SMB POD EP 21 | 🎙️ What does your first two hours look like?

How you spend the first two hours of your day can shape everything that follows.

On this episode of SMB POD, Ashley and Michelle shares why building intentional routines isn't about being perfect it's about creating momentum. Whether you're an entrepreneur, parent, leader, or someone simply trying to stay focused, your morning habits can have a lasting impact on your mindset, productivity, and success.

Are you starting your day with purpose, or just reacting to what's in front of you?

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Your first two hours of like when you wake up, what are your first two hours?

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Coffee.

unknown 0:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Um, I I gotta be honest with you. I I check all my emails, I look at my schedule for the day. This is before Peyton's awake. I look at Peyton's schedule. What do I have going? My life right now, I literally have to structure every hour, to be honest with you, to maximize my time and just to make sure all my bases are covered. So that first hour, I don't, I'm not a meditator. I pray, like honestly, before I go into the office is when I do a little self-reflection. I try to center my energy, I'll I'll say a prayer. Um, I'll put good in, and even with Peyton in the car, I before he gets out of the car in drop off, I tell him, say something positive and powerful before you before you start your day, Peyton. And Celeste, my daughter, actually started this with him. So we start to affirmations. We start our day with affirmations, but before anyone's awake, uh, it's really, you know, tackling the day, making sure that that my day is ready to so you can kind of have clear space to be with your clients.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

So that's what you need to do to get yourself set for the day.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

Of course, yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:25

Yeah, and that's you know, it's like where I'm at in my life. And since, you know, my kids have not lived at home for years now, right? And so my like my first two hours are sacred to me. Like, and I'm yeah, so I just this is a funny note. So if you're ever cruising by California Street at the dip at say, let's say six, six fifteen, you'll see me out there. Bruce, literally, he's like, Oh my god, Michelle, right? Because I'm a medit, I am a meditator. Okay, I do my daily devotions, I do my prayer, I have a whole thing, right? But now I've started like standing on the grass to ground myself. And I will tell you, like, people drive by and they're like, I know the people that leave early and they're probably like that lady's out there just like swaying on her grasp. But that's me. But I will tell you, there's something about grounding to the earth, and I'm only out there for like five minutes, you know.

SPEAKER_00 2:20

Right.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

So, but I've tried now to not drink coffee, not start my day with coffee because I did that for years. So I'm trying to, you know, drink hydrate and like, and I can tell my organs are like, thank you for giving me water before you caffeinate me, you know.

SPEAKER_00 2:34

Definitely.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

Um, so I I do have a real practice in the morning, and then you know, I head off to either train or Peloton, or I love to walk at least two days a week outside. I just there's something about being outside in nature. That is my meditative time. So I was just curious, like how you started. But I remember when the kids were little, it was like I I would back then get up at four and I think it was 4 30 and go to Country Oaks to work. It was like the only time I had for myself, you know.

SPEAKER_00 3:08

You know, dinners, um, are the lunches prepped and made. I mean, there's just all the mom stuff too. Yeah, that goes along with all of this.

SPEAKER_01 3:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:18

So just ensuring that, you know, that's all our all my bases are covered there. But mindset, mindset has been a big key component for me lately. Um, and then connection. I think we talked about, you know, kind of connecting with other entrepreneurs, but someone that does something very similar to you, I think it's really important, someone that you can confide in. And because entrepreneurship can at times feel very isolating and lonely. Not not many understand or know all the all the factors and things that go along with that. I think I'm also lucky because Dan is a business owner as well. He's like, I've I've been there, done that. That was like 10 years ago for me. Right. But it can be a lonely place. And I think it's just really important to have your people and your network, which I know you do also, Michelle.

SPEAKER_01 4:14

Huge.

SPEAKER_00 4:15

Yeah, and you're just kind of there for each other. And in my community, I have, you know, here in Northern California, we get together, we we're just each other's cheerleaders. I just think that's really important. And we're all moms, and it's just nice to have someone to confide in that kind of knows your day-to-day and knows what to go through.

SPEAKER_01 4:36

So yeah, I always say I need a sounding board. Yes, you know, I need somebody like just, you know, and and when Lupi and I were running Homestead 360, I mean, now we are we're a hybrid now with um Nick Satak Setheby's International Realty, but when we were running, I mean, every Tuesday, 9 30 to 11, we had a brain, we called it brain trust, you know. And I mean we did business, but then we were just like clear at each other. Where are you at? Where are you at? Do you need help with anything? Are you you know, like just it was and we did that for seven years. And it's great. So I love that. Just checking in. And then we would always say we would check in with our flock, like our agent team. Like, do we what what do they need? Yes, you know. So I I think it's really important. But I do, I mean, I'm such an advocate for self-care and self-love. And I know you are. Um, but I did. I I put that on the back burner when I was you know building and then just needed to reclaim it.

