Back to School Summit: On the Go with Steph from Austin Fowler

Stephanie Fowler, welcome back to the Organized 365 podcast.

Thank you, Lisa. I am so excited anytime I get to talk with you.

Well, you and I talk quite a bit. We have met in real life when I was doing the book tour, I guess a year ago, or was it 2 years ago? 2 years ago. Yeah, because Grayson wasn't born yet.

That's right. That's right. Yeah, Abby was still pregnant.

Time flies. You're one of the people I talk to about business, which is so much fun now that we've met in person. We talk behind the scenes as business owners, which is so important to be able to find a couple of people that you could talk to off Off camera about stuff. And so that has just been really meaningful to me. And so I thought that I would have you on during this little series that I'm doing, because you are kind of obsessed with planning like I'm obsessed with planning.

100%, yes.

So when did you fall in love with planning?

I would say it's funny, because I have heard you talk about this, Lisa, how you used to have your different planners. I think when you were younger in school, I did the same thing.

I loved my planner.

I started with Franklin Covey too. And I realized then, and I remember doing it throughout my career, I always had a planner with me. I didn't understand how people could remember what they had to do without a planner, or, you know, what was coming up or whatnot. So I've always had one with me. They've just taken different shapes and forms. But I would say, yeah, in my teenage years, when you were kind of balancing sports and student council and just all the activities you might have as a teenager, that's when I really realized This is so important, and I have never gone back from that point.

You know, it's so interesting is this little mini summit that I'm putting together on the podcast. Every single person so far has said that it is the high school years. I guess I did not really realize, because, you know, I got overwhelmed when I became a mom, but it was in the high school years when I became a planner. So that is— I'm just putting all this in the back of my head. This is also market research, you know.

Exactly.

Speaking of kids, you have a couple, a couple of kids.

Got a handful.

A little gaggle of children. How did becoming a mother change your planning? And go ahead and share how many children you have and all that if you want to.

Yes. So, I've got 4 kids. We just had 3 birthdays in the last week. So, we've got an 11-year-old, twins that are 9, or I'm sorry, they're 10 now. Twins are 10, and then our youngest is 7.

Um, you had 3 kids under 2?

Yes, our oldest wasn't even 2 when the twins were born.

Oh my gosh.

So when you talk about the love of planning, that's when it was like, absolutely, it's not only a love now, it's an absolute necessity. Um, you know, it's funny because for me it helps to get everything on paper, and when you have kids There's so much to do, especially when the babies are little. You've got all the appointments and, you know, if they're seeing the doctor for some other things, you've got all those follow-up appointments. So that planning was so critical because I was working full-time as an executive at that time. It's not like I could just make an appointment whenever I wanted. I really had to plan that around meetings that I had and other work commitments that I had because I couldn't drop the ball there either. So it's really that planning became not only— it gave me peace of mind, but it became absolutely critical to make sure that all the things that needed to get done were getting done. So I would say during those younger years when my kids were really young, it was a lot of experimentation to find out what my system was and what worked. I mean, I even had planning for things around the house, like make sure I check off that I changed the furnace filter so we don't go 6 months without changing that. It's all those little things, like you say, the invisible work that I had to have written down. Otherwise, I had no idea how I was going to balance it all. And it's just a bunch of open tabs in your mind.

Okay, so you broke up a little bit when you said that you were an executive when you had your kids. So I'm gonna play the dumb reporter asking the woman how she did it question that I wouldn't have asked your husband. I, I understand that we ask women this question that we wouldn't ask our spouses, but also because I don't understand how people do it because I was like, okay, well, I'm a stay-at-home mom now. So, so your children, did you have somebody come to the house? Did they go to daycare?

How much time did you have for maternity leave?

You may not want to share any of this, but like, how many hours did you work?

How much do you want to share?

Like, what does it look like?

Let's share it all.

Let's share it all.

Um, so this is how Vince and I made it work. He actually owned his own photography business. So, and he had that for over a decade. So what we would do is I worked Monday through Friday, I did 40 hours a week, and then I would go to work when I got home. So the kids were home with him during the day, and then he worked on weekends. So when you talk about having the weekends to catch up on housework, there was none of that. You, you couldn't catch up on housework on the weekends because now you've got 3 little kids under 2. You know, that you are taking care of on your own because now your husband is off working. But that was the sacrifice that we made because it was important to us that the kids were with one of us. That was just something that we always wanted to do. Um, so it was a hustle for years, I would say. As much as I don't like that word, there's seasons where it's necessary.

I don't know how you don't do it. Like, I mean, like, you can't not hustle when you have children. I mean, they're just, you know, they like food. Exactly.

