Redrop: Farrin's No BS Story - Imposter Syndrome Be Damned

This is the No BS Travel Advisor Podcast. I'm Marcie Muensterman, and this show is for travel advisors who wanna run profitable businesses, charge what they're worth, and stop following outdated bullshit advice just because someone in the industry told them that that is the way it has always been done. Each episode brings real talk, practical strategies, and real stories from fellow travel advisors, because sometimes the best way to learn is hearing how someone else figured their shit out. So let's get to it. Hey everyone. Welcome to the No BS Travel Advisor Podcast. I hope that you guys are having a great day. And I'm here today with one of my business besties, Faryn, and she owns Vacations Worth Melting For. She's been a travel advisor for 6 years. She is a retired teacher and a mama of 2. And I'm really excited to have her today to talk about all of the different specialties she has. But also about a little imposter syndrome. And I just wanna make sure that you guys are, know what we're gonna talk about off the bat because that's what this podcast is all about. And so I'm gonna reintroduce myself. I'm Marcie Muensterman and I'm your No BS Travel Advisor Coach. After on and off 18 years in the business, burnout survivor. And now I want you to hear the stories of our fellow colleagues who have been there, done that, and are in recovery. So that's what we're gonna talk about today with Farren. And I'm just so pumped you are here. So.

Good to be here. Yes.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and what's going on with you right now and all the things.

So my name is Farren Gustafson. I like to say my last name around Marcie because I still can't say it. We're like 2 and a half years into this relationship and she still looks at my last name and goes, oh God. Like Marcie said, I am mom of 2 and I, I've been married to my husband, uh, since 2008. And oh, we'll be together 20 years this May, actually.

Hey, congrats. That is a long time.

Yes, it's over half our lives, which is—

Yes, that's amazing.

Yeah, I own Vacations Worth Melting For, and my area of expertise is Disney and Universal products. And I'm also a certified autism travel professional, and mainly because one of my kiddos is on the spectrum. So.

Yes, and we're definitely gonna dive into that because I think it is so special and makes your brand very unique. And it's coming from a personal space of knowledge and understanding this. And I think too, just you and I have talked so much about him and the journey to get to the autism diagnosis.

Yeah, you were along for that whole ride. Like, that's when I went, uh, I think we need to go make an appointment to, ha, got the diagnosis. My God.

I think there is something with your brand specifically that you really encourage traveling and taking children to Disney no matter what, take 'em. And that there are tools and resources that you're going to be providing to your clients. And I'm so excited to dive into all of that today because I know that those are going to help so many agents. But also, if you are a client out there looking for this particular specialty, Farren is amazing. Go-to, go-to. And as someone who went to Disney with Barron in December, one of the most amazing Disney experiences of my entire life, and I've been going for a long time cuz I live so close. I've never been with someone that is more knowledgeable, literally knows where everything is, knows the quickest way to get somewhere. I was, I was like, how have I not known how to do Disney when I live here and used to be a member? Anyways.

One of my favorite moments from that trip, I didn't even realize had happened until I'd been home for about a week and I was like sorting through all the pictures that we AirDropped. each other and there's a video that you took of me walking in front of you and we were like in the Castle Hub and we were walking back over into Adventureland. And in the, in the, the video you were narrating and you were like, just following Farren cuz she knows exactly where she's going and I don't know where the hell I'm at.

I still don't know where that was.

Like the, the like stride in my step, I was like, I know exactly where I'm going. I've got this.

It was like that the entire time. I am for the first time ever not in charge, which I absolutely love. It made me so happy to be able to just follow along because I'm always the one that's like, this is where we have to go next and this is what we're doing. And it just was so relaxing because I knew I was getting there the most efficient way. It was a good experience. I'm so glad we got to spend that time together.

I had so much fun. And honestly, like if we don't go back this December, um, we're gonna have a problem.

That's okay. We're going on my calendar, so it's happening.

The whole, that is the whole reason that my business exists. As moms, we, we have to plan everything. And then when we get there, we have to make sure everything happens exactly the way that we planned it. And we have to make sure everyone is having fun and doing exactly what we fucking wrote down. And then if and when something goes wrong, we are the ones stressing out about it. And it's funny. Because when I was teaching, I taught middle school theater and I used to tell the kids all the time, the audience doesn't have the script. They don't know if you dropped a line. They don't know that we missed a lighting cue. It's, and that's, it's the same thing when, when we're traveling. You don't need to have the stress of missing a lighting cue. You don't need to have the stress of, oh, I just forgot an entire page of dialogue. You deserve to enjoy your vacation.

Mm-hmm.

One of the things that I get to step in and do for my clients Is go in and like track all the wait times leading up to the vacation. And I make these detailed ride-by-ride itineraries. Honestly, it kind of, one of my favorite things in the whole world is the element of surprise. If I could surprise somebody with something, I'm absolutely going to take that chance every time. And planning these vacations for clients the way that I do it feels like I'm surprising them every time. You know what I mean?

Yes. And what I think is so interesting listening to you talk today Is a you are very different than the Farren I met two years ago, and I love that for you because there was and there's. I just think if people are listening, they're not going to believe based on what you just said that you ever struggled with imposter syndrome because you are so passionate. You know exactly what you're doing. You are so excited, and that is. Why people love to work with you. That's why people, that's why I love talking to you and hanging out with you. It's so easy to be around you. And I think it is surprising, even listening to it right now, that you ever really struggled. So where does that struggle come from and how have you overcome it?

I feel like I need a chaise lounge and like Frasier crazy. No, Marcie. I think I've struggled with imposter syndrome like my entire life. I have, I can't remember a time. Where I didn't feel othered or less than. I've always had a problem like comparing myself to other people and am I doing things the right way? And I think honestly, the, the biggest shift in my, my growth and my mindset has been, was like when we started coaching together. So when I, I don't, I'm sure we've talked about this, but so when I came to you for coaching. Um, I had just left my teaching career. I had just gotten, you know, my husband and my kids back out into like the world after COVID lockdown. And I kept trying to fit my square peg into this round hole that the world was presenting me. And what I mean by that is I went through multiple little crappy jobs. It took me so long to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I didn't graduate with my, my bachelor's until I was 28. I was, my daughter was a day shy of being 2 years old. Like it was—

That's awesome though. I mean, you got it done.

You did get it done and I like kicked— Rocked it, girl. I went to, I've, I finished college while I was going through IVF treatments. Uh, I mean, it's an MVP moment.

But know that I knew that. So you guys also had IVF?

I went through IVF at, at 26 and 27 and, and when we were Going through that process, we were told we had less than a 30% chance of it ever working.

