25 Years of Love and Leadership: Our Real Story

After 25 years together and 10 years building businesses side by side, we're pulling back the curtain on what it REALLY takes to lead with love in marriage, parenting, and entrepreneurship.

In this debut episode of Love and Leadership, meet Trent and Star as they share their journey from young couple to seasoned partners in life and business. Discover how an extrovert dreamer and an introvert detail-master built a thriving family (including adopting their nieces and nephews) and multiple successful businesses without losing themselves or each other.

What You'll Learn:
The difference between leadership and control and why it matters at home AND work. How to navigate constant change in marriage and business partnerships. Why results-driven leadership often misses the most important outcomes. Building culture that creates safety in your home and workplace. The power of grace when mistakes happen because they will. How influence works differently than authority.

Key Topics Covered:
Why wisdom is proven by its results. The underestimated reality of partnership. When leaders confuse control with care. What makes people feel safe versus unsafe. The importance of affirming your partner.

Whether you're navigating marriage, leading a team, raising kids, or building a business (or all of the above), this conversation offers real talk about the messy, beautiful intersection of love and leadership.

Subscribe for weekly episodes where we dive deep into topics like conflict resolution, entrepreneurship with your spouse, raising resilient kids, building winning teams, and finding balance when everything collides.

#LoveAndLeadership #MarriageAndBusiness #EntrepreneurCouple #LeadershipDevelopment #ParentingAdvice #MarriageGoals #WorkLifeBalance #BusinessPartnership #EmptyNesters 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Influence to me is basically just, you know, trying to lead and guide others towards a shared vision, a shared goal. You know, there's there's something, whether it's a company or your household, but there's something that is uh a cause or passion that you're trying to get everybody else to rally behind. And um, I think influence is so important because it's it's how you go about doing that that is either going to make people gravitate towards that vision or it, you know, inadvertently you might push them away from it.

SPEAKER_01 0:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:01

This is the Love and Leadership Podcast. I am Trent, and this is my beautiful co-host, Star, Hostelle. And we are gonna talk about some amazing topics when it comes to love and leadership. Because here's the thing it doesn't stay in a little neat little box, it collides with everything we do in life. And so we don't always have it figured out, but we're gonna talk about it and we're gonna get it right on this journey. And so first we're gonna talk about just us a little bit so you get the chance to get to know who me and Star are. And so um I love the fact that we've been married for 20 years and 25 years dating. And so uh, so tell the people a little bit about yourself, Star, and um how amazing your husband is.

SPEAKER_00 1:42

Um so yeah, like Trent said, we've been together a number of years. And um, I would say I'm a little bit more of the introvert. He's the extrovert. Uh, he's the one that has the big ideas and you know, all the the dreaming and the the crazy things that we do a lot of times uh stem from his imagination. And I'm the one that has to think about the details and how are we actually gonna make it happen. Yeah. But I think together we're a good team and and I feel like we really um mesh well and we balance each other out.

SPEAKER_02 2:14

I frustrated you sometimes that you have to be the detail-oriented person because you know, like I mean, I just sometimes I just have all this stuff like we're gonna go do this, and then, but yeah, the details are kind of lacking sometimes. So, but yes, I need you, you know, which is great. And that's what partnership's supposed to be, right? So, you know, where one person's weak, the other person's strong, and vice versa. So, but you are you're a good person to have my back. Thank you so much for putting up with me for the as long as you have. So of course, but um, but you're also the mother of our two beautiful children. Um, and so we have a 90-year-old daughter and a 21-year-old son, but off in college. We just became empty nesters, right? And so we adopted our nieces and nephews at a very critical time in their life. And, you know, they were teenagers when they came to our house. And so it's been an amazing journey these last like five to seven years of just a bunch of young teenagers in the house. And now we are empty nesters. Like, talk about that.

SPEAKER_00 3:02

Yeah. Um, I mean, for us, I think going from a house full of seven to a house of two was a huge change. For me personally, I went through a little bit of a mourning season as I as the house um got emptier and emptier as everybody moved out this summer. But, you know, it's giving us an opportunity to do different things and to really think about, you know, what our next is. And I think this podcast is a perfect thing to go into as we try and share a little bit of what we've learned, but also what we're figuring out together in real time.

