Business Moves from Holiday Movies: Inspiration for the New Year

In this special New Year’s Eve episode, Shane and Tonya reflect on timeless lessons from holiday movies and how they can inspire your business and life as we welcome 2025. From the authenticity of Elf to the resilience of A Charlie Brown Christmas, discover insights to start your new year with purpose and a fresh perspective.

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Transcript

 Announcer: [00:00:00] This is IA Forward, your playbook for success as an independent insurance agent. Here to help you knock it out of the ballpark are your hosts, Shane Tatum and Tonya Lied. 

Tonya: Welcome to IA Forward and welcome to almost 2025. 

Shane: So many people are ready for 2024 to be gone. I think they already started in 2025, just a few months ago.

Just decided, you know what, I'm done. Just going to start over. 

Tonya: How long does it take you to get adjusted to writing the new year? 

Shane: I signed a contract just last week and it was brought to my attention by Mr. Ravi Jabbour, our managing director of business development, that I signed that contract effective January 1st, 2024 instead of January 1st, 2025.

I would say It's halfway through the first quarter. It definitely comes with repetition. I need some at bats on the new date, on the new calendar year, before it just [00:01:00] becomes naturalized. 

Tonya: I'm with you on that. Something about 2025 just seems like it's going to be a fantastic year. I like the sound of it.

2025. 

Shane: It sounds so distant to me, but it's here. When I think about 2025, it's not very far off, obviously, but when you hear 2025, it sounds fun, but so did 2020. It sounded 

Tonya: fun. I love the week between Christmas and New Year. I never have any idea what actual day it is or what I'm supposed to be doing, which is pretty cool.

Probably not something you're supposed to tell your boss. I bet that most people are like that, too. That is my time to catch up on all of the holiday stuff. The things I really enjoy. Leading up to Christmas, there's so much going on. And especially for our family this year, it has just been extremely frenetic.

I have actually enjoyed a little bit of [00:02:00] time between Christmas and New Year's to sit down and watch some of my favorite Christmas movies. 

Shane: Yeah, I think it's the perfect deep breath week. You go from middle of November, Thanksgiving into the Christmas season. The things that we try not to let happen, we try to not let the meaning of Christmas slip away, we try to slow down, we try to do all those things, but the hustle and bustle of the season does catch us.

And no matter who you are, what you do, where you are, this just happens. It catches everybody. It just goes down this path. No matter what we say, Of being crazy and frenzy. Then comes the week between Christmas and New Year's. It's the catch your breath, take a deep breath kind of week. It's the same for me.

It's a time where I [00:03:00] get a lot of things done. I get some filing done. I maybe enjoy this week more than the weeks leading up to Christmas. As crazy as that sounds. 

Tonya: I totally get it, and looking at my desk, filing is going to be a major priority this coming weekend. I will say the only thing that is made this week a bit frenetic is fantasy football.

Somehow, I have ended up in the finals of the Integra Fantasy Football League. Even missing two weeks, but I believe my, my players just did what they were supposed to do and I didn't touch them. But that's been the only chaos for me is fantasy football. 

Shane: I know what your life has been like for the last month and I know that you haven't been poring over stat sheets on your starting lineup and who you're gonna start.

That would be correct. Jerry Jones. It's not that hard. It's all in the [00:04:00] draft. It's all in your ability to put the right people on the roster. Here's Tanya playing in the finals. You're in 

Tonya: the top two. Yes, 

Shane: Todd Fry. I can imagine Todd pouring over all the stats and there's Tanya. Oh, I guess I made it to the finals.

It's not that hard. And yet you make it so hard. I'm not a huge Cowboys fan. Even though I'm from Texas, I'm more of a Texans fan. We want the Cowboys to be successful. It's like, nobody wants them to be successful, but everybody wants them in the playoffs. It's good for baseball. Just like it's good for football, for the Cowboys to be successful.

Jerry, call Tonya. And figure out how to get this into a better place for all of us, please. 

Tonya: Years ago, Southern Miss did not win a game for almost two seasons. The second season, they won their very last game. I sent them a letter explaining what an incredible PR opportunity it would [00:05:00] be. To bring me on as their head coach.