They gotta eat every now and then and be played with and stuff. But no, I mean, they're precious years when I look back on it. But what I was always so amazed with is I thought, how do these people just come into work and then go home and do that stuff? All the domestic, you know, tasks at home and taking care of the kids. But when are they thinking about it? And when are they thinking about their career and they're thinking about how they want their family life to look? And that's where I was always a little confused. Because I never carved out that time to think until I got to the point where it felt like my life was on autopilot, and that scared me a little bit. So I would carve out, even if I took a day of PTO, and I would just go to a coffee shop and just write down, where am I going with this? Where am I? You know, what are my goals? What— because you're so busy just on this quick treadmill that you can't get off. And it's like you need that time just to step back and look and plan. And when I started doing that, I felt like I had more control. Even when you have, you know, as you do with little kids, you have crazy things that happen or things that are totally out of your control. But I still felt like I had calm and order for the most part when I was able to carve out that time to think and plan. And then I started to really take I would say more control of my schedule where I went to a condensed schedule. So I would only work Monday through Thursday, and I would get my 40 hours in there, and then I could have Friday off totally with the kids. And if I had to run to the grocery store or whatever, um, but that's where I really started to lean into grocery pickup delivery. We started getting someone to clean the house, and I started to finally let go of some of those things. And I would say I'm still a work in progress with that. I'm still telling myself this message even after all these years, that you have to have help. You can't do it all yourself. But I think you're coming from a point where you're just trying to save money and you're trying to— so you're trying to do it all yourself. But in the process, you're making yourself crazy if you don't get some help and you realize the value of your time, that if I pay this person to do this for me, that frees up couple hours where even if I'm not generating more income, it's time with my family. So that was a big shift for me.

That was great. And also, do you see how I just assumed that your husband was at a job Monday through Friday and he wasn't? He was home with the kids. So pie in the face for me, but also glad I did it. I mean, it's amazing how much our bias just— it's just part of us, right? So thank you for all of that detail. I also think that You know, as you're in different phases of life, you look back more fondly on the phases that you've already covered and with much longing about the phases that are coming in the future.

Yeah.

And like, I, I long for the years when Greg and I travel and all of that, but I, I also look forward to the people who are those ages and they're dealing with health issues and things that I'm not dealing with right now. And, and I look back lovingly at, you know, the years that I was a stay-at-home mom, but I watch Abby with little baby Grayson and it is, Mind-numbingly boring. Like, when the little songs are on at the house, the little repetitive songs that get stuck in your head, I'm like, turn it off.

Yeah.

So, I'll turn on like Michael Jackson and all this kind of stuff. And he loves it because we're like dancing and the boy has moves already. Let me just tell you. So, we're dancing and my husband and Abby will be like, eh, why are you listening to Michael Jackson? I'm like, because I cannot listen to the Itsy Bitsy Spider again. I was a preschool teacher. I'll be singing that song in my head for weeks. I can't, I can't do it. I don't want any of these other little cartoony things. Like, I'm past that phase of my life. But they— raising humans takes an exorbitant amount of time. Let's just call a spade a spade. Like, I mean, this is a fact. You cannot make children grow faster.

Right.

Grayson's in the phase where he screams, you know, just scream. And then you say, oh, look at this bug. And they go, oh, like, because they weren't obviously screaming, they were just like hearing their voice. Yeah. And so our whole family's in a tizzy, like, do you punish 'em? Do you ignore it? What do you do? And I'm like, you know what?

This is a phase. Yeah.

It's gonna last 2 weeks to 8 weeks. I'm hoping it's less than that cuz we're gonna be on an airplane in 10 weeks.

Oh.

So let's try to eradicate this one before then.

That's right.

I said, but it's gonna work its way out pretty much no matter what we do. And I know that now, like I, the phases that I love, like when he would run over and gimme a kiss, that phase is also over and he's not doing that anymore. So the good phases and the bad phases. They all come and they all go, but we are so motivated and driven to be like, get to the next thing, get to the next thing, get to the next thing. And children are just living and evolving and growing and developing, as are we. But you're literally watching it. It's exhausting.

Yes. It's expensive.

It's, it's all of the things. And, but I also hear you talking about this dreaming time. Are you a visionary?

Yes, 100%. Yep.

Me too. And so AirPods are the best thing ever. Like, you could listen to a podcast and be around kids and be like, uh-huh, uh-huh, yes. So I'm still like beating my head, but I have my schedule so jam-packed with work and family and PhD that there is no buffer. And at first I thought that was great, and then my brain was like, this sucks.

Right? Yeah.

Because I have ideas for you and you're not listening to me and you have not penciled me in. And so I will show up at 3 AM and guess what? You will not fall back asleep because I've got about 3 hours worth of information to share with you.

Exactly.

Daytime, I'm gonna take your nighttime. And I'm like, oh great.

It's gonna come whether you schedule it in or not, right? So you better just pencil it in somewhere.

And that's what onion ring time is, is, and that's one of the things I gave up with the PhD was going for an hour cuz the Culver's is like 20 minutes away and then you sit and then you drive back. That drive was processing, thinking, brainstorming time. So yeah, the onion rings aren't good for me, but the hour driving away from the family is, and I don't have that time in my calendar.

Yeah.

And my brain is like, get it back, find it and get it back.

Oh my gosh, that's your lesson. If you don't schedule it back in, it'll be at 3 AM. Who needs sleep?

Over and over and over again. I'm like, okay, so apparently we've got some thinking to do. So what is your like daily, weekly, monthly, annual— like, talk to me about all your planning, like all the planning that you do. Yeah, yeah.

