Transcript 0:00 [upbeat music] We're gonna help get this house. Okay, guys. 0:12 It's time to get a little energy for the night, and I gotta make sure that I'm drinking some water, so we're just gonna try and bang them both out at the same time. So we're going to be reviewing Hydro Rush. 0:25 Time to get up, start moving. Gotta reach out and grab my Crypto Rush from Hydro Rush. Let's go. We gotta get this generator started, and we're gonna need the energy to do that and to go exploring. Five set, fam. 0:40 Give it this faint flavor of, of that rush if, you know, you're not a rushed person. Cheers, fam. Some creatine. Okay. You guys have magnesium in here, 66 milligrams. 0:56 Sodium, sea salt, 1,000. All right, that's pretty high. You got some potassium, keeps you nice and invigorated, keeps your bones and your joints going good, muscles from cramping up. And then creatine. 1:10 Um, a lot of people have been telling me about creatine, you know, um, very good things from it l- from the weight training community. Yeah, we'll see how this tastes. Okay. Not bad. All right. This is Hydro Rush. 1:23 All right. We are recording. All right. See how this goes. [laughs] All right. Thank you so much for being here- Thank you... on 111 Pod, Melissa. How are you today? [laughs] I am excited to be here, actually. Aw. 1:37 This is the vibe- Yeah... to be here, just to have a conversation out in the park. It's really cool. Mm-hmm. This is amazing. Thanks for choosing this location. 1:45 I've always tell my guests, "Hey, let's put you in a comfortable environment," you know, someplace that you can really enjoy the outdoors, somewhere outside, because I'm a big proponent of nature- Yes... 1:55 and getting outside, touching grass. So this is absolutely perfect. For those of y- you guys [laughs] who are just joining us, we have Stella here as well, my cat. She wanted to say hi. 2:04 We'll see how long this lasts before [laughs] I figure her to travel back. 2:07 [laughs] But, uh, Melissa, yes, um, the reason you're on the show is I read your book here, The Ghost of the Green Crayon, and, uh, I was absolutely blown away by your authenticity and your vulnerability. 2:20 And before we get in your book, though- [laughs]... um, would you mind just introducing yourself a little bit about who you are- Yeah... what you do, and how you impact people? Uh, my name is Melissa. 2:31 I'm the owner and founder of Blessings Be Bazaar. I'm also the president and founder of the Blessings Be Foundation, which is our nonprofit that helps serve the missing middle. 2:41 We help people who make too much money to get assistance but still need some assistance. Mm. I absolutely love that. I love that, Melissa. And are you from the Colorado Springs area, or- No, I'm not. I'm a Texas girl. 2:53 Texas. Okay. Uh-huh. I can tell the accent. And I transplanted here. [laughs] But my dad lived here for a very long time, and we used to come visit him. Okay. And that's why Colorado Springs was always the dream. 3:01 Oh, okay. It was always, "This is wh- this was end game for us." Gotcha. "We were gonna come, and we're, this is where we're gonna live." 3:06 And finally, the stars aligned, and we did all the things we were supposed to do to get here. Awesome. And we've been here since 2019- Okay... right before the pandemic- Okay... which was prime time. 3:15 I would not have wanted to do the pandemic in Texas. [laughs] That would've been tough. [laughs] That definitely would've been a challenge. Yes. But so you work full time- Mm-hmm... as a insurance agent, correct? Yes. 3:24 And then you run your own business as well. Yes. And then you also do this nonprofit- Yes. [laughs]... as well. So that's a lot for one woman. Yeah. How are you able to do all thrings, all three things at once? ADHD. 3:35 [laughs] I know, right? And you have a pretty big social media following too, so. I, on TikTok. Yes. [laughs] Um, and yeah, I mean, I think it's easy when y- you know it's necessary- Mm... and when you enjoy it. Mm-hmm. 3:49 So my job is my job. I, I, I s- I had a reframe on my f- 40-hour-a-week job, and it's my angel investor. Mm-hmm. 3:57 Uh, if without that job, I would not be able to do the dream, which is the bazaar, and I only do things at that job that I love to do. Mm. 4:06 Because if it's something that I have to put out for a product that, oh, you have to do it, and you have to have 20 of these, and if you don't have 20 of these, I already have that at my job. 4:15 Like, I, I don't need that stress. It's, I want to make 20 of these, and if they sell out and I don't wanna make them again, then I don't. Mm. 4:22 And, you know, maybe they'll c- make a reprise, but until then, I just, that's my pleasure. That's for me. Right. And the nonprofit is for the community. Mm. I love that. Uh-huh. 4:33 Before we start getting into that, you're also a mom of two kids, right? Yes. Technically three. I have a- Three kids... 32-year-old, a 30-year-old, and 'cause I lost my mind, a seven-year-old. Oh my gosh. 4:42 [laughs] Whoa, whoa, whoa. That's a big age disparity. [laughs] It's a big age, yeah. [laughs] Was that an oops baby, or? [laughs] No, no, no. Okay, that was planned. Okay. 4:49 It was a thoroughly planned baby, but he- Okay... is everything. Aw. He is, he is me. Mm-hmm. Um, and he gets to get the healed version of me, too. Mm. Um, my ki- my older kids did not get the healed version of me. 5:03 I have to thank them in a different way because we all grew up together. Right. We were all figuring it out together. 