White Fence Living
"White Fence Living: Real stories from New Albany, Ohio, hosted by a local dad, youth sports coach and community member. From community leaders to everyday voices, we share what makes 43054 tick—with a history sprinkle, no politics. Uncurated chats over the white fences."
White Fence Living
Finding Community: From Madrid to New Albany
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Katie's journey between Madrid and Columbus reveals the profound ways living abroad shapes your perspective on community, work, and what truly matters in life.
After falling in love with Spain during a high school language program, Katie built a relationship with the country that spanned years, eventually living in Madrid while working remotely for a Texas-based insurance startup serving Hispanic communities. Working East Coast hours from Spain meant functioning from 3 PM to midnight local time – a schedule that, while worth it initially, eventually highlighted the challenge of building meaningful connections when your rhythms are out of sync with everyone around you.
Now settled in New Albany, Katie has created a life that blends her international perspective with Midwestern community values. Working from BrickHouse Blue coworking space and teaching Legree fitness and yoga at a local studio, she's found the walkable neighborhood culture reminiscent of what she loved in Spain, while appreciating the logistical ease of life back in the States.
What makes Katie's story particularly remarkable is her kidney donation to her brother three years ago. Having watched him undergo dialysis and knowing the physical and mental challenges involved, she committed to a life-altering decision that gave her profound perspective on health and wellness. "The fact that your body can do all of this is incredible," she reflects, noting how her remaining kidney expanded by 70% to compensate for the donation – a powerful reminder that fitness isn't about aesthetics but capability and longevity.
From baking elaborate wedding cakes to churning her own butter, teaching fitness classes to managing finances for a growing startup, Katie embodies the rich possibilities that emerge when you embrace diverse experiences and communities. Her story reminds us that sometimes the path with more resistance leads to the most rewarding outcomes.
From Madrid to Columbus
Speaker 1Yeah, do we need to do anything else to get going or no, that's it.
Speaker 2We're recording. Oh, I didn't know. Okay, cool, yeah. So I feel like every podcast I try something different and I just came from youth football camp so I'm gross, dirty, I smell, and I wasn't going to set up two cameras, so we're just using one camera now and I'm actually recording the audio on that camera. Oh, okay, perfect. I typically have my laptop here and then it's like, but I think it's kind of I don't know, I end up with two recordings. Yeah, it's a little redundant.
Speaker 1Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2That's the word. So, Katie, thanks for coming on. I can't really welcome you to BrickHouse Blue. You were here first.
Speaker 1Yeah, and the desk right by the podcast.
Speaker 2Absolutely so. How long have you been at Burkhouse Blue?
Speaker 1I've been at this location since I moved back to the country in February, but previously I was staying with my parents for extensive time and would work out of the location in Dublin.
Speaker 2Nice and moved here from Madrid right.
Speaker 1Madrid, correct? Yes, so I was in Madrid for two years prior to moving back to Columbus. So I was in Columbus, moved to Madrid and then now I'm back.
Speaker 2Yeah, what were you doing there?
Speaker 1I was working first for a consulting firm and then I switched to a startup remotely, and so I was working for the startup from Spain, but it's Texas based, so I was able to do that, and also at the same time I had to work East Coast hours. I was working like 3 pm to midnight in Spain more or less, which was worth it for a time, but after a while I was really craving more community, because I had great friends and community there. But at the same time, when they're working, when I'm off and I'm working when they're off, it is hard to see people. Even Friday nights I was working till late, so it was hard to juggle.
Speaker 2Yeah, I was working till late so it was hard to juggle.
Speaker 1Yeah, I bet, I bet what did you like about it or not like about it About Spain. So my story with Spain goes back way further than the past two years, so I first went to Spain in 2011. Okay to learn Spanish for a month. So I did a Spanish program. I convinced my parents because I said I needed it for college applications. They're like Okay, but we've never been to Europe. But sure, we'll let you go for this month long program to learn Spanish if it'll help you get into a good college.
Speaker 1So meanwhile, I was a very type A driven student obsessed with getting into again a great university. And so I went to Spain and was just in complete shock by the difference in the style of life and the pace of life and went through that month living on the beach learning Spanish, I mean life was pretty good.
Speaker 2It was pretty good.
Speaker 1And I came back from that and told my parents I wanted to live in Spain forever and they were, like you need to chill out, like calm down. They kept joking like Summer of George from Seinfeld. They kept calling it the Summer of Katie.
Speaker 1And so they're like this was your summer, like get over it, like stop. And so I was like, oh well, how am I going to get back? I was trying to scheme all these different ways, and then that I went through my junior year of high school and then at the end of my junior year, my dad announced that we were moving to England.
Speaker 1So we moved around a lot when I was a kid lived in a lot of different places around the US but we had never lived abroad and he said we're moving to England. He actually told me right before I was going to prom, like literally before I was walking out the door. He said don't tell anyone because I haven't gotten to talk to your mom yet, but we're moving to England. And I was like about to cry in my dress, and so that was kind.
Speaker 1Instead of moving to England, I would really like to do an exchange program for a year in Spain, graduate technically from my high school in the U S in St Louis at the time. And so I convinced them to do that because I think they were just so overwhelmed in general they had never been to England before, so they were signing up to move there without ever having been, and so they're like you know what, whatever, and I was just a very headstrong child even at that age. So I went and lived with a family in Spain best family ever, the best thing that could have ever happened to me. It was four kids, but they were much older than me and so and the mom of the house was a widow, so she just was really looking for a lot of company and just treated me so well.
Speaker 1And then after that my parents were still living in England when I went off to college, and so every time I would go back to England to visit my parents during summer break and the holidays I would also go down to Spain to visit my host family, and so kept in contact with them that way and then studied abroad in Spain again in college just couldn't get enough. Had friends from high school that I was able to then meet up with in college, and so it was just a never ending story Went on to work after school and spent all my time saving up to get, then make it back to Spain, and all my friends were kind of just like okay, when are you going to get back here as a working adult?