Oh, and then you have 2 lovely babies. We're so happy for you. And they're not babies anymore.

No, Brody's gonna be 7 in May.

That's amazing.

Audrey is gonna be 11 in August, and I'm gonna have a middle schooler next fall.

Welcome to the other side of the hellscape.

God, girl, you need to sleep with your ringer on once my oldest You are already in my favorites, so it, it all rings. I wanted to go back into teaching, but I didn't wanna be in a classroom. Like I, I missed my students. I missed the human interaction. I didn't wanna be in an office, but like, I'll be real, I have absolutely zero desire to ever walk back into a classroom in the state of Texas in a place of authority.

You were already a travel advisor.

Yeah. So look, I started as a TA. It was my like standard teacher side gig while I was teaching. Um, and I, I had gone and taken like a position with a local, um, theater here in, in San Antonio and like that did not work. And, and I did, I had an Etsy store for a long time. Um, and there were so many things that I just was like, this sucks. I hate it. Why can I not find anything that makes me happy? Because even when I was teaching, I wasn't actually a happy person. I loved what I was doing, but I hated so much of it.

Can I interrupt?

Yeah.

I wanna, I wanna just point out, I think a lot of women listening, mm-hmm, can relate to being in your 20s, trying all the things, balancing motherhood or trying to get pregnant and really trying to make something work when we have been basically indoctrinated to be—

yeah, we've been conditioned—

the big thing and be a wife and have some kids and But also make sure you work and make sure you're not lazy and make sure you're doing this. And, but you're like, I need flexibility.

And also you need to make everything, like literally everything in your house and everything you send to school with your kids has to be personalized with a Cricut.

There's just a lot of pressure. I spent all of my 20s figuring out what to do, and I always kind of came back to a sales role, which is how I ended up in travel and I know the sales was not the piece for you that really attracted you. So what did eventually like—

This was not on my bingo card at all. I have a BFA in education with a concentration in theater. Like owning a business was not something I anticipated doing. I am very lucky that I'm married to an accountant slash data analyst who, because I look at, I look at—

We love our nerdy men.

It has numbers on it. Translate it into people words, please.

That's hilarious.

Like owning a business is definitely not something that I ever thought was in the cards for me. And I think it, I think the fact that I do own a business now and I am a full-time travel agent really is reflective on my personal journey. Like the fact that I had this like very unique and admittedly privileged opportunity to be able to Sit down and have this conversation with my spouse and say, I am incredibly unhappy in my work life. I feel hollow as a, as a person. And I feel like it's impacting literally every aspect of my life. I, I don't have professional fulfillment and I worked so, so damn hard.

Hmm.

Finished my college degree and then I only got to use it for a handful of years and I was so lost. And depressed, and when he asked me like, "What do you want to do?" And I was like, "Be happy." I don't know what the answer to that is. You tell me.

And I I had been a travel agent at that point for about three and a half years, but very passively, like to the point that sometimes I went, "Yeah, I should do that." Probably log in and because probably what actually is causing the imposter syndrome when you decided like, "Hey, absolutely want to do this full time." I mean, did that come from Grant, or did that come from you, or were you like? I have been doing this 3 years. I wish I could do more of this.

Honestly, I think it was probably a mixture. I can't recall him specifically saying, why don't you just do this full-time? I knew that it was something that I really enjoyed doing when I remembered I knew how to do it. But I think, I think over the course of several weeks or maybe even several months, we kind of came to the realization together that like, if we don't do this now, when are we ever going to have this opportunity again? And so being able to dive headfirst into the deep end and try to figure out You know, am I with the right host? Am I with the right niche? Am I like, am I doing this the way that I wanna be doing it? And finding out that the answer was no to almost all those questions, right?

Like you were evaluating and realizing I am not with the right host, even though they were Disney-centric. I am not in the right place to elevate.

Right. And I think being able to kind of sit there and have that reflection is again, such a privileged position that if I didn't jump on it in that exact moment, when was the, when was it ever going to present itself again? So—

I don't know that I would call it a privilege. I think we all have to take a pause when we are evaluating anything. Yes, of course there's right timing and things like that.

The privilege was the fact that like, again, I'm married to a, an accountant slash—

Well managed the money. Let's be real. He's well managed the money. We love—

Thank God.

Like the, the fact that I—

Not hard.

Okay.

Base all of our decisions on how are we gonna cover bills to the T this month?

You know, I just don't want you to feel like these decisions weren't intentional from you as well. Like we can give Grant permission to take some of the credit as far as like supporting you because, but that is also his role and supportive husbands win all the awards in these situations. Because we need, sometimes there's a lot of travel advisors who don't have that. We know that to be true. And that's, I think, where you're separating yourself in this moment.

Lucky, blessed, whatever you want to say, in the sense that I have a genuine partner.

But everyone can sit down with the numbers. Everyone can make the choice to look closer at your business. And say, I need to make changes here, here, and here. Oh yeah.

So at a certain point, even I can look at, at a spreadsheet and go, mm, the math isn't mathing.

And I think ultimately that's what ended up happening. Yes. You know, you had to really decide, okay, I have to make some changes.

Right. And like being able to have a couple of minutes to sit down and go, okay, I think this is how I want to do things. How do I make that happen? Because like I said, I've got a bachelor's in, in theater education. I don't know how to run a business. Like I—

But now that imposter syndrome is creeping in and I can hear it now when you're describing like that thought process. No, I'm saying I can see how you kept saying to yourself, I only have this degree. I don't have that degree. So how can I possibly do this?

Exactly.

Which is crazy because We can do whatever the fuck we want.

Girl, one of my favorite things to remember is I have an aunt who I like idolized growing up and she has a degree in fashion merchandising. She works for an oil and gas company. Like, what? And, and honestly, once I kind of remembered that, I was like, well, Tiffany works for oil and gas, but like, went to, like, that's not anything to do with her degree. Get over it.

It's very boys do it. Like, how hard can it be?

But so once I I think, I think I had been full-time and by full-time, I mean, I sat in my home office typing things going, I do Disney stuff. You should, you should use me.

The Farren bot. The Farren bot is what we're gonna call that.

I love that. Um, and I, I think you and I came across each other in another group and you had advertised your, I think you had just started Maximize and you were running some like contest. Where it was, oh, invite your travel agent friends and then I'll do a drawing for, um, like a, a, it was like a coffee, a coffee Zoom meeting or something.