So, well, first of all, when you say, are you a visionary, Lisa? 100%. And I would say too, because Vince works in Austin Fowler with me, he is a visionary as well. And so we get each other. So we could just talk and talk and talk for, you know, a couple hours just about what we're excited for with the business, what we're excited for. We now have multiple companies. So what we're excited for with this company or our family, it's usually our family. You know, what trips do we want to take them on? And that time is so important because that— I, I take those ideas and thoughts that we talk about, and that gets distilled into some of my planning too. So what I would say is kind of my, my framework that I seem to follow, and it certainly evolved over time. I absolutely do kind of annual planning at the beginning of the year. I, I don't put a lot of emphasis on that because that is really hard to know.

Mm-hmm.

What is going to happen in 9 months, you know? But I still do it to kind of give myself an end picture of where I would like to be. But I would say my quarterly planning is pretty important to me. And I used to think that that was just enough. That is not enough. I now need monthly planning because there's just so much. So what I actually will do— I, because I'm a person that has to see it visually too. I will put, you know, January, February, March on different pieces of papers, tape them up around my office, and I will brainstorm everything. And I don't compartmentalize it from business to family. It's all on one, because it, it is all one life for me. So I think, okay, first of all, what's going to happen in each month? You know, whether it's a birthday or anniversary. What are some big events that we have coming up for our business? What has to happen during those months to keep us on track for our quarterly goals. Um, we use EOS Traction in our business. So for our rocks, you know, how, um, what has to happen to keep us on track with our rocks. Um, but then also what are some things that are important to me, whether it's a tradition during that month or, um, it's a certain memory that I wanna have with our family. We're super, super intentional about traveling with our family because We realize how fast it goes. You know that, that saying that the days are long, the years are short. 100%. My goodness, like our oldest is graduating elementary school next week, and it's just mind-boggling to me. So I will carve out time like on our— so then I'll take kind of that, and then I'll look at a monthly calendar at a glance, and I'll kind of block out days. That I know, you know, if it's a day off that the kids have from school, I'm not working that day. Not even gonna try. We're gonna go find something, some memory to make with the kids that day. We'll block out our vacations of places that we want to take the kids, and then I really kind of fill in around there, you know. And I think about this often. I could get a lot more work done, and I could work. I could work nonstop because I love what I do, but having the kids, you know, and I never want to be a mom who's taking away time from her family to focus too much on, you know, work. So having the kids forces a boundary where I have to say, here's what I can get done this week, this month, this quarter for work. So that's kind of how I'll do it. And then I also back that up to a weekly plan. And I look back and I say, what went well last week? What didn't go well? What's coming up this week? What do I want to focus on? And then I've actually had to even take that a step further, which— this sounds crazy that it's this much.

No, I'm loving that you're going into this much detail because I'm like, yep, preach. I do it too. Yep, go.

Now when I'm saying this out loud, I'm like, wow, anyone listening to this is like, scary, you know? But So I will then take, usually on a Monday morning when I feel a little overwhelmed by everything that has to get done that week.

Yes.

Then I'll take a couple pieces of paper and divide it out by date. I have separate columns and because you'll look at this big list and say, my goodness, there's no way that's all going to get done. But what you don't realize is, well, 2 of those things get done Thursday, one is done Friday. So it's not like you have this list of 20 important things that has to get done on Monday. So that helps my brain kind of rest, and then, and then I can take it and time block it on my calendar.

Yes.

So yes, if, if I do it correctly, that is my system that has worked for me. Granted, there are weeks I am not perfect where I may not start off, you know, that way, like we're on vacation or something that Monday and Tuesday. So then I don't do it on Wednesday and it kind of throws my week off a little bit. So then I'll find myself stepping back, just closing my computer and doing that exercise of writing everything out, even though there's just a few days left in the week. But that, I would say, is my cadence most of the time, and it works pretty well for me.

And when you're doing that, because you do all your life all at once, you're putting all these ridiculous basketball games you're at all the time on there too. Like, talk about all the things that are not work-related that end up on that calendar.

Yes, good question. So we, we have an AAU basketball program. All 4 kids are on different teams. And not only that, Vince coaches 2 teams. I coach a team. Well, things we can say are practice day and Thursday every week. It will not change.

Sorry, you broke up. So which days are your practice days?

Monday and Thursday.

Okay.

So, so that's the nice thing is we kind of control the schedule there so we can block off those days. But that's the other piece is you have to kind of plan then your errands around that, you know what I mean? So I need to go get a birthday present for a party my son has on Saturday, but I know we have something every night this week. So it's like, okay, when can I get it? Friday morning. Friday morning will be my day, and I usually try to reserve Fridays for appointments and errands and things like that. So that helps a little bit too. But yeah, there's certain days that are just blocked off for the kids' activities because that again is a priority for us.

We—

I don't want to miss those. Vince doesn't want to miss those. So there's not a lot of margin, but I also understand it's a season. You know, this won't last forever. And when the kids are older, we'll be so thankful that we can look back and say we were there for all of it. So.

Yes. And I would, I would think you're probably not going out with a lot of friends right now.

No, no, there's— I would say there's a lot of stuff we have to say no to. So there's— I have a couple good groups of friends that, you know, we'll get together once a month or something, but there's a lot of events that we just have to say no to. I'll do lunches, you know, with just different people in business here and there, but even that, I have to be pretty selective. Because you just can't say yes to everything, or if you do, it has to come from somewhere else. So it either comes from my work time or it comes from my thinking time. I'll never let it come from my family time. I'm really protective of that. Um, but yeah, it is hard because you know you're disappointing some people, but there's just no way you can say yes to everything.

