Hurricane Beryl Hits Jamaica

Speaker 1 0:01

Welcome back to another episode of the Just an Epic Life podcast . This is truly remarkable . My name is Nick . I'm one of your hosts . I'm sitting next to Kesley Kesley , how are you today ?

Speaker 2 0:15

I'm good . I'm as good as I can be Stuck indoors on vacation , and that's okay Stuck .

Speaker 1 0:21

I thought you said stuck indoors . I'm like why are you sucking doors ? No , stuck indoors , Stuck indoors . And thought you said stuck indoors . I'm like why are you sucking doors ? No , stuck indoors , Stuck indoors .

Speaker 2 0:26

And when you're stuck indoors , it's a great time to podcast .

Speaker 1 0:28

Absolutely . That's what we're doing , because right behind us is Hurricane Beryl .

Speaker 2 0:34

And it just started raining yeah . And it's , I mean visibility is getting less and less .

Speaker 1 0:40

Yeah , I think the biggest thing is the building is rumbling .

Speaker 2 0:45

Yeah , it has rumbling moments .

Speaker 1 0:46

Each time the wind picks up .

Speaker 2 0:48

Mm-hmm yeah .

Speaker 1 0:49

So that's , really cool .

Speaker 2 0:50

You're going to have to watch the podcast or listen to it to hear the rest .

Speaker 1 0:53

Kesley is giving the little snippet for social media . Yep , yes , yeah , so we are on day number four .

Speaker 2 1:03

We left on Saturday . Actually , we leftay morning sunday monday . What day is today ? It's the day before fourth of july , which is thursday , so this is this is wednesday , so we had . This is going to be our fourth night we had two epic days and then one going to be our fourth night . We had two epic days and then one cautious preparatory day , you mean yesterday , yesterday , which is still great , yeah and then today .

Speaker 1 1:32

It today is not vacation yeah , today is all about .

Speaker 2 1:35

In fact , I just watched a tiktok with a sandals resort where , basically , I assume the gm came out and said service gets secondary to anything else . Moving forward , I care about you and I care about the staff and that's exactly how we feel . Like , um , the Royalton has been as well .

Speaker 1 1:50

Absolutely . The Royalton has been phenomenal . Yeah , I mean he like as leaders . You know I was , I worked in the school system for two decades . I mean we always knew what to prepare for and we practiced what to prepare for . I don't think they practiced this .

Speaker 2 2:12

And they did well .

Speaker 1 2:13

This is the we found out that the leadership has been working through this plan since they learned learned that it could be necessary right , but they , we moved from like a category two to a category four so , yeah , like even uh , that we are speaking with one of the butlers , uh , who not assigned to us , just a gentleman that we were speaking with , and , uh , we talked about how one of the two butlers assigned to our room we hadn't met yet and he said , no , it was the dress , the wearing the suits . Oh yeah , you know . Oh , we didn't notice that .

Speaker 1 2:53

You know the butler team changed clothes progressively during the day and he said well , there may have been other things going on yesterday and you know leadership was working on other things .

Speaker 2 3:08

Yeah .

Speaker 1 3:08

And that was the first time that the staff alluded to the fact that there were plans in place and they were going to make the plans work .

Speaker 2 3:17

And today's going well . You probe , you ask good questions , and so it's hard for them to skirt them . Yes , yeah , yeah , so so , so far , uh , what ? What I want to add this the staff has done amazing , but it takes all of us and I think some of the guests forget that these people are putting their life out for us .

Speaker 2 3:41

I mean , they're they're working so that we cannot work . And I don't know there was just . There was a rude woman this morning and she showed up twice in a very short time and it just was like come on , like a little bit of grace goes a long way . These people are away from their families away from their families .

Speaker 1 3:59

Like there was a uh a staff member who was probably 18 years old , looked 12 .

Speaker 2 4:05

No , she was not 18 . She was young , young .