The, uh, the early days of where I had 5 people and did not know if I should be even in this space, imposter syndrome alert, because I was like, who do I think I am? And I'm sure that's what so many travel advisors are like, your thought process. I really do think it's common. And we need to get the fuck over it.

Easier said than done, my friend. There's a lot of therapy involved in that.

Well, I'm glad you found me because now you're one of my admins. You're like one of the best, like, helpers in my world. So I'm so glad you joined Maximize during the contest.

Me too. And like, I think I really honestly think I invited like 3 people because I didn't, because I wasn't focused on this full-time. So I really didn't know that many advisors. And I was, oddly enough, I was at Disneyland with My, with my husband. Um, and we were sitting down eating lunch before we like went to the airport and I, my phone started blowing up and it was my friend Ashley, who is one of my TA, like local TA friends. And she was like, oh, congratulations. Did you see, did you see that you won? And I was like, are you kidding? What? Completely forgot that I had even like joined it. And then like a week later, I think we had our first Zoom meeting and I don't think I've left you alone ever since.

I mean, thank God because. There, it's, it's even amongst those of us who are really well connected and we have a lot in common, it is sometimes hard to like make friends in this business and stay friends in this business. And I think it's like one of those things that I struggle with is relationships outside of Facebook. 'Cause it's like, but we have managed somehow, some way of taking it offline and talk all the time and. Just getting to know you and seeing the vast difference in your, it's not who you are, you've always been amazing, but that growth of that mindset to make the decision and go for it. And it's not to say it was easy, right? Tell us a little bit more about that journey of getting from the coaching piece all the way to where you are now. I mean, it's pretty incredible what you've done in such a short time, Farren.

Yeah.

Thank you.

I think honestly a lot of it was like, don't get me wrong, all the like Propose to Close, Close to Home, Facebook, like First Class Community, all of that has been incredibly helpful for me in my professional, like business aspect of my journey. But truly the one-on-one coaching and like having the ability to bounce ideas off of you that I'm like, oh, this is a really good idea, but I'm so scared about 7, 8, and 9 different things and Having you just tell me like, stop second-guessing yourself. Like, that is a good idea. Stop coming up with reasons why it might not work. Just do the damn thing.

Mm-hmm.

And I honestly, like, when you and I first started coaching, I remember it very vividly. Like, we had just moved into this house and my office was like in the corner of our bedroom. And I think within about a 2-week timeframe, I Hired you as my business coach and I started therapy at the same time.

And so like, well, that's a big combo.

I think I was in desperate need of some self-care.

And therapy is self-care, y'all. Hiring help is self-care.

You can find the right therapist who just like, and you click. It is, I'm a firm believer that everyone needs to go through the therapy process at least once.

Like, for sure.

I agree with that. And I probably need to go back, but You know, that's a conversation for a different day. I, I, I really think that having you as an outlet for things that I thought were business struggles, like truly you ended up pointing out, Grant had been telling me for years, I think you have this thing called imposter syndrome. No, I don't think so. That's not right. And then you also saying it, I was like, oh, okay, maybe I do. And so—

Maybe that's what's going on.

Once I, once I discovered that like, oh, my husband and my friends and my mom and my sister, like they're not lying to me. I am actually kind of cool. I do know some things. And when I do those things, I'm kind of a badass at it. But I had never given myself permission to say, you're a badass.

I mean, you're not a fraud and that's ultimately what imposter syndrome is. So if you aren't, if you're listening and you're not sure What we're even talking about. It's that nagging, aching feeling that a you're not supposed to be doing something you love. Like let's be real, and it's a persistent belief that you may not be smart enough, capable enough, or creative enough to do the thing you want to do with your life. Whether it's travel or something else, you could be listening and maybe not a travel advisor. If you are experiencing those kinds of feelings, it's a lie. Yeah. It's such a fucking lie. That's the thing is we lie to ourselves.

And it, it's like, it's one of those things that very obviously is grounded in some sort of dysfunctional relationship from a very early age, because I don't think you just develop imposter syndrome. You, it is harvested, it is planted deep.

And then like, yeah, it could be bullying. It could be every different relationships with your family. It can be. It can root from one bad interaction that you have one time that just, it's like a core memory.

Yeah.

You know, I think it can root in a lot of places, but the only person who—

The only person that can kill those roots off is you. And yeah, once I figured out that like I did have that power and I didn't have to listen to the like mean voices screaming at me inside my head, that sounds a lot more unhinged than it really is meant to, but Like once I, I figured out that like I am allowed to stand up and say, shut up.

Yeah, absolutely.

I am really fucking good at what I do.

Yes.

My, my husband and I went to the same high school. We met our sophomore year of high school. When we graduated, we were, we started dating the night we graduated. A couple hours.

That's a cute story. I don't think I knew that.

Oh yeah. It kind of, we kind of accidentally started dating. But the night that we graduated, he graduated in like the top 10% of our class. I graduated number 333 out of a class of 619. Like, okay, I was as average as you could get. I was almost deadass in the middle. When I walked the stage, I remember standing there looking out at everybody and just thinking, you better enjoy this cuz it'll never happen again. I, I literally never thought I would graduate college. I didn't, that just wasn't something that I really felt like was in the cards for me.

College.

I graduated from Texas State University and my entire, my, like my entire intention when I grad— when I decided I was gonna go to Texas State was I'm gonna graduate with so much freaking garb around my neck. Like my, my high school robes were just like literally just robes, hat, tassel, end of story. When I graduated from Texas State, I had cords. I had a, like a, like a thing, like one of the, the big material things with like an S on it from like an honor society. Like I went from graduating in the dead middle of my high school class because I was so like beat down and didn't think I was good at anything and had just gotten out of like a really unhealthy relationship and like just really had, had sucked my soul bone dry to graduating college 10 years later in the top 8% of my class and immediately landing a job that I desperately wanted at a school that I, like, it was the middle school that I attended. And while, while going through IVF treatments, like in my, like the later part of my mid-20s, like I was on such a power high. That like at the end, in my late 20s, I was unstoppable. I was like winning.

What changed?

Burnout?

Burnout. That'll do it to us, won't it?

