The UnlearnT Podcast
The UnlearnT Podcast is designed to help you gain the courage to change your mind about things you never thought you would change your mind about. Our hope is that you will begin to move towards a life of freedom after hearing stories from individuals who have chosen to unlearn some things in their lives.
The UnlearnT Podcast
The Life of Gen Z Entrepreneur with Savannah Brister (Spoiler Alert: It’s Not As Easy As Tik Tok Makes it Look
In this candid conversation, Ruth Abigail welcomes back musician Savannah Brister to discuss the realities of Gen Z, information overload, and navigating creative entrepreneurship in today's digital landscape.
• How Gen Z is perceived: either as exciting innovators or as the generation that will "take us down"
• The overwhelming nature of constant information and how it affects mental health
• Breaking free from phone dependency and the benefits of digital boundaries
• The extensive behind-the-scenes work that goes into creative success
• Understanding the raised "floor" of knowledge that Gen Z begins with
• Balancing ambitious career goals with long-term life planning
• The importance of letting young people fail as a crucial learning process
• How anxiety manifests differently in younger generations due to information overload
Check out Savannah's music on savannahbrister.com and on all social media platforms - she just dropped a new album!
and welcome once again to the unlearned podcast. I am your host, ruth abigail aka ra, and this is the podcast that is helping you gain the courage to change your mind so that you can experience more freedom. And if you couldn't tell by the giggle, um, um, you just heard we are going to have have a lot of fun today. This is take two, baby. This is take two y'all Like. If you've been rocking with us for the last three years, you remember this voice and this face of Savannah Brister. Hello, my friend.
Speaker 2:Hello, my friend.
Speaker 1:You were number. Were you the first episode? No, you were the second. I think, like you were the second, you were one or two man, like I said whoa we are jumping in the, I mean you you came and you, like, were like sure, I don't know what I'm doing, you don't know what you're doing, we're going to do something, let's do it together. Like that's crazy that was three years ago, man. We were, I don't know. We talked about. We were talking about personality. We talked about people pleasing.
Speaker 2:We did, we did how you doing with that.
Speaker 1:Sure, sure, very good. Yeah, Understood, I totally understand that. I totally understand that. Um, well, man, it's good to have you back on the show. Thanks for having me, and we are. So you're coming back to talk about your generation. This is going to be fun.
Speaker 1:And I always forget yes, very much. So I ain't going to lie to you. I always forget how I forget how far apart we are in age. Much so I ain't gonna lie to you. I always forget how I forget how far apart we are in age. I think it's either because you are older than you really are inside or I'm younger than I really am inside. I think it might because I am a 12 year old and it's so. We kind of meet in the middle and I always forget, like, but you've done so much and you have, like, just um, you have this maturity about you and this discipline and this drive and this like determination to say like I'm going after this thing, I'm going after what I want, like it's wild, so, um.
Speaker 1:So, for those of you that don't know, she is a recording artist. She is all in on music. Savannah, how old are you? She is Okay. You've been doing music for how long? Professionally? Okay. So so she, yeah, all right, so you're just, you're just weird, okay. So, yeah, yeah, that's, that's insane. So so you know, know, as far as so, we talk a lot about gen z and people talk about what? What do you hear people talking about? Y'all, like, how do you hear them talk about people, your age?
Speaker 2:young with the snapples? Um, that's no, definitely not that. Um, I like two sides. I think there's one side where people are like oh, there's this really cool generation coming in and they're excited for life and they've got creativity and they've got ambition and they're rolling and they love the lord and blah, blah, blah. And then there's a complete. There's no middle, there's a complete, there's no middle. There's a completely other group that's like these fools are going to take us down, end of the world. And we didn't raise them well, so we're all screwed. So it's literally everyone's great. Y'all suck, that's so it's literally Y'all suck.
Speaker 1:That is, honestly, one of the most accurate descriptions that I think I've heard. Like that, you're not wrong. Like it is either like I'm so excited about this generation or we are in trouble. Like, yeah, and I ain't gonna lie, I've been on both sides of that argument. I ain't gonna lie to you, it really depends on who you're talking to. I mean, there are some people in their twenties that you're just like I don't know how you're going to make it in this world. I don't understand, I don't know how, and I really hope you're okay, like and. And then there are some that's like who are you? Where'd you come from? Like you like, who are you? Like, how did? How are you here, right, um, I, I, I think that's, I think that's. I think that's really interesting. I think that this generation has.
Speaker 1:I think one of the things that people, um, find it hard to understand about this generation and tell me, tell me if you agree or not uh, is is the that the level of things that they are exposed to it really they're so far ahead of in a lot of ways, knowledge-wise, right, you, you, you kind of come into this, into the world, with so much more knowledge than any other generation we've ever had. And yet, of course, like any younger generation, the experience just isn't there yet, just because of time. Like I mean, you know what I'm saying. You know you haven't lived when you're 15, you haven't lived a long time, but you know more than any other 15 year old has ever known what. How do you manage that? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm so glad you brought that up. I think I think a lot of people um. There's just so much more information than I think the lord ever meant for us I agree there's so much more. It's very overwhelming, um, and so, yeah, I just think to have people that are older than us to have the grace to understand whoa. Like they didn't go outside and play for six hours a day. They are stuck in a room staring at 50 other people that are doing life so much better than them.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:And it's just a lot to take in. I don't know how, if you aren't incredibly mature, I don't know how you can handle it. Um so it's just. It's just hard. There have been. I have made so many jokes One of these days I might about throwing my phone in the pond and just getting a flip phone, because half of me is like I don't. Even I, you're like I'm addicted to it, but I also don't want it.
