Rebuilding After Betrayal: Courtney Moeller’s Playbook for Financial Resilience

Episode Summary:

What do you do when a trusted partnership dissolves into a Ponzi scheme, risking investor capital and your own reputation? If you're Courtney Moeller, you dig deep, focus on solutions, and rebuild with even greater integrity and purpose.

This episode of Dragon’s Gold: The Magic of Mindset isn't just Courtney’s impressive journey from U.S. Navy veteran to the founder of Elaio Energy; it's a powerful testament to resilience in the face of betrayal and the unwavering pursuit of a "billion dollar mission" to save investors from the IRS. Courtney opens up about the gut-wrenching experience of navigating financial devastation, the lessons learned, and the mindset that helped her not only recover but also empower countless others in the world of oil and gas investing.

Key Themes:

• Rebuilding Trust & Integrity After Financial Betrayal
• The Untapped Tax Advantages of Oil & Gas Investing
• Thriving as a Woman in Male-Dominated Industries
• From Inheriting a Business to a Billion-Dollar Vision
• The Power of Mentorship and Solution-Oriented Thinking
• Defining Success: Beyond the Balance Sheet to True Happiness

What You’ll Learn:

• Courtney’s playbook for turning devastating setbacks into powerful comebacks.
• How oil and gas investments can offer unique tax shields and cash flow.
• Strategies for overcoming imposter syndrome and external negativity.
• The critical role of masterminds and choosing the right mentors for your journey.
• Why focusing on solutions, not just problems, is a game-changer for entrepreneurs.
• How to align your business with your core values and definition of a fulfilling life.

Tools & Weapons Mentioned:

• Solution-Oriented Mindset: Courtney's core philosophy for tackling challenges and focusing on positive outcomes.
• The Gap and the Gain (Book): Instrumental in navigating entrepreneurship and finding positives in every situation.
• The GoGiver (Book): Influences her approach to business, emphasizing providing value and education.
• Goal Setting Retreats & Vision Boards: Powerful tools Courtney uses for reflection, tracking, and visualizing success.
• Masterminds (Kyle Wilson's, Hunter Thompson's): Her strategy for surrounding herself with high-level mentors for support and growth.
• Oil & Gas Investing: Her chosen vehicle for building wealth, offering significant tax advantages and cash flow.

About Gold Dragon Investments:
At Gold Dragon Investments, our mission is to bring joy to others by helping them win the game of investing — helping every client become the hero of their financial journey. We believe that wealth is a tool, but joy is the ultimate outcome.
Through meaningful partnerships, we strive to empower our investors to create freedom, and build lasting legacies of purpose, fulfillment, and wealth.

Join Us on the Adventure:

• Website: https://golddragoninvestments.com
  
  
• Schedule a Call

Chapters

• 0:43 Welcoming Courtney Moeller to Dragon's Gold
• 1:08 Courtney's Origin: West Texas, Oil & Gas Roots, and an Early Entrepreneurial Spirit
• 1:59 Meeting Robert Kiyosaki & Discovering Syndication
• 3:10 Talk About a BHAG! Courtney's Aiming to Keep $1B from the IRS
• 3:56 Service as a Core Value: Lessons from Nursing to Investing
• 5:35 The Gauntlet: Navigating Male-Dominated Industries (Navy Avionics & Oil/Gas)
• 7:04 Confronting Imposter Syndrome in High-Level Masterminds
• 7:47 You Don't Go It Alone: Courtney's Fellowship of Mentors
• 10:46 The Gap and the Gain
• 13:16 Redefining Success: "Comparison is the Killer of Joy"
• 14:00 Generational Lessons: Her Son's Whiteboard & Learning About Depreciation
• 16:24 Visualizing Goals & The Power of Gratitude
• 18:33 Her Darkest Hour: Navigating the Fallout of a Ponzi Scheme
• 23:48 How She Flipped the Script with a Solution Focus
• 25:00 Why Failure is Just a Stepping Stone to Strength
• 27:24 More Than Money – It's Tax Savings & Inspiring Family
• 30:46 The Hall of Heroes: What Courtney Wants Her Legacy to Be
• 31:52 What's the Next Quest? Big Plans for Oil, Education, and Family Time
• 38:40 If You Could Be Any Mythical Creature…
• 39:27 Final Reflections