My God. Like I was winning awards left and right in my theater program. I was like, I had to rebuild the thing from the ground up. It didn't exist for a year or two until I got hired. And in like 2, I think it was about to the end of the second year. So like around 2 years, like we started bringing home awards and we started like doing the damn thing. And then when COVID hit, I just lost it all. I went from interacting with like 180+ kids every day who I needed as much as they needed me to— I, uh, I'm like Kim Kardashian ugly crying, um, to being locked in my house trying desperately to like reach them and make sure that they were safe, to leaving my job completely in August of that year. And it just, I didn't know who I was. I didn't know, like, if I can't, if I can't Do what I'm like, quote unquote, meant to do? Who even am I? And in hindsight, I now realize that like truly one of the best things that ever could have happened because I was so on the verge of becoming like married to my job and being a workaholic as, as a teacher. And like when my daughter was in kindergarten, that was the year COVID hit. So we finished her kindergarten year at home. I didn't get to be the room mom. I didn't get to be the one to pick her up when she was sick, uh, you know, at school or take her to her dentist appointments because they were, you know, had to be in the middle of the day. I had to be at school, like I had to be with my students. But now that I'm a full-time travel agent, like I got to be my son's room mom last year.

Nice.

I get to be the one to like be home with them when they've got a fever and like I get to be the mom that I wanted to be. And I don't know that I would've been able to do any of that If I hadn't taken the chance on myself.

Again.

It's gonna be a rough couple of years, but like, we're gonna get through this. And I think if you had told me even just 2 and a half years ago, like, you're gonna be sitting in the home office doing a podcast interview about how happy and successful you are, I would've been like, okay.

Right. I believe that because when we met, I definitely Saw what I would say is not a broken Farren, but somebody who was struggling, struggling. And I, I think a lot of women can relate to how you're feeling about the COVID years. I think a lot of travel advisors actually came. I always think it's crazy. I'm always like, why did you join in 2020? Holy shit. Like whenever I talk to people who You know, went all in during and after COVID, I'm always like a little bit wondering like what's broken upstairs. But also for those of us that pushed through, I wonder how we got through sometimes because it was a lonely fucking couple of years.

Girl, I, I had one client traveling during like when, when everything started shutting down and I thought I was stressed out. And then now, like since we've all kind of come out from under the, you know, the shade of, of that whole timeframe. Listening to some of y'all's survival stories.

Oh yeah. We, oh my God, we survived a lot more than I think people give any credit for.

100%.

Coming through 2020 and 2021, it was traumatizing for those of us who had seen a lot of other shit in our businesses and we were like, this isn't gonna be that bad. But you know what really affected Some of us, and if I, if I can speak for a lot of us who went through it, when Disney closed indefinitely, as someone who maybe sold 2 Disney trips a year, I was like, oh fuck, we're so fucked. Like it was like this because Disney doesn't close unless it's real serious.

And I mean, they're open during hurricanes.

Like, I mean, sometimes, but they've been a little bit more conservative this past couple years. But yes, it was a very troubling time to be on the receiving end of no cruises going out and Disney closing all in the same 3 to 4 days. And you're looking at your numbers as somebody who is a high achiever, looking at over almost $700,000 in sales for 2020. It was supposed to be my first year at 6 figures in a very long time. And I just remember thanking myself for always selling insurance.

No kidding.

And also being Incredibly devastated to lose a high 5-figure salary that year. Like looking at it like what you were projected to make versus watching it take down in half. You had to literally every single week cancel a vacation. For people who aren't in travel listening, we don't get paid if y'all don't go anywhere. We don't, a lot of us don't have the insurance coverage for commissions and it's not always covered even when we have it. So it's a very, it was a dynamic. year for you as a teacher, but also all of us, everyone was experiencing different things. But I am always a little bit like, hey guys, why now? Why travel? Because we were struggling coming out of COVID I'm glad you all are here. I'm glad the business is growing. I'm glad Rio did not become extinct because I think that was the risk of what happened during pandemic for travel in general. We had risk. We were risking like never having travel agents again if we didn't start to make some money again.

So funny about that is I really think that that almost, at least in my, in my view, I, I really think that it, it justified our existence. Like everybody else had so much to worry about that canceling a vacation and having to like reschedule and, you know, sit on hold while literally everyone else on the face of the planet is trying to do the same thing. I, I really think that we justified our stance and I think that's also why we're seeing a resurgence because I think a lot of people think like, oh, travel agent, that like, you know, that's such a Mad Men, you know, like '50s, '60s, '70s era career. When you tell people you're a travel agent, they're like, okay, so you're what, like you're Booking.com or Costco? And I'm like, nope.

I mean, I mean, I agree with you. I, I think I still have struggle from that time. Of even seeing it from that perspective, because you're right, our clients, I mean, my clients wouldn't have known what to do and they were constantly texting and calling me and asking me for my advice. And I was giving the kind of advice that I have always given, which is, you know, I'll stay calm and, and I will give you the information I have as clearly as I have it. As soon as I have another update, I will send it to you. And during that time, being able to focus on other people was definitely a positive for me. But you're right, it definitely solidified why those people, those clients of mine hired us.

Yeah.

I do think I am still struggling looking back on that time as just a time in my career when I could not decide. There was many, many, many times I looked at that and said, this is it. I should not be here. This is like not it for me. So I love hearing we are even more needed now. We, there is a, and people are craving what you were missing was that in-person experience with your, with your students. We were missing conferences and getting on airplanes and, you know, going to Disney. I was like, I would have gone to, I mean, I did go to Disney in 2020. It was awful. It was literally my worst, least favorite trip ever.

But my son's very first Disney trip was supposed to be at the end of April of 2020.

Oh, wow.

I remember standing in the backyard, like trying not to melt down because my mom was going with us. It was gonna be my, like our first, our first trip as like a family of 4. And Brody was gonna get his first haircut at the barbershop on Main Street. It was gonna be perfect. And then, oh my God, when they started saying like, you know, when, when, like we, I guess we first started kind of getting rumblings of COVID It was right before my district was supposed to go out on spring break and we got this email that like, you need to take home your iPads, you need to take home your Chromebooks. We may not, you know, we may be virtual for a while.

And I was like, what's that mean? Yeah.

Yeah. How do you think, how do you expect me to teach theater arts virtually? Shut up. But we're not doing that.

No, you're doing it.

Extended by like a day and then spring break got extended till the end of the following week. And then it was all of a sudden the mayor of my city is on TV saying, Citywide shutdown at noon tomorrow. And I looked at Grant and I was like, I have to go try to break into the school.

Oh my God.

