One Thousand Gurus Podcast
Everyone has a compelling story to tell with insights we can all be inspired by. J.R. Yonocruz is a software project manager, self-improvement blogger, relationship coach, dancer, stand-up comedian, and serial hobbyist with a passion for learning. He interviews unique guests from various fields to distill the strategies, habits, and mindsets we can use in our own lives. Each “guru” has a chance to give the audience a peek into a new world.
One Thousand Gurus Podcast
#2: Austyn Lee - Getting into Stanford, What Makes a Great Leader, and Navigating the Dating Space
Guest Bio:
Austyn was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai'i, and studied psychology at Stanford University. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his partner and two cats. When not working as a business analyst for a health tech company, Austyn enjoys hip-hop and k-pop dance, coffee, and being a foodie.
IG: @austyn_tayshus
How does one navigate the complex tapestry of cultural expectations, academic ambitions, and personal passions? Join me in this episode as I sit down with my good friend, Austyn Lee, a business analyst with a fervor for dance, who shares his unique journey from Honolulu to Stanford and beyond. We reminisce about our days on a K-pop dance team, explore the cultural intricacies of growing up in an Asian American household, and reveal the factors that led to Austyn’s decision to attend Stanford. If you’ve ever wondered about balancing professional aspirations with personal interests, Austyn’s story is a masterclass in authenticity and self-awareness.
Curious about the diverse paths one can take when choosing a career? Austin and I dive into the different routes students might consider, the pressure to stand out in college applications, and the immense value of pursuing your true passions. From committing to a specific career path early on to allowing yourself the freedom to explore multiple interests, we share personal anecdotes and practical advice on how to reflect your unique story through essays, clubs, and activities. Whether you’re a student on the brink of making significant life choices or someone reflecting on their journey, this conversation offers valuable insights into the importance of self-actualization and staying true to oneself.
Relationships, both professional and personal, are a significant focus of this episode. Austyn opens up about his transition into health tech, illustrating how varied experiences can lead to fulfilling career opportunities. We also discuss the intricacies of leadership within our dance team, the importance of self-knowledge in dating, and the daily choices that sustain long-term relationships. Through reflections on failures and successes, mental health routines, and finding what truly defines success, this episode is packed with lessons on personal growth. Don't miss out on this enriching conversation that promises to leave you inspired and motivated.
One Thousand Gurus Podcast:
Everyone has a compelling story to tell with insights we can all be inspired by. J.R. Yonocruz is a self-improvement blogger, relationship coach, and serial hobbyist with a passion for learning. He interviews unique guests from various fields to distill the strategies, habits, and mindsets we can use in our own lives. Each “guru” has a chance to give the audience a peek into a new world.
www.onethousandgurus.com
Instagram: @OneThousandGurus
TikTok: @onethousandgurus
YouTube: One Thousand Gurus Podcast
Email: onethousandgurus@gmail.com
Hello and welcome to 1000 Gurus Podcast with me, your host, jerry Onokruz. So today's guest is a good friend of mine, austin Lee. So I'll read his bio. Austin was born and raised in Honolulu, hawaii. He studied psychology at Stanford University and currently resides in Los Angeles with his partner and two cats. When not working as a business analyst for a health tech company, austin enjoys hip-hop and k-pop, dance, coffee and being a foodie.
J.R.:I really enjoyed this episode. We touch upon several different topics. First we kind of go into his school and his background and his career path and journey, and then we talk a little bit about leadership, especially in relation to the dance team that we were both on together. And then we kind a little bit about leadership, especially in relation to the dance team that we were both on together, and then we kind of ended all up with psychology, mental health, relationships and dating, which is a super fun topic for both of us, and I think we both agreed that it would be fun to do a part two, probably a love talks version, of this show, with Austin and JR. So yeah, it's a very wide ranging and fun conversation and hopefully you guys enjoy it.
J.R.:Hello everyone, welcome to 1000 Gurus. My guest today is my good friend, austin Lee, cool yeah. So I'm excited to have you here. Austin, you were on my short list of people I wanted on season one. We know each other through dance and I really respect you and your career and your thought process. I thought it'd be good to have you on the show. So let me just go into what I know about you. We've been friends for a few years now. I know that you're born and raised in Hawaii, you study psychology at Stanford. You danced on several teams before, like hip hop and K-pop teams, and then eventually moved to SoCal and then we met on our team, choreo, as a K-pop dance cover team at UCLA, and you know we were two of the older guys on the team, more experienced. We had leadership positions before and then during the team, and then now you work as a business analyst for a health tech company. Is that right? Yeah, did I miss anything? That's pretty much it. Nice, cool, we'll get right into it. I just wanted to.
J.R.:First topic is like school career. Getting into Stanford is, I would say, pretty high achievements. I think that's something that a lot of people would like to go to, I think with our background, like in an Asian household. Right, like it's go to a good school, get a good career, and I think Stanford is like up there with one of the top schools in the country. You decided Stanford, like did you have other options? Why your choice of major? What was your career plans at, like you know, high school senior or even junior. Can you walk us through that?
Austyn:Yeah, I mean pretty much all the same cultural assumptions that you're talking about are just like Asian American households. Hawaii is also very Asian American dominated too in terms of the population, so it's not just a household culture, but I think the culture of Hawaii in itself. And I feel very privileged to kind of have been like pushed in that direction, because even from, like, elementary school, my parents put me in private school. Um, you know they really valued education, uh, for my sister and myself and, um, you know, we were in private school from elementary through high school, um, and you know that's something I'm really grateful for, because not a lot of folks had that opportunity or you know, parents who can or really care about that, um, so that's where I feel like I was pretty much set up for that success. And I don't know, I always did very well in school. I loved learning, I liked going to school. Yes, I worked hard, but, again, I just happened to do very well in all subjects and really thrived in school.
Austyn:And, yeah, going to college was always like a no-brainer for me and, again, my community. So, interestingly, when you ask like, why Stanford, in ninth grade we had to take like a college preparatory course, where it wasn't anything super serious. It was just getting you as freshmen to think about college and whatnot. And one of the final projects was you just had to pick a college to kind of do a little deep dive on and presentation on. And I mean, obviously Stanford is a really well-known school. I can't remember why I decided to pick it for that project. It wasn't necessarily like a dream school, it was just like, oh, that's a really cool school to research and present on.
