shoulder and ask them. Asking questions is going to be your biggest challenge. Your biggest benefit like if you can somehow like I understand how scary that is But the gym community the fitness community is so much nicer than people think Because you're all in there trying to achieve the same thing and what i've noticed is no one actually gives a fuck Exactly.
No whatsoever. Everyone's so focused on themselves. Like you walk You walk into summit and Jen can Jen can verify this, but like all these, all these high school kids are in there flexing and they're like looking at themselves. I'm like, everyone's looking at themselves. Like everyone's so focused on their own goals, on their own body, on their own, on their own insecurities.
They're way too busy to be looking at yours. Yeah. And I've noticed that everyone is extremely mindful too. Like it feels very polite. Like, Oh, excuse me. Is it okay if I'm. You know, and it can be like 10 feet away and I'm like, why are you asking me? Like, yeah, you're fine. Yeah. Are you using this? I'm like, well, my stuff's not on it, but no, you can have it.
Yeah. It's just, it feels very like polite. Yeah. I would say for the most part, people are polite. I mean, I've experienced some people that are like kind of rude about it, but I'm like, I love working in with people. If somebody goes, Hey, how many more do you have? Why? I'm like, I'd be like, I have four left, but you're more than welcome to work in with.
Okay. That's the only time I thought it was weird was this guy came over and he's like, Hey, I've been using this machine in between my other sets, like across the room. And I was like, okay, then let me work in with you. Yeah. I'm like, there's no, I looked around, I'm like, there's no water bottle holding the spot.
Yeah. You know? And I'm like, and he's like, so I'm just gonna do my sets in between yours. And I was like, to me that was weird. . I mean, as long as he was like, yeah, as I'll go over here while you're on it. Yeah. But then I'm just gonna come back. Like that was, that's fine. But to me, that was my most weird encounter and it wasn't that weird.
Yeah, no, that's, no, that's pretty good. I'd say that's pretty good. Okay, so do you train people or are you just inspired? Like, what's kind of your goals with the Games Endpoints? I do. So I started my personal training business, I would say a year and a half ish ago. So I do personal training, but it's strictly online.
The kind of the caveat with doing stuff in the gyms is usually, uh, public gyms require you to, You probably don't work there, right? I mean, I know a lot of gyms you go to here? I go to Summit. So do I. Which one are you going to? I live right by the River Road one, so I just go there. Oh, I go to the Sunset.
Those are nice. It's, everyone asks me that, and I would, they're like, I don't want to go there because it's so nice, and I'm like, oh girl, it's that nice. Yeah, it's just like 25 minutes out of my way, so I'm like, and I'm at the gym for a very long time, so. Oh yeah, I live in between both of them, so I was going to River Road forever, and now I go out to Sunset.
I wonder if maybe we've seen each other there then. I don't know. You probably go way earlier than I do. I'm not a morning person. I used to go after I would take my son to school, about like 7. 30, and now I've been getting up and going before. I don't know, it's like a new, it's a new me. It's a new you?
Mm hmm. So I was at the gym at 5. 30. Oh yeah, no, I never would have seen you. Yeah. So I'm like, I don't know who this person is, but I'm just awake and like, Yeah. I mean, I would embrace it. Yeah. It's a season, man. Yeah. Yep. On our last podcast, I was talking to Jess and she's a runner and she was just saying like, just put it where you want it.
And I'm like, you don't have to go at 5am. You can go at noon. You can go at wherever your lifestyle like applies it. Yeah. I know Jen, she's, she's in the room with us. Hey, Jen. She goes at night a lot, right? Yeah. Yeah. With her husband. So like, it doesn't matter when you go. Yep. And it's also weirdly crowded the earlier you go, so, like, who are these bitches?
Well, and it gets, I think it dies down in the middle of the day, which is why I love to go during the middle of the day, but it also gets slammed from like 4pm to 7 or 8pm. It's like everyone doing their 9 to 5 job just dies. Well, and my daughter, she's in college and she goes to the gym way late at night.
It's like 8 p. m. Well, way late. I mean it is late. And I'm like, you're going to the gym? And she's like, yeah. And she'll send me pictures and like, there's a ton of college kids there. Really? Yeah. Like, okay, well enjoy that. Yeah, it gets pretty busy around four or five and I would say it gets, It stays that busy for a while.