SPEAKER_00 5:34

You know, that's honestly what it takes sometimes, is there is no time right now for that, for that self-care, because you know, the business in your family comes first. But you get to a point where you realize actually, no, and in order for me to show up better and um in the capacity in which I want to, it starts with me.

SPEAKER_01 5:57

Yeah. So I was I'm so proud of my daughter Ashley because I you know, I've you know, I'm her mom, I've been her her model for her life. Yes. Um, but you know, she's got four children, four busy children. That family is a little bit. She's an amazing mom. Yeah, yeah. But she just started about she started her health journey about three months ago. And she walks um with a friend, I think at least five days a week. And just to watch, I can just see a glow in her. I can see the change in her. I don't know if she sees it, but I can see it, and not just from a physical perspective at all, but just her emotionally, you know, it's just, it's just, you know, the body, you know, the mind, the body, the soul. Like just it's just fun to to just sit back and watch her. And I'm like, I'm your biggest cheerleader. And then Adam, my son. I'm gonna talk about Celeste too. I mean, hey, we're just talking. So Adam's getting ready. He actually is leaving today. He's going to Naples, Florida. Um, he's starting back to work. So there's, I think there's a fire. Yeah, he's he's going on, yeah, he's going on um, he's there, there's a fire. Um, there's some event there. So he's he's going to help out with that. But he turned, so my baby turned 39 on March 2nd. And I called him that morning, and he I FaceTime him, didn't call him, I FaceTime him. I'm like, where are you? And he's like, I'm on a train. I'm like, you're on a train. He goes, Yeah, I'm I'm headed to Seattle for what? He goes, Well, I just I want to go have brisket in uh Austin, Texas for my birthday. I'm like, oh my God, I love that kid. You know, the di the the juxtaposition between, you know, Ashley having four kids and having no time for her own, and then Adam having a little more freedom and flexibility, who decided he was gonna go take the train to Seattle, fly from Seattle to Vegas, Vegas to Austin, Texas to have brisket for his birthday. The train.

SPEAKER_00 7:55

The train.

SPEAKER_01 7:55

We had some there's a whole story behind the train. We don't need to go into that.

SPEAKER_00 7:59

So how's your girl? She's great. She's great. Freshman in college, she's so good. She really calls me.

SPEAKER_01 8:06

So that's a good that's a good thing. It's a good thing.

SPEAKER_00 8:09

Yeah, she's living.

SPEAKER_01 8:10

Should she be coming home for summer or is she staying down there?

SPEAKER_00 8:13

Uh-huh. She is, and she's just learning a lot about herself. She's loving college life and she's loving Southern California. So I can't say I blame her.

SPEAKER_01 8:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:23

Um, but she's she's doing good, which is everything I wanted for her. And I think with any transition, first year college, that first semester is it's tough. Yeah. It's you're living with people you barely know. You're living in a different town, city. It's just kind of figuring, figuring it all out, which she's got it figured out.

SPEAKER_01 8:46

I remember when Ashley came home with the first summer, she never came home again. She was like, I'll be home, and then this is like, I don't ever want to come back.

SPEAKER_00 8:53

Right. You know. She does appreciate, however, and we talked with Kaylee about this, Woodland and YOLO County, though. She does. She does. And she says, Mom, I I miss just being able to hang out with family for the evening. So she misses, she misses dinners and things like that. But and when will she be done with school? June? Um, yeah, in June.

SPEAKER_01 9:16

I I don't know if I ever told this story. So this was when Ashley, I think, had finished up with college, moved back to Woodland. Um, and she was gonna get a real estate license. Now I'm gonna tell you, my girl's smart. She is smart and she's a go-getter. And I think she took that real estate license exam four times, maybe five times. It's tough, I hear. No. No? Well, the first the first time it's tough. I mean, you're I always said just go for the experience, but by the second time, you can grok it. Four times, I think. Maybe five, I don't know. And I'm like, okay, Ashley, just tell me you don't want to work with me, right? You know, like you're self-sabotaging, and I think it's and she goes, No, I'm just not a good test taker. I'm like, five times, four times. Anyway, I don't think I ever shared that story. So, and she's exactly where she's supposed to be in life, you know. So wasn't supposed to be my partner, I would have probably been miserable. She probably wouldn't love me like she does now. So, anyway. I know, isn't that funny? You know what else is funny? Like, so our daughters are firstborns, and then I waited a while to have my second. I think you waited longer to have 10 years, yeah. But you know, uh to have you know a daughter and a son, and you know, I never really kind of connected that. I mean I did, but not like in like I am right now. I'm like, how cool.

SPEAKER_00 10:41

I know, I know, I know. Life is life's a trick, but yeah, we have a lot of commonalities, Michelle. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:47

All right, I think we're done with our pod shoot.