EP 1: Founder's Round Table | Intro Of The Team, The What, And Why Behind The Hive

Welcome to the very first episode of The Space for Being — the official podcast of The Hive: Wellness & Social.

In this inaugural conversation, the founding team sits down to share the story behind The Hive, the personal journeys that brought us together, and the deeper mission driving everything we create. We explore the power of community, health sovereignty, authentic self-expression, and why we believe modern culture is starving for meaningful connection.

You'll get to meet the humans behind the movement — Bill, Tyler, Rachel, and Daniel — and hear how experiences with wellness, adversity, entrepreneurship, personal growth, and community building have shaped our vision for a healthier, more connected world.

Whether you're curious about sauna and cold plunge culture, seeking deeper relationships, or simply looking for a community where you can fully be yourself, this episode offers a glimpse into the heart of what we're building.

In this episode:
• The origin story of The Hive
• How each founder uniquely contributes to the ecosystem
• Personal experiences that inspired this work
• Why loneliness, chronic disease, and disconnection are cultural challenges worth addressing
• The role of community, play, movement, heat, cold, and authentic expression in creating a more vibrant life
• Our vision for a new cultural narrative centered around connection, vitality, and belonging

The Space for Being is a podcast about being, becoming, and belonging — exploring the practices, ideas, and conversations that help us live more fully alive.

Connect with The Hive:

Instagram: @HiveMke

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSpaceForBeeing

Learn more: Hivemke.com

Transcript

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Hi guys, we're building something magnificent and incredibly impactful in the world. And I'm very excited to just showcase the unique magic and gifts that you guys bring to the table and also just communicate on the topic of what it is that we're creating and rolling out into the world because we're on the cusp of actualizing some really powerful things in the community and beyond. So here we are. Um yeah, the Hive Wellness and Social is a community building and health and wellness movement here in Milwaukee. We partnered with Rachel and Daniel here about six months ago. We got business married. It's been a seamless process. I did not expect to relate to you guys to the degree that I have just on a personal level. So it's been such a treat and dream just to like establish rapport in that way and then also build our dreams together. So very stoked on that. Um, anyone else want to add anything on the topic of like we're gonna go deeper into what the hive is, but just speaking to the mission movement in brief before we dive into just getting to know each other a little more for the listeners? Yeah, I'd like to add um because before we got business married with Bill and Tyler, we uh you know, we just had a vision of creating a you know a space for people to participate in contrast, and you guys opened our eyes to so much more about the community and just relating on deeper levels, and um that's what really gravitated us towards you and and thought that we could do something bigger than what we had uh originally imagined. So uh we just thank you for that and just kind of showing us the way. I guess. Yeah. Well, I just want to say thank you to you guys. I mean, yeah, the business marriage has gone great. The the I mean, just the the cultivation of our friendship has just been really beautiful and like just so nice. And um, I've just always just felt like so supported like by you two, and um, I don't know, just the rest of you, man. Well, I mean, of course you will, of course you will. But I think like the like the reciprocity between the entire group of like you know, stepping up when you need to, you know, taking rest when that is necessary as well, and then just trusting each other that like we're all working in like good faith and earnest to like build this beautiful thing and like make a difference in the world. And um I just from day one just felt like we could do this way better together and more dynamically and like with greater impact um as a team because I mean that's what the hive is all about in general, is like bringing people together with their specific gifts and then uh empowering them to like give it to the world, and I think just internally as a team, like we've done that really well to like gas each other up and be like go do this thing. So it's cool. I would just add, like, I love the level of trust we have with each other. I was telling my grandpa about our team and how I'm partnering with two people that he didn't know, and he's very like old school, very conservative, has a lot of anxiety about literally everything. And he was like, Do you like should you really be partnering with two guys that you don't know? Like, he's like, Do you trust them? I'm like, he's like, I don't know these guys, and I'm like, Grandpa, I literally trust these guys with my life at this point. Like, I trust them more than anybody I grew up with, I trust them more than anybody I went to school with. Like, I would not be partnering with them if I did not have complete faith in them, like even announce. It's like you don't need to worry about that. Yeah, that's sweet. Even like Hudson the other day, like just out of the blue, was just like, Oh, we're going to Auntie Rachel's house. And and like I have like I've like I've personally never called you that, but like she's been around you enough, and then even like playing cards with you the other day, like they that meant so much to the kids of just like, yeah, and uh what were they calling it? Danielle was down there playing with us. Danielle. I'm like, you mean Daniel's like, no, Danielle, he was down there playing, yeah. And it was just like so already they like had this like cute little like pet name for like you know, learning poker with you and everything. So yeah, it's just been like so cute and fun and just great, you know. So I love that. Little side note to that poker. Uh Rachel was vetoing the poker, but uh I broke the law and we went down there and did the underground poker, anyways. They thought that was a lot of fun. Like I would go down there and be like, what are you doing? And they'd be like, She's here, the witch is here, like making me like such a mean auntie. But anyway, lovely. All right, we're gonna segue into just speaking on the topic of like what it is that we're uniquely bringing to the hive ecosystem, I would say, within the internal team, and then within the community as well. So this could be I guess uh professional prowess as well as like your unique energetics or guess, however, you're perceiving yourself in the space in general, your unique lane as it pertains to professionality as well as personality in the community and beyond. So um, I'll go last. I'm gonna pass it off to Tyler and you can you can start us off wherever you want to take it. Sure. Um, I think like from uh the professional acumen side of things, I mean, I come from the real estate background and and have just worked, you know, hundreds of deals both on buying and selling, you know, property and um fundraising projects and managing those projects and then delivering a product, you know, doing wraparound social media for all of it. So just like taking like concepts and like bringing them to fruition, I think is what I you know do pretty well. Um and that's you know been a big part of this too, of like what do we want to see in the world, and then do the things necessary to create it. Um, I'm not scared of like you know, um hard work and what it takes to do um big things in the world. So um I think just the work ethic and that comes from being a young boy of pouring concrete with my dad and learning what like real real hard work is, and um, you know, just the blood, sweat, and tears that go into being an entrepreneur as well. Um, so like that uh bringing that you know piece to the team. I think like professionally, though, like what I've done the best in my you know 20-year career is just been a connector. Like that's what people most describe me as, as whether you have like time, talent, treasure, resources, an idea, like networking really, really well to like understand like what are people looking for, and then also what's available and just connecting those dots. Um, so whether it's been getting people into the right school or the right job or um you know, right just community or social group, um, that's one thing I like to bring to the table and uh hope to do more of. So the juice daddy's in the house, juice daddy. I did see that other thing, nickname. So you know, so sweet tea is out here, of course. Zaddy, which I didn't even didn't even know the term until like a few months ago, and now you is it yeah, now that is me, I guess. So the ultimate daddy, Zaddy. Um and uh yeah, so those that's what I got. Oh yeah, yeah. I did notice that just uh beef him up a little bit more. I noticed that like one thing I we recognized rather quickly is like you guys just know everybody. It's like he's like, Oh yeah, I know the guy, I know the owner of this or whatever, just so your connection is admirable. Um but uh professionally, what I can bring to the table is you know just a vast background, similarly, have a little bit of real estate uh on the commercial side of things and also residential, so understanding um both sides of that spectrum, but also just deeply rooted in hospitality from the moment I got out of uh college and through the casinos, through the hotels and everything like that. So um I think that helped me kind of craft and build uh also just this goofy personality that I constantly struggle with between professionalism and goofiness. So, like there's times for both, and you know, I thread that line, you know, pretty closely. Um, yeah, which has led me to saying some things, you know, in the professional setting that maybe I shouldn't have, but all you know, uh it's all good fun. And I think I think it also has opened more doors for me too, because it it it brings other people's barriers down a little bit because when you're in a professional setting, everyone's a little bit too uptight. So I think um balancing that goofiness and professionalism is something I have somewhat mastered over the years, um and understanding, you know, uh how to how to kind of appropriately approach different situations and reading. You know, I have a little bit of a poker background, so um I read many books on reading people, so I think that has helped in terms of different situations and understanding when to say certain things and when not to. So um, and sometimes saying them anyways, so it doesn't really matter, but um yeah, I I think I bring a little bit of that to the table. Um, keeping the light mood because you know, growing something truly special comes with a lot of stressors and uh fear and and and insecurities, but being able to shed light in a manner that helps kind of break through that, I think is important. But um one of the things I noticed on the team intro too is like a quirk or something that you have, and this is my personality to a T is like one thing I like to do to break the ice in almost any setting is farting. So uh I think it's the ultimate like your special special superpower of farting all the time. So I think it's a it's a if if if anyone says that it's not funny, they're lying to you. I think everyone at their core don't trust that person. If anything, I don't want to associate with you if you don't laugh at a fart. So uh just kidding. Uh but I think that's a great way to really bring people's barriers down and let them know that it's okay if