Speaker 1And so when the opportunity arose in 2020, end of 2022, I jumped on it, yeah, and so that was kind of my story around Spain long winded, but it's been. It's been a beautiful relationship between Spain and me.
Speaker 2Do you think you'll go back?
Speaker 1Um, I have stopped making statements like that because, um, I have always loved Spain, as I mentioned, but I, after graduating, I went to Vanderbilt. After graduating from Vanderbilt, I said I'm moving to New York and I'm never living anywhere else, and so I made that very definitive statement and then I ended up really getting tired of it after three years and wanting a change. That was also January 2020, which was a very serendipitous time to decide to leave New York.
Spanish Connections and Adventures
Speaker 1And so my lease ended January 31st 2020. And I was said oh, I'll just stay with my parents until I figure out where I want to live. And then all my friends were also home with their parents, because it was the pandemic, so crazy times.
Speaker 1So I said I was always going to live in New York and then I moved back and I then was looking at moving to Spain and I said I'll always be in Spain. And then things happened, I decided to come back home. So I'm just kind of like you know, let's just see how it goes. But I mentioned I'm going back on Friday to visit and all of my friends there are conspiring to try to get me to move back and I just made this huge international move, which is stressful in many different ways.
Speaker 1So I'm like you know, I'd really rather not yeah.
Speaker 2Yeah, so, um, what, uh, what? What brought you to Brickhouse Blue? So you said that you work remotely. So how long have you been with the company? What do you do? And then what brought you here to Brickhouse? Because you're here independently, right? It's not like the company is here.
Speaker 1No, the company is not here. So the company that I work for is called Sigo Seguros. It's an insurance technology startup specifically for Hispanic working class and immigrant communities in Texas.
Speaker 2What's the name of it again?
Speaker 1SIGO, s-i-g-o, and then Seguros, which is insurance in Spanish. And so it helped also that I knew Spanish Of course.
Speaker 1So that was really nice and I had insurance experience previously from work I'd done at an insure tech actually here in town. So I got hired on with them and we are all remote. We get together for retreats like two, three times a year to see each other in person. But other than that, I love the flexibility of being able to work wherever. But that being said, I was missing out on community and really feeling lonely working from home, starting in Madrid. So then I started to go to a WeWork in Madrid and really enjoyed that experience, but at the same time I was still mostly there by myself because everyone would leave at like 6 pm.
Speaker 1That or all of them would have happy hour at the WeWork and I was just with my headphones on trying to have meetings, so I enjoyed that experience. So then I knew when I came back I wanted to have some sort of co-working experience. It just worked out that my parents live close to the other location in Dublin.
Speaker 1And then I was looking at where to move and then, apart from my Brickhouse Blue kind of decision of where I was going to work out of, I started working at a studio that just opened up here in New Albany called Soma Lab Fitness, and they're right down the road. So I was, I knew I was moving back to Columbus. I didn't know where in Columbus I wanted to live and I really had enjoyed working at a Brickhouse Blue. But I was kind of like, oh, maybe I'll move back downtown where I was before, maybe I'll live on the west side, like who's to say.
Speaker 1And then this opportunity arose with a former instructor of mine to teach Lagrian yoga at Soma Lab Fitness, and so I said, if I'm going to be teaching at the studio, I like new Albany a lot. I haven't spent that much time there, but I like what I know about it. I'm going to be working evenings and I don't really want to be fighting a ton of traffic. Like let me check out the area. And then I was speaking to the folks at Brickhouse Blue in Dublin and they said well, you know, we're opening up a location there. And so it just all kind of came together at the exact right time and I've been really happy here ever since.
Speaker 2So you came early when this opened, right Like right when it opened.
Speaker 1Yeah, pretty much. I remember I was here before the grand opening and it's really filled out, which is great to see. It was so fun. Yesterday we had a potluck and the kitchen was absolutely full. It was awesome.
Speaker 2Really. Yeah, it was really good.
Speaker 1I didn't win my dish didn't win. I'm not bitter about it.
Speaker 2What did you make?
Speaker 1I made Buffalo chicken dip oh man, yeah, I love Buffalo chicken. It's a staple, but I think I could have gotten a little more creative that would have given me some more points. We're going to have a rematch in August, though Nice.
Speaker 2Who won? So who or what won?
Speaker 1Dylan won with these no bake peanut butter chocolate bars. They were really good I mean kind of cheating. Yeah, dessert is cheating. That's how I feel as well. Um, and I'm more of a baker than a cook, than a chef, so if I would've known we were baking, like we would have had an actual match but um, yeah, and it was really fun. It's fun to see the place really filling up.
Speaker 2Yeah, I, uh, I saw the potluck and I was like, oh man, that'd be cool to come check out, but didn't. Didn't work out. So working out at Brickhouse Blue, but you're also doing. You said Legree, which is I have no idea what that is.
Speaker 1So Legree is a method started by Sebastian Legree, who used to be a Pilates instructor and then was kind of trying to blend Pilates principles, Because Pilates is based in roots in rehab for folks of all ages and all abilities and so it's got rehabilitation roots and he was teaching Pilates and finding that it wasn't challenging enough and people were not getting a true workout and so he wanted to blend Pilates with strength training principles. So he was inspired by the Pilates reformer. So it looks like Pilates if you would just look at the machine but, it's much more intense and really built on those strength training principles.
Speaker 1So I found that in 2021 and have been doing it ever since, both here and then I've done it in Madrid as well. So, yeah, I really enjoy it. It's a great workout. It's also low impact, which I think is very high intensity at the same time. So that's been cool, and I also teach yoga there, which I've been doing since 2021 as well.
Speaker 2Cool. Yeah, really nice. Yeah, I have not done yoga or lookery, kind of scared of it. Well, you got to come. I have a code for you.
