The Conscious Investor
Chasing after Financial Freedom often bankrupts other parts of life.
That’s why the Conscious Investor Podcast goes beyond Financial Freedom and helps investors cultivate Personal Freedom by featuring experts in the core areas of health, mindset, and investing.
If you’re looking to grow financially, if you long to unleash your full potential, and build a life of meaning without bankrupting the most important parts of life then this show is for you!
The Conscious Investor
Ep513 Mandy's Journey From 9-to-5 to Thriving Investor
Unlock the secrets to accelerating your financial growth with multifamily apartment investor Mandy, who shares her transformative journey from a 9-to-5 job to thriving in real estate and business acquisition. Influenced by "The Surrender Experiment," Mandy explains how pivoting from real estate alone to including business investments can significantly boost earnings, especially in today’s economic climate with rising interest rates. Get ready to uncover practical strategies and the mindset shifts needed to diversify investments for optimal success.
Discover the power of creating supportive communities for ambitious women as Mandy discusses her leadership role in GoBundance Women, a mastermind group fostering growth and empowerment. Learn about the unique challenges and enormous rewards of managing multifamily properties and assisted living communities. Mandy emphasizes the importance of operational scale and the right management structure in achieving efficiency. This episode sheds light on how spaces like GoBundance Women drive impactful opportunities and meaningful connections among its members.
Gain profound insights into personal development as Mandy highlights the importance of doing inner work, setting boundaries, and maintaining internal alignment. From overcoming fear with radical transparency to teaching children about money through initiatives like GoBundance and Fambundance, this episode covers it all. Mandy’s method of taking on one major project per quarter and the value of being part of supportive groups like GoBundance Women offers a blueprint for balancing personal and financial growth while celebrating each step along the way. Join us for an episode filled with inspiration, practical advice, and transformational stories.
Hello Conscious Investor and welcome back. I'm your host, julie Hawley. For over four years, I've paired my background in real estate, investing, education and coaching to create powerful content for you each week. This podcast is where we take a holistic approach to investing by focusing on three ingredients to a life of personal freedom health, mindset and wealth. We'll talk about everything from passive investing through syndication and how to use your retirement accounts to boost your investing, to mineral balancing and gut brain health, and into topics that cultivate your inner strength and resilience so you can thrive regardless of any of life's current events. And yes, those are all episodes currently available and linked in the show notes below. Join me each Monday for a mindset episode and later in the week for an interview with expert investors and health professionals, so that you can experience your greatest health, strongest mindset and build the wisest wealth. Mandy, I am so thrilled to have you back again guesting again. That doesn't happen often on the show, so welcome back to the Conscious Investor.
Speaker 2:I am so incredibly excited, julie, for a hundred reasons, and thank you for the chance to be on again.
Speaker 1:You know, I think if I were to open up my desk drawer and dig around for just a brief moment, I might find a best friend half from like. Years ago, after we recorded our podcast and we ended up outside because my internet was trash and we've got chickens in the background, I'm pretty sure that I sent like a oh, we're going to do this best friends thing because this is hilarious. So it was just a fun, fun way to wrap up such a fun conversation. So, conscious Investor, if you want to see growth and development in humans, go back, listen to the previous episode, which was probably three years ago, with Mandy and I, because it's just, it's fantastic. But, mandy, we've got to dive into the biggest question of all because life has changed a lot.
Speaker 2:So now, here in 2024, so now, here in 2024, what do you do and how did you get started?
Speaker 2:Oh, love it, julie. I am currently in this really cool situation where, multifamily apartment investing, I bought stuff that I own by myself and stuff that I own with just a few partners, that I was able to buy my way out of my W-2 in 2021 and have had the space to be able to just lean into stuff that feels awesome. A book that you and I might have talked about is called the Surrender Experiment, which has really informed so much of my choices, of what's next and where do I want to put my energy, and where I'm putting my energy now is largely with GoBundance Women, this mastermind that I joined as a member that I now have an opportunity to serve in leadership and because of things I've learned from people who are light years ahead of me in their investment journeys. I've acquired a couple of businesses, because I think businesses make you go further, faster in terms of earnings and net worth than even real estate. So that is where I'm at now.
Speaker 1:So much there that we could go down. I feel you conscious investor, because it's like which path do we start with? So we're going to say this, we don't have to, we have, we have time on our hands, so are on our side, so we're going to start with. I want to start with the businesses. I really want to go into GoBudnets. Can you see, I am conflicted, but I want to ask you about businesses.
Speaker 1:I feel like that's the new sexy thing out there and people are like gravitating. We're seeing. You know, cody Sanchez is like, oh my gosh, we're going to be the next Cody. And we're, you know I have, we have a mutual friend. She's crushing it with the business that she just bought and it is something that, in fact, somebody told her I mean, it passes along commented on her on a LinkedIn post she had recently and they said, oh, look at all the people from multifamily are now transitioning shiny object syndrome over to businesses and we're thinking businesses take a long time to acquire. Like there's a different process and one, whatever investors invest, that's the whole purpose behind it. Tell us, like, a little bit about the, the um addition and I also see it as an addition into one's portfolio Like how did you decide to add, um you know, businesses into your investment portfolio and what are you loving most about it?
