Creating a Big Life: Entrepreneurship And The Quest for Purpose w/ Brandi Lauve

When you're thinking about a goal New Year's resolutions that can be seen as a goal, right, You're resolving to change something in your life, accomplish something. So usually when we set one of those goals, we say, okay, you're, from now, I'm going to be doing that. A mission or a purpose is about something bigger than your lifetime, something that's going to actually take you longer than you have to accomplish. However, figuring out that purpose can actually help you provide that motivation for your lifetime.

Hey everyone, welcome back to the Walk 12 podcast. If you're tuning in on YouTube or any of the podcast directories, make sure to do yourself one teeny, tiny little favor and make sure to give us a follow, because I don't want you to miss out on any of the amazing guests we are coming on this year. Without further ado, let's get right into this one. Brandy, for anyone who hasn't had the opportunity that pleasure to get to meet you, to get to know you, tell us your elevator pitch. You know who are you and what do you do.

Awesome. Well, again, thanks so much for having me today, john. I am Brandy Love. I'm the executive director for KW, Kidscan, or KBKC as we affectionately call it, and this is a nonprofit for young adults. It helps them let go of limiting beliefs, take action and live a big life. And so I get to lead that wonderful organization and also have a full-time job as a wife and mother of three, and super excited to be here today.

Amazing and Brandy. So I'm not sure if you heard the episode yet, but I did a little mini series on how a billionaire stole my shoe and I made $10,000. And, long story short, gary Keller. He used my shoes as an example back in 2022. And then I won the KW, the QL scholarship, twice, so I did a little series on it. So people are a little bit familiar as to the quantum leaping, a little bit of what they, what it is and the whole thing. But before you got involved with QL, take us back in the time machine, a little bit Like what was little Brandy, like growing up.

Well, I love, I love that I. When I think back at little little Brandy and what she was into and what she was like, I think of two things that really impacted me very early on in my life. Number one I was a a chubby child. I was a little little girl who loved playing in her room and had a great big imagination, and I grew up in a family that was very focused on health, good, hardworking parents, and in that I had a lot of struggles with really loving myself first and figuring out kind of who I wanted to be and where I was going. And the second thing that I would say really impacted me as a, as a young girl, was that my family decided to move about midway through my childhood and become entrepreneurs, own their own business, and my dad quit his day job, so to speak, and we moved out to the country to own a small store and cafe that my parents would run together. And so that was my first real experience learning about entrepreneurship and learning about having your own business.

That's exciting. So let's dive deeper a little bit before we get into the conversation. So you moved across the country with your parents, right, and were you involved in, like, the coffee shop as well, like, were you, you know, handing out you know, little coffees and stuff like that? Were you like waiting tables a little bit and cleaning up? Like what was that like?

You're exactly right, john. Like I remember from the, from the very beginning, at eight years old, like it was, I was kind of enamored by it. I wanted to be a part of that atmosphere. I enjoyed people. I was kind of always looking for that belonging and my mom allowed me to work at the cafe and when I say cafe, this was definitely deep in the heart of Texas and they sold like catfish hamburgers, definitely like a little small town cafe, and I would wait tables, I would, you know, earn tips, and a lot of times my mom would pay me about $10 for a Saturday, a full Saturday of work. So I learned to work and have jobs really early on.

That's amazing. So you started that growing up pretty early on. You said eight years old, so you started pretty early in getting immersed in that world. And so let me ask you as you started growing up you started going through middle school and high school did you have like little entrepreneurial endeavors in school, or was it just the cafe with your family?

It was really mostly focused on that family business At the time. I don't think I realized the power in creating my own journey and business and I think I always admired it. But I was really more focused on small odd jobs, of course always working with my family. But you know I did lots of babysitting, growing up and nannying and that kind of became my second jobs, if you will, and really did great at that and ended up making quite a bit of money doing that and kind of, of course, got a taste of what it was like to have my own money and that felt really important at that time.

Yeah, that's amazing. What I'm getting from this is that you probably had quite a bit of patience, because you're dealing at a cafe and I worked at a restaurant. So it's like there's a lot of different personalities of people that walk into a cafe or restaurant some sort and you have to figure out. I kind of manage, I guess, or deal with all these different personalities, especially when some people are cranky and then on the other side you're dealing with kids. So I'm both, as I said, of the state you were dealing with, a whole lot of energies, a whole lot of different personalities.