Okay, so do you— I'm like thinking of what would other people be asking? I don't work out. Do you work out?

Well, I did about a quarter ago.

So, because I thought you're pretty athletic. I mean, I'm clearly not. I exercise my mouth and my brain. That's it.

No, that is something that I have shifted again my focus on. That's a good stress reliever for me. So I don't, I don't think of it as I want to do it to look a certain way. I think of it as it's a necessity. to clear my mind and relieve stress and just to help keep my mind sharp. But I will say again with that, I'm not great about being consistent all the time. Like, we've been in a season the last few months where we may get home from practice at 9:15, and then by the time we get the kids to bed, it's 10 o'clock, and I can't get myself up at 4:30 the next morning to go work out. So we're actually— my husband and I were just talking about that. We're going to pick that back up in about a week when our schedule calms down a little more. So there's certain things that just kind of have to give at different times too.

So what will that look like? Like, when would you work out? What do you do?

So I would—

for a friend.

Yeah, well, it actually works pretty well. Vince and I found a routine that worked for us. He loves to go when there's no one at the gym. Unfortunately for him, the gym opens at 4:00 AM. That's when no one is there. So he'll go first, and then when he comes home, typically at 5:15 or 5:30, then I will go. And that holds me accountable because I know that he would typically stay longer if I wasn't going, but I have to go get home, get dressed for work. So, if I do not do it in the morning, I won't do it. I won't do it in the afternoon. I won't do it in the evening. But we try to incorporate it. We have a lake right across the street from our house, so we'll go for family walks usually every night or every other night. So, we're getting some movement, but Yeah, get— I, I think that's one of those things that's once you're in the routine, it's easier. It's just really hard once you got out to get back in. At least it is for me.

Yeah, and I think with kids especially, you know, when they're little, the routine changes like every 6 weeks. It's insanity, like what size diaper they're in, what food, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But once they get into a school routine, it still changes at least 3 times a year. So summer, It's completely— what are you doing with your kids this summer?

So Vince and I are going to try— we're going to try this schedule where I am going to come into the office earlier in the morning and work until probably 2 or 2:30, and then he'll come in and work until about dinner time. We're gonna see how that goes. So we'll experiment with it for a week or two. They're getting a little older where they can stay home for a little bit of time by themselves. Last summer they came into the office a little bit, and that worked okay, but they get bored after a while. So I think we'll do, do it that way. So then I'll work kind of a modified schedule this summer, so I can still have time just to be a mom outside of work with them, but still get all my kind of the core work that I need to get done. But that's where saying no to certain things will become critical, and being much more disciplined in what I am working on. Things that actually move the needle and not busy work.

So you have summer, then for kids from the time they start school until the winter break, that is one season. And then it's a completely different season from January until the end of the school year. And then I would say there's probably another complexity in there. Like if you do sports, our whole family never did sports, much to Greg's chagrin. He's really hoping Grayson is athletic because he loves all the things. But that is another thing. Like if you're gonna add on like football season, basketball season, baseball season, or whatever the seasons are, that's a whole, a whole nother schedule. So I think that it is— planning is just essential. Like, you can plan or not plan. Like, you don't have to plan, but it goes so much better for you if you plan. And you could be like ticked off about it, but also it goes so much better for you if you plan. Like, I don't know, like you have the children now, they're in the sports, it's the summer, you own a business. Like, these are all your constraints. Go put your puzzle together. And you get to keep putting together your puzzle. I want to talk a little bit about how and why you started Austin Fowler, and then we're gonna talk a little bit about the bags.

Yes. Um, so I would say why I started Austin Fowler. It absolutely was born out of a frustration for, um, just that chaotic feeling of there's just so much to juggle. There's just so much, and I think it's harder too when you're working in an office away from the home. It can be a little easier. I mean, there's benefits and, and drawbacks when you're working at home, but it's a little easier because you can stay on top of a couple things. But when I was at the office, I felt totally removed from everything, and then you come home and it's just busy and chaotic, and it's like, okay, I need some order and I need some organization. And our big thing was we always wanted to be out and about with the kids, even though it was 3 under 2 for a little while, and it's busy. So I thought, okay, I need a bag that can keep me organized. But I also wanted something that I felt like I could carry into the office, and it still felt chic and professional, and I really was never able to find that. And I thought, you know, if I'm not able to find that, other people must be looking for it as well, because there were so many of my friends in the corporate world that also had little ones at home that had that same kind of tug and, and pull of disorganization. And the other thing too was we traveled for business. So, you know, you need something that is also a— has great features for travel, and there just was nothing out there. So even though we have absolutely no experience in design, no experience with manufacturing, we thought, you know what, we'll figure this out because it's a problem that needs to be solved. So while I was working full-time in the corporate world, we would come home. I would come home, make dinner for everyone, play with the kids, be together as a family. And then when everyone went to bed, I would open my laptop and start creating this company that I had no idea how to do. But I just kept, you know, taking the next step. And, and so now it's so rewarding to hear women in all walks of life, whether they're moms or not, using these bags and how it simplifies their life. And you realize everyone kind of has that feel, you know, everyone has that, okay, this is chaotic, this could be simpler. How can I have just one thing that makes my life easier? And a bag is with you all the time. And for women, a bag can be such a pivotal kind of accessory for you. So that's, that's kind of where our passion is.