Austyn:But when it came time to start applying to colleges you know senior fall, which is now like 11 years ago for me, it was just one of those reach schools that was on my list. Um, it was just one of those reach schools that was on my list. Um, at the time it wasn't necessarily like my top choice because I thought I wanted to go to like a more small private liberal arts college, um, maybe not like an Ivy league school or big name school, but that was more just a reach school, um, or stay home in Hawaii, just for, you know, financial reasons, um, but when it came time to deciding, stanford was just able to give a lot of financial aid, which was very helpful. So that was aside from its prestige, one of the main reasons was just like, well, it's either stay home or take advantage of this really great opportunity and also leave this island and, you know, kind of explore on my own. So that is what it kind of came down to Just financial reasons and yeah.
J.R.:So were you like on the fence between like…. So you're on the fence with staying in Hawaii or also like going out of state Like somewhere else.
Austyn:Yeah Well, again just because of the cost. It would have just been stay at home and, you know, pay in-state tuition and then get, you know, scholarships at UH where my parents went and that's probably where they wanted me to go because you know it's their alma mater and, like you know, of course parents want their kids to be close to home. But I was just like no, like I want to go out there and explore and just be queer and, you know, dance and sing more and see what's out there, um, even though it's pretty sheltered. So, um, that's kind of a big move for me, but, um, that was kind of my motivation to be like, if we can afford it, please let me go, um, so so you wanted to move out, but it was more like, okay, logistically does this make sense?
Austyn:yeah, logistically, financially, doesn't make sense. Um, you know, and I guess every time I tell that story it sounds weird because people are just like, why would your parents want us in your stanford? I'm like, I mean, I think it's more complicated than that too, than just like, uh, the prestige. But yeah, it was the financial reasons. It was like you know, you want your kids close to home. I'm the oldest, like child on like both sides, so like you know that kind of dynamic. But um, yeah, ultimately, um, they let me go.
Austyn:Um, I think what also helped was like my best friend at the time in high school also got into Stanford. Um, she was already actually gonna commit to MIT because she got in early and that was her dream school. But after visiting both schools, I don't know, she just liked Stanford better. So I was glad I had a friend and someone who I could already have a connection with going. So I think that also played into the decision as well. But yeah, that was kind of it. It's just preparation, privilege, luck getting in and then trying to make the case for the financial decision. That makes sense.
J.R.:So if you have the means to get there right, then why not? And then you worked hard for it. But also you had, you know, those elements of like privilege and luck and all that stuff. So you mentioned, like liberal arts, but you studied psychology. So like, what directed you into the path of that? How did you get? There was it like a career, sort of like like oversight, like you're thinking about. Okay, maybe what careers I want to go to the major, or is it just that called out to you?
Austyn:good question. I mean with psychology. I just knew it was a topic or field that I was just very curious about and really wanted to learn more about again, just like that hunger for knowledge. I wasn't necessarily thinking about like career paths just yet. Um, you know, all my friends around me were like, oh, I know I'm gonna be a dentist, I know I'm gonna be a doctor, I know I'm gonna be a lawyer, and I'm like I don't know what I want to do. But I hope that if I just keep pursuing school and doing well, it'll happen and I'll be happy. Honestly, I still feel like I'm trying to figure that out.
Austyn:But to answer your question, I just knew as a topic I was really much interested in, just from my own experience with mental health and like friends and families experience in mental health and just wanting to learn more about it, just so I can be a better, you know, friend or family member or maybe professionally even become like a counselor or therapist or something. But that was just a general idea. I just was like I think that's what I want to study, I'm going to commit to it, and when I got in, you know that was really the only major I tried and it turned out. I loved it. It was a great choice. But yeah, I didn't really do much exploring, I just kind of knew that's what I wanted to study.
J.R.:Okay, so nothing arts-related was calling to you as like major to study. No.
Austyn:I think when I said like the small private liberal arts colleges, I was thinking more of just like assumptions, of just like the culture, or like hanging around with a bunch of like super political lefty hippies Not that that doesn't exist at stanford by any means, of course um, but um, you know, do these colleges have like queer studies or like lgbt studies or women's studies, which of course stanford also does? But, um, again, with my limited knowledge as a junior at the time, that's what I was like thinking about and like wanted to pursue. But on the other hand, again, I'm just like well, they don't have a lot of financial aid or the folks who go there are usually pretty wealthy already, so they can afford it. So I was not really thinking about that when I was applying.
J.R.:I was just going off of vibe, so yeah, For those who are in the process of trying to figure out their major or their college or like their career in any of those like phases, the takeaway that I've gotten so far is like okay, so I feel like this was, psychology was interesting and I got into this really good school. We'll see how it is. I like the vibe of the campus and you'll see how it goes and then you end up liking it. Would you advise students in those early stages do the same thing, kind of like okay, just figure out, like you know what calls to you and then you'll figure it on the way, or is it better to try to nail that down beforehand? Is it even possible to nail it down beforehand? You know, we have those friends who are like I knew I was gonna be a doctor since I was 11. Or I knew I was gonna be a lawyer, or engineers make a lot of money so I'll just do that Right. So like, do you have any recommendations on how to approach that?
Austyn:Yeah, I mean, I think it just depends on the person right, and like that's such a cop out answer.
Austyn:But you know, I was growing up I was really jealous of those people who were like, oh, I know I'm going to do this. Or even if they necessarily didn't even want to do it, they're like I can hack it. My parents need me to be a doctor, want me to be a doctor. I'm like, wow, like again I had calling, or like I just want to plan. You know, I just want to plan, I want a path like cut and dry, just because, again, that's the kind of environment we grew up in and it's very vulnerable to feel like I don't know what I'm doing. But luckily I'm still good in school, so I'll just keep going with that, I guess, and try to figure it out. Which, like I said, I mean if you're one of those people, I mean that's great If you know exactly what you want to do and you know the steps to get there. Or even if you don't like research, the steps to get there, and as long as it comes from a place of like, authenticity, I think is the key. So whether authentically you know, like I want to be a doctor at 11 years old. Great, like you know. Take all the courses or interview people or make connections, join organizations, volunteer. Or make connections, join organizations, volunteer Like that's all good. Or even, if you're not sure, authentically committing to, like trying to figure that out and explore.
