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Sarah, is that a hair day?

I think it could be a hair day with this guest.

Well, this might be a really good hair day for you.

Absolutely.

Did you wash your hair for me today?

No, girl, it's not a wash hair day.

It's just a hair day.

That's right. All right. This guest is a Canadian farm girl.

Who traded mud boots for heels, but never lost her grit and grounded nature. Growing up outside a small city in Alberta, she learned about hard work from her entrepreneurial family where business was a family affair. After moving to Arizona in 2015, she co founded Kohler Beauty Lounge and Med Spa just a year later, creating a one stop shop beauty and wellness destination. Today, Kohlaire has grown to over 35 employees, making her early dream of business ownership a remarkable reality beyond her professional life. This guest is an active advocate for women in business and has chaired the Women Empowered Committee at the Gilbert Chamber. Her motto, adversity to victory, speaks to her journey and her resilient approach to life. She's deeply committed to her faith, family, and community, and she remains proudly connected with her Canadian roots. Please welcome Dallas Sloan.

Hey, hey, hey. Welcome to the Guiding Growth show. Yeah, she does a good job on those, huh?

She does.

Every once in a while she surprises us. We'll go with that.

Thank you so much. Let's start with a little rapid fire.

Rapid fire it is. Go for it.

Okay.

Would you rather find your dream job or win the lottery?

Oh, I have my dream job. So win the lottery.

Okay.

What is your guilty pleasure?

Anything. Backstreet Boys. Oh, that's gonna clean my house. And I'm a happy girl.

Okay.

Would you rather host a party for all of your friends or enjoy a dinner for two?

Dinner for two.

Have you ever moved across country?

I've moved countries across the same country.

Would you ever appear on a reality show?

Absolutely not.

Oh, my gosh. I think it'd be the best reality show.

No.

What is your favorite dessert?

Creme brulee. If it is on the menu, I am gonna try it.

What song makes you smile?

Anything from the Backstreet Boyfriend Given.

All right. Are you more cautious or bold?

Cautious. Yes, yes.

What is your favorite rainy day activity?

I love to read a book on my patio swing in the middle of the summer. Sure. Yeah.

Okay. Just checking.

My friend, she comes from Alberta.

Last question. Glass half full or half empty?

Half full.

Love it.

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I mean Sarah set me up pretty good. Thank you. Sums it up.

I think we only get started there.

Yes. Yeah. So like Sarah said, I grew up in a small, small city on an acreage outside in southern Alberta, Canada. So picture flat prairies as far as you can see and not a whole lot else. I spent my whole life there, born and raised in the same house and all my family still lives there. Our life was a lot of time spent outdoors. We have a cabin in the mountains that is my favorite place to be and just makes my heart so happy to be there when I get a chance to go back. Yeah. Taught the value of hard work from a really young age. Seeing my family, my brothers, you know, working outside, working with animals. Just a really now very grateful for that experience at the time. As a kid, you know, I spent my summer holidays picking raspberries and pulling weeds and didn't seem so fun at the time.

No, probably not, no.

But now very grateful for all those lessons.

Youngest of four.

Youngest of four. Yeah. Eight years between me and my sister, my closest sibling. So I always joke and tease my family that I wasn't wanted but I wasn't planned and it was a very, I think it shaped me into the person that I am today, having that age gap and spending my time with mostly adults and just observing and learning and I was fortunate to become an aunt at a very young age which I absolutely loved and I miss them so much. They're old now and yeah, it's totally different inside but yeah, just absolutely shaped me to have different goals and different skills and things that I'm very grateful for. Now as an adult, what Was school.

Like, anything different than we would expect here or.

Yes, I went to an extremely small school. So how small?

Like, class size of our classes were.

Combined, multiple grades per class, so it was K through 6. And we had, I think, at most 100 students in the whole school. So tiny school. My sister went there as well. Now I have friends that their children are going there, and it's just. It's so fun.

Still combined grades. Oh, yeah, it's tiny.

Yes. Sunnyside. It was cold. Yeah. So took a bus there and built some really good friendships within that. Very community oriented. I think that's where that pull for community started for me. Having that. Yes. Like, smaller support system. You know, in our community. You know, everybody. You know, all their family, you know that everybody knows everything about you, which can be good or bad.