Speaker 1:Yep, yes, 100%.
Speaker 2:I wonder if I'm the only person who found out about my grandma. But I'm like I found even he like literally just lets people email him at this point. He doesn't let people call. Oh, that's, that's amazing. It's like here's my email and if you really know me, you know where I live.
Speaker 1:Oh that's I, I I have, I have all the respect for that. When I I I get home and I put my phone in my room on the charger and I just go away, it's just like I just gotta go away. I don't, I don't want to know and I, if, if, like my husband, he'll, I'll just say hey. If he's not home, it's like, hey, like, just so you know, my phone is not next to me, like, so, if I get, if it takes me a while to get back, I'm okay, I'm good. I just don't have my phone, right, um, and but cause it's so freeing, I just it's too much.
Speaker 1:And this is I didn't grow up with a phone, right, I didn't grow up with that access. So I feel like it is, I'm trying to. There's a piece of me that's trying to get back to what it felt like to not be that. But for people who are in your age range, there's no real knowledge of that. Right, like it's been technology and that's been the. So it's like it's like it's weird. It sounds like you're craving something you've never really even gotten a chance to experience. That's weird, that's gotta be weird I recently.
Speaker 2:I just got um a real alarm clock for the first time in my life, because it's always, it's always been this wow I was like I really I am trying to like do what you did and like putting it in a different room and I always had to sleep next to it because who's gonna get up without it? And I I got a real alarm clock and I've been plugging it up in my kitchen and leaving it. It is a lot is life-changing. That's huge savannah dude.
Speaker 1:I'm just that's huge one to me throwing it in a pond so it just takes so much discipline to do that, like to be able to say I'm gonna get a real alarm clock. What triggered that for you? Like what was it? Was it a particular moment that was like I can't do this anymore?
Speaker 2:I've been going down so many health rabbit holes lately, and I was hearing about the EMF exposure on our phones. Which goodness like we could go down that rabbit hole too.
Speaker 1:What is hold on? First of all, what is EMF? I don't even know what that is. That's a good question.
Speaker 2:I don't know what it stands for. Okay, great electric magnetic fields. Maybe that makes sense. We'll go with that. I'm gonna pretend that I'm smart right now I'm really not. We both know that, but apparently the closer this is to your body, the worse it is for you. And so they're saying it's messing with our sleep because all of us are sleeping next to our phones.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's true.
Speaker 2:It's getting like. It's just really bad for us.
Speaker 1:Oh, I'm freaked out now because I totally do. I fall asleep watching stuff on my phone. This is bad, yeah, dude, oh, no, yeah, okay, oh, I fall asleep watching stuff on my phone. This is bad, yeah, dude, oh, no, yeah, okay, oh.
Speaker 2:I can send you stuff.
Speaker 1:I don't want it, I don't want it, I don't want it. We're going to blame you. Nope, oh man, but see, okay, the knowledge thing. So, like you find this information out, yeah, you're. You find this information out, yeah, you're right. Yeah, you know I'm saying but it's a good, it's not bad, because it's like yo, that's actually a good, that's good to know.
Speaker 2:But, at the same time, who wants to know all that like, yeah, it's a lot. It's a lot, it's overwhelming.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's overwhelming, yeah yeah, no, okay, well, okay, hold on, that's really no. You know what, though, let's, let's talk about that, because if I uh, what's the term crash out? If I hear that one more time I'm going to crash out, I I've come to hate that term, but that is a term that I hear all the time. Like that is the new term. Like crash out. Yeah, like I'm, I'm done, I can't take it. I gotta be totally honest with you. Some of the things that I hear people say they're going to crash out about is, like, really, is it that bad? Like I know that sounds terrible, but I just it's just so interesting, how, how, how the hairpin is so you know, it's so thin, it just takes very little Right, um, what, what? Talk to me about that. Are you, do you experience that? Like is that something you, I think?
Speaker 2:there have been moments I'm just I'm going to talk like we're going to get vulnerable moments. I'm just I'm gonna talk like we're gonna get vulnerable.
Speaker 1:I'm gonna talk from my own experience.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I. I think it's very easy in this day and age to like if you're working, you're working, you're doing 15 different things. You go home, you throw on the tv because you just want to shut your brain off yeah and I don't. I think there's a level of that that's okay, and then I think there's a level of that that's okay, and then I think there's a level of that that can get um unhealthy when you're like trying to numb every other thing out there, and I did have a conversation with the Lord.
Speaker 2:There was one day my brain was just like 50 different places I had my phone out. I had my laptop out, I had the TV on and I felt the lord, like you should just turn everything off.
