Just an Epic Life
Just an Epic Life
Breaking Free: Life After the 9-5... During A Hurricane!
Welcome back to another episode of the Just an Epic Life podcast. This is truly remarkable. My name is Nick. I'm one of your hosts. I'm sitting next to Kesley Kesley, how are you today?
Speaker 2:I'm good. I'm as good as I can be Stuck indoors on vacation, and that's okay Stuck.
Speaker 1:I thought you said stuck indoors. I'm like why are you sucking doors? No, stuck indoors, Stuck indoors. And thought you said stuck indoors. I'm like why are you sucking doors? No, stuck indoors, Stuck indoors.
Speaker 2:And when you're stuck indoors, it's a great time to podcast.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. That's what we're doing, because right behind us is Hurricane Beryl.
Speaker 2:And it just started raining yeah. And it's, I mean visibility is getting less and less.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think the biggest thing is the building is rumbling.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it has rumbling moments.
Speaker 1:Each time the wind picks up.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm yeah.
Speaker 1:So that's, really cool.
Speaker 2:You're going to have to watch the podcast or listen to it to hear the rest.
Speaker 1:Kesley is giving the little snippet for social media. Yep, yes, yeah, so we are on day number four.
Speaker 2:We left on Saturday. Actually, we leftay morning sunday monday. What day is today? It's the day before fourth of july, which is thursday, so this is this is wednesday, so we had. This is going to be our fourth night we had two epic days and then one going to be our fourth night. We had two epic days and then one cautious preparatory day, you mean yesterday, yesterday, which is still great, yeah and then today.
Speaker 1:It today is not vacation yeah, today is all about.
Speaker 2:In fact, I just watched a tiktok with a sandals resort where, basically, I assume the gm came out and said service gets secondary to anything else. Moving forward, I care about you and I care about the staff and that's exactly how we feel. Like, um, the Royalton has been as well.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. The Royalton has been phenomenal. Yeah, I mean he like as leaders. You know I was, I worked in the school system for two decades. I mean we always knew what to prepare for and we practiced what to prepare for. I don't think they practiced this.
Speaker 2:And they did well.
Speaker 1:This is the we found out that the leadership has been working through this plan since they learned learned that it could be necessary right, but they, we moved from like a category two to a category four so, yeah, like even uh, that we are speaking with one of the butlers, uh, who not assigned to us, just a gentleman that we were speaking with, and, uh, we talked about how one of the two butlers assigned to our room we hadn't met yet and he said, no, it was the dress, the wearing the suits. Oh yeah, you know. Oh, we didn't notice that.
Speaker 1:You know the butler team changed clothes progressively during the day and he said well, there may have been other things going on yesterday and you know leadership was working on other things.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And that was the first time that the staff alluded to the fact that there were plans in place and they were going to make the plans work.
Speaker 2:And today's going well. You probe, you ask good questions, and so it's hard for them to skirt them. Yes, yeah, yeah, so so, so far, uh, what? What I want to add this the staff has done amazing, but it takes all of us and I think some of the guests forget that these people are putting their life out for us.
Speaker 2:I mean, they're they're working so that we cannot work. And I don't know there was just. There was a rude woman this morning and she showed up twice in a very short time and it just was like come on, like a little bit of grace goes a long way. These people are away from their families away from their families.
Speaker 1:Like there was a uh a staff member who was probably 18 years old, looked 12.
Speaker 2:No, she was not 18. She was young, young.
Speaker 1:And we had a quick conversation about if that was our daughter, would we want her at work or home with us, keeping in mind that the walls and the protection of this facility is probably far greater? Well, it's far greater and stronger than our home.
Speaker 2:Probably yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like this is designed to protect and withstand for sure. Versus personal homes are not um certainly not here, and then here in other parts of the world, the daughter is probably safer here, correct, but that parental Like wanting to keep them, yeah, yeah. I don't know. It's interesting we spoke with one of the team members who's part of the room cleaning team and she talked about how she is staying here tonight, and I think a lot of staff members are staying on property, so I'm sure the facility is making accommodations for all of them.
Speaker 2:So I mean we had to move from our room we had one of the furthest on the property rooms, um like closest to the water, and it's expected, I mean, at this point, if everything goes the way they're suggesting it goes, the water will be in our room, that room.