Austyn:I feel like I could have done a lot more exploring. Growing up, I kind of always just stayed in my lane, which is just like school and then performing arts, but luckily it worked out for me in terms of, like what I wanted to do and what I was passionate about with psychology and healthcare and still being able to dance and whatnot on the side. But yeah, just committing to, again, whatever path that you set out for yourself, or committing to exploring and putting yourself outside of your comfort zone to explore If you're not sure, I think that's my advice, Also, again, because I applied for college like 11 years ago. It's just getting harder and harder every year and more competitive every year. But I think the thing that stays consistent in like what these institutions are looking for again, it's just like that authenticity, that passion, that uniqueness or drive in whatever you do, whether it is something like more traditional, like being a doctor, or less traditional, like performing arts.
Austyn:But yeah, that would be my advice. But I really do feel for the kids right now because I'm just like man. It's like just getting harder, more competitive. The world is crazier Like. I don't know if I would be able to get in right now. Right, if it was like, yeah, I was applying right now in current times so, basically, what you're saying correct me if I'm wrong uh, standing out.
J.R.:There's a part of it that is being authentic, finding out, like what you're passionate about, or maybe like what, how your brain functions. You know how, what you're geared towards, and that'll help you stand out, obviously, on top of like working hard and having that combination of luck, probably, um, but, but that comes from probably like self awareness, right, because I think maybe most people don't know this. But even when you're students, when you're college students, and then you know you're in the working force and you're an adult, we're also just trying to figure ourselves out or figure things out. I guess it's that, that pursuit of like okay, we'll just figure things out, you might know what you want to do, but in college you might not, and even in the workforce you might not, but you're still trying to figure yourself out and that's like kind of important.
Austyn:Yeah, and, and that's where I I always remind myself where the privilege comes in to be able to just work towards that self-actualization and have the time and space to do that yeah exactly and like have safety nets if you fail. Um, so that, uh, I always remind myself and I'm grateful for, and that not everyone has the opportunity to do that. Um, and then, specifically, I guess, if someone were to ask like well, what did you, what content did you put in your application to stand out or show the stuff that you were passionate?
Austyn:about yeah, um, I remember just putting a lot of my clubs and activities so like my choir, my acapella, my barbershop groups or my musical theater groups, my hip-hop and K-pop dance, and then my feminist club and LGBT club and LGBT organizing I did outside of school too. So I think statistically that's different than maybe a lot of stereotypical applicants, so I feel like I stood out in that way. But I think when I go to narratives it's all about like your essays as well. So there was a prompt that was just like tell your story. And I think I just told my story of growing up like queer in like an Asian American Catholic household and trying to navigate that and how that led me to what I wanted to study and what I wanted to hopefully do in the world, even if I had a very general, vague idea of what that meant.
Austyn:So that's where I always come back to Like if I can give advice, it's just working towards figuring yourself out, or if you already know, great. But like committing to that authenticity, because I think people can smell when, like, you're being inauthentic or you have ulterior motives and not that being ambitious is bad, it's just like. For me it's always been about feeling authentic and feeling lucky that I have the freedom to explore that. But yeah, that's my two cents, of course. But yeah, that's my two cents.
J.R.:Of course. So something that's curious, I think, is you mentioned you know there's a lot of things that you're passionate about and other things you have in your application. A lot of art stuff, right. But studying psychology, and then what? Pursuing a passion for a career or choosing a career path like psychology, like you said, you didn't really know what that was leading to, you just knew it was interesting, um, but then you probably could have done something else, right, like dance or theater or something like that. So how do you, how did, how did you reconcile that? Or what advice would you give for people who are in a similar situation, where it's like their career and passion aren't necessarily the same thing for you, but how do you make that decision?
Austyn:Yeah, I think if I could go back in time, I would recognize that performing arts is my passion and I should have tried to pursue that a little bit more seriously. I think what kept me from that… Before college, Before college, college, like way before college. Um, because everyone knew me for that and knew that that was, that was what I was passionate about. Um, yet, either because of the environment we were growing up in or the narratives that we hear about performing arts, I was just like, well, that's just a side hobby, like I don't, I don't, I'm not going to pursue that um professionally, even though I spent most of my time doing all that stuff, you know, outside of school too. But, um, the other thing I tell myself is like, well, also, people are, we're telling me, like, well, it's lucky that you're multi-talented. Like some people only have that one thing and that's the thing they're going to pursue again, half of which I'm kind of jealous, because I'm just like, oh, that's great. Like you have a path, like I want something clear cut, but that's not how life works.
Austyn:But anyway, you know, again, in hindsight, I wish I pursued that a little bit more meaning, like more classes or technical training. I kind of just did it for fun and joining clubs and whatnot, and did it that way. So when it came time to apply for college, even though some people were expecting me to pursue performing arts, I was like, oh, I'm surprised you thought that, because I didn't really think that or see that for myself. Like I feel like I know people more talented than me or who had the training and the right background and maybe that's just coming from a place of feeling like you need to have all those stepping stones in place to pursue it. But yeah, it is something I kind of regret, but I still get a lot of fulfillment out of what I do now with psychology and health and tech. Like it tickles a different part of my brain, I guess, but yeah, we love tickling our brains, so, yeah, that's actually a good segue.
J.R.:I wanted to ask about that. So your career right, you work in health tech and it seems like you really enjoy what you do. I guess I'm curious. Maybe walk us through like a quick snippet of, like, what do you do? Like, what's your? I guess what's your career narrative? Like I said, I assume that you enjoy what you do. But then for people who are interested in maybe health tech, how do you break into that? Or what would you advise do? But then for people who are interested, maybe help tech.
Austyn:How do you break into that or what would you advise? I know I feel like it's going to be a similar story of just like yeah, I just kind of bubbled my way into it and then of course, that's where I understand that people are really upset or jealous of that and I'm like I'm sorry um honestly same.
J.R.:My career was like that too. It was like I wasn't planning on doing what I do, but it's, I just fell. But you know, there are things you can do to get to that point, like you're prepared, you get ready, you're intentional, because you can't walk through the doors.
Austyn:You're not ready for Right, um, but yeah, continue, no, totally, oh, and intention is such a great theme and word to think about throughout all of this too. But, um, yeah, with like a career path, um, so, you know, like I said when I applied to college, I was like, okay, psychology, like maybe therapy counseling.
