S1:E13 - From Heartbreak to Lemonade: How Desirae Kraus Transformed Personal Struggles into a Thriving Business

WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.080
All right, this is Matt with the Bold News Podcast, and I have a very special guest.

00:00:04.240 --> 00:00:07.780
I have Desirae Krouse, also known as Des. Hi, guys.

00:00:07.839 --> 00:00:11.939
My name's Des, or Desirae, and yeah, I met Matt through BNI.

00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:13.419
It's the best group ever.

00:00:14.279 --> 00:00:16.199
And yeah, I do Easy Desert Squeeze.

00:00:16.460 --> 00:00:18.219
That is my little lemonade business.

00:00:18.379 --> 00:00:22.620
And yeah, I'm super excited to talk about it. Awesome. Very cool. Desert Squeeze.

00:00:22.679 --> 00:00:24.559
That's like a lemonade business.

00:00:24.760 --> 00:00:27.160
And it's not just like any lemonade.

00:00:27.160 --> 00:00:31.219
It's like really good lemonade, right? That's pretty cool.

00:00:31.239 --> 00:00:36.039
Yeah, I think I'm definitely a little biased, but we approached it a lot different than normal.

00:00:36.359 --> 00:00:40.780
It was kind of a weird thing, but my daughter got diagnosed as a pre-type 1 diabetic.

00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:48.200
And so we had to cut back and limit a lot of carbs and excess sugars to kind of prevent her from becoming insulin-dependent.

00:00:48.280 --> 00:00:54.240
And her and my son, I have eight-year-old twins, kind of mentioned that they had wanted like a lemonade stand.

00:00:54.240 --> 00:00:58.280
And I was like seeing all these videos and stuff about people having a lemonade stand.

00:00:58.359 --> 00:01:06.819
I'm like, we could totally do this and just like make it a big thing, an official thing, and do more of a like natural, sugar-friendly option.

00:01:06.980 --> 00:01:08.239
So yeah, that's how we started.

00:01:08.340 --> 00:01:10.939
And if you've had my lemonade, it is definitely less sweet.

00:01:11.060 --> 00:01:15.879
You're not going to get like the Simply or the Minute Maid taste from it. It's not overpowering.

00:01:15.900 --> 00:01:22.900
It's just enough to like counter the citrusy-sour. Okay. That's cool. Very nice. Thank you.

00:01:22.900 --> 00:01:33.579
So just to kind of fill everyone in, like on the show, Bold News Podcast, we talk about people and their journeys and like really the bold moves that they take in their life.

00:01:33.700 --> 00:01:39.939
The risks, that leap of faith, just kind of like venturing off into the unknown and just kind of like seeing how it plays out.

00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:43.120
And so it's really just fun to kind of talk about that journey.

00:01:43.420 --> 00:01:50.939
But to really just kind of kick things off, I mean, do you want to kind of share a moment that really captures the intensity of that journey?

00:01:50.939 --> 00:01:56.659
Like the question I have is like, what's a dramatic or pivotal moment in your life?

00:01:56.680 --> 00:01:57.680
I always have trouble with that word.

00:01:58.540 --> 00:02:01.799
Pivotal moment in your life that just kind of like sticks with you to this day.

00:02:02.060 --> 00:02:05.599
Something that really made you kind of just like stop in your tracks. Yeah.

00:02:05.620 --> 00:02:08.580
So I would say off the top of my head, I have two.

00:02:08.680 --> 00:02:17.379
The first one was back in 2021, addressing my mental health, which led to huge momentous things for me.

00:02:17.379 --> 00:02:24.060
I was in a very toxic, abusive relationship where I kind of was already a single parent for a really long time.

00:02:24.199 --> 00:02:27.039
And I had been with this person for 10 years of my life.

00:02:27.139 --> 00:02:32.620
And so when I started addressing my mental health and uncovering, you know, why do I constantly feel this way?

00:02:32.680 --> 00:02:33.680
Why am I going to sleep?

00:02:34.099 --> 00:02:36.319
Wondering if this is what life is supposed to be.

00:02:36.840 --> 00:02:42.300
And trigger warning, I struggled with suicidal ideation for a really long time and suicide attempts.

00:02:42.300 --> 00:02:47.740
And I think it was because I wasn't ready to come to terms with the life that I was choosing to live.

00:02:47.919 --> 00:02:51.080
So I ended up making a huge leap in 2021.

00:02:51.819 --> 00:02:57.620
I divorced my husband at the time and I think I was really devastated for about six weeks.

00:02:57.620 --> 00:03:02.680
And then the cleanup started and like life just got so good.

00:03:02.860 --> 00:03:10.900
I read this book called The Secret and it kind of changed my entire mentality on my pessimistic tendencies, pessimism.

00:03:10.900 --> 00:03:15.080
I don't really know the good word for that, but I was really pessimistic.

00:03:15.599 --> 00:03:20.919
It changed my mentality on that and kind of gave me the bright side of everything.

00:03:21.319 --> 00:03:30.159
And once I started acknowledging how awesome of a person I am and my kids are is when life got really good.

00:03:30.240 --> 00:03:37.060
And then the second moment was actually just recently and you got to bear witness to that along with everybody else in our B&I group.

00:03:37.060 --> 00:03:43.000
But I worked for a really great company and I experienced a lot of self-development and growth within that company.

00:03:43.159 --> 00:03:51.780
And unfortunately was let go and I could see it coming a little bit, but not so soon and not so cut and dry.

00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:56.539
And instead of looking for another company, I cried the whole day that I was let go.

00:03:56.639 --> 00:04:01.719
And then the next day I just woke up and I had this clarity of you're not meant to work for somebody else.

00:04:01.719 --> 00:04:03.199
You need to do you.

00:04:03.520 --> 00:04:09.120
You need to invest in you and launch your business. Start posting about it. Start talking about it.

00:04:09.300 --> 00:04:13.199
Stop being scared of what people are going to think because I didn't care when I worked for these other companies.

00:04:13.419 --> 00:04:15.539
So why do I care so much when it's me?

00:04:15.740 --> 00:04:22.439
So yeah, those are my two huge moments where I'm like, whoa, I can't believe I did that. Yeah, wow. That's crazy.

00:04:22.519 --> 00:04:27.259
Yeah, I remember when we were in our group and you said that, I was like, what?

00:04:27.259 --> 00:04:29.759
It was kind of like, how?

00:04:30.300 --> 00:04:35.759
Because social media wise too, I see a lot of the development stuff that you're doing with that company.

00:04:35.959 --> 00:04:40.600
And I remember just referring a ton of business, especially online and everyone goes on there.

00:04:40.740 --> 00:04:42.480
And it's like, yeah, definitely reach out to Dez.

00:04:43.040 --> 00:04:49.240
And it's funny though, because when they were asking for that company, who do you recommend?

00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:52.040
I wasn't referring the company. I was referring you.

00:04:52.180 --> 00:04:52.660
You know what I mean?

00:04:52.699 --> 00:04:55.500
I was like, yeah, talk to Dez. Talk to Dez. She'll hook you up.

00:04:55.500 --> 00:04:58.879
And then now when I see that, I'm still saying, talk to Dez for whatever.

00:04:59.620 --> 00:05:09.699
But yeah, it's kind of a shame because I think if that company would have let you do your thing for more than a few months, they probably would have seen a much bigger return. Yeah.

00:05:09.699 --> 00:05:17.959
I mean, I would say I have done business development a few times and this company was really where I...

00:05:17.959 --> 00:05:24.459
And I don't know if it was them or if it was me and I think it was a good spice of both, but this is where I saw the traction.

00:05:24.459 --> 00:05:26.519
And so I was there for five and a half months.

00:05:26.740 --> 00:05:33.259
And for anybody that has done business development and had to kind of create their own clientele, it's really difficult.

00:05:33.500 --> 00:05:37.160
You usually don't see traction in the first five, six months, sometimes even a year.

00:05:37.319 --> 00:05:40.399
And we had a solid amount. It was really good.

00:05:40.480 --> 00:05:46.620
So I do share those similar feelings of like, man, if I was able to stay there for just a little bit longer, what could we have created?

00:05:46.980 --> 00:05:51.560
But the universe had other plans and I don't think that I was supposed to be there any longer than I was.

00:05:51.560 --> 00:05:55.720
And I'm happy that I got to work with them because I realized what I'm capable of.

00:05:56.079 --> 00:06:01.879
But again, I think any more amount of time and maybe I wouldn't be where I am with my business and myself.