they fart too. Just don't do it in the sauna. No, no, sauna is the same. That's like against the rule. Yeah, yeah, exactly. F Z. Yeah. Um professionally, what is my thing, right? Or like just how you perceive yourself showing up with the team and in the community in general. You don't have to like pin down like resume style, your exact skills and stuff, but no, I I feel like so. There's a few things I've been like really proud of in this in this environment that we've been growing. It's like also, what's your nickname? We don't have one for you yet. Yeah, you guys don't have a nickname. Ray Ray, I'm sorry. Ray Ray is awesome. I like Ray Ray. I approve. Call me that anytime. Ray Ray, Rach, Rach is good. No one ever calls me that. But growing up, I've always wanted to be called RJ because those are my initials, but no one, no one, it didn't take no one bit. That's fine. Anywho, um, when I moved back to Milwaukee, well, we moved back to Milwaukee in 2023. I was working remote and I was like so lonely. And like I loved networking, like I just loved being a cross-pollinator. That's kind of like how I see myself. Like you were talking about being a really good connector and like placing people where they need to go and like doing the introductions that would be beneficial to everybody. And like that's something I'm like oddly passionate about is like just connecting people where they need to go and like helping get them to that next step, kind of like helping the underdog in a way. But when I moved back to Milwaukee, I was working remote and I was like, I can't do this anymore. Like, I want to be part of this community. All I have here are like my old high school friends, and like I want to grow it beyond that. So I went working full-time in an office in architecture and construction, which is where I had been working. So that's kind of where my expertise lie was in sustainable building, design, and systems and materials. And that's something I've always been very passionate about. But as the years went on, I actually moved into more of a business development role and I found that I really loved that, like just being able to meet people, do a lot more one-on-ones and just get to know people for who they are and like figure out what they need in their life, like how I can help them, just serving them, like love all, serve all. I freaking love that. Um, just like how I can help people. So when when we got the team together, it was seriously such a pleasure of mine to be able to like bring in my network and like figure out who can help us move forward. And it was like I I've I have so much project management experience. And so that was just like, it was just fun to like put all of my corporate skills to the test and growing a business. And that has been such a pleasure. Like it has like made me feel so good about what I bring. And the things I've always felt like I'm not that good at in the corporate world, I feel like I'm actually totally killing it out here with our team. So I'm like, I'm really happy for those skills. Um and I feel like personality-wise, I'm very serious, but I feel like you know, that has come in handy. Like, I don't really don't want to toot my own horn, but I feel like I've done a really good job at like corralling us when we need to be corralled. So doing the physics, yeah, like showing up with the agenda, just leading the charge every single meeting from the beginning so far. So like organization, I love being organized. I love reading emails, I love getting I love getting shit done. So um that's kind of where I'm at. Um, but you guys know I can be a little weird and silly too. So that's me. Definitely out. Well, I'll I'll and I'll segment that and just say thank you for the organizational operational prowess that you do bring because it's certainly needed. Um, you know, with a team of like you know, creators that like to be silly and just outward and everything like that, of like having you know our arrow pointed in the right direction is very helpful. And just thank you for all your work and yeah, reading all those emails and sending all the emails. I just like everything. You guys know Myers Briggs, right? Like the personality testing. Anyways, it's like you get like four letters, and I feel like our the four of us, our four letters go to well go together so well. Like to build a bet to build a great team, you need a mix of personality types, and I feel like we have that. And that gets me stoked. Yeah. So guys, Billy Goat, Chili Goat, the goat, uh, wild bill, Bilbo Baggins, Squillium. Squillium. The list goes on, there's more to come, of course, as I traverse through time and space as a person. Um well, I would say, I mean, there's always a lot to say, and it's sometimes hard to pinpoint down with words, but I've always been incredibly passionate about creativity and just making art in general in whatever shape or form that like my heart's feeling called to in whatever particular season of life that I'm in. I started with music production, late high school. I was just an absolute mad scientist in my mom's basement, smoking weed, recording rap songs with my friends, drinking beers, having the best time of my life, just making art with them. And it was all about fun and coming together, like joining forces and creating something that we couldn't on our own. So that was like the beginning of my creative journey. Then it led into working with jewelry art. So I've done that for the past 10 years and learned a lot about you know running a very small business and being an independent jewelry artist and relationship building and really like committing to something and um cultivating a level of mastery in it. So one of my superpowers I feel is like when I love something, I really sink my teeth into it and I devote myself to it. And I fully believe in my capacity to like bring myself to a point in that particular skill to where I'm like excellent at it. So right now that looks like uh social media marketing and content creation, generating ideas around that, event curation, um, and creating vibrant dynamic spaces for people to really like find themselves in. Um, you know, through what we're doing with Sona and Cold Plunge, through authentic relating, through just holding space. And I've I've been someone who's been in the depths with pain many, many times through addiction and through my own conditioning and familial trauma and stuff like that, as we all deal with in our own capacities. So I feel like I have a really great ability to like be with someone in their stuff because I get it. I know what it's like to be in the darkness and go through that and maybe not even see a way out in that moment based off of where you're at or where that person's at that I'm being with. So that's like my favorite part about the work is getting to support other people and love on them. And that's like if I boil it down to one thing, I'm just here to love people. And and that's what I show up in the space to do. It starts with loving myself. That's been a long ass journey. And now that I've been able to like cultivate a full overflowing cup, I get to share that outwards. Journey's ongoing. I'm not a complete project, never will be, but um yeah, definitely, definitely loving all that and really just refining the craft of like the storytelling and the brand identity and being a steward of the culture as we're marketing what we do, building it, being in the space and beyond. And there's so many more skills I look forward to stepping into. So I know we're all like generalists to some degree at this point, and we kind of need to like pick up Slack where maybe another isn't available to do so, typically speaking. And uh obviously silly goose till death, always silly goosemaxing out here because that's how I maintain sanity. Let's go. I wouldn't be here without silly goosebemaxing guy. Let's just say that. This is this is the truth. And um, yeah, we're starting this podcast. So stepping back into podcasting, which I've had a podcast before, and um looking forward to continuing to sharpen that sword, which I'm like incredibly averse to public speaking in general, so it's a big edge. But that's what we're here to do. We're here to take the leap into the unknown and do the thing and share our love with the people that we're serving and just build this incredible project that we're building. So with that, we'll segue. Well, to buzz you up a little bit too, Billy, I think that shows at the events is you, you know, you mentioned the goofiness, but you have the sort of magnetism at the events that people feel comfortable approaching you, and like you know, you're letting your guard down to show them that hey, you can come talk to me anytime, and in the tents you're facilitating, you know, games and things that you have experienced in the past. So I think it's very welcoming for people to see that. So I think you're doing a great job with like you know what it is that you truly want to sink your teeth in, and that's the facilitation and and group. Absolutely. Absolutely. I've always described you like in my head, you I've said this to you before you are the rainbow to my black and white. Yeah, right, exactly. You need that exactly. It's like filling in the gaps where you know maybe we're just not as oriented as far as like who we are at our core, you know, and our I guess template generally speaking as people, our personality types and stuff like that. That's what makes a really great team. And we got that here. Um, so we're gonna get into personal whys. So, really just speaking to like what is the purpose of doing this work for each of us as individuals and like what speaks to us about it. Why do we love the shit out of it? I know we'll probably all have generally the same answer, right? Um, so there'll be some common threads, but I'm sure obviously there's some unique unique facets of what that's gonna be for each of us. So I'll pass it to the Zaddy to can I start? Sure, sure. Oh, let's go reverse. Okay, so my why getting into this work. Um being in sustainability, I've I've always tried to live more of like a healthy lifestyle. And up really up until like I'm gonna wait for that guy to or the natural elements, it's fine. Um it's kind of a sad story, but like now it's kind of a happy story. Um about I don't know, four three years ago, we were trying to conceive, and we had a miscarriage, and it was just kind of like we we pass it off. It is what it is, like it happens. And then we had a second miscarriage, and that's kind of when we started taking a look at our health and like what we were surrounding ourselves with, both with all with like food and our environment and honestly, even the people we hang out with, because it's like you are what you consume, whether that be the personalities around you or the food or like what you're smelling, what's in the air you're breathing. And so we just kind of did like a holistic deep dive and we kind of went a little wild with it for a bit there. Like we were kind of like freaking out about every single thing, and we were like truly trying to help manage the health Jesus phase. It was that we were definitely in the health Jesus phase trying to just figure out like what was wrong with me, like we were doing all of this reproductive testing and they weren't finding anything, and we were spending like so much money on it, and it was just really ridiculous. And the doctor kept wanting to do more and more tests, and we're just like, this is just getting absurd. Like, why are we still doing this? And so then we had last year or in 2024, we had a chemical pregnancy, and then for the whole rest of the year, we just couldn't get pregnant at all. So it was just like taking a step back and like us still just trying to be as healthy as we can and figure it out. And that's I think like 2024 