I got home nothing. And all I kept thinking was, okay, I'm gonna go up there. I'm gonna sweet talk my way back into campus cuz I'm buddies with the, with like the head, you know, of the, the janitorial department. I'm gonna get my stuff and then it's gonna be okay. It's gonna be a stressful couple of weeks, but then, you know, in like a month we're going, we're going to Disney. And, and it's gonna be great and it's gonna be fine. And like, I remember calling my mom that night telling her like, oh yeah, I basically had to like, you know, try to break into the school to get my stuff. Uh-huh. You know, but it's gonna be fine cuz we're gonna be at, you know, Cinderella Castle in a month. And she was like, honey, do you really think that we're gonna do that? And I was like, well, of course we are. Then, you know, we'll shut down for like a week and then it'll be fine. And then she was just like, I just really need you to mentally get in a place where you understand that like, that's probably not Oh my God. So mean. And then sure enough, but like finally we didn't, we didn't actually get to go until October of 2021. And we drove, like we drove from Texas to Orlando.

Wow.

It really truly showed me how little, like, or how, how drastically different, like my childhood is from my kids' childhoods.

Mm-hmm.

Because road trips were like a regular thing for us. Like we didn't go on family vacations. We took road trips to, um, Northern Oklahoma to go see family. That was the vacation. And like listening to my kids freak out because like, what do you mean we're not at Disney World yet when we're literally still west of Houston? And like, we've—

You're like, Texas is its own country, so it's gonna take a while.

Y'all, it was, it was my walking up the hill in the snow both ways, like moment where I was like, you guys been in the car for 3 hours. What are you talking about? We used to road trip 12 hours all the time.

Blah, blah.

Oh my God.

That is so funny. It's not funny. It is funny. It's funny that we can like talk about it now and have these fun memories of like, we survived. And that's really what this was. It's just a, a course in survival. And you are now here and you are— I wanna talk, I wanna change the subject. I know I'm like abrupt change, but I wanna talk about, yes, you had the, the coaching and you were doing great, but you were still maybe not with the right home. Like the one thing I remember when we met and did your, you know, intake, I hate the word intake. It sounds like a doctor's office moment.

Yeah.

I did have a survey, a questionnaire about coaching. And one of the things I really noticed about you is you were very much settling for the wrong agency because of the Disney factors. And there are just so many Disney factors when you are a theme park specialist that play into the decision that I think a lot of agents who specialize in Disney struggle with because in our world, commission is everything. It really is. If you want to make money, you have to have a solid commission. And one of the things that you were really settling for was that 60/40 split. And so I wanna talk about—

Do you remember how you found out about my 60/40 split?

No, I remember being appalled.

Okay. Yeah. I felt like you were gonna jump through my computer and strangle me. Um, so what had happened was the original, so I, I'm, I am almost 7 years into my career and admittedly host hopped a little bit. Like the, the first host that I started with was fantastic for what I needed at the time when I was like very much looking to just be a part-time agent and balanced with like my family life and my, my professional life at the time. And then once I decided to jump, you know, like go, go full-time, I realized I need, I wanted a little bit more like handholding. Like I just wanted, I'm such a rule follower and I wanted to make sure that I was doing everything the quote unquote right way. And my original host was just like really hands-off and I, I, I appreciated that about them at the time.

Right. We love a hands-off host over here. So I'm like, that's how it should be. But I get it. You were looking a little bit more for maybe some support and guidance on making sure all your ducks are in a row, your I's are dotted, your T's are crossed. And I do also think hosts should provide some sort of onboarding of like setting you all up. Yeah.

And so like the, the host that I, I think I signed my contract with like my second host about 3 weeks before we started coaching together. And I did that, like, at the time, I, I really, like, I was so excited about all the, like, the resources and the, like, the structure. And I think at that, that time in my life, I, I needed that. Like, I needed the structure. I needed, like, I needed, like, a blueprint to just make sure that I was doing what I was supposed to be doing. But it did come with a cost, right? Like, I went from I think I was at an 80/20 split originally to a 60/40 split. And I knew that it was lower. I knew that I was gonna be taking less money, but I felt like it was a trade-off at the time for the structure that I was craving. And then once I'd been in it for about 6 months, and I think I finally fessed up to you, uh, I was like, uh, actually—

Well, weren't we writing your numbers? Weren't we talking about like your estimated commissions and your sales? Because I always have to go over that with you at some point in the coaching. I think that's, I think I am starting to recall when I learned about it because I, we were really digging into the math.

Yeah. Well, I think when I filled out my, like my questionnaire initially, I was still making that like 80/20 split. And then when I moved agencies and then we picked up the coaching, I, I think I like failed to mention that I actually was only making 60/40 now.

Um, and then probably because you knew I was not going to approve.

And guys, one of those things I intentionally forgot to tell you.

I'm going to interrupt you again because I'm not, we're besties. I can do that. I want to just explain that I do understand that agents' costs, agency costs are very high and it is very expensive to run an agency. I want to acknowledge that. It doesn't mean these agency owners are quote unquote bad. I think a lot of people think I hate everybody. I don't.

People say that about you.

That's not like, I don't hate any. I want everyone to find the perfect host. I, right, as someone who has just recently started her own agency from the bottom, it is fucking painful. And I've been doing this a long-ass time and it's still painful. And I. Want people to find the right host where you can be fully appreciated and be compensated so that you can have the life you want to have. That's what I'm looking for. If you're okay making $50, $60, why I am appalled by this because I know how much Disney pays and I know that if you're doing mostly lower end properties with a couple of tickets, you're not making any money. And if that's not the bottom line for you, my coaching clients come to me, you came to me. Because you want to have an impact on your family. And you told me your why, and your why was very much financial. And if your why is tied into financial, which we all have to make money, I mean, if you want to even go to Disney, you have to be making some money. I don't care if you get a big discount, the numbers have to make sense. And so one of the big activities I take all of my coaching clients through is a financial estimation of the commission you're gonna currently be making based on the sales you have and potentially what your goals are and if they're gonna match up with what you want to bring into your household income. And if they don't match, we have to start looking at why. And one of the main reasons that travel agents are poor, and I mean poor, like some of you guys are not making even $20,000 a year. Some of you aren't even making $5,000 a year yet. Is the commission split. It's the, it's the baseline for getting to your goals.

And so if it doesn't, if it's so low, if you have a host that is genuinely providing you with like training and support and various opportunities, sometimes it makes sense to start at that lower split as long as there is the potential For a higher split with experience in sales. In, in my opinion, the split should not start lower than like 75/25.

I agree. I mean, 70/30 is really pretty much the standard and kind of like should be the standard. It really should. That's, that's with training. That's with mentorship. That's with support because 30% is still a chunk of change. And just if you're doing the basic math on a Disney $100 commission, that's $30. And I understand wanting to make $30 off of an agent to mentor and, you know, but once you get into that 60/40, 50/50, I've heard recently like a 35/65. I almost threw up.

Yeah.