Right.

But just really that, like. Yeah. Small town feel. And that really is why I love Gilbert so much, because I do feel that at times, especially within the chamber, having that similar home. Yeah. Homey feeling.

As long as you're not driving around, you can get that feeling.

Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. I do not like the freeways.

Right.

When you think back to growing up and in that small town, are there any individuals that stand out as being people who helped shape who you are today?

Oh, gosh. I mean, absolutely. Yeah. My. The first person that came to my mind was my second grade elementary school teacher. For some reason, we're still friends on Facebook and. Yeah, just the lessons and I guess the love. Like being in a smaller community, you really do get to know people intimately and you're not just a number. And. Yeah, they see your whole childhood. I'm still friends with the same people that I grew up with. Still keep in touch with them. You know, unfortunately, I don't get to see them that often living here. One of my childhood best friends, she lives in Texas, so I'm fortunate that I get to be a little bit closer to her. But you really just have such a connection with those people and an understanding, and we're all kind of in the same boat. But then as a teenager, I did go to a larger high school. I made that decision just to have a couple different opportunities, and that was a larger. Yeah. A larger space.

When you say larger, give me some scale here.

Oh, I think now I think Lethbridge has maybe 100,000 people. Yeah. So that was big.

Yeah.

At the time.

So you grew up watching entrepreneurs and family businesses share a little bit about what that looked like for you.

Yeah. So my family history, we've always been entrepreneurs and very driven. As far back as my grandparents, parents coming over and settling in southern Alberta and just hearing their stories. My grandma is huge on family history. So I'm very fortunate to have all of those stories passed down and to have those examples of really strong, especially women, which I love to learn those stories about my ancestors and the trials that they overcame. And a lot of them did have to do it on their own, which now I'm kind of in a similar situation. And my grandfather ran a successful business and my grandma worked side by side with him. We are very traditional, but the women in our family do work, work hard. And then my father ran a business, also a contracting business. And so I watched him work hard every day. And my mom worked a job at the hospital, but then she would come home and do all his books and invoicing and everything for him. So I remember as a kid just spending really my whole childhood with them because there was such an age gap between me and my siblings. I was in this unique situation where I was almost an only child. So as the youngest, they call me the princess, of course, which I disagree. I think my sister's the favorite, but they'll all say I'm the favorite. But I had. I was very close with. I spent a lot of time with my parents and watching them work. And that's definitely where the. I think I just always knew that I was going to run a business, whether I planned that initially or not. You know, most kids are playing or girls are playing house or dress up, and I force my friends to play business. I had a company. One of my friends still gives me a hard time.

And you were the boss?

Absolutely. Oh, yeah. It was called number it. I think my mom probably still has all my stuff too, because that's how we are. But just, you know, pretend phone calls and invoices. Excel is. I told you this when I walked in. Excel is like my favorite thing on earth. And so that was just always part of my life. And it's just interesting to see where I am now coming from. That. Well.

And I think it's. It's. You saw the opportunity that maybe some kids don't get to see because you got to live it with your parents and see what they were doing. So, yeah.

And I mean, definitely it's hard work. And, you know, I think now with. Cause I did go, I'm sure we'll get to this. But I did go to college and learn business. And so there's a lot of things that now I wish I could have helped Them do a little differently. In hindsight. My dad just worked so hard, especially being a contractor, and he loves it, and he, like, he is that. That traditional craftsman who just has such a pride in what he does. And I think that's a lost art now, which is really sad. But, yeah, in hindsight, you know, there's things that they probably wish they would have done a little bit differently. 2 I know, you know, work smarter, not harder. Dad definitely works harder. Yeah, absolutely. And so grateful for that, but also wanting to learn from that and do things a little bit differently.

Did you growing up think you wanted to stay, or did you always know that you would go somewhere else?

I think I wasn't aware that I was going to go somewhere else. It wasn't. I didn't have that pull. Definitely. I pictured myself always staying there. And that's kind of what you do. I have many friends. I mean, all my family is still there, extended family. Also, there's very few of us that have left our community. My siblings all live very close together. And so I feel a little left out at times because of that. But I do think that I was always meant to leave and do something else, but I never planned on it.