It's really true, and, john, I went on to you know on throughout my college years to work in restaurants too, and I always say that everybody should do that at least once in their lives to understand working. You know what that's really like to work with people, but I learned a great deal from it, you're right Like not only patience, but also just how you can make someone's day a little different in those interactions, and that was really important too.

Let me ask you about the restaurant because I know for me personally, I think it's one of the best opportunities for people who, you know, don't know whether they're entrepreneurs or not, need a job or don't know how to internship, whatever it may be. It's like if you just need to make some quick money and some good money, you find a good restaurant to work at. It's a bunch of work but, like aside from, of course, dealing with all the different people and personalities like one of the biggest things for me. Like I never went out growing up as a kid, we never had the money too, so I had absolutely like zero dining etiquette whatsoever. So I was able to learn the dining etiquette one. And then two is no matter how nice the restaurant is, I don't care what anyone says behind curtain, like the clothes, you know, behind closed doors it's always a mess, like no matter how amazing you look on the outside. I remember my first not my first my first day working was literally so I did the interview and so I come down business casual, right, and my friend told me about the job. She was like yeah, john, just come in business casual, you know, meet with the manager will, and yada, yada, yada, and I go in to like shake his hands and he decaps me up and, like you know, it gives me that like the bro hug. I'm like, okay, wasn't expecting that. And then we talked for five minutes. He was like, all right, john, like when he can come in? I was like, well, let's the middle of the pen independent that make just started. This is like May, june or 2020. So we had rooftop seating, so that was the only thing like one of the only restaurants available in my city, right? And he was like, yeah, just come in Wednesday. I'm like, okay, came in Wednesday around like five ish or 430 ish in the afternoon. They gave me a shirt is like, hey, john, this is where the liquor is.

This where all the bus bins are, this where the the rollups in the napkins and the silverware is Start and that was that I had that experience and I also was fortunate to work at a restaurant that really had a System for how their employees got started and they're and and the wait staff, and that was incredible too. But you're right, no matter what it is, what goes on behind the scenes is a lot more hectic and crazy than what you get to see you at the front of the restaurant, and I kind of like that. I thrive on that sort of energy and. And you know that to me isn't scary, it's. It's more just like how can you come up with those quick, rapid fire solutions in the moment that are gonna make the customers and clients the most happy? So yeah, I kind of looked at it as that challenge and it was mostly fun every night.

So yeah, it was hectic, but at the end of this after a long shift is always like we made it through another day. We survived. They was always fun. So you said you were doing that while you were in college. So I'm, when you weren't at the restaurant, what was the college brandy like? Were you studying for business? Did you always have a, you know, a heart for giving back to the youth? Like, where did that start?

You know, actually I was a theater major I had Mentioned, I mentioned, that Brandy was very creative, that that had a, you know, active imagination. I was always loving Having that opportunity to walk in someone else's shoes. So being in theater allowed me that opportunity to do that and so I carried that through all the way through college and while I loved theater, I kind of figured out afterwards like this isn't gonna be a way I'm gonna make a living per se. I'm gonna need to do something else with this. I still enjoy theater to today, but I really don't do very many shows. So I would say that really my my walk on this journey to Becoming more wealth, focused, abundant, focused really began with Keller Williams and once I moved to Austin and started with headquarters of KWRI.

That's amazing. I just want to dial it back really quickly. Yeah, because I actually did monologue back in like fourth or fifth grade. I actually have my trophies Over here. I want to first place trophies. I did monologue for my church and that's for me. The only thing I could remember Getting from it is that I was. I had a good memory because I just knew how to remember the lines. And then, on top of that, getting in front of people, especially getting in front of people with a costume on or like a when you're acting out a character. It takes a Certain level of just like Not caring what other people think about you. Because I especially because for me a lot of the monologues I was doing was like we're biblical Right. So it's like I always had to dress up in like some old tattered robe or something like that. I have like a basket of fruit or bread or something. I always had to dress up as the horse costumes ever and then go in front of all these people and then Perform whatever the monologue was. But it definitely helped me. As I said, for me my biggest takeaway from it was Learning that I actually had good memory. I didn't know that that was a skill or a talent until some of the other kids in the church. They wouldn't pick up the lines as quickly as I did. That's like, oh, I'm actually like good at memorizing things. I would just read the lines over and over and after like 10, 15 times, like had the whole script memorized. I could memorize like a page pretty fast. But for you like I know quite a few people that were in theater, but normally most people don't really touch upon that like it seems more like a phase. But I think there's things that could be applied and learn To other areas of life as well. So, like what were some of the things that theater taught you that you've been able to apply into your life today?

