Behind the Bluff
Uncover best practices to participate in life on your terms. Every week, hosts Jeff Ford and Kendra Till guide listeners with short conversations on trending wellness topics and share interviews with passionate wellness professionals, our private club leaders, and additional subject matter experts offering valuable tips. Each episode conclusion includes Healthy Momentum, five minutes of inspiration to help you reflect and live differently. Subscribe now and discover the keys to living your greatest active lifestyle.
Behind the Bluff
What If Feeling Safe Is The Real Health Hack | Lou Orlando
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Most people only think about security when something goes wrong, which is exactly why we wanted to pull back the curtain and talk about how safety is actually created. We sit down with Lou Orlando, one of Palmetto Bluff’s security managers and a retired NYPD officer, to understand what it takes to protect a 20,000 acre community while still keeping it warm, welcoming, and easy to enjoy.
Lou walks us through the real behind-the-scenes work of private community security: access control at the gates, vetting contractors, cameras, dispatching patrol units, and the iPad-based patrol check system that keeps buildings and key locations on a steady inspection rhythm. We also talk about what people often misunderstand about security work: it is not only enforcement. It is customer service, situational awareness, radio communication, and building trust through consistency and respect.
From Hurricane Matthew to a rare snow shutdown to the occasional unexpected wildlife call, we explore why preparedness and teamwork matter when conditions change fast. Then we connect the dots to wellness and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. When people feel safe, they can finally relax, belong, move with confidence, and pursue health goals without that constant background stress. We also widen the lens to financial security and psychological safety at work, plus how a culture of safety in fitness helps people participate more and grow.
If you care about wellness, community living, and what “feeling safe” really means, this conversation will change how you see the foundation beneath a great lifestyle. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves Palmetto Bluff, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.
Are you ready to live an active lifestyle? Welcome to Behind the Bluff, where we believe every moment of your life is an opportunity to pursue wellness on your terms. Today's conversation is about something we rarely think about, especially when it's working well. Security. In wellness, we often talk about fitness, nutrition, and recovery, but according to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, safety sits near the very base of the pyramid. When people feel safe, they can focus on living well in this beautiful community like Palmetto Bluff, connecting with others and being active and enjoying every special moment. My guest today is Lou Orlando. He is one of the security managers here at Palmetto Bluff and someone who has been helping protect this community for many years. Today we're going behind the scenes to learn what it takes to keep a place like this safe. Lou, welcome to the show.
SPEAKER_00Thank you very much, Jeff. Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_01You are so welcome. Lou, you've been here 14 years. Let's dive right in. How did you get into security work and what brought you to Palmetto Bluff?
SPEAKER_00Well, let me start off by saying you must be desperate for guests if you have me. I never. But uh I really am happy to be here. I really, really am. So um basically I started off in police work. You know, I started with the NYPD back in 1991. Um, I retired in 2011. Um, my last day of work there was actually the New York City Marathon in 2010. Um, and then I had some vacation time to use. And I started working down here at Pomodo Bluff um on Memorial Day of 2011. And um, you know, basically my family was into um police work, my father's, my uncles, and then I continued that tradition. And and I like helping people, you know, it's just it's always been in my nature. So um when security, you know, after retiring, I saw this beautiful community, and uh Charles interviewed me. I remember in the old building, uh the security building used to be outside the gates. It did. Yeah, so it was um right by the park the uh parking lot up by New Riverside Road and Old Palmetto Bluff Road. It was 145 Old Palmetto Bluff Road, and that's where the original security building used to be.
Policing Versus Community Security
SPEAKER_01So how how was the transition from being an NYPD officer to security work?
SPEAKER_00That's a that's a great question. So, you know, obviously in the NYPD, we dealt with some major crimes as well as, you know, um quality of life crimes, you know. We always we had, of course, the seven major crimes. I could rattle them off, but no one wants to hear about those. Um in CompStat meetings. Um, but here it's more quality of life stuff. It's it's more um, you know, underage kids on golf carts, people speeding on old pomadobluff road, making sure the contractors all stay in line. So it's it's a little bit different, but it's um it's still always challenging because you know, whatever the members' needs are, that that is what we should focus our um our efforts on.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah. I'm sure it was a change of pace at the same time, uh, being a part of director's meeting. Y'all are always constantly moving to the next phase, making sure members are secure here and and uh they're it's I'm sure it's as action-packed as being in the police force.