Speaker 2:Sure, I mean, my end game will always be apartment buildings on agency debt that I own by myself. However, with the incredibly fast tick up in interest rates, they weren't penciling for many years, and what I've chosen to do is, rather than sit on my hands because I'm not a sit on your hands kind of girl I looked at the people who are light years ahead of me. So one of the my favorite calls in GoBundance is we look at people who make it to $10 million net worth $100 million net worth and we dissect what got them there Right. And one of the things that I saw time and time again is that you can kind of white knuckle it and get to maybe a $10 million net worth in real estate, but the people who got there further faster, the people who get to $200 million net worth, they get there with a business interest. And when I lean back and look at the why, if I'm going to buy an apartment building at a four cap, which was happening a lot the math on it just zoom out its value is NOI over cap. So at a four cap, to get that dollar of NOI, I need to pay $25.
Speaker 2:If I'm going to buy, let's say, a car wash. It costs me 3x EBITDA. So it costs me $3 for a dollar of that cash flow. And I understand math isn't perfect but it's rough ideas. So I'm buying the dollar of cash flow for cheaper and I have an opportunity to, if I can see a path to doubling year over year top line revenue on the car wash for five years straight. Can you double year over year top line revenue of your apartment building with you know and keep anybody renting or abide by all the laws? You absolutely cannot. So I think of the business as my engine for cash flow and once I have a big chunk of capital to take chips off the table, I put those into those 50-ish units, small, multi.
Speaker 1:That's so. I love that because it's taking some. It's like and a lot of people do this where they're looking to how can I generate some liquid cash? So I love that because it's taking some. It's like and a lot of people do this where they're looking to how can I generate some liquid cash so that I can spin that off and put it into something that's going to be a slow growth over here and diversify, but keep, I love it. I love this, this plan. What are some of the challenges that you've faced in the business process?
Speaker 1:Cause new asset class, new challenges.
Speaker 2:You know the thing that I was talking about. I forget on what panel, but every single time I buy into something new for at least six months.
Speaker 1:I'm like oh my God, what did I do? Was it the right?
Speaker 2:choice I think I screwed up. Every single time I'm super informed, I dive in and it's so many new things to figure out. And the beauty of apartment investing is, if you buy something big enough to have a property manager's eyes on it 24-7, 365, your involvement on a day-to-day basis reduces so significantly that you could potentially call it passive, and that is beautiful. Significantly, that you could potentially call it passive, right, and that is beautiful. However, if you are going to go after that additional cash flow, there are a lot of moving parts. There are a lot of things to know the amount of things that I know about pumps and hoses and chemicals that I didn't anticipate knowing a year ago before acquiring this business. There are a lot more moving parts and a lot more systems and processes to have in place to run something well than just hiring a property manager. So doing your homework beforehand is absolutely something that is incredibly important when buying a business.
Speaker 1:I love it. You're such an ambitious like let me jump in kind of woman, so I'm like it's not a surprise at all. You're such an ambitious like let me jump in, kind of woman, so I'm like it's not a surprise at all. You're like this works, let's go.
Speaker 2:I love to make what I think is a little bet, and then I know I learn best by screwing up and failing forward. So if I make a bet that's long enough, then I can learn those lessons. Like I did in multifamily about a four-flex, I don't believe that the right path is to buy a 400 unit for your very first transaction. I think you buy a fourplex and screw up with fourplex problems and then lean into growth. So that's what I've chosen to do on the business front as well.
Speaker 1:I love that. Do you have a business like another? I mean, you have a car wash and it's been fun to see you over on social media. So, conscious Investor, go follow Mandy on social media. She's so much fun to follow, like your content's fun and it's real. It's not this. You know fluffy, and you just have insightful things that you share. It's just. I love your content. So go follow her on the socials. Um, cause you'll be glad that you did. What's the? Are you going to acquire more than um more other types of businesses besides you know? Now that you understand how car washes work, are you going to just kind of go into the car wash zone for a little bit, or?
Speaker 2:So I also have a motel, which, um, I made a bunch of friends that were killing it in short-term rentals, and the amount of revenue you can generate in an overnight stay is very different from a long-term stay, right? So I now have an opportunity to buy that partner out of that motel and am getting the right operator in place so that we can make that what it should be. One thing I'll say, though, is I've noticed about myself is I like to do a number of different things, and I've made some friends through different organizations. Actually, one woman that, if you're not following her, you should. Her name is Lisa Song Sutton.