Transcript

0:43

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome once again to another episode of Dragon's Gold, the magic of mindset. Today we have the pleasure of having the founder of Elaio Energy, Courtney Mohler. Courtney, welcome to the show. thank you so much for having me. It's such an honor. My pleasure. And it's gonna be great to share your story with the listeners. And so to that point, let's dive in. What is the origin story? How did it all begin for Courtney? my gosh, that's such a good question. I always tell everybody I could never figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. And so, and even as an adult, but you know, gosh, I've, I've done a little bit of everything. I, I was a nurse, I was in the Navy. Um, I've waited tables. I've, done, I've done travel, all kinds of things, but gosh, my parents, I'm originally from West Texas, Midland, Texas, which is right smack dab in the middle of the Permian Basin, which is one of the or it has the number one oil producing field in the United States. And my dad was a petroleum engineer, my brother drilled oil, my uncle had or has a well servicing company. And so we have drilled oil all over the world in Abu Dhabi and Pakistan and Jakarta. And I never thought that I would be involved in oil and gas, but I inherited my dad's company about 13 years ago. And I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit about me. I've always I don't want to say I was defiant, but you know, I don't like being told what to do. I, you know, I've got my own ideas and the way that I like to do things. And so I knew I was going to be my own boss and that oil and gas company, you know, let me, let me pause real quick. About four years ago, I was introduced to syndication and I was asked to come and speak at a conference. And they were like, we want you to come do a panel on what is money. I was very involved in blockchain and crypto at the time. And they were like, we want you to do a panel with Robert Kiyosaki and G. Edward Griffin and Peter Schiff. And I'm like, okay, sure. And I didn't know who any of these people were. And so I'm Googling them. And then I thought, my gosh, like this is really intimidating. And I had never been to an investment conference. I hadn't spoken in front of people since high school, which was, I mean, only like two years ago, but it's been a hot minute. And so they were like, nope, it's going to be fine. You're going to do great. And I went and it was it was amazing. I will never forget. I will never forget that panel and that interview. It was a really amazing experience. But it was that conference where I learned about syndication and how people were pooling money together to buy assets. And I thought, man, I'm a pretty smart girl. Like, how have I never figured this out on my own? And coming from the oil and gas space, You know, the tax benefits are amazing. The cashflow is amazing. And that pairs so well with real estate and other asset classes. I just thought, you know, how can I figure out how, how to bring this asset class to people? And so, you know, that set me down that journey here several years ago. So I thought, I thought it was so great that I had inherited my dad's company and we continued to drill throughout West Texas. But really it's funny. My, my story's morphed and changed a little bit because initially I was trying to. build something and impact my family. And then it was like, man, this is awesome. I can help my friends and my neighbors. And then it was like, I want to change the world. And my big, hairy, audacious goal is to keep a billion dollars out of the hands of the IRS. so. What an incredible goal and I'm right there with you. That's amazing. so yeah, so that's kind of a very, quick synopsis of where I started and where I am now. Courtney, think that's amazing. And when you talk about the tax, it's not just about what you make, it's about what you keep, right? Something that you said that really struck a chord with me in regards to being a nurse and being in the Navy, thank you for your service, and being a waitress or a server, it really boils down to that is the idea about service, right? And how much we can help people and how much we can gain from the experience. when we help people. I mean, talk about the idea about syndications, right, and not knowing about it, but then finding out and you don't know what you don't know. Right. And I think Maya Angelou says, when you know better, do better. Right. And so when you find that out and you're able to then embark on this new adventure and you're able to grow and scale in a different way, taking what your father was able to produce and create and congratulations, kudos to him for the time, effort and energy. I'm certain it took to create that. but for you to take it on, right? And then to make it your own. That's an incredibly powerful thing. I'd love to know a little bit more about that. And the reason I say is, is along the way, the trials, the tribulations, the gauntlet that we run, I'm certain that in that, you must have come across many things that you didn't plan for or expect. What would you share with us are some of those things? gosh, well, okay, so that's a great question. And I've always had a heart to service others. I want to make a difference and I don't have all those answers yet, but we're figuring it out as we go. And it's good, I love that. I love impacting other people's lives in a good way, but man, it does not come without its challenges. I feel like every space I've ever been in has been very male dominated. know, nursing and real estate, not