Do The Thing 200th Episode :)

Hey, everyone.

Welcome to the 200th podcast episode for do the Thing.

And.

And for the first time ever, we are live streaming the 200th episode. And I have on some amazing community members with me that have been doing the thing through the different challenges that we have. And it's been incredible just having this opportunity to be able to move. And as I'm moving, I'm playing with other people that want to do it too.

And just to give context, because we're on, like, YouTube and some different platforms that I haven't done yet, I'll just give some context as to what do the thing is, and then I'd love for each of you to introduce yourselves and who you are, and even some of you have podcasts kind of go from there. But let me see. I think someone else. Oh, yep, we got Lala. I see Lala.

You got me laughing right after a workout.

What?

That is, like, the perfect thing, because, like, it's like we could all just say no or this or that, or I have to do this or that, and you're able to just be on here. And I feel like that's the whole do the thing culture and mentality, you know, is being able to do that. And so just for context, I'm just giving some info for people that are new watching us, and then we're going to each introduce ourselves and who we are and all the good stuff. So basically, it started with a book, and I was writing a book, and then to talk to a book strategist, she said, you need to interview people because you got to see how they do the thing. And. And then through the podcast was, as I'm interviewing people, that's when I uncovered a formula on how all these people did the thing. And I saw pattern after pattern of just the same thing. And I started to put these patterns onto index cards, and I put them, like, on my kitchen table and things like goals and mindset and accountability and things like that. And then all of a sudden, the words literally just appeared, and it was, I'm game, and it's an acronym. And for. The acronym for everyone is the I, and I'm is identify the Y. The M in I'm is mindset, and then the G is goals, The A is accountability, the M is my people, and then the E is educate. And so once I uncovered this formula, I'm like, I've got to test it. And that's when I started the first do the Thing challenge, which started as just a dating dare challenge.

And.

And basically having this Idea of, like, giving people dares could get them finally off of dating apps. And that's our OG challenge. And it's funny because we're about to do it again in a few weeks. It's like, really exciting how you say.

Og.

And then we. And then since then, we've done finding your voice, starting a book. We did another dating challenge. We've done a startup podcast, go live. We have all kinds of other challenges coming, and it's been.

Challenge and so all over. So through these challenges is when we keep testing the formula and the formula freaking works. And it's like so great and so. And so that's how you guys are here. And I'd love to just start off and have you each just introduce yourself, share a little bit about what you're doing, what you're excited about, and then we can kind of keep the party going. Lala, we might have you sing a little bit. We'll see.

Oh, that'd be great.

So, Randy, why don't you start? Randy, how about you? You kind of.

Hey, I'm Andy. I'm Stacy's cousin and we're my partner in crime. Back end everything. Do the thing. I came on basically just to kind of monitor the second. I guess the first. Second dating dare. It was after the beta one. It was the first official dating dare, and I was doing the prizes and I'm like, wait a minute, Stacy, this is not about dating. This is a personal growth. And, like, I'm learning all these things about me that I didn't even know. I'm like, are you kidding me?

So.

So yeah, now I'm Stacy's partner in crime.

All things.

Do the thing.

I'm here to help spread the word and to really see people change. I just want to say that I have seen so much growth and with fun in community, people having purpose, people having direction, people discovering things that they never even knew that they wanted. So I am so blessed to have this opportunity to be here.

And the fabulous Nikki Kush.

Hey, everybody, I'm Nikki. And thank you. I'm so excited to be here. I joined the do the thing community for the second dating challenge. I believe it was. And had so much fun. I went into, let's see, after the dating challenge was the find your voice. No, find your voices. That was kind of the. Yeah. So there was the find your voice. And then I did the write a book and then the podcast challenge. Missed the livestream one, but then I did the fitness one. And the just the incredible thing about and why I believe in this so much. And why I'm here to support Stacy is because these challenges have really helped me in some really difficult times. And, like, I wasn't even going to do the fitness challenge, and then Stacy did a check in with me, and I quit smoking cigarettes, which is great as a result of that, and started getting healthy. And it was like, I found a great community of people that I knew I could just be uplifted by. And when I spend time with the folks in the community, especially when you're thinking like, the dating challenge, it gets you off the dating apps, which have just gone from bad to worse.

I'm just saying, I used to be a big fan of them because I'm a busy lady, right? So. But now it's just that I've got to find ways to go in the wild and figure it out, because I don't know if that's going to be the way I meet anybody anymore. So I don't know. But it's just been a wonderful community. And, Stacy, you're just changing lives and creating such beautiful relationships. I mean, it's just incredible. So I'm honored to be here and very excited to be here with all of you. So thank you for having me.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Okay, Anne Marie, your turn.

Hello, everybody. I am Ann Marie and my connection to Stacy and to Randy and to everyone. I found my people.

I love it. I found my tribe.

I found my people. I've been talking about doing this and doing that. You know, you know how we procrastinate and we put things off and we put our goals to the side and we say, oh, we'll get to it one day. So I, I, I was hesitant, but when I saw you do the thing challenge, I did the podcast. So I'm Ann Marie, host of, of about this Life podcast. I keep saying do the thing, and it's. This is the host of do the Thing Po.

Like, about this Life.

You're doing the thing, Anne Marie, when I heard you say that, like, so this is the funny part about that, is I've been thinking, and I don't know when this will happen, but I've been thinking that I eventually, and I don't know if it's going to be on the actual do the thing podcast or it'll be a new podcast, but I'm like, oh, my gosh, I have so many amazing community members both that have started podcasts and that haven't, and I'm like, if I could do a collaboration podcast where I'm not just the host anymore. It's like different people are able to come on and then it helps, like, spread it. So it is funny that I remember seeing that one dare and I'm like, it's like literally like you were reading my mind, you know, and so it was funny.