is when we were like really getting into that health Jesus. And I think we got that's when we got the cold plunge and we were just trying to guys judge your family for eating gluten. Uh no, not in not in gluten, not gluten. Uh I don't think it was necessarily a judgment. It wasn't judgment. We were just always talking about it, and our families were like, shut up. Like, we get it. Like, we were just like, Well, you should be doing this and you should be doing this. It was all like us telling people they should do something, and it really took someone else doing it to us for us to be like, Oh my god, this is literally so annoying. We have to stop doing this, like we can't continue to be these people because this is just absurd. And it wasn't until we stopped like doing that that people were then started asking us what we were doing. It was like kind of taking a step back. People saw us actually living the more holistic lifestyle that they were like, Oh my gosh, like, damn, Rachel seemed to be doing all right. And so we just want people to be healthy too. Yeah, we just want our our families to be yeah to live longer. And so we were just like reading a lot about like longevity, as a lot of people are nowadays. Like, I feel like it's on everyone's timeline. That could just be like My timeline, maybe not everybody, but you know what I mean. It's kind of like a word being tossed around right now. And then I had my first hip surgery and I started co-plunging mostly for like the recovery. And um, then I found out I needed a second hip surgery. So prior to that, we got you know more into like the prep work, like the fasting and doing more of like the contrast therapy, co-plunge sauna to really just prepare my body for that. And I feel like it actually really helped. So we're just still continuing on with our conception journey and just trying to be more holistic in total because I I like to think about it from a biol biological perspective. Like I I've had my degree in biology. It's just like what I grew up on. I just am so interested in nature and ecology and how things work with the human bodies. And I just like to look back to like how our ancestors lived and what we have now that they didn't and how it's actually hurting us. Like humans used to be outside almost the entire day sweating, and now we are like living in comfort with AC and we're not sweating. And and in fact, today we should be sweating more than our ancestors were because we have so much more entering our bloodstream that is not supposed to be there. Like we know about microplastics, we know about PFAS. Really, the only way we're getting those out of our systems is by sweating them out. So that's that's kind of like generally what led us into Cold Plunge and sauna. Um, and then I just I visited a place in Minneapolis, Embrace North. Shout out, shout out to Embrace North. And I just was like, oh my God, this is what I need because not only were people health maxing there, but like people were so straight, like everyone knew each other. It was like a networking event, but for fun. You know, it was like it was just it was incredible. And and like I think one part people tend to leave out when it comes to living a long, healthy life is the community aspect. Like, do you have people you can call on at any given point of the day? And a lot of us would say no. Like, we're in such a loneliness epidemic right now. Like that's another thing that's just being thrown around. Like, we all know we're in it, but like, what are we actually doing to bring ourselves out? And I don't know, I just was like, oh my God, Milwaukee needs this. Like, Milwaukee tends to not be the most healthy place on earth. And I feel like my goal is to bring sauna culture to Milwaukee, bring a healthy culture to Milwaukee and just like make that make it fun for people and not something that they feel like they should be doing just to get healthy, just because it feels good, you know. So that's my why. That's what I'm working with. A lot going on. Love that gangster, gangsters. Thank you. And you also have a pretty big uh you're a big advocate for women's health too. So like the difference is there. But yeah, uh, she said a lot of like uh our journey to it, and um, you know, I I used to do it in high school too, like with sports and stuff like that. You don't go jump in like the cold tub after for inflammation, but uh it's always been like a healing thing for us. Um, but uh when she came back from Embrace North and said, like this is something that we absolutely have to do. We had been doing it for ourselves for a little while and seeing the benefits, and you know, all science aside, like another reason we wanted to like incorporate this as an offering somewhere here is just like you know how good it feels when you come out of cold water and your body is just like vibrating and you just feel like you literally are invincible and you could take on the world. It's like you know, people are so adverse to it at first, like I can never do that. But at our events countless times and time again, it's like uh they see other people doing it, so they get a little more curious, a little more curious, and then they're like, Wow, like what have I been missing this whole time? So um just bringing awareness to people that you know uh one big thing we are too is we're trying to get away from like the constant need to have to go to the doctors because we've had so many negative experiences where they just are like, you know, they identify and they prescribe, or they're like, Okay, let's try this, try this. It's like they never try to see like what's the core issue, they're just like symptomizing what what it is that we have going on, and uh so just providing an alternative holistic uh approach for people, um whether you want to look in the science of it or just how you generally feel, which I feel like a lot of people don't even think how they feel anymore because of the distractions that we have and like the inability to want to some people are just so paralyzed they don't want to go outside. So, like what we're creating and after we met you guys, this whole community aspect of it um is for sure one of the aspects that we need to bring to the space. And um you know, uh the one of the blue zones, you know, in Italy, they talk about like these people living 100 plus years old and they're like, Well, they drink they eat pasta, they drink wine, but it they're having lunch with each other on a daily basis, they're having coffee every morning with people, and it's a community that people don't realize like creates that longevity for you because it's almost like you got something worth living for. You have a community, you have people that you love, you have people you want to be around. Now we just have a phone that we want to be on, you know, four, five, six hours a day. So um, my why is to get people to just get back to kind of what we used to do in terms of like when I grew up, I would be knocking on my friend's door to go play baseball at the park almost every single day. And when the days we couldn't, I was miserable. I was like, what am I gonna do in here? I know I got the video games and everything, but like I feel like this the script has been flipped a little bit, and um so just getting people back to that, like, you know, let's get together, let's go dip our nuts in this Midwest Ocean, let's go, you know, uh have a good time and sweat it out on the beach. I mean, it's just a beautiful thing, and I think more people need to do it. Yeah. What you said reminds me of like this was the first winter where I really did not have seasonal depression in Wisconsin. And I feel like it's because we were purposely and intentionally outside. Yeah. And even if we weren't like in the Midwest Ocean plunging, we were like just trying to be way more active outside this year. Like that was our whole goal. And I feel like we did it and it it worked out really well. But I think about I think about like how animals get depressed in zoo cages and like dogs get depressed when they're inside all day. And I'm like, humans were not meant to be inside boxes all day, inside at all. We need like fresh air and sunlight to be happy. We're like literally, you guys are like plants, so it's like if you can just make it outside a little bit more, which is what we hope to do with our pop-up events, like it does the trick. Big zaddy, big zaddy. Um my why for this work, um like two things come up. Um so I've told yeah, I've told you guys this story before, but I'll share it on this podcast. So in uh in 2021, I went to a real estate conference in Florida, and it was a three-day conference, and on like the second night, I'm going to the third day, um, one of the presenters, uh Bill Allen, who runs the conference, was asking the crowd, um, you know, we're talking about how to like optimize and be like the best, your best self for your business, for your family, for your community, all these things. He's like, How many people here took uh took a cold shower today? And like, you know, maybe 25% of the hands went up. And then he's like, And anybody here heard of Wim Hof? And then there's like 10% of the hands. Um, and I had never heard of you know Wim Hof or anything. And but fortunately, the guy next to me um had, and he like was a kind of follower of his and did a lot of breath work and things. He's like, Yeah, you gotta check out this video on YouTube. Show me the 11-minute breathwork video. So the next morning, I went for a run around the um resort, did this breath work video, and felt things in my body and in my mind that I had never felt. Um, just like the tingling sensation, being able to like slow down your heart, being able to like really tap into like just the kind of ethereal network that's like around your body, and then took a cold shower, and it was the best I had felt in 10 years. And like I was you know, a lifelong athlete, played college football, basketball, you know, practicing yogi. But at the time, like I was like a little bit out of practice and out of the health and like really like caring about my health. Um, I was really focused on business. We had cut we were coming out of COVID, so it was like a very confusing time of like what do we do with our life? Um, and I just feel like I didn't even want to go to this conference. I almost didn't go. My business partner um's wife was pregnant at the time, and she was like having like she might go into labor, so he's like, I can't go. And I was like, Well, I don't want to go if you're not gonna go. He's like, You should really go just go check it out. And I was like, begrudgingly went. Um, but then had this experience, and then on the third day they asked for people to come up and talk about their experience, and I like popped up and I'm like, I can't wait to share this. Like, people are gonna just go nuts. I feel so good. And I'm like, uh, this conference has been just incredible for me. I found I feel like I found my tribe, it's just been transformational. Like, I'm so excited to like, you know, just explode in the business and all these things. And then Bill put me back on my seat and just like, okay, that's great, but what are you gonna do when you get back to Milwaukee? Like, what are you gonna do when you go back to the same community that expects you to be the the guy you were? And they say, No, no, no, you can't do those things and you can't do that, and go back into your little box that we know that you're in. And I was like, Well, I'm gonna read this podcast and I'm gonna like you know read this book. He's like, No, no, no, no. What are you really gonna do? Like when that pressure comes from the outside that like wants you to be what your older self. It's like I want you to sit down and think about it. And like I had expected, like I said, I expected the crowd to