so much, but I was avionics in the Navy. So I worked on all of the electronics and the airplanes and I worked on F-18s and I was in a shop with 85 men and Courtney. But I was very good at it. I enjoy those situations. Oil and gas is a very male dominated space. A lot of investing is, there's a lot more women in there, but a lot of rooms, I end up being the only female in the room and that's okay, but it does come with challenges. I was at an oil and gas conference about three weeks ago and I was standing in a circle of gentlemen and one of them looked over at me and he was like, oh, I can see that your eyes are rolling back in your head. Don't worry. That happens to my wife and my daughter all the time. And it just... It's infuriating, but you know, it is what it is. And I kind of bit back at him because I'm not going to tolerate that, but I did it a respectful way. But you know, that's, it's a challenge. It's something that, you know, has to be overcome. You know, they're always like, there's this woman and you know, what does she know about oil and gas? And that's okay. That's okay. I think once people have those conversations, they know that I know what I'm talking about. And even just entering the syndication space. I will never forget the very first mastermind that I joined. I joined this inner circle and we got into the room and there's about 20 of us and I'm listening to what these people are working on and their accomplishments and I'm just getting started and I think that's probably something that we're all guilty of. We compare our beginnings or where we are right now to everybody's like success stories and I'm just sitting there listening to what these people are doing and my first thought was how the heck did I even end up in this room? And then like, do I deserve to be in this room? Should I even be here? You you go through all of these, you know, mental challenges and struggles, and then you get these ideas and you're like, gosh, can I even do that? And you know, I wrestle with limiting beliefs. I think everybody does. I don't, I don't know, but you know, just the being a female in male spaces, you know, overcoming the limiting beliefs are probably two of the things I can. think of that I deal with the most and regularly. Courtney, thank you for that perspective and insight. And I think there's so much value in what you've said here. One of the things being being underestimated, right? I think that when you're underestimated, frankly, I think it puts you in a very powerful position. It may not always feel that way, but it really, people don't expect you. So when you come out clawing, scratching and right, like fighting tooth and nail, like it's, they're not prepared for it, right? And maybe that's the appropriate or inappropriate analogy, but it's what I picture in my mind. recognizing that it also helps to build. actually exact. had never phrased it like that, but that's it's actually perfect. And part of it too is that it helps to build your resiliency, Like pressure makes diamonds. And when you're in a situation like that, you're gonna get crushed, right? Or you're gonna become that diamond and it allows you to shine even brighter. So Courtney, when we talk about these journeys that we go on and this journey that you're experiencing so often, we don't go alone, right? It's not a straight line. And there are people that come along in the process. right? Whether it be people that have helped us and lifted us up or whether that are along the journey with us or people that we bring up in that journey, who are some mentors or allies, people that have helped you along the way. Oh, that's such a good question because Jim Rohn said you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. And, a couple of years ago, I had some really tough stuff that I went through and, we'll come back to that. But those people and I'm very intentional about who I spend my time with. You know, several years ago, I really didn't understand the importance of who we surround ourselves with, but it really does matter. And It matters a whole lot more when you're going through the tough stuff than it does when everything's great. The tough times is where that diamond's being made, that pressure is on, but that's really when you see who's in your corner and those people that you've latched onto really kind of come through for you in a big way. And I experienced that firsthand. But a friend of mine, Kyle Wilson, he was the founder of Jim Rohn. He's actually the gentleman that I've gotten to do some of these books with. He, his mastermind is all about mindset and who you surround yourself with. And I'm in several masterminds. I called myself a little bit of a mastermind junkie at one point in time, but you know, I joined and I joined at the top level because I want to be surrounded by people that are doing big things. I don't want to be the smartest one in the room. I want to be surrounded by people that are implementing things. I want to know what struggles they're going through. How did they overcome them? How are they tackling different things? And the people that are doing that, I wanna latch onto the people, and I think this is really important, that are doing better than I am. I have found some of the mentorships and groups out there, the people that are providing the coaching, maybe they've never even done a syndication, but they've got a syndication group. you know, things like that. Like they need to be doing what they're preaching. And so I didn't even think to ask that when I first started joining these groups, but you know, Kyle