Navigating Life and Business: How Synergy, Thrive, and Community Shape Dr. Stephanie Ahasic's World

In this episode, we dive into an engaging conversation with Dr. Stephanie Ahasic, a dedicated chiropractor and the driving force behind Synergy Health and Thrive IV Bar in Naples, Florida. Stephanie shares her journey from Chicago to Naples, providing insights into her entrepreneurial spirit, life as a mother and wife, and her deep-rooted commitment to community and healthcare. She discusses the challenges and triumphs of running two successful businesses, the importance of surrounding oneself with like-minded, supportive individuals, and the ways she balances her family life with her professional ambitions. Watch to learn more about her inspiring approach to life, her robust self-care practices, and her vision for community betterment.

Transcript

[00:00:00] I saw you on, um, Natalie and, uh, oh, and Lance. Yeah. Everybody loves Naples. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So that was the first podcast. I didn't, I didn't know that like it was filmed. I just thought it was, so I went in Oh, film, audio. Yeah. Super cas. Yeah. Like, hi, I, I didn't do make, I didn't do anything. And I was like, oh, this, I, and by the way, I had seen clips of their podcast.

Why? It didn't occur to me. Like, oh wait, you have to, yeah. And then I debated what's Wear today, and I was like, everybody sees me in this stuff all the time anyway. This is what I'm wearing. Yeah. How look. Yeah. Look. So I was like, this is just, this is authentic me. I'm wearing athleisure. Yeah. That's the thing now.

Anyway. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That where Yeah. That's, that's it. Yeah. Mm-hmm. That fits. So the people will know you for who you are. Yeah. And I did not notice that you were not primped in a way that you normally would've when I watch the video. You look beautiful in that, so thank you. But I was like, you, you're there with Natalie and Natalie.

Natalie looks like Natalie's. Yeah. She's, and I was like, yeah, whoops. This was a [00:01:00] miscalculation on my part. Um, but they're, yeah, they're good people. Yeah. She, I was with them a couple months ago and she was doing like back to back, so she had to do an outfit change, which, you know, I don't think about, you know, 'cause they're recording three episodes or whatever at once.

And she transformed in the middle of the, you know, we walked in and she was finishing up an episode and then. She said, I'll be right back. And she went in and transformed. She came out in this knockout skirt that she had on. She looked, she looked amazing. Like she does, you know, she, she's, she gets the whole social media thing.

I am. Yeah. That is not my skillset. That's not my forte. I pay a marketing company. She's to do It's Yeah, because she's got, she's, yeah. She's a unique, she's a a what a unicorn in that world. Yes. She can be herself fully on there, Uhhuh, and just let it all go and just turn the camera on and start dancing and just be okay with however the dance was.

Yeah. And then turn it off. She's, she's, I have like no social media followers. 'cause all I do is ask people for money. I'm like, oh, here's a [00:02:00] GoFundMe. Or, Hey, we're doing our toy drive, or Hey, hey, hey, hey. Right. Here we go. It's not like, look, we're, you know, on our luxury vacation somewhere. It's, it's, yeah.

Yeah. Well, yeah. That's not your, uh, you wouldn't be that. You're too humble to do that. Right. Who has time to go on vacation? You know, it's fine. And let alone create the perfect shot to say, here's where we are now, and Yeah. Here's our glamorous life. I would rather nap. Thank you so much. Right, right. Yeah.

There was a thing on, I saw the other day with one of these guru guys, and he said, I love the people who say. I'm gonna start my own business. I'm gonna be an entrepreneur because I want to set my own hours. And he's like, yeah, say goodbye to Christmas, Easter, Sundays, night times, you'll set your own hours.

All right, but they're gonna be all day and all night. You, you never, it never shuts off. 3:00 AM am you come up with some of your best ideas. So no, there is no, mm-hmm. No. Yeah, it doesn't, uh, it's not five o'clock is not five o'clock like it is for [00:03:00] everybody else. It's, it's usually the beginning of when you can think, 'cause you're not working on something, then you can, you know, let your mind, like you said, three o'clock or, or you're in the shower ridiculously and you have a moment 'cause you can't think about anything else.

Mm-hmm. And that's when the thoughts will come to you that Yeah. Oh, some of my best ones come. I feel like when I'm scrolling, like, you know, the mindless scroll at the end of the day where you're just like, yeah, just trying to empty it. Yeah. Okay. Nobody talked to me. I've been talked to enough today, I've touched enough people today.

I've done all of that. Let me just have 15 minutes to myself. And then I'm like, oh wait, here's an idea. Let's, let me write this down on the to-do list. And yeah. So that's when some of my best ideas come is just the mindless, like, it's almost a form of meditation. Can agree. You call that meditation. Yeah, I think, I think it is scrolling.

It's just so, it's sure. Yeah. It takes you away from, or seeing somebody else's misery sometimes helps my misery, you know, like other suffering. I don't wanna see the people whose life looks too glamorous and too perfect because it's probably not anyway, but it's not. Those are, I feel like some of the, those are [00:04:00] usually people compensating for something and so it's.

I don't know. It's now that I'm in my forties, I feel like I realize that more. Mm. Is that it's what you present on social media is not always who you are or what you are. Yeah. Usually those are people with compensating for something. Yeah. And that's okay, good for them. Yeah. Yeah. That's, yeah. Yeah. They can go do their ketamine therapy.

Yeah. And it might help. Yeah. Right. Yeah. That's a good endorsement for that. Yeah. So you, um, this is super informal and super uhhuh, just, uh, getting to know the humans that were attracted to this area that ended up in this area to raise a family and, uh, be a part of this community. Mm-hmm. And it's typically the people that I find that I'm talking to are, uh, people that, um, do good things and are good people, but in, in the background doing this because it's just what you do.

And it's not because you're the one to post and say, here's what I'm doing. But because you have the big heart and you're usually the [00:05:00] most humble, which I know that you are humble about what it is that you do. So I like to, um, find out about the humans that, um, and we're so blessed in this community. I think it attracts the best of the best.

We get really wonderful humans, and yes, Holly said you were one of those wonderful humans that, um, we need to connect. And honestly, hearing that from Holly is so, I mean, and we're good friends, but she's such a good human that it's, it's, that's always nice to hear because she does so many awesome things.

So. That makes me happy. Yeah. No, it's great. 'cause we were having this conversation about, it's kind of been spinning up more and more in my life. The more good people I surround myself with, the better the people that I am with, uh, rather than people who I am trying to help or think I'm gonna help or think I'm gonna pull out of wherever funk that they're in.

But the people who, um, well it's, it's just like our team that I work with, that I get to work with, you know, the, [00:06:00] the, when I can recognize that somebody's not lifting everybody else up, that we're spending a lot of time on that person trying to dig them out or whatever, and they don't, they're not ready for that.

And they don't want it anyway. So they don't know. They don't know that they need to. Yeah, yeah. Yes. There's, there's an altered perception of, of where they're at and everybody else can see it. And, you know, I think we've all had those moments where you think everything is going okay and you look back and you go, oh, I was not at my best at that time.

Yeah. I really miss that. Yeah. And, and that happens. But no, it's, it's like we were saying that one, one bad apple can really affect the entire team. And sometimes you don't realize who that person is and you don't realize it until after the fact. And then as soon as they're gone, it's like there's this huge sigh of relief and you're like, oh, it's so much better in here.

Yeah. Oh wait, everyone's getting along. Everyone is on purpose. Everybody gets it. And those can be really challenging decisions because sometimes you really like that person. Yeah. Yeah. And you don't realize. The drama that's caused behind the scenes. And we have a [00:07:00] large staff, I think at Synergy we have 34 employees Thrive.

I think we have 12. So there's a little less drama with fewer people. But, um, sometimes you don't know what's happening behind the scenes, even, you know, in your own business. 'cause you're not there all the time, but you realize it after and you're like, oh, it's so much better now. And so it seems like the, the more solid team members we have, the more that come on and join the staff.

And so like, I feel very confident with our staff right now. Like we have a great team going into season. Um, and then you have people that leave because life happens. You know, they move outta state, they find another opportunity. Or in some cases they go on to start their own business and you're like, hopefully I had a little part in, you know, maybe inspiring them to do it.

And inevitably they come back and they go, why did I do this? And I go, mm-hmm. It's harder than you realize, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. But it's also nice to commiserate on some of those challenges sometimes with fellow business owners. Yeah. Well, yeah. 'cause it's, uh, it's [00:08:00] never like people think that it is.

I mean, there are good moments and, and great moments, and you do it because, uh, sometimes I question why, why we do it or why I do it. But then I, I know when you see the impact that it has on, um, you know, we have. Team is 60 and we have some just incredible souls, some incredible humans that I'm so blessed to get to have in my life and to be around 'cause they make my life so much better and, and the lives of other people so much better that um, and they're real thoroughbreds.

When you get a team like that, and it's a lot like the name of your company, this synergy when the, some of all parts is greater than the whole, like it's one plus one equals three. When you put yes. That level of greatness together, you get more than the sum of what everybody's there. If you've got 10 people, it feels like there's 20 there.

And it's 'cause it's 'cause the, the degree to which they operate. When you get those thorough breads, that good people running in the right place, in the right way. Yes. And it's also refreshing sometimes because we don't always get feedback from our employees and, you know, we do office wide surveys and we, you [00:09:00] know, do one-on-ones and meet with people.

But, um, I recently had a massage therapist tell me, I I was having a rough day. Like there was, I don't even remember what, I don't remember what happened, but I was so disappointed and I was just like, this is, this is a bummer. I'm, I'm sad to hear that. I know what it was. It was a, a former employee, a former disgruntled employee was saying some things on social media and I was like, this is awful.

And she's like, none of this matters. The people that know you know that this isn't true. And the impact that you have had on me personally. And I was like, I didn't know what she was talking about. And she's like, you don't even know. And that's, that's what makes it so important. She's like, you, you didn't flinch when I told you that.

I was, um, a physical therapist in another country. And you said, why are you a massage therapist here? And she's like, that inspired me to go back to, um, you know, get my degree here in the States so that I can do that and so that I can make a better life for my daughter, my family. And that just [00:10:00] touched me so much because it was like that, it didn't seem like a big moment for me.

Yeah. And the fact that it made a difference for her was, was huge. And so we don't always know the impact sometimes of the things that we say or, you know, it's just taken for granted. And it's nice when those moments make a big impact. Yeah. And, and I think that, that, that's kind of the goal with stuff, right?

You don't go into something going, wow, I'm going to do this huge project and everyone's going to remember this. You hope that maybe somebody takes a little tiny thing away. Maybe the child that gets the toy at Christmas will remember this when they're 30 and go, I know my parents could afford to buy that.

Somebody made that happen for me. I wanna try and make that happen for somebody else. Yeah. And so you're just hoping that you can inspire that. Yeah. Um, which doesn't always, you know, it's not like you set out to do that, but you try and do the right thing and, and hope that that sort of snowballs into something bigger.

Yeah. And there's always this ripple that you don't always know about. Like that employee you're talking about when they leave. [00:11:00] The building and they go to Publix, they're a different person at Publix. They're interacting with the rest of the community in a different way. 'cause they feel better about themselves.

They're, they, they're more fulfilled, they're happier, they're, uh, have a purpose in life, which they may not have had, or it may not have been that clear to them. But you've created a pathway for people to see that. And so that makes, you know, them less concerned about the road rage driver who cuts them off.

They can have grace for that person because they had a great day. Mm-hmm. And they can go home to their spouse or their children and, and be a better mom or a better wife, or a better husband or whoever. It, it has such a, an impact that you don't always realize, you know, you're, you're doing it for the greater cause of your guests creating better health and a better wellbeing in the world.

But at the same time, you have this, you know, 40, 50 staff that have families and parents and children that there's such a great impact, uh, that, you know, you don't always, it, it's not measurable, indirect. It's not. [00:12:00] And, and I will say that this is somebody who's been on our staff now for about five years and watching her grow in confidence, but also watching her leadership skills.

You know, she's the head of her department now and she does it so well. Mm. And. So you just kind of go, okay, maybe, maybe that played a small role in it. Um, and, and hearing her say that, I mean, it was one of those things where I think we were both crying and, and it, it was one of those moments that I will remember, as small as it was, it really made me go, okay, maybe I'm doing okay.

'cause there are times where anybody, whether it's a business owner, whether it's just, you know, in parenting or something, you doubt yourself and you question some of your choices. Sure. And you go, why did I do this? Opening a second business, I was like, why? Why did I do this? Mm. This is so much more work.

This is, there's so much more. I love to come up with an idea and go, this is gonna be so easy. All I have to [00:13:00] do is X, Y, and z. And I, I sometimes don't realize all the details that go into it and you go, wow, this is more than I anticipated. But also the reward at the end of it is, is great. And so now I'm like, okay, great.

It's great that I built this second business and now it's doing what it needs to do and we have the right team. But, you know, it doesn't, it doesn't always come easily. And you definitely make some mistakes along the way, but hopefully you learn from those mistakes. And the next project that'll come around, because of course I'm going to do it again.

Of course I'm going to open another business. Why would you stop it too? Um, hopefully now I've learned some things and you know. Can do it better the next time. But I'm sure the same thing will happen where I'll go, oh wait, I didn't think of that. And how can we learn from this and how can we move on and make it better the next time?

So yeah. Well there's always a lot of learning. Has that always been in your DNA though? Because getting just uprooting your self from Chicago mm-hmm. And coming to Naples is a [00:14:00] risk uhhuh, that's a big deal to say we're gonna, you know, I don't know how, what you have as a support system here if there's family here or what got you here.

There wasn't, um, my in-laws had a place down here and my husband was playing golf professionally at the time, trying to get on the PGA tour. So we needed someplace warm year round. And this was a pit stop. There was never an intention to stay here forever. I have a large family back home. He has a large family.

All of our family is in the Chicago area, so we were sort of the odd balls moving here. But I was also one of the first people in my family to move from the Midwest to go to school in New Jersey and then go to school in Connecticut. He went to college out in California. So we also had both taken that risk of, of sort of leaving and, you know, exploring some other corners of the world.

Um, so when we moved to Florida, I was like, great, we're living in a vacation area. This is wonderful. And then of course you get a job and you realize it's not just floating in the pool all day long, you have to like go to work. Uh, but we loved it [00:15:00] when we moved here. Now this was also 15 years ago, so. Uh, we were living, you know, basically in a retirement community, so we were the youngest people there.

Yeah. Um, and then when I decided to buy a practice, it was like, well, we're here now. Hmm. So we're, you know, this, this seems like the place that we wanna be. Um, and it seemed like a great place to raise a family. And quite frankly, being here was great because people always wanted to visit, so, mm-hmm. We didn't necessarily miss our family because they still came down or we would make it up there.

So the first few years probably were a little more challenging because we didn't know as many people in the community. And so there were absolutely times where it was like, wait a minute, what, what are we doing here? Would it be easier if we moved back to Chicago? Um, but I had taken that risk with starting a practice, so we needed to see it through.

And, you know, then we started to develop that community, those groups of friends, and it really helped us go, no, this is the place we need to [00:16:00] be. And then you have kids and, you know, you start to meet your kids, friends, parents, and, you know, things shift. And so now there's, there's nowhere else. I would rather be Naples, is it?

Um, you know, we also have two businesses here, so we're staying. But yeah, Naples is such a great, it's such a great community and there are so many aspects of that community that I feel like are, you know, amazing. And so there's absolutely no place. I'd rather be, and again, our family can come down and visit us.

Yeah. Well. I guess even going back to your choice of schools leaving the Midwest to go to the Northeast. 'cause they're drastically different. They are. They gave me the most money, so it was like, great, where can I, where can I go for the, the least amount of money? And it was a totally different place. Like New Jersey is very different than the Chicago area and I loved it.

And I still have friends that I went to school with there and Connecticut I went to because I followed a boy. And of course we broke up like six months later. [00:17:00] But rather than go, oh, I moved to Connecticut for a boy, I had summers off and that's when I met my husband. And so it's like, okay, yeah, I paid more for school, but also, you know, I met the love of my life and so I can't be too angry about that.

And, you know, experience in Connecticut was also, you know, interesting and I'm okay not living in Connecticut. So, you know, those life experiences, I guess I never considered it a risk. And looking back I was like, oh, that, that was probably a little bit of a risk. So I've been accused of, you know, shoot first aim later and sometimes I'm just like, it's gonna be fine.

But I also feel like I've been really lucky. Those risks have always paid off, or if not, I've learned a valuable lesson. Mm-hmm. And, you know, been able to move on from it. So. Yes, there have been some risks, but also, you know, getting a different worldview is also so important. Meeting different types of people is so important, and I feel like that sometimes is where compassion can come from, and that's [00:18:00] sometimes where understanding comes from because you don't always agree with people.

I mean, look at the world we live in now, there, I, I don't think you can meet a single person that you will agree with on religion, politics, you know, point by point. And so it's nice to be able to get those experiences and go, okay, we're all just there, there are more similarities than things that, that tear us apart and it's sort of just gives you a different perspective and a different worldview.

And so I feel very fortunate to have that. Well, there's seems to be a common thread in people who are willing to take risks and whether it's in business or life, where you are gonna live moving, leaving the nest of your community of people, which is all your family. And this, this, this really big deal. Um, it's this, uh, serial optimism.

Sometimes it's like you, you have this, uh, glass half full look to, and you have to, I mean mm-hmm. In business you have to find the good in every [00:19:00] little piece. Mm-hmm. So where, what were you like as a student? Where did that come from? What was your upbringing like? Oh, I mean, I was a type A perfectionist.

God forbid you get a B. And so, um, I, I'm one of five kids. The other four were always very athletic and all of that. I was the smart one. Mm-hmm. And so that sort of shifted some things, or I was the theatrical one. I know you can't tell my, the faces that I make, but you know, I was always very into, into drama and things.

Um, where, where were you in the birth order? Number four. Okay. Four outta five. You're not the middle child, you're not the youngest child. Yeah, it was my brother is the oldest and then it's four girls, so it's not even like, oh, I'm the youngest girl. No. Yeah, you're just number four. Um, so I think sometimes my parents didn't know what to do with me.