SPEAKER_00Well, the the size alone of Palmetto Bluff makes it challenging. Um Palmetto Bluff is 20,000 acres, where all of Manhattan is only 15,000 acres. And we had that broken down, or the NYPD had that broken down into Patrol Borough Manhattan North and Patrol Borough Manhattan South. So if you think about it, um, you know, we have you know usually four units on patrol. We have several people at the gates, you know, of course, access control is one of security's main um main objectives um here. So it's it we cover a large area.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. That that sounds like it is similar to how y'all had to break up New York in a way where it's it's challenging because of the size of this property.
SPEAKER_00Correct. Especially with the addition of the new Anson golf course, just to go out there and check that in addition to the the doc that's out there. It takes some time to get out there to do the checks and then to come back to, I don't want to say civilization, but to come back to the more developed areas.
How Patrol Checks Work On iPad
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Lou, and I know this uh isn't where we naturally prepared our notes today, but walk us through the checks. What's the process like for security checks on property?
SPEAKER_00So so we use a system called ABDI, or or it's applications by design incorporated. So each one of our patrol units has an iPad, and each one of those iPads has an itinerary. And on that itinerary, you have your checks that you have to do. So you mark your arrival, you run your inspection, and then you mark your departure, saying, you know, you answer the questions that, you know, was the door secured when you left, was it occupied the building, et cetera? And uh that's basically uh what the patrol units entail. Like I said, they get an itinerary on their iPad, they do their checks, um, they mark their arrival, mark their departure. And those checks, it actually comes up on the computer when you are closest to a location, it will populate to the top of the iPad. So you know that, okay, so I this is something I have to check. And that there also those checks are in green, which means that the place has been checked within the last two hours. If it's in yellow, it's been checked within the last four hours. And if it's in red, we know we have to go back and check it because it hasn't been checked in four hours.
SPEAKER_01So four hours is our rule of thumb to be checking various locations on. Correct.
Safety As Sanctuary And Belonging
SPEAKER_00Does it always happen? No, because we get calls for service sometimes, and and sometimes it does go a little bit beyond that. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01What a great system with the iPad and that master checklist. Let's go ahead and switch gears, Lou. For for me, I I thought about our time together in relationship to safety and wellness. And we talk a lot about wellness on this podcast. Wellness is a big part of Palmetto Bluff. People move here because they want to live well. So I wanted to get your perspective. How does feeling safe influence how people live, relax, and enjoy our community?
SPEAKER_00Well, when when people enter Palmetto Bluff, you know, we want that to be their sanctuary. You know, this is where you live. When you come home, you should be able to breathe out, you know, you should be able to be like, I'm home, you know. So, so that's what we want, you know, and we don't want it to be uh so like when I I don't want to say we don't do a very harsh penalty phase, but listen, yeah, we want to gain compliance voluntarily. That's our goal.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. It's funny, you know, there's so many foundations to living well, and we just forget that feeling secure in our home, having our property secure and looked after, it allows us to focus on those other needs. And what I really found interesting is you know, safety as that second ladder to Maslow's hierarchy. Above safety is love and belonging. And so I'm sure you see this, Lou. A ton of people make incredible connections. And I know how many members know you and have a relationship with you. That's the coolest part. Like, I just wanted to highlight that because you and your team are keeping people safe here, we can have love and belonging.
SPEAKER_00It is very nice to see. Like, I've been here so long that I've seen many of the um members' children grow up, go off to college and and come back. And it's just uh it's amazing to see that. Like, you know, they they uh really, you know, become such nice kids, you know. Maybe when they were younger, a little mischievous, which is fine, you know, and then uh when they grow up and and come back, it's like you know, they're just very happy to see you. So uh, you know, relationships is very important, you know. I see that in our director of security, Charles, he has great relationships with all the owners, and I just hope I can continue that because he, you know, he he he really does know how to, you know, listen, and that's very important. People want to be heard. Yeah.