00:06:02.019 --> 00:06:07.980
Well, I mean, how long have you been like having or developing like your lemonade business?

00:06:08.019 --> 00:06:09.339
Like how long was that been in the works?

00:06:09.379 --> 00:06:11.579
I started it on the side.

00:06:12.600 --> 00:06:19.579
Gosh, I think I applied for my entity name, which is the very first thing that I did aside from like start kind of creating some lemonade concoctions.

00:06:19.579 --> 00:06:31.819
But I got my entity name in April of 2024 and then got my LLC in November or September and then started working towards like my food manager license and everything.

00:06:32.120 --> 00:06:39.759
I was selling lemonade here and there, but I would say that I like officially established and like hit the ground running two days after I was let go.

00:06:39.879 --> 00:06:41.300
My first event was that Friday.

00:06:41.319 --> 00:06:42.240
I was like on a Wednesday.

00:06:42.600 --> 00:06:48.680
First event was Friday and then I had Saturday and Sunday and it just really hasn't stopped. That's awesome. Yeah.

00:06:48.680 --> 00:06:51.899
So like when you first started, it was more like just like side hustle.

00:06:52.100 --> 00:06:53.759
Yeah, it was just kind of like for fun.

00:06:53.759 --> 00:06:55.759
Like I knew that I wanted to invest in it.

00:06:55.759 --> 00:07:02.699
I just didn't know or understand what it was going to take and how much I could stand of it.

00:07:02.699 --> 00:07:05.639
I always pictured just like this is going to be my weekend job.

00:07:05.639 --> 00:07:09.300
Like I'll have my Monday through Friday nine to five and then I'll have my weekend job.

00:07:09.519 --> 00:07:11.480
And yeah, it's so much more than that.

00:07:11.540 --> 00:07:14.699
It's so much bigger than a weekend job.

00:07:14.699 --> 00:07:19.220
Like you started out as a side hustle and now it's like a full time thing.

00:07:19.240 --> 00:07:21.620
Like how were you finding your events?

00:07:21.740 --> 00:07:25.160
Like how did you find where to go to set up? So this is crazy.

00:07:25.620 --> 00:07:40.199
So prior to me leaving or getting let go from the other company, I had two events, which by the way, when I got hired with this company, I made them very aware that I had another company of my own, that it was a small business and be like kind of like a weekend and after hours thing.

00:07:40.199 --> 00:07:45.500
But prior to me leaving, I had connected with Asia, who's in our B&I group, love her.

00:07:45.899 --> 00:07:49.279
And she hired me for her launch party.

00:07:49.439 --> 00:07:51.079
So that was the Saturday after.

00:07:51.279 --> 00:07:55.819
And then I had also worked an event with KW Integrity First.

00:07:55.899 --> 00:08:00.639
And I had met them through networking for that other company and created a really great relationship.

00:08:00.839 --> 00:08:03.779
So they had asked me to come be at one of their first markets.

00:08:03.920 --> 00:08:05.560
And so it just started there.

00:08:05.560 --> 00:08:12.920
Like I was really grateful that I had something for Friday and something for Saturday to kind of like ease that rough change.

00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:22.939
But then after that, like the recommendations were flowing in from B&I and from friends of mine that I had made, real estate agents were having me at their open house.

00:08:23.060 --> 00:08:27.980
Like however they could support me, people were coming in, in like large groups.

00:08:28.600 --> 00:08:34.519
And I had been recommended to reach out by a friend of mine to Queen Creek Festivals.

00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:37.179
And so I reached out to them and they were like, yes, come.

00:08:37.200 --> 00:08:37.919
We would love to have you.

00:08:37.919 --> 00:08:43.740
So I've booked with them every, I think, Friday and Saturday in May. Yeah. So it's been crazy.

00:08:43.840 --> 00:08:47.539
And I've been working like the open houses and just however I can support people.

00:08:47.799 --> 00:08:51.019
Birthday parties, graduation parties, I'm booked a lot.

00:08:51.039 --> 00:08:54.980
And it is not Saturday, Sunday anymore. It's really wild.

00:08:55.220 --> 00:09:05.120
It's so crazy because like, you know, everyone remembers like growing up and opening up like a lemonade stand, you know, and like in your front lawn.

00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:08.879
And it's just crazy because like this is a legitimate business.

00:09:09.779 --> 00:09:11.659
And it's just like amazing.

00:09:11.899 --> 00:09:13.460
It's like the oldest hustle in the game.

00:09:13.639 --> 00:09:18.500
Like we all did it, but I think I do it a little bit better now than I did when I was a kid.

00:09:18.840 --> 00:09:24.399
It's not only that, but it's cool because like you have the social media aspect to it of sharing it.

00:09:24.399 --> 00:09:31.860
And since you're talented in social media itself, you know how to make things like, you know, grow and it's just building the business.

00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:34.600
Like that's like really cool. Yeah.

00:09:35.059 --> 00:09:42.899
Yeah, I think that was like one of the biggest things for me like that I had recognized when I was leaving the other company was that I had grown my following.

00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:46.139
So I had that account from that you're aware of.

00:09:46.220 --> 00:09:47.559
It was called Your Chill Bestie Does.

00:09:47.639 --> 00:09:50.639
That account I had had from a previous company. It was mine.

00:09:50.639 --> 00:09:52.980
And I think I had like 235 followers.

00:09:53.100 --> 00:09:58.500
And when I was deactivating it, I was up to like 915 in less than five months.

00:09:58.500 --> 00:10:02.139
So I'm like, okay, if I can just take what I did and duplicate it.

00:10:02.139 --> 00:10:07.179
And like so far I have because I have been fully in this for what is today the 21st.

00:10:07.279 --> 00:10:10.460
So the 23rd of April is when I left the other company.

00:10:10.620 --> 00:10:18.460
So I have been at it for less than a month and I went from 210 followers on my business page to now I think I have 730.

00:10:18.580 --> 00:10:25.460
And that's just purely built on the relationships that I had and then continuously posting all the time. That's cool. Yeah.

00:10:25.460 --> 00:10:29.659
I remember my, this is like, I don't know how many years ago, maybe like five or more.

00:10:29.659 --> 00:10:33.059
My dad, he started like a lemonade thing. Yeah.

00:10:33.059 --> 00:10:34.179
And it was very similar.

00:10:34.600 --> 00:10:41.759
He had like this, I remember this pneumatic like compression thing that squished the lemons, you know, and then like almost like a paint shaker thing.

00:10:41.840 --> 00:10:43.480
It would just like shake the... Oh my gosh.

00:10:43.480 --> 00:10:45.080
I should definitely invest in a paint shaker.

00:10:45.220 --> 00:10:47.559
My arms are always so sore. Yeah.

00:10:47.740 --> 00:10:53.039
That would be, I mean, I don't know if it was actually a paint shaker, but it was something similar. Same idea. Yeah. It like makes sense.

00:10:53.100 --> 00:10:54.940
Like, yeah, just really shake it up. Yeah.

00:10:55.259 --> 00:10:58.360
Because I can't imagine like you're... Oh my gosh. Yeah. It's a lot.

00:10:59.120 --> 00:11:03.200
I used to bartend, so I have like a little bit of practice as far as like the shaking.

00:11:03.559 --> 00:11:11.039
But yeah, just like the day after an event, I'm like, oh my gosh, my arms. Like it's pretty intense. That's crazy. That's awesome. Yeah.

00:11:11.039 --> 00:11:15.519
That's so cool that you got to experience that in like another light too. Yeah. Yeah. That's super awesome.

00:11:15.779 --> 00:11:19.059
But it's like different though, because my dad is like me.

00:11:19.240 --> 00:11:23.779
We like, we're like always like interested in stuff and then, you know, then we jump to something else. Yeah.

00:11:23.779 --> 00:11:26.700
And I'm like really trying to focus like, okay, no, stay consistent. Yeah.

00:11:28.059 --> 00:11:32.440
But it was just interesting because, you know, he's, you know, different generations.

00:11:32.919 --> 00:11:35.259
Social media is not, you know, his thing. Right. Yeah.

00:11:35.259 --> 00:11:42.360
And I can only imagine if he would have had like some social media exposure, like his business probably would have like, you know, kept going. Yeah.

00:11:42.940 --> 00:11:47.019
But, you know, it's just interesting to see. Yeah.

00:11:47.019 --> 00:11:54.259
And a lot of the companies, not the most recent one that I worked for, but a lot of the companies that I had worked for in the past were starting to gear up.