Speaker 2:I was like man you're right yeah and it's just like it's just a lot of information overload. No matter if it's good, bad fiction, it's just a lot of information. It's a lot to put in our brains and for us to hear and see. And and then I I don't know about you, I know for me quiet is hard, it's so hard to sit and just let it be like if I'm if I'm trying to get some quiet time, I'm gonna want to throw on some instrumental music and I was like, why do we need that?
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah, we just listen to nothing, just nothing, just let it be. It's hard, it's not. That's hard, it's not, it's not easy. I, I find it harder when I'm still in quiet. Now I can be moving and it'd be quiet and I'm good. Yes, now, being just still and quiet, that's definitely hard and I, I don't find myself doing that very often. I tell you what our um, our uh mutual great friend, uh Megan, who's been on the podcast several times, megan Broadstreet, y'all know her, no, megan Steele, I'm wrong.
Speaker 1:She just got married. I know, I say the same thing.
Speaker 2:She's still Megan Broadstreet on my phone.
Speaker 1:I'm about to say she might still be that on my phone, but she had us. She did a silent retreat, she did a retreat with my staff at Angel Street. Did she tell, yes, yes, and for the first kind of like activity we did, one of the first big activities we did was a silent retreat, and so we did five hours five, 7, 30 to 12, 30 and we had to get up, couldn't go to sleep. Um, it's five hours and we were all in the same house. Wasn't that big of a house, but it was a nice space. We were at a lake house. You couldn't phones, had to be away, you couldn't talk to each other for five hours.
Speaker 2:A long time.
Speaker 1:It's a long time, and I had most of my team is under 30, so they're around your age and when we first told them that boy, they rebelled. They were like oh no, no, what To do, what there's no way. Like they're freaking out. And I kind of prepped Megan for it. I was like I don't think that they're going to take this well, but she did a fantastic job and really set us up for it and all of this. And by the end of it, I mean we had people in tears. People had written songs, I mean really good songs, you know people had. I mean, we had several tears. I mean just forced to think about things that you drown out all the time, right, and to deal with stuff that you don't normally want to deal with. And it was really a beautiful thing. It was a beautiful vulnerable moment for the whole team. We all were just like it was hard. It was hard but then it became refreshing. You know, um, we just took the girls um on a retreat last week and uh it they kind of last minute came up with a. They were like, instead of doing one of the activities we're going to do, say you know what, instead of doing that of the activities we're going to do. So you know what, instead of doing that, why don't we do the silent thing with them? So the same ones who were not happy about it led teenagers and doing the same thing, um, and it was really cool to see that, really beautiful, and we didn't do it for five hours, we did it for three, um, and gave them a little bit more leeway because they're 15. That's a lot, but it was the same response.
Speaker 1:It's got to be hard, especially in this stage of life. You've got so much energy. You're going after what you want. Um, you're, you know you're. This is the time. This is the time to do all the things, but you also have to slow down and you have to be quiet, right, like, how, how do you manage that at this stage of your life? And what is it that you feel like older adults need to understand the difficulty of that. Like we like to advise younger adults on a lot of stuff. It's like we got to do this, got to make sure to do this, and it's sometimes I know, you know, right, you get it all the time.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, all the time and that's not parents, that's not just parents. I mean, parents are one thing, but all the others, right, everybody wants to tell you what you need to be doing, right, everybody. And but it's like how do you like? Okay, cool guys, but this is what you need to know. Tell us what we need to know.
Speaker 2:I think, um, I used to at point have a—I would sing at Hope. I would sing at Hope Saturday nights, do rehearsal sing. Sunday morning rehearsal sing, and then I would have a four-hour gig on Beale Street right after. I didn't know how to communicate at the time, that was around—I think.
Speaker 1:I was 19 20.
Speaker 2:Yeah, never, ever will do that again. Yeah, um, but I remember I would always hop in the car. Granted, I have done so much output and input for 48 hours, it's in my constant and I know I'd always get in the car Cause I drive with my parents to Beale street and immediately my dad would be like asking me it's like a freaking talk show and he's just asking me 50 questions and I would get to this point where I'm like I can't talk anymore. I don't have anything left to give you. Like there's, I don't even have a voice.
Speaker 2:Now, right, and don't have anything left to give you like there's, I don't even have a voice now, right, and I think I went around the world to tell, tell you that I think again to just have grace for like, the amount of information and output that's happening all of the time for people my age. If they're doing, if they're all of us are performers at this point everyone's on it, everyone's dancing and doing their thing and it's just, it's just a lot. And then you, you post whatever you're going to post and you sing whatever you're going to sing and you leave and you're like, oh my gosh, I didn't do this, this, this, this right, so-and-so said, this didn't look right and you have all this negativity in your brain.
Speaker 2:Then the other side is having tons of positivity. So then you're like crap. I gotta do more of that yeah please the people that'll again the podcast. I gotta go back and listen, uh-huh, and so it's just too much. So I think I really come a little closer to the mic hi, I really would love to see some space and grace for just understanding. This looks completely different than it did 20 years ago.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:It's a completely, it's flipped, it's done a 360 180 yeah, it's 180.
Speaker 1:You're right, you got it right um, so I don't know.
