Ep. 78 with Breanna Brillhart | Co-Founder, Breehart Pillows

How ADHD, Grit, And Faith Built A Boutique Pillow Brand From A Basement

If you’ve ever tried to build something beautiful between school drop-off and dinner, this conversation will feel like a deep breath. Kelly sits down with Bree—mom of four, dental assistant two days a week, and cofounder of a boutique pillow brand with her mom—to unpack how faith, ADHD, and clear boundaries can turn a basement sewing room into a business with real traction. From the early days of art shows in the rain to a decisive pivot toward e‑commerce, she shares the choices that kept her products accessible without sacrificing quality, and the systems that protect family time while still shipping orders.

We dig into the craft: sourcing designer textiles, choosing inserts from a small US maker, and pricing for value over volume. We explore design trends, what actually sells versus what looks stunning on a table, and how to pair patterns for homes that aren’t matchy but still feel cohesive. The conversation also moves through the personal—blended family dynamics, making space for one-on-one moments with kids, and building confidence after a major health transformation. Her ADHD becomes a strength with the right rails: defined work blocks, realistic timelines, and the courage to say no so the right yes has room.

Underneath it all is a steady thread of faith and partnership. A semi-retired dentist gives her flexible hours. Her husband, a measured risk-taker, quietly finds the website developer. Her mom, sewing from Texas, mirrors production and brings joy to the process. Together they’re moving toward weekly product drops, better photography, and a website built for discovery. You’ll leave with practical insights on boundaries, pricing, SEO needs for small shops, and the reminder that your gifts aren’t meant to sit in a drawer. Hit play, subscribe for more grounded entrepreneurship stories, and tell us: what step are you finally ready to take?

Connect with Breanna:

• IG: @breehartpillows
• Facebook: Breanna Brillhart
• Website: Breehart Pillows (Coming Soon-February) 

(Follow on IG and Facebook for updates to website!)

Contact the Host, Kelly Kirk:

• Email: info.ryh7@gmail.com

Get Connected/Follow:

• The Hue Drop Newsletter: Subscribe Here
• IG: @ryh_pod & @thekelly.tanke.kirk
• Facebook: Reclaiming Your Hue Facebook Page
• CAKES Affiliate Link: KELLYKIRK

Credits:

• Editor: Joseph Kirk
• Music: Kristofer Tanke

Thanks for listening & cheers to Reclaiming Your Hue!

Chapters

• 0:00 Old Friends Reunite
• 2:15 Blended Families And Intentional Parenting
• 11:15 Entrepreneurship Before Motherhood
• 18:30 Dentistry, Private Practice, And Customer Loyalty
• 25:00 Launching A Boutique Pillow Business
• 33:30 Pricing, Textiles, And Positioning
• 41:30 Leaving Mortgage And Finding Alignment
• 48:00 ADHD As An Entrepreneurial Superpower
• 56:00 Faith, Seasons, And Saying Yes
• 1:04:30 Working With Mom And Building Inventory
• 1:12:30 Shows, E‑Commerce, And The Website Push
• 1:21:00 Boundaries, Routines, And Mom Mode
• 1:29:00 Design Trends, Fabrics, And What Sells
• 1:37:20 Spousal Support, Risk, And Cash Flow
• 1:45:20 The Bigger Vision And Weekly Launches

Transcript

Kelly: 0:00

Good morning, Brie. Good morning, Kelly. How are you? I am great. You're so funny. Okay. Relax. Get comfy. Okay, for you. This is this is the reason I have like the comfy comforter and the comfy couch. For sure.

SPEAKER_03: 0:19

I feel like I'm on the Care 11 Live.

Kelly: 0:21

Go zian in. I love this. Okay. Brie, it's an honor to have you here. Thank you for having me today. Let's start off with how we know one another. Would you would you enlighten the listeners and how you and I got connected?

SPEAKER_03: 0:37

Well, you were my leasing agent. And you, I do, this is what I remember. You were like very sophisticated. You had this outfit. You were put together like no other. You were an independent woman. You didn't even have your dogs, by the way, at this point.

Kelly: 0:58

Oh my gosh, I didn't.

SPEAKER_03: 1:01

You were talking about it, I think.

Kelly: 1:02

When do you remember when you leased there at the Penn Field?

SPEAKER_03: 1:06

Well, Preston was two, so he's I would see, he's 12 and a half. Okay. So that was well, it's 20. What year was he born? 13. So it was 15, 2015. Because I'd moved there when he was two.

Kelly: 1:23

When did I get Ace? I don't even remember. You didn't have him. I've had him for 10 years. So it would have been 2015. 2015. Maybe, yeah. Yeah. Wow.

SPEAKER_03: 1:34

That's a long time ago.

Kelly: 1:36

You I was gonna say you might be the one guest who like dates back the farthest, but that's not true. Because there's somebody who's been on the podcast that I went to high school with.

SPEAKER_03: 1:47

Wow, that doesn't oh I do know who that girl is. She's wonderful. She's an interior decorator.

Kelly: 1:51

Yes, she is. Yes. I didn't meet her. Speaking of which, you brought a lovely gift. So let's just honor the beautiful pillow that you brought that I should probably make sure that we get in the picture.

SPEAKER_03: 2:04

Yeah, and it was like perfect advertising. Yes. You know? And the room needed a little love, like in terms of color. You have the pink, and so I was like, oh, this is kind of funny. It needed a little zhuzh. Yeah, something different, you know? I love it. Thank you. Thank you. Absolutely.

Kelly: 2:19

What a what a beautiful gift too. You're welcome, yes. Okay, so the listeners know how like where we met, how far our our lives go back together.

SPEAKER_03: 2:31

Yeah.

Kelly: 2:31

But let's catch them up to speed with where Brie is at now.

SPEAKER_03: 2:35

Oh, yeah. Let's do it.

Kelly: 2:36

So, and before we dive into like what it is that you do for business, can you share with the listeners what came first for you? Was it motherhood or was it entrepreneurship? Entrepreneurship for sure. Tall us more.

SPEAKER_03: 2:49

Well, I mean, I wanted to be a mom, but like, you know, I was single, ready to mingle, didn't have children on the radar. I mean, everything everyone, women or women in general, thrive to have that motherly instinct, whether they're for animals or human people. Um, but yeah, for me personally, I just felt like um I've always I don't here's the deal, Kelly. I don't like people telling me what to do. You don't say.

Kelly: 3:21

How does that go over with Alex? Not well. Not well at all. Because he's a pretty, like, and for the listeners, Alex is Bree's husband.

SPEAKER_03: 3:30

Yes, who I know as well. He's very, like, okay, so he works in the IT fields, if that gives you any indication. He's not really social, he's very introverted. He would probably never be like, Hi Kelly, how are you? He might say, like, if you like said to him, then he'd be like, Oh, yeah, and like awkwardly say hi. But um, he's just not like that. Whereas I, if I see him, like, hey, do you see me? You know what I mean? Yes. So I'm like compolar opposite, which, you know, it works. Uh but yeah, so like I mean, this morning is like, no, please make sure to get the kids on time. It's like, what do you think I'm gonna do? Like hang out with them? Like, I want them to go to school and daycare, obviously.

Kelly: 4:16

But you know, this is what our husbands are here for sometimes is just to kind of give us a swift kick in the butt as a reminder. Like, of course, we're gonna you know do XYZ thing that you just asked, but thanks for the reminder.

SPEAKER_03: 4:29

Yes, yes, let me get in the car, let's go. Yeah, you know, yes, so and that's that can be a challenge in the morning, but we always get there, and that's what matters.

Kelly: 4:40

Okay, so you have how many kids?

SPEAKER_03: 4:43

I have four children. Four. Yeah, and when I met you, you had one, I had one, and I joke that he's my favorite child, but because he's been around he's been with me the longest, he was like my single buddy, you know. Oh no, and so now, like last night we went to church and it was great because it was just the two of us, and then I was like, you know, because he helps me out, he's the oldest. I feel like when you're the oldest, myself, yeah. Um, you you are like he like helps with everything with the other kids. So I I feel like I don't give him enough appreciation as time has gone on, whereas before when it was just the two of us, it was all about Preston. Yeah. And now, you know, it's you spread yourself a little more thin, you know, with the love. Not that it's bad, it's just different, right? It totally is. So, I mean, we went for you know, bubble tea after church and you know, just wanting to make him feel special, you know, something little, but something of appreciation that I do genuinely appreciate all he does with the other kids.

Kelly: 5:46

I do, I do appreciate something that you're bringing up right now, which is like the divide and conquer with the children. It's like they each do have to have their own time with mom and dad. Yeah, for sure. And it's something that we as a household, as the Kirk family household, have talked about but haven't implemented. It's some, I mean, sometimes it just kind of happens at random. However, being intentional about it is where I think some magic and beauty actually happens with development for our children.

SPEAKER_03: 6:25

Because you do have a home kind of like mine, whereas, you know, you have your daughter together, and then you have two boys from a previous relationship. And so, you know, even for yourself, I mean, I just think it's important when Alex does extra things for Preston, you know, like he does notice those things, um, which are really important because it brings the family dynamic. It's not just like, oh, that's your family with your dad, and this is our family, you know, you know, just kind of giving that that also that you enjoy wanting to spend time with them individually as well. Yeah, you know, yes, absolutely. Those are important things in a household that you know is like ours.

Kelly: 7:07

Mm-hmm. You and I share, I mean, we've got a lot of commonalities, right, Brace? But I I mean the commonality that sticks out most right here in this particular moment is the fact that we both are a part of a blended family, yeah, which can be challenging. Yeah, it can be very challenging. And again, I think that the intentionality is highly, highly important.

SPEAKER_03: 7:32

Well, and it's not about us, it's about our kids. So, like, even though you might get frustrated about things, they don't need to know that. Right. I mean, what what it's not gonna change that that's their dad or their mom. Like, what are you trying to like prove, you know? So I think it's important. I think I learned well, it took a while. But I learned that that's I'm not helping my son out by saying things that I'm upset about with his dad. Yeah, because it's his dad. And so even if his dad isn't as maybe involved as we are, he he knows that I don't need to tell him yeah those things, you know what I mean?

Kelly: 8:08

Well, and remind me how old Preston is.

SPEAKER_03: 8:12

He's almost 13, he'll be 13 in January.

Kelly: 8:15

That's wild.

SPEAKER_03: 8:16

I know, like it goes fast, just so you know.

Kelly: 8:19

I am fully aware. It's like sad. I literally look at Maddie sometimes as she's waking up, and I'm like, you're you are fundamentally a different child this morning than you were last night when I put you down for bed.