00:11:54.259 --> 00:11:57.620
Like, okay, like we've perfected our service. We've perfected this.

00:11:57.620 --> 00:11:59.139
Now we just have to work on social media.

00:11:59.600 --> 00:12:09.240
Doing social media after the fact is so much harder because the crowd that you're trying to engage with misses like just the raw. They miss the mistakes. They miss the changes. They miss the growth.

00:12:09.340 --> 00:12:10.480
They miss all those things.

00:12:10.639 --> 00:12:11.899
And people want to see it.

00:12:11.960 --> 00:12:13.379
They don't care if you're ready.

00:12:13.620 --> 00:12:15.519
They just want to know what you're doing.

00:12:15.720 --> 00:12:21.940
That's what I have a hard time like with because like I tend to only think about it after the fact. Right.

00:12:21.940 --> 00:12:23.840
And like I don't think about it during the fact. Yeah.

00:12:23.840 --> 00:12:28.240
That's what was like really I think strong with like a younger generation.

00:12:28.679 --> 00:12:31.240
My nieces, they're probably like in their 20s. Yeah.

00:12:31.419 --> 00:12:33.240
And they're thinking like that.

00:12:33.259 --> 00:12:36.259
They're recording like they're on their way to go do stuff. Yeah.

00:12:36.340 --> 00:12:40.019
Like one of my nieces is like a Pilates instructor.

00:12:40.879 --> 00:12:42.360
Oh my gosh, that's amazing. Yeah. I love Pilates.

00:12:42.639 --> 00:12:48.220
But she like records like a day in the life and like going opening up the door and setting up. Right.

00:12:48.240 --> 00:12:51.320
And like just doing like the job, you know. Yeah.

00:12:51.320 --> 00:12:56.340
It's not polished, you know, like, you know, edited stuff. It's like real. Yeah.

00:12:56.340 --> 00:12:58.639
And that is what people want to see. Right.

00:12:58.639 --> 00:13:00.700
And it's like I'm like, yeah, good for her. Like she's doing that.

00:13:00.700 --> 00:13:02.039
But like I want to do that.

00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:03.700
But then I don't think about it. Yeah.

00:13:03.700 --> 00:13:04.279
You know, in the moment.

00:13:04.279 --> 00:13:06.019
And it's not until after the fact.

00:13:06.039 --> 00:13:07.120
I'm like, oh, I already did that.

00:13:07.139 --> 00:13:08.700
You know, like for example, like setting up.

00:13:08.919 --> 00:13:11.399
Like I should have like. Set up the phone. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

00:13:11.399 --> 00:13:14.600
But I didn't think about it until you just said it. Yeah. No, 100%.

00:13:14.779 --> 00:13:16.340
That's exactly what people want to see.

00:13:16.379 --> 00:13:20.679
And that's something that like, I struggle with it a little bit because I'm like, man, like I'm not ready.

00:13:20.759 --> 00:13:23.399
And like, I don't look how I want to present myself.

00:13:23.500 --> 00:13:26.899
Or like this part is so boring because I do it every day. No.

00:13:26.899 --> 00:13:27.740
But people want to see that.

00:13:27.899 --> 00:13:32.220
They want to see me loading my vehicle with all the stuff and see how I make it all fit in there.

00:13:32.279 --> 00:13:34.960
They want to see me set up the tent by myself.

00:13:34.960 --> 00:13:37.320
Like, which, by the way, I've become a professional at.

00:13:37.480 --> 00:13:39.059
And I'm very proud of that. But.

00:13:39.340 --> 00:13:40.279
But, you know, part of me, too.

00:13:40.279 --> 00:13:45.720
Like I see people how they set up their camera and they go through all this just to get that shot.

00:13:45.720 --> 00:13:49.960
And I'm like, it's just quicker for me to just stuff in there and then like set it all up.

00:13:50.059 --> 00:14:02.200
I think like the biggest thing, like the reason that people want to see it is because for so long, especially in like generations older than mine to like you think back to the first time that you saw TV and everything is perfect. Everything's in place.

00:14:02.639 --> 00:14:09.700
And so we all grew up watching these TV episodes and thinking like I'm sure every kid was like, man, I could do that.

00:14:09.720 --> 00:14:10.480
I could be on TV.

00:14:10.519 --> 00:14:11.480
I could be that character.

00:14:11.480 --> 00:14:12.659
I could do it better than them.

00:14:12.679 --> 00:14:19.200
So it gives us an opportunity to put some realism back in the things that people are watching and then people relate to it.

00:14:19.240 --> 00:14:20.360
And then their dreams start.

00:14:20.519 --> 00:14:21.919
And that's exactly how I got started.

00:14:22.059 --> 00:14:29.039
Because I watched somebody else take control of their dream, realized that it wasn't perfect, that they didn't have it all together, saw the changes that they were making throughout everything.

00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:30.500
And I was like that, that's me.

00:14:30.580 --> 00:14:31.820
I can do that for sure.

00:14:31.980 --> 00:14:38.659
So I think that's like the mentality that the younger people have is like it doesn't have to be perfect and it doesn't have to be something that I would put on TV.

00:14:38.779 --> 00:14:41.179
It just has to be me. Yeah. Yeah.

00:14:41.179 --> 00:14:48.259
You know, now that I think about it, when I was a kid, I always used to like watching the behind the scenes parts of like movies. Yeah, same.

00:14:48.440 --> 00:14:50.000
It's like the same thing. Yeah, it is.

00:14:50.080 --> 00:14:52.120
It is because you just want to be closer to them.

00:14:52.240 --> 00:14:54.279
What can I relate to that they're doing?

00:14:54.399 --> 00:14:57.679
That's like where I used to stem from is like, are they like me?

00:14:57.759 --> 00:14:59.000
What things do we have in common?

00:14:59.080 --> 00:15:01.100
I don't care if it's a favorite color. I want to know.

00:15:01.220 --> 00:15:05.759
It's like interesting because like I'm closer to the generation where everything had to be perfect.

00:15:05.899 --> 00:15:06.360
You know what I mean?

00:15:06.360 --> 00:15:08.799
Like everything needed to be polished and like shiny.

00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:12.139
House can't look lived in if you're going to have people over. Right. Yeah, same.

00:15:12.600 --> 00:15:20.500
But it's funny because like I'm also ahead of the generation where it's kind of like, you know, well, it doesn't have to be perfect. Like whatever. Like this is real. This is whatever.

00:15:20.600 --> 00:15:22.500
It is so good to be malleable. Yeah.

00:15:22.620 --> 00:15:35.620
It's so funny though because like my generation is always kind of like we're this weird generation because we're kind of like stuck in between like the boomers, you know, and then also like the what is it? Gen Alpha? Yeah. Yeah. Gen Z. Gen Z. Yeah.

00:15:36.820 --> 00:15:41.779
It's just interesting because like you have like a foot in like both areas. Yeah.

00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:42.600
It's just kind of strange.

00:15:42.820 --> 00:15:46.980
I'm like right on the cusp of millennial and Gen Z and I feel the same way. I don't.

00:15:47.299 --> 00:15:58.340
One thing that I have noticed about like the millennial generation and the generation before that is that those are more of the people that have a hard time talking about hardships and like the things that they have gone through.

00:15:58.460 --> 00:15:59.879
I personally have never had that problem.

00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:02.960
If somebody wants to talk to me about it, I'm like, let me tell you everything.

00:16:03.120 --> 00:16:04.759
I'll make it feel like you were there.

00:16:04.820 --> 00:16:06.799
And so that's like one big difference.

00:16:07.100 --> 00:16:11.639
Part of me feels like a little teeny tiny bit of that is like maybe I shouldn't be so purposeful.

00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:17.100
Like maybe, maybe I shouldn't be so comfortable sharing everything and keep some of those details to myself.

00:16:17.100 --> 00:16:20.940
And then the other side of me is like, but what if somebody else has the same experience?

00:16:21.080 --> 00:16:22.600
So it's weird for me too.

00:16:22.659 --> 00:16:27.759
And I'm definitely not keeping up with the dances and stuff that they're doing. It's so hard. It's so hard.

00:16:27.860 --> 00:16:31.039
Like, so my kids, they're like 12 and 8. Yeah.

00:16:31.100 --> 00:16:32.580
And I'm learning the lingo now.

00:16:32.620 --> 00:16:34.580
Like, I'm like, what did you say? What is this name?

00:16:34.740 --> 00:16:38.519
Like, so I'm like, like like Skippity. And Riz.