I think one of the major things is that Empathy is like one of the greatest strengths that you can have, because Reading all these stories and characters and getting to develop a character around you, know their history and what, what it is you want to portray on the stage, like that to me, gave me a window into other people, other cultures, and I felt like that was really important and so I would say that helped me a ton. But then you also mentioned just public speaking and and being able to, you know, perform those monologues. That has helped me in my career and a huge way to be able to not be afraid of walking on stage and and expressing, you know, what I'm working on and and knowing that that takes a little bit of, like you said, not caring necessarily about what we people will think, but also caring very deeply about how you're going to get your message across and giving it that, you know, same level of emotion and passion that you know is going to be important to move everybody, and I think that is a big thing that I learned from theater. You know also, what really comes to mind too, john, is what we were talking about the restaurant business, like there's so much that goes on behind the scenes in theater as well. So I kind of I thrive in those environments and and and and can deal with the, the mess, the, the turbulence that happens right before the show, and then also walk out on the stage and know that everything's gonna be okay and and be able to kind of do that in the heat of the moment. So, yeah, those two worlds kind of collide in that way.

So so let me ask you cuz I actually learned this idea from someone I talked to who used to be in theater and they said whenever they would have stage fright, because you have like pent up energy. So like what you need to do is like go find a place where no one's looking and just like do like jumping jacks or some type of like Very exerted, like exertive movement to help you just get the blood flowing against, like, for you, like how do you Get rid of those, or not get rid of but deal with the, the stage right in the butterflies that come up, whether you're going on theater, in a stage and performing an acting, or you're going up in front of to give a KWKC speech or whatever Maybe how do you work with those butterflies that people get that when they're in the heat of the moment?

I think what works best for me is you're right, like one of the things is just getting out some of the energy, the pent up energy, but I think mostly part of part of my mantra or I won't say my mission I'll share that later but part of what's really important to me is Connecting and knowing that there is love out there for all of us and I. Several times before I walk on stage, john, I will repeat the word love in and love out. Love in and love out, because that's really what I'm going up there to do right is to love on people, to show and share what I've learned and loved and if I can do that and anything that I go out on stage and do, I Can feel proud of what I've done and and what am I part of, so that that means the most to me and that usually helps calm me right before.

Yeah, I love that perspective. But another good one I've heard is that you Sometimes, if you're worried too much about the audience, is because you're worried about how you look instead of the value that you can provide to the audience and like. When you shift that perspective, this has been a good one. For me personally. It's like when you worry about like or how much value can I add to these people, instead of how they're looking at me. It takes the focus from you and puts it on the people listening and watching and it doesn't take away all the nerves Like I still get butterflies even when I go up to speak but it definitely helps me get through them, especially in the beginning when the nerves are as high. So once I get flowing I'm good, like it's just getting the ball rolling. There's all the nerves and like starting this like football for me, like I could be in the game. But the game doesn't start when the whistle blows. The game starts in the pads crunch, that first hit. That's when the game officially is live and then after that you know, everything else pretty goes pretty smoothly. And I kind of want to ask you before we continue back with the story, right?

Yeah, that's great.

When you're acting right. You have to embody a character. You have to embody this sometimes imaginary, fictionary person or dragon or whatever it may be right. And a lot of people suffer with imposter syndrome and they believe that the character that they're playing isn't worthy of the things that they're receiving or the direction and the goals that they're accomplishing, et cetera, et cetera. Now I kind of want to ask you a little bit of a deeper question here. But how can we kind of begin to embody, you know, someone who is confident and feels like they're deserving of the blessings and the rewards that they've been able to receive? Because I feel like for me personally, imposter syndrome was something that took me a while, one to figure out that I was even suffering with it, because it wasn't the typical like, because I knew I worked hard and I was deserving. But it shows up in so many different ways. Right, that's what I've learned. But how do you kind of work through that using some of the things you learned from, like theater?