I'm picturing the whole town stopping when they hear Dallas coming home.

Yeah. I envisioned this Folgers commercial.

You remember that one? Oh, my gosh.

She walks in and they're like, you're home.

Like a Hallmark movie, right?

I'm a Hallmark movie. Totally. Well, yeah. I mean, when I do, I only get to go home a couple times a year. And when I do, I run into everybody that I know. Yeah. Which I love. I love that. But I. What? At the time that I left or decided to move from there, it was kind of an escape at that time, growing up in a smaller community. Like I mentioned, everybody knows everything and everything about you and the gossip community and all of that. And I did. At the time, it was best for me to leave and have a little bit of a fresh start and discover myself, become independent. Because I was the youngest. I remember I moved to college and I think I was like two months in and I had never done a load of laundry. My mom is type A like myself. She's gonna listen to this. Like, why are you talking about me? But, like, you know, a little bit of control over that. And, yeah, I had never done laundry. And so it was very good for me to move out and become more independent in that sense and have a little bit of space from that small town feel.

So when you went off to college. Just talk a little bit about what you were going through during that time and that new experience of being somewhere other than home.

And where was college?

Edmonton, Alberta. So about six hours north of where I grew up. Big town or big city? At the time, it was over a million people. I'm not sure what it is now, but my first time ever driving on a freeway was when I moved up there.

Wow.

Yes. I was in my little. I think it was a little Honda, little red Honda and driving up, and I was just terrified. Just white knuckling on the freeway.

I can only imagine. I know, though, what you were listening to while you were driving, so that's good.

What you Backstreet Boys, of course. Yeah. Very scary, very intimidating, but also really exciting and probably the best thing for me.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Okay. So what did you study in college?

I studied business management. That was never my intention, actually. I. When I was in high school, I planned on doing psychology. And then I had some life experiences in high school where I wasn't ready to make that decision. Had some distractions, I guess, and so I moved just to get a job. I had a friend that was going to college up there, and so we thought it would be fun to go for a couple years. And I did not take it seriously. I'm like, yeah, we'll go, you know, we'll meet friends and have fun and just get out for a little bit. And I got a job at a hair salon that was very successful, and I had a mentor there who really gave me that inspiration and showed me that there are greater things beyond what I thought when I initially decided to go to cosmetology school right out of high school. I was 17 when I started there. And my plan was, coming from a conservative community, I was gonna do that. I was gonna get married, have babies, do hair at home, and that was that. Right. Like, just a very simple life. And I moved to Edmonton and had this mentor and met really great friends at the hair salon that I was working at. And I was like, wow, there's a totally different world outside of what I know, that simplicity of being in a smaller community. And it really excited me.

Yeah.

Yeah. I think I've always. Well, I know I have always had a taste for the finer things, even though I come from. Yeah, more. More humble beginnings. And I was just like, wow, I have this opportunity and I had validation in the skills that I had through others. You know, they saw that potential in me. And so just spending time at that salon and learning from the manager and the owner. I really loved the business side of it and I loved managing the people. So I had an opportunity to manage a smaller salon there with him. And that really just piqued my love and interest for that. So then I went to college in Edmonton for business management.

What is it about the management of people or the business that you, if you drill in just a little bit, what is it that you really enjoy about that?

I think just at least in this situation, like owning Colair now, knowing that I'm making a difference in people's lives has really given me way more fulfillment than I ever thought possible at the time. It was, I mean, I love doing hair and I loved that relationship with the clients. And that was my initial motivating factor to get into the business side. Like, how can I make this great for clients? But now having Colair and being blessed with the growth that we've had and growing to over 35 employees at one time, my passion is taking care of them, obviously the clients too. But if our belief is that if we treat our team right, they're gonna treat the clients right. And so just seeing the impact that that's made on families especially. We have quite a few single moms, you know, family, different family dynamics. And just seeing that change in their life over the time that we've been able to work together. We're so, so lucky to have a lot of long term employees that have been with us since we opened. We have a handful of them. And just knowing that I've given people that we have given people an opportunity to feel safe and feel taken care of and giving them that chance to thrive and work on their craft and what they're passionate about, that's like way more valuable to me than anything I could have imagined.