It's so amazing. So we are like minded. And so about this life is really, you know, a podcast that takes us into what brings us joy. How do we get away from the grind? And I am so, so happy to be connected to my tribe, to my family, because one of the things Stacy, you say often is we can do it messy. Don't be afraid to mess up like I just did. Yes, Randy.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes. We learn from mistakes. And that set me at, my mind at ease. And I'm like, I can do this. So I would say the confidence that have been built is tremendous and I.

Thank you for that.

Thank you.

So glad. I'm so glad. Okay, Madeline, you're up.

Oh, so, yeah, I'm Madeline from It's All Creative Podcast. And I joined this group as the, you know, do the thing create podcast, which I've been meaning to do for two years plus. And I have like books on how to do it and, and have all everything set up on my computer to do it. And I just never did. I just kept putting it off. And all of a sudden in my Facebook feed, I saw a little ad for this and said, okay, I'm gonna sign up. What could I lose? You know? And yeah, it got me out there. I just published, I think, 30 episodes that I have and a bunch in the can waiting to go out. And this morning I was editing Anne Marie's, so I was like, so excited. And then I looked at my clock and went, oh, my God, I have 10 minutes and I haven't even jumped in the shower. So I just like, put some cream in my hair, bottoms on, and you can't tell. So I'm sitting here doing the thing and I think it's just like, it's given me. I've always had a voice, but I think it's given me that comfort zone in the community. And I think it's great to have people that kind of know what you're doing and know the difficulties that can arise and embrace you anyway, because everybody has their challenges in this thing. Some people come in with no technology awareness at all. I spent 30 plus years doing marketing and digital marketing, and so I didn't have as much of a challenge. But going live Totally new. And it kind of, I mean, like Emory says, you find your tribe and I think it also, you find your place in the universe by putting your voice out there without really knowing what's going to happen when you're doing it. It's kind of like, boom, and you're out there. And when I did the Go for a Walk and Go Live challenge and walked along the rapids going to Niagara Falls, and then all of a sudden crossed into the Canadian line, so I walked over the national border and it shut my film off and I just was like, okay, well, I guess that's what happens.

Puts you out there and gives you a different perspective of people and interactions. And I've met so many great people in this group. And then it gave me the bravery, I guess, to just reach out to people I don't know, that somebody said, oh, you should talk to this person. And, you know, one of the people I've got to reach out to is this high end makeup artist in Hollywood. It's just like, yeah, they'll do it. I'll tell her. I'm like, okay, I'm just gonna email this person and get on the, get on Zoom or whatever and chat with them. And it's fun. It's like really fun and freeing at the same time, so.

And then center our way. We can do it. Makeovers, you know.

I'm ready.

I love that. Fun and freeing. I feel like it's so true, right? When you, like, no longer are. Maybe you're nervous or scared, but you realize it's not going to hold you back from, like, doing it, you know, like, even today I was telling my daughter, I'm like, I've never done a live show. Like, I do this kind of thing all the time in the safety of the community, but I haven't done a live stream, like out on YouTube and LinkedIn and all these other things. And I'm like, I'm like a little nervous. She's like, haven't you done this before? And I'm like, yeah, I have, but it just adds another layer. It doesn't mean you're not still nervous, Right? And then sometimes you can reframe it a little bit too excited, which I think helps. But when it doesn't hold you back and then you do it anyway, I think that's where the freeing comes from.

I think it's true because I perform on stage all the time and weird things happen and you just go with it. I mean, I just have the mindset people are there because they want to see something good. If you screw up, they identify with you. Every time they sit there and say, oh, that would be me. And that's why I don't do it. And then you want. And they're like, oh, she didn't die. And that's why I picked that shirt.

Yeah, human. You're human.

Exactly. So good. Okay, Lala, you're up.

Well, I stumbled across this, but I don't believe in stumbling across things when it. Because timing is always the right thing. I. I used to go live every day, and then the platform that I used crashed and burned and died. It was Mariscope, and I got out of it, and I just kind of felt lost. And when this came along, I was like, you know, I'm really missing this. Why don't I just go ahead and jump in and do this and just get over myself and the fact that, oh, Periscope is gone. Yeah, whatever's next, you know, try to do that. Um, and then I also actually became a community manager for another live company. And it kind of burned me out because I saw the backgrounds of it, and it took the fun out of what I wanted to do, so it needed to get back to me. So when this came across my page, I went ahead and grabbed it and jumped in, and, I mean, I dove all the way in. Um, I've never been afraid to come live. I've never been afraid to do things live. Um, and Madeline, you know, you said, hey, you know, people can definitely connect with you, but here's another truth. A lot of the times when you mess up, nobody knows but you. So, you know, like, I could sing a wrong note. People don't care.

They don't know.

You know, I just put a new flavor on it.

You know.

This came along with the fight time for me because now that our challenge is over, I have already started making, you know, making an outline of what else I want to do live. I actually went live yesterday. I decided to all of a sudden, August, Women's Home Ownership Month. And I just dove right into that. So that wasn't planned, but. But it. The timing is always right. So, you know, I just always tell people to get over themselves. Don't be afraid of coming on with your hair done or just got through with the workout or, you know, heck, I've actually worked out online to help encourage others.

And the last one I did, I was telling people, look, I. I can't keep up with the. The exercise professionals. They do this 24 7. And even though I've lost 130 pounds. I can't do a burpee. Okay.

I modify. So, you know, you're just trying to show people that you don't have to keep up with the Joneses. You set your own standard. You set your own guidelines. You set your own blueprint for what you are, and you just step into that honesty, and the people who are your tribe will come along and support.

Yes.

Yeah, that's right. Your vibe attracts your tribe.