Speaker 1:I think, um, yeah, I don't know, I'm rambling no, I think that's, I think that's so good, I. So how then? Is it because you, you have people, that, okay, how do you like receiving? What is your preference in receiving information? And what I mean by that is we all have to learn. I mean like learning. So, like to your point, I mean, yeah, you're always. It's like, yeah, we're always getting this, and so you have real people, right, so you're getting all this information. A lot of it is coming from devices. If it was my, is that okay? Then you have real people that you also need to be receiving information from, because you know life and you know and and learning and experience and relationships and all this stuff. So how, what? What would you say? It's like okay, person in their forties who I highly respect and want to hear from. This is the best way to get it to me.
Speaker 2:I do. I find myself listening to a lot of podcasts because it's something I can do on the go. I don't have to watch it.
Speaker 2:I can listen to it in the car or when I'm doing stuff around the house and it feels like a little bit more productive than, like, listening to music. Yeah, so I was like, ok, I'm getting something done. So I was like, okay, I'm getting something done. I say podcasting, like you're going to find a lot of people my age there, yeah, so that would be a good space to like. If you have wisdom to share, yeah, go for it. You're going to have an audience. I'm a grandma, so I'm here for the face-to-face. Yes, such a I'm like, but I know not a lot of people are like me. I'm weird, so I don't know.
Speaker 2:I think a lot of people are starting to be like that for real, like yeah my mom gets mad at me all the time because I always facetime her instead of calling her. Oh, and she's like why do you want to look at me? And I'm like it's your face. I like seeing your face. That's amazing. I don't know, I don't read a ton. A little bit I'll listen to audio books, but yeah, that's good.
Speaker 1:I think it's good for people to hear and I think it's also important that older adults need to unlearn that younger adults don't want to learn Like. That's not the truth. It's not that they don't want to learn, but it's different Like, and you have to go about it in a different way. I want to go back to the performer thing. All right, I want to talk a little bit about where you are in your career. Okay, because you are. You are living the dream that a lot of young people especially young people that I deal with, who want to, and young girls who are interested in the arts and they want to do all the things, creativity, wise. You're living the dream. You're, you're doing that. You're no, you're doing it, you're doing it and you're doing it Like you said. You started when you were 14, 14, 15, 14, 15.
Speaker 1:Um, so, the last 10 years you've been on this path and to your, you know, very different than when I was 14 or 15. And I would have if I, if that was the path I was going on. I mean, we're talking about night and day difference. This is completely different, right? Um? And so, within 10 years, this journey of becoming a creative and sharing my talent and gift with the world, entrepreneurial, all this stuff with just within 10 years, has just completely changed. Um, I just and we're seeing it all in real time I think that's one of the biggest shifts, right? Um, I think that's one of the biggest shifts, right?
Speaker 1:You know, we didn't with I'm trying to think of somebody Chris Brown. Chris Brown, I guess, is around my age at this point. When he first came out, we knew him and we saw him, but we didn't see his journey in real time like that coming up. Bow Wow, that was my guy. Right, we are about the same age, right? We didn't see little bow wow, like all his, you know. We didn't see what he had for breakfast, we didn't see what his daily routine was. We didn't see him just acting a fool on the camera, unless you got, like a behind the scenes video that you picked up at the c, you wouldn't see any of that, so he had the benefit of a private life as a performer.
Speaker 1:Today, that's not a reality. You don't get a private life as a performer or else you're not going to be a performer. You have to be out there. In light of everything else we've talked about, this is also something you have to handle and deal with, right? That's a lot, dog, that's a lot. And so for those of you I think, especially for this audience a lot of people either have kids or have teenagers who might be interested in that. Like, they're, like you know, and they've been that way, um, or they themselves are trying, are getting out there and wanting to do certain things, or whatever. Um, you know and and and are ambitious, right? I mean, if you're listening to this podcast, you, you have some level of ambition. You're unlearning for something, right? Um, so talk to people about the real, like, the behind the scenes of that life, behind the scenes of your behind the scenes. You know what I'm saying?
Speaker 2:Like, yeah, totally, um, I think the first, like. I started playing keys when I was seven and started singing around 13. It was a lot of practicing, and the videos on my dad's camcorder because there weren't phones yet. Amazing that I can show you of me butchering what I did. I mean I and I'll pull it out. You know I teach vocal lessons my babies are coming in. They're like we messed up.
Speaker 2:I'm like no, I can do you one let me show you, let me show you, I'm traumatized, but for you I'll pull this out. Um, so I think it's just I am here for like being real, because all you're going to see, on social media is like the highlight reel.
Speaker 2:We all know that, yes, and there were so many mess ups and so many moments where you just fall on your butt, but that's how you learn, yep, and I think for those who are really, really wanting to do what I'm doing, you have to learn to pick yourself back up. You're going to mess up. You're going to get no's, you're going to get negativity. Music is such a subjective thing. There are going to be people that you are not their cup of tea and you're just going to have to deal with it.
Speaker 2:But there also are people out there who you're definitely their cup of tea, definitely, and so I think it's just about being in it for the long haul. This is not a game that you're in two years, and then we made it um yeah, it is a long haul and um. I think for those who really love it, it doesn't matter.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I can always tell, like my kids that come in here and they're like and I'm like I know what to do with you. You have a long route and then there's some, and then they come in and they're just like. I just want to learn some music.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I'm like great.