like stand up and roar after like I gave this, like, you know, very emotional and like charged up thing. And he and I sat down and instead wrote out like three pages of just like, here's my exact plan when I get back to Milwaukee. And one of the things was like seek out more community in the health and wellness space. I got back, and then about that time a music festival called Flowfest was going on. Um, got introduced to a guy doing cold plunges there, and um I would I had been wanting to do it, and then from there, like everything, you know, just like really changed. So like that fall of 2021 um just opened me back up to like pursuing my health, like wanting to be healthier, wanting to find other people that were doing the work. Got back in the yoga studio, was going every day, um, yeah, and just like started giving a crap about like how I looked, how I felt, like, and who I was interacting with similar to you guys, of like kind of going combing through like the relationships and being like, what is serving me and what is not? Like, who do I need to stop hanging out with? What do I need to like set aside, like alcohol and you know, drugs and um you know, the creature comforts, you know, sugars and all these things, and like get into alignment with like who I think I can be and who I've like meditated on many times, and who like God wants me to be. And like I take on a lot of projects, I take on a lot of work, and sometimes I don't think I can do it. But most of the time when I meditate and ask for guidance, I hear a voice that says, Don't worry about it, I built you for this, just go do it. And so like and so like sometimes like all right, that's very encouraging. Other times, like, damn it, I gotta I just gotta keep going, I guess. And um uh even when I like want to rest. But uh, so that's I mean, I had that experience, so I know it's possible for other people to be in a place of like dysfunction or not knowing what to do with their lives, and then just like taking that step into something that is uncomfortable, or maybe you don't want to do, or like, oh, that's gonna be silly, and then you meet the one guy that has the video, you do the thing, you get challenged, it puts you into a place of like, what am I really going to create and how am I gonna do it? Um, and then from there, it's just been one interaction after another, including meeting Bill, including meeting you guys, um, and all the thousands of other people I've met along the way that only like affirm that like you're on the right path. So just keep following the little breadcrumbs, like keep picking them up, you know, take stock in like, wow, I can't believe I got to meet this person. I can't believe I got this experience, and then just you know, keep following that. And um, yeah, so so that's like how I got into this work and and why I love to do it because like the thing I love most about our events and hanging out with the people we do is for the people that say they don't want to get in the cold water, they get in the cold water and like help them in and guide them in and walk them through the breath work, and you see this light come out in their eyes, and you see this like invigoration of like, oh, I'm alive. And I think like when people leave our events, like that's a lot of the times the feedback's like I feel alive, I feel connected, I feel like good. And um, I just I will never get enough of that of taking somebody from this, you know, like coming in, like, I don't really know if I'm gonna do this today, and then by the end of it, it's just heart open and just gushing and just like you know, when can I do this again? And um, yeah, so that's what I love about it, and that's why I do do this work. So beautiful. Yeah, thanks. Take a zone anchor. Damn me up, Zaddy, damn me up, you good boy. Oh my god. I don't want to do it. Okay on the big, big stick. Yeah, it kind of is nice. Um I mean, yeah, very for me, it's been a very like traditional like coming from a place of pain story. Like deep sense of pain and confusion, which was ultimately just a reflection of the culture that we were in. And that's the purpose of what we do, I would say, is like we're sort of reorienting how people can show up in this life and help them unlearn what they what they've learned through a sick distorted culture. Because we've learned some bullshit that has totally toxified our entire being and has led us many of us down like a very, very challenging path where there's a lot of unwinding to do now. And that was the case for me. So I was a jewelry artist and basically I was essentially in a disease state, like not so much physically, but the way I was behaving, the way I related to myself. There's lots of self-hatred. I was fueling my um path in jewelry arts via shame. And I just was not happy with who I was, and I thought through jewelry arts, if I could become successful in this thing, then I could find self-love and self-worth in our world. Again, a reflection of the culture, like a materialistic paradigm where if you get all these external castles in order, like you're good to go, you know, like you're gonna be all right and probably feel great about yourself. But as one walks this path, you find out that that's not that's not how it works, right? And many of us have to walk that journey, even if we like hear it from other people, it's like, yeah, money doesn't buy happiness and all these like cliches and platitudes and stuff like that. We still have to go through that process, many of us. I'm happy I did. Um but through that process, I realized that I had to become the source of my own love and happiness and peace and harmony and all these things. I couldn't place it on anything outside of me. And I have been able to cultivate that through these practices of taking really excellent care of my body, all the things under the holistic health umbrella, reconnecting to nature and like my own version and flavor of spirituality, and building meaningful relationships. That was like one of the main things I was missing when I was in jewelry arts, because I was completely isolated, totally hyper-obsessed with this one thing, because I thought that was my key to you know finding happiness, and I kind of just omitted everything else and became very immensely unwell, addicted to things and um just in a deep state of disharmony in general. And yeah, so I really aim to be like a walking embodiment for like what it looks like to be fully myself, lean into my gifts and purpose to walk the walk, to be a healthy individual, to let people know that there is a way forward where you can really enjoy your life, you can really love yourself, you don't have to place that on something outside of you. And that this is always an ongoing journey, of course. And like I forget sometimes and I remember as humans do. Um but yeah, there's just so many different touch points as it relates to like what we're communicating through our brand and the culture we're we're creating that I think are going to ripple outwards in ways that we will never understand, right? When somebody can cultivate that level of love, that level of connection within themselves, the way they show up for their family, the way they show up for their jobs and careers, the way the way they show up uh to like the passerby on the street as well, just how that love and that connection ripples outwards is really the why behind it all for me. It's and again, cliche, it's about love, right? You know, in the end, um, and and like finding that again, going from a place of pain, confusion, loss, um, all these qualities of being that we would prefer not to be in, and re connecting with that unshakable sense of self-love. And like there's so many different things I could say about that, not to go too deep down the rabbit hole, but that's pretty much it for me. So let's go, team. Well, you're definitely an embodiment of the love, man, and like you know, and just I think uh do it without you guys. I mean, opening the space and allow allowing people to like be who they are and and and know that like that's what we're about. Like, I mean, we are you know, we are like the love all serve all like mentality of like you know, everyone is welcome. We're gonna give our gifts freely and like trust that like you're going to receive those and go pollinate it yourself, like to your family, your community, like bring our work other places. Um, and then when you come back, like you know, you gotta you always have a home here. And um and yeah, in the loneliness crisis, it's like uh I think people don't feel like that from like you know, their own families, their own, you know, friend groups, and and um yeah, so I just yeah, I don't know. It takes a lot of courage to like come out and do like hard things and take the leap, but like you know, for like this team, like like we couldn't like that's like the biggest compliment for me. That's just like like you like you said yes to this, like let's go, you know, like you your life is going to be different now, and um and it's just yeah, super fun. One last thing too, um on on top of that was what you had said, Billy, is like you know, um being a place of love and stuff. And I one thing I love that you always say is that like you know, be your fair be your own feral self, and like people are scared to do that nowadays because of what other people will think of them, but like you you'd embody that so perfectly, you know, like uh our our transformative event uh last week, you know, we were just dancing on the beach and like nobody cared, you know, and other people were looking like like that video I sent a while ago where that guy's just like 100% dancing, and then all of a sudden, like the whole park is like it takes one person to start it, yeah. And I feel like we're that one person here in Milwaukee, and then like it'll eventually catch on. Yeah, being the permission slip for that full radical authenticity because everyone is kind of um, I guess degraded that within themselves to fit in for the illusion of being safe, right? Like we think if we're our true selves, we might be exiled from the community or the tribe, and that's like the worst thing that could potentially happen on like a primal energetic level, right? Because if you're exiled, you're dying, you know, way back in the day. Not anymore, but it feels like an ego death, right? And to be denied for being your authentic self, yeah, that can be painful, but ultimately people fucking love it. Like saying the unhinged thing, people are about it. And yeah, we all definitely do a good job of representing that um demeanor, just being like, okay, like I'm gonna take the risk and say the weird thing, right? And it's probably gonna be a little inappropriate. Maybe it'll rub someone the wrong way, but hey, like, you know, just a mirror for them, really, if anything. Yeah. As long as we don't put on another RFK fest. Coming in 2027. RFK fest. We're a fan of I'm a fan of RFK Fest. Um that was so funny. So we're gonna do one more question on the topic of the squad. Maybe do like a little speed run. I don't think this one will go too deep. Um, so Danny likes to fart. That's his weird, strange fart, idiosyncratic behavior. I didn't go over my next one. Does that feel edgy to admit? Oh no, well, not for me because it's so ingrained in my personality. It's true, it's his whole personality. It's just possible. It stinks, but but my initial gut wreck. If some if I stranger that I never met before just ripped ass right in front of me, my initial reaction would not be disgust, it would be to laugh. And I feel like more people need to think about it. And then probably hug because it's like kindred spirits, you know, just like oh thank you. Anyways, yeah, wants to share an idiosyncratic quirk of their I don't even know what idiosyncratic is like your