5:08 But now with this young one, he gets the healed version of me, and he gets to be all of the extra- Right... that I wasn't allowed to be. [laughs] Wow. Right, right. And in a safe environment. So- Aw. Oh, gosh... 5:20 I, I learn more every day with him. [laughs] Oh, I love that. I love that. So, um, I guess let's get into the book a little bit- Okay... because it's a very short book, which I absolutely loved. 5:30 [laughs] But I did take my time. Yeah. So, um, I think it's really, like you say, "If no one is coming to feed you, you must learn how to eat the world." Mm. 5:37 And it's all about, when I read it, it was definitely you had a lot of trauma growing up as a child, and then you overcame that trauma, but it was all centered around hunger. Yes. And, um, just getting enough to eat. 5:50 And I know your nonprofit is around- Mm-hmm... that as well, so I absolutely love how you tied that in together and how you really care about what goes into your body. 5:59 So I'd love to hear more about, um, just the theme around food and hunger, and why was this such, uh, an impact to you, and why did you wanna write about this? 6:11 Um, in the beginning of the book, I explain how that lock- Mm-hmm... on the refrigerator triggered me. Right And, and it was really just a couple of year... I was always feeding people. Mm-hmm. Let's be real. 6:22 When people talk about love languages, I say I feed people. And they're like, "That's not a love language." To me, [laughs] if I'm- Yeah, it's like... feeding you- [laughs] Yeah... I love you. Yeah. 6:32 And I'm worried about what you eat. I'm always worried- Mm... about, about people eating because I didn't. And I didn't realize how much of that time had 6:42 shaped even how I was acting now, and the decisions I was making now. I was still acting like that hungry little girl, you know? And, and I didn't realize how it was limiting me. 6:53 And that, writing that, and it, it isn't a perfect thing, uh, uh, by any stretch of the imagination, um, but it was so cathartic. 7:02 And I felt like that was the linchpin that I needed to, to put everything together and to start moving forward, even at this ripe old age of soon to be 55. Oh my gosh, you look amazing for 55. I'm that girl. 7:16 [laughs] Serious. I didn't even guess. I was gonna say late 40s. Yes. [laughs] That's what you're supposed to say. Mid-40s. There we go. [laughs] Even better. Even better. Yeah. 7:22 So, uh, but yeah, so cathartic, meaning you really got to dig deep in- Mm-hmm... your childhood trauma. Mm-hmm. And you really got to overcome. 7:30 How hard was it for you to write that out, and to actually communicate to yourself- Oh... a lot of this trauma? It was- Because it's hard for a lot of people to do that. It, it was. Yeah. 7:39 It was because I was talking to that little girl. Mm. And then I was talking to that teenage girl, and then I was talking to the young adult Melissa, too. Yeah. And it was- That's right... it was... 7:49 And I, I, I even say it in, in the book- Mm-hmm... how I just c- was consuming mass quantities of food. In the middle of the night, you know, like I, like I was sneaking food. I was doing it again. Right. I was just... 8:01 I, it was like I had to revisit and become that person at each stage, and it was, it was, um, triggering. Mm-hmm. It was, uh, therapeutic. Yeah. Um, but I did it and, and I recommend it to anybody. Yeah. Write your book. 8:18 Yeah. And it doesn't have to be perfect. Mm-hmm. Um, but get it out there. I, I wouldn't care if anybody read it, really. Mm-hmm. 8:24 But the biggest reason why I wrote it, too, is I needed people to understand why this nonprofit was so important to me. Mm. That it, it really spoke to me, and it's me speaking to you through food. And- Love that... 8:36 of all of the parts of hunger- Mm-hmm... even the very, very scary part- Yeah... um, that part where I was making money- Mm-hmm... but I didn't have enough was the hardest part to navigate- Yeah... 8:48 because you felt guilty about asking for help when, well, I, I got a house, you know? And that person doesn't even have a house, so let them have the food. I'm not gonna take resources from people who need it more. 9:00 Mm-hmm. And so I ended up going without, ended up putting myself in a hole because I didn't just ask for help. Mm. But there's this whole pride thing that goes into it all. But again, that was the whole reason... 9:11 I, and I guess maybe there was a reason of it, because again, the lock triggered me. [laughs] Right. That's kinda how it all started. Yeah. Yeah, with the lock. 9:20 And, like, I know, uh, give me a little bit of the timeline. When did you write this book, and was it, like, after the nonprofit? Or how, how did it go with your timeline of wanting to release it and...? 9:30 The timeline was... [sighs] Okay, so I got triggered. Okay. [laughs] And I was triggered for about a year- Okay... before it dawned on me, [laughs] Pun intended... um, what the, what the, what the issue was. Yeah. 9:45 And it was once I started the nonprofit. So in November of last year, um, Colorado's food stamps got cut. Oh, okay. And we immediately jumped into, hey, let's feed some people. 