Wilson's been really great. Hunter Thompson really helped me get through at a time when I was at my lowest him and a gentleman named Michael Flight. You know, these were guys, they were like Courtney, you can't quit. Cause I almost quit. was almost like, I'm done with this. I'm out. But those people and even books, there's a book called the gap and the gain. that it was so instrumental to me. It's something like I have it on audio or audible and I listen to it all the time because every situation, whether it's a positive situation or a negative situation, there are positive things to glean from everything. And some things I think there's never gonna be something good out of this, but I can actually look back and be like, you know what, I'm thankful now that that happened because it carved in. created who I am today and I'm thankful for those lessons. I wouldn't demand what I demand now had I not gone through it. I didn't see it at the time because I was hurt and struggling. But that gap in the game book was very powerful me and then like I said people like Hunter and my Michael Flight and you know Kyle Wilson it's mindset matters and your people matter. Absolutely. I mean, that's really the entire reason for this podcast is to share the stories and the mindset that we have achieved through that gauntlet, right through the crucible of challenge you talk about being in these rooms with people in these masterminds and sometimes wondering like, what am I doing here? I in the right space? And I think about the idea of imposter syndrome so often, especially when we're in that we don't feel like we have achieved the success that these other people have, et cetera. But the reality is, is that doesn't matter. You're running your own race. Right, this is you versus you, and are you better today than you were yesterday? Right, and if you're constantly making that forward growth and working hard to achieve that and recognizing that as a human, we're going to make mistakes, we're gonna fall, but how do you pick yourself back up and what's the mentality that you have? What's the mindset that you use to push yourself through? I think that's where the real gold is. It is, and you know, this is something that I even teach my kids that, you know, comparison is the killer of joy. And just like I was saying earlier, and this is really why I really stay off of social media. You know, everybody's showing the best versions of everything. Some of that stuff is false, and we're taking whatever hardships we're going through and comparing it to a potentially false version of the best of somebody else's life. And it just, it will tear you down and you can't do that. And you know, I started doing a goal setting retreat several years ago and that's been very powerful. And actually what's even, I mean, you've got to set the goals, but at the end of the year, sitting down and writing out, you know, what you did accomplish and looking back at what you had set to where you are now, maybe I don't always reach all of my goals. Sometimes, a lot of times I find I exceed them. Some of them I don't reach, but man. If I hadn't even set them, I wouldn't have gotten any of it done. And it's always, I'm always mind blown when I go back and reflect on what I accomplished. And I'm like, holy cow, this is amazing. And yeah, I don't compare myself as long as I'm getting better and I am pushing and striving towards my goals. I'm happy with that. And I think that is something that. You know, society tells us what success is and what happiness is. I think it's really important. And this is something I've, you know, I've got an 18 year old and I'm like, look kid, you know, they tell us we've got to go to school and get a good job and, you know, climb the corporate ladder. But I said, but at the end of the day, you need to sit down and figure out what happiness means to you and what success means to you. And you need to go after that and don't let anybody else dictate what that is going to look like. That's amazing. Good job, mom. That's amazing. that, especially with youth, right? I have three children myself. One's in college, one's in high school, and one's just finishing elementary school. And I think about each of them is in a different place in their journey, right? Just as we are in our own. And when we try to impart the lessons to them that, and of course they don't always listen, right? But they hear it. They hear it and the hope is that it comes back up and they're able to do something with it later, right? So all we can do is keep laying the great foundation. is keep laying the great foundation. and grabbing more than we think they are. will tell you, I've got a giant whiteboard. I love to create vision boards and write my goals down. And I talk about them all the time. Well, my 16 year old, is a baseball player. He's so good. He loves it. He asked me about, I don't know, six or nine months ago for his own whiteboard. And he's got a whiteboard in his room with all of his goals on it. And I love that. Even my 18 year old came in the other day, I was working on a new deal and he was like, so mom, he was like, how much depreciation is this deal passing on? And I was like, what, what just happened? And so, when those little beams of light come shining through, it makes you feel good. And you're like, okay, we're heading down the right path. Because raising kids is hard. You're just like, I ruining my kids? Am I showing them the right stuff? And I think there's no manual, but both. Yeah. lot of these things that, I didn't even figure this stuff out till I was in my 40s. It