The Other Half Podcast
The other half can be many things. Most of all it is your perspective, your narrative, your side of the story. We are here to hear the other half of the story.
The Other Half Podcast
Arizona Life Unpacked: Faith Journeys, Culture Clashes, And Service Industry Truths
We’re back, a little worn out and a lot more honest, ready to talk about the real stuff: how faith changed for us, how identity and race shape daily life, and why Arizona became both a challenge and a fresh start. The story winds from old-school church traditions and years inside a faith that never felt personal, to finding a modern, welcoming community where our kids belong and our spirits do too. We don’t chase perfection; we’re building a daily practice that goes beyond Sundays and gives our family a grounded way to grow.
We also open up about identity in America—Black, Mexican, mixed, and navigating the friction between pride and prejudice. The takes are candid: racism is real, culture isn’t a monolith, and labels can’t be your ceiling. We share what it looks like to hold nuance, teach our kids resilience, and still find joy in the messy middle where love and truth both live.
Then we get practical about Arizona. Expect stunning winters, serious sunsets, newer homes, and opportunity if you work for it. Expect heat that demands respect, traffic from explosive growth, and a driving culture that feels like a racetrack on the wrong day. We talk fast pace, fitness vibes, and why it takes time to find your people in a sprawling, diverse metro. Finally, we pull back the curtain on service work—from waxing aftercare to barber chair etiquette—why tipping and being on time matter, and the moments that stick with you. One client had a seizure mid-haircut; another story is a final cut for a brother laid to rest. These aren’t just appointments. They’re human lives.
If this resonates, hit follow on your favorite app, share with a friend who’s thinking about moving or starting over, and leave a quick review so more people can find the show. What part hit you—faith, race, or the Arizona gamble? Tell us and join the conversation.
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Hey guys, it's been a minute since we've been here. I'm tired. Hey guys, it's been a minute since you guys have seen us, but we're back now. So welcome.
SPEAKER_02:Welcome.
SPEAKER_01:For the other half podcast.
SPEAKER_02:Mm-hmm. Yes, it's been a while since we've been here. Um we've just been busy. What have we been doing, Erica? Tell them what we've been doing.
SPEAKER_01:Uh just you know, regular stuff. Work, work, kids, kids, home stuff, trying to rest in between. Pretty much.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. So today we went to church. We went out to eat. We went to the store. Then we went to another store. Then I put together a TV. And then I set all this up. So I'm tired.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:I'm tired. So uh today's podcast is gonna be Um, first of all, let's get to our icebreaker. She ain't did this in a while. She's a little rusty. She's a little rusty.
SPEAKER_01:So yeah, guys, forgive me. I'm tired. I even had to take a nap today. That's how tired I am. So don't look at my eyes. All right. Well, I do have a couple. For usual. I can just pick one. Just because actually, these are a couple of subjects that we've I don't think we've ever really talked about. And I think that they're good. Has nothing really to do with like relationships or anything, just something different. So the first one, it is what was your spiritual background as a child and how does it impact your life today?
SPEAKER_02:Spiritual background?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, like how did you did you what did you grow up as? Did you go to church? What was your religion?
SPEAKER_02:I grew up as we went to a Baptist church that lasted forever. And it was uh it was it was all day. So and uh I mean I still go to church today. We go to a a Christian non-denominational church, so yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so where is it?
SPEAKER_02:Where is it? I got a legacy church, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:So actually, guys, this church, Avery found it on Instagram. I found it on Facebook and because we were looking for a home church, we hadn't been to church since we lived in Iowa, actually, which was what I don't know.
SPEAKER_02:No, we went to church in Washington a little bit.
SPEAKER_01:Whenever you speak away, you can't hear.
SPEAKER_02:We went to church in Iowa. I mean, we went to church in Washington a little bit. Um, what is it, word of faith?
SPEAKER_01:Oh yeah, oh yeah, just a few times. But you know what? It's true, like you have to really find a church that feels like home. And I don't feel like we had found that since we left Iowa. So when we came to Arizona, we were looking for a church to call home and that would feel like you know, you were really just feeling the spirit. So Avery found it on um Facebook Market. We go there. It's in Chandler. If you're in Chandler, Arizona, or in Arizona in general, and you're near Chandler, go to the YMCA where we just actually the church just got a building, so yay for that. Um, but that won't be until like we won't be able to go to that building until next year. Yeah, but um, anyways, so yeah, you grew up as a Baptist. Um, what was it like? Do you feel like how did that impact your life as a child and and now?
SPEAKER_02:I mean, as a kid, it was just church, I guess. You know what I mean? Like you do what your mom says and you go. Now that I'm older, um it's a lot different because we got we go to a more of a modern church, so it's yeah, it's cool. It's uh it's more of what I prefer rather than the old school, you know what I mean? It's very strict, it's very I don't want to say different, but it is it's a little different.
SPEAKER_01:You mean the church that you used to go to was more strict?
SPEAKER_02:It was it was just more uh traditional, I should say. The church we go to now is more modern.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and I think it's more like no judgment, come as you are, really like the Bible says, Come as you are, very welcoming, lots of young people, but also all kinds of ethnicities, backgrounds, everything. So I love it. Well, that's interesting.