Speaker 1It's not scary at all. We try to make it really not so intimidating. We also offer intro classes for people specifically who are new to the method. But yeah, I will say I always say this to new people, which I don't know if it's the best thing to say, but I just always like people to set their expectations that it's a lot at first. So you're gonna be a little confused. Everything has a name and the people that know the names who've been coming. You say wheelbarrow and they know exactly what they're supposed to do.
Speaker 1And you're like what are we gardening? Like I'm so confused. So like, if you have that level of expectation, then anything above that is just going to be icing on top. So I think that's definitely the way to come into it, but it's a really great workout.
Speaker 2Yeah, I highly recommend. Yeah, I should try it out. Um, and then you do a class like in here, right or or so, not just in the studio, but here at brick house blue.
Speaker 1Correct. So that was something that we wanted to offer to the folks at Brickhouse Blue, to kind of give a taste of what Soma Lab Fitness is by doing yoga in the Fillmore, so in the space that you can overlook the water here at.
Speaker 1Brickhouse Blue, which is really nice, and we try to make it a little more approachable. So, also in case folks want to go back to working afterwards I try not to have everybody sweating a ton. The room at Soma Lab Fitness is a heated heated room too, so it's a little different and so the intensity is definitely lower here. But it gives folks an, you know, kind of a preview. So you should definitely check that out. If you're intimidated by coming to the studio, starting at Brickhouse Blue is a good idea.
Speaker 2Yeah, and that room is awesome. We've talked I don't know how many times we've talked about her. Everybody that comes in here is like this is crazy it is crazy and it's just nice.
Speaker 1And then I'll use all this visualization of, like imagine your head and neck are a waterfall and the tension is just running off as you're forward, like you're in there, forward fold, like kind of bring the room in with the space. So it's fun.
Speaker 2Yeah, that'd be really cool. Yeah, um, well, so tell me more about you. Uh, you, so you, you, you live on this side of town. Now, right, what do you like to do around here? You've got a dog, right? That's about all I know about you, because I've seen your dog. Yeah, him, her.
Speaker 1So it's a girl. Her name's Sally.
Speaker 2Sally, that's right.
Speaker 1Her full name's Salticha, which means sausage in Spanish, and that's what they would call them. You know how we call them wiener dogs. They would call them perros. So like it was funny. I got her actually when I was living in New York and so it was funny there. And then in Spain people it'd be like having a dog named dog. They're like what are you like?
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1Like yeah, why? But um, she's the best. So I actually got her in 2018 and I was working in consulting, traveling every week, and I just kind of was like I'm one, a dog, I'm going to do it, and so she would come with me every week to the client site and she was kind of the mascot for whatever project team I was on for consulting.
Speaker 1So like for a while I was importing her to Canada every week because I had a project in Toronto. But um no, she's the best, she just goes with me everywhere. She moved with me then to Spain. She has traveled probably more than most people and now she's settled in New Albany and she loves her New Albany life.
Speaker 2That's awesome.
Speaker 1So what we like to do I mean we love to walk. All the trails around New Albany are just so nice and we live in a pretty walkable area, so that's great to be able to get out with her and then, apart from that, I'm at the studio six days a week. I'm working from Brickhouse Blue and when I'm not doing that, I love going around town trying out new restaurants in New Albany or around Columbus, and I've been trying to get more into tennis, so I used to play tennis a lot.
Speaker 1And so I'm getting back into that.
Speaker 2Not pickleball.
Speaker 1Everyone says pickleball.
Speaker 2Everybody's on it.
Speaker 1I really want to get more of the cardio. So the pickleball is great and I think it's awesome that people are, you know, kind of picking it up. But at the same time, I really love tennis and so I think both are fun to play with friends, and would probably get more friends to play with me if I suggested pickleball versus tennis.
Speaker 1But no, I've really, I've enjoyed picking that back up, and so that's been fun to do, and then I've been baking, as I mentioned. So so again, if the baking would have been the potluck I would have crushed it. But so I've always loved to bake and my mom is a really good baker. She actually used to sell her pumpkin rolls at a farmer's market like a local farmer's market not here in town again moved all over so but um.
Speaker 1so I've learned a lot from her and would bake a lot in Spain because I missed a lot of the US baked goods and like weren't, they weren't as right like you can just get like a sheet cake yeah, a lot of places that didn't taste the same so I was like again um bringing over like powdered sugar.
Speaker 2So it tasted like from home, which also looked a little suspect in my suitcase, but anywho um, but yeah.
Speaker 1So I was baking a lot in Spain for my Spanish friends. They, they loved everything that I would bake, and so I would try to bring it back here and stay in the habit of baking a ton. And so recently my friend had her bridal shower and I offered to bake like a tiered wedding cake for it.
Speaker 2Oh, wow.
Speaker 1And so the folks at Brickhouse Blue were loving that, because I was like it has to be perfect, so I was doing so many different test cakes that I was bringing in. I also didn't want this friend to find out because it was a surprise for her.
Speaker 2So you're bringing them in here?
Speaker 1Yeah, I was bringing them in here testing it out and they would give me feedback. I'm like no guys, I don't want you to just tell me these are all great, like I need specific feedback so I can get to the right recipe. And we got there, and then I made her cake and she was like I can't's keep telling me good stuff. But I think I baked a little too close to the sun, because now other people are reaching out asking if I can bake their cakes, which I would love to do and I want to do, but at the same time it just it takes a lot of time.
Speaker 2I can only imagine yeah, yeah, um, yeah, I've got. My wife loves to bake too. Actually, her and her mom are baking cookies right now for a wedding. Um, okay. I've joked about this on other episodes like from Northeast Ohio, youngstown. Every wedding has wedding like cookie tables.
Speaker 1Yeah, it's a big Italian thing, right, it is yeah.
Teaching Yoga and Legree Fitness
Speaker 2And uh, so that's what they're doing. They're baking, she's making Tadas.
Speaker 1Okay.
Speaker 2Uh, I don't. It's like a crumbly white I don't like them at all. You dip them in coffee.
Speaker 1I don't yeah, it's more like a breakfast cookie.