was so much later in life. I didn't have my parents talking about setting goals and mindset and things like that. And so want to kind of break that brokenness and make sure all of these things I'm learning and implementing, I'm passing that along to my kids and they... that's something that they do for the rest of their lives and, teach their kids the same thing as well. Courtney, I think it's so incredible. Like you made me think of Ed Mylett, right? Being the one, right? The one who breaks that mold, who changes it. And I agree, I didn't have anybody who taught me any of this growing up. And the school of Hard Knocks is a good teacher. Being able to pave that way and teach your children those lessons, whether they do anything with it has to be their choice. It's their journey, right? But we lay a good foundation to try and help them along the way, right? To be that guide. I think guiding, much like you mentioned with goals, right? Goals are so important to have because it's a target to aim for. Whether you hit it or not or exceed it, the idea is it gives you a direction, right? And not only that, but there's just something very powerful. Like I write my goals down and I think about them every day and not just think about them, but I visualize them like they have already happened and what that's gonna feel like. there's just, tying that in when you do that, there's some kind of like brain chemistry or something that happens in your body that helps to make that stuff happen. It's very, very powerful. I agree. And I think it's something that if anyone, there's so many resources and books and we'll talk actually about tools and weapons. You've talked about a couple so far, the gap and the gain, right? Fantastic book. I'm actually gonna lead into that now, if I may. If you were to share resources, tools, weapons, things that have helped you along in your journey, what would you share that's been inspirational to you? Yeah, well, the gap and the gain and I mean, you know, we talked about that already. I will tell you, entrepreneurship is in running your own business. know, everybody's, I had these visions of, I'm gonna create this business and it's just gonna be this amazing, you know, we're gonna just, it's gonna be this high life and awesome. And it's like this giant roller coaster of crazy emotions and stress and up times and down times. And so that book was really instrumental in helping me kind of navigate that. I recommend everybody read that. But also things like the GoGiver, know, Bogberg's GoGiver book. You know, I want to give back. how I'm always thinking about, I doing enough for other people? Am I providing enough education? know, what's another way that I can provide value to others? And I think at the end of the day, when people think about me, I want them to be like, she was always, you know, giving that's, I want to do that. And I want my kids to do that. I think we're put on earth. We're supposed to love each other and take care of each other. I don't know how to go build a house with my hands, but I can definitely provide education and the things that I've learned and the hard things. And so, gosh, books. What would the Rockefellers do? That book I read actually relatively recently and it's one of those books that I wish that I had read back in my twenties. You know, we're implementing those things now, but I wish, you know, it would have been, you know, the best time to plant a tree was a hundred years ago. The next best time is now, you know, I so wish some of these things I could have learned, but that's okay. We're going to, I'm going to learn it. I'm going to teach it. I'm going to teach my kids and we're going to, we're going to change the trajectory of our family for generations. And so. Yeah, I would say those are probably my three biggest ones. There's a bunch in there. I'm a total book junkie, but those are probably the three biggest ones. I love it. Thank you for sharing those. oftentimes, always in our journey, there is a moment that we reflect on that. is called the darkest hour, a moment where it was so overwhelming that it was time to throw in the towel and quit because this is crazy that we're putting ourselves through this. Is there a moment in your life that was like that? And would you mind sharing it with our audience? No, I've never had that happen. Just kidding, just kidding. Okay, yes, so, you I shared at the beginning that, I didn't get into the syndication space until about four years ago. I'd been drilling my own wells and things like that for about 13 years, but got into this space that I'm in now four years ago. I got involved with the group that I thought was an amazing group and... It was really one of those situations where I got invited to this table with these amazing names and very famous people. And I thought, God, this is amazing. Like, how did I get invited to this table? I was so honored that I got invited to this table that I feel like maybe clouded some of my judgment, I guess you could say. So I was asked to participate in something that turned out to be a Ponzi scheme. And, you know, two years into that, And I won't go into the whole story, but there were some things that came to light where I started asking a bunch of questions. in March of 2023, I had opened up a deal for 5.2 or $5.4 million and raised it in like a day. It was crazy. And those questions came about and I'm so thankful every day that I listen to that because it... caused me to go down all of these rabbit holes and ask a lot of other questions. And fortunately, my oil and gas experience helped me to know