SPEAKER_02:So, how'd you grow up?
SPEAKER_01:Well, the reason why I pulled this card is because I actually grew up, I've always been in church, to be honest with you guys, and I grew up as a Jehovah's Witness, so that's why I wanted to because if you know anything about Jehovah's Witnesses and like no Noah shade or anything, but I grew up as a Jehovah's Witness. By the time I was 10, my mom became a witness. By the time I was 16, I left that religion. Um, I never felt anything going to the they call it the Keenan Hall, so it's not the church, but I never felt anything. I didn't feel like I was connecting to God, I didn't feel like I had any kind of relationship. I felt nothing, so it just felt forced. Um, and then my mom got baptized, my sister got baptized. I was the only one that they kept trying to get baptized in that religion, I could not do it. I just it didn't feel right. Then by the time I turned 18, um, I was going to my so my oldest three, their dad is a pastor. So I basically from that from the time I was 18, more like 17 actually, because I met him when I was 17. Um, I started going to church again. So basically I converted from that to Seventh-day Adventist, but pretty much Christian. Then I got baptized at 18, and that's when I felt like I found God for real for the first time in my life. And then yeah, now we're we're here. But growing up, it was hard because you, as a witness, you can't you don't celebrate holidays, so you don't celebrate your birthday, you don't celebrate Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, nothing.
SPEAKER_02:16 whole birthdays, it just was another day.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, because remember when I told you about my 13th birthday?
SPEAKER_02:No.
SPEAKER_01:So my 13th birthday was a big deal to me. And my mom, my my mom and my sister were kind of like always wishy-washy with the religion. Like they never were actually like they would be committed and then not committed, committed, not committed. It's just like whatever, you know, everybody is guilty of doing that. Um, and so my 13th birthday came around and I wanted to celebrate it. I thought it was a big deal, and we didn't really celebrate it until like later in the evening. Then I remember them coming home with a cake and a necklace for me. But prior to that, they didn't know that I felt so sad and like I felt like people forgot me. It was just weird because I was confused. Are we celebrating or are we not sub celebrating? We would always not celebrate, celebrate back and forth. And so yeah, I was really dramatic. But that was a time when I, y'all, I didn't want to live. So, anyway, it was really hard, basically, is what I'm saying. It was hard growing up in that religion.
SPEAKER_02:So, what about now?
SPEAKER_01:So now I feel like thankful. I would be happy with the church from Iowa or where we are, but I really love where we are now because it's such a community. And church, the even the pastor said it should not feel like you have to endure it, it should be, you know, enjoy enjoyment when you're there. Um, and it shouldn't feel forced, it should just feel, you know, good to be there. Like you should look forward to going to church, and that's how it feels for us. So yeah, now it's totally different, and I don't my kids don't have to go through what I went through, so that's good. I thought that was an interesting card now.
SPEAKER_02:I don't know about all that. It was alright.
SPEAKER_01:I guess because of me, I was a witness.
SPEAKER_02:I mean, I just grew up in a black church, you know. I mean, like you go in and whatever you get there, you we usually late. We get out late.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I don't miss that.
SPEAKER_02:I feel like my cheeks was on fire when I left there, boy. My whole arm was sleep everything.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I think that's hard for kids.
SPEAKER_02:It is hard because there was nothing for kids. At least the church we go to now, they have a whole there's different classrooms for kids, and they're in there with their friends, other kids. For us, it was like, yeah, sit on this bench, listen to this who my uncle, who was, you know what I mean? Let's say I'm a kid, he's 50 plus. So to listen to that, it's like you can't really relate, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:So well, anyway, that was that. So, y'all, let us know where did you grow up at what was your experience? And um, I do want to get baptized again, by the way, because I was 18. Like I said, I got baptized as a seven-day Adventist.
SPEAKER_02:I knew she wanted to do that. Something told me that today.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I do. Every time at church, when they say I'm like, man, but you know what I feel about it is that I'm not gonna do it just to do it. I if I'm gonna do it, I really have to change a lot of things.
SPEAKER_02:But maybe you need to change a lot of things.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I have to do that when I with actual my will. Like, I can't just I don't want to go get baptized and then and then I'm not reading my Bible, I'm not having a relationship with God, I'm not praying. I'm just I hate the whole like you do everything on Sunday and then the rest of the week goes by and nothing is being incorporated and into our lives the rest of the week. We're not doing that. I I feel like I would have to try to do it on my own, but at the same time, that's hard because we all like you know, we need a little push. But yeah, I can't I just can't do it. I can't get baptized and not at least have more of like a routine with my spiritual life and my kids, like the kids need to know how to pray, you know, stuff like that. So I just I can't commit myself to that yet until I know I'm gonna really live it through. We don't pr tomorrow's not promised, so it's a A It's not just me. But yeah, one day I'll get re baptized.
SPEAKER_02:Alright, what's the next card?
SPEAKER_01:Your eyes are the next card is what's your experience with race?
SPEAKER_02:I ran a couple races back in the day.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, uh your ethnicity, I'm your race.
SPEAKER_02:Dang. I mean I don't know.
SPEAKER_01:Wake the heck up.
SPEAKER_02:I don't I don't know.