Speaker 2Yeah, I don't get them, but uh, so that's what they're making today. Um, it's cool. Uh, do you, do you get into baking like any kind of outside of like desserts? Do you do breads?
Speaker 1I've tried to get more into breads. I just had that's like kind of the phase two for me. Um, I feel like I'm picking up a lot of pandemic hobbies way late, so like I really, want to get into bread making and I also really want to, um, do needle pointing. So I guess like, yeah, it's like all these grandma hobbies that I'm starting to pick up but yeah, no, I definitely do.
Speaker 1Um, I've also randomly been like making a lot of butter and like buttermilk things, like churning my own butter, because I found out that you could churn butter in a kitchen and my brother was making so much fun of me for it and some of my parents, but I was like, no, it's just like if I have leftover cream that I want to use I'll make butter, and then I'll make biscuits from it and like nice, so it's fun, yeah.
Speaker 2Yeah, you're like homesteading, I know, but it's like so funny because it's completely opposite of my personality.
Speaker 1Otherwise, like head of finance at a startup. And then I'm just like turning butter, like what's happening, but I mean, I contain multitudes, I guess.
Speaker 2Oh, that's great, Really cool. What parks do you and Sally like to go to?
Speaker 1So she's got little legs, yeah, short legs, long body she doesn't make it that far yeah, yeah and like we can, like we have gone to bevelheimer a few times, um, but really we just kind of walk in the neighborhood. That's her thing, um, but she used to love good ale back in the day when we were living a kind of like victorian village, italian village area. But, um, I mean it's it's when I have to get in the car. At this point I've gotten so spoiled from living in europe and like being able to walk everywhere, like in spain.
Speaker 1I did not even have a car, so this has all been a bit of an adjustment getting back buying a car, getting used to driving again. So the idea of driving to take her to a park I'm just like oh yeah but like when we lived in spain, in madrid, we lived right by the huge park there El Retiro is the name of it and so, like there, I could also let her off leash and she would just run and it was really fun yeah.
Speaker 2What, uh, what are some similarities? Like, I'm just curious, like you love Spain. When you moved back here, what was it about new Albany? Like were there similarities? Were there, um, I guess what? What? Like lent that to new Albany.
Speaker 1I think that what I really appreciated about New Albany was the walkability of the downtown and, like the area where I live in, because I was used to again being able to walk places, and I think also I appreciated the strong community of New Albany specifically and Columbus and Ohio just in the sense because Spain is just such a more community-based culture than in the United States as a whole, stereotyping Like if a grandma in Spain sees you walking without a coat and it's cold outside, she's going to come up to you and say where's your coat?
Speaker 2And like give you shit for it.
Speaker 1So sorry, I don't know if I'm supposed to curse.
Speaker 2No, you can.
Speaker 1Okay, so like that is just something that you know. You always feel like people are looking out for you.
Speaker 1You always feel like there's community and people just make conversation with you, yeah, no matter what like, and so I do think that that is something that I've found a lot in the studio in New Albany has been a great community as well, like I mean, I don't think that people are just coming up and speaking to you on the street as much, but like a little wave here or there goes a long way. In Brickhouse Blue I find you know I've made great friends with the staff and then also people working at the space, so that's been nice, just like again creating that sense of community here that.
Speaker 1I had in Spain is really cool.
Speaker 2Yeah, it seems like post-COVID, like we're just not as friendly as we used to be.
Speaker 1I don't know. I feel like I learned from my parents to never like meet a stranger, and so I always would joke that my dad's best friend was the woman at the checkout at Lowe's.
Speaker 2Like, because like he would go to Lowe's a lot back in the day and he would always take us and she would know his whole life.
Speaker 1But my parents never met a stranger, and that was something that they really actually contrasting different countries?
Speaker 2they?
Speaker 1really struggled with going from the Midwest to England because, I mean, everyone in England is very friendly or very like, polite and sweet, but like they are very much focused on themselves, they're it's a little more like New York-esque vibes like not mean just like not open and warm in that way. And so my mom would try to, you know, have her friends at the grocery store at the checkout line, and everyone was just like okay hand me your milk, like I'm going to check that out now, Like yeah.
Speaker 1So I think that was a little more isolating for them, but it is cool, I will say it is special too. There's a lot of these in any of these countries where, if there's big expat communities, it's really special to be connected based on that too. So when I go back to Spain for this wedding that I have that I'm leaving for next week, I'll see a lot of my Spanish friends that are from high school and college and beyond, but then also I have a lot of friends that I made just from being part of the expat community and we're all very, very different people to be, honest.
Speaker 1But we're all brought together by the fact that we're in this kind of crazy experience, like and have, can share ideas, share advice. How do you do taxes in two countries? How do you find an English speaking doctor? Like all those things. It's it's pretty cool, yeah that. So what is what?
Speaker 2did you say expat, expat, expatriate? Oh, oh oh, I was gonna say wait, what is this? Um, uh, yeah, like I can't imagine, uh, living in a different country. Like I can't, I can't wrap my head around it. Like I barely know english learning. I know like 10 words in Spanish, like it's got to be a challenge. Like I know what it's like at a Mexican restaurant trying to order food, like it's that's. But I mean, obviously, knowing Spanish is probably the biggest obstacle to, like you know, going to another country. Being bilingual has got to be a, you know, huge advantage.
Working at Sigo Seguros Startup
Speaker 1It is, but it isn't, because, also, just like, things work differently and also it's, the people in Spain are very approachable, but anything that you have to do with the government is so, so difficult and convoluted. And so, just learning how to work different systems in different countries, and, oh, you needed to get a number. I grabbed my number, they called my number. Oh, you're here for the wrong thing. Oh, you don't have that specific document in two copies. You need to come back, like, just like very antiquated in the processes, and so that was something that I will not miss. Um, but that's the other thing. Is I? I think that was ultimately what caused me to move back is it is beautiful to have the experience of living in another country? Like, it's really awesome. I highly recommend it to anybody, but it's more work.
