🎙️ Episode 16 | SMB POD

What does it really mean to work hard?

In this episode, Ashley sits down with her father, Tom Moreland, for a powerful conversation on the psychology behind hard work, discipline, and the mindset it takes to keep showing up especially when no one is watching.

This isn’t just business advice…
 It’s generational wisdom.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Welcome back to the She Means Business Podcast. Today, this episode is incredibly special to me. I have my dad, Tom Moreland, as our guest today. And this is the individual who taught me to show up, to work hard, to have grit, and to not fold under pressure. So, Dan, I'm so happy to have you here.

SPEAKER_00 0:21

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 0:21

Yeah, Tom.

SPEAKER_00 0:23

So I'm we're just gonna get into it. I have some questions. So when you think back to Ashley as a little girl, what were the qualities that you saw in her that told you she was gonna do something extraordinary in her life?

SPEAKER_01 0:37

You know, very pretty little girl, obviously, tall. Um a lot like her mom uh and myself, you know, her eyes, obviously. Um but just uh very smart and kind of her own person. Yeah. Um I want to say maybe not so much uh um defying, but she kind of knew what she wanted. And she didn't uh uh stand for a whole lot. She just she knew what she wanted. So I I think in terms of of uh you know her ability athletically um and all of that, I think yeah, she knew what she wanted and uh uh always been persistent, that's it. Persistent, yeah, and uh you know, didn't take no for an answer.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

Do do you see you those same qualities in yourself and uh Brenda?

SPEAKER_01 1:31

Unfortunately, yes. Maybe more myself, not Brenda, but uh you know, just um love to learn, um, love a challenge. Um want to rise above the rest. Um, you know, very driven. I think Ashley's a lot like me in terms of that, because it she's where she's at today because of it, not giving up or folding under pressure. You know, that's another thing is that you can be kind of a quiet, uh um, you know, driven person, not loud and disrespectful and and over demanding, but you kind of know what you want.

SPEAKER_00 2:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:08

And you don't you don't give up or settle for anything less.

SPEAKER_00 2:11

Yeah. One of my favorite from myself personally is um, you know, never give up, never, never give up. Those are just really important words when you, you know, when things get really messy and uh you feel like you're under heavy fire and you have to have dig deep into that.

SPEAKER_01 2:29

Yeah, I mean, I've many a times, you know, uh had to go on the road or travel or be gone for multiple days on end, and you know, my wife Brenda taking care of the family, you know, for the 20, 25 years, she took care of the family. Right. I was gone traveling every week, you know, and and uh with Ashley at home and and Wyatt, my son, and uh she she took care of everything, you know, and when it comes to paying bills and running the house and all of that, getting to school, you know, these they all grew up in the uh church. And so I think, you know, in terms of them being involved with that, really set her path in terms of being able to study, take notes, all those things that built the building blocks of on top of everything else that she has personally. So, you know, you see the two differences in my daughter and my son. My son's a lot like my wife, she's a lot like me. So it's it's it's it's very uh very apparent.

SPEAKER_00 3:26

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:28

I love that. Um, next question. Every father has that one defining moment when he realizes his daughter is growing into herself. What was that moment for you and what did it stir in you as her dad?

SPEAKER_01 3:44

I think it's been just a lot of different things. Um, you know, I just her willingness to uh work hard and uh um, you know, not think too much of herself, but no, you know, a little bit of humbleness.

SPEAKER_02 4:01

Always, always always.

SPEAKER_01 4:03

And uh I'm a lot like that. Yes, you are not too haughty and overly talking about yourself. It's just you you're confident in what you do. I think she's just been that way, and that's what I've always seen in her and knowing that I don't even have to think about it, that you know, she's not gonna be the one uh waving her hand, oh look at me, kind of the thing. She's gonna be in the background. You know, she's very pretty, and uh she uh she is very pretty. She doesn't uh always take that compliment as well, but uh you know, again, it's just a part of her personality like and and mine. I I'm not saying I'm pretty, but I'm just you know it's very pretty guy. You're very pretty. It's just that you know, I'm not into that, and she's not either. But she does, you know, we all appreciate you know gratitude and thanks at times. But I think just over the years, she's just grown into a you know an entrepreneur and and a business woman now, and she've got two great kids. Uh, my granddaughter is in college and grandson, and it's just it's it's been a ride, you know.

SPEAKER_02 5:06

And thank God I think, Dad, you and correct me if I'm wrong. Um, the way in which we want to show up or receive, you know, praise is for our hard work and really how we perform. Um I think that's like very deeply rooted in both of our personalities. We won't be the first one in the room to, you know, tout our education or you know, where we've been or where we've come from. We just show up through through our work. So I think you've really exemplified that for me over the years. Um, and you've really a lot of people talk about grit and hard work, but you are that person in my life that just exemplifies that, honestly. I mean, you you've lived that from day one. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:58

Um, so yeah, when you grew up with six six brothers, you know. Oh wow, big family. Yeah, yeah. You uh being the oldest, you know.

SPEAKER_02 6:09

He's the oldest of six.

SPEAKER_01 6:11

You know, we've lost a couple along the way, but uh just really all of my brothers are very driven hard workers. Um, you know, just there's no doubt. You know, it's like when you get the call and you you gotta drop everything and pack a bag and leave. Most people just say, Oh my god, I gotta, you know, I've got this and that, but that's not the case, you know. You you do what you gotta do. So I think she does the same thing. And um until this day, I'm I'm doing the same thing. Right. People ask me when I'm gonna slow down. I I don't know. You know, it's just it's not in me. I don't think it's in her either.

SPEAKER_00 6:46

And I think also I don't think it's in entrepreneurs at all. Yeah, yeah. No, and that's where you get that from. Yeah, you have to have something.

SPEAKER_01 6:54

It's not it's not really um learned, it's it's within you. Yeah. I've always said that about certain people and in managers or operators or what have you. You have to have that quality to build on. It's not something you can you know, you want to work get up at three o'clock in the morning, get home at nine o'clock at night, and kind of a thing. Yeah, it's innate. Innate, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:16

I would agree.

SPEAKER_02 7:17

Yeah.