Speaker 2:So we're now on the fourth floor, but that gives us a great view of this. So, yeah, and I mean, we did a podcast yesterday about Beryl and all of that. So I feel like we'll have to do another podcast about how it all finishes out and until then, I feel like maybe some uh, a question I've been thinking about and I feel like you probably have vacation brain, which is great because it's probably like full of greatness, but I think I asked this probably once every six months, but you quit working two years ago. Yeah, yeah, what do you think you like it now? Yeah, yeah, what do you think you like it now?
Speaker 1:you like working for yourself or working for me and dad.
Speaker 2:Yes, I like it what do you, what do you like most about how your life is now?
Speaker 1:I there is. There are no limits no limits to what there are no limits to what, no limits to living, no limits to how we live, there's no limits on the opportunities that are possible, there are no limits on earning potential in terms of money, because when I was a teacher, you were at your limit I was at. My and my worth was dictated by which school district I worked for and what the governing board said I was able to earn based off of my years of teaching and my level of education. Those are limits.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Right now, the only thing that's limiting me is me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and what's cool is two years ago, if we had this conversation, I mean, you saw how, like my earning potential had changed, right, like you said, spare time job, part time job, full time job took over my life, then back to getting my life, and you still, I think, struggled with having that like we can have anything, we can do anything, we can whatever yeah, there was a.
Speaker 1:There was sort of a naive guilt, you know, changing how I view money and changing how I view my career, and the guilt of you know I've been serving my entire career in a community where they were. They didn't have the same mind. I didn't have the same mindset. Yeah, um, but that guilt of you. Can I go to jamaica for four days and be upgraded to first class? I mean, we don't need that. We just need to get in the car, drive to california, stay there for three or four days and drive back home.
Speaker 2:That's all the vacation we need could cost as much as getting to jamaica, that's actually very true, and the beaches aren't as beautiful yeah, we perfect example.
Speaker 1:We used to when, when our kids were four, five, six, seven, eight, like around then, we would be very creative with our vacations. But vacations in california still cost a decent amount of money. And then when you you're like, well, let's just travel abroad, it will be cheaper, let's find a place in the world where it's cheap to live, and then we're just paying for the flights to get there. And that's how we vacationed to Costa Rica for a month. There's a siren, his megaphone thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah you can't hear it, but we can hear the guy's megaphone, this head of security, as he's walking around and he's telling people to get off of their balconies.
Speaker 2:That's where I want to be.
Speaker 1:But yeah, that wind was coming through quite strong. I was talking oh yeah, Costa Rica. Yeah, that was a month and it was no more expensive than our vacations to california yeah yeah, okay, so it's been two years since I joined your team. Do you regret it?
Speaker 2:uh-uh, it's definitely a different. It's different, right, like it's. Uh. I love the people that are like I can never work with my significant other or, uh, I can never work with my dad. I mean, I already have family, so encompassed with that. Um, certainly there are people in my family where we would probably not work as well together. Uh, and yet, no, it's's, uh. It's funny.
Speaker 2:I was telling somebody the other day how you uh, like, the first several months, like, and the first several months the kids started school. I think you really tried to take what you thought were burdens off of me. Yes, and I don't know if we've talked about this, but so you would go grocery shopping, yeah, you would cook, yeah, you would take the kids to school. You'd pick the kids up and you would. I'd see these emails on days when you couldn't pick the kids up or couldn't take them to school and you would send them to, not me, they would go to your parents, which is fine. I love that.
Speaker 2:We have the most amazing support between your parents and my parents, and I get so mad because you didn't ask me first and I likely could have done it and probably would have loved to have done it. Likely could have done it and probably would have loved to have done it, and you didn't give me the opportunity. And I I know that can remember coming home one day and you were cooking which, by the way, nick does not enjoy cooking Um, he, I used to joke and say if it's Nick's turn to make dinner and there was never a turn but if Nick's making dinner it's fake potatoes and pizza or one of the other salad or salad, or salad, yeah, so he's cooking dinner.
Speaker 2:and I came home and he was like and I think if we had stayed on that trajectory I would have sent you back to work because we couldn't have done it. And so I remember I looked at you and I said you have to stop doing all the things I like. And you're like what do you mean? I'm doing the shopping and doing the cooking. I'm like I love those things and you have to stop doing all the things I like. And you're like what do you mean? I'm I'm doing the shopping and doing the cooking. I'm like I love those things and you have to start letting me pick the kids up Like I want to, but I'm just trying to make your life easier. I'm like that doesn't? You're removing all of the joy from my life, everything that.