Gate Vetting Cameras And 24 7 Coverage
SPEAKER_01Yeah. It's great to have mentors like that, uh uh especially when it comes to leading our security team. So let's go behind the scenes a bit, Lou. What are some of the things that go on behind the scenes that residents may not realize are happening every day to keep the community safe?
SPEAKER_00Another good question. Um, well, you know, just in the mornings alone, so many people are coming in in addition to all of the employees. You know, we also have our commercial gate. Now, our commercial gate, you know, we make sure that we vet everyone that comes in. We anyone that that obtains an annual decal, we get copies of licenses, registrations, insurance. Um, we have cameras at the gates. Our our um team at the main gate is always watching those cameras, um, making sure that everyone's safe over at the commercial gate because there is some currency exchange at that commercial gate for day passes, et cetera. I stay up there in the mornings to make sure everything uh goes smooth. Um, you know, and sometimes we'll see maybe people in the pool after hours, and the main gate will call the patrol units and you know, and they'll just relay to them, hey, somebody's in the pool after after dark and and dispatch them to that location.
SPEAKER_01So 24-7 starts early in the morning and it doesn't end overnight.
SPEAKER_00It is. I I always said I wish I had you know 50 employees that work nine to five Monday to Friday, it'd be easy, but but security is 24-7, and you know, just getting people to to cover these shifts. We're in competition with every other single gated community uh within Bluffton and Hilton Head, and we have to stand out, you know, to be a place that people want to come and work.
Hiring For Courtesy And Awareness
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. Well said. What qualities make someone great in this line of work? And what do you look for when building your team?
SPEAKER_00Well, we strive to have some continuity in our workforce because people that have been here for a long time, they they know the ins and outs of the place and where's the emergency access for this? And you know, even though they get a week of training with somebody and you know they do training at the gate and on patrol, it's hard to know everything. You cannot possibly go over every situation that may arise, you know. So, you know, we try to look for individuals that, you know, hopefully they they're courteous, you know, they could be professional, they can be respectful. So we always said, you know, practice CPR, courtesy, professionalism, and respect, you know. CPR, I like that. Yes, yes. So, you know, and they have to obviously pay attention to detail. They have to realize, hey, if Yolanda opens up the uh the RTs at 6 a.m. every morning, all of a sudden she's not there, is something wrong? Or if they close it every time at uh 7 p.m. and the lights are on after seven, you know, so we have to have a situational awareness about us, you know.
SPEAKER_01I'm sure what makes a great security individual is an intuitiveness to see those details, to notice if something's wrong, and then to take action and and you know, listen to maybe that gut feel sometimes.
SPEAKER_00Correct. Yes. And I always say prior law enforcement or military experiences is always a plus for us, you know. And we do have a lot of we have some retirees um that are retired police officers, you know, from uh wherever they came, and those do make very good security officers. They just know how to do report writing, they know how to you know speak on the radio, things that you would take for granted, or maybe I take for granted. Um, someone that's new to the industry um may not you know know trained or proper radio etiquette, et cetera.
Team Size Shift Staggering And Collaboration
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, I wouldn't even know where to start with your cool radio that's sitting right next to us as we're expensive. Yeah, they're they're not cheap, I imagine. Uh Lou, how many people are on your team? How do the shifts work?
SPEAKER_00So we have approximately 50 people on our team. And another good question. So what we do for our patrol shifts is we actually stagger their start times because Palmetto Bluff is a large place. So if I have everyone doing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., I don't want everybody up at the decal trailer or our commercial gate where we exchange shift uh at the same time. So we'll start somebody at 6 a.m., 7 a.m. 8 a.m. Nice. So we'll we sort of try to stagger our start times. Um so we always have at least, you know, a few people out there on patrol rather than everybody up changing shift at the same time.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that that makes sense from an operations standpoint. And I often, if I'm driving over to canoe club to check a facility over there or go to a class or whatnot, you pretty much always see an officer on property on the way from Moreland to there. So it seems like it's working, Lou. Seems like uh every everything's clicking.