I think that is one of the reasons why I enjoyed theater so much in the beginning was that it allowed me to step in and be that other person and kind of take on. Like you said, like you take it on and you don't, you're no longer yourself, so you're up there on that stage and you're not being you. You're being that character, and I think there is part of that that can happen in your life too, like as a way of getting through imposter syndrome, but also just, I think, finding out how to love yourself, how to accept yourself in the imperfections that you bring, because many times, that imposter syndrome is hiding there. Because, yes, we can know that we work hard, but then there's also this like well, why would people wanna listen to me or value what I have? And so, until you dig into that and figure that out, I feel like that turns helped me turn a corner, when I felt like I was able to get through that and learn to love what it was that was truly my own gifts that released some of that imposter syndrome. I still get nervous, I still get those feelings like am I worthy of moving to this next step or getting to do this next thing? And you, just you keep going and you keep talking to yourself and recognizing how it is that you're feeling about it, too, is really important.

Yeah, no 100%. But what do you say? That that kind of that personal development kind of started kicking in and growing, cause you mentioned too in the beginning that little Brandy. The first thing you mentioned actually was that little Brandy didn't really love herself that much. So it's like, did you kind of resolve that through the theater and the acting or that coming later into play?

I think that theater and acting in many ways when I started that was a way to get away, but then it allowed me to see the like, just the different characters and the different lives that are out there, and that was beautiful. But I think really my journey with personal growth, a focus on just being the best version of myself, started really early Like I didn't realize that was different than some. But I had this like need. I was like I just wanna do more. I wanna see what else is out there. I wanna see and understand myself so that I can grow and so that I can become the best version of myself. And I couldn't put it in those words until really much later on in life, but I would say that it was always kind of there. It was just like a little, a little bit of I wouldn't even call it competition. It was curiosity about who I was and where I was going always. And then that has led me to really get into the space that I'm into now and kind of incredible to look back and see that and realize that it was different, because I realized in talking to people now it's like that's not number one on some people's minds and that's okay, that's different for all of us, but it definitely is something that stays with me.

So no, that's amazing. To continue on. So you mentioned from theater, right, you ended up going, moving to Austin, you said, to work at the KW headquarters. So what was that experience like? How long ago was that Cause? I know KW was pretty recently. I wasn't what the seventies. It was created, right, I was in the eighties.

It was late 80s, late 80s, right Late 80s.

And it didn't come up to Connecticut for a little bit. So Austin was like the heart of KW. So what was it like moving to the headquarters of where it all began?

And I had moved to Austin in early 2000. I think even 1999, I believe it's when I moved to Austin and worked a few other positions and actually got into event planning and that's how I found out about Keller Williams headquarters. I was told to come and interview and that was a really cool experience actually, because that was the first really intense interview process I'd ever been on, and Keller Williams definitely takes it seriously when they're hiring new people and what that really means is that it was a chance for them to get to know you and you to get to know yourself and you know how much I love that right, so that was just one of those things that they I was hooked as soon as they were having me go through these different interviews and personality assessments. I just I love all of that and it really connected me to the company and to you know what the position was, yes, but also what growth I could have coming here, and so that really meant a lot to me, and that was in 2005. 2005.

2005. Yeah, that's amazing. So for anyone that isn't familiar. So in Keller Williams we focus on the disc personality test and it's like direct. Then there's like social, which is like I, but I forget what the actual word for I is, I just know it's like someone who's very outgoing, social, extroverted. Then there's S for secure people who are like the, you know, the designated driver, the group, parent, right, the group, the friend in the group. That's like the mom or the dad, right. The people are super caring, nurturing, empathetic. And then there's the C's, which are people who are super analytical and just very like number crunchers and data crunchers. And I'm a high, I high D. I virtually have no S, it's like non-existent. And then my C there's a little bit on my test. So if I, if I were to guess, I'm going to assume you may be a high as high I.

I'm a high, I yes.

Okay.

So, john, when I've taken the test, I was a high. I was a high and a little bit of D or a high. I SC very low, but still somewhat there. So that is one test, john, but they actually do a new assessment too. We won't get into it here, but they this is something that they work at in order to get to know people, so they have an even longer assessment that they also get you to take, and it's another way again for them to get to know you. So, yeah, that's amazing.