SPEAKER_03: 8:32

And like pay attention because okay, she's two right now, two and a half. But like once she turns three, they start to shift their their looks start to change. They don't look like a baby anymore.

Kelly: 8:42

Like, I always already happened.

SPEAKER_03: 8:44

Yeah. And so you know, it's like sad. You like because my younger two are 15 months apart, so I feel like I go into a phase and then I go back into the phase.

SPEAKER_01: 8:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 8:54

Um, and just looking like in the 15 months, like where Sterling is and Rollins uh is, it's like different because one of them looks more like a matured child, yes, and the other one looks still kind of like a toddler. And then all of a sudden it's like, oh, like I just recently noticed these things, and it's it makes you sad, but it also it is kind of nice, like the baby phase. It's a wonderful thing. And I have a lot of friends who are still in that season or just recently having babies, and you know, just like it goes fast, and you know, you say those things to people, but it's when you're in the thick of it, it doesn't resonate.

Kelly: 9:35

No, it doesn't, yeah. I mean, it's sort of like in one eye in one ear, out the other.

SPEAKER_03: 9:42

Just enjoy it, it's great, you know, and you're like, ugh, yeah, I'm just exhausted, and you know, but this too shall pass, and then you look at my oldest and you're like, wow, he's literally gonna be 13. Yeah, he's an at least he's a young adult, basically. And so um, when you think about it like that, it just goes to resonate that life is really short, and so enjoy it while you can. There's always gonna be bad days, obviously. We all have bad days, but try to be as present as possible. I think that that's one of the things I've taken this year personally. Um, when I turned 40, I was like, Oh, I'm gonna do all these things, but really being present um who are really important to me. I tend to have the personality of being everyone's friend. Oh, and and I I like laugh because yes, I'll run into people all the time. And I I have friends who are like, you know, everyone, but it used to be such a priority to me to be everyone's friend, and now it's like, you know what, I it's okay to have a select group of friends.

Kelly: 10:47

100%, you know? So something that I want to talk through with you is as your business has developed, which we'll share with the listeners in just a moment what that is, okay. If you have seen shifts in the dynamic of who you surround yourself with.

SPEAKER_03: 11:09

Oh my gosh, it's the friends. Yeah.

Kelly: 11:12

Okay, so let's back up a second. Um, you mentioned entrepreneurship came first for you. It did. And I am not privy to to like what you had done before. So can you share with myself and the listeners what you mean by that? Being an entrepreneur before having the kiddos.

SPEAKER_03: 11:33

Well, I grew up in a home where my dad worked for a company and my mom was a seamstress in the home, and she owned a business. So I always shout out to Patty. Yeah, she's still she's my business partner. It's on my cards. But um, yeah, she had a business, and um, even my mom's family, everybody, a lot of her siblings owned businesses, so they it kind of run in the family or funds in the family, I should say.

SPEAKER_04: 12:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 12:01

Um, and just seeing her like be home with us. Um, now keep in mind, like every person's different. Like some people want to work in corporate America, some people want to stay home. A thousand percent. You know, and that's that's awesome. Um, but I just wanted to have both. I like when I said I don't like being told what to do, I genuinely meant that. Uh so entrepreneurship's perfect for you.

Kelly: 12:25

Right, because I'm the boss. You literally can dictate and you can delegate to people. So then you, it's like rules reverse. You're going, I get to say.

SPEAKER_03: 12:35

Yes. I get to which don't like I don't want the listeners to think like I'm this bratty bossy person because I'm I'm not, I am bossy, but I'm not bossy. Like I I know when my place is. Do you know what I mean? Like, I do shit, I work two days a week as a dental assistant still. So um I work for somebody, but let me tell you, he is very relaxed. I'm sure he looks at me and is like, oh my gosh, here she comes in the morning. Because I'm just very opposite of him. He's very calm, quiet, you know. Uh and it's per it honestly is perfect for me because I don't really have to think about anything. I go there and, you know, I went to school for this, so I right now I feel like it I still want to have my feet wet. But he is semi-retired, and that is amazing because that was like it sounds kind of crazy, but it's kind of a blessing because it puts that perspective that he will be done eventually, and so will I.

SPEAKER_01: 13:34

Yeah.

Kelly: 13:35

So do you know something I'm sure you've probably already thought about this, but I do just want to bring up in this particular moment is like, yes, you are working for somebody else, right? Yeah, but he is an entrepreneur. Correct. He is 100% an entrepreneur, like any individual that owns a dental practice is very much in an entrepreneurial space and has to have the skill set to surround themselves with in order to push that business forward.

SPEAKER_03: 14:07

Not only that, but they also went to school to become doctors. So not only did they want to be entrepreneurs, but they were like, I want to go to school to be a doctor.

Kelly: 14:15

Yes. And so, you know And they're not also, by the way, teaching anything about entrepreneurship in med school. No, so it's business owning it is incredibly challenging when you think about I mean, not just in the field of medical health care, though any anything around physician stuff, like they are not allowed to have their own practice anymore, but like dentists are so and I there is quite a shift of that too, because a lot of corporations are buying these small practices.

SPEAKER_03: 14:56

Um, and so it's very common now, it's become actually way more common than the opposite of like small private practice. Um it is kind of sad because um, you know, there is something to be said about a mom and pop shop, you know? Um, and just the like so the office I'm at, it's been around forever. So I literally every day when I I'm there Tuesdays and Thursdays, um, the people there will be like, I've been coming here for 50 years. And they mean it. They genuinely, it's not like so. I feel like once you find your your spot, you don't leave, you know, in dentistry in particular, or even you know, your doctor, you know, you try to follow them, but eventually, you know, if they're on, you know, whipury and you're needed, yeah, you might not probably go see them, or at least, you know, depending on what the particular situation is. Yeah. Um, exactly. You just won't. So there is something to be said about that, and I um I love that aspect of it. Um, and I just that also resonates for me personally that he's a good dentist. Like that he is doing good dentistry, that he's had a good rapport, and like as a business owner for even myself, like I want people to, I want to have the same thing. Like they love what I do, they they respect me, they'll they're gonna come back to me. So it's the same thing, you know. It goes, it there is something to be said about that personally.

Kelly: 16:28

I agree, I agree. So the other days of the week, the five other days of the week. I was like, wait now, five.

SPEAKER_03: 16:36

Oh, yeah, there is my math skills are what are you doing?

Kelly: 16:41

Well, share with the listeners.

SPEAKER_03: 16:43

So I own a pillow business, a pillow shop business. Um just any pillow well business. And it's not my pillow. Okay, let's make sure we, you know, I don't, you don't oh my gosh, I almost choked on my teeth. Because people say my pillow, and I'm like, no, no, no, no, it's not my pillow. You can lay on it, but it's it's a decorative pillow.

Kelly: 17:08

Yeah, you know, it's for individuals.

SPEAKER_03: 17:13

It's for your space, you know, yeah, your home items in their space, yes, and um, but my motto is any like I want anybody to be able to have my pillows. Like, I don't want my pillows to be so expensive that you are out of the ballpark that you can't afford them, but I also don't want to be home goods, yes.

Kelly: 17:34

Do you know what I mean? I remember talking to you on the phone about this and thinking, gosh, it's just it's so spot on, and you have clearly articulated it's a niche price point that you're that you're working in, which means that how you are sewing the pillows, the fabric that you're using must justify that niche.

SPEAKER_03: 18:02

Correct. Also, like so the the pillows I have, it's all um very custom designer material. So they're one of a kind. The fabrics that I get when I purchase my fabric or I get it from designers or whatever, um, like you're not going to find it at Target. Right. It's it's not, and it's all custom fabric. So, like some of the fabrics, I mean, the price point for the fabrics alone are anywhere from you know$150 to$350 a yard of fabric, which is insane to me. Yeah. That people are that rich that they can afford them. Not everybody can, especially these days, right? So, you know, I want people to be able to be like, yeah, I want a pillow like that, and I want to be able to afford it, and it's not gonna break my bank. Right. I think that a lot of times we as moms and people with large families, it's expensive to be able to if I don't know if you've ever experienced this, but when you go into somebody's home, especially because your husband is in real estate.

Kelly: 19:09

No, you know, we're in real estate together.

SPEAKER_03: 19:11

Oh, I didn't.

Kelly: 19:12

Yeah. Somebody I thought. So to the listeners, we were talking off air and I'm listening to Brie and I'm like, gosh, I has it been that long that I thought you did the mortgage stuff. No, so okay, I'm gonna catch you up to speed. She's like in a nutshell. So last September, yeah, I cut cords with mortgage. Okay, and there was a very, very short period of time where I was figuring out what my next move was gonna be. I just knew I was not happy in mortgage. And to many of the listeners right now who are listening, some of them already know this story. Like the women who have formally been on the podcast, I listened very carefully. carefully to their stories. And it was actually through many of them and hearing taking hearing them be brave and take step, like huge leaps of faith from corporate to entrepreneurship, or going something wasn't right. Something was not resonating with me anymore. That was a that was that in those moments I was just like holy moly, something is not right with me and what I'm doing in mortgage.

SPEAKER_03: 20:34

So you know that was God speaking to you saying Kelly flipping A it's time for you to cut. Yeah.

Kelly: 20:40

But so it happened. Yeah it happened. Okay. So you're not going to be and then so I I like it how do I like fast track this story? So a few months go by and as I'm like figuring out what I'm going to do Joe's like hey I need help in the business. And I was like okay sounds good. So I would help out with a few odds and end things here and there and then like coming into the office periodically and then all of a sudden we both had this like aha moment and it was literally this time last year oh that's crazy that we decided I was just going to come into the real estate business with him.

SPEAKER_02: 21:23

That's it.

Kelly: 21:23

So I've been the director of operations for the Kirk team real estate and have been loving it. So I am doing kind of twofold entrepreneurship right entrepreneurship in business with my husband being a mom being a mom is number one. I like to say that I'm the CEO of our household like that's I I hold that hat and wear it proudly and then I'm in business with my husband and I'm learning some incredible incredible skills that are very much in line with what I had learned in mortgage which is very entrepreneurial. This is like this is a do or die now you know what I mean and not to be hyperbolic but yes hyperbolic like we're we're living on one income which means we need to push hard and then I have the the podcast too which is a whole different skill set of entrepreneurship in itself. But so it's amazing.