So you have a lot of bags. I want to talk about the backpacks first. One of the things that I did when my kids were little is I designated a bag for each thing. So there was like a ballet bag and a gymnastics bag and, you know, soccer bag, so that everything related to that was in there. And I could put a little note on there. It was like, add uniform, add water bottle, add cleats, or whatever I needed to do. And so they would be lined up in the back hallway. What I love about your backpacks, I have a really big one that we take to Florida, and it has water bottle holders on the inside and the outside. It's just It's just a great travel bag, especially with a little one. I have the mini backpack.

Yeah.

That you gave me. Thank you for Grayson. It's in my car all the time. It has one diaper and wipes, has his EpiPen. I don't have the EpiPen in the car when it's too hot. Somebody told me that. Thank you for that information. And then we have Benadryl for him, and I got Benadryl chewables for the backpack. But I have a whole bunch of toys and little snacks in there because I'm the grandma.

Yeah.

So it's just a bunch of toys inside of a little backpack and it's little and tiny and it's perfect for a grandma. Like if I, I have a car seat and a little backpack and a tiny stroller and, and I could take the baby at any time.

Yep.

So I love your backpacks because they have so many great things, but they're so big. Like when you order your backpacks, I ordered one, I was like, this thing is ridiculous. So I brought it in the office, it was gigantic. And my chief of staff was like, this thing's great.

She took it.

Yeah. And she has like the biggest laptop you could buy. When she, when she was picking out her laptop, she picked out the biggest laptop on the Yeah. It fits in this backpack. And every day I love it because she packs it all up and she puts it on her back and she walks out to her car. I just love it because she has a lot of little kids and she's going straight from this to the pool, to the American Heritage Girls, to the whatever. And it fits this gigantic computer. Like, I just couldn't believe it. These backpacks, when you're looking at them online, they're massive. Yeah. They're the best biggest backpacks.

Yes, well, that was a big thing for us because so many women use them for work. I also have a big laptop for work. I, I have a couple, but my big one is the one for some reason I prefer. So that's the one I carry back and forth, even though it's so heavy, and it fits in there just beautifully. But it's— you also need that size when you're traveling and you use it as your carry-on. So, but we have— we do have other sizes too, because we realize You know, not one size fits all. There's just so many different uses, and you need different size bags for those.

When you have kids like, then you, you could shove the, the coat in there like there's just— trust me, it's not too big when you have kids. Now I have 2 of your products that are not backpacks that I absolutely love. Yeah, one, because I follow you on Instagram, and I'm always watching like I When my babysitters used to come over and babysit us, I would say, can we look in your purse? Yes, we would always make the babysitter empty out their purse, everything. Yeah, everything, because I always wanted to know what's in your purse. So I love following you on Instagram because you're always showing me what's in your bag, and a lot of times it's the same stuff. I don't care, I watch it.

Yeah.

So one of the times you were using your packing totes, which I love— they're like clear on one side, they've got a great zipper, and they're real thick. And you were putting them in your car console. I was like, yeah, I have like 4 sets of these packing totes in my house, and I went and got them, and I did the same thing, and I love it. I love using the packing totes inside of the car console, and you actually have one that you travel with that goes in the rental car, which is genius.

Yes, let's see right here. Yes. You know why I did this, Lisa? It's because, well, one, I started realizing, because we travel all the time as a family, but I was like, gosh, the kids need hand wipes, they need lotion, we need cash for tolls, which we don't have in Minnesota. So I typically don't have that on me. Sunglasses, first aid stuff. But we were in Palm Springs a couple of years ago, and a car sideswiped me when I was by myself. The family was at the hotel. I was going to get coffee. And of course we're in the middle of the mountain, so I can't pull up my insurance card on my phone. And I was like, gosh, I need to have a printed copy of that. So that's one of the things— you can't see it on this side, but we tell you to include in your rental car packing tote is even an insurance card, a copy of it, so that you can get out of there pretty quickly.

So, okay, so now my new favorite. I wasn't sure I was gonna like it, and at first I was like, I don't know. Is— this is the Marie wallet, right? Okay, I am a total wallet snob. Like, once I find a wallet I like, I will have it forever. So I got it in this mulberry color because everything I have is black and white or navy, and I knew that this would match anything. So I could take it with my navy backpack when I travel, or my black and white bag when I'm— my handbag when I'm walking around. So it would work for anything. I am now going to tell you why I love your product. Okay, you're gonna be like, what's inside of Lisa's wallet? I love this. I love this because when I have the Austin Fowler facing me and I open it, I see everything that is personal related. When I have the business card holder facing me, I see everything that is business related. Let me explain. Okay, when you walk to open it, it is 2 whole wallets in one.

Yeah.

And when you have little kids, like, you just grab your wallet and you add it to the diaper bag, you add it to this bag, you add it to that bag. So I'm gonna go ahead and show you. I don't put anything in this outside pocket. Unless I'm traveling, then I put my driver's license there. That's it.

That's where I keep my debit card, is in the outside pocket, just because I run a ton of errands, and that way I don't have to keep unzipping my wallet. So I just keep— I keep that there.