Austyn:So maybe halfway through my undergrad at Stanford they have a peer counseling program called the Bridge Peer Counseling Center and that's a 24-7 service that's open to technically anyone, but mostly undergrads and some grad students call in as well and you know you have to take a formal course and then do some training, um, pass a test and everything, and then you can take shifts or even live in the house where they provide those services. So, yeah, it was a really cool experience and was just a I don't know like um a little peek into what it would be like to kind of serve in that function. And I think I learned pretty quickly that I'm like okay, that's a little bit too much stress for me to like be someone's lifeline and like, um, you know, talk to strangers when they're at like their most desperate or dire state, um, when I think what I wanted to do was more just learn the skills for when it comes up in like everyday life or like talking with friends or family that you know a little bit better to help them, like talk through their problems, um not like a crisis sort of situation yeah, that's just a little bit too stressful, and whenever I talk to like my psychology mentors or people who are actually therapists and whatnot, they're like oh
Austyn:in grad school they'll teach you how to like compartmentalize or, like you know, just have the right mental state for that. But I'm like, oh, don't know. So I think that's when I pivoted to research, where I'm like, okay, I don't necessarily have to be patient facing or providing the therapy, but it's still related to psychology, you know, pushing the field forward, just doing some really cool research. I was in a lab about personality and cultural psychology, so looking at the different ways in general that East Asians, asian Americans and European Americans and white Americans value emotions. And my other lab was more clinical. It was a depression and suicide and sleep lab. So those are my topics of interest and how I stumbled into, like, the health tech field.
Austyn:I was working in those labs for the first year after I graduated from Stanford and was like, okay, before I commit to grad school which is a scary beast in itself let me see if I can sell out, or let me just see if I can hack it in the tech space or industry space, just because otherwise I felt like I didn't know if I could make it Like. I thought grad school was the only option, Academia was the only option. I don't know if I'm going to like it, but I feel pigeonholed a little bit, so let me try to explore that. So I really went out of my comfort zone. I saw that there was this health, mental health tech company that was going to be at a data science career fair at Stanford and I was like, okay, that's not my thing, but I'll just put myself out there because I'm desperate right now to just try to see what's out there. So I went and I said, hey, I know you're looking for more data science people, but I also saw that you had this opening for more of a care representative for your patients. And they were like, oh, yeah, talk to the manager. And because you're a small scrappy startup, they were hiring super fast.
Austyn:So that was just kind of my foot in the door of just like, hey, I do research at Stanford. They were like, okay, cool, come on board, can you start next week? I'm like, uh, I need to give a two week notice, but uh, I'll try. Um. So, yes, having the psychology background help, having the research background help, having the Stanford brand helped, even though I didn't necessarily like plan it that way. You know, those seeds were sown and I kind of like that kind of helped me get into that position. So, yeah, that's how I kind of got there. It's just like amalgamation of all my different experiences and just the luck and the opportunity, a little bit of desperation and desperation yeah.
Austyn:To push myself over my comfort zone. Yeah, that's how I kind of got into that space.
J.R.:Okay, what have you like learned working in that space? I guess is like what I want to know.
Austyn:Yeah, I think… guess is like what I want to know. Yeah, I think, um, well, for myself, I think I always kind of look down on industry because I was just like, oh, there isn't a place for me, or like I'm gonna stay in my comfort zone with academia and research. Um, but also very curious about that space as well, space being health tech or health or tech and industry in general.
Austyn:um, and I think I learned that I thrive in that environment. Again, I've only been in like smaller startups, so it's like new every day. Like I said, it tickles a different part of my brain. Even though I love structure and I love predictability, it's also that other I don't know excitement part of the job, just like every day is different. Everyone's wearing many different hats, doing many different things, solving many different problems as they come up, versus like okay, you just clock in every day, do the same thing every day. So I think that's what keeps me engaged and motivated, as stressful as it is sometimes.
Austyn:And now I'm more my day to day. I've kind of branched away from doing more like customer work or patient work. I'm now doing more sort of back office stuff, but more like strategy and insight, so using data to help make day-to-day decisions or longer-term strategic decisions. And again, I'm like with what credentials or what background? But kind of like picking from my research background, my psychology background, some of my community leadership skills from my dance and performing arts or community organizing backgrounds has kind of paid off, even though I think in the back of my mind I still feel a lot of imposter syndrome. I'm just like, well, I didn't really study this in school. Or like, who am I to do all this? But again, like I mean, people are trusting me and saying I'm doing a good job, so I guess I'll just take that so you're saying you're just figuring it out as you go.
J.R.:obviously you're doing a good job there and you enjoy it. But, like I guess the takeaway that I think I'm I'm hearing is that, like you know, you you pull from past experiences and you try to do your best work, but it's okay if you're still in that mental space once in a while where you're like okay, I don't think I belong here, but you know I'm at least I'm here, I'm doing good work and I'm figuring it out as I go, and that's okay. You don't need to be always like 100% ready for that next thing.
J.R.:You kind of just went into it and now you're, you're doing well.
Austyn:Yeah, and and that's where I'm a little envious of folks who know exactly what they want to do and the steps they need to take to get there. And there definitely are career paths that you know are like that but for me it's more just okay, still being vulnerable, still trying to figure things out, maybe fake it till you make it a little bit, and still trying to figure that out. So, like you said, like, oh, it seems like you're kind of happy where you are. I'm like, I guess, but I'm still going to work towards like trying to figure out like what I could do. That will make me feel even more fulfilled.
Austyn:But also just being okay, not again being complacent, but just being okay with where I'm at, not like, but also just being okay, not again being complacent, but just being okay with where I'm at, not like feeling down on myself or like shaming myself or just like okay, you're not there yet, or like you have no time to rest or feel confident or feel accomplished, like you need to keep going, just trying to find that balance of just like okay, let's not get too complacent if you're really that unsatisfying but also just being grateful that, like, you have what you have and that you're working towards something, but also just being grateful that, like, you have what you have and that you're working towards something, and maybe it's not career, maybe it's not your job, so that's also like another thing.
J.R.:It doesn't have to be your job. You're content with what you have, which is good, because you don't want to have that mental stress of like, oh this is terrible, right. But also the non-complacency slash a little bit of ambition, knowing that there is probably something better out there. That's more 100 aligned to what you think, your passions or your purposes, but it's like that middle ground at least you're not suffering every day but you still enjoy it, right?
J.R.:yeah, um, cool, let's, uh, let's, pivot. I think you mentioned liberal arts and dancing and stuff like that, so let's go into this. So we, um, we both, like I mentioned, we both dance on a k-pop team choreos at UCLA Shout out, plug. But yeah, I think it was interesting because for both of us, we both joined in like a. I would say for me it was like a second dance career, because I had danced all in college and then a little bit retired, came back and then now joined the K-pop scene, and I think you have a similar sort of background where you did in college as well.