When that agent reached out to me. And that's the issue is we're not always able to talk about all the amazing hosts because you're not getting bitchy. Awful DMs about good hosts. Like, that's not a real thing. So like, all I'm hearing is a lot of negativity, especially around agencies that specialize in theme parks.

Yeah.

It just seems like they pay less than other agencies because the commission split is already low. But that's the point is the commission is already low. So if you're not giving your agents a fair split, then how are they ever, ever going to make a livable income? And so that's where my frustration comes from.

At a certain point, it just becomes predatory. I will never, ever understand or advocate or try to make excuses for predatory anything.

Okay, y'all, let's pause for a quick break. I need you to know you have never been trained in sales. Yeah, you might know how to use your CRM and book a preferred vendor or post on Instagram, but none of that teaches you how to close the damn sale. And if you're tired of hearing that travel sells itself while you watch prospects take your hard work and book elsewhere, it's time to fucking change that. I am introducing you to the Propose to Close Sales Course, a no BS step-by-step program designed to help travel advisors like you weed out tire kickers, stop quoting in the DMs, and finally close sales without feeling pushy or salesy. This intensive 10-hour, 9-module course will teach you how to qualify prospects, send one fabulous proposal instead of 5, 10, 15, build real connections very quickly, and close the sale in under a week. Whether you're brand new or a veteran stuck in burnout, this course will give you the skills and confidence to transform your travel business and your fucking life. So if you're ready to stop spinning those wheels and start running a business that works for you, head to my website to grab the Propose to Close sales course. And don't forget to check out the show notes for an exclusive coupon code. Okay, now back to the pod.

If you are a Disney-focused agent, and let's be real here, like most of the time in most places right now, in, in at least in America, you can't throw a rock without hitting a quote unquote Disney travel agent. First of all, stop calling yourself that. You're going to get everyone around you in trouble. We're all gonna get slapped across the face by the mouse. Second of all, you're not— Disney doesn't need your help selling their destination. There's a reason why we're only making— Minimum commissions. However, we have to make ourselves stand out. That is what you taught me. Like, that is one of the things that I learned. Nobody needs my help to go, the definition of Disney World and its location can be found here. What I do for people is something that other agents don't.

Their brand. That is the difference between being a travel advisor who specializes in Disney and having a brand of I also do that, but I do it my way. I do it a special way. And that's what makes all the difference.

There's such power in being able to say, that's great. I love that you and I specialize in the same thing, but we are not the same. But that doesn't mean we're competition either. Some of the closest relationships I've built in this industry, some of those agents also do what I do. Even, even people here in my city, like I just started a Facebook group for Other travel agents in my city and the majority of us are magical theme park specialists, but like none of us do the exact same thing in the exact same manner.

Exactly. Yes.

And like, there's also enough business for all of us. Enough people are trying to go see fireworks over a castle. I don't need to fight you for clients. We are community. We are not a competition. And so. Why not take the opportunity to extend that, like, not really even an olive branch, but for lack of a better term, like, let's just be friends. Like, we don't need to like cut one another down. Community over competition will be like one of those things I say with like my last breath because I don't need to do what you do and you don't need to do what I do. There is such power in being able to say, my clients. Do Disney this way. My clients stay at deluxe resorts. My clients follow the ride-by-ride itineraries that I create from scratch for them every single time. My clients receive complimentary vacation styling by this amazing company that I've partnered with, like out of, they're called Once Upon a Wardrobe and they're 2 of the sweetest people I've ever met and I love working with them. My clients enjoy So many different things, but my clients also pay a fee cuz I got bills to pay. I am damn good at what I do and I deserve to be paid for my time and my expertise.

I am so proud of you. The imposter syndrome might be still gnawing its way back in occasionally, but you have come so far and I really want to talk to you about your specialty within the specialty because Being, being a mom of a child with autism is a very unique situation, but one that isn't so unique that there aren't lots of us. And I love what you do for your families with children who have autism because it really is a game changer for families who think they can't go. And one of the things you shared with me That I was mind blown on was how many families choose not to travel because their child has a disability. So I want us to talk about that.

Like 97% of families with someone on the spectrum don't travel because it causes such a disruption to whether it's your very well established, very cemented routine or interruption in therapies or things like that. Um, 97% of families. With a mental spectrum don't travel. And I think a lot of, at least for my family, we, we traveled several times before we knew that my son was on the spectrum. And so I kind of have this unique point of view, I guess, because I remember very specifically we were at California Adventure at Disneyland. Um, and Brody was just beside himself. And, and not, he wasn't like screaming and crying and kicking, but he was visibly upset and very bothered and like couldn't, he's very, he has very high functioning autism. Um, very verbal, you know, not, we're, we're very lucky in that regard, but I could not figure out like, how are you mad at Disneyland? Like, I did not understand it. I really just thought like, okay, he's having a meltdown. Did I tell him no too many times? What, what could I possibly have done at Disneyland to like ruin your entire life? Once we got the diagnosis though, And I was able to look back at some of those travel memories. I, I now have the benefit of hindsight to say, oh, that wasn't a like spoiled toddler meltdown. That was you not being able to regulate your emotions. And also you were probably incredibly, like you, he was suffering from sensory overload.

Right.

You know, there's different sounds, there's different sights there. We've changed time zones. Even different smell, like all of those things can cause sensory overload. And so one of the things that I created from that moment of reflection in our, our family travel was since I already make these ride-by-ride itineraries for my clients, one of the things that I create sensory guides so that we are aware of different things that might, you know, overstimulate in different manners. The social stories. So like, you know, what to expect when we're gonna go through security at the airport. What do we do when we get on the airplane?

Wow.

This is what our hotel is gonna look like. This is what it's gonna smell like. Here's pictures of the room. You know, we're, we have a very solid understanding of information so that we know what we're walking into. But with the ride-by-ride itinerary, I started making like little keychains, like broken up day by day. So if the client is gonna be in the parks 4 different days, then I get, I send them 4 sets of keychains.

I love this.

So that the, the 9 times out of 10, the child has this, a little comfort device. And so like maybe they're getting upset because they're getting hungry. Well, let's look at our flip chart and see like, okay, we have 3 more things to do. And then the 4th page is lunchtime. So now we know, now this kid has the ability to say, I know I have this many things to do. This is what it looks like. This is what I'm going to hear. This is what I'm going to experience. And then it also gives them the agency over them, their own choices to say, actually, I don't really think I wanna ride Soarin'. I don't really wanna smell oranges right now. Or, you know, I, I, I think, I, you know, some, a lot of kids honestly, like Space Mountain being in the dark, but with like the, like the flashy zoomy lights.