SPEAKER_01:These are cards that I don't Did you ever face racism?
SPEAKER_02:I'm black. Everybody in America has.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, and what is your experience with that?
SPEAKER_02:My experience is that it's stupid. People don't like black people, it is what it is. There's people don't like Hispanic people, people don't like Asian people. That's one of those things like I don't think is I think is is crazy. But it happens, and it usually comes from the older generation, and I come from Iowa, so racism and discrimination is something I've dealt with my whole life. So it's like I don't know. I I don't know the world without it, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, no, I mean I knew that, but I guess I was going more towards the gear of like or like the in the direction of like for me, I'm Mexican, just full Mexican. And although I do face certain struggles as a Mexican woman, I do. I'm not black, but I still have my own struggles. Um, my kids are black. All my kids are black, so we're they're not only Mexican, but they're black. And I think for me, I had to kind of like I hate to say realize that, but eventually I have to really understand that they're gonna face those struggles of you know, racism in general. I mean I think everybody faces it, but um, yeah, it's just something I don't know. That's what I was just thinking when I pulled that one. Um, and then for me, I feel like growing up too, I'm Mexican, but I never I always had like an identity issue. I never really felt Mexican, I always felt American too, and then I would always be kind of like um people would think that I was something else. So I've been I've been told I they thought I was half black or Hawaiian, Filipino. I've gotten so many different things. Um, but if anything, I feel more like the issue has always been because I'm Mexican. There's more, I feel like there's more almost more racism with Mexicans and black people. But like Mexicans against black people, or sadly that is true, and I don't know why it's like that because I think we're very similar, but I feel like a lot of Americans or white folks or just anybody, they're racist towards Mexicans. They I mean, look at all the Trump stuff, you know? Yeah, yeah, like they don't want us here, but yet we are the ones that work so hard.
SPEAKER_02:Well, anyway, that's one of those, I don't know. It's that's crazy because I feel like there's cool people in every race, and there's every race is ghetto people, you know, every race has their ghetto people. Right, but I feel like they're just ghetto people. You know, I don't look at them like dang, look at them ghetto Mexicans, or they look at them ghetto black beat people.
SPEAKER_01:There's ghetto in every race, there's ghetto, ghetto ghetto. They call it trailer park, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Then there's yeah, there's all kinds, but but well, we've had white people help us out, we've had black people help us out, we've had everyone, my boy Jazz, you know what I'm saying? Asian, help us out.
SPEAKER_03:So it's like I don't know.
SPEAKER_02:I I'd I'd have tried not to look at it like that because it's it can also cripple you in a lot of ways because there's a lot of people who come in the shop and it's like, oh you know, the white people want to keep us down, and it's like you gotta look outside of that eventually, bro. Yeah, that's just you can't you can't use that as crutch, a crutch your whole life. So it is what it is.
SPEAKER_01:Well, anyways, so what do you want to talk about today?
SPEAKER_02:So today we want to talk about life in Arizona and if it's for people. Well, we want to talk about pros and cons.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, also, what is the pros and cons. Also, what's the update on what? Living in Arizona.
SPEAKER_02:What's the update?
SPEAKER_01:Y'all, it's just me and Avery and the kids now. Guy loves it. Wow. You want to give him an exit interview, an exit speech, button or anything?
SPEAKER_02:No, no, not today.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, guys, guy's not here anymore. So y'all did get to see him, I think, on one or two podcasts. Um, but that was not, I was looking for like a violin or something.
SPEAKER_02:No, that's the right one.
SPEAKER_01:You're mean. Anyway, he went back to Iowa, y'all. So anyway.
SPEAKER_02:He'll be all right. So yeah, guy moved back. Anyways, back to what I was saying. Life in Arizona. Um, what are your you gonna start with pros or cons?
SPEAKER_01:Um, I would say let's start with pros.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, what are your what are your pros about living in Arizona?
SPEAKER_01:Um person well for me it's just personal opinion, but I love that it's so close to California, Texas, uh, Nevada, where Vegas is. And um yeah, I just feel like everything's like pretty close. You could literally drive to California and you could drive to Vegas, you could drive to Texas. Um, but I also love that we don't have all the I ain't driving in Texas. It's not that bad, it's not that far.
SPEAKER_02:What part of Texas?
SPEAKER_01:I don't know, but it's not that far. Like Cali is what? I mean, it depends on where you go in Cali, Cali, but it's five to ten hours. Vegas is four. Um, but anyway, so I love that. I love that everything is very close by and also a flight is not that long either. It's like a 45-minute flight. Um, I like uh that we don't have all the weather crisis things going on. If we do, it's very rare. Facts. Um, but I like our weather. Like even right now, it's really nice. It was so nice today. Everybody looks forward to October. Um, I also love like I like the diversity, and I'm so tired of people that come and he come to Arizona and come to the wrong places and then claim that there's no diversity, or where's the black people at? Like, you gotta branch out. You're gonna come to Arizona, stop just going to Phoenix, please. Don't just go to Scottsdale because yeah, you're gonna see more white folks there. Um, so I just feel like I love the diversity, I love all the different ethnicities, backgrounds, and um the culture that's here. There is culture and opportunity. That's what I love about I think that's the the pros. There our sunsets are amazing. Am I boring you or what? You need some coverage.