SPEAKER_03: 22:26

It's wonderful because it gives you that's like same kind of for me like I I don't love dentistry. I'm just gonna be flat out honest. That's okay. However I it's it's something that I need to do right now and it's not forever and I love I genuinely like where I go like the job. So I mean for me it's kind of the best of both worlds. I went to school for this so I have a hard time cutting ties with that part of it.

SPEAKER_01: 22:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 22:56

But then there's that part like oh I just want to do this other thing. But right now with me being as ADHD as I am it's really good for me because it allows me to have a little bit of both.

Kelly: 23:09

Yeah. You know okay I'm gonna go a little off script here.

SPEAKER_03: 23:13

Okay.

Kelly: 23:14

Do you feel as as if like having having are you formally diagnosed with oh 100% yes okay when I was a kid so like I I'm an OG.

SPEAKER_03: 23:27

Like all you guys are just becoming ADHD. No I was an OG original like I have an IEP like 35 36 years and back in the day I was like I'm sorry to tell you that like it used to be such a like stigma.

Kelly: 23:44

Oh 100% now like if you it's like mental health I know everyone's got mental health problems. Yeah we're just speaking out more okay so this was this is where I was going with this Brie do you actually feel like this is advantageous for you in what you're what you do with your business? What does that mean? Do you feel like being ADHD actually serves your business?

SPEAKER_03: 24:15

Well Kelly I have done some research I'm not a big researcher but I will tell you that I have learned that people who are ADHD are more likely to be entrepreneurs and I I believe it and be more successful in business because they are all over the place. Yeah they like okay we gotta do this and you know I I do know quite a few people who are like that and you're like wow they're so successful and then you find out like oh yeah it makes sense like or like certain things they do and you're like because I I genuinely when I am for lack of better terms when I'm sucking spit that's literally what I do with a suction hose at when I'm at the dental office. I am like can we do something else? Like can we like can we talk? Can we like what and like he's just like so focused. But then my mind is like going all over the place like okay and then this and then okay over here and then I start like doodling and I'm like focus you need to be back here at the mouth um and so yeah I think it does because I can kind of do everything when I'm sewing yeah um and putting pillows together or I'm um mailing them out um I'm doing different things I'm staying busy the body I can go upstairs I can go downstairs my business is in my basement by the way so it my business is in this room in the house. So it's so yeah it's a write off there you go you're welcome baby exactly um but yeah it just I I think it's important to have for me personally I need a little bit of everything um and it it it kind of like allows me to like okay calm down um and just do my thing yeah because like my husband he is fine with he could be at home for months and never leave the house I have to leave the house every day like I have to get out how did this serve you in COVID not good and I literally went out I was not a good COVID person. I was like forget that I'm going I'm gonna take a drive I would take a drive who cares like not affecting anyone but um I just needed to get out of the home yeah so it's it is a really good thing and I think that's why I have so many kids because I need a niche in different areas like oh this one needs this oh this one needs that you're so and so we'll have four kids so that I can control my APH you are so funny.

Kelly: 26:50

I do just want it there we were talking moments ago about the like going from the baby phase to the toddler phase and I do remember sorry to the listeners we'll we'll circle back to exactly where we were at before I promise but I need to say this Joe had said to me he goes you just wait Maddie's gonna turn two years old and you are gonna want to have another baby it happens all the time with people all the time it did not happen for me. However I will say I do love babies really I do and I don't I love oh my god I love the smell of them I love just like how much they like canoodle into you you know like they like nestle into your chest oh I just love it I love it I mean but I do not want to have one I guess that's I should say that I do love babies in that sense I if I can give them back yeah now I think though that's part of it I think like I can just give it back.

SPEAKER_03: 27:56

Yeah you don't have to get up with it at night like I have a friend coming over tomorrow and she has a baby a like he's like a couple months old and I'm excited to hold him but I'm gonna give them back.

Kelly: 28:06

Yes yeah and so that just getting that little like sometimes you just need that the little the little the little nurturing yeah like a little baby fix and then you're like okay I'm good I'm okay you know I think it's more of a woman thing though yeah I if I feel like I'd be really weird I don't know anyways let's let's go back to the business so you are in business with your mom which is so cool. Yes and I adore your mom I think that she's just a gem we're very similar just FYI I already know this yeah okay I was at your wedding Brie I'm very similar personally like did I rent to you first and then Lauren or was it Lauren first and then you moved in to the Penn Field?

SPEAKER_03: 28:55

No I think Lauren was there first.

Kelly: 28:57

Okay I think because I think that I met your parents when she was moving in I mean whatever regardless she was there before me regardless yes um I had the opportunity to meet your parents yeah and um and I had no idea that your mom was doing that she was a seamstress now did she start off um doing other other things like clothing items and stuff or was it always around like furniture and pillows well she stayed home with us and then she started sewing with her friend and they were like we're gonna start a sewing business and make drapery and so they were making drapery and they were staying home and with their kids and um my mom was also running a daycare for a little so again like me just all over the place.

SPEAKER_03: 29:50

And then eventually when we moved back to Minnesota because my family is from Texas originally. Yeah um she you know you have to start over kind of in the sense that you know you're trying to get your name out there. Yeah um and then yeah she was able to because she is really outgoing she's very involved um she was able to start meeting designers so she would work with mainly designers you know people clients would come to her it was all word of mouth yeah it wasn't like she advertised it which I love that there is something great about that because nothing's better. Yeah seriously oh did you hear about Kelly she's I know somebody who's in real estate or you know it's it's not what you know it's who you know one thousand percent that is one of my biggest I say that all the time mantras yeah it is I mean but it's a beautiful I mean it's true though I I feel like I heard that very early on in stepping into the big wide open world yeah and it and it stuck with me it truly stuck with me and I started to see that happen yeah early on after graduating from college yeah I mean and you I think I think God like you went to school for these one things and you think like oh I'm gonna do this and you're this is like your set goal in life I just remember in high school being like this is it it's over no I did I'm serious like what am I gonna do imagine? Well that's how it felt and everyone would be like oh it's no big deal you're gonna be you're gonna do this and that I mean Kelly I still sometimes think like what am I gonna do when I grow up so when people like our nanny this summer I was like so what is your like your plans and she's like well I'm doing this and this and like you know what who cares like if you don't know what you want to be when you grow up I'm like I still don't know what I want to be and she kind of was like okay but it's true like we're always learning to do new things and to thrive in different ways and you know I I want my pillow business to thrive and and you know go places but I don't know where it's gonna take me right you know and that's the thing is like I don't I can't see in the crystal ball like the end you know well in this moment it might be a nice opportunity to talk about faith as I do feel as if the more you lean into trusting God.

Kelly: 32:24

Yeah 100% the more the more you start to see areas of opportunity and pathways and or have a a just a keen sense of like all right I used to discern this way and now I'm actually thinking that this is probably the best route for me to go.

SPEAKER_03: 32:47

Yeah you know what I mean and that could just mean like hey I am hitting this particular moment with my business I need a website when that happened that's well for you it's actually in the works right now I literally just hired someone I was like okay I guess I'm gonna have to hire someone because it's not my specialty and I I want it to do I want it done right I don't want it to look half I want to look the part it's important to me um but also like I said I I want it to look the part but I also want to have some fun in the sense that I am a mom. I might not show my kids faces and thing because I feel like these days that's kind of not like a no go but kind of like that I'm a mom too and that I this is something that I love and you too can have beautiful pillows in your home and kids. Yes you know keep in mind it might not ever until they leave be beautiful all the time I made pillows for my upstairs I would highly not suggest your daughter touching this with Cheetos like mine touched mine with Cheetos.

Kelly: 33:57

I was like you are speaking from experience right now. And I always tell my mom I'm like I just can't have anything nice and that's okay right now that's where I'm at in life but again if I was to spend$300 on a pillow I'd be irate if my children put Cheetos on my pillow there's seasons of life right and to sort of bring it full circle to what we were talking about just moments ago with faith it's like God is gonna tell you this is a season.

SPEAKER_03: 34:28

Yeah you know you're gonna come to the end of that season and it's just up to you to have faith in God like this is it's it really I say it all the time I'm like okay God like okay show me what you want me to do okay where do you want me today and um I will say that I don't I feel like my faith in the last couple years has gotten much more stronger especially having kids like um just like knowing and just knowing that this is there's this isn't it no that there I agree there is to more to life I also think that people who have God in their life this is my personal opinion so if you don't have God in your life that's you know maybe someday you will find it but you're so polite and diplomatic about it. It's true because I feel like the people that don't have Jesus in their hearts and their and their lives they're just kind of lost they think that this is it and like to think that this is it like not my business that this is it and that I had these kids I'm never gonna see them again I'm never gonna like just such a lonely life whereas I want God to be like help me to thrive my business and to serve you. And my mom and I call our pillows God pillows because this business has been in the works um for a really long time my mom told me when I was pregnant with Sloan she was like you should start a pillow business and I was like and then we bought their home yeah okay and she was like do you want these machines I was like no and I'm I'm kind of a minimalist my husband will tell you he just is like she gets rid of everything. I just yeah I have a hard time keeping things um which is not necessarily a good thing but it's not a bad thing. It's not bad like my house is not full of junk. It's I'm very minimalistic um and so but I think that that's there's something to be said about that. That's a beautiful thing to have both and having faith that you know God will provide these different He like provided these pillows. We call it that it's God's pillows because I started this awful job not the one I currently have at dental but I started this awful office and I needed God to basically tell me to give me a swift kick and say Brie, this is not what you need. This is not what you want do you want to be working for three men who are basically making all this money and not really giving their employees any like gratification no appraisal no nothing and so I I have never quit a job on the spot Kelly but I quit on the spot and I'm supposed to see them next week because I have a CE and I found out they're all going to it but anyways I'm gonna be nice and be like you know like but but I needed that I needed to be in an office like that to realize that no and then shortly after my pillows like I started getting fabrics and stuff and so then it's like it it literally took off and then you know the saying of like not what you know who you know like I would talk to designers and be like um we've been looking on Amazon for pillow inserts so like you know I make the covers but the insert I found a company so my inserts are not like from Amazon. They are a US owned company a small mom and pop shop too and I yeah and I buy my inserts from them. So um but yeah so it's it kind of I'm helping serve another business as well. Yeah but I needed that Swift kick in order for me to realize that that's what I wanted to do. And when was this this was literally a year ago around this time because I quit on the spot and then I found this current job and I like love it because it's so chill and I'm able to also run my business still. Yeah. So he lets me he lets me do that and not very many dentists are gonna do that. So because a lot of them tend to be a little more micromanaging of a a clinic. Yeah it's a little more stale.