It still makes me nervous it's gonna fall out for some reason, so I don't put it there.

Yeah, it stays really secure. I promise.

I'm sure it does. I'm just— so first of all, I have checks inside in my thing because I write a lot of checks. This is a receipt I actually need to turn in. So let's see what we got. Okay, so this is the business side. So in the— do you see how many credit cards you can have on that side? And then how many credit cards you can have on this side? And that's not even all my credit cards because I like credit. So behind the credit cards, you can put like checks, you could put things behind the credit cards on both sides. This is the key, on both sides.

Yeah.

Now there's an open pocket in front of the credit cards on the business side, what I call the business side. On the personal side, there are 2 Yeah, 2 open slots. I'm gonna show you what all these are for. And then there's a change thing in the middle, which I don't use for change. So when I'm looking on— people are like not even looking, but you'll like this part, Stephanie. I love it. Looking on the business side, here's a plug. We just went to the Capital One Spark business card. By the way, if you change to this Capital One Spark business card, you get cash back, but also it perfectly reconciles with your QuickBooks, and you do not have to categorize anything anymore. Because the other card I have is a US Bank card and another US Bank card and then another US Bank card for another business I own.

Yeah.

And then I also have an American Express card, which is what I'm charging my PhD on because— and here's why I have Capital One, 3 US Bank— we're only on the business side, people— and American Express, because I ended up in Florida with all US Bank cards and they decided there was fraud and they shut down everything. And we had no way to get money. Yep, not a problem. Lisa always knows how to get money. I also have just a few of my, um, business cards, which I always forget I even have. And then I have something in here on this side that's just a reminder of stuff that I need for business. So that's everything that was on my business. Now let's go to personal. How many credit cards can one person have? 2 personal cards for US Bank. Oh, a 3rd one I guess I forgot about. So I have different credit cards for different expenses. So Greg and I each have a credit card, and then we have a third credit card that is just for entertainment. You do not want to know what that balance is. And I have a credit card for your HSA spending. Yeah, my driver's license, my debit card. That's a lot of cards, right?

Yeah.

And then I have a couple of gift cards.

Yep.

Then in this pocket in the middle, everybody's like, exactly, she's doing this. I love seeing what's inside of people's stuff. Okay, in here I have— now I have my insurance card, I have our vision card, I have $50 that I got for my birthday.

Yeah.

I have 2 Band-Aids, I have our COVID card thing, which I don't think we need anymore, more checks, you know. But wait, there's more. Okay, on the personal side, because you have 2 slots, Stephanie, this is genius. So all of my $20s go near my credit cards. And I like cash. I like to pay cash for my nails and fast food. I don't think you should charge these things. Then in this part is tens, fives, and ones.

Okay, interesting. I've never thought so.

You're not quite to this phase of your life yet, but you will be someday, and it's called the ATM machine.

Oh goodness.

Yeah, like I need money for Grayson's babysitter, I need money for me, I need money— like it's just constant, the money. So I have a lot of cash with me. Do you want to know what's in the middle, Stephanie?

Yes, I was actually really curious about that. Tell me, tell me what's in the zipper.

People are like, are you going to get back to the interview? Okay, so in the middle I have my AAA card. Genius, by the way. I got AAA when the kids got their own cars. Oh, Greg was like, why are we paying for this? Because we don't change tires and we don't— like, you have AAA.

That is a good idea.

I have a couple of coupons. Costco card. Yeah. And like you said, it's on your phone, but it is just easier for me to have the card. Now, I happen to carry with me all of the different insurance cards and the card for my car insurance.

Yeah.

And more Band-Aids because apparently I thought I needed more Band-Aids. But here's the best part. Are you ready for the best part?

Yes.

It's a teeny tiny pill bag that has Aleve and my migraine medicine in it because I must have my migraine medicine at all times. So when I grab this, if I grab my glasses, my sunglasses, and my keys, I literally have everything I need. And it's not a— It's like one of my things. Like, I have to be able to have this in here. I'm going to have this. I need to have checks. Like, this is everything I need as a wife and as a business owner in traveling or going to the ballpark where you need a couple of bucks so you can get something. I love, I love your wallet. I love your wallet, Stephanie.

I have a free wallet.

Oh my gosh, checkout, it'll do nothing. I don't have any—

I love that so much. But it's funny, Lisa, because you Voxered me one time about that, and you said, I use one side for business, one side for personal. I'm like, I do too. And that's exactly what I'm thinking will be— Vince and I might be out somewhere, and he's like, is this a business purchase? I'm like, It is. Let me flip my wallet to this side.

Yes. And I know that's ridiculous. You guys should see my desk right now. But that's what— that's the level of organization I want to know. And, you know, I don't know what the stat is, but something like before 2000s, like the amount of women who were in the innovation departments at any of these companies was like negative people. And I'm like, oh, no wonder everything that we want isn't on the market. No one was asking us. No one was asking us.

It's, it's so funny, because even though I always told myself, you're not a designer, you don't have— I mean, these people already have it figured out. No, they don't. They literally take kind of a standard style. Most companies will take a standard style and just put a different leather on it, a different color on it, and they'll be like, this is the spring collection. But there is zero functionality. And if you notice, most of the bags that women carry, especially like the big designer totes, they have no functionality. And if you—

They're just empty.