Um, and I would argue that my husband probably doesn't think I'm as optimistic, but there are certain things I'm optimistic. I've got big picture. I'm always like, it's always gonna work out. Mm. Little things though. I'm like, Hmm, this could [00:20:00] go sideways. What's my plan B Mm. And so there are times where I'm half full, half empty and it's, it really depends on the situation, you know, I try to be optimistic in life in general with my kids, with all of that.

But then I also like to have my plan B. So yeah. Um, I take calculated risks. Yeah. I would say that I'm not like's a just general risk, like I'm not out driving 90 miles an hour on the high. Yeah. Maybe occasionally. But I like to take calculated risk where I'm like, okay, this payoff for this is gonna be better.

Yeah. So I could have worked for somebody, I had a job in Fort Myers working for another chiropractor, and I hated it. I wanted to do my own thing, um, make my own hours like we talked about. Mm-hmm. And then of course. I opened a practice and realized that it is not nine to five Monday through Friday.

Mm-hmm. It is seven days a week and stuff always pops up that you have to, that you have to kind of take care of. But I also wouldn't have it any other way. So I like knowing that if [00:21:00] a decision is made that um, if I don't make the right decision, it's on me. It's not on anybody else. And if I make the right decision, it's on me and it's not on anybody else.

Mm. And so I like kind of having that control. Mm-hmm. But yes, I'm always healthily optimistic that things will, things will work out. Yeah. Even in those scary times, you're like, it's gotta work out. 'cause there is no, there is no backup. If your business does, you have to pour everything into it because if it doesn't work out, it is on you.

Yeah. And I don't fail at things, so I'm not willing to, to have that happen. So yeah. Calculate risk and optimism. Yeah. That makes sense. That's my, I get that. Yeah. Calculate risk. Yeah. Yeah. Nonetheless, still a risk. And either way, when you sign your name on a lease, it's a risk because you don't, there's no guarantee that you got money coming in to pay those.

There is, because the cringes thing that could happen in my life would be going to my parents and saying, I failed. I need your help. Yeah. Like, I'm too old for that. Yeah, you're right. In my [00:22:00] forties there is no, there's, there's no, you know, backup parachute. So, you know, but fortunately. Um, and I think because there is no, there is no other option.

Fortunately, it's, it's worked out very well. Yeah. And, and it's also fun to be really proud of something that you've built, you know? Yeah. Because I started in a space, I bought a practice from a doctor. I was in like 800 square feet on the corner of airport and radio. It doesn't even exist anymore. The Kia dealership took it over.

They like just knocked it down. Yeah. Um, I had one employee and when I bought that practice, I paid like $250,000 for it. Wow. She sent a letter out saying, buy everybody. I'm leaving. I was seeing like 20 patients a week wondering how I was gonna pay those bills. Mm. And so there were definitely some like, oh no moments.

Like, what did I get myself into? And then I met the right people and we had the right patients that [00:23:00] liked what I was doing and referred everybody else in. And it really snowballed from there. And so it did work out, but it wasn't without those moments of going, am I gonna be able to, to pay my rent this month?

Am I gonna be able to Yeah. To make sure that this happens? And so there were absolutely moments of Oh, oh no. But within, you know, three years we were able to move to a 4,600 square foot space. Mm. And we were able to go from one employee to, you know, 10 employees, to 20 employees to, you know, now 30 something employees.

Um, and it was definitely, it, it was a process. Right. But, um. It ended up, you know, as much as I struggled in the beginning, definitely learned some lessons on, you know, a smaller scale. And I think that ended up saving us a lot in the long run. So, scary stuff, but it still, it worked out and, and you know, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

And I'm also really proud of what we've, you know, now built in, in Naples. 'cause it's more than just [00:24:00] about the business. It's about, you know, what the mission is and it's about making sure that your employees are taken care of, but also hopefully inspiring them to do some good in the community. Whether it's, you know, helping us with our school supply drive or, you know, adopting students off of like our Christmas tree ornaments and stuff like that.

It's, it's letting them know about some of those opportunities that are out there to hopefully make a difference in the community as well. 'cause it's not just about me, it's about the community that we've built at Synergy. It's about the community that we're building at Thrive. And it's making sure that all of those people are sort of, um, on message with what we're trying to do and making sure that they're on mission with that.

And, um, so luckily it's worked out. It's worked out really well for us. Yeah. Well, and some tough moments. So take me back to when you were seeing 20 patients a week. You know, you've got this, not only the. Expenses, uhhuh, but then you've got the note to pay. You gotta, oh yeah. You put big investment here.

Mm-hmm. And you, you're seeing 20 pages a week or whatever number you were at, and you know, you need to be at this number to pay [00:25:00] because now you're, now, you're not just thinking about what you're thinking about 'cause you've got patient in front of you, but you've got this whole other side of your brain that you've gotta work, that I've gotta handle all that and this.

Mm-hmm. And what was that like? Because it's not like it is now. You had to go through that space, you had to go through that struggle, which was Yes. Like, uh, thank God for my in-laws, my parents and my husband because, um, my parents and my in-laws were kind enough to, you know, co-sign on the loan. I'm fresh outta school, who's gonna loan me money?

Yeah. You know, I have student loans to pay back and everything. They were kind enough to do that. Um, and we also were living at the time, rent free at the condo that my in-laws had. Yeah. So, thank God for that because it wasn't like, oh no, if I don't make enough money this month, I can't pay my mortgage and you know, we're gonna be evicted.

They were very kind landlords. Um, but it was a very scary time. And so that also forces you though, into this hustle of, okay, what are we gonna do [00:26:00] about this? How is it that we can get more patients in? What are we gonna be able to do to, you know, build this up? Mm-hmm. Fortunately it, it happened fairly quickly where it was like, oh my gosh, we saw 50 patients this week.

Mm. That, that's amazing. Um, so within probably six to nine months, I was able to bring on, I think a, a second and a third employee, which was, which was nice. 'cause now it's like, great, we have a full-time massage therapist so we can build those massages and people love massages. Mm. So that was kind of the key to, um, bringing people in.

Mm. But it was also kind of reviewing stuff and going, okay, which insurances are paying us? 'cause Blue Cross Blue Shield doesn't pay us anything. Mm. But I realized that, for instance, the teachers, the sheriff's department, the government paid the most on services. So we started to try and attract those patients in.

So we started doing events, you know, chair massages, things like that, and they started to come in. But that was also, you know, I always joke like, teachers pay my bills. And, and truly they do because they have great [00:27:00] insurance. But they have also taught me so much about the community because without teachers telling me their stories, I wouldn't know that we have Title one schools in Collier County.

I wouldn't know that there are kids that aren't getting three meals a day, and they're dependent on those two meals a day at school. So, you know, we attracted the right patients, but again, it was also great that I, I got to learn so much about our community. And so it really has been, um, a win-win kind of situation.

Yeah. They're getting care, which is great, but also it helped me to learn a whole lot more about the area that we're in. Yeah. It's always fascinating to me to see. As an entrepreneur or as somebody who's just putting their signature on the line. Mm-hmm. You, um, have to innovate always. You have to look, well, I'm, I'm doing this group of patients that I don't get paid for, or I have to fight, or I have to put so much admin into getting the money uhhuh and the insurance company that it's really not, it's not helping the business grow.

Mm-hmm. And I [00:28:00] have to adjust and shift and make things work to where I can take it to a different group. You've just gotta always be thinking like, oh, what a shifting gears. Spending an hour to get $20 Right from Blue Cross Blue Shield. You're like, this doesn't, this doesn't make sense. And so, um, I was so grateful that I, that the, the owner of the business, um, the woman that I bought the practice from was in network already with us because I wouldn't have known about that otherwise.

Um, but it was also putting in the work of, of reviewing stuff and going, where can we get money? You know, what, what makes sense for how we're going to get our name out there? And just going to, you know, a normal health fair where people wanna talk to you at a health fair, it's great, but they're not always the best patients or they're, they're currently seeing somebody else and you don't want to advise them in a way that's different than the provider that they're seeing.

Mm-hmm. I don't like to overstep on that, and I don't know somebody's, you know, history when they're coming up to talk to me for five minutes at a fair, but we were able to kind of shift a little [00:29:00] bit and, um, really know who our target audience was. Mm-hmm. And. You know, that's, that's really been kind of the key to our success.

So it was one of those things where I was fortunate to have a couple of big mouth patients who wanted to tell everybody who liked what we were doing and wanted to tell everybody to come in. Um, and they did that and that allowed us to then expand a little bit more, come up with some different ideas, um, and ultimately get into a much better space that was more visible, um, could accommodate more patients and us.

It was just a lot more fun. 'cause that was like a, a sad little office. It was like an abandoned plaza. Yeah. Was wasn't ideal. Yeah. I remember the receptionist telling somebody once we're right behind the abandoned gas station, not the, yeah. Not gonna attract people in. So, you know, moving to a bigger space.

And quite frankly, it was more space than we needed. And I went, is this gonna work out? Within a year, that space was filled and suddenly we went from three [00:30:00] massage therapists to, you know, eight massage therapists to now we have 16 massage therapists. We've had to add rooms in there. So it paid off, but it was, it was scary times.

Yeah. Well, you, uh, made that decision to move and signing you 4,500 square feet. So it's a big uhhuh. It's a big chunk to bite off. 'cause you got cam charges and marketing fees. Uhhuh, you gotta pay for all the. AC maintenance and, and Yep. The AC breaks and you probably got two AC units, or three, who knows how many, oh, we have four, four AC units mm-hmm.

That are your responsibility. Yep. Landlord owns, but you have to fix them and Yes. Mm-hmm. Maintain them. So you gotta sign your name to that and uh, and then you gotta do the build out, you know, the build out on the place, which is, and let me tell you, doing build out in Naples, Florida. Yeah. I have not ever had it go smoothly, you know, whether it was synergy, whether it was thrive, it takes forever.

It takes always, yeah. Two to three times that they tell you. Yeah, yeah. It costs way more than they tell you it will be. Yeah. And we did a pretty bare bones, we did a pretty [00:31:00] bare bones buildup because it, it was such a huge space that I was like, okay, we're not putting down fancy flooring, we're not doing any of that.

Um, and of course then we flooded multiple times. So when you have cheap carpet and it floods, you gotta tear that carpet up. So we ended up, you know, getting a nice upgrade after Hurricane Irma because we were closed for 12 weeks because it flooded inside. And so, wow. We got new flooring out of it. We were closed for 12 weeks, but we got some new flooring.

So out there it flooded there. And, uh, so on Livingston and, and ish, I was on a hurricane because I had young kids and I'm like, I'm not gonna be here with a baby and a 4-year-old without power. So we went up to Orlando and stayed at like a timeshare that my parents had, and we're like, great, we'll sit by the pool and drink hurricanes.

Um, and it was my birthday weekend, so I was like. Great. We're gonna pretend that it's all gonna be fine and we're gonna go home and we're still gonna have a home and we're gonna have an office. It didn't flood outside. What happened instead, was the roof failed? And [00:32:00] so when the property manager looked around, he was like, yeah, everything's fine.

When my employee went back in to say, Hey, the power's on, let's call patients, she's like, there's water in here. Oh my gosh. By then it had been sitting for seven or eight days, so they had to cut up like four feet of drywall in the whole back part of the, the space. So you can't run a business if you don't have toilets.

So we didn't have bathrooms, we didn't have any of that. Um, 12 weeks. 12 weeks where you're going, okay, am I gonna lose everything? Is this, is this the end of synergy? You know, we had a good run. I, I think we were only in that space for three years at that time. Mm-hmm. So 12 weeks was devastating because you're worried about paying your employees.

You're worried that patients are gonna go somewhere else. They're gonna find somebody else. Sure. Um, but we tried to, you know, make lemonade. So that was when we first started going out in the community. That was where we had patients who, you know, I knew it was going to be okay. We were gonna be able to get the drywall in, put down new floors, we were gonna be able to reopen, and, you know, it was a blip.

[00:33:00] But hopefully within six months we would be back to where we were because we'd finally started making money. So you're like, yes. And then you're like, no. Right. Um, but we had patients that lost their homes and so it was a great opportunity to say, okay guys, let's get out. And actually. Do something to help our community.

So we were going and helping, you know, pull out drywall at somebody's home down in Everglade City. But I was also hearing from teachers or seeing on social media that there were kids without running water, not getting food, not getting all of that. So we started collecting food. We were a drop off site for donations and Burn Bootcamp helped us a lot with that at the time.

Um, and I remember going to Avalon Elementary and dropping some of those items off and thinking it was just gonna be like, here you go, bye. And the principal, Jess Campbell, um, who's a powerhouse in her own right, was like, great, let's go deliver 'em. And I was like, oh, wait, me, oh. And I was also like, wait, you're the [00:34:00] principal.

You're going out. Mm. So, you know, talk about a woman who leads by example. She was like, yeah, let's get in my car. I know where all these kids live. She knew what kids needed help. She knew their backstory. She knew she was so invested in these kids and she was so passionate. And I will never forget that because it was the first time I went into, um, east Naples and I was like, wait, we have three families living in one home.

And it wasn't because of Irma. They had always been three families living in a home. And when she knocked on that door, the kids' faces just lit up and they were so excited. Like, oh wow, we have Cocoa Puffs to eat and we have stuff for sandwiches and fresh water. Seeing all of that, but knowing how much she cared, I was like, how else can we help?

What else can we do? Mm. And so that was sort of what snowballed our efforts into helping our community, but also realizing that there are these pockets of poverty here in Collier County that nobody talks about, nobody knows about. Mm. Um, [00:35:00] so that was really kind of an emotional point, but it also was so eye-opening and it brought another level of compassion to these teachers who are with these kids every single day.

And they see them wearing clothes that are too small, shoes that do not fit. They know that they're hungry because they're asking for snacks. And so, so many of them are on donors choose asking for snacks for their kids. And this is a problem that still exists today where they don't have enough to eat.

And we know based on studies that if they don't have enough to eat at school, they're not gonna perform as well as they should. And we know that that can snowball into later on, maybe they're not gonna finish school or they're not gonna go onto something else. And that just breaks my heart because that's not something my kids experience, that's not something their friends experience.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. It's not something I ever experienced as a kid. Yeah. I mean, we didn't grow up with either. There were five kids in my family, but we had everything we needed. Not everything we wanted. Yeah. We had everything we needed. And so it's really heartbreaking when basic needs aren't met for these [00:36:00] kids.

Um, and then during COVID it was kind of the same thing. You know, kids not getting fed, so. We closed for a little bit of time during COVID. We didn't necessarily have to, but a lot of our massage therapists weren't comfortable. A lot of our patients weren't comfortable. We didn't have, you know, germicide, we didn't have, uh, masks.

So we were close for probably six weeks during COVID. And during that time it was asking teachers, what are, what do your kids need? Because they were going into the schools making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, making sure that their kids had food to eat. Mm-hmm. So we started delivering meals and we partnered with, um, Dave from the Great Fini who had a food truck, and he started something called No Hungry Tummies.

We started feeding like 600 people a day. Synergy was like this spot, right. We set up all these tables mm-hmm. And assembly line style, but we had, you know, patients coming in with their kids to help us out. Mm-hmm. We had teachers coming in. We had, you know, women from Burn bootcamp. Uh, we had so much support and it was so, [00:37:00] it was such a scary time, but it was also such a fulfilling time because all of these people just wanted help and they needed to know how to do it.

Mm. And so saying, Hey, we need drivers to deliver 60 meals today. Mm-hmm. Um, we need somebody to help us answer the emails and the calls that are coming in and making sure that these are legitimate requests and we need people to help us make these sandwiches or get stuff. So, as scary as it was, it was also kind of a fun time of meeting new people.

Just wanted to help. And, you know, knowing that we were making a difference for some of, like they're getting a hot meal today that they otherwise wouldn't get because the schools are still trying to get the meals. But if you don't have a way to get there, if you're six years old and you're at home by yourself because your parents have to go to work, you're not getting that hot meal.

Mm-hmm. And so people like Jess Campbell showing me what is out there really inspired me to make sure that other people know about it and other people know about these needs that are within our community. Yeah. So it's, I don't know, it's [00:38:00] amazing how sometimes those really scary times you kind of go, okay, enough about me.

What else can we be doing for Yeah. The people out there. Because I always tell my kids, you're not gonna be the richest person in your class, but you're also probably not gonna be the worst off. And so we need to find a way to help the people that are struggling because, you know, they go to Veterans Memorial North Naples, there are still families that are, that are struggling.

Like so many people live in a world where one disaster takes away your savings and you're going, what are we gonna do? Mm-hmm Hmm. And so it doesn't matter what part of town you're in, it doesn't matter. Yeah. You know what your last name is. It matters that we all need to find those opportunities and try and, and make a difference to people.

Yeah. And it doesn't have to be a flashy, showy thing. Like it can just be finding those and, and doing something, you know, donors choose. You don't, you don't have to put your name on donors. Choose. People that wanna help teachers. Great. Go on. Donors choose. You can find the schools, you can find the things that they're asking for, for their classrooms.[00:39:00] 

And you'd be shocked at how many just want snacks for their kids. Yeah. And that's so telling. So yeah. That's beautiful because I, you know, you take those times where, in my lifetime here that we've never had hurricanes or pandemic, you know, the last 10 years have been a challenge in this community. I mean, just, yes.

Irma, Ian, fires pandemic. Like what fires what is happening? Yeah. Yeah. It's been a tough 10 years. And I those emotions or those feelings between the hurricanes and, and the pandemic and the, the fear around, I've got 60 families that need to eat. Uh, they need to live, and they, some of them are paycheck to paycheck, and they, you know, gotta have money or they're not gonna eat.

Mm-hmm. And it's critical. Yeah. One week off without a paycheck is enough to put you in debt. Yeah. Or, you know, your refrigerator breaks, oh wait, that's, you know, $1,500 we need to spend on something that's $1,500. We don't have it. That's, that's the reality for so many people. Mm-hmm. Um, I remember when we were delivering [00:40:00] those meals, um, I had a friend who lives in Port Royal who was like, great, I'll, I'll help with deliveries.

He was like, we, what, what, what's happening down there? Do we need to call DCF? What, what's going on? I'm like, no, this is just how people live in our community. Yeah. Two miles from where he lived, that this is what. Under-resourced looks like. And so, yes, helping is great, but figuring out how to help. And I have to say, we have so many great programs, like Collier Cares constantly directing people to, that lets people know about the resources, lets people know about the nonprofits because we have so many amazing ones, like Laces of Love, I love getting their financials every year.