Yeah. I love what you just said, Lala, because Stacy uses, like, the comfort circles kind of like that, you know, along those lines, which I just. It helped me.

Yeah. Okay. I have to try Mike again, because I went off and came back on, so I'm gonna try you, Mike. Is that okay? I'm gonna try you again. Okay, we'll try it again.

See?

Hold on one second.

Okay.

All right. Hi, Mike.

How are we doing?

Oh, yes.

Color this time.

The only thing you haven't done yet, Stacy, is figured out how to be in two places at once.

I. I think this thing will really take off. Anyway, I. I joined, I guess, about 10 months ago. Perfect time. The universe was whispering, you know, a little frustrated with the personal life, so this was the perfect platform for me to be an idiot to a lot more people.

Accept that.

So. Never really had a. A problem with. With getting out and about, but am able to flex more muscles now. And the best part about it is I. I've invited about 10 different people, and everyone has joined. Now, whether they participated or not, you know, that's up to them. But spreading the word is something that I really enjoy. And, hey, I. I don't need to be on the dating apps anymore. I just send them, you know, like, episode 188 or something.

Let me listen to that. So, you know.

I'm glad you know your episode.

Yeah. Well, hey, unfortunately, I do have to run heading into a nutrition appointment, but I. It's so great to hear the laughter and the support.

Support.

And I look forward to the next challenge.

Yeah.

Thank you so much. I wanted to make sure we got to say hi to you. And Mike is actually, like, the starter of a lot of things, so, like, he'll say, oh, could we have something? Or you're like, oh, could we do an event thing? And I'm like, like, literally the day after when I get to do it. So you're just like.

You're such a huge part of the.

Community and the support and the.

Everyone is just beyond anything I could ever go for.

So pre plan, group effort, you know, rising tide Raises all the ships.

Oh, yeah. I love that.

Love that folks have a great.

So good.

So, yeah.

And it's just amazing to.

You know, just be able to do fun things with people that also want to do fun things. And then something we really learned during the. For those of the people that are listening that were on the Go Live challenge or that weren't, it was just this idea of. Of doing something scary with other people. And whether you're dating, you're writing a book, you're going live, you're starting a podcast, it's like, when you were able to, like, get connected to other people that are doing the thing too, then it, like, makes it so much easier, you know, and it's not as uncomfortable, and I thought maybe you guys might want to speak to that a little bit too. Randy, why don't you want to?

Yeah, I'm going to. Because I had a big break through. I actually went live on while we were running two challenges, get fit and Go Live. And I actually went. Did my first lives the same day for both groups while I was walking, which was a dare, And I.

Did it, and I went live and surprised everybody because I like to be behind the scenes, but I did it. So that was huge. I mean, Stacy, you know, that was huge for me. You know, I'm good at group settings like this, you know, of course, but, you know, doing it alone and being vulnerable of what I was talking about, I just went for it because everybody else went for it. You know, if. If everybody else didn't go for it, I wouldn't have had the courage or the grit to actually do it. And. And that's what helped the most, was every. Oh, yay, everybody else. So thank you to the community, because you got me off of my keister and got me out there and trying new things, which was really good.

Thank you.

Bravo to everyone.

And I just wanted to comment. Norma's here. I see. Oh, she's all over the place.

Backwards, forward, sideways.

Norma, you want to just introduce yourself and how you're here.

I actually made a comment. I wasn't sure if it was able to. To be viewed. My camera wasn't working. I guess my WI fi is messed up at work. So that's the story of my life. But I show up somehow.

I show up messy all the time, but I still show up. But I'm. Like I said in the comment, I'm not sure when I started. And I'm also glad that I don't remember, because I'm not that person anymore. I Think following Stacy, I think she's a fierce leader and she does by example and she pulls all of us amazing people together and we get to enjoy each other while we are messy and we learn from each other. And I, I applaud her. I applaud her and her, her fierce background. Randy for helping her hold herself together through all of this.

I definitely grown. I feel inspired. I feel like I can't wait to, to meet more of me and I can't wait to like as I said my thing find my waterfall which is my man. Because I've been through, I've been through, I've been through some dried up ponds and I don't want those anymore. So.

Now that I know who I am, I will find the person that's waiting for me. But all of you ladies lalas I, I watched your episode the other day with Stacy. You're fun, you're. You just have this breath of fresh air. Like I'm a go getter and I'm gonna bust through all the cement walls there is. I'm Superman in a woman way. So I love you.

I actually love everybody here. I think everybody's amazing and everybody brings something to the table and sometimes I call it like my terms like the geek squad. It's like, you know, you don't, you can't, you can't find out where you belong. But we all belong here. So I feel very inspired by everyone and everyone has gone through their trials and tribulations and had their aha moments and so I'm just glad that I, I just bumped into Stacy too. It's like what's this? And then all of a sudden I did the first dating challenge and realized that I was actually dating myself and there was things I did not like about it. And no wonder I was collecting those dried up ponds because I was, I was kind of one of them. So now I' lot, I'm moving forward with a strong mindset and a healed heart and I'm ready. I'm ready for everything. So thank you, Stacy.

Amen.

Amen. There's like so much and like having it. It's so funny. I'm just noticing Brooke, who is someone that worked a friend of mine, but also worked with me with my business 20 when I first opened the business 25 years ago or something. She's here on LinkedIn and I'm never on LinkedIn doing this stuff. And so anyway, hey Brooke. And it's funny, she's actually kind of the reason why my company even took off because like she started from, like. It was, like, the energy of being able to work with someone that just wanted to learn and wanted to do something, like, better for herself. And then she learned how to sell, and then she later started a business, and it was like, so many. So many synchronicities of, like, the moment of her being here. It's so crazy to me because, like, she's the reason why I ended up getting to the point where I did with my business, because of her excitement to work with me and to be able to, like, expand beyond her comfort zone, you know? And, like, you guys, it's the same thing, right? Like, everyone watching, it's like, do the Thing became what it is, I think. And even to the point of our 200th episode, because of the excitement that everyone in the community had. Like, I could have come up with this dare concept, and no one could have wanted to play with me, right? And I don't know what would have happened. But it's. Since you guys are willing to play along, the excitement and the energy of that is just really just booming from that. So it's just the synchronicity of this is really weird.