Here we have a, a female who attended your university, who danced at your university, and I couldn't do any worse. Why not engage your PR team? And make this happen, they did not respond. But maybe Jerry will, who knows? I'm guessing no. Shane and I have been watching Christmas movies this week, and let's start with the lessons we can learn and take into our business from Shane's favorite, Elf.

Shane: Not only is this my favorite, it's also timely. I believe. We've talked about AI in the last year and beyond that we've talked about authenticity. The lesson from the movie Elf is be 100 percent you and trust in that person. Trust in you. I think the phrase that I've come to loathe, you do you. You do you has [00:06:00] become so common in my life.

I've even caught myself saying it. And that's just. Not fun because I made fun of it now My wife has gotten on that bandwagon and she will throw it out there as soon as she gets an opportunity because she knows it Drives me crazy, but that's really what we're talking about here is authenticity if elf in new york city During the Christmas season eating spaghetti and maple syrup isn't authentic.

I don't know what else would be. Authenticity is this incredible thing that we need to grab hold of. 

Tonya: Why are we so scared of authenticity? Why are we afraid that if we put ourselves out there something's going to go wrong? Why do we have this fear of video, social media, networking and telling people what we do and why we're Fantastic, Adam.

What about us makes us so afraid to be loud? 

Shane: I would split this [00:07:00] into a couple of categories. One is the social media element. Some people, me included, just don't want to live their life in that way. You see so many examples of people getting hammered on social media, made fun of, bullied to a degree. I think it falls into this same bucket that I would put politics.

Why do good Conservative people struggle to enter politics. I was in politics for a little while locally in our community. It's nerve wracking to think about putting your family through ridicule. Same thing happens with social media. We're fearful of what somebody might say or think when it comes to Networking or serving in the community you are authentic when you're serving It's really difficult to serve in a fake way.

There's community. There's networking which is different than the social media Side of things a lot of people when you try to be authentic on social [00:08:00] media It may not come across right you may have people ridicule you but I really think our culture is starved for it And it would be so good You If we did let ourselves go and do more of it, it's that fear that somebody's gonna make fun of me or pick on my family.

I don't want them to have to go through that. If it was just me, I don't think it would bother me. 

Tonya: Fun one. Christmas with the Cranks or the John Grisham novel Skipping Christmas, whichever version you want to go with there. I love this movie. Every moment of this movie to me is just the comedic genius of Tim Allen.

Shane: Yes, it is very good. As a recent empty nester of the last couple of years. I actually relate to this movie quite a bit these days. We do not have the craziness this movie displays, but going with the flow catches my attention. That's also [00:09:00] something that's hit home with me. We're at this place now where we don't really know if our traditions are gonna stick or not, because Over the next three to five years, our girls will be married, more than likely.

We could have a grandchild on the back end of that, three to five years or so. There could be so many things that change. They're going to have in laws and Christmas traditions that get blended. And then it's going to be, do we get you this year for Thanksgiving? Get them all the time. When is it? How does it go?

Where are they? Do we go to them? It hit me this year because their boyfriends were In different places and they decided to be home and that was great, but every year we don't know if it's going to change next year. I really got a chance to just think about that. Go with the flow. So incredibly relaxing.

I hate to say it. 

Tonya: So my second favorite movie is the family stone. The first time I saw this movie was this Christmas [00:10:00] 1000 years ago. Where I was having to work through Christmas, so I wasn't able to spend Christmas with my family in Pennsylvania. I was by myself. I went to the movie theater, saw this movie.

It made me cry for about five hours. I would stop crying long enough to open the mic, talk a little bit at the radio station, close the mic, and go back to crying. I don't know why this is my second favorite Christmas movie because It hits me so emotionally, but it does. I had made the decision I was not going to watch The Family Stone this year.

Just had totally made this decision. And somehow I made the decision to watch it and it popped up on the screen. I didn't stop it from playing and I got about three quarters of the way through it, did have some, a little bit of emotional time. I turned it off because I made the decision, okay, I can't do this to myself.