Speaker 1It's more work to, and it's just like anything else in life, like if you're going to take the path less traveled or the path that is more resistance, you're going to get more out of it, but you're also going to be having to put more in.
Speaker 1Like if you just stay on the path that's laid out for everyone, like, do this, do that, do that, stay in the same place, that's also great. But, like, if you're looking to do something else, you're going to have to make effort to get off of the path and to do something else. So, with that being said, I was loving the experience in Spain, but at the same time, I felt like I was half in, half out with my schedule and it's like okay, I'm doing all the hard stuff to be here. I'm dealing with visa renewals, oh, this certain card that I have to have in my wallet for the healthcare system. I got to renew that. Like doing all that, taxes, converting money, like all the things and I was not really fully getting all the benefits. So I'm like, you know, I could just be in Ohio.
Speaker 2Yeah, I could just be in Ohio.
Speaker 1I could just live an easier life. It live an easier life like it could still be very stimulating and interesting just like those logistics could be taken away.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, I hate going to the bmv, so that would drive me nuts. I don't even want to renew my license, although you can do it online now, so I don't mind it as much yeah, that that part is definitely a benefit.
Speaker 1Yeah, I, um, and all the things with moving back. We're just like getting a car all the things.
Speaker 2Yeah yeah, that's a lot, that's a lot.
Speaker 1A lot of adult things.
Speaker 2Yeah, so the startup that you're with now you said you're doing finance with them, correct. So what is the startup? What do they do? Yeah, tell me a little bit about them.
Speaker 1So Sego was started by our CEO, nestor, and then we have our co-founder, julio, as well. So they are both Latinos that had witnessed with their family and friends issues with getting car insurance at a fair price. So I don't know how technical you want to get with it, but basically if you or I were looking to go get car insurance making assumptions here but you could probably go online, put in your information, get a quote online and then get car insurance. That's what we call the standard channel. And then there's everything else that gets bucketed into non-standard. So that could be like DUI super expensive car or in the case of some folks who've just arrived to the country, they might not have a credit score. So because of that, they have to go through the non-standard channel, which typically means going through an agent.
Speaker 1A lot of times agents I mean some agents are great, don't get me wrong but a lot of times that comes with a lot more fees, and then if someone's new to the country, they'll slap on a very hefty surcharge, unfair pricing. And so our Nestor was seeing this with his aunt, for example. She had a great driving record and she was just getting these crazy high premiums and he was very confused about it. So that was kind of prompting him to think about if there could be a digital option in Spanish to help these folks. And then, at the same time, he was noticing that there was a ton of private equity roll-up of agencies with Spanish names, because others were finding this out as well. Within non-standard auto, it tends to be a more profitable segment as well, and so the idea is fair price. We don't use credit score to rate to give you a price, and we do it all online. So you don't have to go to an agent, you don't have to pay the agency fees, and so it's been really successful.
Speaker 1We only sell in Texas right now, but we feel like we have a great population just in Texas to be able to target. But we're hoping to expand to other states and, yeah, I've really enjoyed the work at the company. So I actually came in not as head of finance but as Nestor, our CEO's chief of staff.
Speaker 2Oh, okay.
Speaker 1Based on my experience in management strategy consulting, it kind of made sense. So chief of staff everywhere looks a little different. But Nestor has been so gracious and he really just allows me to come along with him on everything from fundraising we raised our series A while I was his chief of staff to investor relations, to board meeting prep, to the financials, to the model everything that the company does. I was seeing him do it and then trying to take things off of his plate Like my mandate was basically like make his life as easy as possible.
Speaker 1And so that could look like helping with the model. Or it could also be like oh, who does our expense reimbursement? He's like, well, I do it.
Speaker 2I'm like no now I do it Like we're not doing that Like.
Speaker 1the CEO cannot be doing that Like.
Speaker 1I do, we're not doing that the CEO cannot be doing that. Give that stuff to me and then planning the retreats for the company. So I then got more and more into the finance realm. That was always positioned as a temporary position, and then he said that the position of chief of staff was like 18 months to 24 months and then I would move into a leadership role in the area of the company that it made most sense. And finance was really like what made the most sense for me. I had had an FP&A role previously and so that's where I kind of shifted. But it's a startup right. So who was going to take on all that work that I was doing previously, like it wasn't going to go back on Nestor's plate, because Nestor also has like a ton of other work?
Speaker 1to do, and so I still do a lot of that. Which of other work to do, um? And so I still do a lot of that, which I actually really, really enjoy, because there's so much variety in my job and I get to have a finger on the pulse of everything happening at the company, which I think is super valuable for helping the company to grow, but also in the future, like I do, have entrepreneurial ambitions so I'm getting the best bootcamp for that right now.
Speaker 2For sure. It's such a cool, startups are such a cool process, yeah, and then yeah, to get to a point where you're actually raising funds and like it's like wow, this is real, this is going.
Speaker 1Yeah, and I had that experience also when I was at Beam Benefits here in town so they were previously called Beam Dental Drive Capital in town invested and a few other local investors. But then they've also raised quite a bit of money outside of the Columbus area as well, and so I was with them for their series I believe E&F and helped with that, but it was a much bigger team and it's just interesting to see, like, as the company grows, how the fundraising process gets more and more intense, because the check sizes are much bigger, it gets bigger.
Speaker 1But yeah, no, it's really cool, it's been an awesome experience, and we also have great investors that have provided us a bunch of guidance and they also host a bunch of events um with the portfolio companies, so getting to interact with our other portfolio companies is really cool as well.
Speaker 2Yeah, that is kind of neat. I never really thought about that with with private equity, like yeah, the companies being able to kind of like again be part of community, communicate with each other, and yeah, that's pretty interesting.
Speaker 1Yeah, it's funny. Actually, last week I was in Chicago for one of our investors events and it was all founders and there were different discussions on how and really breakout sessions where the founders were just sharing with each other how they're leveraging AI, how they're dealing, depending on the industry, with tariffs and just different geopolitical strategies that folks are executing, like all knowledge sharing and just coming together with the basic idea of working together to make the entire portfolio more successful, which I think people think of venture capital as just coming in, giving money and taking over control, which it can certainly be that way, depending on the, the actual firm.