Speaker 2:She and I had a chance to meet in an event in Costa Rica and spent some time together, and this girl she owns a brokerage and a cupcake company and a huge portfolio and mailbox stores. I'm like how the crap do you keep all of this straight? Because I'm doing a motel and a car wash in my portfolio and I feel like my head is spinning, and the lesson I learned from her at that event was you know, have an operator at the top of the totem pole so that you're, you know, kind of coaching them up rather than trying to do all of the things yourself. So 2024 has been the year of the operator for your friend.
Speaker 1:That that's amazing, especially just you've got exciting things happening in your personal life, so I'm like you have more time to just live and enjoy, which is really awesome.
Speaker 2:I mean it's a constant evolution, it's a totally a process and not all of it is in place, but I see a clear direction of working above things.
Speaker 2:And on the car wash front, a thing I've learned from small multisides is you know, if you own a six-plex, the management of that is you go to Joe for leasing and Steve for rehab and Susie for talking to tenants. Well, it's a cluster to deal with a management structure when stuff is small. But when you have enough scale like if you buy a 50-unit property, you might not like the gurus tell you afford someone full-time at like a 100-unit property would afford, but if you have a 50-unit property you might not get Susan on site Monday through Friday but you get her Monday, wednesday, friday. So having enough scale to have somebody's eyes on that price, that operator is really key. So there will be scale in our future. We're not at the point yet that we have a full book of SOPs that make complete sense, but we will be acquiring with logistical proximity to be able to have that full-time operator in place.
Speaker 1:That makes so much sense. Housing everything like building out. We're acquiring assisted living communities and it is centralized and it is scaling out and there's some intentionality to that, for sure.
Speaker 2:That is absolutely a business too, you know. So it's a completely different animal. Yeah, oh my gosh, yes.
Speaker 1:Not meant for the faint of heart and not meant for all people, because I mean, like you're dealing with such a precious demographic. I just love it. So I'm like no, you need the right people, you know, running the show, operating it and making sure that these lives are really being nurtured and cared for.
Speaker 2:It's so important you are the perfect person to be doing that stuff. Not everybody's heart is in it in the way that yours is, so I've never gotten to tell you or give you the verbal high five that I think that this is a great fit for you. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Thank you, I love it. It's it. It is my jam, you know. Just give me my multifamily and my assisted living, my, my partnerships right there. Let's just go deep. Let's go. It's fun.
Speaker 1:You and I know how important it is to have strong partners. So, conscious investor, go back. Listen to our previous recording from years ago. You'll get the story on how bad partnerships can affect your life, and it's not fun. I clearly remember that part of our conversation.
Speaker 1:So let's shift the scope a little bit, because you're doing something that's really close to both of our hearts. All of thising is our heartbeat, but we also love just being around other powerful women, powerful people, and you and I have both like hey, my guys, you guys are awesome, we love you, we value you, we appreciate you. And then there's this moment where our guys have their little spaces and they get to go and they do their thing, and now you are at the helm of the ship, just like really creating a powerful opportunity for ambitious women like us who really want to go, um, share this experience. So, before I start feeding into my my concept of everything that you do, why don't you tell us like tell us about GoBundance. Tell us about GoBundance women your vision. Who's who's there? What do you want to see?
Speaker 2:Oh, so I so completely. We are completely on the same page that you've you're given two arms for a reason. That's one thing I say a lot one to pull yourself up, but another to pull other people up with you. And especially, growing up in multifamily, I feel like I grew up with even multifamily that you know, there's so many bros, there's so many, right, but there's something really special about getting to connect, about the human condition with someone who's like you. You know so I actually learned of GoBundance in 2017, from a guy at a multifamily thing weird, right, that was talking about that.
Speaker 2:I just joined this thing and it's, you know, yes, it's about financial freedom, but it's about so much more than that. Are you giving back in a way that feels awesome? Are you connected in your relationship? What is your health like? And I'm like, oh my God, these are my people. How do I join?
Speaker 2:And there, there wasn't yet a women's division, right? So in 2020, when the women's division launched, I joined as a member because I wanted an opportunity to talk about what it feels like to be the female breadwinner, to talk about what it feels like to dive into my dreams and fear failing my son as his mother. You know that is not a conversation that makes sense with bros in the room, you know, and it wouldn't be. The reciprocal is true as well.
Speaker 2:So I believe in the hearts of the guys who started the men's division it was that kind of fraternity where they had that ability to go deep and vulnerable on the stuff that matters men to men. And then they looked up many years later and realized, oh my, we're not serving women. So they decided at the end of 2022 that they wanted to allow it an opportunity to be for women, by women. And that's when three of us stepped up and leaned into leadership and since then I've been serving as one of the women who lead GoBundance Women. So it's been really neat to see the tweaks that we wanted to have as members and we're getting to execute them now and, you know, really crossing over with the men's side where it makes sense and really saying, you know just women and just men where that. So it's been a really, really fun journey so far.
Speaker 1:And one more clarification, because there's events that are for family as well, correct, like GoBundance family.