quirk. Oh, okay, you know, that you do. It could be that might be cringe worthy for other people. What do you think my quirk is? You know me better than anyone. Put me on the spot here. I didn't even think of that. Um I don't know. Oh, okay. How about other weird noises I make? Oh, yeah, she has Tourette's. We're sitting there and says nobody, and then all of a sudden she just goes and then like it scares me because like it's like while he's driving, no, I make like Like really, like really just okay. So in high school, I was known for the animal noises that I was that I would make. Like someone would walk up to me in the hallway and be like, do the monkey noise. And that's why it would do so well, though. Like, is this really how I'm known for? I wasn't active there. Um, my fun fact my first email account my mom made for me when I was like five was squeakerdief at hotmail.com, which was like squeaker dolphins. Yeah. So I've always been an animal lover. And now I just will randomly make animal noises and it catches him off guard and myself. Like I can't even control it, but I do have to mask it quite a bit. But maybe I should just let it out in public more. It was really hard to mask in a corporate office environment where I just really felt the urge to like slap someone's butt or like make uh dolphin noise, and I couldn't. Another fun fact about her is that she knows almost any bird known to humankind. And uh she'll be like, Oh, that's a red wing bush tit. And then it's like, oh my God. I think you just don't know any birds, so it seems like I know a lot. Yeah. But I do know a lot of really random animal facts, just because that's like my grandpa was a naturalist, and I grew up like volunteering with him at the nature center. So I just like I've got all the nature books and like plant identification and bird ID, reptile ID. Like, I can't like someday we'll get our own kids into it, and like me and a little mini me are just gonna be like running around like it's gonna be fun. I can't wait for it. Channel the the animal spirits, yeah. So get ready for that. Uh I mean, definitely like making weird noises. Um I don't know. I think the one that comes to mind that feels unique is well, this isn't even unique. I'm sure this is so many people at this point, just with like how many hyper palatable stimuli are around us at all times. But I would say I'm addicted to intensity. Like I'm an ultra-marathon distance runner, of course. So, like obviously I orient in that way. It's like I like to push things to the extreme, and most things that I do, like I'm always pushing my envelope in some regard. Um, even it when it comes like sometimes I'll like totally just go off the rails and binge eat, which isn't unique at all. Like, you know, sometimes we get gluttonous. A lot of Americans do that. Yeah, but you go in, you go in, yeah. Like I like to pull these levers where it's like, let's feel some shit, you know. Oh man. And um yeah, what else? What do you like to binge on? Yeah, what are you binge on? I do like binge that much anymore just because I am have become a lot more mindful with around those behaviors and how I would like to feel. And as soon as I have that awareness, like, well, I don't want to feel that way, so I'm not gonna do that. I'm gonna stop here. I can see you binge eating like a whole watermelon in one sitting, like a huge one. Like I see you, I see you cutting it in half and just going in with the spoon. I almost did it yesterday. I I cut up a watermelon and I only had like five slices, like, wow, I'm really full now. Well, I could eat like a whole bag of potato chips. Yeah, oh yeah, of course, with avocado oil and older brand, guys. Oh man, we had some of those at the movie yesterday. Yeah, really good. I don't know. I also been sardine maxing lately. I've never binge on sardines. That's crazy. That's like one can at a time. Yeah, I don't know. You can't really binge on stuff like that. I think what about like smoked oysters? Octopus? Oh, I'm I like raw oysters. Oh, okay. Oh, we should go celebrate with some oysters. That's another thing. I think like this is also very relatable. I just overthink about so many different things, and that's but again, like in my process of healing, I've become so much more mindful that like I know who I am, I know I'm my spirit, and the things that show up in my mind, like thoughts and emotions, stuff like this, that's not me. And I and I am the observer of that. So the more that I practice that, the less that these things have influence over me, and the and I can just watch them come and go, you know. So I overthink a lot because I care, like I and I want to create high quality things and I want to like show up a certain way and stuff like that, but ultimately I don't know, just more random stuff about your boy. I'll pass the baton. That's cool, that's good stuff. That's the speaking stick. Yeah. Um quirks. I don't I don't really know. I don't dance. You're normal. I I I'm a normal dancer. Yeah. Um, yeah, I'm a good dancer. I guess like yeah, you know, I'm pretty good dancer. This man drinks uh Americanos at 3 p.m. Maybe that's the same. Oh yeah. Yeah, the the cup of food like a baby. I do a hella espresso as well. Yeah. Um yeah. I guess um, I don't know. I just have I'm always on to like something new, like a very I get bored. I don't get bored easily, I just like I see my old football coach used to call it like the shiny nickel syndrome, where you'd like see a shiny nickel fall on the floor and then you just start chasing it. And um, and so like that's me a little bit of like just seeing fun stuff and just wanting to. I mean, this is gonna sound bad, but like one of my quirks is like I can just do anything pretty well. Like just just give me anything and I can do it pretty well, and it's like it's like that's great. It's also like a little bit like, but can you do everything all the time? And like that's what I like, that's what I like battle with of like, you know, it's like I'm working on one thing and then I get distracted by this and I want to do it. It's like, well, why not? Like, why wouldn't I just record an album and release that um in my free time, you know? And it's like, well, are you chasing this musician thing? No, not really, just like playing music and having fun. Can I just say um so Daniel farts, I make animal noises, but you guys, you run triathlons or like do whatever, and you're like doing everything, so that's cool. Yeah, so next question, I guess. So we're weird. No, I uh I don't I don't really know. Um, but I guess that's just I don't know, something that happens in Drink Americanos, you know. You you live a life of curiosity, there's nothing wrong with that. Yeah, and I'm trying to let go of like the structures and the systems that tell you, like, well, you can't do that because you're supposed to be doing this, and like, well, you've already invested this amount of time in that, so you should probably finish that. And like, and you've done this much of it, so why don't you spend the next 50 years doing it and hating yourself, you know? And so, like I like this weekend, like I mean, we've been talking about presence and like love and things like that, like at the little backyard party that I was at Sunday night, I was like, I wanted to leave at 10 because I was exhausted from the weekend. I was like, I need to go to sleep, and ended up staying until midnight because I just like kept having conversations with people and like just holding space for like what was present with them. And I'm just like as in your cup, and as I was sitting there, I'm just realizing like this is what is mine to do right now, is like you know, this is a part of the seeing the light in eyes in people's eyes when they go into cold water. It's like, how often are the people I'm talking to have like a sounding board that is actually listening and caring and like and having that love towards them? Um, you know, of course, wearing this hat, so it's kind of like a beacon for like come talk to me and I'll be nice to you. Um, but like that was just like and it just felt so good. She's like, Well, I'm not going anywhere until I have this conversation with everybody. And so I ended up having like 18 like very meaningful conversations, like between 10 and midnight, and then was just like, all right, well, now I'm out of here, hugged everyone and left. And uh, but it was just like, you know, I think like that's more of like you know, the the gift that I'm supposed to cultivate now is like you know, being a person of service for other people to like reorient themselves onto a path of health or wellness or just better understanding or relationships and things. So um, yeah, I don't know, a little side note, but uh, but I think then that's what we're all here to do. And like with each one of those, it's just a little shift towards something better or just an idea, like, oh, my life doesn't have to be locked in a box for 50 years, like I can do what I want in this moment, and then I can choose it again now in this moment, and I can change it now, and like you just always have this opportunity. Um, but you lose sight of that when you have, you know, oh, I worked here for eight years and I've been working on these projects. It's like, well, maybe you should just say fuck it and go somewhere else and try something new. So that's the ultimate example of just being present, like we were talking about at the manifestation event. You said, Oh, I should be going home now, but you were like this is what I'm here to do. So, like, I think that's a beautiful thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's it, yeah. Yeah, Tiffany read yeah, no, I think that's good. Yeah, yeah. No, Tiffany reached out, like, are you doing okay? I'm just like, Yeah, I'm just having a conversation. It's like, okay, we'll see you when you get here. Be safe. Yeah. So in my mind, the story was also like, Oh, I should get home to the kids and the dogs, and like my wife, and da-da-da. And it's like, but in reality, everyone is sleeping, and this is right where I should. This this is where I'm supposed to be at the moment. Um, I was just talking with the other artist about that too. Like, he was like out three or four nights a week playing gigs, and he has a four-year-old at home. He's getting married in the spring, and and I'm like, Yeah, I wrestle with like going to events and like being outward and like not being around my family, where it's like that's you know, a lot of times I feel like that's where I'm supposed to be. He's like, he's like, Yeah, but you're serving your family by doing a lot of this as well. I was like, Yeah, that's that's true. So, you know, just uh and I what we came to was balance, like there's just striking a balance and all these things. So trying to find that. Yeah, yeah. Yep, cool, cool. All right, we're gonna now that we got to know these lovely, magical, super weird, feral freak human beings, absolutely completely normal in general. Um, we're gonna segue into talking about just the hive and what we're creating more grass tax-wise and uh pointing to more of like the cultural issues that we're facing and how the hive is stewarding a new paradigm. Because that's the way I see it. It's like a new wavelength, it's a new energetic. I mean, of course, so many people are doing this work in the world through holistic health practices and meditation and yoga and different intentional communities and stuff like that. But I love um most about what we're doing is that we're not just a bathhouse, you know, we're so much more than that through like what we're embodying and carrying into the space individually and as a collective, and sort of these um main pieces that we're pointing at as far as the shifts we want to see in the culture. So like remembering how important interdependence is, like truly