Kelly: 38:40

Well you you were led there for a reason. Absolutely it just as you said to me when I was explaining how everything went down yeah this time last year it's the same thing for you.

SPEAKER_03: 38:54

Like there's probab there were probably glimmers you know periodically where it was like you can look back and go yep I think that that was a a God telling a moment this is what you should be doing and it's just up to us to because we have free will do you want to do it now or are you going to continue to press this direction and and well and Kelly the other thing that was so crazy when I think about it so when I was working at that office me and the other assistant would be like so what do you do we literally asked patients what do you do because we both felt like we both felt like this we didn't want this to be it. Yeah and you know they'd say I do this or I do that and I would just be like wow and then basically it was I was gaslighted at this place and so I that's why I quit and I mean what a blessing because I got to get out of it and I'm so thankful Like Alex, you know, he doesn't see like the bigger picture like I do. He's more like realistic about things, which is good for me because it does put me grounded in perceiving.

Kelly: 40:10

You two are a nice little character.

SPEAKER_03: 40:12

Yeah. Like he is more of like, okay, let's dial it back. You know, but um, but I'm good for him in the sense that I'm like, no, this is good for like us. This is if if you if I was to work at a dental office, it's not like when you're working remote where you can just like on occasion leave. Right. When you're with a patient, I can't be like, sorry, I need to go get my child from school. Like it doesn't work that way. And so it's it is a blessing that I'm able to be home certain days and help Alex because he is, you know, he is an important does Alex work from home? He does. Okay. Uh a couple days he's uh in the office, but yes, for the most part he's at home.

Kelly: 40:55

Now let's share with the listeners age of the kiddos now. I mean, we know Preston's 13, he's the oldest.

SPEAKER_03: 41:03

Yep, and then Sloan is six, Sterling is four. Okay. Think about it. I was like, wait. And then Rollins is three.

Kelly: 41:12

Okay. Yep. Wow.

SPEAKER_03: 41:14

Mm-hmm.

Kelly: 41:15

And then does Rollins stay home or does she no?

SPEAKER_03: 41:19

So I have one girl, three boys. Boys. So Sterling is a boy, Rollins is a boy. Okay. Um, and then obviously Preston's a boy. Um, but yeah, so Sterling is at preschool three days a week. Okay. Rollins is actually at daycare. So I work Monday when I work. I technically don't work on Fridays because nobody in the dental field worked on Fridays. So I was like, I'm not working Fridays. Um, but you know, like if sometimes I'll be able to sew, it's really hard for me to sew when my kids are home.

Kelly: 41:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_03: 41:51

So it's getting better.

Kelly: 41:53

Let's talk through what that looks like. Yeah. So you have been in operation of the business with your mom now for the better half of a of the last year. And what does your like schedule look like day-to-day?

SPEAKER_03: 42:10

So well, I wake up.

Kelly: 42:12

And then do you have actually so do you have specific days that you are that you have designated for working in the business?

SPEAKER_03: 42:22

Correct. So right now is Monday and Wednesdays, and Fridays if I can get some work done. Usually on Fridays, I try to I'll try like Sterling's at preschool for a couple hours, so it's just me and Rollins. Casloan and Preston are obviously in school as well. Um, and so he's he's the youngest, so he's just like, okay, I'll just go with the flow. Um, so uh, you know, I'll try to be either cutting fabric out or surging like the ends. I don't know if you know what surging is, but you know, it's like the fraying of your fabric.

SPEAKER_01: 42:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 42:57

I trim out the fabric so it's nice and so like if you open your pillow up, it's it's it's not gonna fray in the inside. It's all put together. Yes, yep. So, or I'll do that. Um, but uh he's three, so I can't get too carried away because that's when they start going outside and into the cul-de-sac and the neighbor's like, hey, he's off at my house. So it's just like knowing my place. Um, some evenings I will work, but it's really hard for me to when I was when my kids were really, really little, I would do it at night and I was so tired anyway. So I was like, well, whatever. But now I just I don't like doing it at night if I don't have to. I'm getting old, so my eyes get a little more so it's you need like the brightness.

Kelly: 43:43

I need the lightness. Yes.

SPEAKER_03: 43:46

I need the light. So yes, I need the light. And so Monday and Wednesdays are when I work. Okay. Um, and then like yesterday, I was sewing together. We have a show coming up in Woodbury, and so I wanted we want to have a select inventory. We were in Stillwater last month, and they kind of like wiped out my inventory, which is amazing. Yeah, but I needed more. So um getting my inventory ready for a show coming up. Um but my goal, Kelly, is I ultimately want, I'll do a couple shows a year, but my goal is to be remotely e-commerce, like online. Yes, and so that's why I hired like somebody professional to do my website.

Kelly: 44:30

Website and get that up and running, yeah, like advertising.

SPEAKER_03: 44:33

Like these are important things to do it because when you do these shows, it's one thing to do them inside, like this next one is inside, which is great. But I did the Stillwater show, an art show, and it rained on the second day, and I was like, no, nope, yeah, like they can't, I don't want my stuff to get wet. Like, no, so it's I'm learning. We're learning from the process of you do need trial and error, that's the only way a business can grow. Um, mistakes have to be made in order to make change, and so um, yeah, so it's like learning how to get my product now. Now we're working on pictures and getting it out there, yes, you know.

Kelly: 45:16

So this is really cool, and you're in essence doing a level up with your business.

SPEAKER_03: 45:24

I'm trying.

Kelly: 45:27

You are okay, thank you. You are, and I think that there needs to be acknowledgement around that. So if you're not gonna do it, I'll do it. I'll acknowledge it for you. Thank you. I appreciate it. Wink wink. Thanks, girl. Um, I am curious. Your mom, as a being co-owner of this, where does she fit in? Because she is spending time down in Texas, right?

SPEAKER_03: 45:49

Yep. So my parents are living the dream. Because I don't know, and I walked in here, like, are you freezing? Yes, I hate it. I'm freezing. But I was in the garage, and and like I said, like with the kids in the morning, I'm literally sweating. Um, I also didn't mention I had weight loss surgery, everyone. And I've lost 105 pounds in the last six months.

Kelly: 46:12

Yeah, you're gonna be freezing your booty. I used to be so large, and I was like, it's so hot.

SPEAKER_03: 46:18

And here and now I'm like, I'm frozen. I had no idea. So when did this um I just, you know, it wasn't taking care of myself. Uh, and as moms, we tend to not take care of ourselves sometimes, like some moms do, but I think a lot of us moms put ourselves on the back burner for a while. And I definitely did that. Um, it was just a season of life that I was in and a rut. And I would lose, you know, 20 pounds here, 10 pounds here, gain it back. Did the whole like shot, didn't want to be on a shot, don't want to be on a hypertension medication, don't want to be a pre-diabetic, don't want sleep apnea. Like I'm 40 now, so I knew like if I wasn't gonna change things in my life, that it was gonna have long-term effects, and I can't be a good mom if I'm not able to move. And a business owner, you know, um, it is interesting going through the process because people genuinely treat you differently when you are fat or overweight. That's a nice way to say it. Overweight. There are more. Well, people are just rude. People are, we as moms are naturally rude to each other because we chain each other, whether we want to admit it or not. There have been times where even myself, I mean, I'm a human being in my mind. I don't say it out loud, but I think it. Um shocking, I know, but I keep it to myself. I'm like, if they want my opinions, they'll ask. I don't need to share my whole my views about things.

Kelly: 47:56

Correct me up.

SPEAKER_03: 47:57

You know, you know what I mean? Like you, if you want to know, you'll ask me, like, hey, how did you do this?

Kelly: 48:01

You know, I like to call it the mean girl act and crabs in a bucket. I do I do think, and and maybe this is sorry, Patty, if you're listening to this right now, we are going to get to your part and your role in this business. However, I do want to kind of bring this full circle to what we had talked about earlier in the interview about how when you start a business, there is an evaluation that happens, and the evaluation of who you are surrounding yourself with is important. And so this is a perfect opportunity, I think. Nice little segue to ask like, what has your village looked like as you have full throttle gone into the business? You're doing it, you're doing it alongside your mom. And as you have made this transition to doing this entrepreneurship role, what has that looked like with the people around you?

SPEAKER_03: 49:11

So that's where the weight loss part came in. I didn't want to be super overweight and be like kind of I guess the best word to say it is judged. Because people judge large people. And I was like, I want to possess a certain image of myself, and in order to be to be the best version of myself, I need to change. I need change. I want to surround myself with certain people. Um because not that being large didn't I wasn't successful, but I do think there was some, you know, whether it's true or not, there is some judgment. I'm I was a large girl, and you know, oh, you know, you you're kind of hidden. And so that was kind of part of the whole, like obviously getting healthy was number one priority, but also I wanted to to show myself a certain way for my business. Okay. Um and surrounding myself with designers and the average person out there, um, and not feeling like if I'm confident in myself, you're gonna feel that.

SPEAKER_01: 50:22

Yes.

SPEAKER_03: 50:23

But if I'm not confident and don't show confidence and act goofy, but really deep down I'm hurting, you're gonna eventually sense that. That's a lot of times what happens. And so that it was part of the whole process of, you know, I knew I was gonna do this weight change and this journey. And so I was like, it's gonna transform not only my image, but also my clientele.

SPEAKER_01: 50:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 50:47

Um, I because I'm more confident, I'm able to share my business more, which then more people are like, oh, tell me more about it. Yeah. Um, and so um just surrounding yourself with uh a certain type of clientele. I want anybody, I do genuinely want anyone to be able to have my pillows. Um, but you know, there one of the designers who's fairly successful, in my opinion, she said, you want a certain type of clientele. You want to, it's okay, you can't be for everyone.

Kelly: 51:20

Right.

SPEAKER_03: 51:20

And she's right, like I know I'm not for everyone. And that's okay. Um, but learning that, you know, and yes, you can have the pillows if you want it, but if you know, you want to surround yourself with certain type of people in order, you know. I'm not gonna just, you know, we were talking about where I work and stuff and like the different, you know, the different pockets of the neighborhoods, and you know, what what does that look like uh for the type of type of clientele, you know?

Kelly: 51:49

So how about in the sense of friendships? Have you seen an evolution with friendships or do you feel like that has stayed the same?

SPEAKER_03: 52:02

It depends on what it is, yes and no. Um, I think because of where I'm at in life with my kids and stuff, I like genuinely used to be able to go out and do stuff all the time and try to make it work with all these friends, and I still want to, obviously, but I can't. Like I've got other things that are important. So trying to make it work, you know, I used to be able to do things every week with certain people, it's just not looking like it. So, but I think I I like my friendships that I still like I still have all those friendships, but I think that those friendships, even if they do prosper, they they I you know, some of them might not be in my life forever. But at the same time, if I do see them again, you know, there's still a friendliness that happens.