Um, because they, they're like, well, this is what we spent this year. And it's like $89 on postage. What? Nonprofit words? Nobody takes a paycheck. Nobody does anything. But you ask any teacher and call your county about laces of love and they're gonna go, yes, we have kids with [00:41:00] shoes. Mm. So kids that otherwise might not be able to play football will get cleats.

Mm. Um, you know, kids that show up to school with holes in their shoes, or they're walking funny because their shoes are too tight, they've got a pair of shoes. And so, you know, I'm blown away by some of the organizations that are out there and the people behind them because they really do make a difference.

And they're not out there showing it off all the time. Yeah. They just quietly lead by example. And I think that's, it's so impressive. But it's also great to know that something as simple as a new pair of shoes can make a kid's day. Yeah. You know, because hand me downs are real in families. Yeah. Hand me downs all the time.

Mm-hmm. But I also always had. You know, a new pair of shoes and I mean, you get that pep in your step when you got some new sneaks on. Mm-hmm. So we're really fortunate to be in this community because there are so many organizations that make a difference. But then there are also pockets where you go, wait, here's a need that's not being filled.

What can we do to help that? [00:42:00] Mm-hmm. And so that's where it's important for people to just sort of go, wait, I can help, I can do that. Yeah. But also directing people so they know what to do because people wanna help either financially or, you know, volunteering and they just need that little shove to know where they can make a difference.

Yeah. Well you took your those times 'cause I remember those times so, so well when, when you're terrified, um mm-hmm. There it's uncharted territory. Yeah. Especially for a business owner. You, you don't know the government's saying you have to close your doors and you know, half the people are saying, uh, don't do that, but do this.

I remember when, during the pandemic, when the very first few days of it mm-hmm. We were still open and allowed to be. Yep. But half the people were saying, we'll, come in, we just keep us separated. This was before the shutdown. And, and then the other half were saying, you're murdering people. Uh, literally on social media telling us that we were murderers.

Uhhuh great. Because we were the, we gave [00:43:00] employees an option. If you wanna work and you feel safe working mm-hmm. You can come to work. And same with the clients. If you can't want to come in, you can. You know, we were getting lambasted online for murdering people and the other half, you know, people who wanted to work and wanted to be here.

And, uh, you know, just, just spaces that we had never encountered before and just trying to do the best we can do and, uh, you know, trying to feed people that need to be fed and, you know, yes, it's, but that, the story of that time right? Is it was, it was so bizarre. And I still don't know what the right or wrong answers were during that time because we all did.

Were just doing the best we could. Nobody we did, that's all we could do. Yes. There was no book, so it was like, okay, we need to make sure, you know, especially when, when somebody's in a small enclosed space for an hour working on someone. Of course. Yeah. I understood when my massage therapists were like, uh, I don't feel comfortable working on somebody.

Yeah. And then we had people who were like, well, I wanna work on people. It, it was the same thing where you had patients that wanted to come in, so we tried to do modified hours where they could come in, especially if [00:44:00] they were really acute. I was given out my phone number all the time then, and I still regret that to this day because it's amazing what people will text you about and you're like, you could just call the office for this.

But, um, it was such a bizarre time and, you know, I did do a few days of like hanging out at home and like, we're in the pool and we're drinking our white claws, and then my husband likes to joke that I got antsy and was like, Nope, I need to get outta the house. So it was fun to have a different purpose, but also know that that purpose was hopefully making a difference for people.

Yeah. Yeah. Because it was such a weird time. Yeah. And, and glad it's over. Uh, yeah, likewise. I know. And then to have storms that we had that were unprecedented and, you know, just so impactful in the community between Ian and, and Irma and, and the ones in between. And the scary ones that we thought were coming and didn't come and Yeah.

You know, over the years I'd kind of gotten numb to storms coming. They always talked about the water surge. Yeah. But I was like, yeah, right. Uhhuh, I've [00:45:00] seen years of it, but I remember back, um, when Irma happened, we were shut down because there was no power and you know, all the rest of that. Um, but we didn't have any damage, but we just didn't have power and Uhhuh in this location maybe.

'cause it's on the hospital grid got power here, so, but we didn't have internet and uh, so we couldn't process any payments. So what we did was just opened up to free services 'cause people wanted to work. And, uh, we just moved everybody who wanted to work during that time here. And we just opened it up to do free services because we couldn't do anything anyway.

And people wanted stuff done. Yeah. So it, it, at least people who didn't have electric could come get their hair washed. Oh my gosh. You know, feel better about themselves. Yeah. So we did a ton of blowouts and I remember having, we had two clients sitting right next to each other. One who had never been to us, but we opened our doors to everyone just all come.

It doesn't matter if you've ever been or not, we want to do what we can. And, um, she'd never been, probably would never ever be able to come. Uh, but she heard about it, didn't have power and you know, she just. [00:46:00] Was struggling through this and struggling in life in general. And then this, and the woman next to her was a, a good client had been coming many years, but here they both were.

One who lives in Port Royal and one who lives in East Naples in a trailer with another family that is destroyed, has nothing. And here's even the one in Port Royal, had no power, had no access to anything, couldn't have whatever they wanted, whether they wanted it or not, needed it or not, because of the circumstances, they're sitting side by side and both of them, without, they were, they were both equal in that it didn't matter how much money you had in the bank, it didn't matter at all in that moment because nobody had anything.

We were all just stripped of everything in that time. But I, I remember the woman talking about the roof on her house next to the woman in lives in East Naples was saying the roof was gone. And, uh, they were having this conversation together and this woman took out her checkbook and wrote her a check for $10,000.

You know, in that moment it was like, it made it all worth it to see the humanity and people come out to, you know, [00:47:00] just to, just to, um, I mean that's the hearts that opened up, you know, in, in a way that, but what a life changing moment. I mean, you know, I'm sure the women in Port Royal was like, okay, little, little drop in the bucket.

But yeah, a thousand dollars is life changing to people. $10,000 Yeah. Is life changing to people. Yeah. So that's amazing. Yeah. Yeah. To see humanity and Wow. And the humanity in people that, um, and that's one of the things that, you know, I felt blessed about, um, during those times where. You know, we did the same.

Like, what else can we do? How else can we contribute? We went, we went to Mali, we took a bus and went to Im, and we took our whole team out there and we delivered food to these people that delivered supplies because Makali was inundated with supplies. They took 'em all into this high school, the whole nation shipped in supplies.

Yep. And big trucks. And they had a distribution problem 'cause they had all these supplies but they had to get 'em out to people. So we went out and uh, and there's this one area in Imlay, it's called The Rat. And it's known for not [00:48:00] being like the rat. That's why they call it the rat. So we would take some of the students, that's how I met one of our senior employees right now.

'cause she was in school in Immokalee. And uh, they would guide, you know, take us in our cars to deliver the food to these people and to see how even pre hurricane what their, the conditions that they were living in. And to see the gratitude that they had for the simplest little things, diapers, you know, uh, uh, staples of, of food basics.

You know, just, just the littlest things that toilet paper and things that are just basics, you know, you think everybody has access to and to see how, um. Uh, moved and touched and grateful. They were for the, for these tiny little blessings that we take for, that I take for granted. Mm-hmm. Of course. Yeah.

That, you know, just were such a big deal and such a, and you know, sometimes I get people who say, well, there are people who take advantage of the system, or there are people I, you know, I'm sure there are, but I feel like that is such a small percentage of people. We even saw that because of [00:49:00] course then Ian hit, so it was like Irma p Demi.

Yeah. I'm like, great, I'm done. I've checked all these boxes. Mm-hmm. Ian happened and it didn't impact synergy from an operation standpoint, but we were supposed to start construction on Thrive like the week after Ian. Well, that didn't happen. It delayed us by probably five months. So it gave us the opportunity to be a drop off center for donations.

Mm-hmm. And so, of course though, this is my PSA for donations, if you wouldn't send it to Goodwill, if it has holes in it, if it has stains, don't donate it to somebody. Just because people have lost everything doesn't mean that they wanna wear your ratty oldie, remember the quote and clueless where she's like, some people lost everything, including their ski equipment, the ball gowns that were dropped off the, um, someone cleaned out their, their lingerie drawer.

I think because there was also a toy that was donated. My gosh. And I don't, gosh, think that was intentional. Oh, oh my gosh. [00:50:00] We had a lot of laughs over some of the things that were donated. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Also the generosity of people, you know, boxes of diapers coming in because again, diapers are expensive.

Yeah. Mm-hmm. But babies need those, the, the formula, the everything else that came in. And people were so grateful for those things. Even giving them a gift card so they had the opportunity to go and shop mm-hmm. For themselves. Mm-hmm. So that it's not just, okay, we're picking up some shoes that might or might not fit or, you know, we're getting this, they had the opportunity to go and buy what they actually needed.

Yeah. Because they might have been able to take a bunch of clothes with them, but maybe they needed the toothbrush and the toothpaste and shampoo. You know, you didn't really know. And so empowering people, um, during that crazy time was also great. But you know, again, it was kind of like, okay. It really was frustrating.

I lost my whole free rental period because we had to delay construction. But again, it gave us the opportunity to be a place that people could come when they needed something. And so, yeah. People don't think about that. [00:51:00] 'cause that was, that cost you big, that was a big cost to you. 'cause you are losing, you gotta now pay rent now uhhuh, you're not, you're not having the build out time to do it.

I had my build out loans. Yeah. So must of paying the interest on that. You know, it was, people don't think about that. It was one of those rega, I had equipment that was going to be ready to be shipped. Mm-hmm. So now I'm paying storage fees because we're not ready for it. And of course, as we said, construction in Florida, they always tell you it'll take three months and then nine months later.

So. Mm-hmm. It did delay us by, you know, a good nine months. Um. Easily. And, and that was, that was frustrating. But again, you try to think about, okay, but there were people who were able to get some help and we might not have had the ability to have all of those things on our site, so how would they have gotten it?

Yeah. You know, and there were other places, I'm sure we could have found churches in places to drop stuff off, but we have a very convenient location, so it was easy for people to get to. Yeah, yeah. And kind of get what they needed. Yeah. Or have a friend pick it up for 'em. So, [00:52:00] you know, you go, okay. At least we had an opportunity to help some people during that time.

Yeah. It, it wasn't an expected thing. Right. It wasn't like, right. Oh wow. This is what we're planning to do. But it was like, great, we have a space, let's use it. Yeah. So, well, that's what I like to, that's what I think makes our community what it is when you have people like that who mm-hmm. Um, like yourself, who take those circumstances and, and, and make the best outta what it is for, for the community.

So it also has me wanna recognize, or the world recognize that when you support a business, you're doing more than just giving them your money. You're actually the, the, the ripple impact of that. Like a, a, a business that is concerned about the health of the community. Mm-hmm. As a whole, you know, sometimes we get people who ask, I, I saw this, uh.

A post on the internet recently, and it was about a business that somebody was coming in and asking for a donation [00:53:00] and the business person said, um, sure. Which one of our locations do you go to? And the woman said, well, I've never been here before. I don't, I don't go to your store. But I needed a donation and I needed a money donation for, I don't even what the cause was.

It was sort of a joke about, uh, you know, it helps to support a business, especially if you want to have the business give back to the community mm-hmm. To support the business. But there's a, there's a, a circular effect of that when you Absolutely. You know, and you have good people that are committed to the health and wellbeing of the community, it, um, impacts everyone all the time.

And so you have the heart and the, you know, to not just be concerned about your bottom line, but when you have a better bottom line, it, it helps the whole world. Oh, absolutely. Because you get back more. Oh yeah. So it makes a bigger difference for everybody. It's great. Everybody come in and do all the things so we can do all the things.

Mm-hmm. But, you know, I think that makes sense. 'cause we get requests all the time for stuff and, you know, we, we try to support our community, but there are people that ask a lot [00:54:00] and ask often, and you're like, okay, what is this money actually going to? Yeah. 'cause there are also, you know, some nonprofits out there that, um, I, I think could do more for their community.

And so I'm like, am I donating this and it's going to a CEO's paycheck? Yeah. Or is this going back to the people that we wanna help? And so there are times where I'll say. We're already over committed, you know, this month, but when I know you have to, you have to. Yes. Because I mean, and some of the requests are sometimes like crazy big where you're like, I'm not giving you 10,000.

Do, like, that's nice. Um, when, when your CEO's making 200 and your admin charges are 40% of your budget for admin mm-hmm. For, you're only giving 60% of the money back, please. Yep. You know, that's not necessary. I'd rather give the money directly to the kids or whoever it is that you're supporting it. Yes. And that, that's kind of why like Holly and I threw around the idea of starting like a nonprofit so that when there were things like, you know, Ian or a pandemic or whatever, we would have money kind [00:55:00] of set aside that we could then support.

But there are a lot of rules and restrictions, right? Yeah. And we're both kind of, of the mindset where the needs of the community can change. Mm-hmm. The groups that we wanna help can change. And so I don't wanna be restricted by that. I don't want anybody telling me who we can help or who we can't help.

Right. And so, I wanna make sure that we're making the most impact where we see fit, but also not having to also deal with some of those admin costs. Because if you do start a nonprofit who's working the nonprofit, how are you getting, you know mm-hmm. The messaging out there. Yeah. And there are a lot of costs that go with it, so I just like doing what I, I just like doing what I wanna do.

Yeah. Well, yeah. Yeah. The freedom of that. There's no restrictions of it. Right. I'm telling you. And you gotta be audited and pay so much money in auditing expenses and you have to have a CPA and, uh, yeah. Just it's, it gets a whole other world that. Where you can just go directly to whatever you want do.

Yeah. Uh, to support people that way. I think, uh, what, what's cool about this for me is that I get to, um, I don't normally have these [00:56:00] kind of conversations with people in regular life, you know? Mm-hmm. You just don't, you don't take time for it. You don't get to get in depth about the humanity in, in anyone's life.

Mm-hmm. You know, even my friends or people at the gym or whoever I'm around in my life to have this level of a conversation. So it's cool for me and for other people to see, uh, what's inside you. Like what Your parents who have had five children, which is incredible to me. Like Uhhuh, how'd they do that?

Were were they thinking about that? What, what was their Well, my mom is one of eight and my dad is one of nine. Wow. And it's a very Catholic area, and so everybody had, uh, you know, large families in that area. So it also wasn't a super, you know, I grew up with a lot of people in, in, you know, similar family sizes and stuff.

I actually went to, so I went through 17 years of Catholic school, K through college and K through 12. I was in school with three first cousins [00:57:00] and I think two second cousins. I mean, so it was also like a, you grew up with your family, which was kind of fun. Yeah. You know, my best friend growing up was the cousin that lived in the house just behind ours.

So, you know, that was, that was really fun. Um. And so there was, you know, some sense of getting, giving back, but that didn't necessarily happen until a little bit later when my parents had more disposable income to do that. But I remember doing things like, you know, getting the ornament off the tree at church or you know, adopting a family at Christmas and things like that.

And, you know, that was always nice. You know, we did food drives at school and, and things and that's fine, but you don't necessarily know the people that they're going to. And so it's this foreign concept of like, oh yeah, we're, we're helping the, the people. Mm-hmm. But you don't put a face with a name. You don't really know where it's going.

So for me it was, it might be going to people in Aurora, or for all I know, it could be going to, you know, people in a third world country that was, you know, in the nineties it was like, [00:58:00] eat your dinner, I'll send it to somebody in a third world. Or children starving. Right. You know, so it was sort of a foreign thing and it wasn't, I will say it wasn't necessarily, you know, family that inspired it.

Although my parents are very good, very generous people. I think it's more those little moments of someone else doing a small kindness that makes a difference. Like, I still remember being on the train, coming back, I was taking some summer classes at DePaul in Chicago and was taking the train back into Aurora and I must have dropped my train ticket.

I had like a 10 ticket pass or something. So I'm calling my dad crying, going, I can't pay. And the guy's asking for my ticket and I don't have it. And I don't have any cash because I lost that. You know, I had a little pouch and I lost it. And some nice man paid for my ticket and I was so grateful and I still regret not having his name so that I could thank him.

And that was just that little moment of like somebody doing something, it was probably a $10 train ticket. Mm-hmm. But [00:59:00] that moment of going, okay, I need to, I need to do something nice for somebody else. Mm-hmm. And there are so many of those small moments that, that we have, whether it's, you know, a police officer not writing you a ticket or, you know, life happens where there are small kindnesses and you hope to keep that karma going by, you know, spreading some of that kindness as well.

Yeah. Yeah. And you know, it's not like you do it so that your kids see it, but I try to also get my kids involved in some of these things if we're buying, um, if we're supporting some of the students, you know, at Christmas they come in and they choose some ornaments and, you know, usually it's, my daughter wants to choose a girl that's the same age and my son will do the same, but it's so fun to see how excited they get shopping for things for somebody that they'll never meet.

Mm-hmm. Um, and knowing the power of giving back, but also having those hard conversations with them and, you know, saying that this is not everybody has the things that you have. And again, there are always going to be people that have a [01:00:00] fancier car or a bigger house or more money in their bank account, and that's great for them.

Um, but there are also always going to be people who need help. And so figuring out a way to help them is so important, whether it's. You know, by doing a random act of kindness to support them because they're having a bad day 'cause their fish just died. Or you know, helping them out, um, you know, kind of anonymously making sure that they have a good holiday just like they have.

And you know, my daughter is still beliefs in Santa, so we keep the magic of Santa Alive. But I also try to say, you know, you get some presents from Santa, you get some presents from mom and dad and not all mom and dads are able to give things to their kids. And so they'll of course get their gift from Santa, but also, you know, their parents wanna wanna make Christmas special as well.

So they kind of have that concept that, you know, it's great on Christmas morning to go think about the kids that are opening their presents right now that otherwise wouldn't have had that chance, but you made that happen. And so [01:01:00] letting them know that they're making a, a difference, and again, maybe that child that's opening that present will think about this at some point and, and go on and do a kindness for somebody else.

Mm-hmm. And so you just hope that you're inspiring your kids and that you're leading by example and that, you know, they'll find other opportunities to help the community later on. And it's not just mom telling 'em to do it, it's them wanting to do it because it's the right thing and they know that it's, you know, good for the whole community.