Speaker 1:Yep, ooh, hold on. You went out again, hold on.
Speaker 2:It's a mane, I can't do that.
Speaker 1:It's like, sorry guys, her hair, she has a lot of hair. If you're not watching, she has a lot of hair.
Speaker 2:Yes, you're good, okay, um. So I would just say, making that decision um early, yeah, um, rather than later, is better, because you're going to run into some bumps. I I think I've just continued to fall back on the 13 year old girl. That was like no, we doing this, yeah, so yeah, I just it's just work.
Speaker 1:So, so, okay, it's work, okay, so, describe it so like what, what? When you say it's work, what are some of the things that have to happen? So let's say, people see, um, they might see you on social media and you've got, um, a clip of a music video, or you have some sort of promotional clip for a show that you're doing, um or uh, or, or you're you know whatever. So like what? Not just what it takes to get to the, to the, to the actual show or the actual video, because that I think a lot of people, but what it even takes to get to the clip, because I think a lot of people don't know and don't understand the work it takes to get to the 30 second clip that they see.
Speaker 1:Well, what is that? Just, just, I'm just I'm curious about that, because I also don't think a lot of young people understand that, Like they, they see the, you see what is there and you see, like, oh, I would love to do that, but you don't, you don't realize that that 30 seconds that you just saw took weeks to get to. You got to get that and it and it and it's. It's a whole lot of strategy, it's a whole lot of and the work ethic that it takes to be able to do that consistently, over and over and over again, cause it's not just one time I mean you're all over the social, but you have a, you have a plan. It's not random just one time I mean you're all over the social, but you have a, you have a plan.
Speaker 2:It's not random, you know what I mean. Like so what does that work really look like? And then, where did you get your work ethic from? Well, I would say, like, when you view a video like that, like, for instance um, we did a limbo land music video which we line danced in. It was hilarious. I can't dance to save my life, but we did it and I, um, I ended up. That looked like just us doing the video. We wrote the song, recorded the song, um, and, mind you, that's like a couple years, like, much like. I started writing that song like three years ago in nashville.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's hilarious some of it marinates for a while wow um, so did that.
Speaker 2:And then we had line dancing uh lessons where, yes, um, that sounds just like it sounds um and uh. Then we filmed and then of course, that takes another month of video editing. So it's just a long process. It's your storyboarding stuff, like I think, um, a lot of these short form videos. I'm seeing these kids are putting in so much work into a one minute video and it's like if there's 50 different, that's 50 different times to set up the camera and there's other people in the shot. Like I can just tell now watching it, I'm like yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh, this took them a day Wow.
Speaker 1:Wow, one minute video, man yeah.
Speaker 2:It's just, it's just. I think the the more you like watch it. You can like pay attention to what other people are doing, and then you just try stuff like you just figure out. You know what works best for you and, uh, what feels most authentic. I think we all know if you're like trying to be somebody else, it's not gonna, it doesn't hit I don't hit that's, that's the gen z language yeah um, so I done, um, so yeah, that's something I would say.
Speaker 2:Um, I'm just like uh, it's just a lot of building, that's a lot of building things um work ethic wise, I definitely say my parents, they're um both. They just really worked really hard um, and they gave it both to me and my brother um, so we just this made that sound like a disease.
Speaker 1:Like you gave it both. It's hilarious. They gave me, they gave it both to me. My brother's miss, yeah, yeah, I mean some of it, my mom, she'll talk to me.
Speaker 2:She's like I didn't make you this way and I'm like you did you did this?
Speaker 1:is you did this? Yes, absolutely, I feel like I'm working on vacation. Yeah, that's on you. Yep, that's on you, that's on you. Yeah, I feel that I I can relate, because my pain, that's work. A haul, that's work a haul.
Speaker 1:That's, that's the house, that's the house I grew up in. Get it honest, it is what it is, um, you know, but I but there's, there's beauty in that. I mean it's important, right? You got to have that, especially to do what you do because you're an entrepreneur. I mean you and people don't.
Speaker 1:The idea of being your own boss is really cool. The idea of being your own boss is really cool, but the functionality of that is very hard. It's hard. Nobody gets you up, nobody, like you know, nobody's telling you that you have to do this and at this time you have to do that. You've got to make those decisions or you don't eat. I mean it's, it's that simple, like you know, and it's, it's, and it's kind of. So who are your like? I'm gonna ask this question and then I'm going to go, then I'm going to go kind of deep and I'm going to. I'm prefacing that because I want you to get prepared, cause I have this, this question that I'm like I kind of want to go there. Um, but who do you look to, other than your parents, like? Who are your role model? I don't know quite the word, but that's. I can't think anything else right now, but people that you're like when I need guidance on how to do what to do, especially in this entrepreneurial space. Who do you look to like? Who your guide?
Speaker 2:guiding posts yeah um, I think from a musical standpoint I've always loved Tori Kelly, and not just because um of her voice, but I think she's carried herself very well in a very difficult industry and secular based industry and I really appreciate just how she's continued to stay her in it. From what I've seen she just seems very authentic. So I think from that end that's what I think about on the music world, I think as an entrepreneur I'm sure'm sure you know Gary Vee, do you have Gary?