J.R.:And you started working as well, and then you kind of came to choreos and then, you know, we were both like two of the older guys on the team and had danced before, and it's like a new environment. And I'm sure maybe your experience is similar to mine, which is like, oh, all these young college students and they're just like like wide eyed about the whole world and we're just like, okay, well, we're just here and you know we've seen this before. And then the next year after that we both joined leadership and then we directed the team together for a year. So I guess, okay, I guess my experience was like it was a lot of fun, but I would say, like, what was your experience like? And I and I guess, well, I want to lead to like leadership as a topic, but like, so what was that like for you?
Austyn:Yeah, I mean, you know, like you said, I like danced as a hobby in high school and then definitely more seriously, in clubs at Stanford and then the year after I graduated, I joined a competitive hip hop dance team in the community called Straight Jacket in the Bay Area and even though I was only there for a year because soon after the pandemic happened and then work picked up a lot, so I took a step back, but that was a lot of fun doing a lot of traveling, learning more hip hop foundations and history, which I think are very important. You know, being able to compete in World of Dance Championships in LA that summer in 2019 was was super cool and then, like you said, kind of took a break or hiatus because of work, because of burnout and because of the pandemic. But when I moved to SoCal, I switched jobs into the job that I was in now, that I am in now, and then I was like, okay, have more free time. I really know I want to get back into dance and I live so close to UCLA and I always knew about choreos because you know they were like the biggest college or just dance team in general for K-pop, like in in college, um, so I went and and, like you said, I was like, oh my gosh, there's so many like young kiddos here yeah, even more so because lots of folks moved away or left after the pandemic.
Austyn:Because in my head I was like, oh, I know they take outside folks and like it looks like there's a good mix. But when I joined, there's just so many just young students that I was just like, oh okay, I feel little awkward. I also don't want to overstep by saying like, oh, this is how things should be right. I was just like I'm just here to dance and have fun.
J.R.:So, yeah, that was my first impression before I was on leadership Going into it as a leader for the team, I know we've been through a lot of, like you know, trying to figure out the team, trying to make it better, trying to improve it. Any hard earned lessons that you would want to share about leading an organization like that? Maybe dance team, sure, but specifically, you know, like an organization like that where you have a common goal and you have personalities. It's 30 plus people, right, you probably have so many stories about that, but any like takeaways on being a leader, on how to run a team?
Austyn:Yeah, I mean even in the workplace too, or any like group of people that you're trying to organize around a common goal, which is very hard. You know, psychologically we're all different, we all have different backgrounds and like different motivations and interests. It's so hard to like organize people around a common goal, whether or not there's like incentives, like salary involved. So interesting, when we think about leadership, I'm like I don't know if I ever really wanted to be a leader. I always just kind of fall into those positions.
Austyn:I know some people really want those positions, but I'm just like I don't really want that responsibility. Or like the backlash, or you can't please everyone and I hate that as a people pleaser, but I'm like that's the part that I kind of hate. It's just like dealing you can't please everyone. No, like, as much as I want to, like you can't make everyone happy. You kind of just need to like align the team around the common goal and, whether or not they jive with that, they all have to agree that that's the goal of that organization. Otherwise they can leave or they can become leadership and help try to change it or mold it. But, like you know, you just have to organize a team around a common goal and you might not be really thanked for that job, but that's kind of what is needed in a leader. So yeah, I do find some joy in it and accomplishment in it, but it also can just lead to stress and burnout as well.
J.R.:Definitely there's that one saying where it's like you know, leaders, they don't get any of the credit when things go well, but then they get all of the get the blame when things don't go well. Yeah, um, would you say that kind of? That kind of aligns with your experience? I don't know, that's too no, I think so.
Austyn:I think so um in both work and like.
J.R.:So I guess the question is well then, why do it? What's the point.
Austyn:then why do it? I think for me it's because it's the be the change you want to see in the world, kind of a thing. I'm just like, oh okay, I hear a lot of these complaints on the team, or like I see issues that I think I have some solutions for, or I would like to work towards a solution that's for the problems that people are bringing up. So I think that's what motivates me is just wanting to make things better and maybe having some level of confidence that I know how to do it, or I know how to get the right people together to do it. Otherwise, I'm still pretty introverted and shy, so I wouldn't really want to step up in those situations. So, yeah, it's just about like wanting to make things better or wanting to find solutions for problems.
J.R.:What do you think makes a good leader, Any like clear characteristics or yeah.
Austyn:I mean, I think it really just depends on the context or like what the organization needs in a leader at the time, even if it's not necessarily what the group members want or need, and that's like a separate problem. But I think it's just listening to the people that you're leading and organizing again that group of people around a shared common goal which, again, I think psychologically is very hard to do because we're just so many different people, even if we have the same passions or backgrounds like again, we just have different wants, needs and different magnitudes of those wants and needs. So, yeah, I think, just listening to your people that you're leading because they're putting a lot of trust in you, but then also knowing with your own integrity, like what's best for the organization or the common goal and, as much as you can, trying to see if those two things align, like what the people want versus like the best for the organization. But yeah.
Austyn:I think it's just always having to navigate that line is just what a good leader should do.
J.R.:I guess last last thought on leadership is like I think about this a lot. I think you know, still being on choreos and still being one of the leaders, one of the directors, is like longevity right in an organization. I think that's what a lot of good leaders are thinking about. It's like how do we make this organization last? And I think my philosophy is that a big part of it is leadership right, because the organization is like top-down, meaning the culture that the leaders have is what the team's going to have, and I think organizations, businesses, companies, whatever they want to create an organization that lasts, that has value, that has an impact. Are there any thoughts on how an organization can orient towards longevity, to promote their organization, to grow it, to reach a certain goal, but to last most more importantly, I think?
Austyn:Yeah, I think it's one of your big pillars, especially on the team, which is community, especially if it's not like based on your livelihood or salary, like people are choosing to spend their time on the team or be with whatever organization they're a part of.
Austyn:And I think, as humans, we're all naturally wired to want to connect with people and be social, no matter what your you know level of introversion. Extroversion is like we want that community. I think there's some saying that's like the opposite of suffering is belonging. So we, we want that community so like, which is why your role as like the director of like community is like very important because you know we can have processes, we can have dance, we can have performances, but, like, if people don't feel like they belong or like they want to come to practice or rehearsals, like be here, yeah, then why be here? And there is going to be no organization to have longevity of. You know, like it could be a great dance team, but if no one wants to show up and it doesn't exist. So it's a balance of both. It's like you need. You need processes, accountability and structure, but then you also just need a sense of community and fun and wanting to be there.