Speaker 2:Yep, so Fambundance. If a woman is a member of GoBundance women or a man is a member of the GoBundance elite men's side, then you can attend what we call FBundance Women or a man is a member of the GoBundance Elite men's side, then you can attend what we call Fambundance and you bring your family and there's you know stuff teaching your kids about money and wealth. And you know to have my kids next to other crazy entrepreneur brain people, because you know how if you're an entrepreneur, you feel crazy in your daily life with the people your family of origin. Usually that the chance to show your kids that we are not crazy and we are chasing our dreams that feels really cool as well.
Speaker 1:It's absolutely remarkable and I think it's so important. This is one reason my kids travel to one or two events with me each year Just be around other people, and we have friends that have their kids that will come along sometimes. So it's just interesting to see like this whole world exists. It doesn't look like, you know, there's more than your small town life. Like, go see, there are lots of people thinking in these massively big, big capacities and such. So what are some of the what's? I'm curious about the vision that the three of you have for GoBundance women, who would be an ideal, you know, like if someone's listening, how would they know that, like this is where they want to be in GoPlan?
Speaker 2:So the kind of the mission statement is we are a tribe of healthy, wealthy, generous women who choose to lead epic lives. So the right person has you know, we're the tribe of millionaires. So a net worth of a million dollars or, you know, accredited investor status would mean that you qualify, because the problems that you face as an investor or in your life, if you've kind of started to figure out the money stuff, you're an accredited investor. That's a different set of investment problems than if you're trying to make your first investment. We do have a group for the not yet millionaires called Emerge, so we have a place for that. But if you have a net worth of a million dollars and you want growth and you're hungry for that growth in all ways, in your health, in your connection, in your adventures.
Speaker 2:One thing I didn't realize, julie, until I was doing my we call it our master abundance playbook. We look at the pillars that we stand for and we kind of rate ourselves Like how are we doing this quarter? And I realized, oh, adventure, like I'm not, that would be fun. Like I'm so head down on, like making my connection feel good and making my financial freedom stuff work, that I hadn't even thought of connection or the adventure stuff and I went that quarter and bought an RV. That is when we bought the RV and that is the why behind we bought the RV to go on adventures with the family and make those memories. You know, so culturally we spend time looking at the stuff that matters to us and planning our lives, because I would argue most people spend more time planning Thanksgiving dinner than they do planning their own dang lives. So we culturally kind of peer pressure you into doing that type of thing.
Speaker 1:Is there any part of it where people would be like so? So I just recently came across an organization and I'm not going to talk in depth about it, but I mean, like for the first 30 or 90 days it was a, it was a long time Like the group makes your decisions for your workout, for your nutrition, for your, and I was like I don't know that I can commit to that. That's a pretty intense thing, right. So, like, is there anything that that you have found, uh, transitioning on the vulnerability scale? Now, you and I were, we're, we're into vulnerability, so I'm like that. That's probably not going to be the part that is a little like uncomfortable for you, but is there anything where people will sometimes kind of go like, oh, I don't, I don't know that I want to have that conversation, or if I'm prepared for that, or Well, I mean this master abundance playbook.
Speaker 2:There is like radical transparency, like I write down that my weight is 169 pounds and where I want it to end up, you know, and that that's like kind of cultural. We don't talk like you know. Let me lead by example that I'm going to tell you this thing. That should be embarrassing, and it's just data. And it's the exact same with network.
Speaker 2:You know that if what you want to do is improve something, the more I say this a lot too, especially with the people I get to coach in small multis that the more truth you put to a problem, the easier it is to solve the problem. So if you're not committed to a level of transparency with people, and especially yourself, you're not going to get the results that you want. So you first got to apply the truth and sometimes that feels like you're a little bit naked that you want. So you first got to apply the truth, and sometimes that feels like you're a little bit naked and that can be kind of scary until you see the culture of that. We're all doing this, we're all in it together. We're all here to lift each other up.
Speaker 1:Like full, like we know, conscious investor you know Mandy knows me well enough to know like I don't mind the vulnerability, but that always because the cultural norm is you don't talk about religion, politics, and you certainly don't ask people about like, oh, how much money's in the bank account. Oh, what'd you spend that on? Oh, you have debt. Oh, you, you're only going to make. You're going to make this much. Why wouldn't you make that much? Like, like, there is so much about that that can feel so raw and vulnerable where people you know, so I love that there's a place where it's the norm, like this is data.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's exactly it. And sometimes if you find yourself in a more successful kind of situation based off of the decisions you've made in your life, then your family or of origin, or your your where you grew up it can be embarrassing to say, hey, julie, I bought a $5 million property yesterday Because someone might say, in that family of origin, oh, must be nice. Well, no, I worked so hard on this. I want a high five, I don't want to. It must be nice and what you get if you are in the right room is a high five and not like a judgment in the wrong direction.