So that's how to do the KW and then where you're. When did KWKC? So I actually don't really know the origin of KWKC or how it all started. So how did you start getting involved with that? How did KWKC come together? Where, like where did that begin?

So I worked for KWRI on their events team and put together many of the corporate events that they do, and I did that for a number of years like 12 years and really, like I said, I enjoy a fast-paced life. You can probably see how event planning and working in a restaurant could be similar right and after about 12, it was really 2015, I think when Gary had this idea to start this nonprofit that was really going to release his material quantum leap to younger people, and this kind of came from the start of another nonprofit that's in Keller Williams called KW CARES and that is for taking care of agents in their time of need if there's a disaster or some major health concern. And with KW KIDSCAN or KBKC, this started because many people went through quantum leap as he was recruiting new agents and new leaders into the company and he would take them through quantum leap and basically get to know them, help them know themselves, and then that relationship became a business partnership as well, and so that was really cool and every time, or many times, those people would say to him gosh, I just wish we had this conversation earlier in my life. You know. This really helped me see a lot of why this is important to me and where I want to go and I'm so glad to be in business with you, and so that opportunity and him hearing that over and over again was one of the opportunities that we could take this nonprofit and really support young adults through the mindset. That is a big piece of quantum leap. And then also giving tools to be successful and figure out what it is that your purpose is and then how to go out and get it, always thinking about two having a wealthy and abundant life. So that's really the impetus and the reasons behind why the organization was started, but also it's the material that it's all centered around. So everything that we do has to do with those topics.

So I think a great question to kind of like start things off now that we're getting into like the good good stuff. Right. It's like what is a quantum leap? I think that's the biggest misconception that people have with the word quantum. Some people think it's like some huge, massive you know thing. Other people think like quantum physics and think like super, like cellular or whatever whatever. So what is a quantum leap?

Gary made up that name, came up with that name as kind of a play on words, on purpose. You know many people do think it's like this really huge leap and this big, massive change you're going to make in your life all at once. But actually a quantum leap is a small, important next step that will make positive change for who you want to become. So if you think of it in this, you know the most smallest amount of change possible that can still create change is how you truly make change happen. So you know he explains it in his class and it's always a cool moment for people because many people think it's this like major change and many of us do this right at the new year. We're coming up on a 2024. Many people say, oh, I'm going to change my life, I'm going to lose 50 pounds, I'm going to do all these things right, it's going to happen on day one and then we all you know tend to lose focus because we're human and this is about how do you put in those really intentional decisions right For the long, the long term, for your future.

Yeah, and then the last kind of question I wanted to ask you just so the people listening are kind of all on the same page is what is the difference between a purpose and a goal?

Yes, a purpose and a goal. So when you're thinking about a goal many, like I mentioned, new Year's resolutions that can be seen as a goal right You're resolving to change something in your life. You want to hit something, you want to accomplish something that can be determined by a certain amount of time that passes, right Whether or not you hit it. So usually when we set one of those goals, we say okay, a year from now, I want to be doing that. A mission or a purpose is about something bigger than your lifetime, something that's going to actually take you longer than you have to accomplish. However, if you stay on the path, it's actually what provides you the motivation to hit goals that are in alignment with what you believe your purpose is. So figuring out that purpose can actually help you really connect with your goals on a deeper level and provide that motivation for your lifetime.

Yeah, I love that was one of my favorite things that I love. Learning at KWKC when I went to the QL Summit is like learning the difference and for me, like I have a pretty strong upbringing and like the Christian faith, so it's like I always bring up the story of like Moses, like he got people out of the desert but he never made it to the promised land himself, right, and it's like knowing that you know the trees you'll plant you'll never be able to. You know soak in the shadows of the. You know that it casts, but you still plant them anyways, knowing that it's going to be able to cast a shadow and someone else in the future may one day be able to rest under the shadow. Or you know, harvest the apple tree. You know from the apple tree, even though you may never get to even see it grow out of the ground, right, and it's having that thing that's bigger than you that transcends you, that allows you to tap in when you're tapped out and it allows you to keep on going, and so that's probably like one of the most game changing things I've learned. So now that we're kind of all on the same page in terms of like goals, purpose. What a quanta leap is Now let's talk about, like your story with quantum leap and everything. So how did you end up getting involved in what was like what has been the biggest impact that has had for you personally?