So, Nikki, I love to. Could you share? Because when we had our private convo, and I asked if it was okay, and I just. I love this so much. And since the dating challenge is coming in a few weeks, there's something about this that's really exciting. And she was. Nikki's on the do the Thing. She's a leader educator, all these amazing things. And so she was on the do the Thing podcast as a Do the Thing story. And then she was also on the do the Thing dating experiment. In the dating experiment, we're talking about what kind of guy she wants to meet. And it was, like, on a motorcycle with him. Like, he's driving hair, you know, hair waving, and just this really beautiful image. And then. Can you share, like, what you're doing now? Because I just love this so much.

Absolutely. Well, this is. And I think you're part of this. Stacy, when we were talking about it, my ideal mate. And I'll just be honest, y'. All, when I would go on dating apps, I would be looking for somebody who had a motorcycle. That was something appealing to me. I love wind therapy, and I love being on the back of a motorcycle. But when I went through the Mother's Day time, because I lost both of my parents, and my mom's birthday is a few weeks before Mother's Day, it was a really tough time for me and my dad. And Father's Day coming up in June, I didn't want to feel that sadness again. So after the last guy that I dated with a motorcycle that just wasn't really that great, I was like, why am I going through these knuckleheads motorcycles? I'm going to learn how to ride myself. So I challenged myself to take the class, the safety class at our local community college at AB Tech here in Asheville. And I took the class. And let me tell y' all something. I've been riding on the back of motorcycles for a long time. And I had a moped, so I've been on two wheels. I'm used to that. But I am a full throttle girl. I have never had to learn how to use a clutch and all the things and all four paws at the same time. And so it made me, it really pushed me because my hand eye coordination was such a challenge that in the first day I thought I was going to quit. And I'm in a doctoral program, but I was also thinking about quitting because I had a pretty rough semester last semester. And I got to tell you, that challenge was like therapy for me because I came home from the first day so defeated. And I'm an educator and I'm an education consultant and a life coach. So to hit something so hard was really rough for me because I'm used to being able to get my way through stuff because a lot of the things that I do deal with writing, right? And you can write and you can create stuff and finagle stuff with writing, but you can't do it when it's just you and a motorcycle and your trainer and you've got to pass those maneuvers. And so it was such a challenge. I was like the bottom of the class the first day. And as an educator, that is not a good place to be, right? But the second day I was so focused and so determined and I actually got one of the highs scores in the class and I wound up finishing because it's a two day class. But I tell everybody who thinks about doing it, just do it. It is not easy, but it is literally like your own personal little therapy because you're in competition with yourself. It's like yoga. You cannot worry about what everybody else is doing. You have to just compete with yourself. So. And thank you, Facebook user who said that. I appreciate it. So that's. And that's what I love about these, you know, artists participating with Stacy and just getting things off the ground and really pushing yourself. And one thing I did forget to Mention, I do have a website, queenkush.com. so that's where my podcast is housed, and I've been storing episodes there and working on doing more. But I'll tell you, like, and now it's like, I don't even worry about if I meet somebody with a motorcycle, because I'm going to get my own eventually.

I was just gonna ask you, did you go to Mr. Motorcycle on Hendersonville Road and buy your motorcycle?

Not yet, but I'm going to. I decided to install a pool to keep me grounded and to stay home because I have so much work to do. But I do intend to get one. And I'll be shopping around, and I've got some friends who are wanting to take me shopping, but I do live around the corner from the Harley Davidson.

Oh, that's even better.

I'll be hanging out there, just eyeing some things and seeing what's what.

But their clothing is awesome.

Yes, I know.

I need to start buying the gear. Right. And get ready. So it's going to happen. So I just have to make sure I take the test. I'm very excited. So. Yeah.

Oh, my gosh. You ladies are so empowering to do the motorcycle bit.

And my hat's off to you. And I know that soon, Nikki, because I'm an educator as well.

Oh, cool.

That sense of not having control. Oh, my gosh. Because as an educator, we're flexible and we know how to maneuver a lot of different situations, but we're doing this thing scared sometimes.

And we didn't die.

I think it's the epitome of, like, not waiting for opportunity, creating it. Right? Like, it's the Thing motto. It's like, literally, like, you're. You're. Wait. You were waiting for someone on the motorcycle, and now you're going to be driving your own. And I just feel like that is, like, the perfect to do the thing example of, like, just being able to, like, live in your highest self. Not waiting for someone, you're doing it.

Plus, the checklist is now X. Because, you know, you don't need that check on that list.

But here's the thing. Now her king is going to find her.

Her.

Yeah.

Right. I need my Harley riding king. That's what I'm waiting for.

I wanted to hear from you guys what you'd want to tell people who haven't, like, joined you the thing yet. Because, like, so many people, they might see. See, like, the Go live and go. Oh, I can't do that. I don't want to go live or they might see the dating dare challenge and say, oh, I can't. I can't dare myself to meet someone. Or they might say, why do I want to find your voice? Like, what would be, like, just your advice in general on, like, people that haven't started yet. Okay.

You don't know if you don't try. You, you know, you, you, you can assume that you can't, but you can if you.

And if.

And hey, if you try it once and you don't like it, you can delete it. It's not like it's a big deal, but you never know. If you don't go out there on that limb and grab the fruit. Now that is my.