Speaker 1:I absolutely love that and there's there's so much truth to that and conscious investor, maybe you don't feel that truth on the financial side, but maybe you've gone through that process of doing deep inner work and so now you're making some bold choices. Or maybe you've gone through that process of of saying no to certain things in your nutrition so that you can say yes to the, you know, to the health and fitness that you want, right, and now people look at you like, oh well, who do you think you are? You know granola eating, you know, and, and so, yeah, there's always that like that pushback when we become that mirror for the people around us and they don't like what they're seeing, it's like, well, I, I've done the hard work, like I won't be around people that want to celebrate with me, let's go.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, the, where I grew up, is so near and dear to my heart and I love getting to go home and I want to make friends that are my future, in addition to my friends that have built my path, and that's what I get a chance to do when I'm in rooms with, like this, lisa song Sutton, and we get to spend a weekend with Cody Sanchez in October. So just being around women who you know, I think sometimes I'm playing chess, and then I get around them and I realized I'm just playing checkers. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, yeah, I feel that way around you all the time. I'm just like it's so exciting, it's just absolutely exciting, do you know? Just to see you know how you've evolved and the daring that what appear to be like just no, I'm going for this, I bet on me. And to have that confidence to say like I know I can do this. It might be scary, but I'm going to do it anyway but I know I can do this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's um. I was actually, uh, on a panel at a women's event and we were talking about decision-making process and this, um, you know, the difference between someone who is light years ahead of you and where you're at is just the fact that they did it scared, that they're still unsure, that you know this idea of like you've got to mitigate the risk and you know I, um, when I was first doing a larger multi, that first 53 unit that I bought versus the fours and sixes and the tens, I got real comfortable with that If I felt like I was going to like be homeless and penniless and under a bridge with my son, like I was certain of it. And then I just realized I'm reading stoic philosophy at the time like what is the actual worst case scenario? That's not the worst case scenario. Maybe you've got tons of savings, you're gonna have some money coming in, you can always go get another job if you want. So what is the decision making process? And understand that they're, you know, just doing it scared.
Speaker 1:I think that doing it scared. Now what do you think? Like my position is, sometimes we have to do that personal, that inner work to get to the point where we can do it scared. I've, I've, I've done so much inner work just to build some infrastructure to where it's it's like it's going to be okay. I'm at this point now where it's like where it's, it's like it's going to be okay. I'm at this point now where it's like it's it's kind of all of it's going to be okay. Like, think about the past. So what have you done? Or did you just have that? Or like did you just have it or did you build up some? And I think I'm like you know, we know each other, so I'm like maybe I'm kind of leading with this question.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I am not someone who identifies as brave. You know that is not a thing that I've done. You know, connecting the dots backwards Like I could, I could see how someone from the outside might say, oh, that looks courageous. But, like, I do not identify as a brave human in any way.
Speaker 2:One thing that I have done is I've learned, like you know, how do I think about that worst case scenario, actually put truth to it, like that's normally numbers, especially in this investing game.
Speaker 2:If you think about that worst case scenario and you put the numbers to it, then you can start to plan around that, mitigating that risk, like how do you make sure that that risk doesn't happen? And then, if it feels like, if you can get comfortable with the worst case scenario and how you would deal with it, it becomes so much easier to move forward into something. And I've also a thing that, like a little hack of my brain that I've done mindset ninja, whatever is, if I need to do something, I treat it like an experiment. The idea of leaving my W-2 in 2021, it felt so final, it felt so serious and scary and I just decided that I was going to treat it like a 12-month experiment. And let's look back and see how it feels in 12 months and if it feels awesome, keep going. If it doesn't feel awesome, then go find a job. So how?
Speaker 1:do you remove the finality from a decision in order to take that pressure off? I absolutely love that, and so often we don't give ourselves that permission to even say like it's not, like I'm unemployable if I don't. And that was actually part of our decision-making process when I left education the last time, and probably for the last time, like that's the plan. You know, it's been years now, but all I have to say was like, worst case scenario, I go back to education. Like, okay, no big deal, like there's always there's. I mean, hey, I'll go be a barista. Like I don't know Worst case scenario, I can find a job. Like, if I need to find a job, we can do that. We're smart people, we're competent, conscious of us, or you are too so. So then do the thing that makes you scared and do it scared.
Speaker 2:And know that you can trust your judgment. If you've not done reps all that to say, if you decide, oh, I want to buy a small multi-building, oh, I'll just buy this one, and done no work to figure out the truth to these things, then the likelihood of your failure is a lot higher than if you've done the work to learn to trust your own judgment. Right, like if you've made the right decisions and and you figured out how to mitigate risk and maybe you're working with a coach that helps you figure out how to trust your own judgment. It all comes back to you. It all comes back to you know am I, can I trust me? And that is, you know, the hardest thing in this whole. You know human experience that we're in.
Speaker 1:It is Okay. So why would you say it's the hardest thing to trust ourselves Like we're with ourselves 24 seven? Is that why?