9:56 Let's give some o- opportunities for people to get some free food. Yeah. No barriers. We don't ask for your name. We don't ask... I mean, we do, but it's more like who's picking it up. Mm. 10:05 You can give me whatever name you want. [laughs] That's... Yeah. 10:08 Um, and, uh, but we wanted to help people, and what we found out was the people that were coming who needed the help were people who were, who were on food stamps and lost them, but were also, you know, just 10:20 middle-class families. Mm-hmm. Um, single people. That trope of eating ramen and living off of ramen should not be a thing. No. You know? 10:28 The, they'd be like, "Ahaha, I lived off of ramen for, you know, my whole college years." I go, "That's four years. How did you even learn anything? Your brain was not being fed." Right. 10:37 Um, and I always say that the noise that hunger creates is so loud that you can't heal. So you can't heal if you're hungry. Right. 10:45 Um, anyway, so then I g- getting back to it, uh, I wrote it so that people could know- Okay... that I was speaking from a pl- 'cause I say it all the time, I've been at every stage of hunger. Mm-hmm. 10:55 I've been at every stage of hunger, and rather than have to explain that story over and over again, I wrote it in a book. [laughs] There you go. And there it was, so we... Um, it was after the nonprofit started. Okay. 11:05 So that way I could get it. Gotcha. I needed people to understand, you know... Uh, uh, we're a bunch of nonprofits here in Colorado Springs, and we're all- Yeah... 11:13 fighting for, you know, our nickels and dimes to make it work. Right. Right. And, and I was hoping that if people could just see the truth- Mm-hmm... my truth, that they would, you know, help me out. [laughs] Yeah. 11:25 So the book was to help promote the nonprofit. It was. That's what... Okay. And how was the reception with the book? Like, how did you take it to market and...? I just put it on Amazon, and I- Okay... put it on Facebook. 11:34 So just self-published? And S- Okay... and Kindle. Um, but how it's received is the same way that you received it. It's a short book. It's only, like, 70 pages. Yeah. Less, less than 100. Yeah, for sure. 11:44 Um, but it's like I read the chapter, and I had to wait. Mm. And I read a chapter. I read, read two chapter. I, I could get through two chapters, but now I had to wait. And a lot of people have to sit with it. Mm-hmm. 11:54 I tried my very best to not make it a trauma dump. Right. Um, I d- didn't want that, and I skirted past all the other issues that happened. Oh, there were more issues? [laughs] Yeah. [laughs] Oh, no. [laughs] No. 12:04 No, I just spoke of the hunger. Okay. Sure. I didn't speak of... 'Cause there's a part where I say, "I don't know what happened between 5 and 7." Oh, right. And I just skirt past that- Okay... piece- Sure... 12:14 'cause it, it wasn't im- it wasn't, um- It's hard to remember back then too, you know, between ages five to seven. I don't remember what happened. [laughs] Oh, I wish. I, I have a very good memory. Yeah. 12:25 I remember a lot of things. Oh, okay. And my brain said, "I don't need to remember five to seven," and I agree with it. Mm-hmm. [laughs] Whatever happened- Yeah... we don't need to know. Right. Um- Right. But, uh... 12:35 What was I saying? Oh, it, that's how it's received. It's they, they feel, people feel connected- Mm-hmm... to me, which is what I wanted. I wanted people to see me- Right... 12:43 and why this, you know, why I am the way I am. [laughs] Yeah, definitely. No, I absolutely love it, and, uh, I do wanna touch on the title, The Ghost of the Green Crayon. 12:53 And so, which to me has nothing to do with food, but maybe, you know, would you mind sharing a little bit of light [laughs] about the title name? It's because green is my favorite crayon to eat. Okay. That's right. 13:05 Um, and it was always my favorite crayon when I was younger. It was how I sustained myself for a very long time. Oh, my gosh. It was a box of crayons. That's right. 13:14 Back in the day, they were made with, like, tallow, and they weren't made with all wax like they are now, but they still had other chemicals that you shouldn't have had. Right. Right. 13:21 But, um, you know, you eat what you can. Right. And the green crayon was- Your favorite... my favorite. [laughs] Okay. So that's the... Okay, that makes sense. That makes sense. 13:31 So, um, yeah, it's just the trauma dump, sure, but it wasn't all trauma. Like, you have to understand who this person is to actually connect with them. Mm-hmm. 13:41 And I felt like you did a really great job of balancing the trauma with, you know, what you overcame and then the reasoning behind why food was so important and is so important, especially with your nonprofit. 