SPEAKER_02:It's been a long day, my boy.
SPEAKER_01:None of that energy on the podcast.
SPEAKER_02:Dang, I can you see this, I get in trouble for yawning. I ain't even do nothing. I can't you can't control your yawning.
SPEAKER_01:You see, yeah. Um wrap it up. I say uh every yeah. Another pro is it is fast, but I also like that too. It keeps you going.
SPEAKER_02:How is it being fast paced? Changed you.
SPEAKER_01:I definitely have learned to fit in. But I will say the road rage out here is bad. When it comes to like the driving, everybody talks about the driving, it is true, it's true. You'll see when you come. Um, we don't have like a lot of like traffic, traffic unless there's something going on or it's like on the weekends. But when we say the trap, when we say like the the driving or whatever, we mean like how people drive. It's like a racetrack. So yeah. Um, I feel like I've adjusted. I feel like I've it's made me more like if I went to California or somewhere busier, I don't know, Chicago, New York, I'd be fine. I would know how to just fit in.
SPEAKER_02:When we first moved here, Erica didn't get on the highway to go anywhere. She took the main streets and it took her forever to get around. And all of a sudden she thinks she's brave enough to get on the highway.
SPEAKER_01:You know, you just gotta move. You gotta, you gotta move.
SPEAKER_02:She's telling me that, and she was scared.
SPEAKER_01:No, it's true. You really just have to like move. It's like read the room. If you know, you gotta pay attention and move with traffic. It cannot be slow. Facts. Because people will let you know. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Well, my pros are uh the weather, the the the living situations are more modern and more updated. And back home in Iowa, I've never seen a roof get repaired. Like if it did, I didn't live in those neighborhoods, or maybe it lasted longer. I don't know. But I didn't see that stuff. Um, it's well more well like it it's kept nicer, you know what I mean? Maintained better. Um, as far as like construction and stuff, it's fast. They put up buildings, they it's growing a lot. It's a place with opportunity. My kids can grow up and be whatever they want. It's a place where there's opportunity, and people are looking to give you opportunity, and opportunity is there to if you want it. Yeah, there's just opportunity everywhere. Um, what else? Yeah, my family can come visit. We got an international airport. Um, yeah, like the winter, no snow. That's that's what I need. I will not live anywhere with snow ever again, and I don't care. So dry heat, just everything.
SPEAKER_01:Like yeah, versus humidity.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so I moved here, started working in a shop, didn't have any clientele, and within a year I was booked. Booked and busy. So it's it's a great place. I come from a place where I've been told they can't give me a loan because of my last name. So to come out here and be able to build and be able to put my last name on a business is great. And that alone is a lot. So yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and I mean, not even that. I think when we first moved here, I don't think we knew what to expect. It was a like when you're moving from somewhere that you're used to, which we moved from from Washington State to here, which is where I'm from, where we met. Not Seattle, yeah, not Seattle. It's called Tri-Cities. Um so when we first moved here, like I said, we didn't know what to expect. It's a risk that you take. We came out here though with the intentions of building more opportunity. I kind of knew what it was gonna be like because I had lived in Arizona prior before um or prior years ago. But we like seriously, when you think about it, it's crazy. I think that we're so strong and truly independent because and had a lot of faith in ourselves because when he first came here, he didn't know if he was gonna have clientele. I came here with the job set up, but he didn't have clientele yet. And I feel like actually it was within the first couple months, he was already getting people to book. We he wasn't booked all the way yet, but he was still getting people to book. It was fast. So to me, I feel like if you're gonna move in Arizona in general, we're just talking about Arizona because it you could do this anywhere else to California, wherever, Colorado. But I feel like Arizona, if you're gonna move here, you have to have the mentality that nothing is gonna happen overnight. At least don't expect it to, but you have to have good work ethic, you have to have the right mindset. You cannot come here and expect that things are just gonna happen for you or things are gonna happen, you know, overnight or hand it to you. You have to really want to work for it. We've only made it here successfully because we get up every day and go to work and we work hard. And um, I don't know. I just feel like we've really made it happen. We came here with absolutely nothing. We've said that before, and now we have too much. But yeah, it's just it's crazy that you know. I think sometimes people come here, and I know a lot of people on TikTok I watch, they come here and they love it and it works out. It's great, they see what we see, but some people also come here and they give up really quick because you have to come here, like I said, with that mindset, otherwise it's not gonna work out for you.
SPEAKER_02:You didn't even get to the cons yet. She's trying to jump in here.
SPEAKER_01:The cons, I would say.
SPEAKER_02:What are the cons that you would say?
