Full Hearts: Reflecting on 200 Podcast Episodes

Episode 201: In this milestone episode, Vonda and Lori celebrate recording  200 podcast episodes by sharing their personal reflections on the journey so far. They talk about the lessons learned about themselves and one another.

In addition, they ask each other 5 questions to give listeners a glimpse into their personalities, backgrounds, and interests. Get ready to learn more about the hosts behind the microphones!

Sponsored by:
Flower Clique
Flower Clique Prep School
Real Life Retail Florist

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:03

Lori, we have a kind of a celebration today. We do. I was gonna say an anniversary, but it's not really an anniversary. It's more of a celebration, so you're right. Yeah, you're right.

SPEAKER_00 0:14

I think it could be both, right? It is an anniversary, but it's a celebration because we have recorded 200 episodes of the business and pleasure of flowers. That is a lot.

SPEAKER_02 0:28

Wow, that's crazy.

SPEAKER_00 0:32

Welcome to the business and pleasure of flowers. We're your hosts, Vonda LaFever and Lori Wilson.

SPEAKER_02 0:37

And we believe the business and fun are a perfect combination. Kind of like us, Vonda. I feel like it's been more than that. Three days. How has it only been 200 episodes? Because we're going into our third year.

SPEAKER_00 0:59

Because it's one per week, right? Gosh. So that's 52 weeks a year.

SPEAKER_02 1:05

I feel like it's 2,000 episodes. I just feel like it's been are you weary? Are you weary no? I just feel I just feel like we've done a lot, but no, that's crazy. That's a lot. That is a lot. It really is. Yeah. Who would have ever thought we made it this far? We really thought, let's just do it for fun for a year.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

And I was I was in for two years, and then you and Allie always challenge me. Like, is this a really good use of our time? After the keep going because I I really enjoy it. I know. And I just tag along because why not?

SPEAKER_02 1:42

Right? Just show up. You send me a link, and I'm like, uh, I'll sign in. I'll sign in and see what we're talking about today. Right, right. So no, I do enjoy it. I enjoy it. I think it's fun. And what I think one thing that kind of drives both of us are those moments when we get feedback, right?

unknown 2:05

Right.

SPEAKER_02 2:06

Those times, whether it's an email or a text message or an encounter with a a person in the industry that we don't even know that comes up to us and says, Hey, I love your podcast, or I and like, oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 2:20

You I feel like I feel like yeah, you really feel like I know you. I I think I know you because I mean, yeah, people really feel like they know you because of the podcast. Yeah, I just love that. Yeah, I love it. It that's what drives me. When I look back, stand back and say, okay, what have we learned from 200 episodes? I really reflected on that a lot the last few days, and I have a lot to say. So here we go. Okay. We've had amazing guests, right? If I look from the beginning and even Ken Center and how he was explaining to us how tough it was going through COVID because we started right before COVID.

SPEAKER_02 3:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:04

And how the wedding and events were so down and the challenges. And now I look on social media and I see what he and Donna are doing. I'm like, my heart is so full because of the difference on that. But it does make me realize that you know, we had that interview with Ken and it was so heartwarming. Yeah. And then through COVID, so many great guests, and even Bill LaFever keeping us in line on what was going on with the supply chain.

SPEAKER_02 3:31

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:33

We've learned floral journeys from Renee Tucci, Jenny Thomson, Jerome Rasca, Julie Poultler, Tim Farrell, Abby Chick, Jay Schwanke, Amy Balsters, our friends from SAF, you know, Kate Penn, Laura Weaver, and then Barry Gottlib. I mean, those were like really cool people that I learned more about. Some of these are my friends, but I didn't know so much of the backstory. Yes, for sure. Then the experience of designers Ace Barry and Beth O'Reilly.

SPEAKER_02 4:03

Yes, when they did their show, their HBO show, that was very fun.

SPEAKER_00 4:08

And of course, then so many of our Flower Click members shared their journeys. Yes. And marketing secrets, which was wow, just that those things were just really cool to look back and go, wow, I remember that.

SPEAKER_03 4:23

We did all those.