13:53 And so if you wouldn't mind sharing me a little bit about your nonprofit's mission and how you impact your community, I think that's a really big, um, question. 14:02 Um, I think the biggest way that our non- th- there are plenty of nonprofits out there feeding people. Mm-hmm. I think the biggest way that we do it is we decided from the beginning 14:13 that we weren't gonna be data collectors. Hmm. Uh, we felt that their pride and their, um, dignity- Mm-hmm... was more important than their data. Mm-hmm. And that means that we're not gonna get the big grants- Hmm... 14:29 that, that are out there for nonprofits. We will always be community-driven, and we will always need community support, um, because we just want you to come and get the food. 14:40 We don't want you- we don't need proof of your need. Mm-hmm. Um, we don't even care if you're from here. 14:46 Um, like, in the actual, like, if you're visiting from Aurora, and [laughs] and you're like, "Oh, dang, I didn't know about this place," come get this food. Yeah. Um, 14:56 and, and I think that's how we impact the community the best. Okay. And, uh, okay, 'cause there are plenty of... And I'm, and I'm, and I want all these nonprofits to succeed. Yeah. Feed them. 15:05 It do- if you don't wanna eat from me, that is absolutely fine, but please find a table to eat. Yeah. Wherever it is. Definitely. [laughs] Definitely. And so when you... 15:14 I, I'm, I kinda wanna break down a little bit of your nonprofit. Where do you source your food? How do you collect it? And then how do people qualify to get, I guess, the baskets- Yes... or the boxes or? 15:25 To qualify, you just have to ask for it. Mm-hmm. That's your qual- that's your qualifications. Um, how we source them, we, we have to, we get sustainable foods. Mm-hmm. Shelf-stable foods. 15:36 Um, and we also have our Grounded Roots program, where we're actually growing vegetables. So we have, right now, we have lettuce, spinach, um, a zucchini, and squash, and yellow squash. Mm. Pumpkins are on the way. 15:50 Um- Nice... it was hard this year, though. Yeah. The Colorado weather was not allowing these gardens to grow. Oh, okay. Um, we're, uh, we have a garden at the, uh, Deerfield Community Center. Okay. 16:01 They offer a free garden space. Yeah. And our director of agriculture took over a spot and really ended up taking over the whole [laughs] garden. She helps everyone- Mm-hmm... 16:11 um, to grow their garden, but everyone was suffering because we got, we had no water. Oh, right. So she is literally hauling a gal- a five-gallon jug of water- Mm-hmm... into her garden every, every day- Mm-hmm... 16:26 to water her garden and get whatever fruits and vegetables she can because it has been rough- Okay... this, this, uh, g- gardening season. 16:34 Um- Is it just due to the fires, you think, and just the drought or- Well, in general, the drought is what it was... the drought. There's not a lot of rain, I think, this- Yes. Yeah. Mm-hmm. 16:40 So the, uh, they were, at first it was only three days a week. Mm-hmm. And then it was, well, we can't even water the garden right now. Hmm. And, um, but she, I, I am so proud of her because she's just out there hauling. 16:56 Wow. She is even, she even has a garden in her own backyard- Mm-hmm... as a backup in case we can't, but we were able to give out some fresh heads of lettuce. Oh, good. You know, that don't have the diseases. For sure. 17:08 What is that, what's that thing going around? Salmonella or what? Something 'cause- [laughs] There's a, a lettuce disease [laughs]- Okay... happening right now. Gotcha And, uh- Wash your veggies- Wash your veggies... 17:19 and fruits double. Yes. [laughs] And I do feel, though, that when you get a, a, a, a head of lettuce fro- or any vegetable from a garden- Mm-hmm... you're inclined to wash it more than you are from the store. Right. 17:29 Right. Yeah. So- For sure. But, yeah. You have to. But, uh, we also offer, like, we, she will teach you how to grow these foods- How cool... 'cause we want you to have sustainable food. Right. 17:38 You know, we don't want you to have to always come to us. Right. You know, we're happy to be here if you need us, but she will teach you how to grow these vegetables, so that way you have some in your own garden. 17:48 Aw, that's nice. Yeah. And, like, especially with the weather, though, how hard is it to have your own garden around here? Very. [laughs] Okay. It is very hard. 17:56 But, you know, like, if you figure, if you're just worried about you and your family- Hmm... and you're just growing enough vegetables for you and your family- Yeah... that is sustainable. Yeah. We can make that happen. 18:07 Right. 'Cause that's just a raised garden bed. You can, you can control the water. You can control the shade. You can control the sun. Mm-hmm. 18:14 You know, um, and then that, those are a lot of the things that, um, she teaches you- Hmm... if you ever decide you wanna go to our Grounded Roots program. [laughs] There you go. And that's absolutely free as well. 18:23 Oh, I love that. I love that. So, um, I love that you've partnered with, um... So is that, like, her own nonprofit that you've partnered with, or it's just like a program essentially? Just a program. 