Love it. Yeah.

So, like, with the dating challenge, some of the things we want them to do are like, go to a bar by themselves or compliment a stranger. Right. With find you'd voice, you're recording a voice note in your phone. It's a self reflection journal, pretty much. With the get fit challenge, it's doing a power pose every day after you've worked out, and then you kind of, like, stretch your comfort zones. And sometimes you can take a photo with someone. With the podcast, it's just coming up with the idea of not being so stuck on starting the podcast or, like having a podcast. It's just the idea of starting it so you could even see if you like it, you know, going live, same kind of idea, right? It's just being able to push, record, and see what comes out of your mouth. For me, it's my ultimate accountability to go live. Because once I, like, go live, like, I'm like, I mean, that's why we're here. I literally said, oh, what should I do for my 200th episode? And you guys were like, go live and have a. Like, that's literally why we're here.

So.

Yeah, And I love that idea. Like, you don't know unless you try. Madeline, I'd love to hear. I'd love to hear you.

Well, I was gonna say, like, you know, if I saw that it was a dating challenge, I'm married. I'm not gonna do that.

You know what I mean?

But. But that doesn't mean that they're all so specific. And finding your voice or going live doesn't have to relate to a specific need or lack in your life. It's just something to try because, you know, when you're. When you try new things or stay open to new things, new things find you. So you may do the. Find your voice and do a couple sessions and say, yeah, you know, I don't need this, but this is a great community. I want to see what they're doing next, and then you're on the next one, you know, so it's. It's like going live. I didn't think I would want to do, but I was like, oh, I like this community, and I want to hang out. I'll see what it is, and if I can use it with my podcast, cool. And if not, hey, I've tried it. And I think that that's the thing for people is if you feel stuck in life, if you feel like you need to make some change, and who doesn't? I don't know anybody who thinks their life is perfect and everything's right, great. So give it a shot. It's a way to open up a new window in your life, and it may not be the right window. You may decide to go do another one, but it's a community that will support you in that.

So good. A way to open up the new window.

I love that I kind of, like, use this analogy, which is kind of weird, but it's kind of like cookie dough. You know, it's there, and you're not quite baked yet, and it's getting you to the steps to be baked so.

You can eat the cookie.

That's what I got.

I tend to use the metaphor in terms of a path, because once you start on a path, things and opportunities open up for you. And, you know, just by way of how I even joined the challenge, I was at home recuperating. I had a total knee replacement, and I'm like, I'm bored. And so I'm just like, why not? And it was something that I said, okay. And one thing led to the next thing led to the next thing. And through this, we made so many connections with people who came in and lent their expertise and gave us valuable advice and gave us tips, and I was like, whoa, I could use that. Oh, that was a great idea. So once you're on the path.

People and opportunities open up, appear on that path to help you.

Yeah, I think it's. It's such a good point. Randy and I talk about this all the time, where, like, it's like, sometimes you go after the thing, right? But what you don't realize, it's. It's the thing you want, but what you don't realize, it ends up being the thing you didn't even know you wanted until you start and you start moving. So, Norma, I'd love to hear from you. So what do you want to tell people who haven't done this yet?

Oh, gosh. There's so many things I did want to say, but not quite sure if I'm going to say correctly. But there's things that I didn't realize I was. I was stuck on. You know, that, that saying I had said to you about you stay focused on the problem and not the solution. So I'm staying focused more on the solution now, not the problem. And because of that, I was so stuck in my fears.

Because of the problems, but now I'm like, oh, it. I am. I'm going for it because I don't want to stay focused on who I am. I want to focus on who I'm becoming. And I love this person. It was like I was so busy taking care of everybody and it was everybody's first. Everybody's first. And then, you know, my cup was never full. I don't even think there was a drop in it. And I do have a lot of water reference for some reason. But, you know, I love waterfalls. So that seems to be where my, my bucket needs to be filled up. And now I'm putting that water into my bucket and I'm feeling full and complete. But I think when I joined, I really did think it was a dating, you know, a dating site. But when you do self discovery and, and you're thinking, yeah, why not? Why not do it When I bust lifestyle and be free and, you know, as Stacy has said, dance like everybody's watching. Because really, I don't care anymore. It's like, I just want to go out and live life and be free. And I have an opinion. It's going to be mine. That counts. It's nobody else's opinion because I think we stay focused on that too. Or what are they going to think? What are they? I don't care anymore. It took me 50, 58 years to get here. I'm here, I arrived and I am moving forward. So thank you. That's what you gave me, Stacy. And then women like you. My gosh. And then Mike is amazing. I have to say, all the other men doesn't. They don't talk. But Mike is so inspirational. He says two sentences and it's like, wow, that was impactful. And then he has a sense of humor.

So, so funny.

Yes, exactly. And so when you look at life, you're thinking, I don't have to be miserable. You know, you work with people and some of them are. I'm like, I'll stay away from them and not keep them in my head, even though they can make your day bad. But he inspires me to keep thinking positive. So I'm definitely have grown over a year and. Wow. Yeah. So thank you. I don't know what else to say. Like, these people need to get out and just challenge themselves and yes, be the jack in a box. Unwind it and pop up and there you go. Your life is happening right in front of you.

Oh, I like that.

Yeah, let's go do it.