What's something that's surprised you about how they responded? Or a question that they asked you in one of those moments that came up that, you know, it's interesting how you get to have real world conversations with them and so. For them. They see me working, you know, all the time. Um, and so they know that I work hard to, you know, support our family and also the, the families of, you know, the employees that I have.

Um, so sometimes they question why other people, you know, aren't working, um, or why don't they have this? [01:02:00] And so it opens up the dialogue of not all families look the same. And, you know, they know, for instance, that there are kids that they go to school with that may have a single parent home and that parent is working two jobs, or maybe that child's being raised by their grandparents, or maybe one of those parents lost a job during Ian or during the pandemic or something.

So life happens, whether it's an illness, whether it's just, you know, bad circumstances. And so letting them know that people who need help aren't aren't bad people. It's not like they're not out there trying, it's that life happens and sometimes we all need a little bit of help. And so letting them know that there, there are going to be points in their life where they might need help with something, whether it's homework help, whether it's financial help.

I mean, I'm sure we'll get calls when they're in college going, can I have some money? Um, but letting them know that it's, it's not our place to judge why somebody might need assistance. It's our job to try and [01:03:00] help make their life a little bit easier. And that can come in, you know, different forms. Um, you know, there are times that we write off.

The care that we offer at Synergy or Thrive because it's the right thing to do because healthcare shouldn't be something that's just dependent on how much you have in your bank account. Like I think that as a provider, I have a duty to make sure that we take care of, you know, people that we can take care of.

And so there are absolutely times where it's like, Hey, I want you to come in and I want you to get the care that you need. And I don't, I'm, I'm not really concerned about what you can pay for it right now. Let's get you better. Mm-hmm. And then, you know, we can talk moving forward about what's going to be reasonable for you to pay for future care.

Um, and that's just the right thing to do. And you know, we don't have to do that very often, but there are absolutely times where, you know, we have patients going through cancer treatment. Cancer is so financially draining and so you're not able to work. It costs a lot of money. You have [01:04:00] transportation, you have all of these things, right, that you're dealing with.

Getting an adjustment or a massage shouldn't be one of those things. Like how you're going to pay for it shouldn't be one of those concerns that you have. So, you know, I try to lead by example with the kids, but also, you know, try to educate them on some of the world circumstances, some of the life circumstances that happen to people that are beyond their control so that they can develop that.

Compassion and understanding, how do you balance all of this? 'cause you're a, a wife, a mother, not always very well a leader, but you know, there are absolutely times where, um, for instance, I like to read to my kids at night. So my daughter is in third grade, my son is in sixth grade. And reading's just a fun time where, you know, we take 20, 30 minutes, it's great.

We get to answer those questions at, at the end to like, okay, it's time for bed. And, and that's usually where all the questions come out or all the comments on the day. You know, hey, anything you wanna talk about, that's when you, you know, you get [01:05:00] all the info. They will sometimes say to me like, you're working too much mom, or like, what can we do this weekend?

And that's usually my signal. Like, okay, wait, my home life's not in balance. I'm working too much. How can I shift this? And so it's a constant struggle. Like, I, I don't, you know, there, there are always ways that you're going, okay, what can I do better? How can I, how can I improve on something? And then there are also times where you go, okay, I just need a break.

So now I'm starting to recognize, okay, I need to spend more time and make more fun memories with my family. So now we're gonna travel a little bit more. You know, we have a, a cruise planned over Thanksgiving to, to get away and really make sure that we're having those core memories that fun. But I will tell you, it's not always, it's not always easy.

It's. It's a daily thing, but I, I feel like that's kind of the same story for all entrepreneurs, male or [01:06:00] female. You know, you, you try and build something and it always requires time. And as soon as you think it's like, oh, great smooth sailing, you know, the AC breaks or you have to have a tough conversation with somebody there, there's always something that pops up.

So it's, it's a constant balancing game. And I don't anticipate that changing, you know? Mm-hmm. It's like, okay, now I'm spending more time on my family weight. Something's falling through the cracks at, at Synergy or Thrive. Let's focus on that. So it's just the constant battle. What do you do for your self care?

Because you hear a comment like that from your daughter or your son that says, mm-hmm you're working too much and then that guilt f fills your heart and then you're me. Oh yeah. What do you do for your own self-care? So it's, I don't even know if it's self-care as much as I feel like it's a nurturing moment.

I'm sourdough now. I'm a sourd doer. Um. So there's something kind of fun about like baking or cooking. It's almost like meditative. So I enjoy doing that. Mm-hmm. Um, and then, you know, like yesterday I got an IV at at Thrive, [01:07:00] and then, uh, I had a girlfriend in town from Atlanta, so we went to the beach for a little bit.

Mm-hmm. It doesn't happen that often, but I start to know when I'm feeling wiped out all the time. Okay, wait, it's time to focus again on me, and so I'll take a day off. Mm-hmm. I know it's crazy. Every but your, your mind is still working. Is it even when you're getting an IV there, is it, are you able to just sit there and be still without saying, oh, what about that?

Look at that. Like, you know, is your eye on everything? Of course not. I mean, if I put the eye massager on mm-hmm. Then I can like block that up. But no, your, your mind is constantly going. Mm-hmm. But in a more toned down way where you're like, okay, this is not a super pressing moment that we need to touch up the paint here.

We can get to that. I'll just file that away for later. Um, but definitely meditation helps. So I try to make time for that at least a few times a week. And that kind of refocuses kind of resets the adrenal glands a little bit so that I'm not just in like crazy mode all the [01:08:00] time or like stress mode, because where do you do that?

I usually do that like in bed headphones on. Hmm. Guided meditation either before bed or like when I wake up after I've, you know, done my wordle for the day, had some coffee, I'll do that. And even if it's a 10 minute one. I still feel like the deep breathing is helpful. Mm-hmm. Because remembering to do breathing is, you know, obviously we take a million breaths a day, but remembering to like, ah, really focus and do that is, is a challenge.

So I even put alerts on my phone, like, remember to breathe. Right. So, yeah, there's, but you know, again, it's, it's one of those things where you're constantly reminding yourself, oh wait, let me book a facial. Let me do this. Let me, you know, take a little bit of time. Yeah. Play some pickleball, you know, get out there and do something.

And, um, there are definitely, you know, times where it's easier to do that and times where it's more challenging. And then [01:09:00] sourdough, where does that come from in the middle of that? 'cause I've been hearing a lot about that lately. People are watching these recipes. It's just sort of with idea. So last year it was macarons.

I don't know. I get on these, it must be the a, d, d, but I get on these like fixations room. I'm like, I'm gonna do this and I'm gonna do this better than anybody. Once I mastered that, I was like, let's, let's move on to sourdough. Everybody's into sourdough. Yeah. Talk about a humbling experience. Yeah. You know, it's not bubbling enough, it's bubbling too much.

So now I just cheat and put a little yeast in. But, um, I don't know. There's something fun about like, making something and creating it and being like, wow, this tastes really good. And then, you know, we make, 'cause my kids will help me with it too, now they like making the little markings on it and we whip up some butter, we make some homemade jam.

So it's a great way to spend time with them, but also, hey, they're learning a. They're learning a skill that hopefully they'll remember in the future. Mm-hmm. So, you know, they can scramble an egg, they can boil some pasta. They're fairly self-sufficient, but it's nice to spend time with them doing something like that.

But it's also, I find relaxing, [01:10:00] oddly. Yeah. Yeah. It's strange sometimes the things that you find relaxing. I've been second person I heard in the last week who's Oh yeah. Who, who are people who I didn't expect to. 'cause it's because it's different. It's not regular baking. I know. It's, it's really good. Okay.

I just feel like people make it sound like it's way more complicated than it is. Yeah. So I'm probably cutting out some steps and doing like a cheetah version of it. Yeah. And I don't care. 'cause it still tastes delicious. It still looks amazing. Yeah. And I don't have time to like, carry around a bowl of sourdough with me to make sure that I'm like folding it enough.

I kind of do like, yeah, this looks good enough. So. Mm-hmm. It might, this week's loaf might taste different than next leaf, next week's loaf, but, uh, whatever. They still taste delicious, so. Yeah. So, you know, it's fun to take it into, um, usually I'll bake like five loaves at a time and so you keep one and then you give away some.

And so, I don't know, it's just like a little party t trick now. Like Yeah. I'll bring some, I'll bring the sour down. Cool. Yeah. Cool. I gotta try some of that. I'll bring you a loaf. Yeah. Or butter. [01:11:00] Or butter is like the best. I can only imagine. Yeah. Butter is, is great with everything. Butter's great with everything.

Yeah. Like whipping it yourself, you're like. I mean, but it's, it's not even that hard, but it's like you feel really fancy making your own whip butter. Yeah, that's sounds fancy. Yep. Whip butters. Yeah. Oh, watch out. Mm-hmm. That might be my third business. I'll just open Steph's sourdough and there you go.

Yeah. We'll be at all the farmer's markets. I, yeah. Next year's way to start. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. What about for the, for the home meals for your family? Uh, how do, how do you feed everybody or how, who feed, who's in charge of the kitchen at home? So, we definitely rotate and there are a couple of nights a week that, for instance, the kids both have stuff.

So Ben is into Lego robotics, so he has that on Thursdays and Evelyn has her rehearsal. So that might be a free for all, or it's just like a, we're picking something up on the way home. Otherwise, Justin and I kind of split up the, the cooking duties. Mm-hmm. And so, um, there's a chicken in the fridge right now that I'm gonna roast tomorrow that's a little more, I get a little fancy with my meals.[01:12:00] 

Um, and he's more of a, I grilled some chicken, made some broccoli and some rice, and that's what we're having, which is also great. So the best meals are the ones that I don't necessarily have to prep. So, um, you know, we kind of break it up, but there are probably one or two nights a week where it's like every man for themselves or we're ordering in.

'cause that just makes life easier. Yeah. So I'm also like, we're not gonna overcomplicate our lives. I remember when I had my son, I was like, I'm making his baby food. I'm cloth diapering, I'm making own baby wipes, I'm doing all of this. And then I was like, why, why? There was no prize. By the way. The people at daycare were like, can you stop making his baby food?

'cause he hates it. And I was like. Why am I killing myself doing this? Mm-hmm. So there are also moments, especially I feel like as you get older, where you go Yeah. Sometimes good enough is good enough. Yeah. And that's okay. Everybody's fed. Yeah. Great. We don't have to make our own purees and, you know, have our herb whipped butter at every meal.

Mm-hmm. Um, although no one's mad about it when we do have that herb. What? [01:13:00] Butter. So I'm just saying, uh, so yeah, we, you know, we try to balance it, but it's also like, because I, I do think sitting down for a family meal is so important. That's, you know, sometimes my kids do not cooperate. They don't wanna stop playing a game or they would rather be talking to their friends or whatever, but you're like, Nope, this is our time to reconnect.

This is our time to talk about our days. This is our time to talk about, you know, even world events and stuff. Mm-hmm. And it's fun now that they're older to kind of get into those conversations and be like, wow, you have a brain in there. Mm-hmm. And you're communicating and you can think and, you know, trying to encourage them to be critical thinkers, but also good humans.

Yeah. Yeah. That matters now. Yeah. Critical thinking. Yeah. That's critical thinking something that really matters. Yeah. Matters. Like, just because you see it on the internet doesn't mean it's true. Yeah. Yeah. Teach 'em how to think. Yeah. Uhhuh. Yeah. Yes. And they're in different schools now, right? One's in one middle.

They're d different schools, one's in middle, one's in elementary. And I thought that that would be like a weird change for the third grader. Oh, no. She loves it. Mm-hmm. I think she's like, [01:14:00] goodbye older brother. Mm-hmm. I'm, I'm the one riding the bus in the morning now. Mm-hmm. I'm the only a hasek at Veterans Memorial, so she seems to be just like morphing into this very confident little diva, which is also sometimes scary.

And you know, you ask Ben how school is boring, but then he kind of smiles a little and I'm like, oh, he's loving middle school. Yeah, he thinks he's so cool. 'cause he gets to ride a different bus. He's, you know, learning an instrument. So it's fun to see them just sort of blossoming into nice, well adjusted little human beings, you know, at least for now.

So, you know, it's, but parenting is, parenting is a roller coaster. There are a lot of, there are a lot of challenges with it, but, um, but it's also, you know, it, I will say parenting these ages is much better than parenting babies. I was not like the baby mom. I was always like, huh, they can't tell me what they want.

Why are they crying? Oh, it's [01:15:00] much nicer now to tuck them in and, you know, have conversations and feel like this is easier now. Yeah, I'm sure as they get bigger, bigger kids, bigger problems. But we're in a nice little sweet spot right now where I'm like, oh, we can relax a little. Yeah. Yeah. What would your, so your parents.

Are still up there, they're still up in Chicago. My in-laws, um, have had a place down here for a while. So when we had my son, they bought a different place and now they're living there full time, so, so they're here for, so that's a little bit of a shift. Yeah. Um, but I think they're excited about it too.

And how often do your parents come down? Usually, like twice a year. And then my kids go up during the summer. So my kids were in Illinois for like six weeks this summer. Mm-hmm. It's like grandma and grandpa Awesome camp. Yeah. And it's free summer camp, which is even better. Yeah, that's great. Um, so they get to go out and, you know, hang out with their cousins.

They got to go up to a lake house in Wisconsin this year that I, I grew up going to every summer until I was probably [01:16:00] 21. So it's fun that they get to have those family connections because that was one of the hard things about moving down here was being away from family. Are they gonna know their cousins?

Mm-hmm. Like I said, I went to great school with three first cousins. They don't have that down here, but they still have the opportunity to kind of get those relationships and really spend some quality time with their family members. That's awesome. Which is great. That's, so, I feel like they still will have those close relationships and we don't have to worry about them being like, you know, the other family in Florida.

It's like, no, they're still part of the crew, which is great. You were the fourth in the birth order. Your mother's name is? Cindy. Cindy. How would Cindy describe you? Oh gosh. Um, well, when I was a kid, she would've described me as probably messy. Um, and I, I don't think they knew what to do with me now. I think it's more, I would say driven and probably confident.

Um, yeah, I, I [01:17:00] think that's, I, I think that's probably what she would recognize the most. Um, but yeah, definitely. I'm still maybe a little messy too. So that may pop up in the future. Who had the biggest influence on you growing up? Oh, um, that's a loaded question because I feel like there were so many influential people growing up, but my dad is also an entrepreneur, so I feel like a lot of that, um, a lot of me wanting to own a business kind of came from him.

Um, so seeing, you know, his work ethic, because he's definitely a workaholic, still is. I mean, he, he probably should have retired six or seven years ago, but my brother has now taken over the business and he kind of assists my, my brother with it. Um, he definitely was an influence, but, you know, so were my siblings and, you know, for good and bad, you know, either we got along [01:18:00] really well and we had a lot of fun, or it was like, we, why don't I get to hang out with the older kids or do other stuff?

Um, but I also think recognizing some of the strengths of my siblings and knowing, for instance, I was never gonna be the star athlete. Maybe pushed me in some other directions than what they were doing. Um, so going more into, you know, being in the plays at school or, you know, being the president of the student council or like the editor of the paper.

Like other things that my siblings didn't do, I feel like maybe I did so that I could set myself apart. Um, which was, you know, who knows if that was good or bad, but I think it kind of shifted directions for me and let me go, oh wait, I can do this. Oh, wait, now what, what's next? What's next? And that's, I feel like that's kind of my life motto is like, what's, what's next?

Um, will I ever be satisfied with, you know, good enough? No, I'm probably always gonna try and do, do better, be better, find the next project. And so that probably [01:19:00] came a little bit from sibling rivalry going, okay, wait, I'm not, I'm scared of the basketball. I'm not gonna bem, you know, getting a college scholarship for athletics.

So yeah, probably my siblings and my dad, and obviously my mom as well, but just all of them are influential in, in different ways, you know? Mm-hmm. So there are different aspects of, of personality or, you know, life choices that I can kind of trace back to, you know, even different teachers where you're like, oh wait, this is a possibility.

I might be able to do this in the future. And, and not knowing it before that person's impact in your life. Mm-hmm. So yeah, I've been fortunate to be around some really cool people. Even my father-in-law actually. Um. Who's the original doctor? Ah, Hasek. Um, he was my dentist growing up now. Oh, wow. I didn't know my husband, uh, obviously, although he was three years older than me, so there was always a Halloween skating party that his dental office put on, and Justin was always like the fastest one around the skating [01:20:00] rink.

And, you know, all the girls thought he was super cute. Um, I won the best costume as a bride when I was six. A little foreshadowing there for you. Um, but I remember going to Europe when I was in, I had just graduated from eighth grade and it wasn't an opportunity that my parents were like, yeah, we're footing the whole bill for this.

It was a, you need to raise some money for it. And he was somebody, you know, there was no real connection to my family except that we were patients at his office. Me and you know, the million other relatives that I have in the, in the, um, in Aurora, he wrote me a check and that check made it possible for me to go to Europe.

That was something that always stuck with me. And it, it was him and it was several other business owners, but it was like, what an impact that made on my life. And so even when I got a little bit older, my sister started working there as a hygienist. My oldest sister, my youngest sister worked there as an assistant.

My sister-in-law worked there as an a, there was a lot happening at Fairview Dental. [01:21:00] Um, and so it was kind of a weird thing that Justin and I got set up on a blind date, but, um. I was so grateful to have these amazing in-laws because again, remembering his generosity years ago and also seeing, there were so many times that I saw his generosity that he probably didn't realize, and I saw him making a difference in the community.

I was like, I have to be like that. That's what I wanna be like in practice. Um, so even though we were not, you know, exactly close growing up, he was, he was my dentist. There was a lot of influence there in going like, wow, you can do a lot, you know, in your community without really saying anything. Like, nobody else knew that he gave me money to go to Europe.

Mm-hmm. I knew my parents knew, but that was something that he just quietly did. It was this quiet generosity and, you know, quiet leadership that also really stuck with me. And so mm-hmm. I've been really grateful to him over the years because, you know, my dad runs a concrete company. It's, it's a different venue than mm-hmm.

You know, being in healthcare. [01:22:00] And so fortunately, um, you know, the original doctor, ah, Hasek has been able to, to kind of guide me and help me with some different things. And so that's been really nice too. Wow. Yeah. Kind of bizarre. My other sister, so not the one that worked at the dentist office, went to her first high school dance with my husband.