SPEAKER_00 4:24

Yeah. And one of the favorites have always been trends from Sarah Botchik from Pioneer Imports and Holmes. Yes, love it. Love it. Everybody loves those. And then our expert team. We look, Ellie has interviewed many people with either next gen or different perspective that she's added to the podcast, which I think has been great. And our team members, Cammy, Audrey, Leslie, and Katie Miller. We've had them on. Um, your non-industry guest, I think most of them were you, your friends. Yeah. Mindy Corcoran, Laura Waits, and Dr. Nicole Price. Yeah. Kane McGuin talking about retirement. We all need to hear that one again and again, I think. You know. And let's see. Then it really touched my heart remembering Shine with Marie Ackerman, that special tribute we did to Marie. Yeah. But all that being said, Lori, I will have to say, I think you have done and me a little, a lot of research and shared a lot of relevant information with our clickers. And that's, I think, what I'm most proud of, because that's when people come to us and say that we really touch them, is that the research that you've done has helped me grow in my knowledge and all these things. So it just to me, it's just kind of cool to look back and go, wow. Wow. So I think we're feeding them, but I think you're feeding me. Yeah. And I'm growing through this whole thing. Wow.

SPEAKER_02 5:55

Well, you make me emotional in that part because I think you already bring to the table so much wisdom and expertise. And you do research too, Vonda. Let's be honest. You do. But I have to do a lot of research because I don't have as much expertise as you do in this in this industry. I was thinking as you were sharing all of this, especially when you were talking about having all of our members on the podcast. One of my favorite little series that we did was Who's the Boss? Oh, yeah. That's for that. Just it popped in my head as you were saying that. And I loved it so much because we got to pull in different members who are co-owners and talk about the relationship of co-owning a business, whether they are related or non-related. You know, some were spouses, some were brother-sister, some were mother-daughter, some are whatever. Um, and I just loved getting to know the dynamic um and getting to know them more. And it's funny because even now when I talk to those clickers, I just feel closer to them, right? Because we we just know them a little bit more in depth. Um, for sure. So gosh, I forgot about that.

SPEAKER_00 7:22

Yeah, and then the next generation ones, we had some that were passing off to the next generation.

SPEAKER_02 7:28

Yeah, that's very cool. So, so when I was thinking about this question, what the 200 episodes have taught me, the first thing that came to my mind, what it has taught me about myself is that I talk a lot, I ramble. That's what it taught me, and my appreciation for you to reel me in is huge. So I am very grateful. And for those of you listening, I know you can't see us, but there are many times that Bonda will give me just a look. It is a very kind, sweet look, and it is a move on, move on, wrap it up, sister look, and and I know that look, and it's taken me a while uh to know her. I've known her for a while now, but it's taken me, but I know the look, and I can now move it along. So I'm learning as we go when to do that, and I'm learning to watch the time go on the recording because I know that you're watching time. So that is one like immediate thing that this podcast has taught me. Other things that it's taught me that I wrote down is if I talk to someone long enough, I will always find something in common with them. It does not matter where our starting points are. If I talk to them, there have been a lot of people that have come on the podcast in this industry that I'm like, oh gosh, this is Vonda's person. I'm gonna have nothing to contribute. And by the end of the conversation, I'm like, I love this person. Like, oh my gosh, I feel like we could be best friends. It's amazing. It's one of the reasons, quite honestly, that I keep doing the podcast with you because I'm like, this connection thing is so cool. I love this, you know. So if I listen long enough to the person, I can connect with them. So wow, I love that. I try to take that outside the podcast, you know, in every conversation I have, whether I'm at a big convention or I'm talking on the phone with someone that reaches out to me. Like I have three people today that want to talk to me about Flower Click, right? And I'm like, okay, I I don't know what their starting point is, but if I listen long enough, I can probably connect with them.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

That's a lesson for all of us.