00:16:38.799 --> 00:16:42.840
Um, have you heard, like no cap. Yeah. No cap for sure.

00:16:43.159 --> 00:16:48.840
Like my kids said, um, started saying what the Sigma all the time. Yeah. What the Sigma.

00:16:49.039 --> 00:16:49.980
And I was like, what does that mean?

00:16:49.980 --> 00:16:51.600
And they're like, I don't know. You tell me.

00:16:51.720 --> 00:16:52.539
I'm like, I don't know.

00:16:52.679 --> 00:16:58.320
And I, I'm so like, I look it up on like Urban Dictionary or like, I'm like, what does this mean?

00:16:58.340 --> 00:17:01.019
Like, I need to be able to speak their language.

00:17:01.220 --> 00:17:06.619
And yeah, I mean, it kind of ties into like the Alva Omega thing from what I've read.

00:17:06.759 --> 00:17:08.180
It's like the ultimate God thing.

00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:15.759
So yeah, still confused on that one, but they do throw me for a loop with the, with the Riz and no cap and all that stuff.

00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:17.759
I'm like, I don't even know. Yeah.

00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:19.559
I don't even know what you guys are saying. Yeah.

00:17:19.819 --> 00:17:22.359
It's, yeah, it's very interesting. Yeah.

00:17:22.359 --> 00:17:24.299
It's like, like I'm hearing stuff and I'm like, wait, what?

00:17:24.519 --> 00:17:28.960
And I always thought I would be, oh yeah, you're, you're, you'll understand, you know, as you get older.

00:17:29.019 --> 00:17:31.700
But now, no, there's a divide. It's like, what? Yeah.

00:17:31.700 --> 00:17:35.140
It's like a secret language and if you're not in, they're not telling. Yeah. Yeah.

00:17:35.140 --> 00:17:36.880
And it's weird and it, my kids are eight.

00:17:36.920 --> 00:17:40.700
So it starts so young as third grade where they're like, mm-hmm, you tell me what it means.

00:17:41.240 --> 00:17:44.640
oh you guys are rude. Tell me the secrets. Oh man.

00:17:44.660 --> 00:17:47.640
I'm just trying to be cool. Isn't that funny?

00:17:47.700 --> 00:17:51.819
Like when we were kids, you were like, you know, oh, my parents are so lame. Yeah. It's funny.

00:17:51.900 --> 00:17:53.339
And now they're doing that to me. Yeah.

00:17:53.339 --> 00:17:53.960
I'm like, come on dude.

00:17:54.119 --> 00:17:56.380
Why am I the victim? We're together.

00:17:56.779 --> 00:17:58.980
Like, oh yeah, it's crazy. Yeah.

00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:03.119
When we talk about like taking a leap of faith, it's like never easy.

00:18:04.180 --> 00:18:07.819
Were, were you like just terrified or were you like just really hopeful?

00:18:08.440 --> 00:18:10.440
Like what was your state of mind like right before that?

00:18:10.839 --> 00:18:12.539
I feel like it was kind of all of it.

00:18:12.539 --> 00:18:16.920
Like it was and the only way that I can put into words is I guess overwhelmed.

00:18:16.920 --> 00:18:28.079
The first person that I called and I think the only person that I called was Afton from our group and basically just told her like what had happened and I was and I knew nothing about what my plan was yet.

00:18:28.079 --> 00:18:32.460
This was like maybe 15 minutes after I left like getting let go.

00:18:32.539 --> 00:18:42.859
I was like okay, I'm going to call Afton and I'm just going to ask her if I can go to the group tomorrow because we meet on Thursdays and she was like absolutely like you're definitely coming and like you're staying. It's fine.

00:18:42.900 --> 00:18:55.180
We'll figure it all out and she just had this like very gung-ho attitude so I get off the phone with her and I go to my parents' house and I talk to them and I'm like devastated at this point and my mom is like no, no, this is a sign.

00:18:55.200 --> 00:18:57.619
Like you were even talking about this which is so true.

00:18:57.619 --> 00:19:02.019
I was talking a couple weeks prior like how long do I do this for?

00:19:02.279 --> 00:19:07.819
How long do I invest all of myself and all of my belief system into a company that isn't mine?

00:19:07.980 --> 00:19:08.920
When is that going to happen?

00:19:09.079 --> 00:19:10.079
Do I just let mine go?

00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:13.680
Because I was getting very invested into the company that I worked for.

00:19:13.700 --> 00:19:15.079
She's like no, this is a sign.

00:19:15.279 --> 00:19:19.240
Like you need to work on you and so I went home had those ideas.

00:19:19.299 --> 00:19:26.000
The next day I made the announcement at my B&I group from that moment like I definitely cried a lot at the B&I group.

00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:44.119
It was a very like emotional and raw moment for me especially because I don't while I do share my emotions I typically don't or share my experiences I don't typically share my emotions alongside it so it was very, very raw for me to just like let everything go and just be like this is what happened and like hope you guys will stay along my side for the journey.

00:19:44.619 --> 00:20:08.900
Appreciate all of the friendships that I've developed from leaving that group like I almost didn't even have a moment to like I almost couldn't leave because every single person had come to me and had talked to me whether I had impacted their experience at B&I or I had referred to their business or even if I had nothing like we really hadn't had like a super strong connection yet and you even came up to me and you're like we're gonna meet like we're definitely gonna talk about this.

00:20:09.039 --> 00:22:37.440
The amount of support that I received at that meeting specifically is what boosted me to go do my own thing like I went home I started making the posts I started editing things on Canva I started like putting all my stuff together and so I had like this weird energy of like yeah I'm so sad that this happened kind of feel like a failure kind of feel embarrassed kind of feel like I could have done something different and then this other like monstrous amount of pride and enthusiasm of like no it's your turn and this like if this wasn't supposed to be it wouldn't it wouldn't be but it is so it's time to get it together like it's go time and if you're gonna do your own business you better like run with everything that you've got and so there was a little bit of a fire under me for I feel like probably two weeks I was just like in go mode of like and I it was kind of unorganized it was just like okay grabbing here grasping here grasping here like I've gotta figure this out and then now it's gotten to a spot where I'm more calm I'm very grateful definitely still get very emotional about the amount of support that I've received but it is like okay now I know what to do now I need to make sure that I'm consistent and I need to make sure that I'm diligent with every choice that I'm making every dollar is accounted for like starting to go through the nitty gritty of KPIs and where the money goes yeah it's a lot but I'm grateful for it because I did it again I did it for other companies so why not do it for myself yeah it's crazy there are a lot of like expenses like subscriptions and supplies oh yeah it's just crazy and then for yours I mean I can't imagine like there's a lot there's a lot like anything that has like beverage food like yeah and monthly taxes like that's not something that I was prepared for like filing my business taxes monthly is insane but I'm adjusted to it it's on my calendar like I have a reminder so that was like something that was really crazy to learn like wait okay so I go from filing my taxes once a year to filing once a month and then again once a year like okay that's an adjustment it's not all fun and games for sure but yeah lots of subscriptions and lots of like price comparison and research and development of like what do I want my product to look like what do I want my service to look like and that is always gonna change I think I don't think that's ever something that's gonna be like this is it this is done just because times are always changing the culture is always changing and I want to be somebody that grows and changes with it where do you see your business going like where do you see you know the brand in like the next five years five years um yeah so I would say that we definitely want to get more into the event space.

00:22:37.440 --> 00:22:39.420
I want to be more of like a caterer.

00:22:39.420 --> 00:23:05.759
I am working on my liquor license classes currently so that's something that I will have I would say before like July and I want to be able to go to weddings and all the events and be able to bring the AZ Desert Squeeze side with like the bartending or whatever they need and kind of just curate that experience. also definitely want to get a truck and be able to like go to these markets and have a little bit of an easier setup. tent setup is not for the week it's really difficult.

00:23:05.759 --> 00:23:41.740
I think that that is kind of like the three to five year plan and then I have contemplated gone back and forth on it a lot about being in stores and trying to sell to stores like fries and that one we'll see because there's a little bit of a hiccup with having an all natural product with no preservatives it's going to be in like the produce section not a lot of people are going there to get their away and I don't know if that's like a cost that I'd be willing to eat just to be in the store. yeah that's interesting. yeah when I watch like Shark Tank the beverage space is they say like really competitive. yeah it is.