Okay, so you're in this college town. How long do you stay?

I end up staying. So my plan, like I said, was like one or two years. I'll give it a year max. Then I'm moving back home. You know, I'm going to get married and have babies and live on the same property as my family. You know, I ended up staying for I think six years. And I met a man. A whirlwind romance. I was young, you know, I felt 23 years old. I thought I was so mature and.

I'm like, yeah, this is it, this is it.

Yeah. And at the time, it was for sure. I definitely felt like that was the right decision for me. I mean, it was scary. He's from Mesa, so that is how I ended up Here, but met him in Edmonton and it was just kind of like a no brainer. I don't know. I've always had this. I like to think it's a gift of following my intuition, my gut. Even now in business, I use that a lot and it does not prove me wrong. Even with hiring, I go off of those feelings. And so, yeah, so I wouldn't say that that was the wrong decision. It brought me here and so it was for a reason. Yeah. Yeah. So six. So to answer your question, yes. About six years, I think. I stayed there and then we moved here in the very end of 2015.

So small town, girl ends up in Mesa.

Yeah.

What are you thinking when you get here?

Well, it was funny. I had clients that are like, really? You're moving to Mesa? Are you sure you're not going to go to Scottsdale? Because, you know, because I. And at the time I'm. Yeah, living. Yeah. Big city. I love to get dressed up and go out to the fancy dinners and all of that. And. Yeah. So when I moved here, I was like, oh, this is different than I thought. Yeah. Parts of it. Right, Right. But yeah, again, just. Just that feeling, it was right for me. Yeah. There was no. It just. I mean, it was scary. It was devastating to leave my family. Oh, sorry. I still get emotional like 10 years.

Later and I'm like, ugh.

But, yeah, you know, you leave everything that you've ever known and it was very difficult. Sorry. It was very difficult for me for a long time.

Well, I will say, like, I think it's a very brave thing to do. I think a lot of people are stifled by fear of a big move or a change like that. Totally.

Yeah.

So many people would not act on it.

Well. And especially when you're super close to your family like you are, that's a lot of disconnect issues there. Right?

Yeah. Yeah.

Full disclosure, I moved to Austin for three months and moved back because I miss my mom too much. So.

Well. Well, with immigration, if I had the chance to go back sooner, I probably would have to be honest. But with. Yeah. With waiting for different things, I wasn't able to travel for a little while. And so that was really difficult. I felt very isolated for quite a while making that decision, but I still knew that it was right and I was still happy to be here. My ex had a great family, a great support system, and everybody welcomed me. And so it was easy to still feel included, but I still had that, like, yearning for home. And I don't think that ever Goes away. Even now, 10 years later, I. Or nine years later, this is like Gilbert is absolutely home for me. But I think you always have, like that call. Sure.

It's part of you.

Yeah, it's always part of me.

Especially probably around Easter.

Yeah, Right. Yeah, yeah. Any. Yeah, any. Anytime. I love. I love Canada and it'll always be home, but this is where I'm at.

Yeah, absolutely. Okay. So how do you plant roots here in Arizona once you get here?

Yeah. So that's interesting. I said or I mentioned that I felt, I want to say, probably trapped for a little while because I didn't have that chance. And I felt like that choice wasn't mine.

That was because of the immigration process.

Mostly because of immigration. Yeah. Yeah. So I did it. The visa that I had, I wasn't able to go back into the country until certain paperwork was filed and all of that. So I went a period of time without being able to see my family and without being able to go home.

And they couldn't come here.

They could. Yeah, but different.

Okay, they could, but that's not home.