what I should be looking for and asking for. And ultimately, they didn't get me what I needed. We terminated that $5 million deal, sent the investors their money back. And about five weeks later, I got a call from my attorney that that group had been raided by the FBI and the SEC. And so I... I knew it was coming because I had the research I had done over the course of that whole month of March. I mean, I have it's all very well documented. It was a lot. But I knew it was coming. I was hoping maybe it wasn't going to come, but it did. And so I was really thankful I sent that money back. But I had done. three $1.4 million deals for the same group before that. I think we had returned like $800,000, but you know, we were still several million dollars short. I had invested a lot of my own money, it's a lot of money and you know, legal docs and everything else. so you know, it's one thing to lose your own money. That's, that's awful. It's horrible. It's, it sucks to go through that. It is a whole nother thing to go through to lose somebody else's money and to be the person that was responsible for stewarding somebody else's capital and to have that happen. and then through that whole situation, the people that I was involved with that I loved so much, these were my friends, my neighbors, and come to find out that there's a lot of ethical questions involved in that too. And it was just like, it just crushed my soul. Cause you know, when I love people, I love them with my whole heart and just, so it was a really devastating time. And you know, I gained like 20 pounds and I was like, I am done. I cannot be responsible for, having impacted like this, you know, on somebody else. And this is where, you know, Michael Flight and you know, some of these people really stepped in cause I was like, I'm done. I cannot do this. And I was angry and I was mad and I was frustrated and it was just so many waves of emotions. I finally, Hunter was like, Courtney, this is impacting you so much because you care. Michael was even like, Courtney, if you didn't care, this would have just rolled on and you would have kept going. He said, but you're exactly the kind of person that needs to be doing stuff like this because you do care so much. And it's funny, I was... other people that were going through the same thing, was like cheerleading them on and I'm like, you're an amazing person, this is not a reflection of you and all these things and I finally had kind of a light bulb and I was like, man, I really need to take some of that advice in for myself and you know, I found that I was really, I was focused on the problem and what happened and I was in my own little pity, having my own little pity parties getting through that is hard and I think this is, something I really did wanna talk about because it's so easy to be positive and stay positive and focus on the good when everything's going right. It is really hard to focus on the good and stay positive when you are down in the trenches of the crap. Like, I mean, it really is. And that's when you need it, you know? And nobody, nobody... wants to stand on stage as a successful entrepreneur and talk about, I lost millions of dollars, I lost a ton of my own money. wants to hear that. I feel like nobody talks about it. And I ask people all the time, how did you get through the hard stuff? And I still don't hear a whole lot about it. But really, the thing that kind of sent me down a different path was I finally kind of woke up one day and I was like, okay. I am done living in this mindset and being angry and being frustrated. Like I'm done being here. I finally just made it up in my mind and said, I'm done. Like I don't want my kids to see me responding like this. Like I want them when they're going through hard times to be like, okay, this is how mom did it. And so I thought setting the wrong example to my kids. And so I thought, What do I do? And I thought, okay, all this has happened. How do I fix it? And once I went from focusing on what happened to how do I fix this is when everything changed. And it really just like, I have chills right now. It was like, it just infused like a direction and an answer and this fire in me to figure stuff out. And it gave me new life and it gave me new direction and desire and like, motivation to go get stuff done. and then just having, you know, really awesome people that I looked up to, to kind of come back in and reinforce some of the things and getting rid of the, crap, how could you do this to people? You know, getting all of that negativity out and, and filling it with, okay, this happened. How do we fix it? Where do we go from here? What's the solution? What's the answer? And that. that's what did it. And I actually, I wrote a whole chapter in this Lessons from Thought Leaders. Kyle was like, hey, do you wanna be a part of this book? I think your journey is really powerful. And I was like, yeah, let's do it. And when he's asked me to do this stuff, I'm like, I am not an author. I am not eloquent with my words, but I just thought, I'm gonna throw down those thoughts and share them. Because I think people need to talk about that more. It's hard, it's so hard. And I almost quit. and I didn't let it take me down. And I've always, I'm sorry, I've always wanted to come up with a new definition of failure. Cause I think failure is such a, I'd love to just scratch it because you know what? You're only a failure. You know, I see that as a failure, but I think that's wrong. You know, if you look back or talk to other people, that would be considered, you know, that time and what