Speaker 1But like that's not been my experience. We have great investors.
Speaker 2That's pretty cool. Like what does the portfolio look like? Is it a lot of like tech? Is it like what? What's their portfolio look like?
Speaker 1That specific investor, their, their portfolio is huge, so it's very diverse yeah, um, we have another investor called Listen Ventures, and the whole idea is like listening to the consumer.
Speaker 1So they have a lot of consumer brands and then randomly us which we are a direct consumer. But it's funny because we're kind of like an outlier. But yeah, it's really cool. They're always really looking from that consumer perspective and put out a lot of cool research on consumer trends, and so it's great to work with them. We go to their offices also to work when we're in town and they have a bunch of cool stuff from the consumer brands they work with too, which is a fun experience.
Speaker 2Yeah, nice, that's great. So what's next for you personally, professionally, brickhouse future Like what's the next? What's next, what are we looking forward to?
Speaker 1Well, besides, as I mentioned just upcoming travel, I am for Brickhouse Blue. Let's let's start with that one. I have a dedicated desk here. I don't see myself growing in terms of my Brickhouse Blue presence.
Speaker 2Like I don't think I can fit another. You're not going to get a corner office.
Speaker 1I don't think I need a corner office. I don't think I need another screen.
Speaker 1My desk is pretty full of screens because I live in Excel but I would love to continue to get more involved with the community here, continue to meet more people. I love going to the tiger talks. That's been really beneficial and just great to get to know folks through that, so I'd love to continue with that. I want to do more yoga classes. Hopefully you can make one, so that's something that's new for me in that realm. Professionally, I would love to continue to help grow Sego. I'm really loving my role and continuing to grow in that and so hopefully we'll get to expand into new states and continue to grow the business in that way. At Soma Lab Fitness we have Legrian yoga, which I mentioned I teach. I also am getting trained in VersaClimber, so we offer those classes. They're really fun. It's like a silent disco on a VersaClimber. You go to the beat similar to a spin class, so I just recently got trained in that, so hopefully I'll start teaching those as well.
Speaker 2What is a VersaClimber?
Speaker 1So it's kind of like a stair stepper.
Speaker 2You have the pedals of a stair stepper.
Speaker 1But then you also have these handlebars that you grab onto, and so it's almost like a crawling motion or a walking motion where opposite hand, opposite foot, yeah, and you go up and down. So it's really effective. The coast guard uses it, the marines use it, celebrities athletes like it's that's cool it's tough. Like 25 minutes on that thing is really all you need. So would highly recommend checking out one of those classes. So that's something new new for me in that realm More cakes, I guess, more walks with Sally, but also more rest.
Speaker 1I feel like I could use a second to breathe too, because it's been a lot of go, go, go.
Speaker 2Yeah, I get that. Trying to schedule this, I'm like I'm coaching, I got youth camp, I got kids going here. It's just, it's madness. And on top of it it's 100 degrees out.
Speaker 1Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1Yeah, I cannot deal with this heat but at the same time having AC. We didn't touch on that difference between Spain and the United States. There's no AC in Spain. And if people have AC, they also don't want to use it because utility costs are higher. But at the same time I am just such an American in that sense where I would be, in a house and, just like I would rather die.
Speaker 2Like, please put the AC on.
Speaker 1But I get it Again, like just a different. Like you can speak the language but you're not going to fully understand the culture.
Speaker 2Yeah, I can't understand that. Yeah, yeah, uh so when I'm inside here at brick house blue, we got a crisp temperature guys, I don't know, my wife and I, when we first bought our house um, it was like 15 years ago we didn't. We for the first like two or three years, we did not have air conditioning and I had no idea how we did it. Like we were, we were just super young and like, like I don't, I would, I would not survive if we didn't have it.
Speaker 1Now, Especially to sleep.
Speaker 2Yes.
Speaker 1I can't be hot when I'm trying to go to sleep.
Speaker 2No.
Speaker 1Yeah, no, I do feel like the summers have been hot recently too. That probably is why it's been hard to survive it. But yeah, I think back also when I was in New York. I moved out of my apartment and then the landlord messaged me and he said did you realize that your heat hasn't been working for like four months? And I was like, oh, because in New York, the conditions I used to live in in New York it's crazy and like I was doing like well, and living in a quote unquote nice apartment for a young person, but literally you don't control your own heat.
Speaker 1One day it just kicks on for the building and you either sweat or you open a window Like you just kind of deal with it. So I was like, oh, I guess, like the heat, this is it, this is my life. And he's like no, you literally did not have heat. I'm like, oh okay, but you just kind of deal with it, Like I don't know.
Speaker 1I've gotten more particular in my old age. Yeah, reminds me of that White Lotus quote from this most recent season, where the woman says that she's not fit to live an uncomfortable life anymore. She's like not doing it. That's me.
Speaker 2Yeah, no, I mean, with four kids, my life just remains uncomfortable.
Speaker 1So I didn't know you had four kids. Yeah, oh my gosh.
Speaker 2Yeah, four, my oldest is 12.
Donating a Kidney to Her Brother
Speaker 1Okay, okay youngest is six wow yeah, craziness very fun busy, busy, busy not to do another plug for some of it. We do have a kids lab and when I tell you, the kids do not want to leave when their parents are finished working out and they go to get the kids from the yeah kids room. They are obsessed. I don't know if they just went really hard with the toys or the people that the kids are really fun. I think it's both. They're. They're great, but so, yeah, if you ever want to bring the kids in, can I?
Speaker 2just drop them off and not do the workout. I mean technically. Technically you could yeah, oh, that's cool though, so they have, so you could take come in, or dads that have the kids and it's hard to get a workout in.