Yeah, you can do. So if you're training online, I'm sure you have like home workouts. Yeah, so I, I really try, like, I personally prefer to train people who have access to a gym. It's kind of just, It's obviously easier but, I have had plenty of clients where they are scared to go into a public gym They don't really enjoy it.
Yeah, and so I mean if you're a beginner I will say if you're a beginner, you can kind of get away with seeing newbie gains with just bodyweight exercises Low weight exercises, resistance bands things like that but if you are starting to get more serious into it and you want those booty games, yeah Well, I mean that's the thing is like if you want to build muscle, it's gonna require like pretty heavy resistance And so like I said in the beginning you can get away with you can get away with seeing good results even just from body weight exercises things like like using household items, gallon milk jugs water jugs It's like, I remember when COVID hit, I had a few of my friends come over to my house and we would just work out in my living room doing like, we would just be moving furniture and like, we would tie up a band to like a door or the couch or, we would use like household items to do like, you know, pushups and, like hip thrusts and stuff like that.
So you can be really creative. That's another hip thrust on the couch. Yeah. That's what I'm saying. I mean, yes, you can. I didn't mean it that way, but I've done hip throws on the couch. Yeah, yeah. So, exactly. So, yeah, I remember using, like, cat litter, like, 40 pound cat litter. Or, I mean, I have, like, a set of weights at home.
Well, there you go. I was going to say, for people who don't. We're done. Okay. I think that honestly, if I can encourage people to get a gym membership, like I would so many times and it's not about like your body looking a certain way or anything like that. It's that it will change your fucking life.
When you have this dedicated space and this dedicated time just for you. Yeah. Like, and you commit to it and you get consistent, like, I'm telling you, it will change your life. Absolutely. I think, I think the biggest thing I've noticed is how, like you said, having, having that space and that time for yourself, but also having a cutout routine and like dedication, I guess Um, because like motivation died like you're not always going to be motivated to get out of bed and go do something Yeah, you know like it's just something that's gonna get you Doing hard things It bleeds over into every other area of your life It really does so like if you can force yourself to do something uncomfortable for 30 45 minutes to an hour I mean, it's Fitness is a really good gateway into just building confidence in the rest of your life.
And it kind of fortifies, habits like you're talking about, right? So I think you start picking up this habit where you're taking really good care of yourself.
The better care I take care of myself. I noticed the better I show up for my family and the better I show up for things around me. And honestly, the amount of energy you have to finish things is insane. And it, it'll start going into your finances. It'll start going into your career and you're just a different person.
And I'm not saying like, go be a bikini model. This is not the point of it. And you have to lose all this weight. It just it does something when you take care of your body because you need to be taking care of your body needs to be Taking care of your mind. And once you start taking care of yourself, all of a sudden you start taking care of everything around you 100 percent Yeah, I absolutely agree I remember like I said walking into that planet fitness like the first time From that person to the person who I am now.
It's like you begin to Be able to like look people in the eye your body language changes you set boundaries you keep boundaries, you know your worth You show up for your job better, you know how to communicate with other people better Like you said you take care you take better care of your family your mindset is different your mental health is different like obviously everyone still struggles here and there but And you don't feel like shit.
Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Well, I mean, I, there's this one thing I read the other day and I kind of, I used it in some social media. It's like the reason you don't have the energy to work out is because you don't work out. Yeah. So like the second you start forcing yourself to do it, you're like, Oh my gosh, I actually want to do this now.
It's kind of funny because every morning I do this thing or my husband's like, are you getting up? And I'm like, no. And then he like, we'll walk out of the bedroom and then he'll come back and I'll be like dressed and ready for the gym. And he's like, I thought you were going today. Just don't talk to me.
Okay. You like have this internal battle. You're like, come on, you piece of crap. It's not even like that. I'll just be like, no. And then all of a sudden I'm like, wait, it's just funny. It's like, you're awake. What are you doing? Yeah. But so I even still will have to like talk myself into it. Yeah. It's funny.
But I always feel so freaking good. Yeah, exactly. You know you're going to feel better after you do it. Mm hmm. I work with a health coach. I think a lot of people if you're struggling, it really helps to put some investment behind it, but then also have someone to hold you accountable. Absolutely. Um, so she knows what workouts I'm doing.