happened was a failure. But at the end of the day, It was something really awful that I went through, but there were really great lessons that I gleaned from that. And it carved me into who I am and how I do deals and how I do business now. And I am so thankful for that experience because had I not gone through it, you know, when I first got into here, there were some things I was like, oh, you know, I'm new to this and you know, should I get to ask that? And you know, it's like asking. the president, you know, questioning what he's doing. And it's like, who am I to question the president? Or, you know, I'm just using that as an example. And I didn't, I didn't feel like I had the right, I guess, to maybe question things. And now it has made it to where I'm going to need A, B, D, and E. And if you can't provide it to me, we are doing business together, you know? And so I'm very thankful for it because like I said, it's changed. And I know I've just spit a whole lot of information at you in a short time period, but. So powerful, Courtney. I love it. And when you were talking about that, at the end there, it made me think that failure is foundation, right? It's what lays the groundwork. It's what we build upon. And the only time you really fail, if you would, is when you quit, I think that that story is incredibly inspirational on so many levels, because not only did you You felt it right emotionally because you care because you have a big heart right and and in so many things We've already talked about like how focused you are on service for your friends for your family and for yourself ultimately That growth that comes from it so hard to see the forest through the trees when you're in it to see the lesson that it is is very difficult but the consistent Focus the the where attention goes energy flows. When you switched your mindset to start focusing on the solution, not the problem, Like you said, it's invigorating, it's empowering, it's energizing. You find this fuel, this passion, this fire that helps you to, to overcome those obstacles. And then you bring people along with you, right? And you pave this path and, ultimately then everybody wins. Or I should say maybe more accurately, able to lay that foundation for growth something that no one can take from you. Even if they take all your money, all your assets, et cetera, no one can take that mindset from you. And that is why the most affluent individuals from a monetary standpoint can lose everything and come back even stronger. because it was all the lessons that they learned along the way that really is what the magic was. That was the gold, right? at 100 % and it's one of those things where I thought, it really sucks. same year, that entire group, every dollar I invested with the people in that group lost, it's unfortunate. It was a really big financial hit. You know, talk about hard knocks, but at the end of the day, can go make more money. My relationships with my investors and my relationships with other people, those are the things that I want to nurture and protect. the money, we can always go make more money, but there's so much more in those relationships and everything else. And it's powerful. I agree completely. spoken of a few things on this already, but I call this the dragon's gold, the achievements, the accolades, the mindset that we achieve, the things that we gain, the successes from these experiences. Is there anything that you would share that you feel is dragon's gold in your life? my gosh, there's so much. I sit and think about, every night before I go to bed, I like to think about all of the things that happened during the day that I'm just so thankful for. I think it's really powerful to be grateful and thankful and to have a grateful heart. And that's the way I like to finish my day is just laying there thinking about all the things I'm so grateful for. And... even though, you know, there've been great times and tough times, that two year ago, tough time, you know, made me sit down and really go, okay, how do I do this better? How do I make this stronger? You know, what does that look like? And, you know, we rebranded and restarted and man, from that, you know, gosh, we've gone on. I actually just calculated it yesterday. In the last 15 months, I am about to hit $18 million that I have saved people from the IRS. That's a huge number. I'm really freaking proud of that. I didn't know it until yesterday, but that is gold. know, a lot of people that I find in our space, they want to talk about how their assets under management and, know, I'm buying this or buying that and that's really great. But I want to talk about how much I save people in taxes. you know, how much did I distribute back to them? And we're still working on some of those numbers. But when I saw that $18 million over this last 15 months, like I'm really proud of that. That's an amazing figure. And my goal is a billion. So I've got a I've got a lot of work to do. And we're putting things in place to scale out to $100 million this year, you know, in capital raised, which will turn into about $85 million kept out of the hands of the IRS. So I'm We're on track, we're doing it and I'm pretty pumped about it. So I would say that is all gold. And okay, these are two other just minimal things, but my two older kids are now full on working with me full time, which I'm super excited. My 30 year old, he'll be 30 in two weeks. He is like a content creator, videographer, and he is amazing. And he is really involved in the JDM, you know, car space. And so, This has allowed him to not only do stuff for