SPEAKER_01:Okay, obviously, the 117 to 20 degree heat sometimes in the summer, it's not like that every day. But again, you're not outside every day. How do you think all these people make it every day living in Arizona? We are so off you overpopulated, y'all. Like too many people are moving here. And so, I mean, it wouldn't have this many people here if it was that bad. I think when people don't last here, it's just not for you. You you don't know how to make it work here. You're not, like I said, you don't have that mindset, you're not a hard worker, probably, or you just you like the the snow, and we don't have the snow. You made a mistake moving here then. Um, but I would say, yeah, the weather for one in the summer can definitely be too much for some people. Um I think that there are other cities that do have more to do for sure. Like we only have so many skyscrapers and stuff to like go and sightsee. Um or like things to do. I'm I'm I'm I understand that there's probably more things to do in other cities, but yeah, so that's probably another thing I think that I would love for there to be a little bit more to do sometimes as far as like activities, but we like we said we're growing, so I think that's gonna change a lot. Um the the cons. It's expensive. I would say that's my lot my other one. It's kind of gotten really ridiculously expensive and not as affordable as it used to be. So I don't think we would even be able to move here right now if we had moved now.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. I think my cons are uh yeah, it is expensive. Um I I like the diversity. I feel like everyone's like if you're moving from somewhere like the south and you're looking for black people, it's not it, bro. And that's I say that because there's there's black people out here, right? But they're scattered in with everyone else, right? There's Asian people out here, there's Hispanic people out here, there's white people out here, there's African people out here, there's everything is out here. Hawaiians, Puerto Ricans, all that people from New York, people from Chicago, people from Texas. So if you're looking, if you're coming from the South and you're looking for a huge black community, you've got to find your crowd. If you're looking for, you know what I'm saying? If you're if you're from somewhere specifically and you're looking for a certain type of community, you got to give it time. A lot of people don't give it time. Um, but yeah, summer's summer's rough. If you can get through the summer though, winter's amazing. Uh it it did get expensive. Um traffic, so many people are moving here that traffic gets congested sometimes. It never used to be how it is now. They're building a lot of apartment complexes, but I feel like so many people have moved here. People are moving here faster than they can build.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. And that's one of the issues, but yeah, like honestly, since we've been here six, is it almost seven or just six years now?
SPEAKER_02:Um I think it's about to be seven.
SPEAKER_01:It's about to be seven years, and honestly, with all the highways and everything, I've even seen that highways have to be expanded. We already have six lanes and they're still having to build more highways. It's crazy. So I mean, definitely there's more growth, and they're having to build apartments fast because it's harder to build homes, I think, and fill those than an apartment. Um, but yeah, it's it's the even like the roads, they're having to build so many more roads because of the traffic. But and and it's it's Californians mixed in with Arizona drivers. I somebody corrected me on TikTok so many times. It's not Arizona drivers, it's the California drivers that drive like they're on a racetrack mixed in with the slow drivers in Arizona, and it's pretty bad. Like, we do have the highest rate of accidents. I would say that's another con. Like, I feel like every day when you go out to drive, you are like you really have to be paying attention because there is an accident all the time, every day, especially at intersections and the highways. There's road rage. We had there's like three shootings already for road rage incidents. Like, people here, like I said, it's different like personalities from so many different backgrounds, and then the fast driving, and people don't care, they're like just reckless. Um, so I would say that's definitely like a con. Yeah, it's crazy.
SPEAKER_02:Um, I think, but I mean, it's a big city, so you gotta expect a lot of this stuff to happen. You gotta expect it to be exactly what it is. It's not a small city, but it's also not the biggest city. Traffic actually moves when you drive. I heard Atlanta's bad. I know California is bad. Yeah, we don't we don't have those type of issues. But if you're coming from a small place, there is some traffic. You gotta expect to get somewhere late sometimes. Not every day you're gonna be able to be on time unless you leave super early. But a lot of people out here, one thing I do like a lot of people out here work out, they're fit, they're in. In shape, people looks matter like people care about their health. There's a lot of healthy places to eat out here. Um, one con though, there's Arizona doesn't have its own culture, it has culture, not its own culture. And what I say it, what what I mean by that is if someone comes in here and tells me, oh, you you live in Arizona, what's Arizona known for, right? What's a uh restaurant specifically from Arizona that you can go to that I can go to and get some good food? Not many things are from here. Most places are from California, Chicago, Texas, Louisiana. A lot of their restaurants come from somewhere else, and they'll put one of those restaurants out here. But it's it's not one of those places that has its own like identity per se. You know what I mean? They're they're known for scorpions and being hot. That's another con. They got scorpions.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, I've never seen one in my own home. We've seen one, we've never seen one in our own home.
SPEAKER_02:I seen one, but I was in the sticks, so yeah, I was I was way out there. But no, I I haven't seen one like actually in the city. So some people say they have, I haven't.
SPEAKER_01:Well, and it just like I said, it depends on where you live. Yeah, we just I feel like we've gotten so lucky. I don't know. We just we haven't seen snakes coming out of our toilets and and scorpions and the lamps.
SPEAKER_02:I feel like it's a Florida thing.
SPEAKER_01:I don't know. It's like, and then obviously, if you live further out towards the mountains and where it's a lot of the water canals and all of that, yeah, you're gonna see that kind of stuff. But we are y'all gotta look at the map. We're right outside of Phoenix, so we're not even in Phoenix either. We're right outside of Phoenix, and we're in a city, so the city, it's not like Queen Creek, if you've heard of that before, that's more out there. I'm sure they have those more, um, or Gilbert, things you know, places like that. Um, but we're like in the actual city, and it's just not that doesn't we don't really see that kind of stuff. So I don't know. I feel like I'm blessed to be here. I'm happy here.