18:32 No, she's, she's our director of agriculture. Okay. And sh- that's our program through- Okay... Blessings Be Foundation. A- awesome. She's ours. You can't have her. 18:39 [laughs] How many programs are, are you, like, working with? Like just ours? Yeah, just yours. So Grounded Roots is a big one. Okay. Bundles of Blessings is- Bundles of Blessings... a bag of food. 18:50 It's enough food to feed a family for a day. Okay. I can generally make it work for $15. This time it's been closer to $20- Sure... because the, the cost of food is going up. Of course. 19:00 Um, now we have our Just Bee Cause bags. Mm-hmm. And this is our lunches that we hand out. Um, and I'm really happy because we're able to help, um, Forward Together. Mm-hmm. They're another, uh, community center. Okay. 19:13 And they do a daycare during the summertime. I, I don't know if daycare is the right word for it. Um, but... And I, we're partnered with them- Okay... so that way we can feed them- Okay... 19:22 at least once a week, and that makes me feel good. That's so cool. You know, because she's helping, you know, give these kids something to do and distract them- Mm... during the summertime so they're not bored. 19:34 [laughs] What do you mean? There's so much to do. [laughs] Yes, there is, if you wanna walk to it. [laughs] Right. Right. Yeah, if the weather's, uh- Mm-hmm... amicable, for sure. But yeah, I absolutely love that. 19:47 Um, share with me more, a little bit about, um, your community outreach. How do you partner with other, like, people in your community? How do you go about it? How do you market it and such? I troll the- [laughs]... 20:00 uh, 411 for the 719. Okay. And I reach out to anybody who's out there, uh, "Hey, I need some help." Mm. "Hey, can you do th- this is where we're at." Nice. "Please come see us." Yeah. 20:10 And now it's gotten to where other people are saying, "Hey, have you checked out, you know, Blessings Bee Foundation or Bl- even Blessings Bee Bazaar?" Mm-hmm. We don't care which name you're calling us. Mm-hmm. 20:20 We're the same. We are two bees. Mm-hmm. You know? And we work, we're part of the hive. Gotcha. And I, and we work with, um, other small businesses- Okay... too, to help them, um, to, to... 20:35 So our, our motto is you have to be community to hive community. Mm. [laughs] Because... And that was a hard one for me. Yeah. I, I wanna s- I'm an introvert with extrovert tendencies. Okay. 20:47 [laughs] And I wanted to sit in my shop, and I wanted to sit in my house, and that's all I wanted to do. Yeah. But I had to start getting out there and- Mm... doing the work and helping where it needed it. Right. 20:59 And it wasn't always in my shop. Right. It was at somebody else's event, where they were raising funds for something else that had nothing to do with me. Mm. It didn't matter. 21:09 I needed to be over there helping them because they, so they could see that I really wanted to be part of this community and help this community. Yeah. And it works. Mm-hmm. 21:18 If you're out there and you're helping- Yeah... your community in whatever capacity it is. My niece actually said it best- Mm... for me, that it clicked with me. 21:28 She said, um, "I'm giving you this money because I'm not gonna go out there and do that." Mm. "And I don't wanna do that. 21:34 I don't have it in me to go out there and be the face and talk to people and do all those things, but I have a little extra money." Mm. "And so I'm gonna give you this money." Nice. 21:43 And I was like, "Oh, that makes sense." Yeah. People show up the way that works for them, and we need to stop asking them to show up in a way that doesn't work. Mm. 21:53 'Cause you're gonna get people who are like, "I will volunteer as many hours as you need, but I'll never have money for you." Right. "At least not right now, not in this stage of my life. 22:01 I have no dollars, but I have time." There you go. "So can I help you with my time?" Absolutely. Mm-hmm. You know, it's, "Hey, I, I've donated this food." Thank you for donating the food. Mm-hmm. 22:10 "Hey, I spread the word." We had a, the biggest impact we had recently was with another small business. Hmm. Sharp Dog Grooming. Okay. Cool. Um, she read the book and was like- Aw... "I need to help." Yeah. 22:23 And all she did was, "I'm gonna donate $5 of every grooming that I have in the month of May." Oh, wow. That's all she said she was gonna do. Okay. And I was like, "Thank you. Anything." Yeah. 22:35 But then she started talking about it to all of her clients. Mm-hmm. And they started matching donations. Oh, cool. They started giving on their own. Love that. Yeah. They started bringing food. Yeah. 22:45 So that small act of kindness- Mm-hmm... of j- of just $5 o- of her services- Yeah... ended up being $1,100. Wow. Over the c- And to us, very small grassroots, we were able to feed... 23:00 That was the, that took care of all of July for us. Right. That's how small we are. That's amazing. N- n- not small, but like, we, uh, uh, all of our expenses are niched down. Mm-hmm. So we can make $1,100 work. 23:12 [laughs] Yeah, for