Speaker 1 4:09

And we had a quick conversation about if that was our daughter , would we want her at work or home with us , keeping in mind that the walls and the protection of this facility is probably far greater ? Well , it's far greater and stronger than our home .

Speaker 2 4:28

Probably yeah .

Speaker 1 4:29

Yeah , like this is designed to protect and withstand for sure . Versus personal homes are not um certainly not here , and then here in other parts of the world , the daughter is probably safer here , correct , but that parental Like wanting to keep them , yeah , yeah . I don't know . It's interesting we spoke with one of the team members who's part of the room cleaning team and she talked about how she is staying here tonight , and I think a lot of staff members are staying on property , so I'm sure the facility is making accommodations

Hotel Staff Rising to the Challenge

Speaker 1 5:08

for all of them .

Speaker 2 5:10

So I mean we had to move from our room we had one of the furthest on the property rooms , um like closest to the water , and it's expected , I mean , at this point , if everything goes the way they're suggesting it goes , the water will be in our room , that room .

Speaker 2 5:27

So we're now on the fourth floor , but that gives us a great view of this . So , yeah , and I mean , we did a podcast yesterday about Beryl and all of that . So I feel like we'll have to do another podcast about how it all finishes out and until then , I feel like maybe some uh , a question I've been thinking about and I feel like you probably have vacation brain , which is great because it's probably like full of greatness , but I think I asked this probably once every six months , but you quit working two years ago . Yeah , yeah , what do you think you like it now ? Yeah , yeah , what do you think you like it now ?

Speaker 1 6:07

you like working for yourself or working for me and dad .

Speaker 2 6:08

Yes , I like it what do you , what do you like most about how your life is now ?

Speaker 1 6:16

I there is . There are no limits no limits to what there are no limits to what , no limits to living , no limits to how we live , there's no limits on the opportunities that are possible , there are no limits on earning potential in terms of money , because when I was a teacher , you were at your limit I was at . My and my worth was dictated by which school district I worked for and what the governing board said I was able to earn based off of my years of teaching and my level of education . Those are limits .

Speaker 2 7:02

Yeah .

Speaker 1 7:03

Right now , the only thing that's limiting me is me .

Speaker 2 7:07

Yeah , and what's cool is two years ago , if we had this conversation , I mean , you saw how , like my earning potential had changed , right , like you said , spare time job , part time job , full time job took over my life , then back to getting my life , and you still , I think , struggled with having that like we can have anything , we can do anything , we can whatever yeah , there was a .

Speaker 1 7:38

There was sort of a naive guilt , you know , changing how I view money and changing how I view my career , and the guilt of you know I've been serving my entire career in a community where they were . They didn't have the same mind . I didn't have the same mindset . Yeah , um , but that guilt of you . Can I go to jamaica for four days and be upgraded to first class ? I mean , we don't need that . We just need to get in the car , drive to california , stay there for three or four days and drive back home .

Speaker 2 8:23

That's all the vacation we need could cost as much as getting to jamaica , that's actually very true , and the beaches aren't as beautiful yeah , we perfect example .

Speaker 1 8:34

We used to when , when our kids were four , five , six , seven , eight , like around then , we would be very creative with our vacations . But vacations in california still cost a decent amount of money . And then when you you're like , well , let's just travel abroad , it will be cheaper , let's find a place in the world where it's cheap to live , and then we're just paying for the flights to get there . And that's how we vacationed to Costa Rica for a month . There's a siren , his megaphone thing .

Speaker 1 9:09

Yeah you can't hear it , but we can hear the guy's megaphone , this head of security , as he's walking around and he's telling people to get off of their balconies .

Speaker 2 9:20

That's where I want to be .

Speaker 1 9:22

But yeah , that wind was coming through quite strong . I was talking oh yeah , Costa Rica . Yeah , that was a month and it was no more expensive than our vacations to california yeah yeah , okay , so it's been two years since I joined your team . Do you regret it ?