She sends me my meal plans. But you know what's funny is I am so good at working out. She's like, I have never met someone more consistent. She's like, what the hell do you do on the weekends? Like with the food I eat. So that's one thing I've been working on. Yeah. It's getting like really accountable with what I'm actually putting in my body to, but it helps to have like her, because I think I would have already just gone back to just eating what I wanted, which I do pretty good, but I have hormonal issues and I need to eat like specifically for my body and having her there and having her like, I know she's going to look at what I ate and I know she's going to look at my workouts and then just someone to ask questions to who's an expert in this field.
It's just, it's a game changer too. Yeah, exactly. I would, that's honestly one of the biggest reasons like I try to push, even if it's not me, get, get a coach, get a trainer, get somebody who knows what they're talking about. Somebody who like, I mean, one of the things I always say is like, I've done the trial and error for the last 10 years.
Let me help you skip the next 10 years of guessing and just show you how to get results. Yeah. And like you said, the accountability aspect is probably the biggest thing. Like. Clearly, you're not getting the results you want by yourself, like, just ask someone for help. Well, and sometimes I'm not quite sure what's actually true because there's so much disinformation online.
Mm hmm. You know, you can watch one video where it's saying that the American health food system is poisoned and then another, you know, they're just like, Yeah, we're all organic or oatmeal's bad or carbs are this. There's just the most off the wall stuff. Like that Bobby guy, someone needs to like, put him out, just take them down.
Like the CIA does secret service needs to do us a favor and just shut him up. Well, there's a lot. Have you seen him? He goes into Costco and he's like, it's not Bobby approved. And he just like makes stuff up. No, but I feel like that would make me want to throw my phone out the window. So I think if you can stop like scrolling for the answers and like actually be like, Hey, Tell me, help me hold my hand because it is a process to work on your body.
Yeah, absolutely. It took me four months to even weigh in because I was having such a mental battle with the number on the scale. Yeah. Yeah. And well, and I've had clients who they don't even want to take progress pictures, which I, I totally understand. It is the most. It's the most humbling experience ever.
Yeah, I did refuse to take pictures last week. Like, I'm still working on myself. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, even I, like, I mean, I've been doing it for a long time. It's like, you can, you know, you can pose and flex in the mirror, but then when it comes time to be, like, raw and real and not flexing in, like, an angle that's not necessarily the most flattering for your body, you're like, Ooh!
Yeah. That's not what I wanted to see today. But, I mean, I start freaking out. Yeah. I mean, it's, it's very understandable and relatable, like, that's, I think, I think everyone struggles with that, like, I joke around and I say, Oh, if you had body dysmorphia before, like, wait till you start working out. It's gonna get worse.
Cause you get so hypercritical of yourself. But I know it almost makes it sound to some people like, well, why should I even do it then? But I'm telling you I told my health coach this I'm like I will weigh in because I'm gonna do it I'm gonna get there because I'm not gonna spend the rest of my life being like this, right?
I'm not gonna go to the doctor's office and like have a breakout when they ask me Me to like step on a scale, like it should be an arbitrary number that only helps me measure like where I'm at and how I'm feeling and it doesn't define like who I am or myself worth and so it's like, I will overcome these things like hell or high water.
I'm going to be 40 next year and I'm like, there's no fucking way I'm going to be 40 and be like, I can't be myself. Do you know what I'm saying? Yeah, absolutely. And so it's a mental, it's something I'm working through, but it's, again, this is, it's, If I can tackle that, there's so many other things in my life I can tackle.
Yeah. A hundred percent. A hundred percent. I, I don't know. I mean, I remember being like, I remember being young, like 12 and hating my body. Like, like think about that for a second. How twisted that is. I hated my body and I don't, I mean, I remember being like super fixated on the number on the scale as well.
And now, I've gained, 15 to 20 pounds over the last year. I mean, granted, that's my goal, not necessarily to gain weight, but to gain muscle and like gains it gains in planes. Exactly. But the number on the scale, like you said, like a lot of people don't take into account genetics, your height, your bone density, there's just so many things that the scale doesn't, it doesn't tell you, so like, that's why I hated using BMI, measurements and stuff.
Because I'm like, it's not telling you everything else about your body. Yeah. So, you just, you gotta be kinder to yourself. Like, everyone's going through different phases, and I mean, like you said, the number on the scale, like does not define who you are as a person at all. Yeah. And this is just a tip for anyone.