Speaker 1The best is when they both come in. Yeah, a little couples date, we see that a lot and then the kids are in the kids' room and, yeah, it's really fun. It's been. I have a few couples that are more regulars and it's great to see them together. It's it's special to me.
Speaker 2Yeah, my wife and I would probably just fight while we're in there. No, um well, unless you got something, anything else, I mean we covered a lot there, yeah.
Speaker 1You got a lot going on. Yeah, I mean I could talk for hours, but maybe we'll do a round two.
Speaker 2Yeah, absolutely Well, thanks again, I appreciate it. Yeah, we'll have to do round two.
Speaker 1Awesome. Yeah, I can tell you about all the places I lived before Spain.
Speaker 2Yeah, that's great.
Speaker 1Awesome. All right Thanks, thank you.
Speaker 2We're back. So this happens all the time. This is the first time that I've got back on, but for whatever reason, like when you sit down and talk, I don't know, like it, it just feels more like structured, and then it like, as soon as everybody takes the headphones off, then it's like you start conversation again.
Speaker 2So, and I don't put any time limits on these, I don't, I don't care if they're a half hour an hour, so I kind of just like wait for a natural place to stop. And then I'm like, all right, well, let's go. But you, you, I, you brought something up that I was like, oh, we definitely got to talk about this. So you donated a kidney.
Speaker 1Correct. Yeah, so I was trying to think about, you know, we were speaking about all these big moments in the past two years and, like, really right before I moved to Spain, I donated a kidney. So it was kind of weird that it like didn't come up. So that's why it kind of came up after he came on. But yeah, so I donated a kidney to my brother. It was actually his second transplant. So, it was yeah, that was September of 2023. So it'll be three years this September and he's doing great.
Speaker 2That's good, yeah. So what? What happened that? Like what just?
Speaker 1was it just genetics or no, thank goodness it wasn't genetics, because if it were, then I wouldn't have been able to donate. Um so my brother got really sick in 2008 actually, and it was a mixture of pneumonia with a staph infection. Oh, wow, and so he went into sepsis and he's a miracle that he's here to be, honest and so at that time, because it was really just dire and trying to get blood to his- heart and his lungs and his brain, his kidneys just lost a lot of blood and therefore lost yeah.
Speaker 1They just stopped working. And so, among other things, that happened during that time. But so at the end of 2008, cause, I was like early 2008,. My dad went through all the process of um, donating a kidney to my brother, and during that time he was on dialysis, which is grueling for sure, especially for he was 10 at the time and so that kidney worked from 2008 to, I believe, around.
Speaker 2This is your dad's kidney, correct yeah.
Speaker 1And so that kidney worked from 2008 to 2022. And then it started to really not work. My brother went back on dialysis and my mom and I kind of went through the process of doing the testing to see if we were a match. And a lot of people think and for a lot of people it is a huge barrier to find a match but, it's so much more than that.
Speaker 1So, um, there's first like first step, obviously, is getting a blood test to make sure that you are a match, and there's like different levels of matching too.
Speaker 1So it's basically how much your genetics, your blood, not to be gross, is like gonna react because yeah after you have a kidney transplant or any organ transplant, your body is always going to see that as foreign and try to attack it, which is why you have to take these immunosuppressants your whole life, so that your body doesn't attack the organ and reject it. Essentially so they want it to seem as close to your actual body as possible. So that's why family members are often great matches sometimes not, but in our case we were really lucky that my mom and I were then also matches. But that's just a little piece of the puzzle, because at the end of the day, something that's super important to organ donation, for live donors, is making sure that you are going to be okay yourself.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1Not just so that you don't come up with the same problem down the line, Like if I donated a kidney to my brother and then eventually I need a kidney what did we solve here, right? But also they're very I mean, selfish is not the right word, but the hospitals use their data and every single discussion they have with potential donors, so they don't want to mess up their data because like- if I say that these surgeries have great results, then I got to be really careful about who I take a kidney from so that they again don't have those bad outcomes.
Speaker 1Because if one person has a bad outcome and screws up the data a little bit, then like think about all those people that may not want to donate.
Speaker 2Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1So it's not like that they're manipulating the data, but like they're, they're trying to be really intentional, so they're creating more good than harm.
Speaker 1For sure, yeah, yeah so anywho, I found out that I was a match, but then we went through a whole series of tests, a bunch of blood tests I think it was like 23 vials of blood, wow A bunch of chest x-ray, all these other tests that I had to do and then eventually found out that I was a match and also healthy enough that I would be able to be successful with one kidney, and so donated to my brother in September. The recovery for me was actually like pretty easy.
Speaker 1It was much more mental and physical beforehand than anything else, like it was just coming to terms with the fact that, like I'm giving this and like it's no longer mine, however, my brother chooses to live his life, however, like he goes on from there, like I you're making, there's no going back. There's no, there's no longer mine. However, my brother chooses to live his life, however, like he goes on from there, like I you're making there's no going back.
Speaker 1There's no, there's no way, and like. I never felt that way. But it's also just like I think it was very difficult for my dad whenever the kidney stopped working, because it was like, oh, like, maybe like in some way, like but it's like you have to have a separation of just like you're doing this and like because kidneys or any other organ could work for a day, they could work for a lifetime or somewhere in between. So you really just have to come to terms with the fact that, like you're doing your best, yeah.
Speaker 2Thanks for the crappy kidney yeah.
Speaker 1No no no it lasted, honestly, longer than the average. So we're very lucky with that Um but um. So, yeah, I mean, you just like have to really mentally come to terms with that, and so that was a lot of work. And also just like, at the same time as you're going through all this, you're seeing your loved one, in my case like going through dialysis dealing with all that.
Speaker 1So it's like you're very hopeful that everything will work out. So there's just like a lot of pressure in that way, and then physically, like with the tests and everything, but then, yeah, once everything went, I was like a little bit of work, like I basically couldn't lift my dog, which was kind of hard because you can't lift more than 10 pounds, but other than that it's been. It's been really easy ever since. I just have to make sure I stay hydrated and live a healthy lifestyle. But like, don't we all?