SPEAKER_02 10:17

Yeah, but I've learned that really by doing this podcast, like been conscious of it. Yeah, by doing that. The next thing that is taught me is every one of us have a backstory. We all have a story. You know, you always used to say, and you still do what's your why. I love hearing the why. I think it's my favorite part of everybody is your backstory. It's what makes us all who we are, it's what makes us tick. And we all have a different one, and we all have it, and and so I love that. The vast majority of people on this planet are good. I truly believe that at least the people we bring into this podcast I have found. You know, if we're just talking about this, but I truly believe that this industry, at least from what I can see from my view, the people in this industry are for one another. I have yet to meet someone and us have them on the podcast. At least, again, they could be duping me, right? But from what I can tell, the people we have brought in and I have had conversations with, or we have had conversations with, there has not been one yet who has not been willing to offer someone else a helping hand to help them further their career in this industry.

SPEAKER_00 11:58

And I think that's with this industry. We've always said that there's just no industry like that that everybody really sincerely wants to help one another. Right. And it's fascinating to see you, yeah, from you, from my perspective, right?

SPEAKER_01 12:15

Right.

SPEAKER_00 12:15

I mean, it's been 15 years now, but right, right, right.

SPEAKER_02 12:18

But it's fascinating for me to see that firsthand because um doing the podcast has widened my scope of people because you've brought in so many people that I never knew. You've known them forever, right? So you've been able to introduce me to people, and so it's been amazing to see their willingness to share their knowledge and expertise to help other people grow. I don't know if it's like that in every industry, I think it's fascinating. The last thing I want to say about what this podcast has taught me. I don't know if it's taught me, it's just maybe confirmed or reiterated in me is that I just really, really love connecting with people. It really is my favorite thing in life. It just fills my cup to no end when I can have a good heart-to-heart conversation with somebody that ends maybe with some laughter and some joy, and then I get off the phone or the podcast or whatever with them, and I walk away and I still have a smile on my face. There is nothing better to me. You are you are the connector, and yeah, and I think that's what keeps me coming back to these is thinking, oh, maybe there's going to be a connection. Like maybe I'm gonna make a new friend, or maybe there's gonna be a joke or something, maybe something funny is gonna happen.

SPEAKER_00 13:56

I don't know. Well, and you bring out the joy in everybody, you really do, Lori. You like you're saying, you connect, you're listening and connecting. I can see there's this light that goes off, and you get excited, and then the other person gets excited, of course, you know, and so there's so much joy that happens, and you're bringing that to the person because they're not realizing that, right?

SPEAKER_02 14:18

So I don't, I just get super excited when the kid when the light bulb sparks and like, ah, look, we just did it, we became friends. That's so fun. So, anyway, that's what doing this podcast um has taught me and has taught you. And I think for our listeners, I don't know if it's taught them anything, but I hope from a listening standpoint they do somehow feel connected to us because I'll tell you, we both feel really connected to them, especially when people come up to us. Like we always, it's probably inappropriate, but I always want to hug them, right? And grab, I mean, because it is a deep felt gratefulness I have when people say, Oh, I listen to your podcast.

SPEAKER_00 15:07

And and I'm always surprised. Yes, because we just do this every week and we just having fun and we're trying to share as much knowledge as we can.

SPEAKER_02 15:15

But when they say that, you're like, Oh my gosh, yeah, yeah, that someone takes the time, right? To to listen. And like when you were at your teleflora thing the other day, and someone mentioned it, and you texted me, and you're like, Oh, because you take it as such a compliment.

SPEAKER_00 15:34

I do, mm-hmm, you know. And I'm gonna do a shout-out. That was Melissa Moss up in Milwaukee or yes, and she said she was listening to the ripple, and uh, that was a good one though. Yeah, and she was talking about how she feels like she's a ripple, and everybody in the room was like that ripple.

SPEAKER_02 15:52

Yeah, yeah. I think connection is important for people, I think it's what keeps us going. I think it helps us live longer. It does, you know. We have to connect just from a humanity standpoint, I think from a business owner standpoint, from a salesperson, an employer, like whatever you are, you have to be able to connect with people. Right. You know, so okay. The next part of this, our assignment was I'm a little nervous about this. Are you? Because I don't know that I'm gonna be able to answer this. We were each to come up with five questions, interview questions for each other. If you do not know my five, I do not know yours, right? And we are gonna interview each other. So, how do we want to do this? Like, I ask you one, you ask me one, we'll go back and forth. That's probably the best way to do it.