00:23:41.740 --> 00:24:06.920
I never really thought about it. me neither. there are a lot of beverages there but I think the organic all natural stuff people are craving. yeah you know, it's because it's real finally like you have something that is like real again with no pesticides preservatives nothing and it's like oh my gosh this is what it's supposed to taste like and that's kind of what I tell people is like I sell the lemonade that tastes like it's supposed to and not with like a bucket of sugar.

00:24:06.920 --> 00:25:28.220
Right, right. right yeah, yeah it's it's crazy because I grew up like with just here's preservative sugars all that and it's you know red food all of it. yeah and it's a negative toll. yeah I mean like it's like some like autoimmune issues and right, you know breathing issues and it's like I can't eat a normal diet anymore like I seriously have to like me and both me and my wife have issues with certain things and I think that like the red food dyes is definitely something that I didn't take seriously like I was like that's so like just another thing that we have to work hard to fix and change and you know I was kind of irritated with it but then I changed the red food dyes we don't have artificial red food dyes in our house and it is crazy how much more stable my mood is daily and that's something that is like small but as somebody with ADHD and having those minor like mood swings and tendencies and tics having something like that removed from my diet and having it be so stable it makes me have a lot of questions as to like why we've been eating the foods that we have. yeah. yeah so when did you know that you were ADHD spectrum?

00:25:28.220 --> 00:25:37.559
like when did you, are you officially diagnosed? yeah no, no, you're good. um I'm super open about it because I again I feel like I'm very high functioning.

00:25:37.559 --> 00:25:41.220
I was diagnosed or knew that I had it in fourth grade.

00:25:41.220 --> 00:25:49.039
I was nine years old and it was really crazy experience but I just had so much issues like so many issues learning so many issues sitting in my seat.

00:25:49.039 --> 00:26:04.180
I was always the talkative student always the person that was getting sat by themselves because I was acting out and then like once I kind of realized what was happening fifth grade was entirely different for me and every year after that like I was academically one of the highest performing in my class.

00:26:04.180 --> 00:26:06.619
I just had everything kind of like fell into place.

00:26:06.619 --> 00:26:38.789
I would say ninth grade was another difficult year for me because there are changes that happen within your body as a person. the most female around 14-15 that can completely impact your normal day-to-day. and so navigating through that again was a little bit difficult. but again, by sophomore year, it was like on the upswing again. and as far as the autism, I didn't really think that I had it or I wasn't aware that I had it. but it goes hand in hand with ADHD. and definitely my like thing, I guess, or my niche of autism is I feel things very, very deeply.

00:26:38.789 --> 00:26:44.009
I'm able to separate. like like when I was let go, for example, I didn't cry while I was there.

00:26:44.009 --> 00:27:08.470
in fact, I spent a lot of my time there comforting them, the owners. and when I leave, that's when I'm like, okay, I'm allowed to feel now. and then it just like comes out. and and I feel so deeply about so many things. and and I really empathize with other people. when I see people going through hardships and stuff, it's like I literally cannot control the pull that I have to go help them, go talk to them, provide them support. so that's kind of like, and loud noises.

00:27:08.470 --> 00:27:10.690
those are like my two, my two like niches.

00:27:10.690 --> 00:27:37.690
I don't do loud noises at all. yeah but yeah, I feel like that's kind of the once I came to terms with that and noticed and accepted it, a lot of stuff changed for me. and now I don't spend so much time wondering why I'm different, why like my friends don't think the same way that I think or my bosses don't think the same way that I think. because it's like, well, I'm just a little different, and that's okay. yeah, yeah that's so I didn't really discover this until I was probably late 30s.

00:27:37.690 --> 00:28:41.609
I mean, not until we figured out about my son, because my son has autism. yeah and ADHD. yeah and going through that discovery process is when you start to make realizations like, oh wait, wait, what? yeah about yourself. yeah and I had no idea. and going through and learning about that and then going myself to get checked out, because I mean, like you have questions. yeah and so, you know, they did diagnose me with ADHD. and like, they're like oh yeah, yeah, you've got. so yeah, figuring out my son and going through that process, going through all the doctors and all the research and everything, I'm like, this is crazy. like that is me, you know what I mean? and I didn't go to the doctor and get like diagnosed with with autism. like it's just kind of like, you kind of know they kind of just go hand in hand. yeah, yeah and it was, it just kind of makes so much sense. because like going through school, high school, even like my first like job, like after college, like in college, it all makes sense. yeah same, same.

00:28:42.470 --> 00:29:07.730
oh man, like I don't want to get too much into stuff, but like back then, like I had this one issue at my one of my jobs that I had. very corporate job, you know, right after college. and I remember I just, I had disagreements with people and like just, you kind of rub people the wrong way. yeah and I always, I always just thought, man, these people are just weird. yeah like, yeah, and it's just weird because it's like, oh yeah, it was me. that's so funny that you say that was me.

00:29:07.730 --> 00:29:12.950
I had like the same exact experience almost. like I worked at a call center. it was very corporate.

00:29:12.950 --> 00:29:18.589
it was, um, after I had my twins, first like big girl job that I had, I think. and yeah, same thing.

00:29:18.589 --> 00:29:45.109
I had these people that I just was like, why do they not understand? like this is like not okay or like that this, that it shouldn't be this way. and when I look back, I'm like, oh my gosh, like it was me. it wasn't them. like yeah, there was definitely things that they were doing that like weren't good. but like normal people would be able to let that go. yeah and I'm not normal. so I'm like, yeah, that explains why I was like losing sleep over something that somebody else was doing. yeah well, and the job I had, it was like working with, it was a sales job.

00:29:45.109 --> 00:30:03.890
yeah and I was like the inside sales and I work a lot with the outside sales people. yeah and you know, normally sales people are very like, you know, they're the cool kids, right? you know, they're normal people, right? the normies. yeah and then like, you know, when I was dealing with them, it was just kind of like, you could kind of, you can kind of sense there is something.

00:30:03.890 --> 00:30:38.069
but I did not know how off like I was. yeah and like I I can only like think and from their perspective now, like just them looking at me like, dude, what is up with this? like you know, like, yeah, I'm I'm serious because like I I had no idea. and and now, you know, like I'm going through like therapy. yeah medication helps you like, yeah, when I'm not on my medication, oh my word, look out. yeah like I am unmedicated and it's a little scary for the world. but I feel again like I I can't, I can't do, I can't do it.

00:30:38.069 --> 00:31:16.269
I can't be like that leveled out because then I create my own chaos. and so like I would rather just create the small amount of chaos that I'm going to create in my own life unmedicated than be able, then not be able to have like the belly laughs and like the normal like feeling. that's just me prefer. like that's what I prefer. occasionally like when I notice that I might be starting to go off the rails a little bit, definitely, I definitely medicate. but it's seasons, I would say. and that's just because I've been aware of it since I was nine. so you can't like be on medication that whole time and not have some sort of like dependence. and I have, that's I guess another one of my things. like I don't want to be dependent on anything.

00:31:16.269 --> 00:31:21.869
I don't even drink caffeine. so yeah, so I'm like, no, I'm not, I'm not going to take the medicine.

00:31:21.869 --> 00:31:25.329
yeah stronger sparkle, stronger person than I.

00:31:25.329 --> 00:32:13.750
I'll tell you. oh well, it's maybe just a little tiny bit more experience and like knowing, you know, knowing that I had it. yeah like you're relatively fresh to knowing that you have anything that's different. and so learning the ebbs and flows of that, you're going to go through different challenges. and I, it's safe to say I've been through a lot of those challenges at those point at this point. definitely still could be thrown a curveball at which point we would reevaluate. but it's so funny though, because when I got on medication, like I tried different medications and my doctor like, you know, had me do different stages. like first the non-stimulants and then kind of like realizing after a year of going through all these things that weren't working. yeah you know, to go into the stimulant modes and then finally settling on, you know, like on Adderall. yeah and a lot of people think like, oh, you're going to take Adderall, you're going to be like, you know, super crazy person or like, you know, in my mind for you, right?

00:32:13.750 --> 00:32:17.410
like I'm thinking, oh, I'm going to be like, I'm limitless, you know, I'm going to be unstoppable.

00:32:17.410 --> 00:32:38.130
no you just get to have one consistent thought, right? you get to finish the whole thing. the train arrives at the station. and like, yeah, that's one thing that I definitely do miss is like just being able to have one cohesive thought. but it it limits my creativity. it limits like who I am, I think. does it really? for me personally, that's that's what I like.

00:32:38.130 --> 00:32:47.809
I can't think outside of the box when I'm, because Adderall and Vyvanse and, oh gosh, there was another one um that I kind of like was on for like the last few years.