sure. And I, and I just love how just that one act of kindness could just be multiplied- Yes... by the people that you connect with. Mm-hmm. 23:21 And the people that, um, that you're having an impact with, they, they're impacting you- Yeah... in some small way. Yes. So absolutely love that. That's a great story. [laughs] Thank you for sharing that. 23:30 No, it's really cool. Um, I'd love to hear more about how you came up with, um, your name for the bees. 23:37 [laughs] And is it, like, bees, you just, y- you love that animal, or, like, is, is that kind of an affinity for, or- It is- Okay... so narcissistic. [laughs] You, you have always just loved bees or- Egotistical... okay. 23:51 No. Uh, Ma- Melissa means honeybee. Oh, okay. And so- Cool... um, that w- bee, I've always been obsessed with bees- Okay... because Melissa means honeybee. Aw. Um- That's cute... 24:00 and my daughter actually came up with the name. Okay. Aw. Uh, we want it to be, uh, Blessed Bee- Sure... with the B-E. We still wanted the bee. Yeah. But it was taken. I, that's what I was gonna say. [laughs] Uh-huh. 24:11 And it was hard. We, and I was like, "Ugh, I can't find the name." Yeah. "We're just never gonna do this 'cause I can't find the name." Aw, that's- And then we just came up with Blessings Bee Bazaar. Yeah. 24:18 And we wanted it to be the bazaar- Right... because we are so eclectic in our space. Mm. And you're never gonna see the same thing twice, or you're gonna see the same thing for six months. Right. 24:29 Um, and then you're never, and then it's ev- it's always gonna be ever-changing and ever-evolving, and because blessings do be bizarre. Triple B. They ha- Exactly. They- And alliteration. 24:38 [laughs] They just, they, they, you don't know why they happen or how they happen. It's just a bizarre occurrence that happens sometimes. There you go. I love that. And so we wanted a play on words. I love that. 24:46 We love a play on words. I love that. I love that. So your bazaar, is that, is that your business, or is that part of the nonprofit? That's the business. Okay. 24:52 So share with me a little more about your bazaar and what makes it so unique. Um, we do herb-infused honeys. Mm-hmm. That's our first piece. Um, we also do, um, custom tea blends. Mm. 25:03 And our tea blends are very specific, and I'll give you a tea blend if that, if you want a tea blend. I love tea. [laughs] But I prefer to have a conversation with you- Mm... and find out what's going on. Yeah. 25:13 Like, and are you on a med- on any medications? Mm. Um, because I really want your experience with holistic remedies to work and be successful- Mm-hmm... and to be a good experience. Yeah. 25:24 But if you're already taking something or you already have a condition- Mm-hmm... that is gonna make you feel worse Then I have not done you a, any favors. Right. 25:33 And I haven't done the holistic community any favors either. So I think that, I'm not saying that other herbal people and apothecaries are not doing that. Mm-hmm. I just know that is specifically what we do. Mm. 25:47 Is that we want... 'Cause we're like, uh, when I found out my husband was doing a fresh sea moss gel. Ooh. You know? Okay. And we were all doing it. We loved it. Mm-hmm. Um, it- we found it was delicious. 25:59 I was putting it on my buttered toast. [laughs] It was- Oh, wow... yeah, it was, it was incredible. Um- But he started to get really, really sick. Uh-oh. And I was like, "Well, what, what are you talking about? 26:08 We're eating healthy." Yeah. "We're doing all these things." Yeah. And turns out it's because he has a thyroid problem. Mm. He's on levothyroxine- Okay... permanently. His, uh- Oh... 26:17 you know, it isn't like, his, his thyroid is gone- Oof... so he'll always have to take the levothyroxine. Mm-hmm. Turns out sea moss has iodine in it, and he had iodine poisoning because of the medication he was taking. 26:30 Oh, wow. And I was like, "Ah, I should have thought about that." Yeah. Why didn't I think about... I'm, I've been, you know, working- Yeah... 26:37 this, um, herbal shop for a year, and, and I'm, I, I'll tell you, "This is what it'll do for this, and I can help you," you know- Yeah... you come in with your issues. You sound like an expert. [laughs] Yeah. 26:46 You know, I, I will tell you, "Oh, you have a problem with your anxiety? Take this." Yeah. Right. You know? Yeah. And I forgot, and I felt so, I felt like I failed- Mm... you know, at my job. I could see that. You know? 26:58 Yeah. By not doing that, I was like, "Well, why didn't I..." I knew it. I knew it. Mm-hmm. And I just, it just never came up in conversation. Mm-hmm. 27:06 And so now it's the first thing that comes up in conversation going forward from now on. Definitely. And, uh, because, um, I was selling comfrey. Mm-hmm. Comfrey, uh, should not be taken orally. Okay. 27:19 Uh, and, and, and this is a big point of contention, too, 'cause there's mixed media on it. Always. People say, "No, comfrey's fine. Comfrey's fine. You have to take a real, a lot of comfrey." Mm. 27:29 And I was like, "Yeah, but what you don't understand is when people like tea- Mm-hmm... they will drink