Yeah, I think. To answer that I want to take us all back to 2014, because that's when I realized I had I just had my third baby. I have two boys and a girl, and I had been an event planner for many years and I realized that, you know, I loved what I did, I did and it would provided me with a really full life. I also realized that my tendency was to take on everything, was to do and make everything equally important in my life and think that I could do it all. And in you know, having started my family and being on this journey within Keller Williams, I realized that I was tired, that I wasn't taking care of myself and I had kept myself very productive and busy but hadn't really figured out what was important to me and where I wanted to go. And so I started on my, I would say, a deeper journey with myself, with coaching and really figuring out who it was that I wanted to become. And what's so strange about this, john, is that that, for me, was happening at the same time as, like, the nonprofit was getting started. I didn't know it at the time, but I was on the events team and I actually helped support one of the earlier events, when it was just getting kicked off, and at the time I just remember thinking how amazing that was and how cool that was. But I also realized I had never really taken quantum leap for myself and taken that in. I had been the event planner, I had maybe provided that opportunity for others, but how was I letting it kind of sit with me and change me so fast forward? A year or so later I had, you know, gone to doctors to figure out my health, figuring out how I was going to get better sleep, that I was just really had had overextended myself for a lot of years, also got some help, you know, in our family and realized I couldn't do all those things right. So it just so happened that I think this was 2017, the opportunity presented itself that they needed a leader for KWKC and I decided, you know, it's like I love that opportunity because I've been on this journey myself and now to be able to know that Keller Williams has these opportunities for young adults and other people that are just starting their journey. Maybe I can help some other people figure out first what who it is that they want to become, before they just take on everything and become busy living a life without really deciding some things for themselves first. So it just it was really kind of one of those moments where I was super excited to be able to be on that journey and and and also for myself. You know, it's like twofold. To be able to continue to walk that and live that way meant a lot for me as well. And, yeah, I'm just so excited to be here and be able to bring this to so many people.

Yeah, it's one of those things where I feel like for me you mentioned like doing life before you know, figuring out what you want in life before it starts getting busy, and for me the pandemic, it was like every day was the same day. For like almost like six months leading up to me getting a license, I pretty much was working at the restaurant and K Jewelers every single day virtually all the time and studying for the other exam, and I was working like 70 hour days. Because of the pandemic is literally nothing to do besides working, stay home, and so it was just like every day was just like almost me living so like. So a lot of my story just kind of feels like blurred and meshed together and then by the time the pandemic came out, it's already licensed. I was doing all these things, I was juggling all these different, you know, entrepreneurial endeavors and it was just like life was slipping by me without me really realizing or me really being able to do anything and from quantum leap I was able to. From there, a couple months later, I got the access to the six sessions of coaching, my first session of the coaching, and pretty much the guy who's coaching me his name is Mark Dilworth. He is over in. Florida. He was like, yeah, john, it seems like real estate isn't like really what you want to do anymore. And I was like, yeah, no. And around that time this is September of last year, in 2022. And I read I joined the Mark King and Rebecca Rose Mouth Building 2.0 call and I hopped on the call and Rebecca was talking about this book called the Purpose Factor. And then I read that book I was like, oh, this is like super, like super eye opening. And instead of realizing, all right, I'm gonna stop focusing on real estate, let me focus on building this. You know, at that time, I was teaching social media this far, so I started teaching. AI to start to stop in their media. And then from there, after my first client I was going to offer content creation services, I was like, yeah, scrap this idea. I don't want to create content for people that I do not like it at all. And then, december, I found out about this concept called icky guy, and it's a Japanese concept for finding your purpose, and it's pretty much the intersection of four circles. It's what you love to do, like what do you do in time just ceases to exist. Like what are those things that just make you forget that you're? You know about everything. You're just in the moment. And then what the world needs. So all the problems that are currently going on the world that you feel compelled to solve or that annoy you, because usually, if you, something annoys you because you care about it at some level, right, so I used to, that's usually I teach it. And then the third circle is what you can be rewarded for, because although charity is great, we still have to make ends meet and we have to put food on the table, right? So like, what can you be rewarded for? And then the last circle is what are you good at? Like what are you things that you can excel at. And I kind of changed it because I feel like you can be good at a lot of things and doing a lot of things For me. I mistook that and I was mistaken. You know, motion for progress. Now I was doing a lot of things, getting a lot done, but not really moving a needle forward. So I like to say, what do you have the aptitude to be great at? And so it's like being great, the difference between okay, then good, and the difference between good and great as like two very different gaps. And so it's like, is that much more work that goes into becoming great? And you can't be great at many, very many things, or at least world class level great at many things. It's like it forces you to focus up in dial in and long story short, that's kind of how I started getting to figure out that the podcast is really what I truly want to do. But it all kind of sparked from QL and then went from there. So like what was that kind of journey for you? Like that, I guess, that enlightening journey for you that made you realize like hey, I'm called for something different.