SPEAKER_02 3:35

Yeah, I mean, a decade of, you know, be entrepreneurs in business. Uh, we've got several years of experience in the corporate world and I mean, 20 something years as parents, 25 years of marriage and dating. And so I feel like we've we've kind of uh gone through all of it, you know, and uh, but I think that there's a real aspect of things that don't get talked about sometimes because sometimes we, you know, keep everything behind our closed walls because we don't want to see everybody doesn't want to know that, hey, I'm struggling in a certain area. You want to put this nice little front, like we always got it all together. But uh, but I think this podcast is gonna get a little real to you know, kind of uncover some of those walls and and and pair back some of the things that we didn't get right, but also talk about the successes we have. I think God has been really faithful to us in allowing us to be able to get some things right when it comes to our leadership development and how to love people, ourselves, our children, each other very well. And I think that would it helps us, you know, have the success that we've gotten. And so um, let's get started.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

Yeah. All right, it's definitely, definitely been a journey.

SPEAKER_02 4:33

So um, so we're gonna preview a couple topics uh and just some things that we're gonna be doing, you know, over the course of uh these next uh few seasons and episodes that you're with us. And so we're gonna talk about everything from love to to leadership in the business world and to our household, and uh because it all pairs together. And so uh so I'm gonna uh ask you this question, right? Um, most people see leadership publicly, but the real test usually happens privately, right? And what we what we see at home, you know, we don't get a chance to see out you know in the public. And so what's harder, leading people or loving well at home?

SPEAKER_00 5:08

Ooh, that's a good question. Um I think it depends on the season, and especially for me as a woman, as a wife, as a mother, um, and even having to be out in the forefront as a a self-professed uh introvert. A lot of times I feel like um because there's a need, we get forced out there and we're not quite ready. And so I think um a lot of times for me, there's there's just been the different seasons of ups and downs. You know, there's seasons where I felt like I had to prove myself as a young leader and I spent all my time and energy out there in the workforce and neglected things at home, or those seasons where I just felt like, you know what, nobody else is thinking about this. So let me let me shut work off, let me shut the business off, and let me give all my time and energy um to my kids and to my husband because those are the ones that really know me, those are the ones that love me, that fulfill me. So I think um over the years I've really tried to come up with a better balance where I'm not giving all my energy to one thing or the other, because then that's where um, you know, that anytime that we're off balance, that's when we end up not being our full self in either place. So yeah, I think it's it's it's definitely um it's definitely multifaceted for sure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:26

And the key word you said it was balance. I mean, like, how do you how do you find that balance? Like, I mean, you're a mother, you're a wife, you're uh this leader at work, and you get pulled in so many different directions. Like, where do you find that healthy balance to be able to do all the roles that you have?

SPEAKER_00 6:40

Um, I think over the years, I've just I've had to give myself a whole lot of grace. You know, I I've constantly tried to live up to certain standards of what I thought the perfect leader was, a perfect wife, the perfect mother, you know? And uh typically that just leaves me exhausted and confused. So I've had to just really be honest and and understand what my giftings, my role is, and the things that I'm maybe struggle with a lot more that aren't uh where I'm strongest. Sometimes you have to outsource that. Sometimes you have to be okay with, you know, giving maybe the kids more responsibility or um delegating other things at work or even getting responsibilities.

SPEAKER_02 7:20

Ooh, that's uh tough, can't it? So I mean, you know, like these teenagers uh I don't know. But that's another whole subject, right? So yeah. But uh, but yeah, so thank you for that, you know. And and and again, you know, what we want to do with these conversations is is just bring it real to you because we understand that, you know, sometimes that you just live day to day so fast and fast. And sometimes you don't get solution oriented because you don't have time to find solutions, or you have time to peel the wall back and say, hey, what did I get wrong or how did I get that wrong? And what do I need to do to get it right? And sometimes it's just simply just you know, having that self-time and self-care, um, self-care, which is a huge thing of, you know, getting a proper balance right, uh, to be able to self-assess and be like, hey, what can I change and do better in order to find the balance you need to be successful?