Kelly: 52:53

The reason that I ask this Bree is because I I do see as entrepreneurs when you want to have a specific level of success, it does require an evaluation of self, right? And then an evaluation of how how you view yourself, right? And then outwardly how you are going to interact within your business, setting borders and boundaries, um, understanding how you take care of yourself also as a reflection of what the business is gonna look like too. And so sometimes in our lives, and I've just seen this with other guests, and I myself have personally encountered this too, you just come to an understanding that there are people that are no longer serving that season of life for you. Doesn't mean that they're not they won't eventually come back around, but I think that there's there is something to be said about God telling us not right now because you do have this next evolution of self that is gonna happen personally and professionally, and having specific friendships can also be an anchor in not a good way, yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 54:16

It can literally like release that, yes, and so yes, I have had to change some friendship groups, um, or not necessarily change, I guess that wouldn't be the best word, but to kind of distance myself slowly, still be friends, still talk via text, maybe call them, but we're not getting together like we once did. Yeah, you know, and that's okay. Yeah, um, and I also have noticed too, my friends are just as busy with their own families. You know what I mean? So some of these friendships that I kind of, you know, it's not that I don't want to see them, they also have families and they have other priorities besides just me. It's not like when I was 21 years old. And it was just us, right? Like just us. You can't go party and then like get up at noon. I have to get like I'm up, I wake up, yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 55:08

And and it does it on purpose. Not because like I tried to sleep it, excuse me. I tried to sleep in, but it just never happens. I literally lay there, like, God, please let me fall back asleep.

SPEAKER_03: 55:21

And it just like I tell Alex all the time, I'm like, it is time to get your contacts out. I do not want to wake up at one in the morning and be wide awake because that's just like the age that I'm at. Like, if you wake me up, I'm gonna be up.

Kelly: 55:36

So it includes you don't wear contacts, you're talking about Alex, right?

SPEAKER_03: 55:39

I wear contacts too, but I'm I took I take them out after I get ready for bed, obviously, and put my glasses on. Yeah. But he'll like brush his teeth and somehow not take his contacts out.

Kelly: 55:50

Joe has that happen periodically too. I'm like right by the bathroom. Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_03: 55:56

Anyway, I just I'm like, please, I literally kick him out of the bathroom. Can you please? Because I can't, I can't afford to wake up and be up at one in the morning. It's the worst. Yeah, I don't want to go and get a gummy melatonin downstairs.

Kelly: 56:09

Like, do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_03: 56:11

And it's gonna take 30 minutes to kick in.

Kelly: 56:13

So my gosh. It's I love you.

SPEAKER_03: 56:15

It's just that doesn't work anymore. Okay, let's bring Patty into the fixture. Okay, so my mom. Yeah, she was a seamstress. We bought their house, they moved to Texas, they're here in the um summer months when it's not cold. Um, and so she lives in a retirement community, and so she so I bought her business basically. Well, I didn't buy it, she gave it to me, but yeah, I bought her business and then she um in the garage of her place in Texas, she basically okay. Oh, perfect, thank you. She um bought a new sewing machine, she has a new surgery, so she's actually doing pillows in Texas. So she's coming up in a couple weeks for this show and bringing her inventory, okay. And then in December, there are some shows at her community that she lives in, and we are and I'm bringing mine there.

SPEAKER_01: 57:19

Okay. So this is cool.

SPEAKER_03: 57:21

We kind of go back and forth. You know, my mom is at the age where the technology part is obviously not there, and I struggle with technology myself, so as we get older, it it does get more and more difficult. Yeah.

Kelly: 57:35

Well, and it's it's it's always checking. Technology is it's going at such a rapid pace now. Like the evolution of technology is happening at such a rapid pace that yeah, it is it it's exhausting. Yeah, and so but it's almost imperative.

SPEAKER_03: 57:53

But how wonderful she's able to sew, and like I can do the like online portion because you know, eventually that's the plan. So she can help me sew, and you know, we can have the inventory because it is really hard. And I'm sure you've experienced this, but it really is hard to be on social media, and then you have the podcast, and then we gotta put it on social media, and we gotta have our online, you know, our website, and then we gotta run the bit that part. There's just so many different hands in the pot when you own a business, and eventually things have to get delegated out. Totally. So I'm thankful that she's able to do that part. Um, it brings her joy and purpose. I think when you retire, you think like you're just gonna retire, and I don't know what people think people who retire do. I don't know, but you do need to stay busy. There are the go-go years hobbies and stuff, yeah. You need to have purpose. Um, just because you're retired doesn't mean you're just gonna sit on the couch, and some people do, but I think that a lot of them feel they need some an outlet of something to do. And my mom is like me, she's ADHD, so she's like, I need routine, I need like I need to go out there and sew from this time to this time, then I can do this. Um, and so it gives her it makes her happy, it gets it makes her excited. She likes to socialize with people. People ask literally all the time, when is the next pillow show? Because they want new pillows, so yeah, it's it's and it makes her happy, it makes her excited. And I love obviously, she's my biggest support. I mean, she of all like when I look at the bigger picture, out of all the people in my life, she is the person. So because she was the one who told me about the pillow business. This is so sweet, yeah. So it's like like, oh yay, like, okay. So we like talk every day, okay, and I'm so thankful, you know, that I have a Relationship, and then I have my mom still here too. That's the other thing. I know a lot of my friends whose parents have passed, and so I'm so thankful, you know. I'm like genuinely so blessed.

Kelly: 1:00:11

I I love how much you express gratitude, it's so yeah, it's so incredible.

SPEAKER_03: 1:00:18

It's well, it's you know, without her, how you know Alex sees some of the picture, but he's not the entrepreneur type. So, like, she's the one that's like, no, we gotta do this, we gotta do this, and sometimes I need that because sometimes I'm like, I don't know, yeah, I'm scared, I don't know if I should do that. Should we really, you know, and so you need that person to kind of be like, nope, we we're gonna do this.

Kelly: 1:00:44

So I am sure you have learned a ton from her, but then in she's taught me how to be a seamstress. I didn't know how to sell before her, so yeah, so there's the technical skills of the business, right? But then there's working on the business too, which you know, she's got years and years and years of experience of like keeping proper inventory, you know, like okay, we've got a couple uh shows are really important for us to be at. And so we want to for sure hit up this one and excuse me, excuse me, we for sure want to hit up this one and this one because no, we're doing it.

SPEAKER_03: 1:01:21

She says, Yeah, no, like no, we're gonna do that. Oh yeah, okay, we're gonna do that, you know. So yeah, you know, any type of resilient that I resistance of wanting to do it, she's kind of that person that helps me be like, nope, we are gonna do these things. Because sometimes it is scary when you take a leap of faith to put yourself out there. Um, just like when we talked about like moms being mean, you know, like j having people judge me for being out there um on social media. I don't, I don't post a ton. I would like to, but it's so hard to do so many different things. It totally and I want to know, but I think those people have people helping them. They do not just do that themselves. They started like that, but eventually. And that's obviously my ultimate goal.

Kelly: 1:02:08

Where you can be focusing on the things that you like your skill set is so good at, right? And and only you know exactly like I'm this is where I thrive. This is this is a a hell yes for me, this is a hell no for me. Yes, and everything else we're just gonna hire out.

SPEAKER_03: 1:02:27

Yeah, because I mean ultimately eventually I probably won't sew as much. Okay, but right now I am sewing. I mean, when I leave here today, I plan to go in the basement for a little bit and sew because I'm not I'm not working today. So I'm like, okay, or I shouldn't say I am working, I have a business. Yeah, but I'm not working at a dental office.

Kelly: 1:02:47

At the dental office, yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 1:02:48

So yeah, just like working a diff like something else and before my kids get home because once they are home, it's it's mom mode. Yeah. One of your um, one of your speakers, yes. Yep, she had said like she had to learn how to turn her business off and be mom. And I that really resonated with me because it's so easy to just keep going. Oh and then I know then everybody's crabby. We've got people fighting, somebody's crying. Like, I can't tell you how many times I've done that, and and then then Alex and I are arguing because you know, he's worked all day at his corporate job, and you know, he's just needing to like wind down, he's wanting me to help with the kids, but I'm sewing, so it's just like learning to to stop and be like, okay, we're done for the night.

Kelly: 1:03:43

Borders and boundaries, yes, borders and boundaries.

SPEAKER_03: 1:03:46

So I liked that you she had said that because um she was right, you do genuinely need to stop, yes, you know, and so and and my kids need me, you know, if I'm not being present in that short period of time, because once they get to school, you don't have as many hours in a day a day with them.

Kelly: 1:04:07

Yeah, you you do realize that there's like in essence the golden years. And we're talking about this right now in our household about how we are in the golden years just with the attentiveness that the children have with us and how as they continue to get older, especially with the boys, right? Like they're they're just in they're now getting into different seasons of life with you know shifts in in their mom's household and then shifts with activities and their friends and their friends, and so as they as they get older, that time is less and less. But it does become less and less.

SPEAKER_03: 1:04:51

Yeah, and so you don't you that's why it's like okay, turn it off because they need you right now, and all the crying and the screaming is them saying, Hey, I need you to be present.

Kelly: 1:05:03

Well, there will come a time, and I'm sure you can agree with me as I state this that we will miss the commotion, yes, it'll be people say it all the time to me.

SPEAKER_03: 1:05:15

And we'll be like, What? You're gonna miss this, like that song, you're gonna miss this and want this back. But in that moment, you know, we talked earlier about this, but you know, when we're telling our friends with little kids, babies, like, oh, it's you know, it's so fast, but really it is, yeah, you know, it's like a blink of an eye, and all of a sudden your child is two and a half going on three, and you're like, Where did the time? You know, yeah, but there is also something beautiful about the next season of life, and there is something to be said about you know, her being able to socialize with you more and have like a little more intellectual conversations, yep, and to be able to tie her own shoes eventually and be independent because there is that is also a wonderful thing, too. Yes, you know, and so and be able to go shopping or she's in sports and you're able to watch her. There's there's all that stuff too, you know. Yes, and you know, it's nice too. You have the boys and her because boys are so different than girls. Oh, like you just don't like. I mean, but you know, until if you just had you know ball boys, you wouldn't know any different.