If you ask the woman to open her bag, she— it is just junk thrown in there that she doesn't even know what's— and that creates that feeling of, oh, I'm such a hot mess. But you don't have to be. It's literally just making a couple small tweaks to our product. That can really simplify a woman's life, especially a woman who may be wearing multiple hats, like she's a business owner and a wife and a mom. You know, like you have different— a debit card, a credit card for business, debit, credit for home, all the insurance cards for all 55 family members.

Well, what if you are taking care of your parents' estate or now you're power of health care for your parents? One side is for when you're doing their finances and one side is for yours. And yeah, you can buy this different ways in different wallets. But there's more to— is this whose credit card is this? Who's what? Like, I'm just like, business, home, business, home. And how many of us have business expenses? Like, how many of us are doing a side hustle or have a legitimate business that employs people and pays other people's mortgages? Like, Yeah. all of these organizational systems, when set up correctly, eliminate decision fatigue and just help you run faster. You're not trying to lace up your shoes because the— there are no shoelaces. They just perfectly fit your feet and you're like ready to go. So I love that. I love your innovations. You're always teasing what's coming out next. I'm like, you have to tell me in advance, and she never does. So I never, I never know. But getting your bags, because this is back to school, we're talking about planning, we're talking about back to school. It is worth investing in a wallet. I mean, I, I will carry this wallet for a decade. I, I know I will. I might get a second one, but you know, like, I don't change out my wallets. I don't know who has time for this kind of stuff. I just don't do it like the purse that I have. I know I got before COVID so it's at least 3 and a half years old. The backpack that I travel with is 5 years old. Like, I, once I find something I like, I use it. So it is worth it once you find something you like to get it in multiple colors, or, or to To do it. If you— as we're doing back to school, if you have kids that are starting a sport or involved in some kind of after-school curriculum activity, every activity and every sport has its own bag. Repeat after me: every activity and every sport has its own bag for each child. I don't care if you got 25 bags lined up in the back hallway. That's because your kids are multi-passionate like you are. It is a game. Changer to be able to grab the bag. And bonus points if you also have hanging on that hook a little checklist. Check the list, check the bag, get in the car. Otherwise, you're at ballet practice without ballet shoes. Guess how I did?

Exactly.

And then you feel like a bad parent and they can't do it. They're looking at you and the teacher's looking. Can't you get it together? Do you realize I have 95 children? I guess, you know, I mean, we cannot remember everything and your kids can't remember everything. And then you're in a bad mood, and then they're in a bad mood, and then it just does not go well from there on out. Exactly.

Well, and I think too, there are so many different things that your kids do, that you do, different roles you play, and it's a way to compartmentalize that in a sense. Um, so like I said, I coach my daughter's basketball team. I have a separate backpack. This isn't the exact one, but it's the same one because Navy is one of our brand colors for that program. So I'm like, I am getting a navy Brielle backpack. So I'm hands-free when I'm carrying it into the gym. But it's got everything we need from like the stat book for, you know, the coach that keeps our stats, the first aid kit. I keep a packing tote in there of essentials because a lot of times you're at the gym all day.

So what do I want?

I want my vitamin mixers for water. I want You know, Advil in case I need that or something. But that way I don't have to think every— because a lot of times you're leaving early in the morning on a Saturday. I don't have to think, gosh, what do I want? What do I need to have packed? It's just ready to grab and go. And it's the same thing with your kids. Like, my kids have a baseball bag, a basketball bag, because you need totally different things. They have a flag football bag because you make sure you have the mouthguard or you don't get to play. You know, so it's less things that I have to hold in my brain as long as they keep everything in their bag that they're supposed to. So that is a game changer, 100%.

And we just like, we don't even have like a drop zone in our house. We just have a regular back hall. You could see this inside of the Productive Home Solution when you're organizing the back hall. And I literally screwed hooks all the way down that thing thinking, is this gonna be bad for resale value? Well, newsflash, we never moved.

Yeah.

And also, like, there's— we hang stuff for the dog and for Grayson and for Greg. The hooks are always full, and it's right outside of our laundry room. So when kids come home and you put the laundry in for their uniforms and sports, you put them right back in the bags that are right there in the back. Uniforms— repeat after me— uniforms never go upstairs. Never, never, never. Never go in your bedroom. You should never— there's— you never play a game there. So you should never have to be— that's the rule. If you're not going to play a game in your uniform in your bedroom, you don't ever have it there because that's where it'll be. And you'll be at the ball field and you'll be like, we don't have it. But if you do laundry and the bags are hanging right there, you just put it right in the bag and then it's always ready to go. It never goes in the clean laundry upstairs. Just never, never let a uniform go in a bedroom.

100%. We do the same thing because if it goes in the bedroom, it doesn't come back out. And then you're scrambling and rushing and I Really don't like that feeling. But it's funny because it's little things like that, little systems like that, that transform kind of a busy schedule and makes it feel more manageable. We used to do something similar where we had hooks in our laundry room that's right off our kitchen, and that worked until the kids, you know, some of their stuff was just too bulky. So we had kind of a dead space in our garage. So, yes, I drew up some plans, and Vince, about 4 or 5 years ago, created these gorgeous, like, wooden lockers. So each kid has their own. So that's where their shoes go. Shoes don't come in the house. Backpacks, sports bags, football stuff when you're in football season. And it, it doesn't always look beautiful within the locker. You know, they're not actually hanging it on the hook all the time, but I don't care because it's compartmentalized in their own little cubby. And so then it's not crowding up, you know, inside the house. But My daughter has a tennis bag, a basketball bag, and you don't even have to— and especially if you have a kid who has like asthma or anything, stick an inhaler in each bag.