SPEAKER_00 8:03

Yeah. Um, I have a question for you. Oh, okay. What did you feel like you underestimated about partnership, especially with us being married, you know, having our home life together? And then a lot of our business life ended up being together as well.

SPEAKER_02 8:18

Yeah, that's a great question. Um, I think one of the biggest things I underestimated probably was the fact that how many changes that I was gonna have to go through as a person, but also the changes that I'd have to undergo as far as understanding your changes, you know. Um, I am not the same person I was when I was 18. I'm not the same person I was when I was 25, 30, and now in my 40s. I've I've evolved so many different times. And I don't think I knew that's what was gonna happen. And so as you're changing, you don't realize you're changing. And so there's a lot of frustration that happens, or the other person that's changing, there's a lot of frustration that happens, even your kids, um, your roles, you know, in life, whether it's, you know, a husband, father to being a boss or executive, and then now an entrepreneur that's responsible for people's business and you know, and and their livelihood and playing employees. So there's so many different changes that go throughout it, and you underestimate that you change throughout that too as well. And I think that if you understand that you're gonna go through seasons of change and growth, you'll give yourself, like you say earlier, grace, right?

SPEAKER_01 9:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:18

Uh that key word grace matters because if you don't give yourself grace to make mistakes or say, I didn't know how to do that, I don't know how I was gonna do that. I think that sometimes what happens is you beat yourself up too much. And then uh you can beat your spouse up too much or your kids up too much because you realize, man, these people are changing. So I think that's one thing I would give people more advice on is that, you know, any relationship grows and your relationship changes. And so you therefore you have to change. So if you understand ahead of time what you need to do to change, then you you you probably can swallow it a little easier as it's going, you know. So, but um, but that's you know, one of the things that we're gonna talk about uh in our future episodes is is these very subjects. And so um I think I have another uh subject I want to get to that if we could, you know. Um, but uh before that, do you have any other questions for me about anything? Because I like to say ladies first, you know. So, you know, I I I can't, I like I said I'm an extrovert, I can continue talking and talking. So I want to I want to give you your shine here.

SPEAKER_00 10:12

So um, so one thing that I I have been thinking about as we, you know, we're planning for this is um just all of those things that we thought we knew before we actually got into it. So, you know, before you're a parent or a spouse or a leader, you know, there's all these preconceived notions about how you would do it. And um, I guess my question to you would be, you know, how do you feel like that has changed over time as you've gotten into these particular roles? You know, how has your opinion changed of it?

SPEAKER_02 10:44

Man, uh, well, one, I think that, you know, sometimes we think we know too much up front. And when you get into something, then you realize that you don't know anything at all. And so I think the it kind of goes back to my last answer of just talking about changes throughout seasons. Um, you know, one thing that you can do is you can prepare better if you know ahead of time that you go seek knowledge, you know, seek wisdom. I think that, you know, I've made a lot of mistakes because I just did things because I felt like it was the right thing to do, or I thought I knew, or I saw somebody else do something and it wasn't really necessarily the right thing. Um, but there's a saying that says wisdom is proven by its results, right? And so when you make a mistake, then that wasn't a wise choice, obviously. And so, but sometimes we we can be stubborn enough to think that, well, ah, this didn't work, I'm gonna try it again in the same way. And until you bump your head a few more times, then you're like, wait a minute, okay, that's not the right thing to do. Um, so I think that, you know, going after something and getting the right knowledge ahead of time, I think that's the way to go about those types of things. Because if you just kind of just don't know and you just start, you know, throw like throwing spaghetti up in the wall and hoping something sticks, then you're gonna fail a lot more than you succeed. And so I think that, you know, probably, you know, that is one of the things I would say that I think that before getting to anything, whether you get into a marriage, whether you become a parent, you know, find out as much about that before you get into it. Because when you just go into something, especially with a big responsibility like that, I mean, being a parent, that's a huge responsibility. Like how many we know so many people in this world just, oops, I just came in, came about, right? Right. Now I'm a parent. And so if you weren't thinking about any of that, your whole life is about to change for 18 to 20 something years. And there's so many things. And really forever. Yeah, you know, right? And so uh so because of that, you know, you if you haven't really thought you you're so much better prepared when you think about stuff ahead of time and you get all the knowledge, you know, like you have books on everything, like how to become a mother, how to how to do this right, how to do that, how to become a father. There's so many things, but we just don't take the time to do that because, and again, we're such a fast-paced society and we're just doing, doing, doing, and all of a sudden when something comes up, oh, just do, I'll just figure it out when it comes, right? Yeah. So I think that, you know, we can we can find better ways of that. Um, but on that, on that line of thinking, you know, I ask you this, you know, in in this season now, what do you feel like you judge less now than you ever did before you got into something, just being a parent or wife, or even um changing careers?