Speaker 2 9:44

uh-uh , it's definitely a different . It's different , right , like it's . Uh . I love the people that are like I can never work with my significant other or , uh , I can never work with my dad . I mean , I already have family , so encompassed with that . Um , certainly there are people in my family where we would probably not work as well together . Uh , and yet , no , it's's , uh . It's funny .

Speaker 2 10:07

I was telling somebody the other day how you uh , like , the first several months , like , and the first several months the kids started school . I think you really tried to take what you thought were burdens off of me . Yes , and I don't know if we've talked about this , but so you would go grocery shopping , yeah , you would cook , yeah , you would take the kids to school . You'd pick the kids up and you would . I'd see these emails on days when you couldn't pick the kids up or couldn't take them to school and you would send them to , not me , they would go to your parents , which is fine .

No Limits: Two Years After Quitting

Speaker 2 10:36

I love that .

Speaker 2 10:36

We have the most amazing support between your parents and my parents , and I get so mad because you didn't ask me first and I likely could have done it and probably would have loved to have done it . Likely could have done it and probably would have loved to have done it , and you didn't give me the opportunity . And I I know that can remember coming home one day and you were cooking which , by the way , nick does not enjoy cooking Um , he , I used to joke and say if it's Nick's turn to make dinner and there was never a turn but if Nick's making dinner it's fake potatoes and pizza or one of the other salad or salad , or salad , yeah , so he's cooking dinner .

Speaker 2 11:10

and I came home and he was like and I think if we had stayed on that trajectory I would have sent you back to work because we couldn't have done it . And so I remember I looked at you and I said you have to stop doing all the things I like . And you're like what do you mean ? I'm doing the shopping and doing the cooking . I'm like I love those things and you have to stop doing all the things I like . And you're like what do you mean ? I'm I'm doing the shopping and doing the cooking . I'm like I love those things and you have to start letting me pick the kids up Like I want to , but I'm just trying to make your life easier . I'm like that doesn't ? You're removing all of the joy from my life , everything that .

Speaker 1 11:39

I didn't occur to me that those are joyful experiences . Well cooking going grocery shopping .

Speaker 2 11:45

That is a chore okay , so it is a chore let's start with some of those , those three tasks specifically , I think for part of my identity as a young mom , a young wife , all that , so , uh , secondly , I enjoy grocery shopping . I go to the same store . I know the layout of the store . I hate when they change crap around . Um , I , I , I can be in and out of the grocery store in a quarter of the time . That it takes Nick to get half of the shopping list and that frustrates me because I'm like what took you so long ? You've gone for three hours . Oh , I just went to the grocery store . No , no , I love that . I can be efficient doing that . I plan out the dinners .

Speaker 2 12:24

Cooking is not a chore for me . I can watch a show , listen to a book , listen to some music , manage the entire house while shopping and or while cooking and picking the children up from work . Sometimes is a relief to get away from the office and get home , get to spend a few minutes with them , because I mean they got stuff to do too , right , like so sometimes , just getting that like you would come home with oh , isaiah told me this in the car and I would get so I'd be like so , yeah , no , I think it's been . It's been cool to have you on the team . It's been cool to watch you morph , like I morph into whatever it is you do besides sit around and eat bonbons . Whatever it is you do besides sit around and eat bonbons , it is you do Well .

Speaker 2 13:08

After having hired three new staff members well , one staff member and two subcontractors in the last five and a half months what are you doing ?

Speaker 1 13:21

He does plenty , you've got to watch my stories . He's , oh my gosh , so all you do is okay , all right , Nope , nope , nope . People who know me know that that's not nick .

Speaker 2 13:32

Nick is an epic networker , so yeah , it's fun uh watching your mindset .

Speaker 1 13:37

Uh has been the most amazing thing . Let's keep this going . Let's see what happens .

Speaker 2 13:40

We're we're here . We're here . Hello , how are you ?

Speaker 1 13:43

hi , I'm fine how are you doing ?