SPEAKER_00 16:50

Okay, so I have some very simple ones.

SPEAKER_02 16:53

Same. I I I peppered in simple and then some maybe deep thought, but I didn't want to do like super, super deep, like bust out in tears type things because come on, we just talked about joy. But they're kind of more get to know you, go a little get to know one another. It's time to get to know the podcasters, podcasters. Is that what we're called? Podcast hosts, podcast hosts. That's what we're hostesses, hostesses. I don't know, whatever. You call us whatever you want. Okay, I'm gonna start. I'm gonna start with a light one. Well, kind of light, if you're curious, still still a good one. Okay, Vonda, Vonda La Fonda, Le Fever, that's your real name. If you were to win five million dollars tomorrow, five million, so not like a hundred million, okay, but five million, not bad, not bad, not a bad chunk of change, yeah, right, but not a hundred million like Kardashian money. You're not gonna be a Kardashian.

SPEAKER_00 18:01

I know that's okay.

SPEAKER_02 18:02

We don't want to so if you were to win five million dollars tomorrow, okay, what would you do? Like, how would your life change at that moment?

SPEAKER_00 18:20

Wow, that's a really good question. Yeah, I would probably first give the money to the church. Yes. My first as any good Catholic girl should. Yep. And so then that still leaves me a heck of a lot of time.

SPEAKER_02 18:40

You still have plenty to choose from, my friend.

SPEAKER_00 18:44

I would pay off my house. I would buy a new car because I am driving. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 18:50

Yes, car so I could. Upgrade a couple years, yes. Upgrade, still something modest, Honda or Toyota.

SPEAKER_00 18:56

Right. Would I take a trip? Maybe take a trip. And then I would set up accounts for my children. Okay. For my grandchildren. Yes. Like for the grandchildren. Children can fend for themselves and go to the grandchildren. If they don't know it by now, they won't know it. Right. So if they don't know how to make money by now, so I would set up accounts for my grandchildren. I mean, I'm blessed with what I have today. I don't think it would change my lifestyle one bit because I would not stop working as you would know. I knew, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:30

I I already knew the answer to this question.

SPEAKER_00 19:33

Okay. And I didn't know if the audience would know. I'm gonna start with a really easy one for you. Okay. Okay. Okay. Do you like baking or cooking better?

SPEAKER_02 19:49

You know the answer to that. I like cooking, and you know the reason, because baking requires precise measurements, and I am not about precision, my friend. I like to wing it. I like to just throw it all together and see what happens.

SPEAKER_00 20:13

What is your favorite thing to wing it or cook? Well, it's a two-part question, so dang.

SPEAKER_02 20:20

I love to cook, you know that. I love to cook, I love to make different things. I have a whole bunch of recipes, I don't follow them all.

SPEAKER_00 20:32

They spark an idea, and then you spark an idea, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:35

I will take, I my problem is I will get like three different recipes for the same entree, and I will take bits and pieces of each recipe and make it.

SPEAKER_00 20:47

So that's where your creativity comes in.

SPEAKER_02 20:49

Mine's comes in with flowers, yours comes in with more, and then I will have someone go, oh my gosh, this would like I'll have people over for dinner, and they'll say, It's so good. Can I get the recipe? And I'm like frozen. I'm like, ah, I don't crap. Like, I don't know what I did because I took a hodgepodge. I cannot recite it. And then I'm a bit of trouble because I can't replicate it. Yes, you know, so that's right. So, anyway, I love to cook on the weekends, I love to chop. You know, I love it. I you know I love to chop when I'm at your house. I love to chop an onion. I love, I'll chop anything. But that's it. Baking, I wish I was a baker. My daughter loves to bake, but she's more of a scientist, too. She that's her wheelhouse. She's precision, she loves a good measuring cup. I just do not. I am not in that, but that's a good question. Okay. Come over for dinner, just not dessert. I'll bring the dessert. Bring your own dessert.

SPEAKER_01 21:54

Will do. Exactly. You're good at baking. I love to bake, so that's we goodbye. Okay, here's the next one. Okay. This we're we're getting a little bit deeper.