SPEAKER_00We hope. I always tell everyone we don't tolerate any theft here, you know, anything going wrong. But you know, it happens everywhere. We go to uh myself and Charles go to security directors meetings and we share information at those security directors' meetings, and someone will tell us if they had a problem with a certain company or a certain individual, and it's good to share that information.
SPEAKER_01Are those other directors from the private communities in this local local country area?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, correct. You know, Sun City, uh Indigo Run, you know, everywhere from Hilton Head to uh Bluffton.
Hurricane Matthew Response And Lessons
SPEAKER_01Outstanding. I'm sure that level of collaboration is similar. Uh, we just started a meeting with the other wellness directors in the area. And it's just you're you're able to hear things that you may not see on your property, but could be happening in my case in the industry, or in your case, just various vendors or contractors to be aware of as well. So unexpected situations seem like they probably happen just about every day for you and the team. And you've been here long enough, you've probably seen some things. So, what's one unexpected situation that stands out from your time at Pulmet of Bluff?
SPEAKER_00Well, I don't know if this was so unexpected, but um, you know, coming from the Northeast, you know, we we really didn't have many hurricanes. And when Hurricane Matthew came, I could not believe it was, yeah, I think it made landfall. It might have been a category one or maybe borderline category two, but the level of devastation was to me like how many trees were down, and and and what's a you know, like I said, something unexpected. I could not believe, you know, once we once the storm passed, how well everyone worked together to clear the main road, to make sure that there was a path to get to, you know, their house, et cetera. A lot of the the residents, if they left their house, we would go check on it for them. If they had a tree that fell on the house, we would send them a picture and just just to keep them updated as best we could. It was a lot easier when the community was a little bit smaller. You know, when I worked here, obvious when I first started working here, obviously um, you know, the hotel wasn't here, and and we have a great relationship with the hotel and their security staff. Um, but but it's just um that hurricane really opened my eyes to to hey, if they say mandatory evacuation, you should mandatory evacuate.
Snow Shutdown Protocols And Liability
SPEAKER_01You know, yeah, that was before my time. I was living up in North Carolina. We had friends from the island come up and stay with us because of how intense Matthew had had hit around here. So I'm sure seeing that being from the northeast where you're more used to snow, uh, is a different ballgame and heightens your awareness for for future hurricanes. Now, how about that snowstorm last year that hit Palmetto Bluff? I experienced the same thing, Lou. I felt like everyone was checking on each other. There were some excellent protocols in place. Tell me your experience from that shutdown.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, unfortunately, we don't have salters or or snow plows here or anything like that. So you you do the best you can. You know, obviously, you know, we want to protect, you know, every we want to obviously protect everyone, but we want to protect Palmetobluff's liability, make sure that everywhere that should be salted, we we put down some salt. Um, I know the RTs is always very helpful with that. If you need extra bags of salt, come get them and you know, to make sure that uh, you know, just the the sidewalks and everything are safe.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Special shout out to Michael Gardner, who oversees the retail team. He is he is amazing when it comes to being prepared. Very conscience. Conscience, dude, for sure. He is. Yeah. Well, let's go into surprises. We've talked about unexpected situations, hurricanes, snowstorms. What's one story that might surprise our listeners about what happens in a community community like Pometab?
SPEAKER_00You know, obviously being in the security business, you know, it's a a um a level of discretion, you know, and we just want to always keep things as discreet as we can. So I'll pass on that question.
Three Simple Resident Security Habits
SPEAKER_01All right, all right, fair enough. So this is that time in the episode, Lou. Love to get practical. Regardless of the topic, I think we can always glean two or three nuggets of things to keep in mind. And since we're discussing security today, I'd love for you to provide three simple things that residents can do to help keep the community safe.
SPEAKER_00Well, we live in Palmetto Bluff, and and I don't want to say everyone has a a false sense of security because there is a sense of security, but obviously you everyone sees what happens out in the world outside of the gates of Palmetto Bluff. So simple things are to lock your doors, take your keys out of your golf cart, you know, lock your cars, be aware of your surroundings. Um, you know, that just that will make everyone's experience safer and more enjoyable. You know, we used to, you know, someone comes out of the river house and all the golf carts look the same, and someone will take someone's golf cart, someone will report to us that it's stolen a couple of hours later, you know, someone realizes, hey, that's not my golf cart, and we have to switch golf carts. So it happens, you know, where someone mistakenly takes someone else's golf cart. But we always uh, you know, pair them pair the golf cart and the person back together by the end of the day.