00:32:47.809 --> 00:33:34.450
I would switch between them to try and get like a different like mode, I guess. like yeah, that just like the creativity like kind of goes away. and so now when I'm not on it and I and I need the creativity for my lemonade business, I need it for my social media. it's it's so much easier to do personally. interesting yeah but everybody's different in in how they operate too. so that's that. yeah I've heard that too from from people. and it's like my experience has been different. like I haven't had like any like creativity for me like stifled in any way. like if anything, because like I I do like a lot of software development and coding. and for whatever reason, it actually helps me to kind of like think more outside of the box. yeah for me. oh I love that for you. yeah it's wild. it's it's just purely based on like your chemical reaction.

00:33:34.450 --> 00:33:38.369
yeah being different than my chemical reaction. yeah, yeah it affects everybody differently.

00:33:38.369 --> 00:33:50.130
it's really crazy. yeah but yeah, I mean, I think that um similar to how like what you were saying about your son, that's kind of like what made you aware. so I have two very young brothers.

00:33:50.130 --> 00:34:29.110
I have one that's turning 10 on May 23rd and then I have my youngest brother who just turned eight. yeah so the 10-year-old was born when I was 18. and he definitely had autism. we didn't know, like none of us knew because we're just kind of like, well, I don't, I don't know what to do. like I've never seen this before. but we like paid attention to his tics and like the things that he was very particular about. that's kind of like what made me aware. and I was like, okay, I did a lot of self-reflection after that. also tick, tock, tick, tock, also. made me evaluate a lot because everybody was talking about how they have autism. and I'm like, wait, I do that. like and I also have that and that. and so like I just kind of like gathered everything.

00:34:29.110 --> 00:34:37.750
but then after this made my mom evaluate too because like she's like, okay, well, like your younger brother has it. and I'm like, I definitely have it. and she's like, I didn't want to say anything.

00:34:37.750 --> 00:34:57.070
I'm like, no, it's not. she's like, yeah. so she's like, and I'm sorry, like I didn't realize that like these things when you were younger. like I didn't wear socks ever. like I hated and I still hate the seams touching my toes on socks. it was like my new year's resolution back in 2022 to start wearing socks with my shoes. I know it's disgusting.

00:34:57.070 --> 00:35:16.030
I can't help it. but like that was like one of the things like I would throw nightmare temper tantrums if I had to leave the house wearing socks and tennis shoes. like I'm like, I cannot do it. so she's like, man, like I'm so sorry. like I didn't even realize. and then we found out that it's it can be hereditary. and then we started realizing things about her as well.

00:35:16.030 --> 00:35:39.150
and so it came full circle to where we're just like, yep, we have autism. like we're just, we're just here. but I think everybody has something. like you know, I don't think that I have met very many people that are not neurodivergent. yeah, yeah same. yeah and it's it's interesting because when when I'm not like medicated or doing anything like that, I would over explain everything.

00:35:39.150 --> 00:35:44.610
like way too much information, like tmi to the nth degree. and me too. and me.

00:35:44.610 --> 00:36:28.429
I just thought, okay, yeah, you need to know. yeah you need to know everything. yeah and it's like, nope, that is so me, like to a t I don't, I say it all the time. but like once you, like when I'm first meeting people, you're like, yeah, I'm a little shy. like once I get to talking to you, like it is so hard to get me to shut up because I just am like, oh, and then this, and then this. and I give the micro details about everything. it's like, we actually didn't need that. yeah or you you get super like into your topic that you like and you get like, you talk to them as if they're in the field, you know? like and you're just going off the rails on like, right, super like technical stuff. and and they're just kind of like, just listening. okay yeah, yeah. have you ever seen like the eyes glaze over? and you're like, that too much? yeah. yeah you're like, uh, yeah.

00:36:28.429 --> 00:37:49.289
I'm like, okay, so next, like what if, how's your day? yeah, yeah that's crazy. yeah um oh I was gonna say, oh, oh have you seen this show? um it's on Netflix. it's called love on the spectrum yes I have. dude I I just started watching like, I think the first episode. yeah um I haven't seen all of them, but me and my wife were talking about it and we're like, um because she's she's a little bit on the spectrum too. yeah um we both are. of course, that's how we kind of like, yeah, mine is too, just opposite of me. yeah, um but yeah I started watching the first episode and it's just interesting because like some of it, I was like, okay, like it, it I, it was like, you could tell that there was some autism, but at the same time, you kind of resonated with some of the things. she's like, oh, I kind of like do that too. yeah it's like, oh, well, that's not so, you know, like it was just, it was just crazy because as you see it, you start to make more connections. you start to make more realizations. and I think that's like the beautiful thing about it is like it is changing so much. like I remember being in elementary school and it was such like a frowned upon thing. like oh, they have autism. and maybe that's just because I wasn't educated, but I feel like that was like kind of the general consensus. and now it's like I can openly talk on a podcast about having autism, being high functioning and how I handle it. and nobody is going to be like, oh, we don't like her because she's autistic, you know?

00:37:49.289 --> 00:38:31.769
and I think it's funny too because like you just get to throw a little sprinkle in there like, oh, I say, oh, sorry. it's and people are like, oh, that's that's so funny. and I'm like, yeah, well, you have to be lighthearted about it because it's something that I think the majority of the world has. yeah and it's all different for everybody. like how you were saying, um you connect. well I look for it in people and it's always different than how I have it. my fiancee super smart, went to school to be an engineer, loves science, loves math. it's weird. like it's I've never met anybody that loves math and science as, but I noticed that like that is his flavor of autism. he is like very, very passionate in the micro details of how things work. and like, I love that.

00:38:31.769 --> 00:38:36.309
I love that for him. it's beautiful. my flavor of autism, what pretty colors can we paint this?

00:38:36.309 --> 00:39:08.010
and like, how can we make this like super exciting and feel like a safe space? yep so but those two things come together really well when you're building a life and building a vision. it's like, okay, well, we definitely know that he is to create the the mechanics of everything and then I'm going to make it fun. yeah, yeah that's that's nice. like my wife and I are the same way. she's more of like the math, the yeah the mechanics. and I'm like, kind of like saying like, can I gloss over? yeah like big picture, you know, that type of thing. that's so funny.

00:39:08.010 --> 00:39:56.909
my son is is very into like the math. so is mine in robotics. yeah like totally. yeah can focus in. right dude, he was cutting out some cardboard and I'm like thinking, okay, whatever, he's got a cardboard. then he comes in, it's like this this intricate thing like standing up and it has like inner workings. and I'm like, this was cardboard like an hour ago. now it's like a thing, you know? right like just his brain, like that's his flavor, you know? yeah he creates stuff. and yeah, he's like just totally into yeah the whole engineering. my son is not even like, not biologically related to my fiance. and like he, Cameron, which is my fiance's name, has been in our lives since my kids were four. and they're now eight. and so they're in third grade this year. my son tested into the gifted and talented program, which love him.

00:39:56.909 --> 00:40:14.409
I'm so proud of him. but he like built a people mover, which out of legos which had like a motor and everything in it because he's super into like the mechanics of everything. and I'm like, I'm like okay, I see the connection. like this is, you're watching. and like that is definitely his flavor too.

00:40:14.409 --> 00:40:25.690
I'm like perfect. and Penelope, my daughter, is very much the same as me. she's like, I want to do cheer and dance and ballet and all these things. and how do we make it pink and sparkly?

00:40:25.690 --> 00:40:27.869
and okay, it is so interesting.

00:40:27.869 --> 00:40:32.889
I remember when I was in school, like they they had to, they didn't know what was wrong with me.

00:40:32.889 --> 00:40:54.429
I think I was in third grade and I still remember everyone in the class like looking like because the special ed teacher had to come in and evaluate me. yeah and everyone's like, oh, what's wrong with that? yeah like what's wrong with that? right, right. right and such a different world. yeah and and also kids are so mean. yeah. yeah but they didn't know what to do with me because like I was smart.

00:40:54.429 --> 00:41:13.150
I was like a straight a kid. yeah you know what I mean? but it's just weird. and they were like, we don't know what to do with you. yeah it's crazy because I feel like the kids that are on the spectrum or actually, I guess I should say more comfortably kids with ADHD because that's where like the majority of my knowledge is. kids with ADHD operate in such a different manner.