SPEAKER_00 13:06

Wow. Um I think I I don't judge people's reactions under pressure as harshly as I once did. Um, understanding the pressure that comes with being a leader, being an entrepreneur, having people's jobs in your hands, not just their job, but a lot of times even their uh emotions, you know, as a leader, a big part of what you're responsible for is setting the climate of the organization, you know, setting that culture and making sure it's a place that people love to come to, that it's, you know, not just a place that's great for your employees, but then also, you know, the customers and that there's a certain uh vibe and a certain, yeah, you know, just just just something about that place that makes it distinct and different. And you forget how how multifaceted the whole thing is. And I think I've learned to judge others less harshly when it comes to um their reactions in those uh high-pressured situations, you know, you think you would do this if it was you, or you think you would communicate better or lead this way or say this or say that. And then when you're in the hot seat and everyone's looking at you for answers, um, especially when when the unexpected happens, you know, then it's all on you. And you're kind of left thinking, like, oh, where do I go? What do I do?

SPEAKER_02 14:29

And how can I figure this thing out? But I think there's um a particular story I'm thinking about that I think that, especially in our apparenting, that we probably change all of that view for us, you know. But we're gonna preview that on another episode, so y'all have to hang on for that. So um, but I got another question for you. Um I think you're gonna like this one, babe. So um because one of the words in there is very key. So leadership isn't ownership, it's stewardship, right? So what responsibility comes with influence?

SPEAKER_00 14:59

Ooh, so influence to me is basically just you know, trying to lead and guide others towards a shared vision, a shared goal. You know, there's there's something, whether it's a company or your household, but there's something that is uh a cause or a passion that you're trying to get everybody else to rally behind. And um, I think influence is so important because it's it's how you go about doing that that is either going to make people gravitate towards that vision or it, you know, inadvertently you might push them away from it.

SPEAKER_01 15:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:35

So I think just really being the type of leader that um understands, you know, how how to communicate that vision in a way that people can catch on to it and grab onto it and feel like it's it's something that um that they're fully in alignment with and trying to always just focus on moving it forward, but not in a way that is going to be, you know, too aggressive or or bulldoze your way to that thing. You know what I mean? But but in a way that um it really feels like it's beneficial for everybody that we all have a piece of this, that we all um have a passion, a shared passion towards making it happen.

SPEAKER_02 16:15

Yeah, I I kind of think about one of the things that one of your favorite sayings is uh if you're you know leading people, right? And people are supposed to be following you, right? But when you turn around and no one's following you, you're just taking a walk. You know, so so if no one's following you, like how is that influence, right? Like how do you influence people if no one's literally, you know, taking what you say and like you can or you can go by and say, hey, like I can see a little bit of me in this person, right? And so uh so I think influence does carry a lot of responsibility. So that was really good.

SPEAKER_00 16:46

Along those lines, uh, why do you feel that leaders uh confuse control with care?