SPEAKER_02:That's good old life in Arizona.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I mean, you go outside and there's sunshine every day. So I don't know. You can't, I don't know how you can't be here and not be happy to be here.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I like palm trees, so yeah.
SPEAKER_01:The palm tree. I'm happy. I'm happy the skies, the sunset. It's beautiful. And there's so many places to there really is. There's a lot of places to shop. I'm sure there's so many food. You if you go on TikTok or whatever and look up things to do, and Arizona are things to eat, you'll see where everything is. You just have to look, you gotta search, give it time. But yeah, it's not for everybody. Um, I'm sure Iowa has don't stalk, don't even go there.
SPEAKER_02:It's beautiful things, anyways. Erica just ruined the mood. So since we're ruining the mood, let me ask you this what is the worst thing you've either dealt with or had to do the hardest thing in your job? Because we we now work in the service industry together.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, do you do they know what we do?
SPEAKER_02:They know I'm a barber, they know you wax, I'm pretty sure.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so in case you haven't met us before, Avery is a barber.
SPEAKER_02:They already know about me.
SPEAKER_01:Cuts by Cruz, Era Barber Studio, look them up, amazing. Um, I am a wax specialist, so I do all full body waxing at the moment, all full body waxing. So from head to toe, yes, I do Brazilians, bikini lines, bikini folds. I don't do manzillions, never will. Um, but yeah, I do love what I do. I finally found something I love as far as like a career that I'm pursuing right now. Um, but I will say I feel like I've probably dealt with I'm probably dealing with a lot of things that he's already dealt with or is used to dealing with, but I would say, yeah, I was gonna say the hardest thing I've had to do is a service on someone that is not following all their aftercare and they're shaving in between, and then they're expecting flawless results, it's not gonna happen. So I think just not understanding what it takes to have a good wax, or like not understanding all the educational stuff about waxing and expecting or like people that come in for with no brows and expect you to all of a sudden make them have brows. We are not, we don't do micro demebrasion, or what is it? We don't do microblading, we're not painting on your brows, we're waxers. So um, I feel like that's mine. It's just people just don't get it sometimes.
SPEAKER_02:So is there a specific moment like an example where you're like, dang, this ain't it, or this is this is hard to do. Yeah, or there's is there a time where it's like, dang, maybe this isn't for me?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so tell about it all the time, all the time, dang. Well, no, because uh like I said, I have to do every service, I have to do anything from head to toe. I can get booked for eyebrows all day, or I could be and like my books would be like eyebrow, eyebrow, bikini full, or it'll have all of these services in one like a full leg, full arms, eyebrow, Brazilian, booked in one service, and it's just certain services I don't really like when I go on my own. I'm only gonna be doing certain services, so I'll only be doing like Brazilians, bikini fulls, bikini lines, an upper lip, an underarm, and maybe a full leg at some point, but I hate doing full arms on people because like I said, if they don't follow aftercare and stuff, it it's not gonna, it doesn't work. It's not gonna work. Um yeah, every day I actually it's hard. I feel like I'm going through the thick of it because I don't have a choice. I have to do services that I don't want to do, which would be like an eyebrow. I hate doing eyebrows, it's just not for me. It's too tedious, too slow. It's exactly why I'm a licensed uh lash tech, but I also don't do lashes because it's too slow and tedious for me. Um yeah, so I feel like every day there's something on my books that gives me anxiety that I don't want to do because I just don't enjoy it. I don't like it. But every job has something you every job has something that you don't want to do. So for me, I wouldn't be doing eyebrows or full arms.
SPEAKER_02:I ain't gonna lie, that's uh those are some things that I just don't offer. Like I don't offer lineups, but I have two people that I do lineups on only because I know it's just a lineup because people book, it's like, dog, you booked a lineup and you think you're gonna get a full haircut, you're tripping.
SPEAKER_01:Or maybe they think they booked a lineup with no lineup.
SPEAKER_02:No, they know exactly what they do.
SPEAKER_01:No, I mean, like, have you ever had somebody book a lineup and they're like, Where's your hairline? No, okay. Well, that's what is for me. I people come in with no eyebrows and then expect me to give them eyebrows. It's crazy, or they pluck their eyebrows to death. And if you know anything about hair and waxing, if you pluck your eyebrows, the wax is not gonna pick up your brows because the hair has to be a certain length. So, yeah, you're gonna be left with a bunch of little bitty short hairs because I can't even, I'm gonna have to tweak you. You might as well do that at home.
SPEAKER_03:So that's mean.
SPEAKER_01:I'm just saying it's I'm gonna make my own separate video on on waxing, but or for me, sometimes honestly, there are there's some days recently too where for Brazilians I get burnt out because it's it is a lot, it's a lot. Women just don't uh don't get me wrong, I don't judge, but some women just do not take care of themselves down there.
SPEAKER_02:Do you think women hygiene is worse than men? Absolutely, that's crazy. Like, see, man, we be thinking, yeah, make sure I I smell good for her, make sure I this, this, and this, and she don't even wipe good.
SPEAKER_01:No, seriously, I don't know how women don't know that there's still poop down there.