me, but he's able to pursue some of these other things. I mean, he was just in this oil motor oil company flew him out to North Carolina on Monday to record some, you know, a video, make a commercial for a new product. And he's in California right now creating content for another influencer. And so it's really opened the door and he texted me the other day and he was like, mom, I just want to tell you. Thank you, know, thank you for, for doing this. I wouldn't have had, I wouldn't have been able to take advantage of any of these opportunities if it weren't for you and what you have created and what you have done. It's going to make me, it's making my eyes water. just being able to do that for him and then having my daughter come on with me all the time, because I want, I want to show my kids that they don't have to enter the rat race. There's different paths that they can go down. There's different things they can do. And I'm sorry, I don't know why my eyes are running, but to know that I've worked so hard and created what I've done and it's now, I'm able to impact my kids' lives in a different way, not just by providing them financial ways, but financial ways of doing things is important, but being able to open doors to them that they didn't have before is an amazing feeling. So incredible. And I had absolute goosebumps and chills when you said that. As a father myself, I recognize the feeling that that is, and I think it's priceless. We talk about gold, like unbelievable gold. Like that is worth everything right there. That moment, that phone call, like that's something that you will reflect on literally for the rest of your life, right? And that's amazing. So thinking about the rest of our lives and beyond the legacy. I call this the Hall of Heroes, If there was a giant statue of Courtney Muller and it had a plaque on there that said anything you want, what would you want people to know about you? What would you want it to say? Oh gosh, you know, it's funny in that goal retreat, we had to write our obituary, which was kind of a crazy thing. And then, you know, one of the other questions was, if we ask people about you, what are they going to say about you? And, you know, I thought that's really hard. I don't know. Like I know what I'd like for them to say, but man, I want people. It would say that Courtney is full of, she's very authentic and she is full of integrity and she is a lot of fun. I love that. That is so cool. I would say from our interactions, I would totally agree with that statement. So thank you. Thank you for being an amazing human. Like I'd love to say that everyone is. Unfortunately, not everyone is. And so it's nice when you meet a really awesome one. So thank you for being a great human and thanks for helping to share that, right? And bringing up that next generation to do the same. Thank you for that. Cause it's, I'm just going to add this one little thing. It's funny. I have all of these people that I look up to and think that are amazing. And then when I have somebody, they're like, you're amazing. And it's like, it's funny because there are people that look up to me the same way that I look up to others. And that's such an odd, it's such a weird, like I never thought that would happen. And it wasn't something I was striving for, but it also feels good, especially when you're impacting others in a positive way. Yes, absolutely. Well, what's next? What's the next quest for Courtney Moller Yeah, no, I, you know, we are really working on big oil and gas deals. You know, I want to help people create monthly cashflow and, you know, save them. I don't want them to have to pay the IRS. I want them to be able to use that money to build wealth faster. So I'm, I'm working on an oil and gas book and courses and, talking to some other people about, how can we potentially create some education for kids? cause I think it, it needs to start much earlier. So lots of oil and gas and lots of education and lots of baseball because my base, my, my 16 year old is amazing. He is getting invited to things by MLB scouts and it's such an incredible journey. we, if I'm not, if I'm not oil and gas and I'm, I'm baseballing. I love it. I love it. So I've got one question left and it is, in my opinion, the most important question I'm going to ask you here. I'm slightly biased, but if you could be any mythical creature, what would you be and why? that's good question. Okay, well I would be a dragon, of course. I mean, is there another choice? mean, first of all, I was born in 76, so I am a year of the dragon, so I feel like it's just a natural fit. But you know, when I think about dragons, um... Dragons are powerful and they're mythical and there's this mystique about them and they can fly. Flying is amazing. And so nobody can take them down. And I feel like I am that dragon. I am not going to let anybody take me down and they're resilient. And yeah, I definitely, I'm gonna say I'm gonna go with dragon. That's it. I love it. mean, granted, I'm slightly biased, but I think that's a wonderful answer. yeah. Courtney, I'm really grateful you spent the time today here with us and able to share such inspiration and lessons. Your stories were incredible and I'm grateful for you coming on today. I'm grateful for you having me as a guest. I hope that there's some kind of nugget that somebody can glean and it makes a difference for them. So thank you. My pleasure. My friends, thank you for joining us once again on our quest to inspire, educate, and empower you to turn your dreams into reality, one mindset shift at a time. We'll see you next time.