Rapid Fire Sunrise Alarms And Alligators
SPEAKER_01Love that. Oh man. Well, Lou, I thought it'd be fun for us to do a rapid fire round before we get to our our closing uh points today. Uh let's let's hit four quick ones here. Favorite spot on the Palmetto Bluff property?
SPEAKER_00I would say May River Chapel Dock at Sunrise. When I first started working here, I was on bicycle patrol back in 2011, and I would go down there on the bike and watch the sunrise. So by far, May River Chapel at Dock at sunrise. Is there still a bicycle patrol? Um, we're gonna say that we have too much ground to cover now. Um, so it's not as feasible as it once was.
SPEAKER_01Makes sense. Maybe we can bring that back on just one special day. I'm gonna just put a plug in for that list. There you go.
SPEAKER_00Okay, maybe we'll deputize you one day.
SPEAKER_01Most common call.
What Security Work Really Is
SPEAKER_00Um, I would say it's it's equal. We have alarm calls, we have medical calls, we have 911 hangups where someone accidentally pocket dials 911. Um, the 911 system is pretty amazing where um the towers, the cell towers, um, can pinpoint your location. So I would say, you know, a combination of alarms, medical calls, 9-1-1 hangups. So most unusual wildlife encounter. That one's interesting. Um, myself and Jay Walia had to take a, I would say it was a seven-foot alligator. I may be exaggerating a little bit, but um, when you have to wrestle it, it it does seem like it's uh seven, eight foot long. But we had to take one out of a residence hot tub and relocate it. So it was off old Palmetto Bluff Road in their hot tub, and we had to take it and relocate it uh somewhere else. Were you nervous at all? I'm sure Jay Whaley wasn't. Jay wasn't nervous at all. He knows how to tire them out and then, you know, and then get on their back, and I'm making sure that the tail doesn't hit them, and you know, but we do have we have um a lot of instruction from our conservancy team. We all have wildlife education, snakes, etc. You know, no one likes dealing with snakes, and people should watch out as the weather warms up. You know, you don't want to be placing your hands somewhere where you can't see. Um, but we do have wildlife training with the conservancy.
SPEAKER_01Outstanding. Yeah, that's that is an unusual call. You hear them being in pools, but hot tubs. I I guess he just wanted to get some hot therapy going. I guess so. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So sorry if I wasn't so rapid fire with my answers.
SPEAKER_01No, no, I love this. I I know our our members are gonna be very interested in in this rapid fire round. Last one, one thing people misunderstand about security work.
SPEAKER_00Um, well, you know, security work is not all law, it's not all enforcement, you know, it's it's a lot of customer service. You know, we want to make sure that the day-to-day operations at the main gate and the construction gate run smoothly. You know, Casey does a great job at the gates. It's it's Casey's my coworker that that manages the gates for us. You know, there's a sayings that you want to speak to the guy in charge or the woman who knows what's going on. Well, that's her. She's the one. So, but but you know, we have a thousand cars come through that gate a day, if not more. Um, so it is very difficult getting them all to their proper destination safely. You know, we we want them to have a great experience. We want to always say, Welcome to Pomodoro Bluff, how may I help you? Um, they don't know where they're going. They don't know that you know, there's a hotel on property. There are some uh venues that are open to the public where they can go have lunch. So that's our goal is to keep the line moving out there. With some brevity and also um and also you know get them to their to their uh their destination safely. You know, we want to start with a positive always, also. You know, I always tell everybody, especially with if you see someone with the dog off the leash, you have to start with a positive. You know, the attitude that you give will be the one that you receive in return.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. When you're going to uphold a standard, you don't want to come at that with disrespect or just a negative beginning. Correct. You know, everyone, I I always just like in life, it's like everyone's doing the best they can. And no one, I think for the majority of your calls, I'd assume, Lou, there there's not, you know, intentionally breaking the rules most of the time.