SPEAKER_02:All right, okay, now we're now too far. Or now we've gone too far.
SPEAKER_01:Don't know that there's toilet paper. Here's the line or you have a yeast infection, you crossed it. No, this is real, real stuff. Like it's crazy, y'all, because I could just talk about this. Hold on, I'm almost done. Becoming a waxer has opened my eyes to so much more. Like, honestly, I get why some people quit because I'm not even kidding you. It is draining, it is draining. You're like a gynecologist every day, but taking hair off. And man, just some I'm telling you, some of them just don't take care of themselves. And why do you come to a wax appointment after the gym?
SPEAKER_02:Are you done?
SPEAKER_01:Sweaty. The wax is not gonna stay.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, that's it.
SPEAKER_02:You know what? This might be my last episode. That's it with you. The hardest thing, okay. When I first came up with this question, I had one. But now I have two. This has been a rough week for me, alright, y'all. So the first one, right? The new one, I had a guy, met a guy Wednesday, right before lunch. Great kid, 22. He's telling me he's going to school for youth ministry, all that. I'm like, oh, that's cool. You should you got a church you go to, you should come to my church. He's telling me, like, I was telling him about it, we were talking, and then I'm getting towards the end of the haircut. I didn't realize he booked for a haircut and like his facial hair lined up, right? So I'm doing a haircut. He sneezes before I lay him back to do the razor, right? Then um, I lay him back, do most of the razor, and then I got one little piece left. He's like, hold on, I'm about to sneeze again. And he goes up and he doesn't sneeze. So then he's like, Hey, can I uh run to the bathroom real quick to get a tissue? So I'm like, Yeah. So I take the stuff off him, go to take the cape off, stuck under his neck. He's having a seizure.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, yeah. I didn't know where you were going with the stuff.
SPEAKER_02:So it's like that was that was one of those I didn't know what to do. I'm running through the hallways. Everybody took lunch at the same time. So I was there, and like I had to go to the other side of the building to get someone, and I didn't want to leave him alone. By the time he wakes up, wakes up. He the by the time he comes out of the seizure, he doesn't even know what happened. And I'm I'm coming back in the room and I'm like, dang, I ain't know what to do. I I should have called the ambulance or something. But then I'm talking to him and he doesn't seem like scared or anything, so it's like something's something there's something you're not seeing, right? So then he's like, Oh yeah, can you just uh so I'm I'm if you if you know anything about seizures, he was sweating like hard, hard. But um, so then I'm I'm trying to blow the air on him. I turn on a fan, all that. He's cooling down a little bit, and then he's like, Oh, can you can you just finish my facial hair real quick? And I'm like, Oh no, what's it's a normal thing for him? That's what it sounded like, right? So I'm like, like my hands are shaking. So then he uh I just quickly line up his little facial hair. Cool. I'm trying to get him out of there because I'm I'm so confused and he's so calm about it. And it's like I'm thinking, like, you're really about to drive home? You want me to call somebody or something like that? And then he's just like normal. So I'm like, all right, well, let me know when you get home. And he never texted me back.
SPEAKER_00:You haven't heard from him?
SPEAKER_02:No, I've heard from him because I I had to text him, but I go on lunch break, I had to call somebody, talk to him, and cried a little bit, and I'm like, dang. So for those of you who don't know, I have a friend who passed away from a seizure, yeah. And in front of his wife and in front of his son. So it didn't pass. Yeah, it was it was it was a hard situation for me because it's like this could be this young man's last breath. You know what I mean? And then it was just I text him, he's like, Oh yeah, man, I'm I'm straight. I I'm sorry for all that, like I'm sorry about all that, and then I just asked him, like, has this happened before? He's like, Yeah. And I'm like, man, you could have at least told me something, you know what I mean? But I don't know. It was a it was a rough situation.
SPEAKER_01:I feel like you've been through that, especially even with me when you found me in the bathroom. And you didn't I guess you didn't really know probably what to do. Yeah. So you've been in a couple situations like that where Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:It's one thing to find someone passed out, but to like see that happening.
SPEAKER_01:It's scary.
SPEAKER_02:It's like I don't know if this person's gonna make it.
SPEAKER_01:Like if they're gonna actually come through. Exactly. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And that was this this Wednesday. Second one is uh my brother passed away. And when he passed away, they asked me to cut his hair in a coffin. So I had to be his last haircut, and that was that may have been the hardest thing I've done as a barber. Simply because you still remember what the what the skin feels like. You remember with the everything, you just remember everything and how it feels on your hands to the touch. So that was that was hard. That was tough.
SPEAKER_01:You just made mine seem like absolutely ridiculous.
SPEAKER_02:I mean, I was just I was just asking. I've never but but I feel like you're you're still new in your yeah, who knows what I'm gonna face. So yeah, we'll see. I've even had to You might see some lice, mice, I might.
SPEAKER_01:I've I've actually had to also wax a couple women that literally their baby, like they were like a few days from giving birth, and their baby's head was cradled. Did I tell you that? Cradled literally at the cervix and pushed out. So, like, imagine you gave that baby a ball. It literally looks like their baby could come pop out, and I still had to wax them.
SPEAKER_02:Don't y'all got rules for that?