And I think it was that realizing that I didn't know who I was in that moment, with working in event planning, and then figuring out like, okay, this isn't where I want to, this has gotten me to this point, right, but this isn't where I want to stay. And this is where I think my journey continues. And I think it was finding this opportunity with KDB Kidscan and being able to see like this would give me the opportunity to connect on a deeper level with people, which is a very big part of my passion. But also that that personal growth right, it keeps coming back from little brandy to now, that that focus on that and I truly believe happiness happens on the way to fulfillment. Like that, fulfilling and becoming the best I say best version of yourself you say being great like right, like becoming the best version that we can be of ourselves is truly what's going to bring us happiness and fulfillment and satisfaction in our lives. And so being able to do that every day and have that opportunity to lead this made that feel like that, that on moment for me, where going through quantum leap for the first time and really seeing it is like how am I embodying this and how can I think about this for myself and change me first was really really powerful and really made a difference.

You're messing me, so. So what did you come to the conclusion to? Like? What is? I know you alluded to it earlier in the conversation, so what is, at least for now, like what is your mission statement?

My mission is to positively impact others through my focus on personal growth in my speaking, mentoring and living, and I think that, you know, in itself helps me see the bigger picture of why is what I do, what I do. I didn't realize that that, you know, having a focus on personal growth, I didn't realize that that was that unusual Until like I was having this conversation with my husband actually, and this was a long time ago, and I was like, well, I just want to know what I'm going to do this year to become better. And he was like oh, okay. And I was like you mean, you don't think about that, like all the time. He was like, no, I mean I think about how I'm just going to, in this moment, do something better, but I don't really think of it as myself being a better human. And I was like, wow, okay, so that you know, it just put a different spin on it for me and made me realize that this was really something that I wanted to go after and continue on that journey of yeah.

So let me actually say, for the people that are currently like out across road or people that are lost right, especially for those who are lost and young right, because there's always, at least in the, I feel like in a Western society, it's like what kind of force into? Like it's like this I don't know what they call it, like a dilemma or whatever but it's like you spend all your childhood trying to be an adult and all your adulthood trying to go back to being a child, and so you rush into adulthood only to what you were, back where you once were, and it's like we're kind of expected to kind of have it all figured out right by a certain agent. So it's like, when it comes to purpose, I feel like a lot of people tend to shy away from it. One because they don't want to box themselves in, but two, also because it's like it could be very daunting and very scary to think about. Like you know, why am I here on this planet? And it's like such a simple question. Yet so many people shy away from it because of how deep you can get, and like you get very existential very, very quickly when you start asking yourself questions, and so it's like for those that are, you know, currently at a crossroad, or kind of feel laws or need some directions, like how could one begin to kind of find their purpose? Well, like, what would you recommend or what would you suggest?

I think there's a couple of different things. I would suggest Anything that truly has brought you joy as a young child, like thinking back on those things and exploring that a little further if you've gotten away from it, I think is key. I would also say, like going through a mission statement exercise and really journaling and writing down your thoughts is just so powerful, and I think many of us don't spend that time. I mean, you're right, I feel like in this country at least, we put a lot of focus on, well, what do you want to do, what do you want to be Right? We talk about, like, what kind of job are you going to get? And so we hear that from our early age, from our grandparents, our parents, you know, and you don't really think first about like, well, what do I really love? What do I enjoy, what is it that inspires me? And I think having a framework for that was really important to me because I didn't know how to ask myself those questions. So, at the risk of you know like I would love it, we have a free resource on our website that anybody can download, and it's the mission statement exercise. So if you don't have something already that to take you through those questions. That's a great place to start and it'll just get you thinking about what it is that you're passionate about, but also your talents, things that you could be really great at if you really put your time and energy into those things, so that you could be the best version of yourself in those things that you already love.