I don't know what age you are at, but I'm like, I'm not taking this into my forties. You can be like, I'm not taking this into my next birthday. Yep. Like we're not doing this anymore. Leave it here. Yeah. Okay. So what inspired you to start this protein dough business? Cause I have to tell you, I didn't know who you were, but I have seen your dough business.
Oh, nice. So honestly, I love, I love food. I, I really do. You're like, they're good, okay. Well, no, so the problem is I love, I love everything. And, my dad actually was one of the biggest inspirations for me coming up with this idea. So I have the biggest sweet tooth, especially at night. Every night, always, doesn't matter.
And so I was like, I gotta come up with a better idea. So that I'm not blowing, like you're not eating a KitKat in bed. Yeah. Or 12, you know, or like a whole sleeve of Oreos or things like that. So for me, ice cream was like a huge thing, but it's, it's my favorite. But, , it just, it sounds so backwards.
Like you're allowed to have the treat, like for any, for anyone listening, have the treat. Don't, don't feel like you have to like, You know not have it but I do know like A whole sleeve of oreos is not you're not going to wake up feeling good or doing it every single night Like if you even have a pint of ben and jerry's every single night, like it's gonna add up So for me, I was like I gotta find something I can have every single day That's not gonna like break the macro bank or you know, I count my macros, right?
So I wanted something that's gonna be macro friendly. So I found this recipe on instagram for chocolate chip cookie dough and she used chickpea flour, coconut oil, peanut butter, and I think it was like, I forget what the other ingredient was. You put protein powder in yours. Mm hmm. So I started doing that I was like, maybe I'll just add protein powder.
Well, I started breaking down all the macros of the first The first, recipe I found and I was like, I just don't love all these macros. There was so much oil, so much fat, so much carbs. Yeah, I've seen a lot of protein. Balls or cookie dough recipes where I'm like, that's not good for you, right? Well, and you think like everyone who makes , they call them protein balls, but I'm like, if you break down the macros, like there's more fat and carbs than protein in the actual, you know, ball.
And I'm like, I want to, I want to fix that. So I really started doing some research. I found a bunch of other companies online that sell protein cookie dough. There's a lot of other brands out there. but I just didn't love their, their list of ingredients was like massive. I've gotten spammed with like the Instagram ads of like protein cookies, protein brownies.
And I've been like, Oh, that'd be fun to have. Cause they will have like a protein bar or something sometimes. And I look at the macros and I'm like, this is absolute garbage. Yeah. Like garbage. Like there's, I remember there was one, like, Their macros were insane, but there was like five to seven different kinds of oils in it.
And I was like, why? So I was like, I got to find something cleaner. Like, I just didn't want to have all these like preservatives and things like that. And so, I mean, it's, it's not terrible at the end of the day. Like if you choose to have that, like, it's really not that bad. Yeah, exactly. but I was like, I just want to, I want to make something better.
I want to make something better. So I just started messing around with all these ingredients and I had a couple of friends help me. We did like so much taste testing and finally landed on this and so the list of ingredients in these is pretty short. Everything's natural. I use monk fruit. Do you want to share what you put in them? Yeah, absolutely. I'm not going to go home and make these. So no, no, no. I get them from you. We're going to try some. Yeah. So I use, PE science, protein powder and naked protein powder. I use unsweetened applesauce, coconut oil, Celtic sea salt, vanilla extract and kind of just like the only, I guess you could say artificial thing would be like the chocolate that I put on top or like the sprinkles or whatever things I put inside.
So um, that's really cool. Yeah. So really, really short list of ingredients and should we bust them out? Yeah, go for it. I ended up making them for people who like, who struggle with portion control like myself.
Like my dad and I, he's always struggled with portion control and having like this major sweet tooth and things like that. I wanted to come up with something that could really help people like that. And so I just, I decided to make this. I had a few close people who like, really believed in me and in the product.
So yeah, so I made this and I had a few people that really believed in me and in the product and it's, I've actually been making them for two years and it's, there's a couple hurdles that I won't share publicly that I had to overcome.
There's so many hurdles when you do business stuff that people don't realize, you know, like it's not just you making these in your kitchen. You have to go through the whole business ordeal. Yeah. Yeah. Well, it's even like personal stuff. Like I had a few people actively trying to ruin. Something that I was trying to create, and so Ruin your protein balls?