Speaker 2:I feel like it all depends on you know where you're at, and when you look at someone who's doing something you want to do, it seems so, oh, it seems so effortless and the past seems so obvious. And when you're like the one in the arena fighting the fight and bloody and sweaty, that you know, I think it's super common, like completely natural, to question each step that you choose to take. It's a Steve Jobs quote that I rip off all the time that the only way to connect the dots is by looking backwards. You know. So if you can develop, you know we talked about this in my house with the teenager that you know how do you figure out the, your decision making process? Have you developed?
Speaker 2:Like if you've read the Ray Dalio book principles wonderful book, incredible to see how a brilliant man thinks. But the biggest takeaway I had from that book is that I need to have a list of principles. I need to decide, when I'm unemotional, how I'm going to decide the person I want to be and it's actually you know we do that for our family what are our values, so that we know the filter to run something through before making a choice. So if you haven't decided your principles or your values that will help you make decisions when decision making is hard.
Speaker 1:That's so important. Someone else who does this on a in a different way that I think is like very gentle is Michael Gervais, and I'm obsessed with his work right now. So he goes off of first principles like the first rules, like, so you just you need to understand what your first principles are for your life. His work is on FOPA, which I think you'll appreciate Fear of People's Opinion, like just as a rule. So he has a book that recently came out. But you're going to love him, I'm not going to spoil it. Conscious Investor. You've heard me talk so much about Michael Gervais over the last several months that I'm like you're probably tired of hearing it. So but check out, check out his work, his podcast, um, eloquent with words and gentle and just absolutely like mind bending. But it's so simple, you know, and I kind of. I kind of like it when it's like how did you subtly just like do that? That was really interesting. That didn't feel painful.
Speaker 2:Elegant in simplicity. Actually, Einstein said that if you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it enough. Like I came from the cardiology world, I sold medical device sales. There are so many med device reps who try to sound so smart by using all these complicated things, Like, no like. If you can just actually boil stuff down and understand it like a fourth grader would understand it, that's when you actually know. You know that.
Speaker 1:That is when you know, right there for sure, and when he started stumbling over your words, it's very clear like, okay, this person doesn't really know what the heck they're talking about. Oh my gosh, absolutely. I want to dive into some of the personal development and I love that you and I can run the spectrum on a conversation where we can talk about hey, let's talk about investing. Okay, let's talk about the peer group that we surround ourselves with and let's talk about the inner work. What are some of the things You've gone down the Tony Robbins rabbit hole and down some other things that have really impacted your life, and I love, I, just I love that about you.
Speaker 1:I'm curious, looking back over the last you know, decade or so, you can go back as long as you want, whatever the timeframe is, I don't care, you know, but when you, when you look back, um, what do you think? Looking back, connecting the dots like Steve Jobs says, what do you think were some of the needle movers for you and conscious investor? I'm asking Mandy this, and don't take this as oh, that's going to be the same thing for me because you're a different person, but it's really important to have role models to see evolution of oneself.
Speaker 2:Totally agree. My path is not the path for all of the people. However, there's probably a clue or two that might help you inform where you're going Right. But my gateway drug was Tony Robbins, and I had. I had watched all of his videos, I had read all of his books, I had done all of the things, and then I saw a billboard that some real estate wealth expo was coming to town in like 2018 or something, and the real good ticket was $500. And then you got a picture with Tony. I'm like $500 for one day, that's stupid. I'm not doing it. Oh my god, I want to do it Right. So I bought the $500 ticket and I got to sit front row of like 10,000 people and I got my picture with Tony.
Speaker 2:But you know, he, if you, if you've done Tony Robbins stuff, unleash the power within, or UPW as they call it, is the first kind of the shortest and kind of energy focused seminar that he does. Well, he did the first four hours of UPW at this thing and at the very end, there was this meditation that was earth shattering to me. This idea that my answers are within me was mind blowing, and I just need to go deeper to figure that stuff out, because at the end of this meditation it felt magical. I knew exactly the hard decision I needed to make and at that moment, $500 was too much for that ticket. I walked directly to the back and I bought the $2,000 UPW ticket because I knew I needed to make and at that moment, $500 was too much for that ticket. I walked directly to the back and I bought the $2,000 UPW ticket because I knew I needed to invest in myself.
Speaker 2:I knew that figuring me out was going to make for the very best possible life and all of that fear that I had pent up in not, you know, being the perfect little girl that you know. Um, you know the one who raised her hands and got three days and was a division one athlete and did all of the things that she was supposed to do, like that was not fulfilling. I was. I had a full on panic attack in a parking deck at a hospital because I knew the truth was not what I was living and I needed to figure that out for myself so that I could feel what fulfillment actually look like.