00:41:13.150 --> 00:41:41.650
it doesn't make you dumb. it just means that you don't want to spend the same amount of time learning a subject as everybody else needs. because the whole time that the teacher is talking, you're computing how it works. and you most of the time have it figured out before the sentence is finished. and that's that's at least what happened to me. so then when we would do 17 worksheets on the same thing that we learned, I'm like, I don't care anymore. like and that's why I would have really terrible grades because it's like, okay, my first ones were done before everybody else.

00:41:41.650 --> 00:41:51.590
I was done within five minutes on a 45-minute project. and now, like, you want me to do more of the same stuff? like what do I need to teach you how to do it? like I would get so frustrated.

00:41:51.590 --> 00:42:38.329
um but that's that's it. like there's nothing wrong with those students. they just either learn faster, slower, differently. like there's so many different things. but I feel like our world is slowly coming to a point where people are definitely more aware of it. but now, how do we fix it? like how do we fix our teaching methods with those students instead of making them feel like there's something wrong with them? why are they not in accelerated classes at a younger age? yeah China is doing this thing where their kids are being taught by AI for not the whole day, for like, I think a couple hours. but the AI learns their learning style. yeah adjusts to them. yeah and it gives like a really like tailored, customized learning experience. yeah that's amazing. yeah isn't it crazy?

00:42:38.329 --> 00:43:17.730
I heard something similar. this was forever ago, and it was when I was in high school. and I'm sure that I just grabbed like little details of it, so it may not be 100% accurate. but I heard um that in Germany, they do something similar where like after, I think it's like fifth grade, they kind of like estimate where like where you're testing higher, like which subject. and then they gear all of your classes towards how to be successful with that subject. wow which is crazy because like you think about our schools. we all went through the same thing. we all took algebra 2. we all, like, I guess some of us did trig, some of us did physics. but we all took science, math, English, and gosh, I don't even remember social studies. whereas like I didn't thrive with social studies.

00:43:17.730 --> 00:43:19.269
I didn't thrive with math.

00:43:19.269 --> 00:43:52.530
I would was my second weakest one. but I loved English and I loved science. so it's like, how do I excel with something like that instead of just being forced in this little box of like, nope, you have to have these in order to be to graduate and be classified as smart? yeah dude, in in my English class, I remember we would have our books and we would go uh take turns reading little chunks, little paragraphs. yeah and me, I would somehow find a way to make a little paragraph into like this story. well I would create like a voice and it would be like very like dramatic.

00:43:52.530 --> 00:43:57.070
yeah like sometimes it would have an accent. yeah like, and I remember like it was my turn.

00:43:57.070 --> 00:44:07.989
people were just like waiting. what is this dude doing? you know, but it was like that was where my mind went for some reason, you know what I mean? like yeah, and math, don't even start with math. I couldn't stand math. I liked math.

00:44:07.989 --> 00:44:17.449
I just, I feel like I was stronger in science. um they kind of, they go hand in hand, but like I just enjoyed science more. yeah such a, such a different time.

00:44:17.449 --> 00:44:24.650
I remember definitely popcorn reading was my least favorite. so I'm like, oh gosh, don't look at me. like I barely know how to read. don't look at me.

00:44:24.650 --> 00:45:03.730
I read much faster. yeah oh my gosh, I read really fast now, but it just, I have to read like the same sentence over and over. and that's probably part of me being unmedicated is just that I'm not grasping. it's so different. yeah I remember I would, my son was complaining about this because he was trying to read at the end of the day. he was struggling because same things I struggle with, like having to like read something over and over. like you would read something and like I had no idea what I had no idea. go back and just read it now. like the words just kind of jump off the page. and it's interesting because you're reading so fast that you're, I tried to explain this to my wife once where kind of you're reading above the text almost.

00:45:03.730 --> 00:45:24.250
yeah and you're almost like skipping words and your brain is kind of filling in the gaps. yeah, and you're, and it's almost like a blur, but you're, you know what the blur says. yeah and it was so mind-blowing for me because I remember when I first started taking medication and sitting down and reading, I was able to just actually sit down and read like right without even like, yeah, thinking about.

00:45:24.250 --> 00:45:32.090
I remember the first moments that I, yeah, that I was medicated and reading and I was like, this is what people do all day. and like, this is why everybody's so good at what they're doing.

00:45:32.090 --> 00:45:52.130
yeah. yeah and you can read and like retain. yeah information, know what you read. right like that was like a right pivotal moment. yeah I was like, wow, I was great at writing, but I was not good at reading at all. like I would try and so hard to like skip. if we're popcorn reading, I would like get up and like go to the bathroom. so like I I am not reading in front of people.

00:45:52.130 --> 00:45:54.289
but I remember, and Mrs.

00:45:54.329 --> 00:46:19.909
Smith, if you're watching this, I'm so sorry. we she was my like advanced English teacher. so um, she taught like college courses at the high school. and I remember it was my second semester with her. and she had been talking for months about this like super important essay that we need to write. don't procrastinate it. as a person with ADHD and a lot of like after school extracurriculars, I did I did procrastinate just about everything. and I remember the day of walking into the class. I had a plan.

00:46:19.909 --> 00:46:37.570
I had just gotten my very first iPhone. and I was sitting in there like, and I, in my backpack was just like typing up my essay, my five paragraph like massive three-point essay with an MLA format and everything. sent it to the printer in the library and like, can I go to the restroom?

00:46:37.570 --> 00:47:45.389
went and picked it up, came back and like had my essay to turn in. that essay ended up being stapled to the wall as an A plus. like I don't know. there were certain things that I was super good at, certain things that were not great. so I've heard if you have ADHD, and I don't know if it's maybe autism as well, but you do your best work under pressure. like you thrive on that little like, okay, I gotta get it done. like I, growing up even like before in my in my adulthood, I could have maybe like a month, uh two weeks, whatever it is to do an assignment or to do a project. and I would wait until it was like, okay, go time in the next hour. yeah and but that was where it would be rain. just like it just does it. yeah it's it's it's interesting because I remember for the military, I had to go to Fort Gordon for this signal course because I was a signal officer. yeah and you have to take your security plus certification. yeah and I remember like everyone like spending the whole time studying. they're like at the reading and they're doing all this stuff, you know? and and I just couldn't like, I was like, I can't, I can't do this. yeah and I just ended up watching like Game of Thrones. like someone told me this is where I learned about Game of Thrones. they're like, you need to watch.

00:47:45.389 --> 00:48:00.269
I'm like, okay, because the new one was coming out. so I just, I just binge watched the entire like series. yeah and like didn't study for my security plus. yeah and then I remember the night before the exam, I was like, like, I'm just gonna fail this. like yeah, you just come to terms with it. that's so funny.

00:48:00.269 --> 00:48:04.789
I used to have that all the time. here's what's interesting. they they had this smart card.

00:48:04.789 --> 00:48:12.050
it was like laminated, like a little piece of paper or super tiny writing, you know? and you're just like all the stuff you need to know to pass the test. so I'm like, okay, might as well.

00:48:12.050 --> 00:48:16.949
so I just, I just read like the the thing, you know? and then I was like, okay, go in, take the test.

00:48:16.949 --> 00:48:18.289
I got my security plus certification.

00:48:18.289 --> 00:48:21.929
I think I was a sophomore in high school when I realized that that was like my hidden talent.

00:48:21.929 --> 00:48:26.670
it was like, I don't study before ever. and I used to have my friend right next to me.

00:48:26.670 --> 00:48:33.570
I would hand him my like spelling words or whatever we were doing. and I would tell him like, read them to me. and then I'm gonna read them to you.

00:48:33.570 --> 00:48:42.150
I'm gonna tell you like what the origin of the word is and use it in a sentence. and I would get them bam, bam, bam, all right. and then we would take the test right after 100% every time.

00:48:42.150 --> 00:48:52.190
and I'm like, okay, so that's like my trick is like don't overwhelm and study before. just do it like the day of the hour that you're gonna be. and it works every single time. yeah 100%.

00:48:52.190 --> 00:48:55.610
yeah like that's how I just got my food manager certificate. same thing.

00:48:55.610 --> 00:48:58.329
I was like, I'm gonna fail. like I haven't studied it.

00:48:58.329 --> 00:49:10.590
I told myself I was gonna take all the practice tests. still aced it. that's what I did for my property and casualty license. yeah I basically took a video course and I shut myself in the in the room in my room for like the weekend.

00:49:10.590 --> 00:49:28.210
I put the videos on like two times speed. yeah just like absorbed. oh I put myself on two times speed too because I'm like, you guys are going too slow. like we don't have enough time for this. oh my gosh, if there was like a three times speed, I'd probably be using that. that's so, but yeah, like I passed my my exam that way. my real estate test did the same thing. like just basically just crammed it like that weekend.