SPEAKER_00There's not. You know, there's not. Like I said, the you know, you have to be fair but firm, you know. So if someone's not doing the right thing, you'd like I say, you always try to gain voluntary compliance. And I would say 99.9% of the time we we get that. Yeah. You know, so we're lucky.
What Palmetto Bluff Means To Lou
SPEAKER_01Well, I love that you included that it's as much a customer service as it is ensuring safety in this property because the experience of guests coming in, and you know, we look at our our wellness classes and everything we do as an experience. And we want the member experience to be great, and we want anyone who comes into Palmetto Bluff to not to be as dazing confused as they might be when they're coming in and never been here before. I'm sure it's very helpful that your team keeps the line moving, but at the same time, you know, helps assist folks who need that. Well, we're at the time where I want to close things out, and after your 14 years of protecting this community, I'm wondering what does Palmetal Bluff mean to you personally?
SPEAKER_00Well, it it is a very special place, you know. Like I think uh everyone says, it's not a project, it's a place, you know, and and like I said before, I've I've learned a lot from Charles over the years. He's been a great mentor, a great boss, great friend, you know. And and and the relationships that he has, um, we hope to continue those in years to come, you know. It's like I said, it's been nice to see a lot of the members, you know, through the years, and there's so, you know, the kindness and generosity of them, it's always been extraordinary, you know, during the holidays and and for that matter, all throughout the year, you know. And our whole security team does really appreciate them. Um, and we want to give them the best experience possible. So we want to, you know, what they all give to us, you know, with their kindness and and generosity, we try to reciprocate. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Well, I want to pause and thank you for your team specifically for the turkey trot. It has been growing over the years, and I know it uh is one of the biggest events now at Palmetto Bluff. And just huge thank you for your team always helping out with parking, parking, being there early on the holidays. It's it's it's important, you know, when we have big events that you know, we uphold the member experience as best as we can. We keep people safe. And your team is the is the key reason how we're able to pull that off with with the uh larger crowds that tend to ensue with popular events like the turkey trout.
SPEAKER_00Well, it's uh it is a challenge to find parking for all those cars, but we we always make it work, and even uh the 4th of July at the stables last year, I did not know there were that many golf carts in all of all of Bluffton, never mind within Palmetto Bluff. So it it it it all works out in the end.
Wellness Definition Work And Family
SPEAKER_01So yeah, well, we appreciate you. Lou, final question: What does wellness mean to you?
SPEAKER_00Um, well, wellness, it's a combination, I would say, of physical health and mental health. You know, maintaining a good work-life balance uh and enjoying what you do is very important, you know. I know everyone says if you enjoy what you do, you'll never work a day in your life. You know, you you still have to earn a living, you know, and everything like that. And yeah, I've been very lucky. Um, you know, that that um, you know, my home life has been phenomenal. You know, my wife does such a great job with our three boys, and uh is definitely the backbone of of our family, you know.
SPEAKER_01So I hear you mention purpose when it comes to work. You you know, we're not gonna love every aspect of our jobs, but having purpose goes a long way. And then I couldn't agree more. I wouldn't have the ability to uh lead the wellness team in the way that uh I'm afforded to without my wife, either. They're a big part of our success. And and and and uh I'm glad you mentioned that. All right, Lou. Well, uh just want to thank you so much for taking the time today.
SPEAKER_00Anytime. Um, I was a little nervous and uh still am, but I'm can't say I'm not glad it's over. Oh yeah. So thank you, Jeff.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you're so welcome. I appreciate you coming over. We we have a slew of different topics that that we love bringing to the membership. And I just think this is going to be a special one because so many members know you. And uh one other final special shout out to Casey. You mentioned her earlier when we were conversing, and uh members may have heard this at the town hall. She does CPR and AED training for our associates, and it's it's amazing what she does. She's a great human, and I'm sure she's you you and her. That's it's why we feel so safe in here.
SPEAKER_00Well, she's doing a CPR class as we speak. No way, yeah, for some of the members of our uh field compliance team uh right now. So yeah, it keeps us busy. Yes.