J.R.:Okay, so building in into that building in community and that purpose where it makes people want to be there not because there's inherent incentives like necessarily wanted to, especially an organization like this, where it's it's all just for free, it's all just a hobby, um, but like that purpose, I feel like also translates into like a, like the um the private sector and like the workforce right. It's like people stay because of their, their co-workers or something right true, yeah, it could be toxic environment and maybe the pay is okay.
J.R.:but sometimes people stay longer than they should because they like their coworkers, because they like the community.
Austyn:Yeah, that's definitely a thing For me with work. It's… Especially knowing that I have so many other interests, I'm more just like okay, as long as I have something that I can pay the bills, and sure I can like find maybe community orgs within my workplace or just… I do like that socializing with coworkers as well, but otherwise I'm just like okay, I'm just kind of there for a paycheck and maybe that doesn't come across because people are probably still going to say, oh, but you're still so passionate and engaged and I'm like, and maybe that's just me as a person, but like otherwise, I'm kind of just like I will do what I need to do and then go do my hobbies outside of work again lots of privilege there too.
Austyn:But I'm just like that's kind of my MO now, especially growing up, or growing up and learning what the real world is like and just like, okay, let me not just throw myself into my job, Like that is going to just lead to super overinvested and everything, yeah.
J.R.:Yeah, I think I'm kind of the same as you where it's like you know, I go to work to do my job and I will enjoy it and create a good environment, but I'm not so invested that that's my thing, and then I don't have things outside of that. I think that's a good recipe, I think, for risk mitigation, if anything.
J.R.:Right, because you could leave the job anytime, it could go under, you could quit, whatever, and then you don't have that. But yeah, I like that. So I guess, pivoting out of community Now let's go into…. I think it's a fun topic. We've talked about this before at length With your psychology background, like relationships, dating, that sort of thing that's one of my passions or talking about is relationships, because I'm a relationship coach. I'm like in the process of setting up my practice, but I love talking about that, and especially in dating too, and I know you have some really good dating stories, experiences which I think are really fun for all your friends when you tell us about it and your journey through that. And dating space is kind of hard, especially nowadays with social media and dating platforms. It's a lot different than 10, 20 years ago. So like I don't know how do you navigate?
Austyn:that. Yeah, I mean, I think this deserves like its own separate talking session, part two. But overall I think my main advice with dating is well, for me, growing up, I don't know if it was because of the queerness and repressing a lot of that, but I just always really wanted to be in a relationship and I really wanted a partner and all of the fantasies around that. And to a fault, I think, because I didn't allow myself to like learn about myself or explore my wants or needs or learn who I am first. And you know, at the end of every RuPaul's Drag Race episode, rupaul is just like if you can't love yourself, how in the hell are you going to love someone else? And as corny as that may sound, and maybe there's like a spectrum true to that, I'm just like you know, for me, I think that is really true.
Austyn:It's just like a lot of the reasons why a lot of my past relationships have failed is just because I was just too codependent or overly dependent on them, or like I would just follow them around whatever they want to do, whatever they wanted to go, and kind of let myself be dragged around like that without really knowing what I wanted, because I'm like well, I have what I want.
Austyn:It's a relationship. So why am I not happy? Like this is so weird or why are we having conflicts? You know like it's like well, because you're two individual people with different wants and needs and if you don't talk about that or think about that or come to the table knowing what you want, then it's kind of a recipe for disaster. You know people can grow together and learn together and like be on the same page of that, but I think you have to be open and intentional about that instead of just letting it happen. So I think that's one of my biggest lessons is just like I needed to like learn and grow and experience the world myself to then be able to like start dating more seriously or successfully, whatever success means. But yeah, now I feel like I have a partner that you know I can like grow with and I also kind of know myself a lot more.
J.R.:So there's less like internal conflict there. I guess I guess two questions I wanted to go from. There is either either or one. What do you think is the some keys to successfully finding a partner? Or, like navigating the dating space how do you find the right partner? Right, like I'm sure there's a lot of people that you could date, but I guess the more important thing is, like, how do I find the right person? And then, second, I know you probably touched upon this a lot with, like the self-love and trying to navigating being with a partner but also like um, what are the keys to sustaining a good relationship?
Austyn:I guess, more specifically, yeah, oh gosh, some of my psychology research is coming back to me, um, which is why I think it totally deserves like a second session.
Austyn:But like, um, you know, in in general, when it comes to, okay, finding a partner, I think, um, you know, we kind of have to segment by you know people's backgrounds and experiences, because I think it's a lot different for heterosexual folks or um, versus queer folks, and even within the queer community too, because I think some of the old psychology research says, you know, for, I'm assuming, mostly heterosexual folks, it's just like, oh, they met through co-workers or friends, or like in person, versus again, I'm just going to speak from my experience.
Austyn:My dating life has been like 99% on social media or dating apps or platforms, because otherwise I'm just like, how am I going to meet people? Even when I do my career organizing, or like try to put myself out there, I'm like they're not going to be single also, or they're not going to be your type, or they're not going to be into you, or vice versa. So I'm just like, okay, well, let me just like cast a wider net out there and like try to make it easier myself. So, as much as I like that opportunity in our day and age. You know it comes with its own stresses as well, but I think it just, you know, depends on your experience and then finding a partner. That's where you have to know what you're looking for. I think when I was first starting out, I was just like someone just please love me.
Austyn:And that's like really bad and such a recipe for disaster I know and then, and then you're wondering like, well, why am I unhappy? Why are we having so many conflicts? I'm like well, it's because you're just accepting of whomever, and that's not shade on that other person. It's just like you were not thinking and also you're not valuing that person. You're just viewing them as a partner, not as their own person. So like, yeah, that's a lot of like stuff to navigate, but, um, yeah, you just have to know yourself and what you want. And um, similarly too, you may not know exactly what you want, but being open to explore that with people and making sure they're on the same page as well, like that's fine and that's how you learn, um, but you can't just say like I want to partner and then just cling on to someone, like I did um, listen, learn, yeah.
J.R.:So what about, like uh, sustaining a relationship? I know that you, you have relationship experience and you have all these hard-earned lessons. What do you think are the keys to sustaining a long-term relationship?
Austyn:Personally, I think it's just the companionship Again, especially in this day and age, you're choosing to be with someone. As much as I said, we're all wired for social connection. We're in society and right now the world is not really set up for that. So you kind of have to choose to seek it out and like really push through all the pain points, to like stay connected with someone and all of their intricacies and their annoyances and you know all of that stuff.