It's not the same. Yeah, it's not the same. Yeah. I love going home. Yeah. And I'm grateful that this is a great place for people to come and visit. But it ended up. So what happened was I had this feeling for quite a while and it really wasn't until I started Colair. And my initial intention with Colair and I think what separates us and makes us so special from other businesses similar to ours is that we really have that focus on creating a family environment, whether that's with our team and with our clients. And that was my whole vision initially when I came to. So actually this is an important part. My business partner, Rich, which he's been on this podcast before, he is actually my ex father in law. And so that's how we were partnered together to begin with. When I moved here, I wasn't able to get funding through the bank because I wasn't a citizen at the time. I didn't have a social. And so I came to him with this idea and we have very similar philosophies around people. His background, as you know, is in the medical industry. My background being in beauty and wellness. But our philosophy on treating people right is the same. And so I came to him with this idea and we started Colair. And here we are so much later. But I felt like I didn't have my own identity and my own sense of community because I moved here knowing those same people that my at the time husband knew. So Coler was a really great opportunity for me to create that sense of community for myself and to have my individual identity. And then when we split up, it was. I think it was like two or three. I think it was about two years into Kolair opening. I was faced with this decision. Then I had the opportunity, right? It's like, okay, well, you're not tied here because of family. Now you can go back to Canada. And that really was the moment that I needed, I think, to make that decision for myself and have that confidence that, you know, 1,000%, this is my decision. And I had worked so hard for the salon and gone through all of that, and I was like, there is no way I'm giving this up. I remember Rich called me, and he's like, okay, so what are we gonna do? Right? And there's that fear, I think, on both ends, like, how is this gonna work? But we just focused on the business. It was very easy for us to put our personal feelings aside and just focus on what we had built and the people that we had there. And I'm very grateful to him for that and just making sure that we could still have a professional relationship no matter what. And, yeah, that was, I think, what I needed to feel confident being here.

I think that speaks volumes about both of you that you found. You navigated through some really uncharted waters to figure that out. I also think it's really bold because you started koolair when you're 24. I mean, that's at 24 years old, first of all, to have this concept and to have that drive, but also to have the ability to go to somebody and say, like, take a chance on me and help me get this started. I think that's just a really bold move. 24 is.

It seems so young now. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. It didn't at the time, but I'm like, wow.

Right? Well, I think sometimes it's a blessing at 24 that you don't know what you don't know, because you'd question yourself now to do the same thing.

I think I was a little naive. Yeah, you almost have to be sometimes. And then I quickly was like, oh, maybe I'm in a little bit over my head.

In those early years, what are some.

Lessons that you learned that you learned about yourself or about business and operating a business?

Wow. I mean, yeah, like I said, I was. I didn't realize I was in over my head. A big part of that is because I had. I think I Had small dreams then. So I think that I, you know, being a younger entrepreneur and a woman, I did feel like I had a lot to prove. So very early on, I think I put a lot of pressure on myself to be. To prove myself to everyone. And especially having moved here and done it, I was like, there's no way I'm giving up. I'm not quitting. But it really was mostly the team. I didn't want to go to the team and be like, you know what? I'm getting divorced and I'm sorry, I'm out. Like, you're on your own. Right. It's like, I could not do that.

Like, you held yourself accountable to them.

Totally. Yeah. I made this decision. Just because my circumstances are changing and it's not what I expected doesn't mean that I'm going to let go of my dream and let down these people that are depending on me. So that was a really big lesson when I was faced with that decision. And then very similar feelings during 2020, too. Yeah, that was scary as a business owner and being. I was single at that time. And so I was like, wow, what do we do here? What are my other options? But my loyalty was to our team. I needed to make sure that we could do whatever we could to ensure that they could still provide for their families. And that was really scary at the time, but it gave me that drive. I've never been the type to do something halfway or. Or quit. Like, once I make a decision, that's it. Because, again, because I follow my intuition. Like, I know. I know what's right and. And what's not, and I go with that.

Yeah.

So I love that. Yeah.

I'm curious, when you started the med spa, how difficult was it to get it accepted in the Gilbert community? Or did it just, like, talk about that?