Yes.

And that's another thing I keep in like my coaching bag for her just in case she were to need it. It's just peace of mind, you know, because otherwise if you don't have a system for those things, it would just feel so burdensome and so chaotic. So it really takes a busy schedule and makes it more manageable.

And that's part of why I bought the chewable Benadryl for Grayson, because he has food allergies. We don't know what they are. And he keeps, you know, we have the little single-serve liquid ones, which are great, but that's not going to be easy. I can easily throw a couple of the chewables in here and he'll eat anything. He's eating, you know, bark and leaves. He can eat a chewable Benadryl until we can get an EpiPen or whatever else. At least we at least have it. It's going to go through TSA PreCheck. But also, I always have my wallet with me. So, I always have that. And then you can move on to like, okay, if we were to need more of an intervention, we would at least be getting that started while we're waiting for the other intervention. So, how can you get more things in something you always have with you? Again, I had an asthmatic kid. I was an asthmatic kid. So, there are inhalers everywhere. So yeah, right there with you.

Yeah.

Stephanie, do you think you do more planning now or less Planning.

More, more for sure. Here's, here's the level that I do, Lisa, and you would probably enjoy this. But for example, on a weekend, all 4 of our kids could have a basketball tournament. Sometimes, you know, the scheduled game times ahead of time, depending on what kind of tournament it is. Sometimes it's, well, if you lose this one, then your game time is here. If you win, it's here. So I will literally map out different scenarios. And of course you're not at the same gym. You know, you're across the city and whatever. And so I, I do so much more planning now than I ever did. But it's important to me too, because I want to make sure that we can get kids to where they need to be and that they have everything. You know, even this morning I had to take my daughter for a lab appointment before school, and we have Anyone who has to take kids for lab appointments, because we have had terrible, terrible, terrible experiences since she was 18 months old, use hand warmers, like, to warm up their veins while they're riding in the car on the way there. And it goes like a breeze because otherwise we've had multiple pricks before. But I have those right next to my handbag this morning. I did that last night, so I had everything set. I brought a paper copy of the lab orders because we're combining them from a couple of different specialists. And of course they didn't get faxed over like they were supposed to. So I had the paper copy. So having that stuff planned out and prepared ahead of time is a game changer. But I think too, so that just looking high level at your planning and where you're going with your business, your family, your health, it is so important because to me, the thought of wasting a month or a year just like Is unbelievable. You know, it just hurts me to think that I was just spinning my wheels or I wasn't going in the right direction. So I frequently allow myself time to step back and look high level and say, will this project or initiative get me to where I wanna be? Or what we're doing on a regular basis, have I just kind of taken that on or is that really where we wanna go? So it kind of—

So true.

You're like course correcting frequently.

Yes, so true. The time is going to pass no matter what.

Yes. Yep, absolutely.

So how much of an input, or, you know, how much of a say do you want to have on that time that is going to pass anyway? Yes.

Yeah. And I think it's just, you know, when you have that vision, the planning is crucial to making sure it's not just, oh, that would be wonderful, but that's impossible. No, it really probably can be something you can bring to life, but take time to plan. So not only plan the things you have to do, but the things you want to do to make sure you're fitting all those in. And then it feels like you're actually kind of guiding your life. Like, things will always happen, of course, but for the most part you're kind of guiding it in the direction you want it to go.

So, Stephanie, what are you most looking forward to in the Back to School Blitz this year?

Okay. I always religiously follow your back-to-school blitz because back to school is a busy time, especially— we'll have a middle school starting, a middle schooler starting this year, and then we'll still have 3 in elementary. So what I'm excited for is really just again taking a step back and reestablishing new routines, because we'll have new start times. He'll have a different start time than the other 3, and then You know, are we taking him to school? Is he taking the bus? How does that affect my work schedule? So again, more planning because it's a different season. And then I always just like the reminders that you give about even I try to get a head start on school supply shopping so I can just have them in the bags downstairs in our furnace room so they're done and I'm not, you know, shopping during the big mix of busy back-to-school shopping. I've done it when it's quiet, and everyone's at work. So it's, it's a good, it's a good prompt just to get a head start on that and really think through and get prepared, you know, with supplies and everything that just make it for a much smoother start to the school year.

So, Stephanie, how can everyone find out more about your awesome bags and the Marie wallet that I love? How can they find out more about you, follow you? Get all the things.

Yes, well, on all the social media we are Austin and Fowler, but our website is austinfowler.com, and you can shop our collection on there and interact with our team on social media. We really try to have, you know, kind of show the lifestyle of an organized, busy person on the go, so you get a feel for how to use the products and just tips on how to simplify your life too.

Thank you so much for being a repeat guest. It's always a pleasure to have you.

Thank you, Lisa. I love any chance I get to talk with you.