leaning on one another, because we live in a hyper independent culture, totally being yourself, uh reclaiming health sovereignty, like taking responsibility for your own well-being, conscious authorship, and creating more than you consume, like being a pollinator, like filling your own cups so you can go out in the world and actually pollinate your gifts in an energy and energy in a meaningful way. Um speaking to some of the values of the hive, but just to like read like a few stats on like what's happening in the culture as it relates to people's well-being. Over 400 million people worldwide are currently suffering from depression severe enough to be classified as disabled. That's wild. Um, and then of course we have um like many of the modern day chronic diseases, which could be also referred to as diseases of affluence, because these are relatively new things. Like people didn't struggle with these things before, but um over 20 plus million people per year die globally from these preventable lifestyle-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, alcoholism, addiction, chronic inflammatory illnesses, anxiety and depression. So like I mean, it's just very clear that we're not in a good position as a society. I mean, it's like you don't need stats to tell you this. You just look around and open your eyes and see where people are at and like how people are just degrading in such a rapid manner. So we're I think we're reaching this threshold where there's a big pendulum swing happening and people are waking up to that because of like this really sad way that things have culminated for people, and it's not their fault. That's the thing, it's not their fault, it's the culture's fault, it's a reflection of sickness in the culture. Um but it is our responsibility to take initiative over these things. So that's really like what we aim to like help people foster within themselves is like you can do it, and we're here to support you along the way as well. And we need each other to do it really, to maintain proper behavioral shifts, um, and just an upwards trajectory in general as it relates to our well-being in a holistic manner. Um so what else do you guys see like in the culture that you know the hive sort of is providing a solution for? We could say maybe I hit most of the things, but if there's anything else left there that comes to mind that's present with y'all, I would love to just hit on these things for a minute. I one thing that came up for me when you were saying that is like understanding that our bodies were built for so much more than just sitting in an office environment all day and thinking about doing hard things and you don't realize what you can do until you try something out there like cold water, you know, like even in the and it's so easy though. It it's it's everyone because even in the car this morning before we we went in the lake, I was like, Oh god, this is gonna suck. And then it doesn't suck. And you're like, why do I think like this still, even though I know how good I'm gonna feel during and after? It's like it's like 10 seconds of discomfort, and then you're like, oh God, this isn't that bad. Like, why do why is there so much fear behind getting into cold water? So just like helping people understand that they can do so much more than just sit on a couch all day and like we put these met we like we put these roadblocks on ourselves. We put these barriers on ourselves, like we can do so much more than what we do, and our bodies are built for so much way tougher environments. Like we we try to find comfort in everything we do, but again, you think back to like what our ancestors were doing and how they lived, and it's like dang, they like they always had discomfort and they survived because we're here today. But we're soft, and yeah, we are soft, but it's a mental fortitude thing. Like we you build up that that's that's kind of a muscle in itself, is like you know, having the ability, like you said, you know, it's oh it's it's always gonna be hard to get cold. I mean, it's not like a naturally comfortable thing, so just building that and helping others see that it is like it's just unfortunate to hear you mention it, like people say I can never do that. But it's like so they've already put up that mental block. But doesn't that like kind of annoy you when people are like, Oh, I could never do that? No thanks. I mean, because I I understand, I mean, it is uh but like it's like how do you like try to get through to that person without like trying to like without sounding like a dick or a Mr. No at all? It's like hard to do, like steps, right? What do you think what is your edge is like a great question for anyone that maybe feels stuck in their current lifestyle and um is just feeling like a lack of livelihood within their bodies and experience in general. It's like what can I do to kind of like rock the boat in a healthy way and step out of my comfort zone because your comfort zone is a plush-line coffin. And I also heard uh somebody on Instagram refer to like this paradigm of comfortable living as like a hospice lifestyle. It's like in hospice, you're doing everything you possibly can for this person that's down to make them as comfortable as possible, but like you don't want to do that while you have a capable body, right? You want to be putting yourself out there into hormetic stress in a variety of manners, and really that's that's like the key to feeling the most alive and electric you possibly can. Like, what else are we here to do? Like, it's it's interesting because it's hard for us to really think long-term, like, yeah, one day I'm gonna die, and that's like a tactic I use for myself for like mentally framing like the traject trajectory and reality of what's happening. I'm going to die. Like, am I really gonna sit here and like let illusory fear get in the way of me living like a meaningful, adventurous experience? And yeah, sometimes I do, like, I'm not perfect, like I like comfort as well. I think there's an ebb and flow between comfort and you know getting out of your comfort zone. I've definitely gone way too far to the getting out of my comfort zone spectrum and just like totally burnt out as well and did not feel good. So there's a threshold in which you cross where there can be a point of diminishing return. But I think that's something we provide very well is like come to this experience. People are very welcoming, encouraging, and supportive. You get out of your comfort zone, you're gonna feel empowered, and that momentum is probably gonna continue forward after you leave the experience. So I think that's something people are missing so much because again, we have all this again hyper-palatable but hollow stimuli available to us at home where I can entertain myself for weeks laying on my couch eating potato chips going on Instagram, you know. But that just for me, like I've done that many times, I'll probably do it again. But like it gets old, it runs its course, like hey, now it's time for me to go out and like participate in life. And like experiences like the ones we curate definitely allowed me to blossom as a person and cultivate that traction in the right direction of like, oh, I can do things that are outside the realm of ordinary for me, and I'll forever be on that journey and saying yes to that because I know what that does for me, I know what I value, I know what I want in the long term, and again, like one day I will die. So I prefer to seize the opportunity while I have it in this body. I like something that you said that I think is important because like we always talk about oh get uncomfortable, but you mentioned the ebb and flow of things, and I think that's important. Like we were constantly talking about like do stuff to get you out of your comfort zone, but it is important as you always preach as well, rest and understand your body and understand that there may be another night where you do sit on the couch and eat the digits, and that's fine, but just not to beat yourself up about it and learn that like it runs its course. Okay, now it's time to get back out there. So I really like that you said that. And one thing I want to promote with the hive too is just um just overall like movement and and exploration and and you know doing things that are challenging. Um, because one thing I like to do for myself to like build my mental fortitude to do things that are difficult is like um there's a lot of times I find myself I'm like, well, what what is the easy way? And then don't do that way. Find a way, like one example I could think of that is a pretty big extreme is like over COVID. I sold my car, and my only means of transportation for over a year was my bicycle, and that was going to get grocery shopping. My job was 10 miles away, one way from my house. Her house was close to 20 miles one way from my house. So, like, if I wanted to hang out with this new cute girl, I had to go ride 20 miles, and then like to be clear, I had a car and I easily could have driven to you. Yeah, we think back on that a lot. It's like, why did I come to you so often? Like, you could have been through, but like doing things that like um you know, like, oh, what's the easy way? Like, for example, I travel a lot and I'm in airports like half of the month. So, like the easy thing to do is sit at your terminal or sit at your gate on your phone or a computer and wait for your flight for an hour or whatever. So now what I do is instead I walk around for that hour and I can get close to three miles, you know, before my flight. And then I feel a lot more accomplished and I feel like the sense of gratitude that I have this ability to do this rather than just sitting down and like scrolling on my phone. So um that's one thing I I try to practice and I hope other people too can do as well. It's like uh Billy mentioned it, yeah. The easy thing to do is sit on my couch and I have a plethora of things at home that could keep me occupied, or I come hang out with these weird feral humans on the beach when it's one degree outside and go sweat in a tent and then go, you know, dip the nips. So um I just think that uh that's one thing I want to instill in people is like, you know, you don't always have to do the hard thing, but understand that you need to build the uh available headspace to be able to like you know recognize to Billy's point when you are being too reserved or too, you know, like do something, like get over that hump, like and that will help with depression and those things that you mentioned that like type 2 diabetes, just getting movement in, like we dance on the beach. Like, so that's I just want to incorporate that as an all-inclusive, holistic health that we can offer with the hive, thrive with the hive. Oh I'll piggyback something real quick. Uh like Daniel, like your movement in the airport. Like, when I'm like uh we've Bill and I have been in the airport together and done full-on like 45-minute, you know, vinyasa like sessions and like and just like done yoga there. And even at um what is the other airport in Chicago? Not over here, Midway, they have like the yoga room there that where like they have like a room where you yeah, so like you know, wellness in general seems to be, you know, it's obviously like a booming industry at the moment, but like create like part of the hype is like creating another space where people can interface with that, that like you know, you can get your wellness in at the Midway airport if you like if if that's you know where you gotta go. Um one of the people in the tent or over the St. Roberts weekend was like like uh she was like questioning, well, I don't know, like can Milwaukee really like support you know more wellness stuff. And I'm like, I think in the grand landscape we're way behind, like yeah, that like we need to