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, I mean yeah, one or two kidneys you should probably take care of your body Exactly, yeah, exactly. So how old is your brother?
Speaker 1He is 27. Okay, and I'm 30. Okay, my baby brother.
Speaker 2Yeah, man, that's cool. I'm sure he's very appreciative.
Speaker 1He is, yeah, and I mean he's such a cool, I mean he should come on here as well. He doesn't live in the area. We got to get him over here to new albany, but, um, yeah, he's so strong I mean you think about going through that at age 10 oh yeah and that's been every like for a while there. It was like every week going to the hospital to check his levels and just like so resilient, so he's definitely a force and now he works for a hospital system here in town on the business side.
Speaker 1but yeah, he's always just wanted to help improve the actual system of a hospital. Didn't want to go to med school, didn't want to go that route. So, yeah, definitely very happy that he's healthy and things are working out. And now he's living a very full life, so couldn't ask for more.
Speaker 2That's awesome, yeah, pretty crazy. I can't, I don't. I mean like I don't know. I would do it I guess, but that's easy for me to say, because I'm not in this situation, like you know what I mean, and then I would like I don't know. It's just I can't.
Speaker 1I can't imagine going through that. Well also, just I think that it's I did have the benefit of. Whenever we were going through the first time, we were aware that there was always the chance that it could not last forever, like they do kind of prepare you for that. So, from when he was 10, I was 13 when he went through that, and so I, in the back of my mind, was like this could be something someday it's not like in 2022, something dramatic happened at that point and then I had to, so I kind of had.
Speaker 1I always felt like yeah, I hoped that never it was, that it was never necessary because my dad's kidney would work for him forever. But like yeah. I always was like, okay, I need to be healthy, like I need to think about the fact that, like this might need to go to him, and so I had that time to really, you know, take it all in so, but yeah it, I think it's.
Speaker 1It's never easy, um, but also it's really incredible the resources that there are out there and all the people in the hospital that are involved. It's really incredible the resources that there are out there and all the people at the hospital that are involved. It's really beautiful. We had a coordinator that helped us through everything, and I just can't say enough about you know how attentive everyone was to me as the donor, making sure that I was comfortable, making sure that I had all the information and um.
The Value of Health and Fitness
Speaker 1so in that regard, I just can't thank everybody enough. But yeah, I mean, no one knows how they're going to react to these things until it happens.
Speaker 2No, we're talking about sharing organs. I mean, like that's crazy to me.
Speaker 1No, it really is. But it's also just like so beautiful what the body can do. Beautiful what the body can do. Yeah, Like my other kidney, my, my sole kidney. Now it expands like 70% apparently to take on the work of what the other?
Speaker 2Oh really.
Speaker 1Yeah, so in that way it's just like very, very fascinating to me, um, and very, very cool. So I mean, and that's why I'm also so passionate at Soma about helping people with their bodies, and that's why I also am not I'm not the biggest believer in like, oh, like, let's push fitness classes for, like, bikini bodies or like for summer, because it's just like.
Speaker 1The fact that your body can do all of this is incredible, and the fact that you're healthy and able to move is like. I mean, I've looked at my brother and it's not a guarantee. So it's like let's think bigger picture. Let's also think about longevity, versus like oh, my arms look really good in this strapless dress.
Speaker 2Like come on guys, yeah, that's it, that perspective, right Like that puts some things in perspective.
Speaker 1I mean, do I wish I had a little less? Yeah. At the same time like all this experience has really taught me that and, like now, I'm thankful for it because it's gotten me into these habits that I will keep for the rest of my life. Yeah.
Speaker 2Yeah, absolutely yeah, I'm. I'm an idiot, I. I go to the gym with my younger brother and just try and lift really heavy with them and then I'm hurt all the time and it's not like sustainable. So something for for an old guy like me, like that that uh, yoga, some other things would probably be better.
Speaker 1It's always good to mix it up, but I also love I strength train on the side as well. I go to the one fitness in Gahanna yeah, I work out with Mikey, he's great and so um, I like the strength training to compliment it. I think it's super important, and I think women are starting to talk more about lifting heavy, which I think is really cool but also like you can't just go and do it one day. You got to be smart about it, cause you are like people will get hurt.
Speaker 1So, it's helpful and like the community and all of these places is so incredible Like and there's so much overlap, a lot of new Albany presence, so it's really fun.
Speaker 2Yeah, the uh, the fitness industry, I mean it's just booming. It's growing like crazy, which is good, and I do think that, uh, yeah, I think the gym that I go to fit one for, um, it's like you get a little bit of everything in there, like it's a it's just a cool vibe in there, because you've got the older population, you've got young kids in there, training you've got and everybody's training differently. So, um, yeah, it's not. I feel like it's less segmented than it used to be. Um, yeah, it's not. I feel like it's less segmented than it used to be.
Speaker 1Um, but uh, cool and less intimidating, right.
Speaker 2For sure.
Speaker 1So that's got to get everybody in the doors so that everyone can be healthy.
Speaker 2A hundred percent. A hundred percent, Um sweet Well, I'm glad we hopped back on.
Speaker 1I'm going to drop something else after we get off I'm going to tell you about. I don't even know what?
Speaker 2No, we had to talk about the kidney. I had no idea. It's really cool.
Speaker 1Well, I will say that the kidney's name is Brutus, so go Bucs.
Speaker 2Oh nice, my brother named his kidney.
Speaker 1When he was a kid. It was like a thing when he I guess the kids going through a organ donation. So he was. We're all big Buckeyes fans. Yeah, so he named the kidney that he had, or the kidney that he needed, that he got from my dad. It was Brutus. And then I asked him about this kidney, like what he was going to name it. He's like well, Brutus too. I'm like okay.
Speaker 2Oh, that's great.
Speaker 1Yeah, so go, bucs is the final thought that's right, go Bucs, awesome.
Speaker 2Thanks again.
Speaker 1Katie, thank you, have a good one.