Speaker 1:Vee, yes, I have. I'm trying to put him in my head, but yeah, I have.
Speaker 2:I think the one thing I don't pay attention to everything he says, but the one thing he's really the very good job of beating into people's heads is like a very good job of beating into people's heads is like right now especially in our twenties.
Speaker 2:It's your time to try stuff. I could stop doing music for the next 10 years and still have so much time to reach all of the goals and do all the things. And I think, as you look at people on social media and you're like, well, Billie Eilish made it at 15. So at this rate, we're done, we're not going to make it and everything's done and we should just quit. Now I think he's done such a good job of like looking at people, looking at people in their 40s and 50s and saying you've got 50 more years to live your life.
Speaker 2:you've got 50 more years to live your life and I just think that's really important right now because it does. There is an invisible clock ticking all of the time. And I feel like my other friends feel that too. I don't think it's just a music thing. I think it's an everything thing, and I just if we could shut that stupid clock up and like feel like, okay, we have time, we can breathe, it's okay if we don't hit all of our goals in 10 years, like we can we can just enjoy where we're going.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, what's funny is that's crazy, because you literally walked me right into my next question. No lie, because that's all. That's exactly where I wanted to go. Was do you? Is it? What anxieties come up when you think about hitting your ceiling too early?
Speaker 2:Hmm, oh, so not let's say we're hitting the goals, but hitting them.
Speaker 1:I mean you're, you're moving so fast, yeah, so to your point, you know Gary Vee and a lot of people. It's like hey, yeah, but you got so much more time left Right. And it's like you're doing things that take people Well, you've already been in it for 10 years. Things that take people well, you've already been in it for 10 years. Right, you started off so young and it's like yo, when you get to, let's say, 10 years from now, I mean imagine where you'll be, but you'll be younger than me, oh God. I don't like saying that out loud, but but it's like you know you're, you're already, you're already, you're headed in this successful way. And it's like, like you said, that time clock, the clock is ticking. The clock is ticking is what comes up in your mind when it's like I'm on the path to hitting these goals in the next five to 10 years. What next? Like, what do I do? Like, I mean, do you ever think about?
Speaker 2:that. I love that question. No, I'm really glad you asked me because I need to have that perspective more often. I'm like, oh, we're actually doing all right, like it's okay. I think I lean more. I'm gonna need you to write that down for me. I think I lean more in the line of like I'm like, oh crap, we're running out of time and who's gonna? I mean, that's a great perspective. But I'm like I'm typing and sending a handful of different emails with a fake manager that I created because no one else is managing me. So I'm like, okay, she's available. And I think my brain is like, oh crap, we're running out of time. But I need people like you in my life to remind me we have time.
Speaker 1:I mean there's so much time, there's so much so much time and I think I think this is also something because I, I identify with it, like I, we're joking and yeah, I mean I'm technically 14 years older than you, okay, so and I and and, but but I, let's be clear, I do not feel like that. That's fantastic. I do Welcome to Savannah.
Speaker 1:I do not feel like I'm that much older, but I I have, I have been, I've definitely had that same mentality of like. I remember when I turned 25, I was like, oh my God, I'm running out of time, I mean, and I wasn't doing what you're doing, like I was very much regular, right. So you're doing Like I was very much regular, right, so, and I'm thinking to myself you know what? And then, and then, as I get the more, I begin, I began, I began to get Uber accomplished, right, I mean I just Uber, just like, okay, I'm going, going, going, going, going.
Speaker 1:And when I look back and I think about even starting, you know, when we started industry, that was 27. And that's so weird to think about, but it's like I wasn't 30 yet and I was a co-founder of an organization. And now it's 10 years later. Actually, I was younger than that. I'm lying. I was like 26. And it's 12 years later and we're getting to the point now where we're actually. Where we're, you know, we have this growth and all this stuff here, and it's like I'm not even 40 yet, like, and there's been a lot of things that have happened I mean just just in my own story where it's like you have really done a lot of stuff by the time you get to this age.
Speaker 1:And I I think it's been in my mind and just kind of helping even myself to like you got time like slow down, um, and and just wondering like, okay, if, if that was, if all of that happened in 10 plus years, at 10 years. All that happened at 10 years and this is where you are in 10 years. Give yourself another 10 years at that same pace. It's like I'm going to run out of stuff to do. I don't. I don't know what else I would even do. You know, and I think that's where my, my mind sometimes goes. And so I'm just curious as to you know, it's like the um, the basket, the basketball player he's drafted at and you get million. I mean, you're a millionaire, multi-millionaire, at 21 and by the time you're 30, you're retiring. What am I going to do? Like you've got so much life ahead of you but you've also lived so much life, right, yeah, um, and I'm just, I was just curious, like, does that ever cross your mind?
Speaker 2:like I will say I think I know me and I'm I've really I want to do like 50 million tours and for as long as I can.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And then I did. I'm like starting to wrap my head around, like when your girl has a family I don't want to be home with my baby yes. And I've really started thinking through that. I'm like.