make it easier and more accessible for people to say, like, oh, I can just run down to you know the hive, or I can run out to like this thing and that thing. That like you know, one of the woman that's like that uh more advocated that we need more of it lived in Heartland, and so it's like her choices are very limited. And she's like, I have to like you know get a babysitter and tell my husband that I'm doing this to come down here and like do yoga and do sauna and all this stuff. So so like I think it's like much more needed just. To normalize that like our daily action should include wellness and not so much of the sitting, the playing on the phone, the going to the bar, the you know, um, I don't know, quote unquote normal social scenes that we um have been just told that this is what it is. And like part of the hive is like, let's create something totally different than that that is centered around wellness that has all the other accoutrement of like hanging out. It's music, it's you know, coffee, it's like lounge space, it's working, it's actualizing dreams, it's doing all this in under the umbrella of like, yeah, we're also getting super freaking healthy by sweating and doing this cold water and moving and everything like that. So um, yeah, I think like yeah, just part of the hive is like getting people onto the track of like, oh, I should I should be taking advantage of beautiful days and getting outside. I should be taking advantage of layovers in the airport and like getting a workout in versus seeing that as just like, oh, gotta wait again, or you know, whatever narrative you want to put around that. So I think there's also like so much economic development going on with Milwaukee, and we're growing so fast. And I agree, I think we're totally behind and we have we're like just at the beginning. And like I said, like I want us to be like bringing sauna culture to Milwaukee. Like, I want people to drive up from Chicago to visit our space. Like Chicago has like 12 different contrast therapy spots, like they're all over. So Milwaukee can have a few, like we're gonna be okay. And like someone the other day mentioned, oh, well, like that sounds great, but it's just another membership on top of like so many health and wellness memberships. And I'm like, yeah, but some people like to do only this because like sitting in the sauna is kind of a workout in itself, you know. And if you think about it, like just another membership, it's like the cost of going out for drinks for a night. Like our goal is to get people healthier. I want people to like stop going out, spending a hundred dollars or more on alcohol with their friends. And it's like, I don't know. Yeah. And like and then those are the industries that like we're propping up, like we're like continuing to support the thing that is like degenerating our health, like making us more disconnected, making us depressed. Like, because like how you know, it's like you have fun in that moment. Like, what is the what is the back end of that of like paying for it the next day, feeling like crap, um having like no money in your bank account, and then you then you don't have like the energy to go out and like enjoy the day or whatever it is. So yeah, it's just a cycle that we need to start breaking, and um, yeah, I share that too. I want I want to be like a hub of that, of like, yeah, you've got to go to the hive. So yeah, the few the few years in commercial real estate that I did, like the the real money makers for you know brokers and landlords are like fast food establishments that could just you know, they have the blueprints, they pop them up real quick, they have two, three fast food, you know, drive-thru lanes. It's like those are things that are just opening up at a rapid rate, and it's just sad to see that like that's what is driving like you know, cities or like the next new fast food restaurant, or you know, uh things that just are not conducive to good health. So these corporations don't give a fuck about you, straight up. And in the case that you are participating in fast food culture and supporting organizations that are completely exploiting the planet and um going out for a night on the town and getting completely shit house, which maybe there's time and place for that, right? Like I'm not totally ruling that out as like an experience one can have and maybe gain something from. But all these things, like wherever you're placing your dollar and and however you're participating as a human will determine whether you are positively contributing to the planet or not. So my encouragement would be for people to think about that. Not that you need to change your whole lifestyle right away, nobody expects that, but like really look in the mirror and see like what it is that you're funding and fueling through your behaviors and where you're allocating your currency. Um, and by no means am I perfect as far as like living a completely regenerative, sustainable lifestyle or in the way I behave or the way I spend my money, but I do my best on a daily basis to you know improve that and bring awareness to that. And I think that's another unique aspect of the culture we're creating at our space and how we plan to operate is that we want to operate in such a way to where like we're doing everything we possibly can to be stewards of the planet, to be stewards of this type of mentality, a regenerative mentality. Um, you know, be a pollinator, be a change agent, and participate in such a way where you are a net positive contributor and really just like putting your awareness there, like what can I do on a daily or weekly basis to slowly shift my lifestyle away from these things that are fucking people up, you know, like fast like and there is a place for fast food, right? There's people that make very minimal income and that serves a purpose. But at the same time, it's like yeah, just looking at all these systems and how like tragically negatively impactful they are on all of us. And tragically negatively impactful on one person is tragically negatively that's a tongue twister, tragically negatively impactful on all because we're all connected, we're all one. Mic drop. Uh the one I wanted to say it earlier, and I'll say it, but I'll say it now. Like the word you brought up is awareness. And I think like that's like a big factor of just like of helping people gain some awareness to the like the decisions they make have impact not only on themselves, but their community, the greater world, and what they eat, what they're put in their body, who they hang out with. Like, we're talking we're gonna talk about that collectively here of just like being aware that like your surroundings and the choices you make like have impact and like the externalities of the choices you make, like um, you know, we see it in our world with like what's happening, and um, so yeah, I don't know, just bringing like I yeah, that awareness and then like consciousness to yourself that like you are just one person, but you are just one person, and that's how anything starts. It's like starts and ends with your decisions, and like um part of like our work is empowering people to believe that like yeah, and my decisions matter and they're important and um and I have purpose and I'm here to do something. And um, I think we get you know lost in the you know in the social media and like just grant like the grandeur of our world and how big it is and how powerful the companies you mentioned are and like how you know a lot of this stuff is not our choices, um, but like that's changing rapidly, and like our choices are gonna really, really, really mean something for your personal well-being soon. Um yeah, because like how many checkers, fast food joints do we need? No, no, no shade on people who like checkers, but I've never been to one, and like a lot a lot closed down in Chicago, a lot of them. And then and like a new one popped up next to like a festival foods in West Dallas, and I'm just I'm just like, what? Like, who's buying this? Like, why? Fast food isn't even like affordable anymore. Yeah, like once a year we go to Taco Bell, no more, no more than once a year. Yeah, we like spent like $40 just on us two. $40 for the most horrific shit that you'll ever think. That's now that's a hangover, yeah. Yeah, not cheap. Where did I go the other day? That was like shocking. Um, I can't remember, but yeah, it was not good. So we were speaking to some of the problems we see in culture, and we also hit on some of the other future questions that I was wanting to prompt us. And I'll just prompt them all at once so we can like kind of and just generally hit on them all, and then we can wrap things up. Cool. So, what makes the hive different? What is the bigger vision in general for like the impacts we want to make, the space, wherever your head wants to take it, and then the invitation, who is this really for? Um, yeah, like who do we want to see in the space? Like, I think we kind of generally have been hitting on it. I mean, it's most people, right? Anyone that's curious about an experience that's really gonna serve them, where they can come and meet amazing people and they can do great things for their body. So, yeah, what what else comes to mind for you guys just with those three prompts in general? I was gonna say what makes us different is uh like Rachel had made a point about Chicago, has a bunch of these different like sauna, contrasts, uh you know, coal plunge, all these spaces, but like um we're we're offering what makes us different is we're offering that like more human element. Yeah, we've been to a couple of them where you go in, they give you an hour in the communal space, but like there's no engagement. We've been there a couple times with other people, and like nobody engaged in conversation. So, like it's very quiet, like very just come and do it on your own and then leave. It's like only recovery, like sport mode. Yeah, exactly. So, um, and we talked to one of the owners of one of them I won't name, but like he mentioned how he wished he would have made it more communal because he had already built out the space that's he regretted the private rooms, yeah. He regretted the private rooms, which we will have, but our main focus is the the communal, but he did he focused too heavily on that and he wished he would have done it vice versa. So I think that's one element that we bring is that community, yeah. And like general community space aside, the invent the invitation to be like fully who you are, wherever you're at, emotionally, mentally, whatever's coming up in life, which I think is a very particular skill to hold a space like that, to know how to do it to where people feel a general sense of safety. We're not responsible for someone feeling safe. And if anything, they should feel like they're stepping out of their comfort zone and feel somewhat unsafe if they're challenging themselves. But I mean, just for example, the transformation event, the conversations that I unfolded during the rosebud thorn exercise, which for anyone listening is just an authentic lighting exercise, checking in on things that are going well, checking in on things things you're excited about, things that are blossoming, and then checking in on you know, a thorn, something that's not going so good. It just normalizes bringing up maybe some hangups in life. And there's just, I think, some really important things that came through that people were able to be seen in. So that's just the general vibe I would say we bring in the space is like you're very welcome to bring whatever is there. Like we're comfortable enough with our own painful, challenging experiences, talk about them enough. We value this that you can do it too. And it's not gonna, you know, throw the vibe off or anything. If anything, we just get to