Host Reflection Security Beyond Gates
Financial And Workplace Security Insights
Safety In Fitness Culture And Coaching
Weekly Question And Closing Message
SPEAKER_01Right on, Lou. That is about all we've got today for our main conversation. Listeners, feel free to hang out with me for a few more minutes and get some healthy momentum for the rest of your week. I hope you enjoyed getting behind the scenes as much as I did, and you now have a better understanding of what it takes to keep Palmetabluff safe. Lou and his team do an incredible job, and the reality is when security is working well, he joked about it. Uh, most of us rarely think about it. But there's a deeper connection here to wellness. In wellness, I I mentioned during my conversation with Lou that we we talk a lot about exercise, nutrition, sleep, recovery, supplements, you name it. They're they're all important. But if you look at Maslow's hierarchy of needs, safety sits near the very base of the pyramid. I was first exposed to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, I think, in a psychology class in college. And one of the lenses of looking at it is to make sure that you understand everything it takes for each of us to truly thrive. And safety is one of those key elements that before we pursue connection, purpose, or performance, we need to feel safe. And security isn't just about gates, cameras, or patrols. Love that a lot of locations are being checked two hours and uh the majority of the time every four hours. Gosh, that made me feel safe just just knowing we have that level of support in this community. But security is more than those checks, it's more than having cameras in the in the right locations. Security is emotional, security is psychological, security is relational, and security can even be financial. For me personally, I think about security in a few different ways. At home, security is knowing my wife Lindsay, my daughter Mia, and our dogs, Carl and Greta, are safe. That simple feeling creates a sense of calm and stability in my life. And I imagine this is the same for you. When the people you love are safe, it allows you to show up better everywhere else. On the financial front, it's important. Financial freedom, financial security. For me, it looks like clarity. It's it's having a plan, it's knowing our fixed expenses and having a budget for variable spending or creating a structure that allows you to remove the uncertainty when it comes to your finances. That kind of discipline to me isn't restrictive. It actually creates freedom because it removes stress. So we've covered family, knowing our family's safe. We've looked at financial, having a plan, making sure we have a budget. And then finally at work, security looks like the people around me. I'm fortunate to work with colleagues who make me feel heard, respected, and supported. That level of psychological safety matters more than we sometimes realize. And as a leader, I try to create the same environment for others where people feel comfortable sharing ideas, asking questions, and at the very least, being themselves. Let's flip this over to fitness. Even in fitness, security plays a huge role. Before anyone gets stronger, faster, or fitter, they have to feel safe moving. One of the most important things we do in our fitness classes is create an environment where people are moving safely, where the coaching is clear, the progressions make sense, and people feel confident in what they're doing. Oftentimes, safety is not a priority, and pushing through can sometimes be the default mechanism that we we each have in a fitness setting. But what we want to do as a team is create a level of safety where you feel comfortable asking for a scaling movement if something's not appropriate for your body. You feel comfortable going into any class and knowing that that instructor is going to take care of you. My belief is that when people feel safe, something powerful happens. They participate more, they engage more, they push themselves a little further. Safety creates the conditions for growth. And that's why I'm so inspired by it. That's why I wanted to have Lou in the booth today. Lou talked in the episode about all the things happening behind the scenes to protect this community. That quiet consistency allows residents to focus on what really matters. And when I say residence, it allows you to focus on what truly matters, which means spending time outside, being active, connecting with neighbors, and frankly, enjoying where you live. So here's the question for this week where in your life are you creating security for yourself and for others? Maybe it's creating financial clarity, maybe it's building trust in your relate relationships, maybe it's creating a culture at home, at work, or in your community where people feel truly safe. Because when safety is present, wellness has room to grow. And that's why people like Lou and his team matter so much. They create the foundation that allows the rest of us to live, move, connect, and thrive. That's your healthy momentum for this week. I want to thank you for taking the time to join the conversation this week. And even if you don't live within the gates of Palmetto Bluff, I hope that you enjoyed the value and perspective that Lou brought to the table today, this reflection on security and the importance of it. And remember to actively participate in life on your terms.