Austyn:So I think it's just that companionship and commitment to each other to say not like, okay, I'll put up with you, but more just like leading into that and knowing they're not going to be a perfect person, and just like choosing to choose each other every day when it's so easy to just say, okay, I'm done with this. You're like, okay, I'm just going to hang with my friends or just be single, which is totally fine. You know you shouldn't just stay with someone if you're totally unhappy or not compatible. But I think it is just that daily commitment and that companionship once you get past all of the like fantasies or honeymoon phase and if that ideally that lasts forever too. But you know, realistically it most likely won't be. So, yeah, I think it's just like the companionship and just like that connection with someone Monogamous or polyamorous, like, again, just like being open, honest communication, that companionship, love, is an action. It's. You have to choose them every day and that's something I'm still learning.
J.R.:Yeah, I love that a lot. I think my philosophy with like dating and love and relationships too, is like I think it's easy to go in with the lens of this is what love is. It's the honeymoon phase, it's the feeling of like I'm on cocaine, you know like that and you know, when you're younger and less experienced you haven't gone through all of that You're like, okay, that's what love, love is, and when I stop feeling it, I'm done and this is the relationship that's over. But in my opinion, love is what happens beyond that. It's the choice, it's the action, it's the daily commitment and it is hard because you're not always going to like your partner all the time.
J.R.:But you, it's an action, like you said, and it's a choice and I think that's that's actually romantic, that's actually love, that's actually like a commitment. Because if, if love really is a feeling, then like it's gonna go away, just like with your emotions, right, um, but I don't think that's the right way to build a relationship, um, but who knows, what do I know about this? I mean, guys, try it out for yourself, see what. But yeah, I, I totally agree and I love that. All right, so let's, let's wrap that up again. I think we'll have another episode of just love talks with Austin and JR, because we have so much on that.
J.R.:But, let's go into the rapid fire questions, if that's cool, yeah. So first one is a billboard question, and I took this again from Tim Ferriss' podcast, so don't call me out on this. I like this question a lot. If you could put a sign up for millions of people to see, what would it say?
Austyn:Yeah, I mean, I think I was struggling to think about this beforehand, but now I think it's really clear to me that at all echelons of society it's build community or foster community, so that it's a give and take, like make community and space for other people, but then also go out and like try to find your community, because, again, the society right now doesn't really facilitate that and we have to really find all of our connections back to each other, which is not easy.
J.R.:Definitely, I like it, a favorite failure or something or a challenge that you learned the most from. I know you mentioned dating and then I know like, yeah, career, you know you're figuring out how to go, and then leadership. There's a lot of stuff there, but favorite failures anything come to mind.
Austyn:A lot of it is very like general of just. You know, as a perfectionist, I don't want to put myself out there, but that's how you learn and you know, learn fast, fail fast, learn fast and move on. I would say, yeah, a lot of my biggest failures is like relationships. You know you're going into it for the wrong reasons or you don't know your true self or your intentions as well, and then you're putting a lot of pressure and onus on someone else and this could be romantic or friends or whatnot. Yeah, I think it's just coming back to like being authentic and knowing yourself, or committing to figuring out who you are. I think it's like been one of my biggest favorites of just like, oh, I know who.
Austyn:I am and I'm like no, you don't. You think you know who you are and then you know. Here's the consequences of that. So, just taking the time to like, do that work on your own.
J.R.:If there's one thing that you would redo, I know you mentioned like high school, pre-high school, like maybe pursuing art or singing or whatnot um, but if you had to go back to first year.
Austyn:Is there anything you would redo, oof? I mean, I think if it was beforehand, like you said, it would have been like more seriously pursuing performing arts. But if I was back in like first year, stanford, austin, I think, yeah, just not being afraid to try new things, uh, you know, it turns out, it worked out. Whatever I set for myself I was passionate about it worked out. But like you know what could have been? Or just being more willing to explore other classes or majors or friend groups or hobbies, I kind of was just like, okay, I found my singing and dancing people and then I'm good and then again it worked out. But like that's not gonna always be the case yeah, there could have been more potential for something else.
Austyn:Yeah, your next favorite hobby.
J.R.:Best piece of advice you've ever heard or been given.
Austyn:I think, just being authentic Both me giving that advice to other people, but also like maybe past mentors or therapists telling me that it's just like. It seems like you really value authenticity and that's where you struggle a lot with like, should I stay in this org or this team or this relationship or this environment? Like, if it doesn't jive with who you are, then you know you need to figure that out and work through that or just be okay with it. But you can't complain if you're feeling stifled or like you're not completely authentic like you know, you're not being authentic, but then why complain about that?
J.R.:You could change it, but… yeah, aren't you…? Isn't the point to try to align with your authenticity? True?
Austyn:Or just come to terms with it, or come to terms with it.
J.R.:You're like alright, this is what it is. Any habits or routines that are key to getting the results that you have now? Are there any things that keep you sane, things that you feel like you value? I think Me personally as a productivity nut I love developing those habits to like put those things on autopilot. I don't know if there's anything that you have routines for yourself that you enjoy that you think keep you sane.
Austyn:I mean one, I think, having a routine period, whatever works for you morning or night routine.
Austyn:Yeah, no, it really is Like when you're like the most depressed or like the most stressed out, like if you can kind of put yourself on autopilot. It's like a ritual that you can do. And kind of put yourself on autopilot, it's like a ritual that you can do. And I'm really bad at this because, like I don't really have that much of routine, except like I need my morning coffee every morning and that's it. But um, otherwise habits, I'm just like you know, take care of your health. Uh, it's not a given. Um brush your teeth, floss every day, um drink water, hydrate, like seriously, like like that stuff pays off so like those basic, like okay, self-care, take care of yourself, your health and all that stuff.
Austyn:But but kind of just do that daily do it daily and then find your own routine and just stick to it. Who?
J.R.:would you call successful and how do you define success?
Austyn:I don't know if that's the right order, but yeah, I mean I think we talked about it like when I was thinking about this question I'm like you know, I can't pinpoint any person. I mean, you know I can think of celebrities, or even like people we know. But I'm like, if you know what you want and like know where you're going, and like you set out and accomplish that goal, I think you're successful on whatever goal that is, on whatever level. That is Like I admire that because I think that's what I also want too, and like I think people would look at me and say I'm successful, which is cool and I appreciate it. But I'm like you know, if you just like know exactly what you want and nothing stops you from getting that, then I think that's really cool and that's a success.