SPEAKER_02 16:54

It's a really good question. Um I think a lot of times with leadership, most people think leadership is more about the title and responsibility of what they do, which is usually I've got to tell people what to do and they have to do something, right? And so, and they don't understand, like you going back to your last, it's more about influencing, right? Um you have to influence people to do the right things, right? If you if you make people do it out of a sense of control, then they're not doing it for the right reason, you know. Like you want people to want to do the right thing because it is the right thing. So I think that we're leaders and or I would say managers or people, because because if you're not if you're not leading, you're basically managing. So if you're a manager of something, then you're trying to just keep things under control enough to where they're hey, we we're doing this, you know, this certain way, sustaining what it is. So um, so I think that, you know, if you take the approach of like, if I control people, then you're not gonna go further. You're gonna be able to kind of say, stay where you're at. But when you lead people, you can go much further. And the growth that you see in people, because the thing is, everyone wants to get to that next level. How do you get to the next level? Is the people behind you can then take over your job, right? They can do your job extremely well. And I think most people are scared of that. And so therefore, I feel like they have more sense of a can I have to control them so that they don't, they don't get step on my shoes or step on my part of my job and responsibility. Um, I think people, if they took the aspect of leadership as something um other than just control, I think that would help them be able to, I guess, help them to make people get to the place where they need them to go. Um, we all we all have now go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 18:30

Yeah, I was gonna say, I think too, um, especially when you're a younger leader or when you're newer to that title and that position, you really do feel like everything is on you. And I think that type of leadership makes you operate in a place of fear because it's a lot of pressure. It's a huge weight. And over time, as you continue to evolve and grow as a leader, you know, you realize that if I'm doing this with everyone else, if it's a shared vision, a shared goal, if we're all headed in the same direction, we all can carry a piece of the load and it makes everything so much lighter. But then it also makes it fun and you can enjoy the journey while you're on it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:07

And one word you said was fear, because not only are you fearing, but then your people do things out of fear, right? And so you don't want people working out under pressure because it is not very fun. And then and then people are stressed out, and that's where you see turnover, right? Or, you know, even in the home though, think about that. Like when you, when you parent your children and they're doing things out of fear, they're not they're not taking responsibility for the thing that they're supposed to do. You're not teaching them something. It's like, yeah, oh, I'm gonna get in trouble if I don't do this. Right.

SPEAKER_00 19:33

They're they're more focused on what is not gonna happen or what could happen than what is actually supposed to be happening and why, you know.

SPEAKER_02 19:41

And then that teaching never helps that person grow to what they're supposed to do, which is, hey, how do I get this responsibility done the right way? Right. And so I think that's a really um a key aspect of what leadership is, whether it's in the home or business or as a as a parent, husband, wife, or whatever the case may be. So um, but here's the thing, um, when leaders forget that, you know, I think that can really, you know, hurt a lot when it comes to organizations crumbling and and not going to where they want to be. Um, you see households kind of you know fold to as well. And that's gonna be episode we talk about too as well. So we're gonna um, you know, we're gonna go to our next subject here. So um, so I think that um, you know, culture is I want to go to that place of, you know, what about culture? Do you have a question for me about culture?

SPEAKER_00 20:26

Oh gosh. Um, so um what when it comes to culture, what do you feel that leaders miss when they're only focused on the results?

SPEAKER_02 20:36

Results-driven people don't actually get the results they want. Um, literally. Um, if you're only looking at what's gonna come out of it versus the process that goes into it, then you you miss out on the growth. You miss out on the things that you need it to get to a certain place. And so uh, because there's mistakes that are gonna be made, right? And you never learn to, you never uh I guess uh learn from a mistake if you're not willing to take the time to stop and say, hey, okay, what do we, what do we do wrong there? If you're just so about the result, you're just gonna do whatever it takes to get to that result as fast as possible. And no matter who you run over, who you upset, and a lot of times that was, and it's a lot of pressure on you too as well, right? I think the pressure of trying to be results driven really hurts you, you know? And so uh leaders have to understand that you again, going back to that word we said, good grace, right? Yeah, grace because mistakes are gonna be made, whether it's yourself or your team. And so on, so I think, you know, and and even again, relating it back to the home, right? Like the result of whatever we're trying to do, how do we raise our kids, right? How do we get them to, you know, uh make uh straight A's or whatever case may be, right? Our kids not always make straight A's. And so if we're putting the results of straight A's on them and they come home with a B, they're gonna feel like, man, I really missed the mark, right? And so, so our goal should not be, are you getting straight A's? It should be are you learning, right? Are you becoming responsible? Are you becoming the multifacet person that we want you to be? Are you Growing in character, right? So there's so many things that along a process that you're supposed to pick up. I just think about this spiritually too, as well. Like God gives us, you know, responsibilities, right? And then if we don't really, you know, understand the process it takes to get through that, then we miss the things He's trying to, you know, inherently get us in on the way. And so there's things we pick up when it comes to character development, you know, understanding how to lead, understanding how to do this. But if we're just focused on the result, then a lot of times we miss all that stuff in the middle.