Oh, is that right? Is this crazy? And it turns out that the brother, the, the guy that she married also went to a high school dance, but with the other sister there was a lot of c Crazy. Wow. Yeah. Catholic families in Aurora really stick together. Um. Justin went to, on our second date, we went to like a, a family gathering and he had gone to school with two of my brother-in-laws, and the third brother-in-law has an older brother that was in the class.

So it was just very, it was very bizarre that we didn't meet until our late twenties and yet we had all these family connections and it just made it really effortless to kind of blend our families. So yeah, it's nice that our parents, our friends, it's nice that, you know, all the in-laws get, get along and get together, so [01:23:00] it's kind of fun.

That's, that's, that was the tangent you didn't know you needed. Right? That was the backstory. No, that's great. There's always a story. You No idea. You know, I love it. There's always, there's always a story. Yeah. And it's great. The, he was your small town dentist. Yeah, yeah. He's, he was, yeah, he was my dentist.

Beautiful. That's love. Then he retired and I to find another dentist when I was like 38. I'm probably traumatic. Yeah, yeah. Right. This is awful. Right? How can you do this to me? Yeah. You have the connection forever. Ah, yeah. How about a movie or a, a book that has impacted you over your, the course of your life?

Oh, I am a big reader, so love, love. Now sometimes I read, you know, children's fiction. Sometimes I read, you know, the great epic novel, sometimes trashy books, but also I get some self-help books in there. Yeah. So, um, Glennon Doyle, oh my gosh. It's not, we can do hard things, but she always says that, and that was one [01:24:00] I listened to because.

If I listen to like a self-help book or if I read it, I will fall asleep. So I have to listen to them on audiobook. Yeah. Yeah. I do that. Yeah. Um, and that was such an amazing book about shifting perspective and, you know, realizing like, Hey, hard stuff isn't happening to you. It's not like, oh, you deserve this.

It's, it's about our reaction to it and how we can turn it around and how we can do hard things and it's gonna help us grow. Mm. And that was just a good, it seemed like it was a message that came up at the right time. 'cause it was like, oh, Irma happened, COVID happened. Ian had what? Mm. And it was like, yeah, okay, this is a little test and there's gonna be something good that comes out of it, and let's figure out the opportunity here.

Like, what, what can we make better in this situation? And fortunately, you know, good came out of it. You know, there were, there were ways to help people. There were, there were moments to go, okay, what are we grateful for? What is still going [01:25:00] well? And what can we do to turn this around? And so having a little shift sometimes and knowing that other people have been through hard things and they've mm-hmm.

They've gotten through and they've succeeded and they're, they're better because of it was the message I needed to hear at that time. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And that was the, what was the, what was the, is it the author that, is that the name? The author is Glennon Doyle and Glennon Doyle. Okay. And she's married to Abby Womack and they used to live here in Naples.

And I was so bummed because by the time I realized that. They moved and I was like, no, Glennon And I would've been really good. I feel like we would've been besties had we met. Yeah. Wow. Um, and now they have a really cool podcast. And so I listen to the podcast a lot and you know, sometimes it goes a little bit like, whoa, that was like deeper.

I'm gonna need to wrap my brain around that concept. But also some of the people they have on, you're just like, wow, that's incredible. You know, I've had little bumps along the way. I haven't had, you know, major pitfalls along the way. And, and [01:26:00] seeing people who really, truly, you know, you can describe as resilient, you're like, whoa, that's inspiring.

If they can come, you know, overcome that I can overcome a little thing like a hurricane. Yeah. You know, I can overcome a little thing like waiting to have, build out. Yeah. Um, so it's good for that healthy dose of perspective. Yeah. A little shift. Yeah. Which is, yeah. So necessary at times when you get it in your head about what seems like the end of the world and Yeah.

When you can shift the perspective and see it another way. And, and sometimes it's much easier said than done. Right. Of course. Like, oh, find the good. Yeah. Of course. Sometimes you need to wallow in it. Sometimes you need to have that moment of like, feel that pain. Yeah. Oh, this is so frustrating. And why, and why and why.

And then it's like, okay, the pity party's over. Mm-hmm. Let's work on the next step. Well, because you have to, because there's no other option. There's, well, especially when you own a business, there is no other option because the other option would be just to close your doors and that's. Not realistic either.

Yeah. So it's, you find a way. [01:27:00] Yeah. It's just life. Life has lots of twists and turns and all the stuff, and it's just, you know, navigating it. And I, I absolutely agree with what you said earlier about surrounding yourself with those people. And I've started to do more and more of that. Like, who are the people that inspire me, who are people living in a way that I wanna live?

You know, they're, they're on purpose. They, they have some of those answers. Who's guiding me? Who's, who's helping me? And I have some of those people. Mm-hmm. And it's, you got to lunch with them and you're just like, mind blown. Yeah. But it motivates, it energizes you and you go, yep, I'm taking this away, this away, this away.

Sometimes I take notes after a conversation where I'm like, I gotta remember that. Yeah. That was amazing. Yeah. Like, I have a powerhouse friend, Chara, um, I talk to her and sometimes I'm just like, oh my God, whoa, where did that come from? But she, she gets it. And so I [01:28:00] definitely find that the more I meet those people, the more people like that that I meet.

And it's like, oh. And so some of your social contracts shift a little bit, you know? Mm-hmm. Certain friendships, you go, I'm not getting much out of this. Mm-hmm. You know, when the people are only texting you 'cause they need something and mm-hmm. You know, not, Hey, how are you? You go, okay. I don't think that's fulfilling for me anymore.

I think it's time to, to go for those relationships that are fulfilling. 'cause life's too short. I'm too busy. You're too busy. We don't need those relationships. No. Yeah. Yeah. And there are different friendships. You know, there are the more superficial ones, and that's fine to go to dinner every now and again, but you know, on those days where you need a little pick me up.

Or on those days when you wanna be that to someone else, you want those authentic people, those authentic relationships, and you know, you wanna become better as a result of it. Yeah. So I feel like I'm constantly hanging out with people that are more successful than I I am that seem to have more of those answers.

And I'm just like, yes, give me your wisdom. Yeah. Let's figure this out. Because I feel like the [01:29:00] moment you stop growing, you're in trouble. Yeah. And there's something special about having those people around. 'cause even though you don't know you need it, sometimes you spend time with them and then all of a sudden you're, you leave a better person than when you saw them.

And it's always like that. Yes. There's just always some insight that happens in your interaction with them. I have some people that I work with that, gosh, I could spend five minutes with them. And I just feel like I have a whole new perspective on everything in life. And I didn't even ask for it. It wasn't even something I knew I needed.

But when I leave I'm like, wow, I just so grateful to have that person in my life. 'cause you know, and then alternatively, they're the people that you spend five minutes with and it feels like you've spent five hours with them and you're totally drained. Drained, yeah. Yeah. And those are the ones where you're like, okay, there are times where everybody goes through a hard time, they need a friend, all of that.

But when that's their constant pattern, you're like, I can't be around it. I have to just like. Shut it off and, and shift. And so that's again, one of those lessons where, you know, friendships [01:30:00] change, um, you know, stuff shifts and you just kind of go, okay, what's my priority now? And that's part of, you know, growing and figuring out what you want.

And, you know, I, I, I want those meaningful relationships. I want the people that I can talk to. I want the people that I can learn from. And, you know, I, I hope that's kind of how it always is. Mm. Um, but it's also so amazing when you meet those people and you're just like, I want you to be my best friend.

Yeah. Yeah. Like, where have you been? Yeah. And like, how can I be more like you? Because this is amazing. And yeah. So it's also like, okay, we can always be improving. Yeah. Well it goes back to synergy. I love that word. That was my, uh, my father who founded this business, Uhhuh, who, uh, was a true entrepreneur, eighth grade high school dropout, but just always found a way to make things work.

That's incredible though. Wow. Yeah. I just was a, had a mind on him that, you know, not only was creative 'cause he loved artistry as a stylist, but [01:31:00] also he had a business mind on him that was very shrewd and street smart. And, but Synergy was his finale as a, as a business person that kind of went out. He created this haircut called Synergy.

And uh, it was the, you know, just the, became this word that I never knew the meaning of that. Now I love so much because, um. One of the promotions that we do is called one plus one equals three. You buy two products, you get a third, you buy two products, you get a third three. But, but Synergy is one plus one equals three.

It's, you know, the sum. Yes. And, and you know, when you put good people together, when you and, um, Holly are together, uh, there's us spark that gets created between the two of your minds that's unique and special and, you know, has her honor you the way you honor her, and just she, you know, the way she thinks the world of you to, you know, just there she has so many strengths that I do not have.

And so it's also, you know, I'm constantly asking for her for advice on things, but it's so nice to have another, you know, we're [01:32:00] similar ages. I'm a little older, um, but we've kind of had some of these similar paths where it's like, oh my gosh, is the world falling down on me? And the other one's there to say, you're gonna be fine, and here's what we need to look at.

And so sometimes having that outside perspective and that outside person to go, no, no, no, no, no. What you're thinking right now in your head, that's fine. You can have your pity party, but that's not what the world sees and that's not who you are, and that's not what your business is. And this is how we're going to get through that.

Because, you know, sometimes that, that negative talk, that self-doubt creeps in. Mm-hmm. And I think that's a normal thing we can say all we want, that we, you know, are confident all the time and we have all the answers. And that's just, that's not true. I feel like anybody that tells you they have all the answers is probably trying to sell you something.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So it's nice when you don't have those answers to have the people that you can talk to and, you know, bounce ideas off of. And, um, but no, I'm so grateful for that with her and I'm grateful for Chandra, [01:33:00] and I'm, you know, I'm also grateful for the teachers that can let me know what their students need and, and what the needs are so that we can make sure that we're, we're fulfilling that.

But so many of these things you don't know if you're not curious. And so also asking the questions is so important because it's, you know, I'm probably a little nosier than I need to be, but there are times where I find out somebody goes to a school and I'm asking them the questions like, what do your students need?

How's your year going? What's happening? Because those teachers may be struggling a lot and they're, you know, there are constantly budget cuts or they have disruptive students, or they have something and it's like, what can we do to make your life a little bit easier so that you are at your best for teaching Mm.

So that you can inspire these students. Mm. And so being curious and asking the questions really does go a long way. And I, I think sometimes we have these superficial conversations and, and you need to kind of peel that back a little bit and get to the bigger, the bigger issues, the bigger problems, and not be afraid to ask those questions.

Yeah. That's where the real fulfillment is anyway, when you're getting underneath that layer of Uhhuh pretenses of, yeah, [01:34:00] everything's fine, everything's fine, everything's great. My life's perfect. Have you seen my Instagram?

My Instagram? Thank God I have a marketing team, because otherwise it wouldn't exist. So I'm glad for that. 'cause that is not, social media is not in my skillset. Yeah, my kids probably know more about it than I do. Right. They're not even on it. Um, so yeah, there's just, you know, there's, there's so many, so many layers to unravel with everything, right?

The people, the problems, you know, the community. And so it's also kind of a fun puzzle to try and put together. And so I kinda like to see it as, you know, okay, where do we fit in with this? And what can we do to hopefully help make this area better? And that's, you know, even our tagline is like, making Naples better.

It's, it's great because we're helping people with their health and wellness and, you know, the synergy of helping, having multiple providers. If I don't have the answer as a chiropractor, maybe my nurse practitioner does, maybe the PT does. But I also find that when people [01:35:00] combine all of those things, they get better more quickly.

That's great. Health and wellness is wonderful, but what about also making an impact outside of that? And that's where, you know, finding those things, figuring out where the problems are and, and hopefully, you know, making a small impact can, you know, inspire some bigger things in the community. So that's where I'm hoping our synergy is with just overall that one plus one is three.

And it's not just health and wellness. It's, you know, making sure that, that people have what they need and, and supporting them, and hopefully inspiring that good karma to keep going. Mm. Yeah. I'm a big fan of karma. I'm like, karma. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Alright, let's put the good stuff out there as a. A person who was in drama in high school, were you in drama in high school plays?

Gee, is that surprising? What would, if your life was a movie, what would the opening soundtrack be? Oh, [01:36:00] I mean, I feel like it would have to be some powerhouse Broadway song sung by Idina Menzel, just because that's what I want it to be. You know, something that says, Hey, there's a big explosive ending, you know, coming and, you know, all the good things will be, will, will come on out from it.

Um, man, you ask some serious questions here. I also love that like, if, if you asked like a favorite book, I have so many, and it's like, so I'm so indecisive on like, well when I'm, it's like asking for favorite pizza. It's like, well, what kind of pizza are we talking about? Are we talking about a thick crest?

Are we talking about a thin crust? Are we talking about a cheese from Chicago? Yeah, you gotta know. Yeah. You know, Mexican food. Are we talking Tex-Mex? Are we talking authentic? What are we talking about here? And so I also need all the details and I'm a Virgo who likes to overanalyze it before I give my answer.

So I'll get back to you on the soundtrack of my life later when I've, but you mentioned pizza though, so being from Chicago, where, what's the, okay, so I worked at a pizza place, so my favorite pizza is still OCH and Loose [01:37:00] pizza. A little, you know, mom and pop shop. Loved it. Ate that all the time growing up.

I have found nothing like that down here. So I get the frozens when I go back up north and bring them down. Otherwise, again, it depends. 'cause I like Mr. O one if I, if I can eat it there. I like their thin crust. Mm-hmm. Style jets is a family favorite. We get that eight corner. Yes. It's a chain. I don't care.

Um, LA Petito. And you know what, tis not so bad. They're Chicago Rosati has a thick, they have a thin crust. Oh, they have a thin They do, they do have a deep dish. It's not my favorite. Don't tell them I said that. Joey D's has the best deep dish. Oh, Joey D's has a deep dish. I didn't know that. Joey has, I didn't.

Joey has deep dish's. Delicious. Um, you know, but again, it, it, I'm also sometimes outnumbered in my family where they're like, not tis again, let's get Lotito. And I like Lai as well. But then the toppings change. You know, so much goes into that crust that you're, like's a soggy crust. You can't have a [01:38:00] lot of toppings, so be warned.

So when you go back to Chicago mm-hmm. Do you go to your Yeah. Obviously go-to place. Oh yeah. Usually on the way from the airport. Yeah. Yeah. Um, you know, we'll pick one up to go. Um, and actually one of the people who owned it when I worked there, sold it, but now came back and I'm like, oh my gosh, I have to go, I have to go in and say hello be, because also he was such a great boss.

And that was, yeah. That's one of those things too is, you know, working. 'cause you know, I waitressed, I nannied, I, I did all, all the jobs that you do when you're working through school. Mm-hmm. Um. You know, there were people that make an impact. Even there, like, I remember babysitting for somebody and she's like, if I don't think of you as a friend, why would I have you watch my children?

And that kind of stuck with me when finding, you know, childcare for my own kids. Like, okay, let's make sure I, I, I like this person, but also that they're a responsible human being and I'm gonna come back and my house is gonna be fine. Um, but, you know, seeing the way that bosses, there were some that were [01:39:00] not very good and there were some that were amazing.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And so taking away those things, you know, I think again, can help motivate, you know, your employees and, and help. And, you know, even having my sisters all working at my father-in-law's practice, knowing the things that he did for him, his employees, I stole a lot of those ideas. Mm-hmm. And I was like, great, let's make sure we have a happy, let's make sure we have a happy group here.

Because that's when people are gonna work their best. That's when they're gonna, you know, feel their best about coming in. Yeah. You don't want the people coming and going, oh, I hate my job, I hate my job, I hate my job. Right, right. Yeah. They love what they do. They're, they're gonna be happy. You're gonna have great, happy guests.

Yes. 'cause you Yeah. Yes. They're happy being there. Yeah. And we're really fortunate with that. Like, we've had a lot of employees that have been there, you know, seven, eight years and, and they're amazing. And I can't imagine the practice without them. Mm-hmm. And so I hope I never have to. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, and then there are some that you just go.

I'm not sure this is gonna work out. You know, you usually also have that like intuitive feeling [01:40:00] of like, let's see. And sometimes they surprise you. Yeah. And sometimes they don't. Yeah. And you go, okay, the good of the team is at stake here. Yeah. It's, it's time to move on. Yeah. When the honeymoon wears off and then that Yes.

12th week comes and you, and you're like, how many, how many grandmas did you have? Because I think six of them have died in the last five weeks. That's really, that must be so hard for you and your family. Where do they come up with all these? I know. And they think, you don't see that. You don't. Yeah. I you, you've been to how many funeral?

Funeral, like how many grandmothers could somebody actually have Could Yes. Or how many flat tires can one car have? I know. Is there a lot of construction in your neighborhood right now? Like what's right happening? Mm-hmm. Um, yeah, there, I remember there was one who would call out every month with, um, cramps and it, it wasn't a big deal, but it was just like, okay, if you know that every single month.

On the 28th, you're gonna call it with how about we proactively get coverage for [01:41:00] that? Yeah. No, no, no, no, no. That was, that was like a crazy concept and I was just like, oh my gosh, let's all just not play these games. Let's all be adults. It's amazing sometimes how you have to remind people who are older than you to ah, act like adults.

Yeah. Well, maybe never, they're never getting the message if they haven't gotten it by now. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Maybe never. But we have hope and we're optimists and we think that we're gonna have that impact that's gonna have them shift. And then some of them do. Some of them do some wanna mm-hmm. Some of do.

Yeah. And then there are the ones that like, you know, move away for, for life. Right. Um, I had somebody move away, uh, you know, to be closer to his wife's family, which I understand, unfortunately. It's like three states away. So it's not like he can commute. I still miss him. I still send him text messages and, and say, how's it going?

How's life? We come back, when are you coming back? 'cause usually if they leave, they come back. I'm like, they always come back. So I'm waiting for him to move back to Florida. Maybe one of these days. Yeah, yeah. And you have that relationship built. So [01:42:00] someday maybe they, they will someday maybe. But he was, he was just one of those, you know, unicorn employees who was just Hmm.

You know, so amazing. So, but one of those people that, I don't think there was a single patient or anybody on staff who could say anything but positive things about, and that's an amazing person. Yeah. I, I never heard him speak. Badly about anybody. And he was just such a quiet, kind leader. And I mean, that was inspirational for me to be like, wow, this is a guy who has it together.