Speaker 2:So, end of the day, asking yourself the hard questions is the important part, and if you spend money to go full immersive on stuff, to ask yourself those questions when you're not trying to make 12 snacks for three kids and sign permission slips. That can be way easier. But that doesn't mean a book can't help you get there. Actually, a book that I just read from a woman I met in an event is called Boundaries Boss Terry actually what's the last name, but anyway. So she's a therapist and she actually gets to teach acting. So she's so funny, julie. She knows like the comedy formula. It's great.
Speaker 1:So one thing I know you and I both love comedy. It's great. So one day you and I both love comedy, so that's great.
Speaker 2:I was trained in comedy so I thought like, oh my god, does she know she's following the rules? Well, I'm guessing she knows that she's following the rules. But the primary takeaway I had is you know, you think about boundaries, you know, you hear it. You're like, oh no, I need to say no more often. Okay, yeah, I get it, but what are your boundaries with yourself? And doing like an actual, like thought process of a thought experiment on what my boundaries are with myself and kind of how I got there. That is my current like epiphany that I'm obsessed so boundary boss.
Speaker 1:Okay, I love that. And that actually takes like the concept that I have in my own head like very full circle, because when I think about when we're not internally aligned and congruent, we can't trust ourselves, like we don't know how to trust that intuition because, well, you had that extra glass of wine when you said you weren't and you slept in when you said you were going to get up. And so we start to doubt ourselves, right, because we don't have those clear and I haven't read this book. So this is my own interpretation of all things right At this moment is like but just like being able to trust ourselves and have that confidence to say I can move forward with this, I can press play with this with confidence, and I'm not going to fall flat on my face because in these small things day to day, I make my bed, I, you know, put my dish in the dishwasher. I like these small, insignificant things that we have within ourselves just remind us like no, I have this, I'm capable of this.
Speaker 2:I mean it's are you keeping those promises to yourself? That's how you learn to trust a person who's not you Like. If, if, if you make me 20 promises and you keep six of those promises, I'm going to learn you's not you Like. If you make me 20 promises and you keep six of those promises, I'm going to learn you're not trustworthy. But if I'm making myself promises and I'm not keeping those promises, I'm treating myself like I don't matter.
Speaker 2:And I think, especially women have so many things on their plate that we you know, studies have shown that we do a disproportionate amount of housework, that we do a disproportionate amount of the childcare, that all of the stuff in this generation has, you know, largely been of a female responsibility, and now we're breadwinners in a significant way. And now we're going to control more dollars collectively as men in this world very shortly. So how do we learn to balance? How do we learn that it's okay to ask for help Because we have so long and just doing all of the things? Actually?
Speaker 2:So my business partner in GoBundance, one of the men who started the men's division his name is David Osborne. He talked about on a call how he was lucky, that he wasn't really good at a lot of stuff. So he had to start hiring and that is why his growth went so far so fast. But if you are a woman, that can you know. Get the kids on the bus and make the dance uniform and sign the permission slip and grow a multimillion dollar business. You might think that doing it all is the path to all things, when that is not necessarily the case. That is the path to burnout. How do you figure out where you can ask for help, how to ask for help and how you can matter to you?
Speaker 1:Oh gosh, so good. So OK, I have to ask, I'm compelled. I just want to know have you faced burnout since you left the medical device sales? All of that right Like? Have you faced burnout since you left the medical device sales? All of that right like? Have you faced that burnout?
Speaker 2:so actually I I've. In leaving my w-2, there was so much stuff in in, uh, real estate that I wanted to do like posts and education and, you know, outreach that I wouldn't do because I felt concerned that it would appear that my time was being split disproportionately between W2 world and investing world. So as soon as I left, there were so many things I wanted to do. So it was like I was starving and I went to like the all you can eat buffet for Chinese food and then I got all of the things on my plate and I just kept saying yes and kept saying yes because there was all of these things that I wanted to do and then I ended up like bloated with MSG and low main and opportunity.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:So this is actually kind of a cautionary tale of leaving your W2 that I talked with yesterday about that if you don't have a plan for what you're going to take on, it's easy to allow yourself to just continue to say yes because you get to. So my new personal rule of thumb I'm real big on figuring out a personal rule of thumb so decisions get easier and I have that filter to run it through. I've decided I can take on one big new project for quarters which allows me the latitude to be able to do a car wash and a motel and you know, lead to abundance and all of the things. Take on coaching plans, whatever those things are. I can only add a thing and get it set up to scale myself out of it largely one per quarter.
Speaker 1:Yes, I, I love that because my my followup question was going to be like how do you navigate that? And I love that there's this. Hey, this is the bandwidth, and if I want to do this and I want to do this successfully, then this is a parameter. Going back to giving yourself some healthy boundaries, just building all of this in keeping the promises to yourself. Gosh, I love that.