tea- Yes... three times a day. Oh, yeah. At least. You know? At, at l- and, and they will drink mass amounts of tea. 27:39 Right. This is my hot tea for the morning, but now here's my half gallon- Right... of tea in the afternoon. Some iced tea. [laughs] Y- because, because you think- Yeah... 27:46 oh, it's tea and it's healthy, you could a- accidentally drink mass quantities of tea. Oh, yeah. Of herbs. You could accidentally do it. Yeah. Coffee stops you- Mm... because of the caffeine. Mm. 27:57 Coffee starts ma- making your heart palpitate. Drink too much, for sure. [laughs] Oh. Yeah. Yeah. So you're like, "Okay, I better stop." Yeah. Coffee gives you a trigger to say, "I'm done." Mm-hmm. 28:06 Herbs don't always do that. Right. So you could accidentally- Keep drinking too much... keep drinking too many. A- and if it's a problem- Yeah... because you're on certain medications or you have certain health issues. 28:17 So now that's what we do. Definitely. And our herb-infused honeys- Mm-hmm... which I love, my daughter takes care of those. Okay. I'm gonna say it, and I, I say it all the time, honey is the carrier. Mm. 28:29 Don't come to us if you want raw honey that has all the honey properties. Mm-hmm. This is a spoonful of sugar. Okay. Helps the medicine go down. Right. So we make luxury honeys. Like, we've got a moscato honey. Ooh. 28:40 That's our Moscato-inspired honey, so it's got apricot and- My God... passionflower. It is delicious. Sounds so good. Um, because if you, [laughs] if you eat a lot of honey- Yeah... 28:50 just in general, like you buy honey from the store- Mm-hmm... um, eventually honey's gonna lose its pizzazz- Of course... for you. Yeah. So we're just adding some pizzazz to our honey. Okay. 29:00 But also we want, "Hey, I know you like ashwagandha- Mm-hmm... but you don't like to drink tea." Mm-hmm. "But do you like honey?" Mm-hmm. How about a spoonful of sugar? Nice. So that way you have your herbs- Uh-huh... 29:11 you can get the benefits of them through a little sweetness. Mm. We also do all the other good stuff, chakra activation, numerology. My daughter's the numerologist. Very nice. So when I saw the One Eleven- Oh, yeah. 29:25 [laughs] Yes. Um- I love that. Yes. We'll have to have her on the pod maybe. [laughs] Yes, and I, I'm, I w- I, I will be honest, like, oh, so you can ask me numerology things? No. 29:34 I only know that I can't make decisions on my two day. [laughs] You know, people get misconceptions about One Eleven too. Yeah. And it's like, your podcast could be any name, honestly. It could be. 29:45 But I just was like, I wanna have something that's a little more meaningful, something that's, like, not common, but you'll get it. Yeah. 29:52 It's, it's short, it's to the point, and yeah, it's just something that'll just, you know, you can remember it easier- Mm-hmm... essentially, right? So now- And now how long have you been into numerology? 30:02 I've literally just started this year, honestly. I had a few friends that were into it. Yes. And they kept sending me little texts and screenshots, "Oh, it's one eleven, eleven eleven." Uh-huh. 30:10 "Four four four," you know, "Make a wish," blah, blah, blah. Yes. And I'm like, "Okay, okay, why don't I just start a podcast about this- Mm-hmm... about new beginning stories?" I love that. 30:18 Because people love, love sharing this with me over and over again, and it's like the podcast really isn't about numerology. 30:24 It's more about the people that have just really wanted to take their story to this whole new beginnings- Uh-huh... like, era. Yeah. And I feel like we're always in this reset. 30:34 We're always in this, like, spiritual awakening, even though we don't feel like it. It's, like, everything's spiritual around us. I'm a big believer in that. Yes. 30:41 And there's, like, there's forces that we don't even know that are just- Mm-hmm... like, in constant strife. 30:47 So it's just something that I was like, "You know, w- we're gonna do it this way, and we're gonna see how it goes." [laughs] And, uh, this is technically, this is my third podcast- Uh-huh... 30:57 I've run, and I'm like, "This better be the last one- [laughs]... because I start and stop, start and stop." Like, I'm not gonna stop on this. 31:03 I'm gonna keep going because- Well, listen, I'm telling you right now- [laughs]... if Marian was here, she would be like, "Well, what's your date of birth? Well, let me tell you why. 31:08 You're on this life path, and because you're on this life path, this is why you do-" Oh, my gosh. And she would- I love that. [laughs] And, and she would just read you. And, uh- Cool... 31:15 not in a bad way, unless you wanted it. [laughs] Sure. What? Hey, I'll take a free reading. I, I follow- She will, she's totally up for that. [laughs] I'm totally down for that- Oh... 31:23 because I think that would be really cool to actually have someone that's into numerology, too. Why not? Yes. Like, that'd be cool. Absolutely. And, and I'm, I'm where you're at. Yeah. 31:31 Because when someone you love is into it- Yeah... you're like, "Okay, well let me hear it." Yeah. And also, when she starts telling you things and they make sense. Mm-hmm. I'm like, "Oh, you're right. 