Yeah, well just Let's fight them, okay? I'm down. It's okay, I've had people make videos about me, and, just recently. Oh my gosh. Yeah, and I'm like, I don't know you, like, I don't What? Yeah, so it's, it's a thing. Yeah! Yeah. Well, I mean, don't get me started. Don't get me started. But look it, you're still here and you're still doing it.
Yeah, well, and it's like if you're, if you're not having someone hate on you for something, you're, you're not doing something, you're doing something wrong. Which sucks, but Yeah, yeah, but it's, it's a way of life. Like, you can't please everybody. Yeah, anyways, they're here and, , I have a couple big things coming.
I'm really excited. How do you get a hold of these? So, dat, D A T, health, doe. Yep. How would I get, acquire these? How do I buy these? So, right now, just via Instagram, I have an Instagram that is the handle of the Instagram as well. And it's dat, like D A T, right? Yeah, dat help doe. Dat help doe. Yeah. We should make a little video of that.
Dat help doe. Dat help doe. This is how my brain works. I was gonna say, I'll have to have you help me with that project., But yeah, so for right now, it's just Instagram, but I have a few really big things coming down the road, like, very, very shortly. It'll be local pickup, and, So if I was to DM you, can you ship, deliver, what do you do?
So, right now, it'd just be local pickup, Which is St. George, Utah. Yeah, I would love to be able to ship them, I just, not really, Yeah. What's your goal with these? Honestly, I really want to get into working with local businesses around here. Just hopefully selling them in any place that has a refrigerator, honestly, refrigerator or a freezer.
I can work with, but we're going to open them. Is this one's birthday cake? Yes. Which one's your favorite? Like which, tell me about your different kinds. I, I personally love anything with peanut butter, so I have peanut butter, I have birthday cake, I have They're so cute. I think they're adorable, but you know, I'm just biased.
What? They look like birthday cake. Yeah. Like you know the Funfetti? Oh my god, that's cute. So I love the peanut butter ones. I have Caramel Apple Crisp. I have a few holiday flavors. Peppermint, Gingerbread, , Pumpkin Spice. Things like that, regular chocolate chip, Oatmeal chocolate chip. What's the macro breakdown on these?
I believe those are 9 grams of protein per ball, and I'd have to look at the carbs. Per ball? Mm hmm. That's cool. Yeah, 8 or 9, and then the carbs and fats are under that, but I'd have to look at the exact numbers. But that's still, that's a good, yeah. Yeah. I'm like, I know my macros, that's good. Okay, can I try it?
Yeah, absolutely. Here, do you want? Should we choose them? Cheers! Cheers! To protein balls!
Ooh, it's crunchy on top. That's insanely good. Thanks. Cause usually when I get a protein ball, it feels like a healthy ball. Mm hmm. Yep. We've said a lot of things today where I'm like, what did I just say? Hip thrusting on the couch. That's amazing. Thank you. Yeah. So thanks. So how many of these do you eat a day?
Lately, probably one or two, but honestly, I'll go through periods where I don't have any, but it kind of just all depends on how many I'm making for other people. And so if you're someone who's counting their macros and they're on, you know, that journey, do you just break, do you just work this in as like a snack?
Yeah, so I personally love to have them at night, but I've noticed like I'll kind of add them to a meal as like a dessert or I'll have them as a snack. Like if I'm running super late somewhere. This is so good. I've never had a ball like a protein ball this good. That makes me very happy. Good. No, it tastes like cake.
Yeah. I'm like over here smelling it. I'm like, it smells like cake. It tastes like cake. Yeah. This is incredible. Thank you. Yeah, of course. But yeah, like I honestly, I actually make myself probably a dozen of these when I fly and I bring them in a Tupperware and they go through security just fine. I stick them in the mini fridge in the hotels and I have like a couple of those, like if I'm running late or, sitting in the airport and starving or like they travel pretty well.
I would say like the downfall of these is the chocolate will sweat because there's applesauce in them. So it kind of like doesn't look as appealing, but they taste fine. Shelf life is like a week. Well, if you had two of these, these macros are better than a protein bar. Yeah. Or about the same. Yeah. It depends on what protein bar you get, but yeah.