Speaker 2:Mandy, that's absolutely it. I actually so, on the whiteboard that I look at when I work, I I've been working to discriminate between is this an idea I have for myself, or is this a promise I'm making for myself? And if it's a promise, then a commitment has happened. When I keep that promise, I do a hash line and I'm watching. This is me building confidence in me that I will show up for me. You know what I mean. So can you delineate between when it is that promise and then kind of do a little reward thing of some sort, Cause if I get to 15 of those I get a massage.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, girl. Yes, definitely, I'm on board with that one for sure. Oh, I love that. What a great way of going about it as well. So fun, mandy. I could, I could just go on.
Speaker 1:I am like I always enjoy, you know, talking with you and, um, you know, you've been a just such a wonderful influence, you know, in my life, in other people's lives, just in how your level of ambition and authenticity and that ability to execute like you, you execute at the highest level possible. It's just, it's absolutely inspirational and I love so much that you know you are, you know, leading the GoBundance women and that you're providing a place for other ambitious women to be able to come to this oasis and high five each other, because we know, we, we all know, and it happens with the gentleman also. But there is that jealousy factor that can happen and it could be like, well, am I going to actually like their post, or am I going to actually like send them a note and congratulate my friend, or am I too jealous? And to do that and so to be around a group of women where it's running together is just powerful.
Speaker 2:Your growth is my growth. My goal as a connector and the one thing I'm good at in life is connecting people into stuff is that if you have a win, I have a win. And one thing that we said off camera that I want to make sure to say about you know, being part of a women's group or somebody like seeing people who look just like you doing stuff, one of the most annoying things about the human psyche is you usually you don't believe that it can happen for you until you see it happen. It's the Roger Bannister four minute mile thing, right, and I would add to that you don't believe it could happen for you until you see somebody like you doing that thing. So the big high fives, the congratulatory stuff cool. I got another example in my back pocket that's going to matter to somebody at some point and that is really what we're working to build as part of GoBundle.
Speaker 1:Oh gosh, I love that. So, as we're wrapping up, we're going to leave some information. Mandy's going to give it to you in just a second. But also remember that you know, gentlemen, there is a place for you also. I mean, like GoBundance was founded by men and, if you're hearing this, there's that tandem element and that's something that you can look into as well. So I don't want to, you know, leave you displaced at all. Like there's a place for everybody, right, we already talked about that. There's some inside the women's side, there's the fam side, like everybody's covered here, like there's a seat at the table for everybody. So, mandy, tell us, like, what's the best way for you know, the conscious investor, to connect up with you, to learn more about what you're doing, to learn more about GoBundance, women and all things amazing, mandy, yeah, thank you.
Speaker 2:So the best way to the catch all for all of the stuff that I'm into my coaching, the GoBundance stuff is mandymcallistercom. It's going to link you to all of this stuff and absolutely send me a message Men, women, not quite yet millionaires if you're interested in learning more, because I'd be thrilled to point you in the right direction.
Speaker 1:And she will point you in the right direction. Mandy, I appreciate you. Thank you so much for your friendship. Thank you for coming and pouring into the Conscious Investor once again. It's amazing and beautiful to just continue to watch you evolve and I look forward to the continued expansion of both of us to see, like, where are we?
Speaker 2:Wow, look where we were then and look who we are now, what we're up to, how cool we feel like we have completely grown up together in this whole like game that we're playing, and it matters so much to me to see your continued success. So thank you for the chance to chat about this, to hopefully provide something that's a little bit impactful to somebody and to just be in the same room with you.
Speaker 1:Gosh, hugs, hugs to you, friend and Conscious Investor. Remember you want to take action. You don't want to be complacent. Because here's what happens If we choose to not, to just stay in place, we're actually going backwards. Okay, because time is continuing on. And so if you're being complacent and you're procrastinating and you're not taking action, you're actually going backwards in everything in life. And so, even if it's a small incremental step forward or if it's a big step forward, it is better to be moving forward, to be taking action, than it is to just, in theory, standing in place because you're not, you're going backwards, okay.
Speaker 1:If you're not going, you're dying, you are, and so close a gap between who you are now and the future that you see and envision that you long for. Okay, also, make sure that you take time, let us know what you think about this episode, especially over on Apple Podcasts. It directly affects the reach of the show and the types of guests who want to come on the show. In fact, when you leave reviews and that means you have to go to the main show page on Apple you have to scroll down to the bottom and in little, tiny, purple words, it says write a review. Right, when you choose to do that, it allows other people, guests to say oh, wow, this is an active, the conscious investor. They have like a great listenership, and so you speaking up allows every one of us to experience just an amazing menagerie of guests.
Speaker 1:Okay, and so I want to encourage you to take that 30, 60 seconds to go to Apple podcasts, scroll on down to leave a. Leave a review and honest one. Um, and just let us know it has. It can be honest, even if you are like this sucks, I don't like it. Let us know either way, okay, cause you get to be you, Even if you are like this sucks. I don't like it. Let us know. Either way, okay, because you get to be you and we appreciate you. Until next time, cheers to your health, your mindset and your walk.
Speaker 2:Thank you, you.