Norma, I'm so glad you said that, because when I was posting earlier to try to inspire folks to go ahead and get their pledge cards posted on the upcoming dating challenge, I think I made a comment in one of my things was like, you know, you gotta do you before you can go and engage authentically with others. Right. And that's what it's really about. And it's really pouring into your own cup. And that has been such a theme for me because, Stacey, when I met you, you know, I was flying off to Costa Rica with health issues. I went on a dental. It wasn't a vacation, but I went on a dental trip and had some major work done in a short period of time. And it just forced me to look at things very differently. My life, the things that I always do and working. Ann Marie, you know the deal being an educator, you're always pouring into everyone else and there's always fires and you're taking care of everybody else. And as women, I think that's just how we were raised. Right. You know, and that's all our moms knew, and that's what we were doing. Our grandmas did it. And so it's breaking a generational curse of always having to take care of everyone else. And it's literally putting on our own life mask so we can experience all that life has to offer to the fullest. So, Stacy, you are doing the darn thing.

We really.

Yes, you are.

You know, I also think, like, so sometimes I just quote from Dr. Phil, like, when you're doing something, you continue to do the same thing, you're going to get the same thing. How is that working for you?

Definition of insanity. That's right. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again. Right. And expecting a different result. You got to do it differently. You got to shake it up. So. Yeah.

And Stacy got us all shaking it up.

Well, I think the thing, this is something I've been really grandy and I've been really kind of like, tapping into, like, what is really Getting people to move. So, like, because when you look back and you're like, 14, 17 days, whatever they are, you know, it's like, it's like when you look from the beginning to the end, I mean, you were seeing, like, literal transformations. Like, I remember when we did find your voice, it was like, 17 days. I remember at the celebration, we're all just looking at each other like, what in the world? How did. How did this happen?

Right?

And it's like. So what we realized is, like, the combination of just the micro step through the dares. Like, they're not big, crazy dares. They're just like, little, like, saying hi to a stranger. Or if you were going to start a podcast, what would your podcast be about? You know, or go live, but you're with people, you know, and so, like, whatever. Whatever that step is, it's like, so small. But because it's so small, you're willing to do it, and then it compounds, right? And so that's the hope is that, like, everyone will see how they're doing it through the challenges, and then regardless of what they want to do, maybe it's not something to do the things doing, but it's in your own life and there's something you want to start. You'll see that practice and you have flexed that muscle already, and then you'll be able to, like, do it.

I think I was going to say, I think another benefit of not even doing it is to not do it, because I know we get immediate response back from the community. This is great. And you get stuck sometimes in life doing something because somebody asked you to and it isn't working, and they just keep expecting you to do it, and you have a little bit more strength to say, this is not working for me. I'm going to step away from it. And I think that the do the thing formula works in that respect as well to help you to fine tune what you should be doing and step away from things that you shouldn't be doing.

I love that, Madeline, because myself personally have experienced that through the challenges and through the last year where this does not serve me anymore. I am not doing this. It does not serve me. And I was able to use my voice to actually articulate it and stick to it instead of like, okay, I'm gonna say it, and then I'm gonna repeat the old habits again. No, it does not serve me. So I will not be doing it anymore. And it's, wow, what a life changer, right?

Yeah, big time.

You know, one of the interesting Things that I found when we let go these limits and beliefs, you know, in terms of what I used to believe, but now I need to do something different. Is.

You. This. It's created a space to be creative, and Madeline knows all about creativity. That is where the essence and the energy and the enthusiasm comes from that, regardless of the challenge, there's a space where you can create and you can be innovative. And you see other people, like, you see examples as a guidepost. And, you know, as educators, we always want to give modeling. And in terms of. This is an example of what it looks like. And once you said, oh, okay, that person did that, then you said, okay, I'm going to do it my way and put my own twist on it. And your personality infuses on whatever the dare is. And so we're creative, and in that space is where life is. So no matter what your job is, no matter what you do for a living, no matter what stage you are in and. Or how old you are or how young you are, it's a space where you're creating something and you're creating it that's coming from inside, and that's where the. The energy comes from. That's where the joy comes from.

Happens. Yes.

I'm gonna have to. I'm gonna have to leave. Have to get back to work. My lunch is almost over. But what I want to say is do the thing before you can't do the thing. Oh, Keep that in mind. And it was nice talking all you love me, ladies and gentlemen. If anybody's there, let's talk to you later. Bye. Bye.

That was great.

So good.

So good. Yeah. My heart is, like, so full right now. I feel like something I didn't mention earlier. It's like you don't realize when you start a podcast, you know, and you do these 200 episodes, like, that's what is so powerful about us all being here. It's because I'm not the same person that I was when I started, because I learned so much through me, activating my voice, the people that I met. And then, like I said in the beginning, the podcast is the reason I started the community, because I was testing the formula. And then from being able to experience each of it with. With you all, you know, and being able to. To see it, it's like I'm not the same. And so what we're getting is, like, this 200 episode is, like, a culmination of, like, that's how we're all here. And it's just amazing when you Think of, like, you were like, you're changing because of the people that you meet and the experiences that you get to have.

Yeah. The one thing I found really interesting is the last two challenges, the get fit and the go live. Stacy was actually not just leading, but a participant.

So she got to do the learning.

And the growing with us, which was so cool. Right. Instead of her just, you know, leading by example, she's leading by doing. And that was really exciting.

Best kind of leader there is. Yeah.

Yeah.

And then the.

I learned a lot, too, by doing it. And then I also was converting the. On the find your voice challenge to a on demand challenge. And it was just a beta. I had 20 people doing it. And that's when I realized why this activation of voice is so powerful. It wasn't until I was doing that challenge, it's because we. So many times we live on this conscious level in our mind. Right. And until you actually start to, like, speak it out loud is when you're able to, like, go deeper. And Lala, you mentioned it on our Insta. My first Instagram interview was with Lala, know how, like, when she went through her deepest pain, she was journaling, you know, and that was the way that she was able to, too. And I know Madeline has experience with that, too, and being able to, like, get those thoughts out. And there's something really powerful, too, about speaking it, you know? And, like, I do this a lot where I didn't even notice it either. When I'm, like, dreaming, sometimes I'll do a voice note and just do a dreaming voice message. And I, like. I say, dream, Stacy, dream. And then it, like, pulls out another layer, you know? And so that's another reason why all this works, because, like, you're, like, learning more about yourself, but you're taking. Tapping into the other layers that you didn't even know were there. You weren't even conscious of it before. I'd love to hear what you guys think about that, too.