I have to continue to function. I have to continue to be able to [00:11:00] do what I need to do. It is one of the most extraordinary Christmas movies to me, just because it is such a reminder that things change so quickly, and we have to keep going, and we have to keep doing the things that we need to do, and we have to enjoy every single moment and make them count.

Shane: I have never seen The Family Stone. I'm going to watch it. Now, I remember the movie, but for whatever reason I haven't watched it. 

Tonya: Let's talk about a fun one, and TBS, A Christmas Story, 24 Hours of a Christmas Story. I just think it's pure genius that they do this every year. And, uh, I love this movie, thinking about the lessons for our business, know what you want, your vision may not always turn out like you expected it to, but keep trying.

It's okay. 

Shane: I love the daydream piece of this and dreaming big. [00:12:00] Ralphie knew he never wavered. He knew what he wanted. This is an incredible lesson throughout this movie, all these different pieces and. takes us to a place that I never got to experience. That was really an incredible time, especially the setting up north where they had a lot of snow.

There's so many things about this movie that Let me daydream because I didn't have that type of childhood where we had Snow on the ground in the winter and christmas there was snow and an opportunity for a white christmas Just doesn't happen in southeast texas. Sorry. It's just not happening this whole thing about dreaming big I love it I think we should dream big and I hope that you 2025 as this opportunity to pursue those dreams 

Tonya: Let's talk Home Alone.

It was never one of my favorites when it came out. I never understood people's obsession with Home Alone, why it became such a classic. But this year, we watched it, [00:13:00] and for some reason, I had a change of heart. Sometimes you just need a change of heart. That alone time, whether it is fun, relaxing, or even though a little bit scary, sometimes you need that time without distractions and craziness.

It really makes us appreciate the time we have. With our family, friends, and co workers, after we allow ourselves those quiet moments away. 

Shane: I love some alone time. I, that's my thinking time. I love this movie from the beginning, but really I loved Home Alone 2 more. The scene, Where he was throwing bricks off the roof and hitting Daniel Stern in the head.

And he keeps getting up, and he gets hit in the head again, and he keeps getting hit in the head over and over. I will tell you that Julie and I were as close to peeing our pants as we've ever been watching that scene. And we laughed so hard, I think we saw [00:14:00] Home Alone 2 in the theater. And I'm pretty sure we were obnoxious laughing.

It made us laugh so hard. I've never seen it. Oh, you need to watch Home Alone 2. You've basically seen it. It's just a different thing. The other thing about this that I get out of this that I'm probably going to be in the minority on, because everybody says the world has changed, is the independence of Kevin and what happens accidentally here and just how.

Capable this young kid is. I grew up in a time both parents worked. We were that generation There was so much independence and that independence is not necessarily Freely given today in parenting. The different things in the world have always been there We just know about it more because of social media and the 24 hour news cycle.

Bad has always been bad. Evil has always been evil I love the independence and this discovery of independence about Home Alone and what happens to Kevin within that story. [00:15:00] If you are an up and coming parent, think about that, giving your kids that space. 

Tonya: The other thing is, sometimes it is totally okay to order a pizza exactly the way you want it.

How do you take your pizza? 

Shane: I'm a thin crust, meat lovers kind of guy. As much cheese as you'll let me have. I need some meat. I need some pepperoni, bacon, sausage, hamburger, whatever you've got that's meat oriented, I need it on my pizza. 

Tonya: Yeah, I'm a thin crust, light sauce, extra crispy. Ham, bacon, pepperoni, 

Shane: extra cheese.

Keep those pineapples off my pizza. 

Tonya: Oh yeah, no, don't even think about putting fruit on my pizza. 

Shane: I did have a margarita pizza the other day that surprised me. It was okay. I'm not gonna do it again. It's like the movie you've watched once, you don't want to watch it again. Like Gladiator 2, but Gladiator, I'm still watching over and over again.

That was the margarita pizza. It's like Gladiator 2 for me. But yeah, man, I love pizza. 

Tonya: Let's talk about the [00:16:00] movie that was the soundtrack of my honeymoon. I was so sick for those three weeks. He watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas over and over again. Every time I would wake up from being ill, I would hear the movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

So. 