00:49:28.210 --> 00:49:32.510
I remember for the military, like some of these guys that failed, they're like, what what did you do?

00:49:32.510 --> 00:49:58.389
I'm like, I watched the game of thrones they're like, look, that's so rude. yeah I don't know what to tell you. yeah sorry, sorry you guys don't have a superpower. yeah I remember it was high school, uh right before our history test, we had to memorize and and the 50 presidents, you know? it was like 50 then. yeah um and then I remember like like outside of the classroom, like class hadn't started. it was just done with lunch. and I'm like looking at this list of all the presidents. okay I'm good. yeah I'm there.

00:49:58.389 --> 00:50:39.269
I made like, um, little, what do they call it when you like make up something associated? like word association? like yeah, like an anagram. yeah so I would word associate each thing that I needed to remember. and then it would just come to me. like I don't know how or why. that's just one of the things that worked for me. it's like, okay, well, if you're thinking about, I don't know, if you're thinking about chocolate chips, okay, it's gonna be chips of white cookies or like blue. and then, and then it comes to me. yeah yeah I don't know why. it just is one of the things that works along with not studying. you know, everyone kind of just like hits a brick wall sometimes. did you come across like any stumbling blocks? any I think like once a day. yeah like once a day I hit a wall where I'm like, is this like where what I'm supposed to be doing?

00:50:39.269 --> 00:50:44.289
I think I have a lot of support and like reaffirmation. so I don't end up giving up on my dreams.

00:50:44.289 --> 00:51:02.710
but yeah, I mean, there's definitely moments I would say like on the logistics side because that's not my language. like it's really hard. it's a really hard barrier. and although I was able to do it successfully for other companies, again, it was under pressure. there's nobody to pressure me with my own business. so that is something that that I definitely struggle with.

00:51:02.769 --> 00:52:07.329
and then I would also say like I had some less than positive meetings with people that I really looked up to that kind of said things along the lines of like, you know, you have a lot to figure out in. and it felt like a condescending like you don't know what you're doing and like you're gonna fail and nobody else is gonna tell you a type of way. so that was definitely like a hit because then you self-evaluate a lot and you're like, okay, am I imagining that this is like good, a good idea? like am I making it up? but I'm good. like I mean, the success speaks for itself. like the traction that I've received, the the fact that I may, I was able to leave a full-time job and my wages are already covered. like I, that's not something that I'm like struggling to make up for. and of course, like like those are all the little like milestones that I'm, that I feel like I'm dealing with currently that are kind of like my roadblocks. yeah, yeah easy to overcome. just a lot of perseverance. if you could go back in time and like talk to your younger self, you know, like what kind of advice would you give yourself? stop being so mean to yourself. like seriously, I was my own worst enemy.

00:52:07.329 --> 00:52:21.929
I think that I was so like aggressively anti-des when I was younger that it stunted the girl I could have had. this years ago, I could have had so much years ago. but I had a lot of self-loathing.

00:52:21.929 --> 00:52:38.090
and I think that once I came to terms with the fact that like I'm a really kick-ass person and there are a lot of people that I feel like benefit from my story and my presence. not to sound like arrogant with that, but like I have a purpose here that's so much bigger than than me.

00:52:38.090 --> 00:52:57.469
once I came to terms with that, everything like shifted. and that was back in like 2021, where I was like, what am I doing? like why did I spend so much time not liking myself? just being happy and positive has completely changed everything around me. the people that surround me, the experiences, the opportunities, like the doors are open because I love myself now. yeah.

00:52:57.469 --> 00:53:09.530
yeah do you think like your definition of success or how you view success, do you think that's changed because of the journey that you've gone through? absolutely I think I used to think that success was defined by money, a hundred percent.

00:53:09.530 --> 00:53:18.969
I thought it was monetized. like everything about if you're not like driving the nicest car, you don't have the designer bags, you're not going on vacations all the time, you're not successful.

00:53:18.969 --> 00:53:39.550
but where I think success lies is like I'm able to bring in what I need to bring in. and I'm able to experience what it's like to be a full-time mom and be able to like really emerge myself in my children's lives and not be in survival mode for the first time ever. so I feel extremely rich and successful in that aspect. like I'm able to give back to the community.

00:53:39.550 --> 00:54:10.210
I'm able to show up and support other people and be like exactly who I'm supposed to be. my family, I feel very successful. do you think there's any bold moves that are coming up that you're planning? absolutely yeah. absolutely I definitely think I think the liquor license is going to be quite the jump for me. and then, yeah, on top of that, I've got some really, really big things in the works with some some great friends of mine yet that I don't want to I don't want to. share too much yet. but they will be on my social media for sure. nice yeah, it's cool.

00:54:10.210 --> 00:54:22.510
very cool. what's your your favorite book, podcast, or resource that inspires boldness? definitely the secret the one that changed my life. it's um by Rhonda Byrne.

00:54:22.510 --> 00:54:37.889
I believe it's on Amazon, but it talks about the law of attraction. and basically you are going to get exactly what you put out into the world. what's the best piece of advice that you've ever received? everything that I want in life is on the other side of hard. that makes sense.

00:54:37.889 --> 00:54:44.610
yeah you got to go through the hard things to get the things that you want. that reminds me of a going through the valley of despair. have you ever heard of that?

00:54:44.610 --> 00:55:00.730
I don't know if anybody else has heard about this. like you're going along this path, and then you go down this valley. and this is like the suck, you know? like this is like the garbage, the stuff. and this is where a lot of people pull out. they're like, I'm done. yeah you know what I mean? like with anything. like yeah, could be a job or like a relationship or whatever.

00:55:00.730 --> 00:55:21.590
but then when you push out of that, you're on the other side. then it's like way better than it was going into it. absolutely so crazy, I think. yeah there's another one that kind of like goes alongside my first one that's like nobody's expecting you to be a hundred percent better by tomorrow. but if you were one percent better for a hundred days, you're going to get there faster. yeah and it's like, okay, that's one percent is so attainable.

00:55:21.590 --> 00:55:25.090
I can do that, and I can take that with me each day. yeah that's a good one.

00:55:25.090 --> 00:55:40.329
I never heard of that before. yeah I like that one. and one word, how would you encourage someone to be bolder today? courage have courage to to get where you want to be, to make the step, to take the leap, to have the conversation. definitely courage. that's a good one. all right, it's been awesome.

00:55:40.329 --> 00:55:59.030
I've had so much fun. yeah no, this is like so cool sharing your story. how can people get a hold of you? how can people contact you? yeah get some lemonade. yeah I would say my primary outlet right now is Instagram. so I'm on Instagram as AZ Desert Squeeze. my email is on there.

00:55:59.030 --> 00:56:00.250
my phone number is on there.

00:56:00.250 --> 00:56:06.610
I'm on Google as well. and then I have a website coming soon. you got a domain? yeah it's azdesertsqueeze.com.

00:56:06.610 --> 00:56:13.710
sweet okay so eventually we're looking at like the next month probably. very cool, that's exciting.

00:56:13.710 --> 00:56:27.590
yeah I'm super excited. very cool. mobile orders? oh yeah, yeah. okay yeah, very cool. um is there anything that you want to share uh that we haven't got to to talk about or anything? um no, not really.

00:56:27.590 --> 00:56:35.389
I think the world just to be kinder to themselves and to each other. cool yeah no, I'd agree with that. well it's been amazing having you on the show.

00:56:35.389 --> 00:56:52.989
I'm glad we got to connect and talk about your story. stuff that's that's really cool. it's like, you know, a lot of times, you know, you you connect and be an eye and stuff, you know, and you do one-on-ones. yeah but for some reason, it's it's like always different when you know you're like for like a podcast. yeah it's like really cool because, yeah, because it's personal.

00:56:52.989 --> 00:56:58.949
like I get to, I got to learn so much about you as well. yeah and yeah, I'm really thankful. yeah awesome. very cool.

00:56:58.949 --> 00:57:07.710
get some lemonade if you haven't because desert squeeze lemonade is awesome. so really excited for that.

00:57:07.710 --> 00:57:15.130
I'm really excited to see your business grow. so that's gonna be very cool. thank you so much following that. yeah but this has been the bold news podcast with Desiree Krause.

00:57:15.130 --> 00:57:18.449
Des, that's going to be a wrap on this episode and we out.