SPEAKER_02 22:05

Not super deep, but this is a good one. Okay. Within the floral industry, your life 40 years, you would say, right? 40 plus.

SPEAKER_00 22:17

Plus. Plus, I think I'll do that.

SPEAKER_02 22:19

Okay. That's who would you say are the two, I couldn't want to do one, two biggest influences on your career and why?

SPEAKER_00 22:35

Well, the first one is easy. Her name was Peggy Harrison. It was my first job there. And in Ames, Iowa. I was hired at 14 years old and learned how to work hard from cleaning to washing buckets to everything you could need to know about processing flowers at the time. That was huge with her. And then she taught me to design, made sure I went to the little design classes that were happening in the area. And she really truly just mentored me.

unknown 23:03

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 23:03

And got me excited about this industry. Wow. Just excited, you know, and and even though it was hard work because we worked hard. She hired you just on the spot, 14 years old. No, she didn't hire me on the spot. Her son, Greg, worked for my dad. Okay. Owned the garbage route. So Greg worked for my dad because he didn't want to be a flower boy anymore. He wanted a hard, hard man's work. Yes, yes. And so I would work with Greg on the garbage route on Saturdays. And so then he's like, hey, mom, this girl is very hardworking. So kind of swapped. Your parents did a parent swap. There you go. So Peggy was for sure my biggest mentor and very first mentor. So I wouldn't sing.

SPEAKER_02 23:51

You wouldn't be where you are.

SPEAKER_00 23:53

Right. And then from there, gosh, Lori, it's so hard. There's so many. There are just so many from Bobby Ecker, who was my sponsor to get me into AIFD. But then, you know, I I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 24:07

I know, I know. I knew it would be hard. I had five, and then I was like, we'd be here all day.

SPEAKER_00 24:13

Yeah. No. And then of course everybody knows Marie.

SPEAKER_02 24:16

I figured it would be Marie.

SPEAKER_00 24:18

Yeah. I learned so much from her from you know, from when I first met her to all the time we can became you know close friends. So yeah. Yeah. And we could go on and on, but we we have a limited time, you know. I always watch that.

SPEAKER_02 24:32

Yeah. But you know what? And I know we will go on. I want to take a minute there. Isn't that a testimony to this industry that you can't just pick two?

SPEAKER_00 24:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:46

Like think of, I mean, it g it literally gives me chills of how many people built into your life that you can't think of just like, oh, well, this was my main mentor. Like most people are lucky to have one Honda in their lifetime, or maybe two.

SPEAKER_00 25:12

Well, and then there's the people who influence you. Like there was a man whose name is Herb Mitchell, and I just remember reading every one of his articles and thinking, wow, that's just fascinating. And then meeting him, and then you're like, oh my gosh, this guy was a star, and here I am. Yeah. You know, it's it's those steps along your way, and it's just like life, right? Yeah. One person links you to the other, to the other, and and you always find connection points, which you talked about earlier. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I'm pretty fascinating. Fascinating. Okay, your next question. Okay. Now this one sounds easy.

SPEAKER_02 25:49

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 25:50

But maybe it's not.

SPEAKER_02 25:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 25:53

See, because what I've tried to do is make these kind of specific to you. Okay. What is the one most important thing, or you could say two, that you learned from your mother. Your mom. Your mom was such a big influence. Oh my gosh. Well, that's kind of like me in the floral industry. Isn't that funny that we picked that question? Yes. Uh the one.