Shane: Help me here, because I probably should have asked this. I'm going off script a little from us here. Which one is this? I think we 

Tonya: talked about the Jim Carrey. But the lessons are the same for both. Same film. The soundtrack of the Jim Carrey was my honeymoon. I 

Shane: gotcha. I love this movie. I love the lessons here.

I'll even add grace. Grace has been given to us. Unlimited grace. We have to give grace. People in our lives that maybe don't deserve it at times, we should never give up on people. It's really hard when people don't help themselves. When we put a lot of secular thought into it and a lot of societal messaging, [00:17:00] I'm one that's going to probably overextend grace.

I think that's the message here that just keeps coming back around with the Grinch. Everyone has a heart, everyone has a story, and I think that's true. You never know about the person you're talking to until you understand their story. How did they get to that place? That's extremely important for us any time of year.

Tonya: Let's talk about one of the feel good ones, and that is the holiday. I love this movie. This is one of those holiday movies that if I'm decorating, or there's stuff going on, I'm gonna throw the holiday on, cause I don't have to pay a lot of attention to it, but it's fun. It's one of those, take a chance.

Try something new. 

Shane: I, I read an article, just in the last couple of days, that the original writer, maybe even the producer, uh, a lady, did not intend for this to be a Christmas movie. It was christmas setting in a [00:18:00] way, but it was never intended. I thought that was an interesting thing What society just runs with it, but this is a really good lesson my mother Mimi loves to travel.

She has a traveling group of friends and they've gone all over the place caribbean italy Hawaii, they've gone all kinds of places since the passing of my dad nine years ago And she's always talked like i'm gonna do a solo trip. I'm going to do a solo trip We finally got serious about it. I said, okay, it's time for you to try this.

If you're going to try this, we picked a good setting, domestic. She was going to fly up to Kansas City, rent a car, drive over to Lawrence, stay with Emma, who is at University of Kansas, my youngest daughter. And then come home with Emma, so it was a controlled solo trip doing something adventurous, different, out of character.

And I was so happy and excited to hear her voice and see her when she got back. She was [00:19:00] so victorious, like she had conquered Everest. Now she has this experience to try it again. Possibly and she's talking about taking another trip maybe in the spring back up there She might do that exact pattern a couple of times before she does something different Pensacola came up by the way as a potential destination because of direct flight capability And she 

Tonya: would love 

Shane: it.

She would have never done this Probably a couple of years ago and to see her taking that step Her health is good all these good things that say yes You But then there's just the unknown. They're gonna take a trip, fly to different continents, trade homes, do all these things. It's kind of crazy. I'm gonna go to a cottage in England.

What? I'm gonna go from sunny LA to a cold, snowy cottage in England. What? What is this about? So adventurous, so cool. And I'm first hand experience, got to [00:20:00] witness something similar. I would say for my mother recently, and I was so excited for her. 

Tonya: It may be that you eat a meal by yourself in a restaurant.

It's unfathomable to me how many people I talk to that won't eat by themselves in a restaurant. They just don't feel comfortable doing it, and I've been doing that for so long, I actually really enjoy it. It's really nice to go and just be, have that alone time, order the meal you want, stay as long as you want, or not stay very long.

I accidentally started traveling by myself in my 20s. I was going on a cruise and the girlfriend that was going with me was unable to go at the last minute and I had to decide, okay, am I going to cancel the trip or am I going to go on the cruise? Ended up having an absolutely fantastic time on this four day cruise by myself.

I've probably been on eight or ten cruises by myself since then [00:21:00] because it was so much fun. Not being afraid to do something that other people consider out of the ordinary. Not being afraid to do something with your business that other people consider out of the ordinary. Talk to strangers. Don't be afraid of that crowded room.

You never know when one conversation can change the trajectory of your life. 

Shane: I've always Been okay with eating alone. I've been told it's sad by my lovely wife whose father was in the restaurant business So she spent years waiting tables always made her sad. It's just never been something that was sad to me It's actually the Opposite of that.