Yeah, exactly. I would rather eat this than have some protein bars. Yeah, you could have them before the gym, after the gym. Honestly, they're like, there's enough natural sugar in here that it's kind of like a good little boost, but. Yeah. What's the, I just had the worst protein bar in my life the other day.
It was like no moo. Never heard of that. It was so bad. I had a pretty bad one too. Honestly, the company that makes the protein that I use for this made a protein bar and I brought it with me on a trip. And I tried it and I was like, never again, never again. I was like, the protein powder is great. But that protein bar, I was like, I will never have that again.
Yeah. Okay, so just to wrap up here, tell me like just about some of your goals, like you're hoping to expand this. Are you hoping to expand your fitness or create a fitness empire? I mean, I would say yes and no. Like, right this second, I think this is my main priority. I am taking on clients right now.
But I'm really only looking for people that are just really dedicated, like somebody who's going to stick it out for probably at least three to six months and who's willing to work with me very closely, one on one. So I'm not, just going to throw out random cookie cutter programs and things like that.
So as for the fitness thing, yeah, I'm absolutely trying to grow that. But I would say I'm not just going to. Take anybody as a client, I guess. Mm hmm. And then for this, like I said, my goal would be to expand this for sure and hopefully just partner with like small, other small local businesses in St.
George. I know, I'm like, I want to get a little fridge. That would be awesome. We could put them in here. Yeah. Wouldn't it be cute? Yeah. Everyone comes over, I'm like, you get a protein bowl. You get a protein bowl. You get a protein bowl. I actually have a pink mini fridge at home. Let's do it. Yeah. Yeah.
That'd be super cute. Okay, it's done. Love that. You can just give me a weekly order. Yeah, absolutely. Okay, to wrap up real quick, we'll have your Instagram handle linked in the show notes, but one more time, it's gains and planes. Yep. Are there underscores in it? There's two, there's a dots, gains dot and dot planes.
Okay, yeah. I looked at it the other day, and I was like, I love her stuff. Thanks. I'm gonna, I don't do workout friends, but I was like, we should work out together. It's like, you can kick my trash running for sure, but. No, I can only run for two hours. Right now two and a half minutes straight. Okay, but I've only been running.
So today will be my sixth run Okay, so and we'll do our longest run which is two and a half minutes. Wow. How do you feel? I actually feel really good. Yeah, and I expected myself to be like, I don't want to do this anymore and I've loved it That's awesome. And you know what though? I get a little teary because I'm like, I'm 39 and I'm running Like what?
That's so awesome. And then have you seen on my Instagram my 13 year old runs with me? Yes. I saw the other day. And he's very, the other day he didn't want to go and then like it was weird because he's been very like I want to go I want to go and I was like no, let's go buddy. And he's like, oh, I'm so glad you encouraged me to go.
Just like I encourage you to go and I was like, that's so cute. Oh, I love that. And then he does this thing where there's this spot where we will run. It's extra. It's like outside of our running intervals. It's far from home. And it's from like the spot on the sidewalk to where we parked the car. And every time he's like, you can do it, mom.
And the last time I was like, I don't think I can do it. I don't, I'm just going to walk and finish out with a walk. And he was like, no, you do it. And the next time it'll be easier. And I'm like, I have a 13 year old running buddy. I love that he's your cheerleader. That's awesome. We did go get new shoes and that helped so much.
Like, I did not realize how much shoes would help. Oh my gosh, yeah. And we did do the, like, running shoes, and they're expensive. But I'm like, on clouds. You should see me. I'm like, look, it's me. Yeah, I would say new shoes, new workout outfit. Something that will make you feel physically better and mentally better will help you, like, feel a little bit more motivated to just do it.
Yeah, you want to feel good in your workout clothes, for sure. And most of mine, I have like Fabletics and Amazon. Mm hmm. I live in Amazon. I've never owned a pair of Lulu, Lulu, oh my gosh. Lululemon. I just had a brain fart. I'm like, of course I know what it's called, Lululemon. Yeah. I've never owned a pair of Lululemons.
I do have one shirt from Lululemon that I bought in 2020 and it's just like whatever to me. Yeah. But yeah, I'm just like, I just find stuff I like and it doesn't have to be expensive. No, not at all. Yeah, okay. Well, thank you for being on the podcast today. Thank you for sharing your protein balls. That was incredible and congrats on everywhere you're going.
Thank you so much. Thanks for having me. It's been awesome.