Yeah. And he was somebody that I wasn't gonna hire. He was like 19 at the time. And I'm like, I'm not hiring a male massage therapist who's just outta school. This seems like a ba. And then I had to take it all back. I was like, no, he's amazing. Isn't that cool? Wow. Isn't that cool? Yeah. What a great presence.

So yeah, he was one. I I definitely ugly cried when he left. Yeah. Well the cool thing about that is now like he's three states away, Uhhuh, but your heart and your way had an [01:43:00] impact on him that he's now delivering your way of life. Oh, I hope so. Somewhere else. Yeah. That's cool. And see, I don't know, that's a beautiful thing.

How much of an impact I made on him. I feel like he made such an impact on me, which was just, which is awesome when you have those people, especially if you know you're kind of the leader of the organization, you expect that, you know, you're supposed to be the one leading and doing all the things. And it's so great when somebody just has this amazing personality that you're just like, wow, yeah, you're awesome.

Well, you created a space that allowed him to be more of him, which I think is really cool. 'cause I think that's one of the roles that I've to play for people as artists. People who work here are artists is if I give them that space that. They get to be more of themselves, worry less about what's going on at home, worry less about their bills, can fully create, can be here and be present.

Mm-hmm. And love where they are. They can be more of themselves. And you did that for him. He allowed him to be who he is supposed to be in the world in a way that, you know, maybe other environments didn't. So he became him. Wow. I mean, [01:44:00] I'd love that if that's the case. No, that's absolute it. You gotta, I mean, really you did, you gave him that.

That's the gift of you creating the environment that you've created, which is awesome when you have people there 5, 6, 7 years, which is unheard of in this day and age. It's not a normal thing, you know? And there are also ones that you have to let go fairly quickly because you can see the negative impact that it's having on the five, six, and seven year employees Yes.

Who have been there and know the culture. Um, and so you wanna give people the opportunity, you wanna give them the feedback they need to improve. But then, you know, there are also people who, they're not gonna care in any position that they're in at any organization. And you can usually see it on their resume.

They bounce around every six to nine months and you're like, there's probably a reason for that. Now there are also places that you leave because it's toxic and Yeah. And I understand their home. Yeah. Um, but then there are also times where you're like, maybe it's you. Yeah. So maybe you can Common thread here.

Yeah. Yeah. Work on that a little bit. Um, not that I ever tell them that, [01:45:00] but you know, there, there are times where you go, yeah, I don't think this is us. But then there are also moments where you can self-reflect and go, okay, if this is us, what can we do better? And so. You also have to just constantly be trying to make it better and figure out where things can improve.

But, you know, I think that's another entrepreneur thing is it's like, okay, bigger, better. Where, where are we at with this? Mm. But also not so big that you can't handle it. Yeah. Yeah. There's so many things to think about, aren't there? Oh, yeah. Yeah. You got more than two children. That's it. Three. Oh my God.

Thank God I don't have more than two children. That's why I got a dog. I was like, I can't have another baby. Maybe I can handle a dog. And speaking of your dog, you have a special dog? I do, I do Murphy. I, I thought I was gonna get to meet Murphy. I thought maybe you'd bring Murphy here today. Murphy. Murphy has bladder stones, so Murphy sometimes pees everywhere.

Um, so now he doesn't get to go to the office as often. Oh. Because it's not great when he has accidents. Um, Murphy is a little Yorkie. P he's very cute. Oh, the greatest. We have a Morie, so they're in the [01:46:00] same family except that he barks and he's, his bark might be the most, most piercing thing to my soul.

Um, and he only barks at me. I apparently, he knows that. I was the one that was like, yeah, let's get a dog. And so for my husband, he just like, looks at him or he'll like, scratch him a little to be like, I'm hungry, I wanna go outside. We even have those buttons where it's like, you hit it and it says playtime or outside?

No, he just bark. It's like a crying child. And you're like, what? What do you want? It's just you, you know? It is just for you. I took you outside. Yeah. You've been fed. What do you want from me? And so there are times where he's just as exasperating as a child. Um, but he also, you know, sleeps at the foot of my bed and he's adorable.

Yeah. And he also seems to know when I've had a, a day and he just wants to, you know, sit at my feet. And so it's, that's also amazing how, how intuitive dogs can be where they, they know what you need. Yeah. They're smart. Yeah, they're smart. Yeah. They know what you need. Yeah. So, yeah, he was our little mascot for a while until, you know, the bladder stones.

Ah, [01:47:00] I know. So he doesn't get to hang out with the offices as much, much, he doesn't need to come in as much unless he's like getting groomed and, you know, I guess I could put a diaper on him, but that seems humiliating. I don't know if he could, if his self-esteem could handle that, so. Right. We'll just, you know, keep him, keep him at the house most of the time.

How big is he? Is that he's like, well, he's a little overweight. He's, he should be like 12 pounds and I think he's like 16. So every time we go to bed is Yorkie Poo, or is it York? Is it Yorkie? Yorkie. P mm-hmm. Yorkie. Okay. So that Yorkie, he looks like a little mini goldendoodle, so he doesn't look as Yorkie, but my in-laws have his sister.

Mm-hmm. So they're from the same litter and she looks more Yorkie, but she doesn't bark as much. So I'm like. He just expresses himself. Boy, that's, yeah. There's always that, there's always that trade off, but yeah. But, um, he's really cute. Anytime we go outta town, my uh, massage therapists are like, I'll watch him.

No, I'll watch him. No, it's my turn. And so I have to like, keep his schedule and keep it fair so that Yeah. They can take turns. It's, he's popular watching. [01:48:00] Yeah, he's popular. Yeah, I know. It's not even like they're sucking up to me. They just wanna suck up to, to Murphy, so. Well, they know's in charge.

Murphy's in charge. Uhhuh Murphy runs out and he behaves much better when I'm not there. So if they bring him into the office, he sits quietly by their rooms and doesn't seem to do anything. When I'm there, he will bark at me. So, you know, between peeing and barking, we just, he's not an office dog anymore.

Yeah, he knows you're the one that's gonna gotta take care of him. Mm-hmm. Yeah. You're the one, he's, yeah. Our dog, boo Boo is, uh, like that with my wife doesn't bark, but she will scratch. Like, Hey, pay attention to me. Hey, tell him to feed me. Hey, you know? But, but with me, she doesn't, she just kind of, she knows I love her just as much.

But with Michelle, she's like, you know, if we get too comfortable on the couch, she's like, Hey, I don't know. I think you got, go get me a treat. And Michelle's like, you gotta go get a retreat. All I get a retreat. She runs the house, boo boo runs the house. So, yeah. Sounds like Murphy. [01:49:00] My husband will, I'll walk in the door and he immediately starts barking and he's like, literally he didn't bark the entire day.

Yeah. It's you. Yeah. No, it's okay. BooBoo's the same. You know, she won't bother me about anything. I'll be working from home and Michelle will get home and she'll start, I'm like, I just took her out 10 minutes ago. I know she has nothing. Well, I, I'm like, did you take her out or did you take him out? And he's like, I, I just did he, he pooped.

He peed. He did all the things. Just wants attention. Yeah, that's exactly it. She wants tension. She'll say she wants you off your phone. She, you gotta get off your phone. Okay. I'll get off my phone. If Booo wants me off the phone, I'll get off my phone. Whatever. It's, boo doesn't like it. She wants my attention.

That's what she is. She's the princess. She's got these harnesses that prove that she's a princess with little diamond studs on them and she's Oh, I love that for her. She's groomed princess. Does she get the, the bows in her hair when she gets gMed occasionally on holidays? Yep. Yep. Mm-hmm. But just on the little, I do do like when New Yorkies have like the little punky ponytail.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. I think you should put some tinsel in her fur. Yeah. That would, that would fit. I know that would [01:50:00] be good for her. You should absolutely work on that part. Yes. She would look good. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. And the fact that we let, uh, you know, we're very dog friendly everywhere, so we love to have them animals in here.

So we could do that for tinsel for dogs. Yeah. Tinsel. Tinsel for dogs. Yeah. You know, a little, a little dye in their for Yeah, yeah. Yeah. We, they, they're doing that now. I know they dogs are doing that now. Mm-hmm. And you're like, mm-hmm. This is a look. I dunno that Murphy would appreciate it. He doesn't even like when he gets a little scarf at the groomer, but Yeah.

But, oh, he looks so cute when he gets groomed. But yeah. Yeah. Dogs are, dogs are something. She gets her hair done and, and she comes to the house and does it, so she gets groomed better than most women do. Better. She's heard and yeah, she's just, oh, wow. The princess boo boos, uh, runs the house. So, yeah, she's a I know what they, I know what that world is like.

She was at the vet yesterday, she got a ear infection and they always have a ear infection. I think that's like a Yorkie thing, isn't it? I, she's, and the bladder stove, she's never had, she's, yeah, she's had issues with her, [01:51:00] um, pancreatitis. Ouch. We're feeding her and we have to give her organic chicken and cooked and carrot gold butter.

And that's when shes better. And then, then is it herbed Kerry Gold butter? Maybe you should make some rice. As long as this doesn't have garlic in it. She does like a, she's more Italian oriented, so she does like garlic, but we can't give her like that. No, no. It's bad for the dogs. I, I know the amount of things that are bad for dogs is also like, I'm sorry, I'm gonna need, I'm gonna need a book on this.

'cause I have to, to Google it all the time. Oh, because I dropped that on the floor. You just ate it, right? Is this an emergency? He ate cookies at the office once. And so I texted my friend who, who, um, is a vet at the Humane Society, and he is like, what kind of chocolate was it? I was like, dark chocolate.

How many did he eat? So I'm asking my staff, because it was a bag of those, like Matt's heavenly hunks from Costco, right? They taste like cookie dough. They're delicious. The bag was almost gone, but I didn't know. And nobody, nobody had a single one. And I'm like, oh my gosh, this dog has just eaten 24 of these.

Of course, the next day after he has his stomach pumped. [01:52:00] Well, I think I ate two or three. I think I, so I'm like, he probably only ate one of 'em and we just had to put 'em through this, but he's never gonna eat those again. Oh wow. That's scary. Yeah. Scary. Yeah. Fortunately he's still around and now we have signs all over that say, do not leave food on the table.

Yeah. The amount of rules in the staff room, like no clean up after yourselves. We don't need bugs. Yeah, let's go. She is too finicky. She will just, if it's not give, it's not cooked in carry gold butter, she's not gonna eat it. It's the truth. I, we have to give her these, you know, the heartworm thing, Uhhuh, and you have to cut it up so fine.

'cause we try to sneak it into food and she could sniff it out the minute she knows we literally have to have filet once a month. That is supposed to be for us, but she ends up eating it because it's the only way we can give her the heartworm pill. 'cause she's like, she can't sniff it out of filet, but she can sniff it out.

Everything else. She's, she's Oh my gosh, spoiled. She's okay. Yours is worse than mine. Yeah. Yeah. Yours, yours wins. Yeah. She, she, they should, they should meet up with each other. They [01:53:00] might really get along well know. Mm-hmm. I'll have a tinsel party for 'em. Yeah. Yeah. Oo and Murph. Yeah. Oo and Murph. Yeah.

Mm-hmm. What is your, uh, playlist like when you're, uh, late night cramming or when you're, uh, in the zone? I'm a Broadway nerd and Oh yeah. You know, so there are times where if my daughter's in a show, I mean. I wouldn't like there, there's a reason I never had a singing role in the musicals in, in high school.

Right. But doesn't mean I don't like singing in my car. So, you know, if I'm in the car with the kids, it's, you know, whatever they wanna listen to. But, um, like right now it's K-Pop Demon hunters get on board that it's actually amazing. It's probably one of the top, the Golden Song from, have you watched this?

No. Tell me. Um, I was like, I am not watching this. And then my husband watched it with the kids and he is like, it's actually really good. And then a girlfriend was like, oh my God, you guys have to like, watch this. And I was like, and [01:54:00] then of course I'm like everyone else who's like, uh, and then I'm like, oh my God, we're gone.

Like, uh, this is gonna be my Halloween costume, so we'll listen to that in the car if my daughter's in there. Otherwise I like a lot of Broadway songs, so if she's in a play, we might be listening to those songs. Yeah. Um, and then if my son's in the car, it's a lot of like Imagine Dragons and stuff. Um, and then if it's more like I'm, I'm doing work on stuff, I may be listening to like a podcast or an audio book or something.

Mm-hmm. You know, trying to like feed my brain instead of just Yeah. Listening to all the random stuff. What are a couple artists? 'cause 'cause I, I'm keep a, a playlist of everybody I've had on the podcast of Oh, a few. A sampling of some artists of. That you listen to. I'm like a true blue like Broadway queen.

Yeah. I like, you know, my Idina. So I, I might be listening to Wicked or Hamilton or like, dear Evan Hansen, so a lot of the really, you know, popular Broadway shows, but you're just like, yes, this is [01:55:00] Firing Me. I don't know, there's something about The Wicked soundtrack. The original one, not the movie. Yeah.

Okay. It's much better. Is it? So, yeah. You know, um, for Good From Wicked for instance, I'm like, yes. What a beautiful song. Here we go. Friendship. Okay, good. Good. So yeah. So you're the second 'cause Kristen Cory we had on the podcast from Playhouse. Mm-hmm. And all of hers was just, you know, she was humming singing Some of them it's, yeah.

You know, they get, she's little into your head and you're just like, yes. And I don't know, there's something about like, you know, you get that little break where you're like experiencing what the characters and the, you know, musical or thinking about or going through. And that's just one of those little friendship songs.

'cause so many songs are, you know, love songs or whatever. And this is like a good, like girl power. Hey, we have differences, but we're still, we're still good. We still get along. And, you know, my life has changed because you were in it. And I, I think that's such a powerful message. Even if somebody's, you know, in your life for a little bit, there's still that powerful impact that [01:56:00] can happen.

Mm-hmm. Or there're the people that are in your life forever and you're like, yes, you are going to be in my life forever. But you know, there are so many shifts in life that it's just. It's nice to recognize those moments where you're like, somebody made an impact on me and it's gonna stay with me forever and I'm better because of it.

Mm-hmm. Because that doesn't always happen. So when it does, you gotta recognize it. You gotta get excited about it. What's the K-pop show? Where, where is that? K-Pop, demon Hunters, K-Pop. Where would I see that? They, they fight demons obviously. Where do you see that? I think it's on Netflix. Netflix? Okay.

Alright. Yes. Gotta check it out. Okay. These songs are very catchy. Yeah. So you will watch it a second time. Okay. Maybe a third time. Okay. If you watch it a fourth time, you should probably talk to somebody. But, um, it's, yeah. No, it's entertaining. It's what all the 8-year-old girls are listening to. All right.

Although, I will say my husband and son sat on the couch and they watched it too. Yeah. So my son likes to make fun of it, like he's too cool. But I'm like, I see you bopping along to these songs. Yeah. So way to pretend Uhhuh even. 'cause we watch [01:57:00] America's Got Talent on Mondays and Tuesdays and like one of the girls who's like one of the front runners is, has like a little, there are two guys that sing in their kitchen and they have a different guest on every week.

And it might be somebody famous might not be, she sang it and it was like, uh, 'cause it sounds like a fake voice. You're like, nobody can hit those notes. Yeah. Apparently it's an actual K-pop group. Didn't even know K-pop was a thing. Yeah. And now we know that they also fight demons, so, oh, and they fight demons.

Okay. They fight demons, obviously. That's why they're demon hunters. I mean, powerful, powerful story about girl power and fighting the demons. The random things that come up, but man, they're making a lot of money outta it. It's gonna be like the big Halloween Co. You're gonna have girls coming in here wanting purple hair.

Yeah. Okay. All right. Well good. I gotta get all these trends then. I didn't know, Zach didn't tell me about this. Some purple tinsel at least. So yeah, it's, it's, it's a big deal. Now you're in the know when you're not fighting demons in the car. What's the podcast that you'll have on, you know, sometimes they're like mindless ones, [01:58:00] right?

Yeah. Like, um, armchair Expert or, um, what is that? I've heard somebody else has told me about that. Um, that's one with Dax Shepherd. And then, um, there's the one that has Sean Hayes and Jason Bateman and, uh, oh my gosh, the guy that was married to Amy Poer. Will Anette. Oh, okay. Smartlist. That's what that one's called.

Okay. And it's just, you know, they interview different people. It's fun. Sometimes they're celebrities, sometimes they're, you know, political people. And so it's just fun to get a different perspective. But it's also, you know, if I'm doing work and I'm just sort of half listening and not fully listening Yeah.

I feel like I'm not missing out on Yeah. You don't have to stop all that's happen in the world. Okay. Yeah. I'm like, okay, whatever they, you know, talking, talking about an upcoming movie or something. Mm-hmm. And then, you know, Glennon Joelle is the other one. Um, you know, we can do hard things. Is, is a fun one to listen to because she has some really cool.

You know, especially [01:59:00] like a lot of women on it. But, you know, talking about the challenges of motherhood, talking about running a business, talking about just mental health in general, which is, you know, when you're doing all the things, it's important to make sure that you are taking that time to like, okay, let's take a time out, but also make sure that you're reacting to things the way that you should be.

So not overreacting, but also making sure that you're giving thought to why your reactions are a certain way. Mm-hmm. And so it's nice to hear from some of these, you know, therapists or, um, you know, sometimes they have celebrities on and stuff, but it's one of those where I might hear a few tidbits that I go, oh, well there we go.

I gotta add that to the, gotta add that to the things I need to think about. Mm-hmm. And so it's nice to get a little shift in perspective. Hmm. Or I listen to the news, I don't know, I listen to too many things in my car where you're just like, okay, I also wanna be up on world events. So yeah. Fitting in all the things to listen to or sing to, it's just very complicated.

Yeah. It's a whole [02:00:00] other facet of the world. Yeah. But you're shuttling around a lot in the car 'cause you have to take the kids to Yes. Fortunately my husband does most of it, but it's also like, you know, my daughter does, uh, and pack is right by my office. So I'm like, okay, cool. I can get some work done and then pick her up.

And so then, yeah, we rock out on the way home. Mm-hmm. It's not anything anybody else wants to listen to, but we think we do a pretty good job. So we have fun. But it's also, it's fun to see her, you know, kind of. Blossoming and you know, being interested in the shows like I was growing up because I think it is so great for her confidence and mm-hmm.