Speaker 1:I didn't occur to me that those are joyful experiences. Well cooking going grocery shopping.
Speaker 2:That is a chore okay, so it is a chore let's start with some of those, those three tasks specifically, I think for part of my identity as a young mom, a young wife, all that, so, uh, secondly, I enjoy grocery shopping. I go to the same store. I know the layout of the store. I hate when they change crap around. Um, I, I, I can be in and out of the grocery store in a quarter of the time. That it takes Nick to get half of the shopping list and that frustrates me because I'm like what took you so long? You've gone for three hours. Oh, I just went to the grocery store. No, no, I love that. I can be efficient doing that. I plan out the dinners.
Speaker 2:Cooking is not a chore for me. I can watch a show, listen to a book, listen to some music, manage the entire house while shopping and or while cooking and picking the children up from work. Sometimes is a relief to get away from the office and get home, get to spend a few minutes with them, because I mean they got stuff to do too, right, like so sometimes, just getting that like you would come home with oh, isaiah told me this in the car and I would get so I'd be like so, yeah, no, I think it's been. It's been cool to have you on the team. It's been cool to watch you morph, like I morph into whatever it is you do besides sit around and eat bonbons. Whatever it is you do besides sit around and eat bonbons, it is you do Well.
Speaker 2:After having hired three new staff members well, one staff member and two subcontractors in the last five and a half months what are you doing?
Speaker 1:He does plenty, you've got to watch my stories. He's, oh my gosh, so all you do is okay, all right, Nope, nope, nope. People who know me know that that's not nick.
Speaker 2:Nick is an epic networker, so yeah, it's fun uh watching your mindset.
Speaker 1:Uh has been the most amazing thing. Let's keep this going. Let's see what happens.
Speaker 2:We're we're here. We're here. Hello, how are you?
Speaker 1:hi, I'm fine how are you doing?
Speaker 2:well, Okay when did you check?
Speaker 1:in Um to this room.
Speaker 2:It was Sunday.
Speaker 1:We checked into this room at 11 o'clock this morning. We came from 2106. 2106.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'm sorry about that.
Speaker 1:Have a nice day. Thank you so much, all right.
Speaker 2:They must be doing inventory.
Speaker 1:I think they're figuring out who is where. Yeah, and I assume, to make sure that everyone is safe, uh-huh and make sure everyone's accounted for and to maybe make sure we didn't sneak back to our old room. Yeah, maybe. Or I mean on the television, they still don't have us checked in.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that's okay.
Speaker 1:But they told us you will get important messages on your TV. Just click on the envelope. Yeah, we turn on the power and it says no one's checked into your room.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so you can't even work the television.
Speaker 1:We can't watch the the weather, we can't. Yeah, it's okay yeah that was fun. I'm glad that you got to experience that journey with us. When did you check in today? Uh, sunday, but also that was fun how she's like sorry about that it's all good, okay.
Speaker 2:So what I wanted to say is your mindset and like you talked about it a little bit, but it's just different to the point where you did something recently, I don't know how long ago and my brain and I'm the big dreamer right, like, I'm the one who's like we are going to go, oh, like, the craziest thing you can think of is usually something I come up with. And you said something in my brain went he's out of his ever loving mind. It actually thought some other words, but those were the PG ones. So, uh, and I I of course don't say that out loud because certainly I don't want to stifle any dream or crazy stuff you got going on in your head and yet I was just like I don't even know how that's possible. And I think I said to you when did you get to be the leader of this dreaming thing we're doing? So, yeah, it's been. Yeah, two years later, it's epic, it's multiple times. Dad was concerned that you and I would gang up on him and you two gang up on me.
Speaker 1:Awesome.
Speaker 2:I have to fight for my life sometimes and I feel like when I put my foot down, you both comply. Yes, it doesn't happen that often.
Speaker 1:It is rare that things come to that.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But when it comes to that, then I'm just like okay, thanks for making a decision.
Speaker 2:People invite me along because I make decisions.
Speaker 1:Yes, I do not enjoy making a choice. That's a chore too If there's a group involved. I'm just just gonna go do some dishes while you guys figure out what's gonna happen oh, I am the opposite.