Speaker 2 13:46

well , Okay when did you check ?

Speaker 1 13:48

in Um to this room .

Speaker 2 13:49

It was Sunday .

Speaker 1 13:52

We checked into this room at 11 o'clock this morning . We came from 2106 . 2106 .

Speaker 2 14:00

Okay , I'm sorry about that .

Speaker 1 14:01

Have a nice day . Thank you so much , all right .

Speaker 2 14:07

They must be doing inventory .

Speaker 1 14:09

I think they're figuring out who is where . Yeah , and I assume , to make

Finding Joy in Daily Tasks

Speaker 1 14:16

sure that everyone is safe , uh-huh and make sure everyone's accounted for and to maybe make sure we didn't sneak back to our old room . Yeah , maybe . Or I mean on the television , they still don't have us checked in .

Speaker 2 14:31

Yeah , and that's okay .

Speaker 1 14:33

But they told us you will get important messages on your TV . Just click on the envelope . Yeah , we turn on the power and it says no one's checked into your room .

Speaker 2 14:41

Yeah , so you can't even work the television .

Speaker 1 14:44

We can't watch the the weather , we can't . Yeah , it's okay yeah that was fun . I'm glad that you got to experience that journey with us . When did you check in today ? Uh , sunday , but also that was fun how she's like sorry about that it's all good , okay .

Speaker 2 15:09

So what I wanted to say is your mindset and like you talked about it a little bit , but it's just different to the point where you did something recently , I don't know how long ago and my brain and I'm the big dreamer right , like , I'm the one who's like we are going to go , oh , like , the craziest thing you can think of is usually something I come up with . And you said something in my brain went he's out of his ever loving mind . It actually thought some other words , but those were the PG ones . So , uh , and I I of course don't say that out loud because certainly I don't want to stifle any dream or crazy stuff you got going on in your head and yet I was just like I don't even know how that's possible . And I think I said to you when did you get to be the leader of this dreaming thing we're doing ? So , yeah , it's been . Yeah , two years later , it's epic , it's multiple times . Dad was concerned that you and I would gang up on him and you two gang up on me .

Speaker 1 16:09

Awesome .

Speaker 2 16:11

I have to fight for my life sometimes and I feel like when I put my foot down , you both comply . Yes , it doesn't happen that often .

Speaker 1 16:22

It is rare that things come to that .

Speaker 2 16:25

Yeah .

Speaker 1 16:26

But when it comes to that , then I'm just like okay , thanks for making a decision .

Speaker 2 16:33

People invite me along because I make decisions .

Speaker 1 16:35

Yes , I do not enjoy making a choice . That's a chore too If there's a group involved . I'm just just gonna go do some dishes while you guys figure out what's gonna happen oh , I am the opposite .

Speaker 2 16:52

I'm like , okay , choice a , b or c , I'll make a decision . I've already made the decision , but I'm gonna let you think yes , let the semblance of okay .

Speaker 1 17:01

I think that I'm not scratching my bug bites , yet I I keep catching my legs rubbing together like crickets .

Speaker 2 17:08

I'm dying .

Speaker 1 17:08

Stop it , I'm just rubbing the coconut oil in .

Speaker 2 17:12

Oh yeah , yeah , yeah .

Speaker 1 17:14

So the bugs , they're not bad , it's just if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time beware , you should see Nick's legs .

Speaker 2 17:25

We'll post on Insta . They are like . It looks like he has chicken pox .

Speaker 1 17:31

And I'm confident it's just because we sat at that one steakhouse that had the water .

Speaker 2 17:37

You don't think it was today . I think all of mine are from today , from today .

Speaker 1 17:42

From when Going out on our old balcony .

Speaker 2 17:45

Yeah , you said sandbags and then mosquitoes or whatever . I don't know . I don't know it's a lot Anyways .

Speaker 1 17:51

It's a lot .