J.R.:Yeah, I love that. Is there anyone that comes to mind that you can say like oh, I think this person, I think they are successful because they do all those things, or celebrity, or a person you know, is anyone that comes to mind?
Austyn:I think there are like people in our lives uh, like people on our dance team who are very much still students, and like working towards something. And I guess the distinction I also want to make is like it's not necessarily that like, okay, you pursue that thing, you got it. It's like the successful part is you still working towards that, even if you haven't gotten there yet. I think that's what people forget a lot of the times, even myself. It's like, okay, maybe you, maybe not, won't you? Maybe you won't be that like that doctor, but like if you keep striving towards it, kudos to you and you never give up. And if that's what you still want to do, sure you could totally pivot if you want. But again, I think it's successful to keep working towards your dreams. So I'm thinking about all those little pre-meds on our team.
J.R.:Yeah, exactly, they're like I got to study. Yeah, yeah, I totally agree with that. I think it's the, the process, the journey that's the most valuable. You might not ever get to that destination, but I think there's something that's admirable about making that progress, because I think most people don't right like they might think they do, but I think the hard work is in the process. Yeah, um, I agree, it's like you could. You could just wake up tomorrow and be a millionaire. Are you successful? Like, did you work for it? Like what was the process? Did you change because of that? Um, I totally agree, uh, on that topic, if time and money weren't an obstacle, what would you be doing right now?
Austyn:again, just like singing and dancing to my heart's content on my own, producing my own content, or like teaching dance on the side, or just being a part of all the k-pop dance teams in la um more dancing yeah spending time with my cats, yeah, um adopting more cats.
J.R.:You're a cat daddy. Yeah, how do you spend most of your time?
Austyn:uh, unfortunately just work I. I do have workaholic tendencies as much as I like. Sometimes like hate what capitalism has done to our society and everything.
Austyn:But I'm just like such a workaholic and like I just love having my brain work on topics or solutions, so lately it's just been a lot of work. Summer is a busy season, especially after I took a step back dance. I haven't really found the right way to incorporate that back into my life. So right now it's just a lot of like dance, basic self-care, tiktok, social media, my cats, like I want to make more time for like something a little bit more fulfilling.
J.R.:All right. Last rapid fire question Favorite books, movies, videos, articles that you share the most or recommend the most um, I think in general anything by brené brown has been super impactful.
Austyn:Yeah, um, so she is a uh, you know, ted talker, psychologist, author, therapist, counselor or social worker excuse me, and she's just a great human being. And individual Shame research right, shame research, yeah, shame and vulnerability, and like again how that is actually the key to resilience and connection and coming back to each other as human beings, instead of like putting on a mask or putting on a persona, like it's those shame, vulnerability, failures that actually make us more human and grow. So, anything by her, her podcasts, her Netflix special Call to Courage I always rewatch that when I need like a pick-me-up or some inspiration, but….
J.R.:How many episodes is that? Is it like one season or is it like an ongoing?
Austyn:Her Netflix special is more just like a one-hour special, and then she has, I think, multiple podcasts too, Unlocking Us and Call to Courage or Dare to Lead, dare to Lead. Yeah, yeah, I gotta listen to it. Definitely recommend those.
J.R.:I read…. The most recent book I read for hers was… I want to say Atlas of the Heart.
Austyn:Have you heard of that one?
J.R.:Yeah, Actually, yeah, actually Shastri, and I read it. Well, it's for her book club. But plug to myself, marlionacruzcom, I do book summaries and I love that book. It took me a long time to get through, but have you read it? No, I haven't. It's like it defines the different emotions right, Like it's not just like the big four, like mad, sad, glad, afraid, afraid. There's like it's like a pie and there's like a little different segments and then splinters off and things. But the key takeaway that I got is that if you can identify those different emotions and like label them or like basically just identify them with these definitions, that's kind of hard to do. It's like am I mad? No, I'm actually a little bit more frustrated and disappointed. And then when that's the first step to identifying where you are and then to take yourself out of that and then to navigate those emotions where you are and then to take yourself out of that and then to navigate those emotions.
J.R.:But the first step that I took away is like the definition part of that. I was like, oh okay, so when I'm in this, when I'm in this mode of like, like I'm sad. I'm like no, I'm not sad, I'm just kind of like I don't know. Like just it feels like I lost something. That step first was an unlock for me, but it's very dense with information, so it's a good read, but it kind of takes a while to get through, but I highly recommend it.
Austyn:Oh, that's super interesting, um, because yeah, even in our like peer counseling which is like you're not actually like a licensed therapist in that moment, but a lot of it is really if someone's coming to you with a problem, yeah, talk about their feelings first and help them work through that and identifying what feeling yeah, because it could, it couldn't.
J.R.:It might not just be like anger, it could be something a little bit more specific to that, and then that can help you identify the cause of it but also navigate you through that. All right, any questions? What are you grateful for, austin?
Austyn:Just you know that, thinking about Maslow's hierarchy of needs, that most of my needs, or if not all, are being met. I'm just really grateful for that and having the privilege to work towards self-actualization.
J.R.:Or saying like I want to do something more fulfilling. Right, because not a lot of people get to do that opportunity, or not everyone does. Yeah, right, um, do you have any final ask of the audience?
Austyn:I mean, if you know me, reach out, let's grab food and hang out. I'm lonely, working from home all day uh and otherwise. If you don't know me, I mean you could follow me on social media. I mean all I do is just post the occasional cat video or dance video, but, um, that's kind of it. Otherwise, in your own lives, find community, make space and community for others.
J.R.:That's just my ask for everyone, nice so Austin is asking to find community with him, get food with him yes, please, I love food. It's the Taurus in me there you go um cool, so where can we find you? I know we'll have links to to everything that you want to share, but where can people find you?
Austyn:I mean, I think the most public place is my Instagram, austin underscore, tacious, but again, not much on there right now. You're like it's there. If you want to reach out, go for it.
J.R.:Yeah, invite me out for food. Yes, well, cool. Thanks, austin, I really appreciate it conversation. I personally learned a lot, um, and so I guess just to sign off, you know. Thank you you guys for listening, uh, wherever you are. Hope you guys enjoyed it and learn something, um reminder to be kind to others and especially yourself. Uh, but also that there's always something that you can learn from someone. You just have to take the time to listen.
Austyn:So, um.
J.R.:Once again, thank you guys for tuning in.