Girls in that age group. It's like, it can be a little scary. I worry less about my son in that, you know, age group. I worry more about my daughter and some of the outside influences that can impact her. So yeah, making sure that she can express herself and making sure that she feels really confident I think is so important.

Because, you know, there are kids that are so influenced by social media and TikTok and YouTube and everything else that you're like, you don't need to be an 8-year-old in a hurry to grow up to be a 16-year-old. [02:01:00] Mm-hmm. You don't need makeup, you don't need, you don't need a 20 step skincare routine with the Korean like glass masks.

I'm like, you have perfect skin. Yeah. Why are we So it's nice for her to have a different, more like creative outlet and be a little less focused on some of the superficial stuff, you know, it's fun. And then we get to sing on the, in the car on the way home. So. Great. We're both happy. I read a, I read a research article recently though that said like, singing in a car or like, you know, singing out loud really does like raise your dopamine levels.

And I was like, great. This is nature's antidepressant right here. Well, sure. And it doesn't judge you at all either. When it doesn't judge me, nobody is listening. Right. Which is a good thing. So yes. So, you know, sing away as bad as it is in your car and you'll, you'll feel a little bit better. Yeah, yeah. Get that dopamine hit.

Why not take Yeah, I know. It's like doing the whole body cry. You go in and you're like, boom, I accomplished something. I [02:02:00] feel great for the rest of the day. Little men. Oh, because that's a dopamine hit too, right? That's Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. And you sleep better, you burn a ton of calories. Yeah. Um, yeah, it's incredible.

It's also the first time you do it, you're like, what? I'm sorry, why am I in a chamber that's negative 160 degrees? This doesn't seem like a great idea. And then halfway through, you know, you're listening to Kate Pop Demon Hunters, and you're like, yeah, this is amazing. And then you get out and you're like, whoa, I did it.

I feel amazing. And then you sleep really well that night, and then the next day you wake up and you're hungry because you burn so many calories. So, mm. Just saying, and I, I heard you say that it's different from a cold plunge and that you can get the head too, or it's the question, the head is in there as well and there's so many cold receptors on the head that it's more effective that way.

So you can do the cold plunge and you know, I think that's a great affordable way for people to do that at home. But most people don't put their head under, or they stay in them for too long. And so if you're staying in a cold plunge for four or five, six minutes, you start to get adrenal fatigue. So your body's like, Nope, this isn't what I wanna do.

And it [02:03:00] gets stressed out, and then you release more cortisol and then all of a sudden you're not getting the calorie burn. 'cause your body's like, I need every single calorie to protect myself from hypothermia. And so it can have some adverse reactions. So. I like the stability and the temperature control of the nitrogen based, uh, or, you know, even an electric cryotherapy chamber a little bit better just because you're limited to the three minutes.

Um, and we can control the temperature so, you know, you can go negative one 60 all the way down to negative two 20. Um, but it's that controlled environment where you're also getting the head involved and you're gonna get a better physiological response with your body with it. So it does make a difference.

And what's the time in that? How long would three, three minutes is the max. Mm-hmm. Um, I had a girlfriend do it yesterday. She lasted like a minute and a half. It was her first time. She was a little bit nervous. I'm like, cool, we'll start with a minute and a half thumbs up if you wanna stay in, thumbs down.

If you don't. We get to like, hit the button and talk to you while you're in there and be like, you doing okay? There's a little timer at the top. There's [02:04:00] also, um, a temperature at the top so you can see how cold it is, how much time you have left, and then you get to pick your song to rock out to. So people go in there, they dance, they have a good time, and usually once they do it they go, oh, that wasn't so bad.

And then they come back in and do it again. But it's so great for muscle recovery and everything as well. But I like anything that you're like, oh wow, this improves your mood too. Cool. Let's do it. Mm. So it's a lot of fun. Sometime we might have to do an onsite thing, Zach, where we go to over there. I think you're gonna have to, yeah.

I mean, you guys have your little scratch off cards though. If you need to bring more of those, then let me know. Yeah. Oh, cool. So everybody can least do a revived service, which would be the cryo, the infrared sa or the Red light bed. Um, the leg compression of Vitamin Booster. The PEMF mat. Or if they get a day pass, they get to pick three or they can do the express drip or the express facial, depending on what's on the cart.

But the day pass wait, and that's what you left up front? That we have. That's what they have up there. Okay, good. I have no idea what, I didn't put the bags together, so I have no idea like how many drips are in there, how many facials are in there. Okay. But good, good. The day pass is amazing 'cause it's [02:05:00] like you can make that last, you can come in for like 20 minutes and do, you know a quick vitamin shot, do the red light bed, do the cryo, and you're in and out in 25 minutes.

Or you can do the 40 minutes of leg compression, the half hour in the sauna and you know, then do the cryo and, and suddenly you're there for, you know, an hour, hour and a half. So yeah. You know, you can make a day of it. Yeah. Very cool. It's amazing. I like that. Yeah, we gotta do that and let people see it.

Bring the visual side of it. 'cause Oh yeah, the cryo is crazy. 'cause the cryo like the, the nitrogen comes out and you look like you're in like a haunted movie or something. Yeah. And you're like, whoa. So people always think that's like, you know, super fun. Um, even my kids are like, whoa, that's so cool. And they not old enough.

You can't in there, it literally, it also literally is cold. Uh, it's very cold, but it's such a great, it's such a great piece of equipment, but like anything that we have in there is evidence based and research based. So it's not just like, go in the cryo and maybe it's gonna do No, there's evidence that shows that this is gonna reduce body fat, especially in the abdominal [02:06:00] area in postmenopausal women.

Those women can't lose weight. Well, they can if they go in the cryo mm-hmm. Or the, um, a full spectrum light bed that has the blue light, which is also great for dopamine production and, um, you know, anxiety or the amber light that's in there. So there's so many different modalities and you know, you have people that are like, oh my gosh, the full spectrum light bed is my favorite thing.

And other people that are like, meh. But everybody is different and everybody responds to things differently. And so it's all about figuring out what makes the most sense for your body. Mm-hmm. So, you know, to get you thriving, because obviously, like, you know, synergy's great and we get you, you know, out of pain, but Thrive is meant for all the stuff that's gonna make us live forever.

Mm. The NAD, the Fountain of Youth, you know, all of that. So it really is about optimizing your health and making sure that, um, you know, you, you have some basic tools that can just small little things can make a big impact on your overall health. Yeah. So it's fun stuff. NAD like fun in place. NAD is that the, it [02:07:00] also helps with recco, with, uh, recovery or people in recovery?

NNAD you say? Yes. So it helps with a lot of things. Yeah. Right. And there are different ways to take it. You can take it orally, but I generally don't recommend it unless you're taking it liposomal. 'cause then your body will absorb it. But we do it either in drips, so 250 milligrams, up to a thousand milligrams.

Generally if somebody's doing a thousand, they may be in alcohol or drug recovery, or they have a major. A chronic or autoimmune condition. And so it's a detox for the cells, but it can make detoxing from, you know, drug and alcohol abuse easier. The side effects. It kind of mitigates those a little bit so that, you know, maybe you're not getting the tremors, maybe you're not getting as much of the, the sickness.

So they're starting to use it in, um, treatment facilities, which I think is amazing. Hmm. For most people it's about getting their levels back up. Mm-hmm. So if you're super depleted in NAD, which we produce less of it as we get older, this is a way to kind of boost your levels so that [02:08:00] your cells are operating at their best.

So every single cell in your body responds to it and has NED, but this is gonna clean out your mitochondria, which is like the brain of the cell. Mm. And so you detox a little bit, but you're gonna reduce inflammation. And that's probably the main thing with it, is when you reduce inflammation, everything is better.

All your organ systems are working better, you are going to recover better from, um, you know, athletic performances or even, you know, illness or injury. Um, but you're gonna look better. I mean, it's even amazing for the skin. So you can use it topically or you can, you know, just getting, um, an infusion of it helps to, you know, boost your collagen production.

So like, heck yeah. So it's good for so many things, but there are people who can take it. So active cancers not getting it. Um, certain medications, you're, you're not gonna be able to take it. So there are some risk factors, but you know, that's what we assess you for when you come in. Uh, for instance, my mom did some of the drips.

She has Lyme and she has rheumatoid arthritis. She hated doing the drip and she's like, I don't feel great doing this. [02:09:00] We started microdosing her. So she does a small injection, um, like four times a week with just a little diabetic needle in the stomach. Huge difference. She's like, okay, my skin is not bruising as easily from the Humira.

My joint pain has decreased a lot. I'm not having to use my cane as often. Hmm. So those are measurable objective things that we can look at to go, yes, this is, this is helping, this is making a difference. Hmm. So, you know, different dosing depending on what we're going for and different, um, different, uh, ways that we, you know, administer it.

'cause there's also like a nasal inhaler that you can do, um, which is really convenient for people, but people also report, you know, better energy, better focus. So it's the magical thing. Yeah. Yeah. My, my wife, uh, gets migraine. She's a, she's an MD and she works at Arthrex, but she, uh, like most people in science over works over.

She just is a workaholic in, in the field uhhuh. And [02:10:00] she gets migraines and they're severe and, and sometimes she'll go, the only relief she can get is from a, from a drip that she gets. Mm-hmm. That, um, I'm trying to remember everything she gets in drip. What's that? Maybe Toradol, I think that's been in there.

Yes. Okay. Yes. And that, that's medication. Great. Anti-inflammatory can definitely help with migraines and Yeah. Yeah. And there are also B vitamins that'll help with that. Magnesium maybe. Oh yeah. Um. But it's the only relief sometimes that she can get, you know, without going through a narcotic, you know?

Mm-hmm. Which has never helped her. Uh, and uh, it gives her some, uh, peace, you know, 'cause she just suffers. And then the post the three days after are always just terrible too. 'cause you know, I just watch her go through the suffering of it. But yeah, that is the one thing that it also forces her to sit there for now, you know, 40 minutes or whatever it is.

Mm-hmm. Through the, through the drip, which calms her down and, you know, puts her in a place where she has to get. Um, I, I just, [02:11:00] women especially who get these migraines, I just, I feel so much for them because it's just Yeah. Horrible. You know, just seeing the torture. I'm so glad I do not get them because if I get a headache I'm like, oh, I have a headache.

I can't focus. Yeah. It's hard to get work done. Yeah. A migraine where it's like just totally taking over. Some people get the blurred vision or they get the auras. Yeah. They have to be in silence. They have to be in quiet. That's really tough. Especially if, you know, you're working full time and, you know, some employers are not gonna be understanding of it and they're like, okay, can't you take a medication?

And some of the medic people don't see it, right? Yeah. The side effects can be more migraines or it doesn't do anything. And so also figuring out, you know, what works for your body. And it's great that she knows that now, so that, you know, hopefully she can get quick relief when, when one comes on. Yeah. But it's.

That's a challenging one. Yeah, it is. It is nice that there is that some sort of an outlet, uh, rather than any type type of narcotic that, or yeah, something else. Or Nurtec is the other one she [02:12:00] takes and that doesn't always, you know, impact her the same way as a, as a drip will, you know? Mm-hmm. Which is really awesome that there's access to that now, which there was a always, they're becoming more mainstream and it, you know, I'm somebody who's, you know, I'm a chiropractor, I know all the supplements.

Am I great about taking a handful of pills every day? No. Do I want to? No. So I also like the easy button sometimes where it's like, great, let me get an IV and I'm gonna get the dose of vitamins and minerals that I need, that I'm gonna absorb and I'm good for a while. So yeah, convenience and ease is also nice.

And Yeah. You know, not having to worry about, wait, am I being compliant with taking, you know, this supplement or this supplement? Easy, easy is good. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Even like, you know, quick vitamin booster. If I'm like, ugh, everybody around me is getting sick. I do a quick shot of the triune, which is glutathione, zinc, and vitamin C.

I rarely get sick, but that's a quick, you know, five minute quick injection. Mm. I feel good. I'm [02:13:00] like, all right, cool. I'm not getting sick. Anytime I travel, I'm like, all right, I'm taking this. Mm-hmm. I make my employees get it. I don't make them get it, but. Yeah, in season, I'm like, okay guys, every, 'cause they all have memberships over at Thrive.

The Synergy, uh, folks have memberships over at Thrive and I'm like, please go get your tri immune injection, especially if you're gonna be traveling when it's the holidays, whatever. And I have noticed that our call out rate is a lot lower because they're being proactive and, and taking their health seriously.

Yeah. And so it's great that we, you know, have that ability, but they work, you know? Yeah. So a lot of these, a lot of the stuff that we find in Nature Works, um, and we, we don't get enough of it because, you know, we eat processed food and everything. I mean, I'm talking about pizza. I enjoy pizza. Mm. I enjoy all the things.

And so when we're not perfect with our diets and we're not perfect with exercise and everything else, it's nice that there's a little, a little grace in just going and getting an IV and being like, okay, this is good too. How does a membership work? So we have a lot of different options. We have, um, [02:14:00] different memberships.

We have some that are drip focused and some that are revive service focused. So there's an option to have just like a, a signature drip, which is a 500 ml bag. Um, so it's like our mid-size bag. Once a month and I think that one is 1 0 9. And then you can upgrade to a bigger bag but also get a revive service.

So we have three different tiers that we offer for the drips and then for the revive services, there's either, you know, four services a month, eight services a month, or um, 30 a month. So people that are like, I wanna do something every day or I wanna do up to three in a day, they get to come in and use it a little more frequently.

Uh, you know, 'cause some people it's hard to make time to come in and so having a membership forces them to come in. But they might only be able to come in once a month or once a week and time is important. So they might just wanna come in once a week for cryo. And so that revive membership can make a difference.

Um, or we also have, you know, packages. 'cause we also have a lot of people that travel a lot for work. And so they're like, I might not use it every single month, [02:15:00] but you know, I know that I'm gonna be here more in November and so I wanna have the option to use those credits, or I wanna be able to bring friends in.

That way they can transfer 'em, but the credits always roll over month to month. Um, and then you get discounts on additional services throughout. So if you have the REVIVE membership, you get discounts on drips. If you have the drip one, you get discounts on revive services. So you can kind of mix and match and, you know, figure out what makes sense for you and your body because some month you might need a whole lot more, you know, it might be a really stress stressful month.

So you know, you might need to do two drips instead of one. Or you wanna do a couple of day passes. Great. And other months you might be like, yeah, I just need to do a drip, or I'm traveling a lot, I'm not gonna be able to make it in. So, you know, you can always use it based on what you need. How long does a drip take?

Oh, isn't that the question Depends on your veins. So some people with an express drip, which is 250, um, milliliters, and then the vitamins, um, might be done in 20 minutes and the person next to 'em is doing the same drip, but it might take him [02:16:00] 40. But most people finish even with our largest bag, which is a thousand mls, um, they'll finish within like 45 minutes.

Hmm. I tend to be a little slower 'cause I have very petite veins. I know you were thinking that. You're like, you probably have very petite veins. Um, so it's kind of like, you know, putting something through a hose, if it's a really small hose, it's gonna take a little longer. Yeah. If it's a really big one, it goes right in.

Okay. So my husband can do a drip in like 30 minutes. No problem. Okay. So it just, it just kinda depends. But, you know, based on the client, we also make notes to say like, okay, this was their drip time. So if they're coming in and saying, I'm on a time crunch, I only have, you know, 30 minutes, we're gonna say, okay, the two 50 bag is gonna be your best bet.

So we also make recommendations based on, you know, if you've had a drip before, what your timeframe is like, and you know what you're looking to accomplish with it. Okay. We're not solving all the world's problems with iv, you know, nutrient drips, but, um. You know, certainly we can help with things like energy focus, immune system.

Mm-hmm. Muscle recovery. Um, we even have [02:17:00] one that helps boost collagen production, so pairs nicely with a facial, you know? Mm-hmm. You get glowing skin, but you're also, you know, feeding some vitamin C and some prolene, some biotin, which are all great for the skin. So, yeah. Got a lot of different options.

Yeah. Yeah. It's a lot of fun though too. 'cause you look at the boosters and you're like, I want that, and that and that and that. And so you look at it and you're like, what do I want today? And so I'm constantly, you know, trying different ones and, and doing different combinations. Yeah. So I have fun with it.

I'm so terrified of needles. My wife laughs at me so much. I just like, so we have those people now, one of the things that I say is, you know, we sometimes get the people who are like, no, I will pass out then an IV probably isn't the best for you, but maybe you can tolerate a quick shot in the arm or in the glutes.

And so maybe that's, it's not as bad as I make it out to be in my head when I go, is that it? Is it, is it over and it's already done? And I'm like, and it's done. Like, but, but the anxiety I get, yes. By the way, I want a drip bar. And I feel the same way where I'm like, [02:18:00] it's gonna be fine. Um, and because I have small veins, you know, most of the time they get it on the first one, but sometimes it's like, wait, we have to check this arm too.

Um. But the good thing is the needle's not in there the whole time. So you feel a tiny pinch and then it's a little plastic bendable catheter. Mm-hmm. So you can move your arm. It's not like, oh wait, I bent my arm. Now the needle punctured through the vein. Mm-hmm. Not gonna happen. So once it's in, it's very comfortable.

You know, you feel a little bit of, uh, colds coming in once the, once the IV starts, but otherwise very comfortable. You get to lay back in a recliner, put some compression on. We've got the blankets, we've got the eye massagers, we've even got privacy shades. So, you know, you can really chill out and relax with it.

Mm-hmm. But IVs aren't for everybody. So there are also people that it's like, okay, we'll do a vitamin booster, or maybe instead you're gonna do the sauna and the red light bed and the cryo today. Mm-hmm. So we can personalize it. Yeah. Cool. Everyone's at a different place. They laugh me in their health journey, you know, we'll, we'll make it happen.

Her [02:19:00] whole family believes in, or it can get them without a problem. Uh, drips, my father-in-law used to do it. My sister-in-law does it. My wife does it. They believe in it. I just am, um, they laugh at me 'cause I'm such a baby about needles or even, you know, giving blood or when I have to get a blood test, you know, I'm just, but afterwards I'm always like, fine, it's no big deal.

What was, yes. But no, it's the, the so many people are like that. You know, even if you've had one bad experience, it's like, oh, I don't wanna repeat that again. It's no different than going to the dentist if you have to get a filling or something. You're like, it's gonna be awful. And then you're like, oh, that wasn't so bad's not so bad.