Speaker 2:Ooh, I really don't want to be, going absolutely crazy when that season comes, and so I really love writing as you know, and I've already been working with some fantastic people here in Memphis and out of town that do a lot of sync, licensing Absolutely and it's like a perfect job at home that I can still continue to do what I love, make great money probably way more than yes, absolutely you will yeah and um, so I can see me doing that. I've I've thought about like that would be like our, our like family season, um, where I can still see tours happening, but like those first five years with those babies oh yeah, I know that's right seriously yeah, so, um, I've thought about that, um, and I I don't know if I've ever really thought about a ceiling, because I'm always going to be that person that's going to like raise the bar higher.
Speaker 1:I love it, yeah, which.
Speaker 2:I don't know if that's a healthy thing or not, but I think I would always like, if I hit that goal, I'm going to be like okay, next year we're going to do this. Yes, yes, yeah.
Speaker 1:I love that yeah.
Speaker 2:So I think yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 1:I think, like I'm one of those weird people my goal list is two pages and it will be crossed out and there will be new ones really think that it's important for us to understand about gen z that the bar was. How am I? I'm reading this book right now, the science of scaling, and he talks about the um, the, the floor, like raising your floor as opposed, as opposed to your ceiling, and so how, when you raise your floor, you automatically level up and it's basically, you know, your standard just becomes higher and higher and higher, and, and so when you do that, you're you, you know it's not so much about the ceiling, it's about the floor, and so it's. It's interesting because I think what, um, a lot of people may not realize about the, you know gen z as a generation, and I don't want to be general, but they, they're coming into this world with a higher floor in a lot of ways.
Speaker 1:Right, because you are that, because, again, the knowledge is there. So there's a lot of I'm not doing that or that's not I'm. I know I don't want to do that, I know I don't want to, I know I don't want to, I know it and a lot of the floor, raising your floor a lot of times is knowing what you, what you were going to say no to what you don, yeah, and when you come, when you have all this, when you kind of are preset with this knowledge, you kind of know, uh-uh, that ain't for me.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:This is a no, that's a no. This is a no, that's a no. And so you kind of you, you, you, if you have all the other characteristics you know, the work ethic, the maturity, all this stuff and you go for the thing that you want to go, for you're going to be pretty close to your ceiling just because your floor is higher. Right, you're right, yeah, right, and so it's just there's, there is a, there is a, and that's not going to be everybody by, because everybody doesn't have all those filters and they're not going to do it. But for those that do. And so I think it's important that people unlearn about this generation that they aren't it's like, no, they are truly capable of doing more things better and faster than any other generation we've ever seen, and that could be great it's. I think it could be great for for the world and really tough for them.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean, and I think sometimes we don't have enough empathy for that. Um, I don't know. That's what I feel.
Speaker 2:Good, you spit bars. I don't know about that, I don't know.
Speaker 1:I don't know. That's what I feel. Good, you spit in bars. I don't know about that. I don't know. I don't know, I don't know. This is just. This is what I. I'm going to one of my. One of our students at Angel Street has a. A few of them are in a, in a summer program and going to their, like, debut tonight and they're doing like a tiny desk kind of thing. I mean, they're super talented man, like they're going, they're they're gonna do some real cool things and my, my, I just I want, I want the people that deal with them to deal with them correctly. Yeah, yeah, and don't, don't, don't, make assumptions that aren't true. You know, because they're going for things and they're not, they're going to skip a lot of steps because they are just, that's just the generation we have. Anyway, those are just my thoughts. What do you think?
Speaker 2:I'm totally. Yeah, I think that's great. I love the thought of like the floor is raised. Um, totally for us, like, if you think of the, the picture I thought of when you said that was like bringing in social media like it used to. You knock on 50 different doors to get an opportunity and now you post a thousand videos and you have the opportunities in your lap. Yeah, that's very true. It's very. Yeah, you're right. Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's that. Yeah, I don't know, it's just interesting and it's just interesting and I, I, so what do you think, kind of as we wrap this up, what do you think, what do you think is important for older adults like myself, younger, older adults? We're going to say it like that yes, it's important to know about your generation. Because here's the other thing right Now, you aren't in this situation, you're an entrepreneur, but my people in my, we're starting to be the managers, if you will, or like leaders of in the workplace, of of folks who are in your age, and it's a very different experience.
Speaker 1:I, I ain't gonna lie to you, it's very different. Uh, there are some days I am just like man, y'all are, I love being around y'all. And then there are some it's like how, like what's going on here, and I'm sure there were people that said that about me when I was that age. But what would you say it was important for people to unlearn regarding this generation, your generation, and especially people who are leading them in any kind of capacity that could be at work, that could be at church, that could be in a family, that could be.
Speaker 2:However, I would say I think only assumptions is important I think you kind of said something along those lines um so like trusting that they are, um like fully getting over the fact they do not have the same life that you did. Yeah, at all.
Speaker 1:Getting over it.
Speaker 2:You still have wisdom, so like in part from your life, but really understanding this does not look at all like what you went through or what your grandparents went through.