You know I love that and like the mission statement framework. That's exactly how I created mine, so I definitely recommend it to anyone listening right now and you mentioned, too, something about that. Usually, sometimes it's what we enjoy doing as a kid, is what we're actually truly called to do. I feel like one of the biggest realizations I've come to and you kind of brought it, you know, to the top of my mind now is that life is more about uncovering than it is about finding, because all the answers are already within. And realizing that the answers aren't outside of us, it's inside of us, I think has helped me like progress, at least mentally, pretty quickly, and I didn't realize that, but after you said that, I found the words to articulate it a little bit when you brought that up.

I love that and, if you think about it, that's such an important piece for us to listen to that, to pay attention to that voice and there's many things that can happen as we grow up in this world to the noise that you have to let go of and get past and work through in order to be able to hear the inner knowing. That is that true uncovering of who it is that you were meant to be. And I feel like I think sometimes that happens too, as we get some perspective and we get a little bit older and we look back and we go okay, how can I look back and uncover what's already there and unravel some of the stuff that's built up around me or within me so that I can get to the true joy, so I can get to that true connecting again and become my authentic self. So at least for me, that happened a little bit later in life and I'm just so grateful that it actually took the time and listened. So that has been just a great part of my personal journey and I highly recommend the mission statement exercise and journaling as a part of that too.

Amazing. So, brandy, it's been an amazing conversation. Where can we connect with you at work, we find out more about what you have going on, and where can we find this mission statement, a framework or sheet that you just mentioned?

You can go to katabkcorg and especially if you're under 30, that we focus a lot on young adults that are figuring out where it is that they want to go next. But the tool is free. You can go to our resources page and download that. You also can get a free download of how to crush your goals with another framework that we call the GPS. So two simple resources that you can connect and easily download and find us there, but also check us out. If you know a young adult or you are one and you want to also be a part of quantum leap and learn a little bit more about that event, you can take those classes for free and they're held at different points around the country, so some of them are even online, so you can take part in any of that content if you're under 30.

And super quick question When's quantum leap 2024? I know I'm going, I just didn't get my ticket.

I'm not sure if you could drive it out. It's not open yet. Registration is not open, but we do know the dates and it's the, I think I'm going to say it's the 13th through the 15th, so it's usually like a Thursday through a Saturday, so I think it's like early to mid June. Yep, yep.

Okay, perfect, perfect, all right. So now it's time for a rapid fire round A famous five questions saying five countries. I actually ask every single guess. Question number one is what is the most impactful lesson you've learned in life?

I'm going to go back to. Happiness happens on the way to fulfillment, that it's all about the journey and that you're not there yet and you never will be. It's find your happiness, yeah.

What is the most admirable trait a person can have?

I would say resilience. I tell my kids we talk about being kind, curious and courageous, and that courageous is the one I think is that we have to learn how to be brave and to walk this life and figure out where we want to go next.

If you had to change someone's life but you only had one book to recommend them, which book would you recommend?

I'm going to have to go with Brinay Brown, the gifts of imperfection. It changed my life and helped me.

What is the legacy that you're working on leaving behind?

I think the most important thing we can do is see that we're all together in this and that what we build today we may not be here to see the effects of it later, but that it's so important for us to continue to build and to create a better world for those who come after us.

And for anyone that wants to embark on their walk to love today, what is the first step you recommend they take?

I think, thinking about who it is that you want to become, and start now thinking. If you've never thought before about that question or why you're on this earth, then start there and then, of course, go to kdbkcorg if you need help.

Amazing. Brandy, thank you once again for hopping on this podcast with me and sharing your story and just having this amazing conversation with me. I'm so glad we were able to. One connect to that KWKC is a thing because we probably would have never connected, at least never connected like this. And three just thank you so much again for hopping on.

Thank you so much, John. I appreciate it and look forward to seeing you continue your journey.