Yeah.

Past you. A lot of kids, if they're going to be able to ride Space Mountain, it has to be first thing in the morning. Because the overstimulation isn't amped up enough that like, got it, to get through it.

That's amazing. Giving— that's some intuitive service. That's what I call intuitive service in my programs because I don't think people realize how much we have to think for our clients before they get there, especially if they've never done it before. And that's so much a key component of standing out in the crowd is knowing, and we do know, if you have been to Disney, you know, it smells everywhere you go. It smells like popcorn, then it smells like cinnamon, then it smells like shit. Like it's just, you never know what you're going to get. So, I mean, I really love this offering. I love that it is a standout moment for you. And that is why you're not in competition. And it's also why there's plenty of business to go around because there is a high need. And this, in the, in the spectrum of autism, the fact that they don't travel because of fear and you're addressing those fears, you're, you're meeting them where they are. That, that's amazing.

Well, and then the other thing too is that my daughter Audrey has severe food allergies and we discovered her severe food allergies at Disney World, like broke out in hives. We had no idea that she had food allergies until we ate at one of the restaurants and figured out, oh, you're itchy and broken out in hives. Because you ate off of a fork that had been in contact with shellfish. So scheduled allergy testing after that. I say that I'm an, like, I am a certified autism travel specialist. I don't like officially advertise anything to do with food allergies because there are so many variations.

It's too dynamic, right?

Yes. And I would hate to be responsible for giving incorrect information on that, but I am able to kind of offer that like mom take on, on certain places. So like, I know one, I know that. During intake, I need to ask my clients, do you have anybody with sensory processing issues? Do we have mobility issues? Do we have any food allergies? And if they say yes, I know I need to do a lot of research to be able to guide them during our dining reservation window so that I'm not—

But also understanding that you can't control all of that. So really making sure we communicate that, hey, I respect this. I'm listening. But you're going to have to double, triple check.

And empowering them to, to be able to like make sure that they say, you know, there's an, you know, there should be a note of a food allergy on the account and mention it to like, you know, mention it to the person when you check in for the reservation, mention it again to the waiter, make sure that you're getting those allergy food flags. Like when we went to Cinderella Royal Table and they brought out my food and I had like a stick sticking out of mine.

Yes.

I'm allergic to avocados. Nothing on the menu had avocado in it, but they still took that extra step to make sure we knew. They're checking for it. So little things like that that we can do to empower clients, like it goes a long way.

But it also really is showing just how much that you're not a fraud. You're not an imposter here. Not only do you have experience, you have 6 years of Disney-specific experiences to fall back on, as well as your mom life to fall back on, as well as teaching. I always say if you're a teacher, you could absolutely be a travel advisor because 90% of what we spend our time doing is educating. And the more you're able to educate within a realm that a lot of other travel advisors are not in is even more of an asset. So there's no reason for you to be experiencing any more imposter syndrome.

I agree.

Okay, good. Well, before we wrap it up, I want to talk to you about your 3 things. Your 3 pieces of advice that you would give a travel advisor who doesn't want to invest, have to invest right now that they could take away from our conversation and improve their business today.

My first one is that you need to join a networking group or 2. And, and don't, don't be afraid to like, you know, go around and sample things, but it cannot tell you how much it helped finding local networking groups that I really connected with. Not only for that like human interaction that a lot of us miss because we work at home, but just like a, a connection or a community rather of people that get it. They know how hard it is running your own business. Um, and then once you know, start getting to really know those people and establishing those relationships, being able to refer out is like, it's such a gift. Like even if somebody's asking for something that has absolutely nothing with what I do, I know somebody that can take care of that for you. And now we've established a connection. So, you know, now you're going to come back to me because like, oh yeah, you referred someone and I really liked working with them. Now I'm going to reach out to you.

Well, and then networking is not necessarily referring and building a business in the networking group with other people you network with. It's networking with their network, right? That whole point of networking isn't so that your actual, this real estate agent will also book a vacation with you. It's so. the potential of her saying, oh, I know someone who specializes in Disney and they happen to also be a specialist. They know a lot about autistic, you know, autism and traveling that way. So like the more you're willing to niche down and, and talk about what you do very specifically, then people will remember it. Because if you just say, I'm a travel agent, I've been doing this for a while, I'll sell whatever, it doesn't leave an impression saying, I specialize in Disney. My son has autism, and because of that, I have become a specialist for families who have children with autism. I think it is so much more impactful. So when you say those things, that network hears it.

And they really take it and run with it because once you've established those relationships and they know what a badass you are, they feel comfortable referring you out. And so, uh, Like networking has been such a massive gift for me. Um, my second piece of advice would be to do your research before you join a host. Go onto hostagencyreviews.com. Um, interview the host as much as they are interviewing you. Like even if you are brand new, haven't been on a plane in years and think you might wanna dip your toe in the TA pond, like don't sell yourself short. You deserve to be compensated fairly for your time. You deserve to be like propped up and built up and, and told the correct way to do things.

Mm-hmm.

Uh, while also having agency over the way that you run your business.

And you are in a better situation now making— how much are you making now?

Uh, I make a 90/10 split.

We love a 90/10 split.

No monthly fees. Like it's literally, and they are as involved or as hands-off as I want them to be. And love it. To be very clear, my first 2 host agencies run by incredibly kind, knowledgeable, valuable human beings. It just wasn't the right fit for me to do. So I, I love where I'm at now. I have really, I feel like I have grown so much professionally in the last year since like coming on with this new agency. And like, I'm never gonna shake my head and balk at a 90/10 split. Like that's the highest I've ever made. And it's everybody in this agency makes a 90/10 split, including the owners. So it's—

that's incredible. Very love it. You wanna name drop Legato? Awesome.

We love Legato. Big fan.

Very happy. Very happy for you and for Bill in creating something that is truly host-friendly in terms of 1099 and IC rules and empowering ICs to take ownership over their businesses, be the CEO of their businesses. I'm really impressed. I'm very happy for you. That you found Legato. Yes.

I like, from, from my initial conversation with Bill, I knew that it was the right place for me. Um, we were very much speaking the same language in regards to like the way that I want to do things and the way that he wants me to be able to do things the way I want them done. And yeah, big fan. Um, so yeah, so make sure that y'all are doing your research with the, with hosts. There are plenty of agencies out there that either are an MLM or have an MLM leg or are a covert MLM, which means they are actually an MLM and they're lying to you about it. I said it. I'm not like—

It's true though. And a lot of agencies operate like an MLM and don't, maybe don't take ownership over that, but are absolutely operating in a MLM, which is somebody takes a cut, then somebody else takes a cut, then somebody else takes a cut before you get your cut. And that is— I mean, very direct sales. And whether they call themselves that or not, we have to be so conscientious of that happening. And if there are multiple cuts of your commission before it gets to you, it's not as legitimate as a host agency that is straight up with a fee, possibly a monthly fee or a yearly fee.