SPEAKER_00 22:29

Yeah. I think too, with culture, it's often felt before it's ever explained, you know. So a lot of times when you walk into a particular business or even a particular home, you know, there's something that you can feel. You may not be able to really tangibly put your finger on it yet, but there's something that you you see, you experience, you sense that is um specific to that place.

SPEAKER_01 22:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:54

And I think, you know, we'll we'll definitely have to dive in a lot deeper with culture because that matters. And everything else as far as results is going to be centered around that for sure.

SPEAKER_02 23:05

And culture, it does something called keep keeps things safe. And I'm gonna ask you a question on that because with culture, you know, it's it's a process. Culture doesn't just show up, right? Culture is a result of every single day being consistent with the principles and the goals that you wanna that you're seeking to get. And so you think about some of your biggest brands, like one of my favorite brands is it's Chick-fil-A, right? If we go into a line, you know that, hey, I'm gonna get it my pleasure, right? And so, so, but other places that may have a really long line, you may not want to go to that place because first you know it's not gonna be a very serviceful experience. You're not gonna get that mile of pleasure, and it's gonna probably take a lot longer than the efficiency process they have. And so, like one of the buckies, I love buckies, right? Why do we love buckies? Because those clean bathrooms, right? And so, but again, it's the culture they've built. And so those little small things, I guess, on along the way, they make people feel safe in some type of way. So I'm gonna ask you this you know, what makes people feel safe or what makes people feel unsafe?

SPEAKER_00 24:01

Um, so I think we're always at a balance between um, you know, really helping our employees feel a certain way, but then also making sure that we're keeping that level of quality that we want, you know, because you can you can say, okay, these are our standards and everybody has to do them. And, you know, you're walking around with the aura of fear and and condemnation. And, you know, the standard might be even uh too strict for some people, right? But then you can do the opposite and just be so laxadaisical and so understanding. Yeah, this person has to be out again for the fifth time this month, you know? So I think it really is a balance. Um, I feel like safety in the workplace really has to do with people feeling understood, accepted. Um, but even I think structure and systems is important, right? Because if if you don't know what you're gonna get when you walk in, that's not safety either. So I think there's always that balance of creating a great culture where you do have, you know, uh the things that are maybe considered a little more rigid, but then also have that people aspect too and that human aspect that that you understand is there and that it's needed.

SPEAKER_02 25:19

Yeah. And one thing I think about when it comes to safety, you know, I automatically think about children, right? Um, children need safety, right? Children need consistency. And that starts at the home, you know, when you have an unbalanced schedule, when things are different, you know, people in our house, the father's not there, you know, mother's not there. You're working all the time and they're kind of watching themselves, right?

SPEAKER_00 25:38

And so because you can be there and still not be there.