Speaker 2 17:53

It's amazing to see Gary Keller says we severely overestimate what we can do in one year and underestimate what we can do in five years . And it's cool to see what we've done in five years and it's cool to see how , um , what we've done in two years and , honestly , if we're real about it , less than two years , right because you , you , you really did sit at home and eat bonbons ? Not really well but I would .

Speaker 1 18:14

I would do epic things , I would go golfing . When's the last time I went golfing ?

Speaker 2 18:19

okay , blame your son . He has been so busy .

Speaker 1 18:22

I know he is so busy . That was my time with him . Yeah , it's not without wanting . Now he's busy .

Speaker 2 18:28

Yeah , he's busy and Liliana's busy and we're afraid that some extracurriculars- are going to Catch you in the cradle of the sea . What the heck I don't know what to do with you . The moral of that story with the whole five years thing is like we're only we're barely even on the start of halfway there and , if we're honest , not really even halfway there , maybe a year and a half a year in . So it's going to be cool to see what happens over the next .

Speaker 1 18:59

I love that . We are the the , the things that we're putting our creative energy behind . We're just , we're not just creating

Building Legacy Beyond Hustle

Speaker 1 19:02

the thing , we're creating the process , so the thing can're creating the process , so the thing can keep working .

Speaker 2 19:06

Yeah , and those kinds of ideas didn't even exist to me , like I think I think about how , like something you have been super focused on for the last year , but really , like hyper-focused on , you , feel more educated about it in the last several months is like protecting this legacy that that dad and I started and that is evolving , because dad and I would have just kept doing what dad and I do , which is shoveling , making friends , building businesses , creating the empire , and then always hustling we would have just done the hustling and I think at one point we would have looked back and gone shoot if we stop hustling .

Speaker 2 19:42

And I think at one point we would have looked back and gone shoot , yeah , if we stop hustling today , there's no income .

Speaker 2 19:47

Yeah , and what protection do we have ? Like , I saw a great social media post where it was a family of five and the parents said dear kids , please , when we're gone , you won't have to worry about anything , but here's the rules to follow . And it basically said never sell one of the properties , always keep them mortgaged so that it looks like you have debt and you're not worth what you're actually worth . And then it talked about the offshore accounts and other things . It was really cool , because I think people don't know those things .

Speaker 1 20:19

The building shuttered a little bit .

Speaker 2 20:21

Just a little , so yeah . Okay , okay , the building shuttered a little bit , just a little . So yeah , okay , okay , the building is shuttering .

Speaker 1 20:29

I feel like we're gonna get it away from the window now . Okay , well , at least turn the couch around so we can look at the window so it can break in our face ?

Speaker 2 20:35

yeah , okay , I'm not concerned , all right the only the things that would break it theoretically are like flying branches okay , so I don't oh my goodness , kesley almost dude dude , it was moving from one room to the other yeah , like she was carrying she was dragging , not dragging rolling a suitcase .

Speaker 1 20:57

We're walking through and then , all of a sudden , we hear this giant like thud . We turn around and two feet behind kesley , this giant probably 10 , 12 foot palm branch with girth slams on the ground right behind kesley . It was just like crap . This just got real . Yeah , like so that .

Speaker 2 21:19

And another woman goes . You are lucky , lucky . It was funny .

Speaker 1 21:23

Yeah .

Speaker 2 21:23

Yeah , that's crazy Crazy .

Speaker 1 21:25

That's crazy .

Speaker 2 21:25

Yeah . So you'll have to wait for the episode where we talk about what it was like to live through this hurricane that we're about to experience , that we're kind of in the thick of , yeah , and go , do what you want to do in life . Two years from now , you can be living your best life in Jamaica during a hurricane . Yeah , two years from now you can be living your best life in Jamaica during a hurricane or wherever else your journey takes you absolutely as always .

Speaker 1 21:49

Thanks for listening . We invite and ask that you like share , subscribe and until next time enjoy an epic life . Outro music get it , kessley , you get it .