It's independence. It's courage. It's confidence, man. I just need a break from everyone. And why not go have a meal? You got to eat. I think a really great point. It's just having a meal in a restaurant by yourself. Uplifting in a way that's a lot of people [00:22:00] would say that's sad, but I say it's something different.

Tonya: The ultimate classic. A Charlie Brown Christmas short 

Shane: and Amazing, and I think it was 65, 66 when it was released originally, and the older it gets, the better it gets the message is so timely today, which is crazy because we're talking about 60 years ago that this debuted when we were watching it the other night.

I was reading the kind of origination of it on our good friend Wikipedia. It was just crazy because they thought the first showing was gonna be terrible. They thought it was gonna bomb. 

Tonya: They used real kid voices, weird music. The execs at CBS thought this was the worst thing ever. And yet, maybe the 

Shane: best Christmas movie of all time.

Arguably the best Christmas movie of all time. Available to everyone, old and young alike. The older I get, [00:23:00] the more I like it. In a time where, what is Christmas all about? The true meaning of Christmas. Things that we still hear to this day. The hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. It speaks to all of it.

And all of that, Is 60 years old now and we're still talking about it, which means it was a problem in 65 It's still going to be a problem in 2025 Just an incredible thing scripture is brought out. I love that it was Unashamed to bring out the true meaning of christmas. I think it's fantastic and probably going to be my number one Even though I love elf if I had to vote on all of these And any other ones that were thrown into the list, uh, a Charlie Brown Christmas is probably going to be my number one.

Tonya: Another lesson in the Charlie Brown Christmas is sometimes you just need a little help. Whether it's your friends, whether it's your co workers, the people in your life, sometimes you need a little help. 

Shane: Yeah, you do, and sometimes it's right in [00:24:00] front of you. And that little help comes in the form of a very simple kid with a blanket.

Lioness is maybe the best under a minute scene in all of television. Maybe just comes to that moment with this kid. that Linus dropped his blanket. The confidence that was showed, the moment where he's describing to Charlie Brown what the true meaning of Christmas is. 

Tonya: I love that within our organization you send the clip of Linus telling the Christmas story to us each year.

It reminds us to not be afraid. And that there is something so much bigger than us out there, and that is something that I think makes our organization extraordinarily special. 

Shane: It's a great reminder, and it's the most simple reminder, but Also a great reminder of this time of year. I know that everyone's exhausted.

I know that [00:25:00] our independent agency owners and team members out there are exhausted. We have this coming out of Christmas season opportunity to just take a deep breath and rest maybe just for a day or two, because. It's right around the corner. I, I know that you're exhausted. I know that you're tired.

Take some of these things from these movies and apply them to your day, the next few days, the next week, and see where things will take you. It's way too important that we don't have these reminders these times, this time of year, that we don't have renewed spirit coming into the new year. All these things are great reminders, and I'm thankful for these movies throughout the Christmas season to remind us of that.

Tonya: Happy 2025. What are y'all doing for New Year's Eve, Shane? 

Shane: Oh, we'll talk about staying up, and then we'll probably 

Tonya: Well, I have a bowl game about 2. 30 that we will go back [00:26:00] and watch this evening. 

Shane: It's been a rough season for the Aggies. It's been a rough season for the Tigers. The Jets Hawks came in with so much promise.

There's just so many things that this football season has talked about putting us through the grinder a little bit. Here's to a fresh perspective in 2025 and to a better football season next fall. We'll 

Tonya: I'm going to leave us today with this quote from Joel Brown. The only thing that stands between you and your dream is the will to try and the belief that it is actually possible.

Shane: Attitude's a choice. Make a great one. 

Announcer: Happy New Year, y'all. At the Integra Partner Network, we understand that carrier access is the key to your agency's success. That's why Integra offers direct access to top rated personal and commercial carriers, ensuring your agency thrives in today's challenging markets.

And with our comprehensive Of resources, profit sharing and bonus opportunities, technology and peer support. All while you retain a hundred [00:27:00] percent of your book with no penalties to exit. Integra is ready to empower you and your agency to find sustained growth. Find your way to Integra. Visit integra partner network.com today.

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