SPEAKER_02 25:40

Absolutely, right? So culture is even built inside the home too as well, you know, and having that consistency of a love structure, uh, stability structure, you know, all those things matter when it comes to that. So um we definitely did some things right in our structure of that, right? But we definitely did a lot of things wrong. So a lot of things wrong. So we're gonna talk about those things too as well in future episodes. But again, stuff in the home, again, we don't we don't we don't bring this stuff out because sometimes we feel like, man, I failed. And since I'm a failure, I don't want nobody to know. But the only way you get help is if actually you acknowledge that. You acknowledge that we're hey, I did fail, I didn't do this right. And so, and that's why we want to talk about it because we were young parents, we were young, you know, husband and wife, and we didn't really have any, yeah, we didn't have anybody to show us the way. We literally had to learn through experience, right? Figure it out. And so, and that's what this podcast is about, right? We don't always have it all together, but along this journey, we will figure some things out. But we want to make sure you guys have the knowledge and that you can pick up along the way as you're going through your journey. So you might be uh early, you know, parenthood right now, you could be later in parenthood, you could be a beginning entrepreneur or even a seasoned entrepreneur. But wherever you're at in that journey, we all can get better at this thing called love and leadership, you know, because I think that those are things that are constantly changing and constantly getting better as we uh grow in the different seasons of our life, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:55

And so it's all about involving for sure.

SPEAKER_02 26:58

Um and, you know, I'm glad that we were able to do this episode because, you know, one of the things that, you know, uh this is our passion, this is our life, you know, loving people, um, leading people. And I think that, you know, as we started as a young couple, um, we didn't know this is what we're getting ourselves into, right? We just kind of developed over the years. Um, but I want to say, you know, I've, you know, had a front row seat in this with you. And it's been my pleasure. It's been so amazing. Like I, you know, I've changed as a man, as a husband, as a father, as a young entrepreneur and business person. And a lot of that's been because I've had an amazing partner alongside with me to do that. And so um, I just want to give you your flowers because sometimes it just feels good to be, you know, affirmed and feel like, you know what, I didn't do all this for no reason, right? It wasn't for nothing. Yes, right. And so, um, you know, so husbands out there, I'm telling you, affirm your wife, right? Let her know how you feel about her, let her know she's amazing. And so, uh, but I think over the years I've learned that is important to be able to do that. And I think I get my best version of you when I'm able to make sure that you feel that appreciation. And so, so I'm just giving the your kudos in front of the whole world. And so, but uh, we're just so I'm I'm just happy that that you're alive and you're part of my life, you know. And you know, God definitely gave you a blessing when He gave you me.

SPEAKER_00 28:13

So Yeah, I think we both added a lot to each other, and we would not have had the life that we've had so far and the experiences we've had so far without each other, you know. This partnership is everything, you know, it's it's it's like you said, it was home, it was business, it was just figuring out everything together. 25 years. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:37

It's crazy, right? Yeah, 10 years and 10 years as a business, right? And so um, I'll ask you one last question. Um, what has been maybe one of the um greatest joys of this journey that you've been able to experience, you know, when it comes to everything we've done these last 25 years, whether it's business, family, what tell me one of your greatest joys?

SPEAKER_00 28:56

Um, I think just being able to have that sense of accomplishment, even now as our kids have transitioned out of our home, um, just knowing that it it all meant something and that the memories, the lessons, everything that we've gone through was for a purpose. It was for a reason. And every, you know, building block that we that we put down is a support for the next one and the next one and the next one. So I think I'm just very proud of the life that we built so far. And I'm really, you know, just happy and excited to see what what the next season holds for us.

SPEAKER_02 29:31

All right. Love it, love it, love it. Um, if you enjoyed uh what you saw today as far as our topics and the things that we've been in were introducing you, um come back and see us again. Um, this is gonna be an amazing journey we're just starting. And so love and leadership literally, you know, covers the vast journey of our livelihood. You know, you can't do anything without having to collide with either one of those, whether it's your home, whether it's your business, your family, um, as a parent. You know, it all encompasses those things. And so we're here to talk about it openly. We're gonna have some of the best entrepreneur minds on here talking about their experience in business and leadership. Um, we're gonna be coming to you, mothers and fathers, just like you, um, talking about their experiences as parents and and what made them successful, even sometimes things that they didn't do so right, right? I think those are important as well. But at the end of the day, we want to make sure that each of you are affirmed, each of you are love, and each of you understand their stewardship of what leadership is. So uh so thank you for joining us on Love and Leadership. Um, this is my beautiful wife, star, and I'm Trent. And so we are so happy that you came and joined us. So be ready for our next episode uh on the Love and Leadership podcast. Until then, be blessed, lead well, and love well as well.