Yeah. Um, but no, you're not alone in that. But again, I even. It's not like the, the needle insertion. It's, it's not like, I'm like, yes, this is my favorite part of my day, but it's also so quick that it's like, oh, okay, it's done and no big deal. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And now I get my vitamins and I'm gonna feel really great after.

Yeah. So, you know, it all depends. I've got some for fun questions here for you, so, oh boy. Oh, oh. [02:20:00] It's like a whole deck of fun questions. Yeah. You get to, well, you get to pick out a few here, so, um, take about three outta there. Oh gosh. Alright.

And then before you read those mm-hmm. Tell me, um, what's something that people don't know about you but should?

Oh, well, I mean, now they know I sing in the car. Okay. Um, you know, they, a lot of times my patients, it's kind of like when you're in school and you think that the teacher lives at the school. Um, and so when you see 'em out at the grocery store, you're like, what? You, you go to the grocery store too. You have a life.

Yeah. Yeah. Um, so, you know, a lot of times personal stuff doesn't necessarily come up with when I'm talking with patients, but, um, they might not know that. Like I, I read a lot. I probably go through, you know, a book or two a week, um, just because [02:21:00] that's, that's a fun outlet. Um. And maybe that I'm a little bit crafty, so, you know, I like making my bread and mm-hmm.

And my butter and, and so, you know, I like cooking. I like cooking in the kitchen a lot. Um, and they probably would be surprised to know that I'm an introvert. I don't, I don't love going into group settings. Mm-hmm. I don't, I get very nervous if I have to, like, speak in front of a group or something. Mm-hmm.

So I enjoy having one-on-one conversations, but I also really need to recharge at the end of the day. Mm-hmm. So it's one of those where once I get to a party, I have a great time, and when I go home, I'm wiped out. Yeah. And so I can act like an extrovert, but I really, if I had my choice, I'd probably be a hermit in like a cave somewhere.

Yeah. Or at least for like a week, you know, relax and recharge. But, um, yeah, I'm not as social or as outgoing as I might appear to be. Mm-hmm. Okay. Yes. Really. Okay. Yes. Okay. So it takes a minute, [02:22:00] and if I'm like getting introduced to a new group, like I, I can be very, like, I just like to take it in and not talk a whole lot and just kind of take a seat back and observe.

And so then I can come off a little bit as aloof or not interested, but it's just because I wanna, I wanna get a sense of everybody Understood. Yeah. So I, I like to get the read of people mm-hmm. And understand, you know, who I'm communicating with because I also don't like to make an idiot out of myself.

So I, you know, I, I can be a little bit calculating in that, where I'm like, is this the. Is, are these my people? Mm-hmm. And if they're not my people, then I'm just very awkward. And if they're my people, then it's like, Hey, it's a party. Great. This is wonderful. Do you wanna know my life story? So it's just, yes.

So there's a lot of thinking that goes on all the time. Okay, good. A lot of thinking time. And if we talked about it, 'cause you, I always ask what somebody's Starbucks drink is, or what their coffee order is. Uhhuh. But you're, you're not a coffee drinker. I do drink coffee. Yeah. I hate it [02:23:00] though. Yeah. So when I, I'm not drinking black coffee, it's terrible.

I, I, I will get either a double shot of espresso if I'm like wiped out and I'm like, Nope. Gotta be on today. I'll do a double shot of espresso from Starbucks with like, whipped cream on it so that it tastes somewhat better. Or I get like a chai latte or vanilla latte. Okay. So I'm kind of boring. Um, but I need it to not taste like coffee.

My husband's always like, how much creamer did you put in it? I'm like, enough that it doesn't taste like coffee. Thank you so much. So it's more the caffeine that I like and not so much the coffee part, but you know, even Starbucks maybe once a month I'm getting Starbucks. Do you have a Starbucks right in your center?

We do. That place is always very busy. Yeah. So we have our espresso machine in the back. We have a Keurig up front. I'll do it, uh, you know, my espresso in the back and, you know, pretend it's a cappuccino and, and throw in some creamer. Okay. And life is good. And sometimes a double espresso with whipped cream on top, right?

Yeah. If it's a really struggle bust day. Yeah. And I'm like, wait a minute, I've got events. You know, like next week I have an event in the morning, [02:24:00] I'm gonna be working during the day, and then there's an event at night. I, I'm gonna need a camp. That's a dope day. Yeah, that's a dope day. Mm-hmm. Yes. Otherwise I like my Blue Lotus, um, the occasional, you know, creto and, um, occasionally like a cava.

So I also like the, you know, the kind of out there drinks or like adaptogen drinks. I love a good adaptogen drink with like the, like the mushroom coffees are great with like the lion made and the cordyceps, um, the REI mushrooms. I've seen those, but I haven't tried those yet. I've seen them. My brain really likes 'em.

It's remembering, it's, you know, it's like remembering to take a handful of pills, not gonna do it. So I have all of these things in my office, and then it's just a matter of like, what are we gonna take today? Mm-hmm. And so sometimes it's a focus gummy, sometimes it's one of the focus coffees. Um, so it just kind of depends.

But my brain seems to fire on all cylinders when I have this. Yeah. Okay. Yes. So it's all about, you know, it's all about accomplishing things. When I get my drinks, I'm like, what do I need to accomplish? Shit. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes. Yeah. Those are your, what's the mushroom one? So, so the, what'd you call [02:25:00] that?

The mud, because I've seen them in there. There's mud water, which is a big brand that's out there. And then, um, we use a lot of the plant people stuff. Um, at my office, um, Tortuga makes a coffee, so they're, they're kind of all over the place now. Okay. But like lion's mane and Turkey tail and Cordyceps are the, the three mushrooms that you'll probably see a lot of.

Okay. Um, and sometimes the Herb, Rhodiola, ashwagandha, those are really great for like stress response, which. You know, your cortisol levels usually get outta whack when you own a business or two. And so kind of helps maintain my stress levels a little bit. Yeah. Okay, good. I gotta dabble there a little. Yes.

That you gotta dabble in the mushrooms. Yeah, yeah, I do. The legal mushrooms. Yeah. Right. They're not the psilocybin. Right. To tell patients that. It was like when we, we originally just sold, you know, the good old hemp CBD, which is great, it's a great anti-inflammatory. Um, and then we started to sell the delta nine, the delta eight.

And so the people that would come in and be like, C, B, D, and I'd be like, it's not psychoactive, it's not gonna get you high. [02:26:00] And you'd have all these people go, oh, darn. Yeah, now I have to make sure that they know that absolutely these are psychoactive, they're legal in all 50 states because it's a, a hemp derivative, but it, it does get you high.

So I'm like, so you have to use this responsibly. Do not take this and go to work. Do not take this and get in a vehicle. Do not do any of that stuff. So you also have to educate people on, on the differences because some psychoactive is, you know, just a little focus and then there's being high. So I don't advocate that at work.

Yeah, no, good idea. You probably won't get much done. You might giggle a little or there's one that will knock you out. Like if I take a Delta eight and I take like half a Delta eight, if I'm like, oh, I need to get some sleep, you know, my brain's in like overdrive half of one of those and I, I get my eight hours of sleep, but that's, hmm.

You know, it's not, it's not melatonin. It's a, it's a, it's not, it's a, Delta eight is a derivative of THC. So you know, there is a possibility. It shows up on a drug test, however, it's [02:27:00] an isomer. So unless they're checking for that specifically, it will not. But a lot of women take it, for instance, instead of drinking a bottle of wine to get to sleep during the pandemic, help sleep, everyone was drinking lots of wine, lots of white claws.

Yeah, right. Margarita, all the things. Yeah. And so a lot of women were dependent on that to fall asleep. And so this is much better for the liver, more cost effective and safer. Plus you get some of the anti-inflammatory benefits of hemp with it. Yeah. So, you know, I wouldn't recommend taking it every single night, but for people who are struggling to sleep and having that middle of the night wake up or difficulty falling asleep, this can be a good way to, to make sure that you're getting some rest, sleep.

That's awesome. Yeah. In a safe, controlled way. Yeah. And you don't have that hangover in the morning too, or that feeling of sleep. You, you don't 'cause melatonin, you know, even some of the melatonin supplements are okay, but your body kind of adapts to it and you have to take more and more and people get that sleep hangover.

And you know, even some people may get that reaction with Delta eight. I don't find that's how it is for me. But if that's how it is for you, then maybe the [02:28:00] HHC is a little bit more appropriate. So. Different things depending on, you know, just like some people respond really well to Tylenol and other people need ibuprofen.

Yeah. You never know how somebody's gonna metabolize some of these, um, you know, different supplements or vitamins. And so some of it is trial and error to, to figure out what's the best fit for 'em. Okay. Good. Yes. All I got so much to, I know I all this you didn't know that you needed to know. No, I love it.

I didn't know and I didn't know. I didn't know. Mm-hmm. And now that I know, that's giving me new perspective. Thank you. I know. Now do I get to answer those, these questions? Yes. It's time for the three random random questions. I love this one. What's the best hangover cure? Oh wow. We are asking the lady who has an ivy bar with a, you go detox Rita iv.

So Detoxer, obviously it's a detox arena at Thrive IV Bar. That's awesome. You have your alcohol. This is not even planned alcohol acid. I, I know I love that one that I can answer. Um, but look, hydration, because when you're hungover your blood sugar's all over the place, you're typically dehydrated because alcohol shuts off [02:29:00] something in your brain called antidiuretic hormone.

So you pee everything out, your blood sugar gets all outta whack. This has some, um, different nutrients that are helpful for liver, but you're also getting the hydration with it. We can throw in, um, some Zofran if you have some nausea, we can throw in some Toradol if you have a, you know, a headache or body aches.

So the detox arena. That's cool. Obviously detox. Next question. Oh, what makes you a good friend? Oh.

That, that's an interesting one. Um, 'cause I also think during certain phases of life, you might be a better friend and a worse friend. Mm-hmm. Like, you know, when you first have a baby, you need other people to be a good friend to you. Mm-hmm. When they have a baby, it's time for you to be a good friend to them.

Mm-hmm. So I think what makes me a good friend is that I try not to have too many friends. Right. So I try to figure out who are the people that I'm closest to, who I want to sort of, you know, nurture that friendship with. [02:30:00] You know, even if you're acquaintance, if you're, you know, in the hospital or something and you need a meal made, I'll make you a meal.

Um, but otherwise I try to be intentional about the people that are in my circle so that we can support one another and have those real conversations. So I'm looking for real connections with friends. Hmm. Um, and then I think I'm a good gift giver, so my love language is probably gifts, but I don't like to, I don't like to get them.

I don't know why I, I would rather just buy something for myself, but I try to be very thoughtful about the things that I give to my friends. So it might be some random thing that, you know, you mentioned in passing six months ago when it's your birthday. I'm gonna remember that. So, I don't know, maybe that's like a Virgo thing.

I just remember all the little details like that. Mm-hmm. And try and put it into play. But, you know, otherwise I, with the people that are really in that inner circle, I think that, um, I'm making sure that I'm checking on people if I haven't heard from them. And. Listening, you know, when there's a [02:31:00] bigger issue.

But otherwise, I try to just kind of, you know, be nurturing. I'm like the, the mom of the group. They called me Martha when I was in, in college. 'cause I was always like, what can I make for you? What can I get for you? Can I make you up a cocktail? Like, what, what, what? So, you know, I try to bring that hospitality kind of in and make sure that, you know, you're fed, you've got the drinks, you've got, I've got the wine that you drink, I've got this.

Mm-hmm. So I try to just make people feel special if they're coming over, if it's, you know, a birthday or something. Mm-hmm. Okay. Who in the world, alive or dead would you choose to be your spy partner for secret Special Ops missions? That's easy. That would be my bestie Marissa, because she can hold, she does not have the expressions that I have, so I would probably be a, a terrible spy because I, if I'm like, that's a lie.

I am gonna be like a duh. She's, you know, a little bit calmer with that. But I also feel like because she's this petite [02:32:00] little thing, people underestimate her. Hmm. And so yeah, we could plan some crazy secret ops. Yeah. You'd be a scary duo. Oh yeah. Yeah. But people wouldn't know We were scared. We would be like the K-pop demon hunters where they're like, oh, they're just here to like party and have a good time.

But really we're getting, we're gonna get all the recon and we're gonna know where all the exits are and we're gonna know. Where all the secret things are, and we're gonna find it and you're not gonna know. 'cause we're just gonna smile. Like we're just ladies here having a good time. Yeah. Oh yeah. I feel like we can make a movie.

Is she, is she local? Is she She's local, yeah. Uhhuh. Okay. Um, she's another like Spitfire person. Um, and she's a few years older than I am, so her kids are also a little older. So it's nice to get her perspective on things because there are times where, you know, I might be complaining about something and she's like, okay, time to shift that perspective, or let's focus on this.

Um, so she's definitely a great sounding board, but she's also a very reasonable person and can play [02:33:00] devil's advocate with me when I'm going like, wait, I'm struggling with X, Y, and Z. She's a great guide, but she's also, you know, somebody that I've realized, you know, that as friendships change and groups shifts, it shift.

It's, it's okay that that happens and you know, it's time for new opportunities, new people to meet. And um, so she's definitely one of those just people that I was like, why weren't you at my wedding? And she's like, because we didn't know each other. And I'm like, how did we not know each other a million years ago?

Because it was one of those just effortless things where I was like, oh, I like this person and she likes me and we're connected and maybe we were sisters in a past life. I don't know. But I feel like we could, we could definitely work for the FBI or the ccia A so yeah. So we're gonna be ready to call some ruckus.

Mm-hmm. Okay. Final question. Oh boy. What do you love about your life? Oh, honestly, there are so many things that I love [02:34:00] about my life. Obviously my husband and my kids, you know, that's one of those where I think, especially as I'm getting older and we're out of that like early kid phase where it's like, oh my gosh, it's just diapers and all of that.

I love these little humans that we created, and I appreciate who they're becoming as people. So I love that. And I think that that is something that, it took me a minute to kind of recognize that, as crazy as that is because it's, you know, they're now eight and 11. But I'm starting to appreciate so much more about the people that they are.

And, you know, I even appreciate some of the struggles that like my husband and I have had with opening businesses and figuring those things out. And so I'm so happy about having a partner who's supportive. Mm-hmm. And who doesn't tell me no, because it would've been very easy when I said, Hey, I wanna open an IV bar for him to go, let's not.

Mm-hmm. Instead, he's like, okay, whatever you wanna do. Mm-hmm. What can I help with? How can I support you? [02:35:00] And you know, he's still like that. Now, what do you need help with today? What can I, what can I do to help? What do we need with the kids? And so I am really appreciative of the family unit that I have.

And so focusing more on. The relationships and less on the stuff has been very nice. Mm. Um, and I also think that, you know, there's something magical about being in your forties where the thirties are all about the hustle of like, building, building, building. And now there's a moment where you can kind of go, okay, I've created something that I can be proud of.

Hmm. I've worked hard and I'm starting to see, you know, the fruits of the labor where you're going, okay, we have a great staff, we have great people on our team, and they have great families, and they're part of this bigger picture. And so those are really, I mean, and they also take up so much of my life, right?

Work and family. Family and work. It, it takes up so much. But I'm grateful for the [02:36:00] amount of growth that we've kind of had in both businesses and some of those lessons along the way. And, you know, I'm, I'm really excited about seeing where life takes, you know, my husband and I and where life takes our, our kids.

So I'm excited to kind of see, continue to watch them develop into these people that hopefully make a difference in the world. Hmm. Whatever that is. I don't care what they do as a career, I don't care who they marry, I don't care, you know, where they live. I want them to be happy, responsible people who hopefully have a good moral compass and are guided by the idea that they can make an impact in the world, however small and yeah.

So I'm, I'm glad that I'm in a place where I can recognize that and I'm, I'm, you know, glad to continue that journey. Hmm. It's crazy as it is sometimes. Hmm. Beautiful. So, yeah, I love that. All good things. Love that. Yeah. Yes. Well, we're blessed to have you in this [02:37:00] community, which is Well, thank you for that Pleasantville, and, you know, yeah.

Just to have somebody such a good soul who cares so much about, um, life and the people in life, and the people around you. So it makes a difference. It has a big impact. And I appreciate you, uh, yeah, thank you for saying that. That's, that's very, that's very kind and that's very, that's very nice to hear.

But also I'm sure you experienced this where you're like, okay, we've done a little bit, but what else can we do? How much more can we do to help the people out there? So I feel like the job is never really done and that there are always more opportunities out there to, to make a difference. Yeah. And so I look forward to seeing what some of those opportunities are and seeing where it, where it takes me.

Yeah. That's what's, that's exciting. That's, uh, that's awesome. And it's, uh, we're blessed that you, um, chose here and also, you know, you, you just now, um, which is what I think is so cool about this, this opportunity that I get to meet the people that are the. Heart and soul [02:38:00] and, and future of this community by raising great children, by contributing to teachers the way you do, by contributing to the community the way that you do.

And, and you're not done. You're just like, just starting. I, I've done, I still feel like these are like tiny little, you know, like, grassroots efforts and I still feel like there's more, you know, there there's more. And I, I feel like there's more of an impact that we can make and there's more awareness that we can make.

And I'm excited to see how many people we can get involved or how many people get curious and ask the questions to say, what can I do? How can I make my community better? Yeah. And so I'm sure that there'll be more nonprofits that pop up and more people saying, Hey, here's a need. And it's exciting to kind of problem solve how we can all work on that together.

Yeah. Well, please always know that we're, we're, we will forever be your partner in whatever it is that you're up to. Yay. Or whatever you need, you know, we're here to, I love it. We're an automatic yes for whatever there is and however we can support you and, and, and your causes and whatever you're up to, we'll be there for you [02:39:00] forever.

I'm excited. Well, and I'm excited to get all your group in and we, we need to do some self-care at Thrive. Yeah. Yeah. I love that. Let's get on that. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Thanks for the I love that. Thanks for the swag and the goodies and the Yeah. That'll be exciting for us. Yeah. I love a good scratch off. Yeah.

Cool. How fun. Yeah. Mm-hmm. It's gonna be fun. That was awesome. Yes. Thank you so much. No, thank you so much. God bless you.