Kelly: 1:06:32

You'd be like, I'm the only girl, and you maybe well it was like that initially, yeah. You know, when when Joe and I and our like our lives merged together and I met the boys, it was it was just yeah, me. What a sole female. And so when I found out about um, you know, like when we found out we were pregnant, I prayed. I prayed, I prayed, I prayed, I prayed for a girl. Yeah, and I said, I will still love my boy if it's a boy, but like, can we just even the score out here?

SPEAKER_03: 1:07:08

It's just a little blessing. I mean, it is a blessing because I mean, when Sloane came into my life, like I genuinely thought I was just gonna be a boy mom. And I was very adamant about being a boy mom. I wanted to be the only girl. And then Sloane came into the picture, and she is just she is sassy, but she also is like sweet, she's spicy, she brings a different dynamic to our household. She loves horses, she apparently wants to be a flippin' farmer and a and a daycare provider. And she's a limbo. And she's allergic to animals, so it's great, it's gonna be wonderful.

Kelly: 1:07:47

This is this is golden. Yeah, okay, okay, Bree. Sorry, I'm I'm gonna reel us back in. Um you are you you are harmonizing motherhood and business in a really profound and unique way, and I want to talk through this with you because I think uh it is quite unique. So you have spent the last year working on building up this business with your mom. How has that looked with your borders and boundaries with your schedule and the kids? And like, do you only spend time on the business in the daytime?

SPEAKER_03: 1:08:35

I mean for now, yeah, because when they were really little, and I was I was a seamstress then too, just so you know, I was just working with designers. So I would do it at nighttime, and it was only specific times because this is all the time I had. Sure. Now that they're bigger and they're in school and stuff, you know, from I drop everyone off at school, and from this time to this time is when I sew.

SPEAKER_01: 1:09:02

Okay.

SPEAKER_03: 1:09:02

And I literally, it's like usually five to six hours.

SPEAKER_01: 1:09:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_03: 1:09:06

And that is when I'm gonna get everything accomplished. Now, in terms of like the bookkeeping and that kind of stuff, I can do that in the evening a little here and there, where I'll have like Alex is at a computer, his home some days being remote, so he can multitask and be like, I can do this or that. So there is that. Um, but yeah, it it is hard to before like somebody had recently who owns a business who is in the process of adopting, she's like, How do you how do you make it work? And I just said, You you just do. And and the thing is, if you don't have the hours, you don't have the hours. And this is like you said, the season of life. So don't allow yourself to give expectations that are not gonna, if you can't produce those expectations to the person that you're, you know, providing, yeah. Then XYZ product. I just have learned to say, like, this is when I work, when I was working just at night, I'd be like, I'm only working in the evening time. So it might take me a week to get it done, it might take me two weeks. Like, I would just tell them.

SPEAKER_01: 1:10:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 1:10:10

Now it's a little different. People will still ask, like, do you do this? Will you sew this? And I'm like, no, I don't. I just don't want to, I don't want to even tackle that. And so um, just knowing that from it's usually, for example, I'm home by 9 30, and then so from 9 30 to 2 o'clock, but in between, I do usually have to pick up one of the children, and then I'm like, okay, you got this time to do this, but um that's when I'm sewing. Okay. So I have those hours to sew. Yeah, you know, and some days there's gonna be appointments and stuff, and so I might not get as much done, but on the days that I have had to learn, and my mom kind of had told me this too. Like, you just have to say, okay, to your friends, or you know, you think like I'm gonna go for coffee in the morning. Well, that's not if okay, if you're gonna go for coffee, Brie, then you need to be you need to set an hour and a half and say, in an hour and a half, I have to leave.

Kelly: 1:11:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 1:11:08

And just say it and be like there's some boundaries. Yep. And then my friends or whoever it might be, like, didn't you say I have to go? Okay, yeah, you're right, I gotta go. So just like knowing that I have to this is because when you when you own a business, you're the only one running the business. Right. So if you're not doing the work, guess what? Nothing's happening. I know. So that for reals, like that's how businesses work. And so, yeah, and so that's what I've learned that if I don't do the work, it's not gonna get done.

Kelly: 1:11:42

Nobody's coming to save you. No, they're not, and I am not hiring out Preston to child labor to be a seamstress, so though interesting to think about though, is that you can create legacy in some way just as your mom did, right? How cool to be working in tandem with one another, and then also it's like I all you can think about is like how unique the circumstances with your mom being down south for a you know, as a snowbird, yeah, a portion of the year, and then you being up here, and it's kind of beautiful to have this divide and conquer of like Minnesota, Texas, right? So like you can come down to Texas and you can you can sort of tackle a nice area there, yeah, and then same thing here. Yeah, I mean you guys both have the knowledge and expertise as well. Yeah, it's really neat.

SPEAKER_03: 1:12:45

It's nice too to be able to see the different types, okay, there Minnesota is so different than Texas.

Kelly: 1:12:54

I can only imagine.

SPEAKER_03: 1:12:55

So, and the people even. Um and so, you know, the the clients here in Minnesota are so different than the clients in Texas in the sense of like there's that Minnesota mentality, and then in Texas it's a little more like we're from Texas, you know, big, everything's big, yeah, bold, and you know, and so um, yeah, there's You're being very nice, diplomatic right now.

Kelly: 1:13:25

Yes. Okay, just spit it out.

SPEAKER_03: 1:13:27

Midwest is cautiously nice. Yes.

Kelly: 1:13:32

I have a hard time with that because when you're down in Texas.

SPEAKER_03: 1:13:39

I just feel more like so in Minnesota, you don't just like you can't knock at somebody's door and be like, hey, I'm here. But in the south, like people did that all the time. Also, I remember when we moved here, people would be like, I miss Jones. Whereas in the South, they'd be like, I miss Carol, I miss Susan, I miss Lori. Like that it was their first name with a miss as respect. Um, whereas here it was like you said the last name. It's just a different, it's a different vibe. You don't see people for nine months of the year here. It's and then all of a sudden they come alive and it's just like, wow, and you're like, Where the hell have you been? Like, I've been out and about, but apparently everyone wants to hunker down. And I flipping hate hunkering down, like see people posting about how excited they are about a long winter. What? No, no, I'm with you, but I want to enjoy this.

Kelly: 1:14:38

I want to enjoy the fall as much as humanly possible.

SPEAKER_03: 1:14:42

And we've had this year, we have had a beautiful fall. Yeah, um, I always have a hard time with coming November. I don't really, I'm not a holiday person. I just don't really. I mean, I love it for my kids, but I just I'm not gonna set up a Christmas tree next month, okay? I'm just not. No. Like, but people do that. People do that, don't you dare? Yuck. I just I like can't handle can we focus on the the holiday we're currently on?

Kelly: 1:15:08

We have a hard, like even this morning. Joe's like, we're gonna put up Christmas lights this year. Oh gosh. Just wait, just just wait. Outside, like outside, we're gonna put up Christmas lights. We have not, we've always decorated inside. That's okay. He goes, but we're not doing it until after Thanksgiving. And I said, Are you kidding me? It's gonna be snowing. It's gonna be snowing. He's like, I don't care. We don't decorate.

SPEAKER_03: 1:15:33

Remind him of that then, whenever he's cursing and literally. And you're like, we talked about this. No, you are right. I would agree. That part, fine. I get it. Like, that's actually a good idea. I should probably mention that.

Kelly: 1:15:47

Inside, though, like in a grip. And I mean, I will boldly say that because this is my podcast, so I can sick.

SPEAKER_03: 1:15:57

But like just can't.

Kelly: 1:15:58

Just enjoy the moment that it is a true like problem if there's this like fast forwarding. Like, we do it all the time. Uh social media makes it with capitalism and stuff. It's like, yeah, social media amplifies it. You go to Target and they already have Christmas stuff.

SPEAKER_03: 1:16:16

It makes me mad, actually.

Kelly: 1:16:18

So, anyways, like it's not for everybody, right? And that's us.

SPEAKER_03: 1:16:22

It's not for everyone, but but my pillows are.

unknown: 1:16:26

I love you.

SPEAKER_03: 1:16:27

I love you. But my pillows are, and the if you want a Christmas pillow, I have some red velvet ones or green ones, but they're not gonna have Christmas trees on them. I can just tell you right now.

Kelly: 1:16:37

No, that's it.

SPEAKER_03: 1:16:38

You can get that, you can get that at Home Goods, Target, or Hobby Lobby, yeah. Or Amazon. Yeah, you probably could get. I just you can. I'm yeah, but no, I love it.

Kelly: 1:16:49

So talk myself and the listeners through like the the particular style of pillow. This this product. Tell us about it.

SPEAKER_03: 1:16:59

Um like the one I gave you?

Kelly: 1:17:01

No, just in general.

SPEAKER_03: 1:17:03

So every time I ever think a pillow is gonna sell, every time, just so you know, I'm like, this one, they're gonna want it. It's gorgeous, it's velvet, it's got this, it's got that. Those are the ones that don't go. So I so basically you don't really know what people want. Everybody has a different style. Your style is different than my style. So I never really know what's gonna go. I always think I my mom and I are the same way. We're like, oh, this is so this one, oh, this one's so pretty. This one's gonna go. Oh, yeah. Well, this one's gonna be a hot one. Yeah. And then it's still, it's just it sets, it sets. So, and that's that's the beauty of my businesses because every person has a different style, and all my pillows are different. So I follow quite a few Instagram, you know, influencers for that have pillow businesses, and theirs are very like either they're very neutral, they're all kind of the same. Um, or and then they'll get new, a new two or three new textile patterns that they'll put out there. Mine are all different. Okay. So I don't know all the time what kind of fabric I'm gonna get. I can't guarantee that it's gonna go with the holiday season.

SPEAKER_01: 1:18:26

Okay.

SPEAKER_03: 1:18:27

Um, I tr I do try, like when I did the fall, these fall ones coming up, I do put some fall ones out there. But I again, those were not necessarily the ones that went. It was all like people were just wanting, because if you're dressing your house for the holidays, then you can go to those stores and get those. If you're dressing your house for just your your style, it's nice because there are so many different types of textile pillows that I have. And if you were to look at my inventory, you'd be like, oh my gosh, I'm very overwhelmed. But you I guarantee what I think you're gonna want is probably not what you're gonna want.

Kelly: 1:19:06

Right.

SPEAKER_03: 1:19:06

So that's kind of cool because I get to see what people like.

Kelly: 1:19:14

Well, and I do I have to imagine and suspect that as time continues on, you're gonna start to see more and more trends, habits, yeah, right? Yep. And that's that just takes time. Yeah. I'm sure your mom has a little bit more sense of that.