SPEAKER_02 26:21

Well, I mean, it's has to be something to do with laughter and joy. It's my mom, and I'm if if I get emotional, it's only because it's good emotion. Yep. Because you know this, I think I've told you. I was, and this sounds horrible. I was raised where at any given moment someone was my mom was going to be jump out from behind a door and scare the crap out of you. Or my dad. This is just how my family was. I was one of three children. You could be walking down a hall of the house innocent, and all of a sudden, just out of a room. My mom scaring you, and then she'd fall on the floor laughing, just and you would just be rolled up in a ball, terrified. Like this was my life. This was my life. Or you would go to bed and you would pull your sheets back to your bed, and there would be like a hat doll with like an arm missing, like a scary, like she was just this person. Oh my gosh. But she was then, but she was a kindergarten teacher and she was the sweetest thing in the world. Very, very, but she just loved jokes. And this was her way. She, I told you the very first time my now husband ever came to meet my parents. They brought him in and had him sit down on the piano bench. And there was like a path. There was a whoopee cushion underneath him. Oh no, like this was my life. So it explains a lot of me who the person I am today. I think just laughter is so important in my life. She always, always had friends around. She always had deep connection with other women. Like she had a group of women, the women she taught school with, you know, her church women, like she was always on. She had her little bicycle group, neighborhood women, like she was always up for something fun. So I I think that's a huge part of who I am. The one piece of advice that she gave me, and this is so simple, but when I became a new mom and I was overwhelmed, yeah. And I think this actually when I had my first two, you know, they're 15 months apart, and I felt like I can't do this. And anyway, she told me this, and I think of this a lot, and it has helped me. And it's she said, always have a machine working for you. And what she meant was washer, dryer, dishwasher, any of these things. You make good use of like for me at the moment, it makes it because I had piles of laundry or I had dirty dishes, and that worked for me. That was great to remind myself, oh, that's not on. It could be on because I have a pile. I need to get it working, I need to get it going for me. Right, isn't that crazy? That's crazy. I love that.

SPEAKER_00 30:01

Wow, we can all learn that one.

SPEAKER_02 30:03

I know she always did because she grew up at a time they didn't have a washer and dryer, you know, and she remembers her mother going down to the pond. And so she said she always considered it a blessing to do laundry. She was always so grateful, and so she would always tell me these stories, and she said, So always have them working for you because you are so lucky, you are so lucky, and just so that that's a long, long drawn-out answer.

SPEAKER_00 30:31

Two wonderful things, yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 30:34

Wow, yeah. So those are my she was she was something like no other. I cannot even, I could probably write a book on her, but she was a hoot, a hoot and a half. Speaking of your next question. Uh oh. All right. Do you have a favorite childhood memory that stands out? That one that like every once in a while just pops up and you think about and you're like, God, that was just the best time of life.

SPEAKER_00 31:22

I can think of like funny little moments. My brother had the best memory, and so he would sit down and he would say that do you remember this? Do you remember that? Yeah, yeah, now I do, but I I didn't have that recall, you know, like yeah, like he did. I remember as a child when there were just three of us, so it was before my little sister was born. We lived kind of on a hill, and we would get in these big barrels, that all three of us side by side. So you can see it's a pretty big barrel, and you brace yourself and we would roll down this hill until we were laughing. So it was I remember that just because it was so joy-filled, and it was my brother Kenny and Barry, and you know, they're now, but you know, and we would go on family vacations together. Maybe that's one that would be cool. Family vacations, yes, because the family vacations, my mother was a seamstress, and we all were dressed exactly the same. Oh, Vonda! She made shirt for my dad, she made dresses for my sister, and the boys each had a shirt. So when we would go to the Grand Canyon, you knew what family was together out. She did never wanted to lose us, and she knew we all would look that's awesome. And then we would have to stop in front of each state. We had a pop-up trailer. We had a little pop-up trailer. Uh-huh. Yes, so did we. StarCraft pop-up trailer. Yep, we did too. And then did you stop in front of each of the state's signs that says yes, Tennessee? And here's the the Stowie family with all their matching clothes. So that would be awesome. Who has those pictures? I have them actually. I have and my sister has scanned all of my mother's pictures in. So we have them all electronically. Priceless. Absolutely priceless. I haven't thought of that in years, there's a lot of people. Can you imagine the work your mom put into those outfits? Oh, she she sewed all the time. I mean, we didn't buy any clothes, she made our shorts, our skirts, shirts, everything back then.

SPEAKER_02 33:35

I wish I knew how to sew. My grandma did all of that. My mom did not inherit that trait.

SPEAKER_00 33:40

Well, you can come here some week and you have the good sewing machine. I have a couple good sewing machines, and when Ellie was younger, I would send her to my mother's to, we would say she's going to sewing camp. Yes, yeah. She could learn. Wow. Anyway, okay. All right, next one. Okay. If you could have one talent that you don't already have, what would that be? You're gonna be surprised. Okay, it's not Google spreadsheets.