connect in a deeper, more meaningful way because that's the case. Um, so that's just something I wanted to name. And you're you're typically not gonna get that. And I mean, people will have all sorts of conversations in a wellness space, right? Bathhouse or gym or whatever, and there'll be like a big spectrum as far as where those conversations go from super deep and vulnerable to really light, playful, and fun. And we like we hit both those under the spectrum, we dance in between. But yeah, the encouragement is always like, hey, like we're here, you know, genuinely. So feel free to express how you want if you feel comfortable in doing so. What I'm so excited about is that unlike most places that are doing this, like we have two tubs with two different temperatures, like one for women who might be nearing their cycle or whatever, maybe someone who's a beginner and doesn't want it to be as cold, and then we have a colder one for everybody else who wants to go hard, you know? And like I don't I don't know. I haven't been to a contrast therapy space that has like different temperatures, like varying for like women versus men, just because like women don't need it to be as cold to get the same benefit. So I just I love that you guys were also open to the idea of like supportive of women's health and like bringing that into our space. So it's like we can truly like this is truly for everybody, everybody. Everybody. Um Ray I said it earlier, um, but like sitting in a sauna is a workout in and of itself, um, just with the you know cardiovascular, respiratory, you know, um gland activation. Like if you are a person that has, you know, not been very active or and wants to get healthy, like the sauna is a great place to start because you just gotta sit there. You just gotta sit there and let the heat do its work. And that's you know something we talk about is just like allowing yourself to be hot. Like you're doing this on purpose, and the benefits come with like getting hot and sweating, and you're allowing yourself to be cold because the benefits come when you get cold. So like taking the um aversion away out of it, um, just allows you to actually get these benefits. So um, yeah. I mean, if you've been a person like out of a wellness practice, I really encourage you to like whether it's our place or not, but like the sauna's a great place to start just to get your body lubricated again and start to move a little bit. That is so true. I love that. Thanks for bringing that up. Yeah. Um if there's anything else that you guys feel separates us, which I feel like the list is truly endless because I I believe that what we are doing is cutting edge. There's there's there's spaces that are similarly oriented in New York and Toronto and California, but Milwaukee for certain, it's like we're really um pushing the envelope as far as like what's possible in a social wellness space. Really, I would say the first ever social wellness space, like truly and our um like genuine care for the community. So I'm excited for like our sauna raves and like for people to like come to our space with their friends instead of the bars for like live music, live DJ, house music, morning DJ for those who don't like staying up at night late into the evening, which is actually a lot of our team. I'm like so stoked. Like, I just I have these Instagram reels going through my head of like the sauna raves that happen in Copenhagen, and I'm like, that's gonna be us. I cannot wait for this. Yeah, I really also just want to mention like just the caliber of individual that attracts to like what we're creating, and that just continues to blow my mind. It's just it's almost like you just expect to create like a familial level relationship with everyone that shows up, which hasn't been the case with everyone, but I would say that's the general theme and just the possibility of you know relationships that transcend the space alone. Um, we're all looking to build relationships that serve us and are reciprocal and you know really are aligned. So if if you're looking for that, you know, that that's something that we provide as well, I would say, very well. As long as you vibe with you know, farting and not sauna farting, so to be clear, I want to carry about the world. Yeah, I have another thing too that just popped into my mind is that like what we're building almost like takes out the age factor of anything because like from our closest friends now. I mean, Matt, this morning we celebrate his 57th birthday. I mean, like it takes that like uh you you're just introduced to a more well-rounded type of human, like you know, it's like promoting intergenerational relationships, which is like and you realize you're not as far apart uh from like different generations in terms of your goofiness or like you know, they can still joke around, you know, like things like that. So um I really like that aspect of it, like how we have at our events right now, we have such a range of age groups, but everyone when they're there just connects on a human level, it's not like age, it's not nothing other than just yeah. Like when we met with that advertising guy, he's like, Who's your ideal customer? And we're like everyone, literally everybody. Like we have people from like 13 to 75 at our events. I'm always so astonished by who shows up. Like they're people I never would have met in my day-to-day life, right? Like in my little corporate bubble, like it's such a diverse group of people. Yeah, absolutely. What else on like the bigger vision and you know, the more beautiful world that's being created through the work and the ripples and like what's coming through, you know, on the topic of like regenerative mindset and health and vitality and community building. Is there anything else there that you guys want to mention? Um obviously, yeah, we just want people to be more healthy and and feeling excellent in their bodies and minds, as well as cultivate beautiful, meaningful relationships and feel like they're cared for and seen and known. Um so that's like the world I would like to envision for the future, and where we all have like awareness on like how we're participating, right? Again, uh where our dollar's going, what that means. Um like me being present as a person with other people, what that truly means as well, and the impact that has that maybe goes unseen for the most part, like how we show up in general. Yeah, the bigger vision for me was touched upon a little bit, is just like that uh to reiterate what we had spoken about is creating another space for people to gather and like uh because I we sometimes say, like, man, I wish like we knew of what to do other than just like go to a bar, like you know, just having that space where people could come hang in a more vital way. And like like when I did CrossFit, for example, it was just you create this like family-oriented space where like you go there for wellness things, you go there, put your body through stressors, and everyone's doing it together and you grow connected with these people. Um that's what I see with the space is like people will probably generally come around the same time whenever they do come. So like they'll be they'll come really close with those others who are coming at that same time, whether it's after work or before work. And then like, you know, giving us a place for people to create friends that they never would have met otherwise in a s in a relatable thing that they enjoy to do, I think is a cool thing. So beautiful, beautiful. All right, well, we got tea. Yeah, um, grander vision. Um, I see so as somebody who does a lot of things well, um I uh I s I struggle with like where to put my energy and where to put my attention and what things do I really want to impact. And Yahive, you know, is like at foundationally focusing on getting people healthier, getting people well, socializing in a you know, a generative way. You know, Gregory Bogard, my friend and mentor, um, talks about to receive the benefits of community, you have to participate dynamically in community. And so whatever that means to you, um, I think that it's important to like ask that question and and and then do that thing because you're not going to feel you're not gonna battle this loneliness crisis by staying at home. Like you're not going to win the pollution crisis by you know not picking up garbage when you see it at the park. Um, you're not gonna like battle the energy crisis without being conscious of what you're like you know using, you know, to get around town or like you know, raising awareness around those things. So like we have big problems to solve in this world. And I'm really, really confident like that our work and like getting people together and talking about it in a way that like is that's not like doomer or like defeatist, but more like wow, we have like amazing, dynamic, awesome people that are in positions where like we can do something about this. Like we have the politicians coming to the events, we have the fundraisers coming, we have the leaders, like we have these elements, we have the musicians, we have the pro athletes, like we have people coming where it's like we all have our platforms as well where we can stand up and say, no more of this. Like, we're not doing it this way, we're changing the narrative, we're flipping the script, and we're gonna follow our own blueprint towards the more beautiful world our hearts know as possible. And you know, I think the hive can be a catalyst for that. We've been saying it from day one that like the hive exists to be a catalyst for a shift towards this more generative, community-supported way of being in the world that you know, the powers that be don't want us to live in that world. They want us to be separate, they want us to be addicted to our phones, they want us to be fat and lazy on the couch where we don't have a voice and we're not saying these things. So, like, you know, I just want to like get people together and ask those questions. Like, what else is possible when we meet people that all care and that want to do something? And like nothing's off the table. Um, one of the things I like, like, you know, we're in this critical time, and people are like, this is the most important time it's ever been to be alive and be a person. Oh, this is the most critical time. And like, my like devil's advocate to that is just like, when hasn't it been the most important critical time to be a human? Like, you see all of these, you know, wars, crusades, you know, I mean, Jesus Christ, you know, like all of these things that have been a part of the human experience where it's like, you know, it's like now's the most critical time. It's like ant, it's like so like stand up and like recognize that and realize it. It's not no one else is coming to save you in this, in this, in this game. And and so, like, you're important, you're special, you're loved, and like you have gifts that the world needs. So, like, um, you know, step out and give them. And you know, whether you come to the hive or not, like like I I just truly believe that about all people. And so um, yeah, we got a job to do, and it's a big one, and and it won't ever stop. So let's get going. Let's get it going. Let's go. Let's go, gang. Let's go. Let's go, gang. In completion. You guys Tyler said it great. I've been brain dead. I have nothing to left. He does everything better than us, clearly. Well, thanks, guys, for whoever chose to listen all the way to this point. That's awesome. Um, if you're listening, come hang with us. We got some upcoming events. You can check out our website to see when those are and what we're up to. Follow us on at Hive MKE on Instagram, as well as the space for being for podcast specific content. We got more episodes on the way. We love you all and smooches. Smooches. Thank you all.