If somebody is coming to you and saying like, how do I, how do I phrase this? If somebody is coming to you and like blowing smoke up your butt about how amazing this opportunity is, if you get a hey girl in the DMs, like run. I don't care how long you've known that person. Block.

I say hey girl, but not in like the hey girl, have a thought in the join me over here. Hey girl vibes. No, I don't do that. That's— What is the third thing?

My third, my third tip is Do not say, when you use me, replace the word use with hire.

I am a— Even if you don't charge a fee, right? Even if you don't charge a fee.

I mean, you're still working. You're still providing a service in a professional setting. Nobody uses me. Nobody should be using you. You can hire me. We, we have got to stop as a, like an, as professionals in this industry. Stop jumping in Facebook groups on like the free advertising Sunday or whatever and saying, when you use me, it's 100% free. No. Like if you wanna be, if you, if you don't or can't charge a planning fee for like, if that, maybe that's just not your style, more power to you. Been there, done that. I like, I get it. However, no one is using you. I, my mama bear hackles go up whenever I see any TA or literally any profession saying, use my service, use me. Stop saying that.

Please stop saying it. Like, there's so many other— words have power. Say something that's more powerful. We can partner together. Hire me. We can talk about working with each other. There's lots of ways. To offer your services without using free or use. And it is a hard change. I still say things like that. Like it's a hard habit to break, but it's definitely something you can do for free. So even though I just said don't say free.

I use a Kleenex. I don't use a professional.

Ooh. Okay.

I mean, like, my services and my talent are not disposable. You're not going to use me.

So good. So what is your unpopular travel advisor opinion, Baron? Like, what is it that people believe to be true that is just such bullshit? I have 2. Okay.

So I would say the first is, like I said earlier, the community over competition. Yes, we're in sales, but we don't need to be gross about it. Like, there's a way to be high class and respectful and professional in a sales role. Um, we don't need to badmouth other agents or agencies or, you know, try to get people to like cancel bookings and rebook with us. That's gross. Stop doing it.

Yeah, I know that's happened to you a couple of times. That's really not a good situation.

Annoying. My second hot take is for me, being with an earmarked agency Didn't really make that big of a difference. Like clients don't really know what earmarked is. They don't, those that do know what it is really don't care. And for me, when I sat down and, well, when we sat down and really started doing the math, I was losing money almost hand over fist by being with like these very specific agencies. Are you able, are it with the, the little money that you're pulling in, are you actually able to afford to be able to go use those perks? Or does it make more sense to make a higher commission split to the point that you could possibly get an annual pass or, you know, do these other things that would then make you eligible for other kinds of discounts that, no, it may not be the exact same percentage, but in the long haul, based on the number of times that I am actually able to go to the parks, which I'm in a Disney park or Universal park once every business quarter, but I still live in Texas. It's still a journey and it's, it's an investment in my business and like Right. You know, my mental health most of the time.

I think running the numbers, no matter what you sell, is really what it's gonna come down to if you want to travel as well. I mean, being a specialist in Italy is expensive. It's not the type of, there are no discounts and they're very, and the few that we do get offered, you have to be selling before you're offered and you have to really be selling. And I think that is true for most specialties and Disney's one of them. You, you need to be selling, you need to be active, you need to be involved and you need to be traveling there. So the perks, we cannot, I don't specifically even know what all of them are. They vary depending on the agency you're with, but it also doesn't mean that you have to be with a specialty in Disney at a Disney agency to be successful. I think it's just one of those things where you have to really take a pause and do what's right for you and your business. We're not saying. Leave all of your agencies because they're not paying you enough. We're saying evaluate your agency, evaluate your contract, get a lawyer if you need to, to review it with you and take care of yourself so that you can have the business you desire. I don't think it matters where you work. If you are not being paid well and you have skillset that allows for a promotion, you have to give yourself a promotion in this industry. You're the only one who can do that. Yes.

And you, and going after like this sort of like a stick and carrot method of like, oh, well, if you sell more, then you get more perks. Okay. Well, unless you are, you know, local and truly able to take advantage of those, how much money are you really leaving on the table?

Yeah. You know, never is free to go anywhere. Like there's no such thing as 100% free. So really owning that and And running those numbers with your accountant, your bookkeeper, your husband, your partner, your friend, your coach, whoever is willing to sit down with you is going to really open your eyes, guys. And that's why it's so, that's the message. It's just do the numbers, run your math, and find your voice inside of your business to be your own brand.

Yes. And like own it.

Yes. And own it. That's the only thing that gets rid of imposter syndrome is Taking ownership and being proud of who you are and how far you've come and how you got here.

And what a badass you are.

Yes.

You are so good at whatever it is that you're doing. Just acknowledge it and like allow yourself to enjoy that knowledge. Yeah, I know.

I'm so excited. Okay. We are going to wrap up. I am so glad you came on today. Episode 8 is wrapped up. I hope that We have helped you and given you lots to think about. And Farren, I adore you. I'm so appreciative of our friendship, and it means so much to me that you took the time out to be here with us today. So thank you so much.

Thank you for having me on and just for, for everything. Like, I don't think I'll ever be able to truly express how, how far I've come, like, as a person because of, like, your Your like kindness and your advice, but also your ability to gently kick me in the ass and go, stop it.

Well, I'm excited for our Disney trip this year and I'm grateful for you. So it's been a joy to watch you thrive and grow. And I know that this is just the beginning.

Thank you.

Thanks, girl. That's a wrap on today's episode, friend. Thanks for hanging out with me again on the No BS Travel Advisor Podcast. I hope you're leaving this episode feeling fired up, inspired, and ready to take back control of your business. And let's be honest, your fucking life. If today's episode hit home, do me a favor and share it with your fellow travel advisors who need to hear this. And don't forget to leave a review. Your support means the world and helps me reach more badass advisors like you. And hey, if you've got a story to share or some no BS advice of your own, you've taken a course or two of mine, maybe you've been a coach I want to hear from you. Head to my website to apply to be a guest. I'd love to feature you on an upcoming episode. Until then, you fucking got this. Keep being bold, keep being unapologetic, and keep building the business you fucking deserve. This is Marcie Muensterman signing off with zero fluff and a whole lot of heart.