Speaker 2:I'm like, okay, choice a, b or c, I'll make a decision. I've already made the decision, but I'm gonna let you think yes, let the semblance of okay.
Speaker 1:I think that I'm not scratching my bug bites, yet I I keep catching my legs rubbing together like crickets.
Speaker 2:I'm dying.
Speaker 1:Stop it, I'm just rubbing the coconut oil in.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So the bugs, they're not bad, it's just if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time beware, you should see Nick's legs.
Speaker 2:We'll post on Insta. They are like. It looks like he has chicken pox.
Speaker 1:And I'm confident it's just because we sat at that one steakhouse that had the water.
Speaker 2:You don't think it was today. I think all of mine are from today, from today.
Speaker 1:From when Going out on our old balcony.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you said sandbags and then mosquitoes or whatever. I don't know. I don't know it's a lot Anyways.
Speaker 1:It's a lot.
Speaker 2:It's amazing to see Gary Keller says we severely overestimate what we can do in one year and underestimate what we can do in five years. And it's cool to see what we've done in five years and it's cool to see how, um, what we've done in two years and, honestly, if we're real about it, less than two years, right because you, you, you really did sit at home and eat bonbons? Not really well but I would.
Speaker 1:I would do epic things, I would go golfing. When's the last time I went golfing?
Speaker 2:okay, blame your son. He has been so busy.
Speaker 1:I know he is so busy. That was my time with him. Yeah, it's not without wanting. Now he's busy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's busy and Liliana's busy and we're afraid that some extracurriculars- are going to Catch you in the cradle of the sea. What the heck I don't know what to do with you. The moral of that story with the whole five years thing is like we're only we're barely even on the start of halfway there and, if we're honest, not really even halfway there, maybe a year and a half a year in. So it's going to be cool to see what happens over the next.
Speaker 1:I love that. We are the the, the things that we're putting our creative energy behind. We're just, we're not just creating the thing, we're creating the process, so the thing can're creating the process, so the thing can keep working.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and those kinds of ideas didn't even exist to me, like I think I think about how, like something you have been super focused on for the last year, but really, like hyper-focused on, you, feel more educated about it in the last several months is like protecting this legacy that that dad and I started and that is evolving, because dad and I would have just kept doing what dad and I do, which is shoveling, making friends, building businesses, creating the empire, and then always hustling we would have just done the hustling and I think at one point we would have looked back and gone shoot if we stop hustling.
Speaker 2:And I think at one point we would have looked back and gone shoot, yeah, if we stop hustling today, there's no income.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and what protection do we have? Like, I saw a great social media post where it was a family of five and the parents said dear kids, please, when we're gone, you won't have to worry about anything, but here's the rules to follow. And it basically said never sell one of the properties, always keep them mortgaged so that it looks like you have debt and you're not worth what you're actually worth. And then it talked about the offshore accounts and other things. It was really cool, because I think people don't know those things.
Speaker 1:The building shuttered a little bit.
Speaker 2:Just a little, so yeah. Okay, okay, the building shuttered a little bit, just a little. So yeah, okay, okay, the building is shuttering.
Speaker 1:I feel like we're gonna get it away from the window now. Okay, well, at least turn the couch around so we can look at the window so it can break in our face?
Speaker 2:yeah, okay, I'm not concerned, all right the only the things that would break it theoretically are like flying branches okay, so I don't oh my goodness, kesley almost dude dude, it was moving from one room to the other yeah, like she was carrying she was dragging, not dragging rolling a suitcase.
Speaker 1:We're walking through and then, all of a sudden, we hear this giant like thud. We turn around and two feet behind kesley, this giant probably 10, 12 foot palm branch with girth slams on the ground right behind kesley. It was just like crap. This just got real. Yeah, like so that.
Speaker 2:And another woman goes. You are lucky, lucky. It was funny.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's crazy Crazy.
Speaker 1:That's crazy.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So you'll have to wait for the episode where we talk about what it was like to live through this hurricane that we're about to experience, that we're kind of in the thick of, yeah, and go, do what you want to do in life. Two years from now, you can be living your best life in Jamaica during a hurricane. Yeah, two years from now you can be living your best life in Jamaica during a hurricane or wherever else your journey takes you absolutely as always.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening. We invite and ask that you like share, subscribe and until next time enjoy an epic life. Outro music get it, kessley, you get it.