We were very fortunate. So when we opened in 2017, and it's funny, it was actually kind of. It was definitely. I don't want to call it an accident that we got into the medical, but it was an afterthought. That was not my experience. And the laws are very different in Canada, so it wasn't even an idea in my mind at all. We were almost opening. I remember sitting on the patio and. And got a Facebook message from our lead nurse. She still is with us today, asking if we had ever thought about offering Botox. And I was like, no, I haven't, but looked into it a little bit. And with Rich having his background in the medical industry, he had a lot of connections and Just doing more research. We're like, oh, yeah, this is definitely a need in the Gilbert community. And so it was perfect timing. It really. It was kind of the start of that whole industry growing or becoming more popular. And so we're very fortunate that we got in when we did and that we had that opportunity to combine. My whole vision was about encompassing all sorts of different. Well, all beauty services under one roof. I just didn't know at the time that that was an option that would roll in. We actually, at the time, we offered nails and massage, which we don't now. You know that. Yeah. And so we just kind of grew over time and adapted to that and found that there was this very large opportunity to offer the medical services. And it's been so fun. And I've always loved learning and being challenged. And so to have something that we are so involved with that I didn't know about to begin with was really exciting. And it was exciting for Rich, too, because he did know more about it and knew the industry a little bit better. And so combined the two of us, I believe that's really why we were able to grow so quickly and succeed and. And grow into the team that we are now.

I find it so. I find you to be so, like, wise and full of grace when we interact, and yet there's just something about. Like, you are fueled by curiosity, and you are so bold and. But. But you don't flaunt that, for lack of a better word. Like, you just. You are so graceful in. In how you deliver yourself, I guess.

Well, thank you.

But I. I love. I love the boldness of you, too. I mean, TR. Taken so many risks, and you've all these opportunities that came your way. You don't seem to have been intimidated by them. You just chase them down. Yeah.

That's interesting. Yeah. I would not say that I'm a bold person by nature. I'm definitely an introvert. I like being comfortable. And. Yeah, that's why it's funny. Looking back on my life, like, all these things that have happened, I'm like, well, yeah, that is. I think it's my nature, or I don't think it's my nature, but again, I just follow my heart and my intuition, and if it feels right, then I'm gonna go with it. And so it doesn't intimidate me.

Yeah, I love that. Yeah, that's awesome. Other than Rich, because I know he's been a huge influence, are there other people over the course of the last decade that have really stood out as people that have guided you or supported you along the way.

Definitely My dad.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

My dad and I have a really special relationship, and I just think he's the greatest person ever. He's always been my biggest supporter. And it's funny, I called him about these questions because I was struggling with a couple questions, like, I don't know, there's nothing interesting about myself. And he, you know, just. Yeah, him sharing his thoughts. We're, you know, we are a very close family, but we're also guarded with our emotions. And so just hearing him share things, I was like, oh, yeah, you're right. Like, I've had a pretty awesome life, and I'm so grateful for having all of those experiences and not. Not even necessarily, like, the past, you know, 10 years, but just growing up that way. I'm so grateful for that. And I have such a respect for people who do come from that type of life or people that have overcome adversity and things. And I've never been one to fit the mold, per se. I've always felt a little bit of a black sheep, and not in a bad way. I've always been told that I'm an old soul, whatever that means to people. And so, yeah, I do do things a little bit differently. And so I'm grateful to my dad for showing me that and for recognizing that. And even though my life didn't end up the way that they would have maybe hoped, because I know it's difficult for them to have me away from home, they're still proud of me and.

See that your life is probably something they just couldn't even have imagined. I mean, you've accomplished some incredible things and built a life for yourself and a legacy that maybe they didn't even know was possible.

Have they been here to see?

Oh, yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They love to spend the Canadian winters down here.

Oh, I bet.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It's miserable back there. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah, they do, and I know they're very proud. But like I said earlier, it's. There's always that little piece that yearns for home. So I'm grateful for the opportunity that I do get to go back there and feel grounded. I really feel grounded there. At the beginning, you were talking about my gum boots and the mud and all that, and. Yeah, that's. I think a lot of people would be interested to know that about me, too, because you wouldn't think that looking at me. My mom shares this video on or this picture on Facebook every year at my birthday, and it's me wearing camo on a quad and gumboots. And she's like, the girls at the salon would never believe that this is the same Dallas. You know, I'm wearing Louboutins to work, and then at home I'm wearing gumboots. And I think it's important to have that balance no matter where we are. You know, maybe it's not the same situation, but we. It's important to have that tie to home and who we are. And I don't know, the reminder that there's things far greater than just the day today, and there's so much more. Like, I'm grateful for our success, but at the end of the day, what really makes you happy or makes you feel fulfilled. Right.