When you. I think it's true because, you know, talk. And when you're saying that people tap into this, it reminds me of the human renaissance and how, you know, these days, so many people, either they're working online or they're tra. You know, they're commuting to work, and they're not. They're just in a box. They're just wearing the uniform and doing the job, and they've cut out all of their own personality and their own strengths and their own powers, and they. Because you can't. And I Worked in a job for a very long time where they did not welcome the creative side, or it wasn't even creative. It's just me. It's my voice. It's just how I see things. And so many people cut all of that out. And as soon as you start to kind of knock down those walls and tap into that voice and that inner fire, all kinds of things happen. And that's how people stepped out and created during the Renaissance. There was paintings and, you know, engineering jobs. So hopefully, with all that's going on in the world now, more people are open to finding that inner fire or it's breaking through those walls now. And so we're ready to step into it like a new era for humans. That's how I see it.

Well, I, I, it's interesting because when Stacy and I were doing her interview on the on Instagram, I reflected back on my very first broadcast. It was all new, it was all fresh. You know, it was kind of. And I was always told, you should always you be business. And I came on and I was, hi, I'm Laura Key, the real.

And I go back and I look at that and I go.

I keep.

That because it reminds me that I must be myself. And those who are going to like me are going to like me. And those who don't, haters going to hate, baby.

And if you hanging around my page, page, it means I'm you thinking about me. You know, I, I just am what I am. And, and, and, and it also parlayed into something that happened yesterday. See, this doesn't just affect you online. It affects your life. It affects how you tackle things in your life. I sing for church, and we have an online church. And, and so therefore, I've, I do the songs, and sometimes I get a little, oh, I don't know if I could do it. Just like, oh, and my husband said to me, he was like, bae, that was like, good. But now I'm gonna need you to just go, who? And act like you're not even in front of a camera. And I connected to. Why is this different from the When I go online and be myself? So I tapped into that yesterday, and the song became me. It became a ministering thing because you can't minister to people if you don't tap into your own testimony. Okay. So when you're tapping into your testimony, whatever that testimony is, your light shines for others to get bold enough to step into the light. So it's not just what we do online. It definitely flows into our regular Life.

Absolutely.

I love it.

That was a word.

Yeah.

You need to say that again. It doesn't flow unless it. It taps.

It has to. But I always tell people that you have a light, you know, it's up to you to shine it bright. Now when you see someone else's likes that is dim, it's time for you to take your light and help reignite them. Yeah, we can't do this alone. Okay, Let. I mean, even the online analogy, if nobody's watching, you don't have the energy to focus and go back to. And. And it's okay to sit there and do a topic and okay, maybe will people re watch it. But at some point you still need some. Someone even in. In the replay to say, hey, a light bulb went off or I felt that, or even if they said, you're wrong, that's still feedback for you. So we're not on this planet to do this alone. We are to here to uplift one another. And sometimes that's in a way where people may disagree with you or not, or they do agree with you and you're walking the path of together.

Love that. Great.

Beautiful.

Well, I have to say, we have some pretty amazing people in this community. It's like my heart is like exploding outside my body right now.

So grateful for each of you for coming on. And thank you also to Norma and Mike for coming on as well. And I just like that idea of like, even like the old me, right? Like, I knew that they could only be on for certain points, and I still wanted them on. The old me would have been like, so in the box, right? Like, just people could be here the whole time, but the moment. The time they were here was so powerful. Right? And so it's just understanding that idea of breaking those walls down, of what you think should be and being able to open your mind up to what's possible. And like, all the experiences, I think that's even just a good example of just how it changed, you know, and evolved. And I think we're all capable of that, you know, and being able to, as we move, you know, like, get to learn more about ourselves and expand that rigidity that sometimes can come with life right out of protection or out of whatever it is that's coming up for us. So I'd love to have you guys just share what's coming alive for you before we say goodbye to everyone. And then a little bit just about like, where the people can find you if they want to hear more about your.

Your.

Your stuff.

I'm Like, I couldn't think of a better word.

Okay, so we'll start with Nikki.

Oh, gosh, you made me first. Okay, well, you know, what's coming alive for me right now is just trying to get my life in order. School is about to. I'm a high school administrator in North Carolina, so just try to find a place where I can get through school and then get ready for my lovely scholars to come back and my amazing teachers and all the things. So to get the school year started, but also to get back to my podcast, there's some really serious issues that are impacting high school students that I'm going to be addressing. Fentanyl being number one to really educate our families, because kids are dying across the country, experimenting. So that's one big thing that I have in the work that I will be featuring on my podcast. But you can find my episodes on Queen Kush.com or I'm Nikki Kush on. Or Nikki Kendall Kush on Facebook, and that's Nikki with one K. So I. Please find me there and support me and reach out if there's any way that I can support anyone. That's my big jam is talking about what's happening in education, primarily with teenagers, and really trying to bridge that gap with families and teenagers. So, yeah, look for me there. And thank you so much, Stacy, for.

All that you do.

I appreciate you so much.

And, Randy, oh, what's coming alive for you?

Everything. I mean, it's like my heart is, like.

So full and just. I. I can't even articulate what I'm trying to say because I'm gonna start crying.

The emotion and. And the community, and just being here 200 episodes and. And a community of over 6,000 people, believe it or not, is just unbelievable. And every day I read or hear or look at your external stuff, I learned something. And I. And I. And I'm just so moved in. In so many things, and I'm just so happy to be here and experience it all and see the growth.