SPEAKER_01 34:10

Not Google, no, no, but it's close. Oh, really? Close.

SPEAKER_02 34:16

Okay. I wish that I wish I had this, but then part of me is like, I've gone this long without it. I don't really want to. I wish that I had really, really good math skills. Oh like trigonometry level, like high end math. Like, oh yeah, I do can do all math stuff.

SPEAKER_00 34:45

Interesting. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:47

And I think because I never really learned math past algebra, and a lot of that is because my high school algebra teacher who got was ended up being fired. He was a very, very bad teacher, and he told a group of us girls that we never needed to know math, we would just be getting married, so we don't need to worry about like he was a horrible man. Wow, a lot of things happened. Anyway, my dad, who was the assistant superintendent of the time, caught wind of all of this because I didn't tell him, but other people anyway, he's gone, he was gone, but the damage was done. Sure. So all of these things that are imprinted in your 16, 17-year-old brain, yeah, that you don't ever have to learn. And so I have always shut off that side of my brain. And it wasn't until I was getting my degree in education on how to, and one of the classes I took was how to teach math, like eighth grade math, again, eighth to tenth grade. And it was taught by a woman professor that I started realizing I I can do math. Oh my gosh, like it she opened up that side of the brain for me. And so I learned enough to be able to teach it at you know, middle school level, and so it always kind of made me sad. Yeah, yeah. But I I wish I would have not listened to that man, right? But at that point, at that point, I was like, oh, okay, so I don't ever have to learn this. Okay, anyway, it is what it is.

SPEAKER_00 36:38

Okay, then I don't want to do the work now. I was gonna say, like you said earlier, you made it this far.

SPEAKER_01 36:45

So you made it this far.

SPEAKER_00 36:47

And with computers now and calculators, it's right, you almost don't even have to have that.

SPEAKER_02 36:52

Exactly, exactly. But I but I do think it would be really cool because I think it's important to open up parts of our brain that don't that are sleeping. Yes, you know what I mean, and like to slowly uh whether you ever use it or not, open open that part up. So that was my thing. Okay, Fonda. What is I'm gonna preface this your answer cannot be work, your answer cannot be work. Got it?

SPEAKER_00 37:29

Okay, this could be tough then.

SPEAKER_02 37:31

Okay, but do you hear me? All right, what is your favorite thing to do? Like what brings you the most joy? What do you love to do?

SPEAKER_00 37:45

Help other people. Give me an example. I can't that's like saying save the world. I think maybe bring joy to other people and help others in whatever way I can. And that's simple things like the little neighbor girls I've always told. Exactly what I was thinking of. Oh my gosh, I actually just ordered flowers so that at Thanksgiving the girls and I can take flowers all around the neighborhood and just really young kids. It they're just so exciting. I mean, going up to see the grandkids and spending time with them, and I think that just brings me such joy. Children and to try to look at through at the world through the eyes of child because there's so much hope and there's so much wonder and there's so much joy and question. And so I think that's what yeah brings me a lot of joy.

SPEAKER_02 38:39

Yeah, I agree.

SPEAKER_00 38:40

I'm with you there. This is kind of like your first question, but this is down to the bottom here. Okay. If you were offered a trip and you'd have to leave tomorrow, you could go anywhere. Where would you go and who would you take with? And Mark's not listening, so if it's not Mark, it's okay. Okay. All right. I have to leave tomorrow.

SPEAKER_02 39:06

So if you had to leave tomorrow, so if I had to leave tomorrow, I would go somewhere in the United States because if it would just give me anxiety to go outside of the United States. I get weird about going out. I get angry tomorrow. Well, I'd go skiing. I would go skiing. I I would go today, as a matter of fact. I told you that we were buying epic ski passes this year, and I I don't know what is wrong with me, but I cannot tell you how excited I am when I think about the fact we're gonna go skiing. I I just I am more excited, and it's only a three-day pass. It's only three days, like it's only it's a long weekend, it's a whenever it's whenever it's it's not a specific weekend, it's just whenever we choose to go. But I am a million times more excited to go work my butt off uh snow skiing than I was to go to Mexico and set up a million times more. That's awesome. Isn't that strange? So you would go skiing, and would you take I'd probably go with Mark because he's paying for it all.