SPEAKER_01:Like, no, it's a I work for a corporate company I'm not gonna say who I work for. If you know, cool. I'm not gonna say it though, but I work for a corporate company, and like no, you gotta you gotta wax in 15-minute intervals sometimes, back to back, and yeah, you just gotta do however many services are on your books and be on time. You gotta wax pregnant people are about to give birth, and you gotta see everything. You know, what's your thing on like people not tipping? Do you ever have anybody that doesn't tip you?
SPEAKER_02:And like um, I have a lot of people who don't tip for the most part. I mean, I I charge an amount to where I'm okay with them not tipping, right? But I more think about like, dang, do you tip when you go out to eat? Because I found out some people don't. And that's crazy.
SPEAKER_03:Like being a service.
SPEAKER_02:I don't really mind not tipping me. Cool. If you can't, you can't. If you can't afford it, cool. If you can't afford it and you don't want to tip, cool. But I'm also not going to go crazy out of my way for you, especially if you're not tipping and you're late all the time. You get whatever's on the books.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:But if I got people who tip extra or just tip five dollars, and it's like I make sure I take care of those people because they also know that I have a family and they know that I'm gonna go out of my way and make sure they're good all the time. Because you gotta think, like me as a barber, I look at it like I'm gonna meet these people, or I'm gonna be with these people through birthdays, funerals, weddings, um, high school prom, uh, homecoming, you know what I'm saying? Like every big situation, driver's license, pictures, everything. So it's like if if as long as you do at least go the extra mile to be on time every time, we're good. But when it starts to become, you can come in whenever you want, you can do whatever you want, you don't got to look on the app to book appointments, you can hit me up. That's when it's you got to look on the app, my boy. I don't know what to do. You hit me up day of last second, you're tripping.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. I don't know. I don't know. You have to, I I realize you have to be in this kind of like what is it, industry to understand about being respectful when it comes to time. Like for us at work, you have a nine-minute grace period, which in my opinion, you should have a five-minute because we understand traffic, everything, you know. But also, if you're gonna be even five minutes late, one minute late, call.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Like have some respect for people in this kind of industry, whether you're a barber, hairstylist, nail tech, whatever they do for you, your lashes, you know, call if you're gonna be late. Call if you're gonna be a minute late because you don't understand that the world does not revolve around you and there's other people after you. So when you're late, the next appointment's late. We do our appointments in that slot for a reason. That's how much time it takes. So I feel like that's that's the other like little contour at work is like, you know, sometimes you gotta take them nine minutes late, and then you gotta still get that 15-minute Brazilian done, you know, and not in 15 minutes, less less time than that. So it's stressful, and it's just it's crazy how much like people lack respect in that in that area of like time, be on time.
SPEAKER_02:And I mean, there's also like I I charge people when they don't show up. I charge people I rent their card, I keep their card on file. You don't show up for a haircut. I I don't get to feed my kids for that hour. Somebody else could have took that spot. I don't get paid at all that hour. I don't get paid hourly. I get you're paying for a time slot, you're not paying for a haircut. So you got to keep that in mind. And if you don't show up, you're not paying for the next person's haircut, you're paying for that time slot that you missed. Some people are like, Oh, I don't want to pay for nobody else's haircut. You're not.
SPEAKER_01:You're paying for the one that you spot you just took.
SPEAKER_02:So it's like people don't understand that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And they they don't get it. But then I have a lot of people who are like, Man, I'm I'm gonna send you the money right now. And they send the money. I don't even gotta ask some of them. But also it gets to a point where I'm I'm such on good relations, good terms with all my clients to where it's like, I know you've never not shown up. So this one time I'll give you a pass because this is the first time.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's like a it's like when you work a regular job and you've never been late, but you're or you've never called out, you call out one time.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so we we know life happens, we understand. You text me and you say, Hey, I'm gonna be a few minutes late or whatever. Cool. But if you come 20 minutes late and you ain't tell me, I'm gonna tell you straight up, hey, you have to turn around, my boy. I can't cut you.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I'm gonna still run your guard.
SPEAKER_01:That's how it is too. If they're if they're nine minutes late and I have someone after them, they have to reschedule their reservation.
unknown:Yep.
SPEAKER_01:Um, but I mean, yeah, it's just I don't get it. I don't get it at all. Crazy.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Well, that's all for this episode.
SPEAKER_01:So yeah, we just have random stuff to talk about. I feel like it's just whatever comes to my mind.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:You know, but thank you guys for listening and watching. We'll try to be more consistent. So will we?
SPEAKER_02:Will we?
SPEAKER_01:This whole day already went by so fast.
SPEAKER_02:Subscribe.
SPEAKER_01:Follow us on our social media. Follow me on TikTok, Erica Pledge. If you want to see content from me.
SPEAKER_02:Don't follow me because I'll tell you about yourself. No, I'm just playing.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, he's mean. Don't follow him.
SPEAKER_02:But like, subscribe. Um, we on all platforms, Spotify, Apple, YouTube, and uh let us know what y'all want to see next. We'll catch y'all in the next episode.
SPEAKER_00:You losing your voice?
SPEAKER_02:Leave me alone, bro. Goodbye.
SPEAKER_00:Bye.