You know, I'm a nurturer by nature, and I'm learning to be less empathetic and more compassionate so I can serve myself a little more, you know? So there's a big difference between compassion and empathy, which I'm learning, too, through all the different comfort zones. And, yeah, I'm just. That's what's coming alive for me. It's me and everyone else. I couldn't do it. I couldn't do it alone. Everyone here and everyone in the community inspires me every Single day. And of course, my cousin.

I just can't.

I just.

I just can't.

That's.

That's all I have to say.

So good. And if you guys want to check out Randy's amazing work, she does a lot back end. But just the big thing that she just finished was our challenge website. It's at do the Thing challenge dot com. And you can literally see Randy's brain through that, through that website. And it's really, really cool. And it's been amazing because, like, so Randy's. Can I tell them the perfectionist thing? Like, she's. God, it's like high stack developer, like all these things. Right. But I'm like, I want a messy. I want a messy. Because it fits perfect. But she has all these skills and so it's been amazing to see her flex that muscle of building backwards. Yeah.

Not so atypical OCD organized.

So that.

That's really another thing that came alive to me is what you don't see on the front end. There's a lot of stuff on the back end that I'm catching up.

Yeah, exactly. That's been fun too. Okay, Anne Marie, what's coming alive for you? And then where do we find you?

What's coming alive for me is when are you going to do the challenge again? About the book.

I've been talking about. I'm an English teacher. I've been talking about writing a book.

Forever and I need to get my book.

That's awesome.

And I need.

I need the community to help me create that book because I've been talking about a book for like 10 years now. Or books, actually. So I'll say that Anne Marie, host of about this Life podcast, so you can find me on Spotify and you can find me on Apple podcast, would love for you to view to. To listen and take a listen and subscribe and like. So about this Life with your host, Ann Marie on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

So good. And the clip that we're going to show when we do the Start a Book challenge again is going to be this one saying, when are you doing that challenge?

Yeah, I'm ready for the book.

That's literally how challenges get inspired. So good. Okay, Madeline, your turn.

So what's coming alive for me? The. The Go Live video. The challenge kind of got me back on connecting with my food blog and doing live videos there as well as on my podcast. So I'm preparing a somewhat organized layout of doing cocktail appetizers with the kitchen pixie. So that's What I need to do setting up my kitchen and try to get my camera set up so I can do that and then edit and figure out how to do the fast forward editing with overlay for scripting and stuff. So that's really fun for me and I'm hoping to do that next week and then just doing some other go lives when I go down to Kentucky for our singing competition with people on the street, which is going to be a few thousand people that attend the conference and everybody's a singer, so it'll be really fun to just capture all of that. And so that's what's coming alive for me. And I finally figured out the problem with having accidentally two podcasts on Spotify. So I talked to them yesterday and they fixed it so you can find my podcast at. It's all creative and it's on Spotify, it's on iHeartRadio, it's on Google Podcasts and a few others have picked it up. And I also have a Facebook page for or Facebook group for it which people can join. It's all creative. And my food blog is madtastes.com so anybody that wants to go there and see recipes or family stories and photographs.

And all is right out there too, right? So good. And yeah, it's funny. So I'm also, I have a kitchen brand. It's Kitchen Pixie. And so Madeline's been showing all these amazing food experiences. So it's cool because now I'm, now she's going to be doing it inspired from that. And so that's, it's exciting.

To our first brand ambassador.

Yeah. Okay, Lala. And feel free to add some, some song to it too.

All right.

Well, you asked. You're gonna get it. You know, you don't have to ask. Right. What's coming alive for me is me. This year has been one of the toughest years I've ever had. And I talk about it a lot, but I lost both of my sisters to a drunk driver in January and we are currently trying to get justice for that.

And after that happened, I went into a very dark, dark place. I finally feel like with this challenge, I've started to come alive again. And if there is one thing I know about my sisters is they lived life to the fullest. And what they taught me is guess what? I don't, I don't know. I can't put off something that I say today, tomorrow, because I may not have the luxury of being here. So when I say a flip, a switch has been flipped in My life. It's deeper than just saying that, because I am now doing things that I kept saying, oh, I'll do it next year. Oh, I could have. So now I'm going into the. Yes, I'm going to do the podcast. I'm getting the outline together, researching where I want to go live. Yes, I am still continuing my career as an international realtor. I sell in Portugal as well as the United States. Yes, I am still a vocalist, and I'm still singing and just sharing all of that, including the grief with the public, because I always tell people and. And this is. I don't know where this one came from, but I'm a ball of confusion.

That's what we all are today.

Yeah.

But one thing that has helped me get through this is a Beatles song, and it can go to so many different things because it will calm your spirit and it will tell you that it's okay to. To go through things because it's a learning experience. And when I find myself in times of trouble Mother Mary comes to me.

Speaking words of wisdom Let it be.

And in my hour of darkness, she is standing right in front of me Speaking words of wisdom Let it be.

Let it be Let it be Let it be Let it be.

Whisper words of wisdom Let it be.

Oh, my gosh.

Wow.

Beautiful.

Thank you. Amazing.

Well, ladies, and everyone watching, I think you know where the magic is in the. It's in the people that. That are in it. And so I am just blown away by you all and everyone that's just been a part of this journey. I, like, literally, I'm almost to tears with how, like, impactful it's been, and for me, like, personally and just how much it's given me to have everyone be on this journey with me. So I appreciate you being here.

Thank you for all you do.

Thank you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Thank you.

And for those of you listening and for everyone out there, do the thing. Don't wait for opportunity. Create it.

Bye, you guys. Thank you.

Bye, everybody.