Speaker 2:This is different, this is different, yeah, um. Or what your grandparents would do, this is different, this is different, yeah. So I think um just not assuming, I think really being open to communication, I I've had people who um really respect and listen to my voice, and I've had people who did the exact opposite. So I think having um real leaders who are willing to listen to what we have to say and um understanding that we know a lot more about the kids coming up now than they do you know what I'm saying so.
Speaker 2:um, I mean, I'm having, I'm having some students come in and I can just tell they're anxious and I'm like your little brain. I just want to hug your little brain. But I'm like their parents are just like well, can you just stop being ADD? And I'm like well, you know? So I think, not to say that that isn't there, but maybe if they didn't have as much information, they wouldn't be that way.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I don't know, I think I'm learning that.
Speaker 2:And just being open, being empathetic, being willing to try things a new way and being willing to to let us fail too, I think is important. A lot of people are like that's the wrong way to do it, that's the wrong way to do this oh, that's good, savannah, oh that's good, I mean try it, and if we fail, we'll do it a different way that's really good so um yeah I.
Speaker 1:I really hope people heard that. I think that's so good and it's good for me to hear that, because I struggle with that, like I definitely would have to like hold my tongue, like, hey, hold on, you know. It's like, no, just let them. You know you don't want to let them, you know, destroy themselves, right, but let them fail, let them fall and then just be there. Yeah, all right, cool, you good, let's get back up. Let's do it again, right? I think I think that's so important for older people to hear is you gotta let people fail? That's the only way. It's the way you learn, it's the way you learn. It's the way I learn. You can't, you're not gonna.
Speaker 1:I heard somebody, um kev, on stage, um, talk about this in a podcast not too long ago and it's like nobody when? But people watch game film, they don't watch the touchdowns. Nobody learns from touchdowns. You know nobody, you don't do that. And it's like, yeah, man, nobody learns from touchdowns. You stare at when you screwed up, yeah, and. But if you've never let people do that, they'll never grow Like man. That's so good, that's so good. Anything else, what else? No assumptions, let people fail.
Speaker 2:We're going to create it. We, we're gonna create it just like a pitch deck for y'all.
Speaker 1:Okay, yes, oh, please, yes, I love that.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's so good, maybe not to everyone, um I I don't know if there's much else. I just said, listening is like your best friend, I think when it comes to our generation.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree, I think that's good. I do want to call back to something you said about younger kids. When a Gen Alpha, I think, is what they're calling them now. Yeah, sure, I've lost, yeah, there you go, yeah, but you teach them and I love what you said we know and can understand them a little bit more.
Speaker 1:And that anxiety piece is a real connecting point that even people my age aren't as I mean I, I I find myself anxious, but I also find myself more equipped to deal with that and and, in a way, that is why I'm not living in it, like I'm not. It's not a consistent, you know response, um, where, at least where I am in my life right now, and but also I don't, my brain has not been wired with the things that y'all's brain has been wired with, and so that'all's brain has been wired with, and so that connection is really cool and important. And what you're like for parents is like, would you just stop? It's like hey, honestly, sometimes they it's hard, Like it's not, it's an anxiety. It may not be ADHD, it may not be, it could just be anxiety, and that's something I think a lot of people need to be aware of. I just think that's important to call back. It's not something I've necessarily thought about.
Speaker 1:All the jitteriness it's like what's happening? Why are we so much? It's because the brain just can't, can't slow down, it can't slow down, it can't slow down. That's, that's man. Yeah, I love that and I love that you are able to help, to help help kids to manage that, even in the time that you're with them, um, because you understand it, you know, um, that's beautiful, that's beautiful okay. So tell people where they can uh connect with you and find you and buy your music and all that stuff um, you can find me on savannahbristercom s-a-v-e-a-n-n-a-h-b-r-i-s-t-e-r.
Speaker 2:And um, I'm on all the socials. You can just look up my name, find me. I just dropped an album. Y'all should go listen. Yeah, you did. Yeah, you did. We did talk about anxiety.
Speaker 1:Oh, yes, oh man, yes, y'all, if y'all have not heard Savannah, her voice is butter, it's beautiful. I remember first time hearing her sing, I was like I'm sorry, first of all, you know, I'm going to say it. First of all, what white girl sings like this? That's the first thing. The first thing I thought, honest to God, who are you? And secondly, she's 17. Who are you? And secondly, she's 17, like what? I? I don't know who this chick is, but somebody needs to come get her.
Speaker 1:Um, savannah is bad, y'all, she, she's bad. And so, uh, I, I, I, absolutely. And she, as you can tell, she's just an amazing person. Y'all go support her and and and I hope you heard her when it comes to this kind of engagement with this younger generation, we got to unlearn who they are for real, like and and really just like, hey and be, be be able to support in the ways that they need support, not in the ways we think support should be, and that's, I think, something that is important for us all to unlearn as we're navigating this.
Speaker 1:So thank you, ma'am, for being on the show again, thanks for having me. This was a great conversation and thanks everybody for listening, and until we come back together. Let's keep unlearning together so that we can experience more freedom, peace. Thank you once again for listening to the Unlearned podcast. We would love to hear your comments and your feedback about the episode. Feel free to follow us on Facebook and Instagram and to let us know what you think. We're looking forward to the next time when we are able to unlearn together to move forward towards freedom. See you then.
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