Well, I think that's something that I've admired about you, is how you lead with almost a quiet confidence. But I think it comes from you knowing who you are at the core and what your values are. And I can see that you can lean into that very naturally.

Yeah, I do. I think that I've had many trials throughout my life where I have had to have that confidence in myself and not worry about what other people think or what it looks like from the outside. I know who, like you're saying, I know who I am and where I come from, and that's really all I need at the end of the day.

Outside of Coler, when you look at the last maybe 10 or 15 years, what do you consider to be some of your proudest moments or proudest achievements?

This is something that most people here wouldn't know about me, and not because I'm not very proud of it, but because it's something that's very special to me and it's not. Yeah. Something that I just walk around sharing, but it is probably the most important thing to me. And what has really made me become the person that I am today and has guided my whole direction since that point, even the reason that I decided to move to Edmonton to begin with. But I became a birth mom at stake 17. So I have a beautiful birth son named Cash. He's going to be 15 next year, which is so crazy. But I think that was the really pivotal point in my life where I gained that confidence that you mentioned. Because I wouldn't say that I was a confident person at all. I wouldn't say I'm confident now, but definitely not then. You know, as a teenager, we're all just trying to figure things out. But I was faced with that decision, and again, I just knew that I had one option, and that was adoption. And I made that decision, and it was very difficult for myself, for people that cared about me. And, yeah, it just really shaped me into who I am, and it put a whole different perspective on life for me and the type of woman and hopefully mother one day that I want to be and showed me that, yeah, there's, you know, there's so many blessings that we can bring to other people throughout our decision.

Well, yeah, through adversity. I mean.

Yeah, through adversity.

And I think. Well, thank you for sharing that. I think that actually helps me to even see who you are in a very. Now what I see makes total sense. You have overcome a lot, and your leadership through grace is coming from a source that I can now understand.

Thank you.

You guys are rapping really good here. I'm just gonna stay on the sideline.

We're both crying, Ben, so you can.

I love it, though. Let's talk now. Future. What do you see coming around the horizon for you? Let's just look. Maybe three, five years out. What does it look like?

Oh, my gosh. I think that.

I mean, I have plans for you, but you go ahead and say those.

Plans might scare me a little bit, Sarah. No, I think that it's endless. I don't know. I don't know. And it's exciting because I've had a lot of really incredible opportunities and experiences in my life. I'm 32. I feel 52. But, yeah, I'm just excited. And I look at the future with so much hope and potential. I have no idea. And I don't want. I've never really been one for plans either, because I've learned that whenever I have planned, it never happens. Like, my life is nowhere near what I ever would have thought for myself. And I think that's what's so beautiful about it. So, I don't know. I would hope, you know, I'm gonna still be here. I know that for sure. No, no, that's good. And with. Yeah. With Colair, just continuing to see the potential of our team and watching them thrive and succeed, that's what gets me excited. You know, I don't have any plans right now for expansion, but who knows? And in my personal life, I would love to. Yeah. Be married and have a family of my own and be able to show them where I grew up and have those same values. And just a time outside even, you know, teaches you so much. I have such a love for horses. I grew up doing horse 4H and I just. I know, there's so much value to having those experiences and working outside and working with animals and, you know, I love all the things that my dad taught me and showed me that I can be completely independent and self sustaining and I want to teach my own children that one day and just carry on that legacy from him and my grandfather and. Yeah.

Well, I can tell you that I am honored to be witness to your journey and I am rooting for all of that for you.

Yeah.

Thank you so much.

Plus one on that for sure.

Yeah, absolutely.

Well, thank you for joining us today. This has been an interesting and very, very fun conversation actually to be. I gotta admit, I'm on the outside here. You guys almost had like this romance.

I'm trying. Sorry.

And that's okay because the story is about you. It was good.

I forgot you were here.

Ben.

I was listening intently.

Hello, Sarah.

Hello.

Thanks for having me.

Yes, thanks for being here. And I know you all enjoyed this one. This was a really special one today. So if you want to get these in your inbox, subscribe to our tribe and we'll send them right your way once we launch them. Thanks for listening today. Guiding conversations with community leaders. Live Northgate, located in Gilbert, Arizona, offers resort inspired living with modern amenities, spacious floor plans and a vibrant community atmosphere.

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