SPEAKER_03: 1:19:33

Yeah, and we yeah, I think so. But again, her and I are like very similar, and so we both literally will go, This one's gonna oh, oh, I love this one, and then it doesn't go. Um, right now people's homes are very stark white, very like white, and so they want white. So I have a lot of white neutral colors coming in um that I'm doing right now because. But watch Kelly, they're gonna want all my bold ones this time. So it's just I don't know what you know somebody wants.

Kelly: 1:20:07

I'm so curious. You you talk about textiles and you are not aware of what is gonna come in, but don't don't you get to pick?

SPEAKER_03: 1:20:17

No. So a lot of the fabrics I get, I I get a lot of fabrics from like designers. I they'll say like I have this fabric, and if I get the one, like I don't get to pick it out, so I just buy fabric that they have.

Kelly: 1:20:32

I see. So I don't know what I'm getting. Or okay, kinda, yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 1:20:40

A little bit. Yeah. But then again, they'll be like, you know, I'll go to International Market Square, which is the big design place. And if you go to the certain floors, there's you know, Schumacher and there's Pindler, and there's what's another one? There's quite a few of them. But anyways, they have all these designer fabrics, and um, and so and a lot of people can't afford those fabrics, and so that's what's nice that I'm able to bring some of these those fabrics is basically what they are, sure, and put them on pillows and sell them at a price that they can afford.

Kelly: 1:21:19

It's affordable, correct?

SPEAKER_03: 1:21:20

Yeah, so sometimes it'll be just like one-sided, right? So there's only one side, yeah. Um, and sometimes there'll be two sides, depends on the okay, or I'll like sometimes I will my mom and I will put like certain patterns and then the backing be, you know, a fun design. Sure. Whatever, you know, not hearts, but you know, flowers or birds or whatever. Um, so like that. People are very symmetrical, they want the same of everything, but the trend is right now that they're not like that. There's a lot of if you were to go and you go onto a like a design site, different size of the side. Well, and they're different, they're none of them are all the same, they're all different patterns. So um, that's kind of what's in right now, and so trying to like sell that can be at times hard, but people when they do see the bigger picture, like, oh yeah, you're right. And I and my mom are not designers, I should say. So we I don't think I'm very good at it, but my mom tends to be like, these two kind of go together, and people they yeah, they do. And then when you try to show people what's going on with like how things are being displayed right now, they're more obliged to like, oh, okay, that does kind of go together. Oh, because people are very matchy, they'll be like, Oh, there's brown in my couch, but there's pink on the ceiling, so that blue doesn't really work, but then you but your lamp is blue, like so you know what I mean? Like, we're not designers, yeah. But that's kind of how a design mind works. They're not trying to, you know, be matchy matchy. That's why people hire designers because that's what they do. That's what they're doing.

Kelly: 1:23:03

Well, it allows you to get outside of your comfort zone, yes.

SPEAKER_03: 1:23:07

And some people you can't, and that's fine. I'm you know, I I'll show them what we have. If it doesn't work, I mean it's it is what it's less and release.

Kelly: 1:23:14

Yeah, it's not, it's not. And then what happens?

SPEAKER_03: 1:23:17

They always come back. They're like, you know what? There was that one. So I just let people just do their thing. I'll show them. If it doesn't work, that's okay. Yeah, you know, but um, yeah, it's it's kind of nice to have such variety.

Kelly: 1:23:32

What do you feel has been the biggest challenge for you in the last year? Coming on board and doing the business with your mom.

SPEAKER_03: 1:23:40

I would say convincing my husband. Really? Yes. Okay, share more. He's just he's more, he just doesn't okay, so he definitely isn't the entrepreneur type. But I remind him, so the guy he works for, the company he works for, you know, he has said, Alex will say to me, like, well, he's a multimillion dollar company. He built this, but then I reminded him where he started his business. Okay, yeah, and his business started in his garage, yeah. And he didn't become this, he didn't overnight. He didn't come from wealth, he didn't come from a big family who had money. It it he created his business, he worked hard, not because it was handed to him, but because he wanted that, and it didn't, it wasn't a million-dollar company, it wasn't uh it's almost a billion-dollar company, by the way. It didn't, he didn't, and the man is still the same, he still drives the same old vehicles, like he he in that sense that's the coolest, he's who he is, and so I remind him most companies, if you were to they don't people don't start making major profits for a good couple of years before they actually see the return. And I would like to be on the um the part where we like my business, I'm not in any debt right now. Yeah, I everything that I have is paid for, so any money I'm making, a lot of it right now is still going to my business, but I still like do able to pay for things.

SPEAKER_01: 1:25:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 1:25:18

Um obviously I want it to just be that, but yeah, we're not I'm not in the red. And so but when you have that's why not everybody's meant to be an entrepreneur, is like trying to teach him like it's okay that it's not as like lucrative. Yeah, that you think it's gonna be this way. It like businesses don't, most businesses I think it's the first five years, they don't see return.

Kelly: 1:25:43

Well, and that's traditionally where you see a lot of it's in that time frame that businesses will fail.

SPEAKER_03: 1:25:50

Correct. And so just like trying to remind him, he's been the one that's he's supportive, like he'll be like not like wanting to do certain things, but then he'll be sending me stuff. So he does want to be, he just is not the entrepreneur type. Yeah, and so that's where the challenge is. Like he's supportive, he loves me, but he doesn't have the same wired brain as I do. He doesn't see and that's why my mom has been nope, we're doing this. Because if if it was between him and me, I probably wouldn't do it because he's more like the cautious one. He doesn't, he's not the risk taker, yeah, you know, and so that that's been like the only real challenge for is just convincing him that this is what I'm going to be doing. And that's where the dental part comes in because he likes consistency, and so that's where that's why I have that job. Routine, routine, he knows that I'm going to make X amount of dollars to pay for Y, Z, A, B, C. And so for him, that is somewhat of his control, being able to be okay, like, okay, she is providing this. But if you were to talk to majority of people, even his own parents, are like, that's so cool. Like, I'm just so glad that you did this. Like, because most people don't think to be able to step out of their own comfort zone and take the risk.

SPEAKER_01: 1:27:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 1:27:08

And when you do, it is scary. Like, it's scary. But his boss, his or his CEO to his company or owner of his company, he took a risk and was out on a limb, and now look where he's at.

Kelly: 1:27:24

I love it. So, what a great perspective for you to be able to give to Alex. And Alex, if you're listening, we adore you. Yes, we do. Because here's the beauty and the nature of life is like everybody has their own personality and their own style and their own train of thought and ways of approaching circumstances and situations. And this is why it's important to find a good partner where you can have conversations openly and and not be hypercritical or like absolute no, like completely shut it down. There's margin for this like conversation to be able to happen and look what happens. Well, and look what happens. You can provide like the perspective for him and vice versa. He goes, but we have to there has to be some realities.

SPEAKER_03: 1:28:18

Yeah, like he's he is our breadwinner. So I have to like I told you I don't like hearing no. And so I try to find ways to say yes. And um, but and the ways that I say that are the yes is like I'm still working in the dental field. Um, and how beautiful that you know is what I went to school for. The dentist I work for is semi-retired, so he's not planning to do this forever. Yeah. Um, and so there is an end goal in mind, and it it serves purpose that I'm able to pay whatever we need to make sure that everything is taken care of financially.

SPEAKER_01: 1:28:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 1:28:57

But then I can also that he lets me also do this other part of me of owning a business. And it is hard because when you have, when you are a certain personality, you're so used to just not, you can't see that bigger picture.

Kelly: 1:29:11

You are able to flourish in a completely different way. Outside of the um, forgive me for saying this, but the rigamour of the dental practice, right? So it's it's nice that you have your mom to be able to pull that from you and go, yeah, you're gonna thrive in this. And I see it because you're my daughter and I know you.

SPEAKER_03: 1:29:34

Yeah, right. And and then to give perspective to be, and he's like, okay, even though he may not be like, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, um, he's the one who found the the website person, he's the one who helps me with the text. So yes, he serves a beautiful purpose to help me thrive, even when it's hard for him to, you know, he's very in the box. And so it's really hard for him to get out the box. But when he does, I know he deep down wants to, because if he didn't want to, he wouldn't do those things, right?

SPEAKER_01: 1:30:06

There you go. Yeah. So there you go.

SPEAKER_03: 1:30:08

I know that even though it can be hard and it's been the biggest the challenge for us, um you still know that you have the support, the support and the workarounds too that we can make it work, yeah. And that if you know, you're gonna do this, this needs to happen. I love you know, so it's a good thing.

Kelly: 1:30:27

If you could wave a magic wand for your business, the vision of it, what would that look like? It's time for you to be bold.

SPEAKER_03: 1:30:40

Well, if I'm being bold, I would have my own workshop outside of my home. I would go to a place, I would be able to have like obviously I'd still have the inventory, but everything would be done there and it would get shipped out there. Um, you know, the turnaround, like I see some of these these guys who've been now, they've been doing it for 10 years. So, okay, 10 years, that's you know, that's quite a long time when you think of like owning a business when you're in the thick of it. Um, you know, just being able to have the turnaround and being like, I can ship this to you in five days, you know, it'll be there by the end of the week that we like that. I want to be able to have my product to the person within the week. That's my goal. I want because and then I want them to be able, like I want them to go be able to be on my website. I want, um, there's always gonna be new inventory. So I kind of want to have each either each week, I it's gonna probably have to be each week because I have so much inventory, but like doing like a launch every week, like these are my new items. Cool. This is when it's gone, it's gone. Yeah, and so and then you know and only a certain amount of each.

Kelly: 1:31:58

Correct. Correct, yeah, kind of like that.

SPEAKER_03: 1:32:00

That's when I want what I want to do. Um, so that people are able to look forward to maybe they'll find something that they maybe they haven't seen, something they like, or it doesn't maybe work with what their their style is, and then they're waiting for the next best thing. And oh, that works for my living room or my bedroom or so cool, my car.

Kelly: 1:32:22

Have you thought about like you know, in we brought this up early in the interview, but like your mom sort of is legacying the seamstress business to you, you guys are doing it in ways in in a way, shape, and form, she's like kind of guiding and mentoring you through all of this. But the the reality is is that she's gonna, she's gonna probably go, all right, I'm gonna I'm done. Yep. Have you thought about this for the kiddos?

SPEAKER_03: 1:32:53

I think that's where like where Sloan was like, I'm gonna be a farmer and a daycare provider. I mean, if you own a daycare, you technically are an entrepreneur. If you own a farm, you're an entrepreneur, yeah.