SPEAKER_00 40:38

So no, no, no, it's all paid for, so it's okay. Okay, it's all paid for you enjoy.

SPEAKER_01 40:42

And then he enjoys skiing. Yeah, okay. Yeah, he's good. Yeah, he's a good ski buddy. He's yeah, he's good. He'll he'll do. Okay, good. All right, well, there we go.

SPEAKER_00 40:53

Yeah, no, he's I could tell the excitement in your voice, so that's good.

SPEAKER_02 40:56

No, I am, and you got me all excited just thinking about it. Oops, I'm so excited. I'm so excited. The the passes came in the mail last week, and I'm like, they're here, they're here. When can we go? When can we go? When can we go? Well, and they're saying on the news that Colorado's already getting snow, and I'm like, oh there we go.

SPEAKER_00 41:17

I'm so excited.

SPEAKER_02 41:19

Okay, how many questions do we have left? One or two? One. Oh shoot, you only have one. I gotta decide which one to ask you. Okay, I'm gonna ask you this one. What advice would you give to 20-year-old Fonda LaFever?

SPEAKER_00 41:41

That's a really good question. You know, Lori, when I was 20 years old, I had two children.

SPEAKER_02 41:48

When I was 20 years old, I was living in a sorority house with 500 girls. Yeah. So incredibly immature. So you were living a completely different life than me. Right? Exactly. You were probably working. Oh, I was working in. Oh god. 20 years old.

SPEAKER_00 42:12

Keep pursuing your dream. That was it. I mean, and just bel maybe believe in yourself. Because at that point, I'm not sure I did. Yeah, you know, I think just believe in yourself and follow your dream. Yeah. Yeah. And you know, I'm living my dream, but I did not for years. I don't think that was that belief in myself. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I think that's yeah, that's really a good question. So I I'm gonna change mine and ask you the same question.

SPEAKER_02 42:44

Oh especially since we had such different 20-year-old Lori needed to straighten up and realize the real what the real world was going to be.

SPEAKER_01 42:59

She was living in a sheltered bubble. Um 20-year-old Lori, I would say.

SPEAKER_02 43:16

You know what? Keep keep talking even when people tell you to quiet down. That's what I would say.

SPEAKER_00 43:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 43:27

Keep speaking your truth, keep being who you are, even when the men in the world tell you to quiet down.

SPEAKER_00 43:33

Oh, that's really good.

SPEAKER_02 43:36

Really good. Wow. Yeah, that's what I that I would I would say that same thing. And it sounds like, I mean, both of us, because you know, we were in a different era. It was it, it's very similar. It's have the confidence, yeah, to be whatever it is you want to be, you know, keep going.

SPEAKER_00 43:59

And that's that's a good word for anybody who's listening, no matter what age, right?

SPEAKER_02 44:05

Yeah, and and believe in yourself, believe in yourself. You don't need other people's permission to follow your dream. Yeah, you really don't.

SPEAKER_00 44:19

So true, so true.

SPEAKER_02 44:21

And for some reason, back in the 80s, we we didn't know that, you know. We we felt like we needed other people's permission, and you don't. You don't know.

SPEAKER_00 44:35

No, just keep true to your values, yep, and you know, believe in yourself and have confidence and move forward. Yeah, love it, love it. Well, this was great, Lori. You know, I have to just wrap up with saying one of the really cool things I've learned in 200 episodes is I've learned more about you. And I uh I have, and I just adore you. I love you, and you know that.

SPEAKER_02 45:01

But well, I love you too. I love you too, and I've always loved learning about you. So, and who knows, maybe we'll make it to 200 more. I don't know. Or 2000, I don't know. I can't remember. I don't know. We're just gonna keep going. Let's just let's we'll make it to 202. We'll let's leave it at that.

unknown 45:21

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 45:22

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SPEAKER_00 45:41

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