Kelly: 1:33:04

Also, those are are entrepreneur, yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 1:33:07

And I think it also shows my kids a different because they don't understand what Alex does. Like when I say I'm going to the dental office, they're like, Oh, you're yeah. So a lot of times they'll be like, You're the dentist, and I'm like, whatever you want to think. Yeah. But no, I'm not. And so um, they understand that, like, because they've been to the dentist and they get their teeth cleaned, and they're like, This is what they do at the dental office. They understand that. Whereas, like with Alex's job, he works in IT. I still don't understand completely what he is, so that's really hard for them to under see. And so, like with my business, the pillows are like, Oh, are you something with the pillows? Like, yeah, it's visual, so they can understand it. They're at that age where everything's so visual that they that's how they understand it, yeah, you know, and so yeah, I mean, it would be nice. I think it's important that Sloan sees that or Preston sees that. I mean, maybe they'd want to, who knows? I maybe they'll start their own, but at least then they see that there is room for becoming an entrepreneur and to create something that is beautiful that they are passionate about.

Kelly: 1:34:14

The modeling that is happening right now is just incredible. It really is. Like they're getting the perspective of like what does it look like to be in more of a you know, a traditional nine to five that Alex is doing, even though he's working for an entrepreneur, right? But like he's doing a traditional nine to five and the benefits and yada yada.

SPEAKER_03: 1:34:38

Exactly. He knows what's coming in and going out, and for him, he needs that.

SPEAKER_01: 1:34:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 1:34:44

I'm the opposite. Like I'm you need fluid. But I'm not, yeah, of course I'm gonna stress at times. Who doesn't? But I don't, I just know it's all gonna work out. I always just think everything always works out, even though maybe it goes back to having faith. Yeah, just genuine faith and just like constantly saying, like, okay, God, even like driving here, okay, please keep me safe, make sure I'm able to get here safely, knowing that my, you know, I'm gonna go home, you know, soon and be able to be home and you know, start sewing.

Kelly: 1:35:23

Carry on the rest of your day, right? Yes. Like, well, good news, we are we're landing the plane with the interview. So that you can get back to business. Back to business. So I'm curious. Um, what's a piece of advice that you would give a younger version of yourself, knowing all that you know now, a year into being in business?

SPEAKER_03: 1:35:49

I mean, I genuinely always thought that this would come, but it it wasn't until I took the leap of faith of quitting that job and having that job make me realize, okay, you gotta do it. Um, I my younger version, I don't think I would have been a seamstress. I think I like down, I deep down I wanted to. Yeah, but I was like, well, how does that work? What does that look like for me? How would if I'm not gonna like because I didn't know I would buy my parents' house. So how cool to that way? So I didn't know those, but looking back, like just I think I always deep down knew I was never gonna just be a dental assistant. I knew that right away because Kelly, I'm not professional enough to be a dental in the dental field. Like I'm not a prof like when I say professional, I should use that very lucratively. I I'm professional, but I'm not. I I like to joke. I'm not like there are people you next time you go to the dentist, look how professional they are. I'm not that person.

Kelly: 1:36:58

You have a specific wit about you, and it's it's not that it's not professional. You carry yourself in a very confident way. I've always felt that way about you. That you're a very confident person, you're very bold, you're very brazen, opinionated, and um that can be tough for people sometimes, especially, you know, I didn't know. Especially people who are not confident.

SPEAKER_03: 1:37:26

Yeah, and and a lot of this is the other thing I never knew. Because I liked getting my teeth clean, but people hate going to the dog.

Kelly: 1:37:33

I love it too.

SPEAKER_03: 1:37:34

But most we are not like everyone. They hate it. They literally will come into my every day. It happens every time I'm working. Hi, how are you? Ugh, they don't want to be there. And so you're like, So what's and so you know what I say to them? Yep, me either today. I mean, what else do you want me to say? Like, I don't want to be here either, but we're both here and you have a cavity and we're going to get it filled. So lay back. Shut up. I don't say the shut up part, but I'm like, oh, well, it's time to lay back. Like try to be funny, you know. You know who to be funny with and who not to be. I do know, like you've had you have the tact. Yes, to be. You can read people pretty well, by the way. I feel like I I that is one of my um, what is the word I'm looking for? Strong suits. Yeah, I'm I think I'm very good at reading people. Very good. And I can I know it right away, like, okay, this is not gonna go well. So I just know to like either exit the room or I just don't talk to them. Exercise patience.

Kelly: 1:38:36

Yes. Ask God for patience.

SPEAKER_03: 1:38:38

But I didn't know that. I thought that dental was gonna be my only thing, and I wish I would have told my younger version self-said, hey, there might be something bigger if you're open to it, but you have to genuinely have faith that God will provide if you are faithful as well. Because I believe you need to be a faithful servant in order to, you know, you don't you can't just be getting all these benefits, you need to also give. Yeah. So, like even like my pillows, there have been times where, you know, I've donated them or whatever, you know, it's important to give as well because in order to receive, we also need to give. Yeah. So that's important.

Kelly: 1:39:17

That was really amazing. I'm so proud of myself. What's a what's a piece of advice that you would give another woman listening right now? And maybe it's the same exact advice that you were just giving to the younger version of yourself.

SPEAKER_03: 1:39:29

Yeah, I mean, I would just say if there's something you really want to do, do it because you're not you're not guaranteed tomorrow. You're just not. And if and if you think I can't tell you how many people I know who have said, I really wish I would have done that. And now they're sick with cancer and dying, or they are too old and they just can't, you know.

Kelly: 1:39:53

Well, as faith gorilles, it's you are given. A God given skill set. Skill sets. Plural. And to not use them is literally like hurting your father's heart. It is to be kind of mushy mushy ushy-gushy. Yeah. It's hurting his heart. And it's not of service to what he wants you to go out and expand into the world with. And so it's I wholeheartedly even find myself in the circumstance where I'm like, I have opportunities and I'll sit there and be like, and then I'm like, no. God gave you a skill set that's expanding stuff with the real estate business. God gave you a skill set with what you're doing with the podcast. Use it.

SPEAKER_03: 1:40:46

Well, unless you beautiful when you had your just to finish up, but okay, when you had the party, you said all this was donated. All these people gave. They felt compelled to give because someone someone blessed their belief. Yeah. Yeah. That they had also that so you know that you know they didn't have to do those things. No. They didn't have to give you the space for the day. They didn't have to, you know, provide the treats or whatever. Yeah. But they too have had something in their lives where somebody has given them. And so they felt compelled to also give. And that's an important thing. Yeah. You look at the bigger picture because we are called to give.

Kelly: 1:41:32

Who would be a good connection for you right now? What's something that you need either personally or in business? Actually, for business.

SPEAKER_03: 1:41:42

I don't know. I mean, I could use I could use a nanny. There's nothing wrong with that. I had one in the summer, but I was working more at the dental office. Um I just I don't know the IT part of things. That's you know, that for me that's really hard. Um the tech side of it. The tech side and just like understanding it. It's so big pictured for me personally. It's just very it gets very overwhelming. I feel very overwhelmed.

Kelly: 1:42:14

Is it like the social media component or is it like the marketing in general?

SPEAKER_03: 1:42:20

It's like how do like how do they yeah, just because people are specialized in those areas. And so, you know, once my bit my website's available, you know, just having the connections of having drive do you know what I mean? Like advertising, website SEO. Yes, website SEO. That's kind of stuff right now. Right now is what I need. Okay. I can do all the like, you know, the tax part is always interesting. You're trying to figure that part out, but um, yeah, that right now, that area gives me anxiety because it's just so big and I don't understand.

Kelly: 1:43:01

Well, and you're gonna be tapping into the e-commerce component of your business as well, and so I can imagine it's it's sort of like e-commerce and SEO in combination with one another, and and frankly, I don't know enough about it to even be remotely dangerous, but there are people who are listening that are gonna know people, and so that's why I ask that because you just never know who might reach out to you and go, I'm that person, or I think I might have somebody who you should get connected to.

SPEAKER_03: 1:43:33

Yeah, that that right now is where I'm at with the business in terms of um where I need it, where I want it to go, yeah, in in order to get it there. It's just like knowing the person, you know, and and some you can go online and Google things, but you don't know those people. Right. You know, you're hoping that they're gonna give you what you're wanting, but you're not guaranteed that.

SPEAKER_01: 1:43:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 1:43:54

So that aspect is is a little challenging.

Kelly: 1:43:59

Well, so you have you've put out there into the universe a need. How can people find you and get connected to you if they want to share that information with you?

SPEAKER_03: 1:44:09

Or obviously I mean my average purchase in your room.

Kelly: 1:44:12

No, I'm kidding. Business purchase, like realize your business.

SPEAKER_03: 1:44:16

I have um on Instagram, I'm on Facebook. Um my website will be launched by December. That's I hired someone literally yesterday. So um, she said that it will be until December. That and so we're going through the process. I like how she has things set up so that I can understand things. I told her like it's I need to be able to, and I need to physically, I'm a physically need to do something type of person. You can't tell me what you're wanting me to do. I have to physically do it for you for me to understand it completely. And I know that about myself because it's easy for people to be like, oh, I'll just do this. This no, no, no. I need to know how to do this because what happens if you're not here?

Kelly: 1:44:59

Right. I can't know you a hundred percent. You know, okay. Well, I think by the time your episode drops, it'll we might be able to put your website information in there too. I think we'll just do that.

SPEAKER_02: 1:45:12

Okay.

Kelly: 1:45:12

Because I'm about two months out from interview to air date. So that's really exciting.

SPEAKER_03: 1:45:20

Thank you so much for having me. That's a really exciting.

Kelly: 1:45:22

This has been so nice. It's kind of like a um a blast from the past.

SPEAKER_03: 1:45:27

I know, and look where we are. Like no, just think of like where we started, Kelly. I mean, seriously, like could I can you think that we would actually still be connected?

Kelly: 1:45:40

Great question. Who we are, yeah. God is good in that way.

SPEAKER_03: 1:45:45

Yeah, and just like we've known people like I just think of the people that I know that you know, even the connections. It's weird how that works. I know it's just crazy.

Kelly: 1:45:57

Bree, this is so funny. Oh my god, thank you so much. Well, it was truly my honor. I'm glad that you had the opportunity to share a little bit more about what's happening in your world and how fantastic things are going with the pillow business. Thank you, girl. So I hope you have a great rest of the day. You too. Love you back. Thank you.