31:38 Every time it is my five day- Yeah... traffic sucks." And traffic really sucks every time. Yep. Any time I make a decision or plan with someone on my two day, it falls through. Oh, no. Or I have to pivot. Yeah. 31:50 And I'm like, "Ah, God dang it," you know? I've just... And when it's my eight day, I always hurt myself. [laughs] Oh, my gosh. Yeah. But j- when you start to see the correlation, you're like- Mm... 31:59 maybe it's in my head, but I don't think it is because I, w- even when I'm not paying attention to it, I'll be like, "What happened today? What..." Like, I broke my foot- Yeah... on my eight day. Yikes. I was in pain. 32:11 I just woke up. I didn't even know what the day was. Mm-hmm. [laughs] And I'm like, "What is to do?" [laughs] Yeah. So it's just, like, pattern recognition. Yes. 32:21 And, like, we're all creatures of habit, too, and it's like we're always having this just, I don't know, battle in our minds, too, about life and, like, am I doing the right thing? 32:33 Am I, like, succeeding in doing the things that I love to do? Mm-hmm. 32:38 And I think at the end of the day, it's like as long as you keep giving it your all, giving your best self forward and moving, and you keep moving, too. Keep moving. A lot of us get stagnant. Mm-hmm. 32:49 This is a big thing with my processes, and I'm like, "I have to go to the gym." Like, I have to be active in some way, shape, or form to feel like I was productive- Yeah... honestly. 33:00 And I feel like that's a big reason where I get my energy, too, and then there's also this energy alignment that I find with certain people as well. And so when I read your book, I was like, "Oh, my gosh. 33:09 We're totally energy aligned here." [laughs] "I have to go interview her," you know? So, uh, that was part of the reason. 33:14 But the other part of me is, like, I, I was, um, listening to another podcast actually, and the, um, and it was something really interesting about his podcast guests. 33:23 Every one of them, like, over 80% of them wrote books. [laughs] And I was like, wait a minute. 33:28 So that's a big reason of getting people on as a podcast guest as well is, like, hey, getting people, like, that have written books because they really show their authentic self. Mm-hmm. They really show- It helps. 33:40 [laughs] Well, they, they really show themselves to a very vulnerable level. Yeah. And you have something to talk about, and you have something to really promote within not just the book itself- Oh, sorry. 33:50 Here's the cat. Keep going. Oh, no. It's okay. She loves cats. Oh, okay. [laughs] She's like, "No, no, no, no, no." She's cute, too. 33:56 [laughs] So, you know, to say that, um, I just, I, I was like, I need to start interviewing more people that have written books. That's basically what it came down to. Yeah. 34:04 So, um, and it, it, it ma- even inspired me to start writing my own book. I was about to ask. 34:09 [laughs] Which I was gonna say, well, it's your interview, not mine, but I did start writing a book back in 2020 during COVID- Mm-hmm... about asking better questions, since my background's in journalism. 34:19 I'm like, not enough people are curious. Not enough people are asking better questions to people to get to know them or maybe to get to know themselves. Yeah, I agree with that a lot. You know, that's a big thing. Yeah. 34:29 So I feel like that book would be really, really useful for a lot of people. Because I think the things that you're curious about of other people are things you're still curious about on yourself- Mm... 34:37 that you haven't nailed down. And everyone likes to think, "Oh, I know myself inside and out." No, you don't. Then you're not doing the work. [laughs] Then you're not doing the work. Mm-hmm. 34:44 Um, because you are always changing, and thank the goodness. If- Mm-hmm. To think that I would still be still thinking the same and moving the same that I was when I was 20- Mm-hmm... 34:55 or when I was 30 or when I was 40 or even when I was 50, I want to always be changing and always evolving. And that right there- Mm-hmm... asking questions of people- Yeah... to get, you know... 35:07 I think is also asking questions of yourself. I like it. I like it. When is it gonna be done? I'm ready to read it. [laughs] I'm working on the website. Okay. You can pre-order it soon. Okay. 35:14 [laughs] I'll send you the link. [laughs] But you know- Shameless plug. I know, shameless plug. I know. [laughs] Um, no, it's been, this has been a great interview, by the way. [laughs] This is great. 35:22 I, I love these impromptu whatever- Oh, right?... the dog coming by. Um, but yeah, I think... A- and that's another thing, I think everyone should write their own book. Mm-hmm. I think that's huge. I agree. 35:31 Especially with AI and stuff being so helpful- Yep... and guiding you along, it's, it's a no-brainer. Every- And listen, I'm just gonna put it out there. Sure. And I'm gonna look at the camera when I say it. Go for it. 35:40 [laughs] AI can't write the book for you. Nope. It cannot. It's true. 'Cause I promise you, as soon as you start trying to prompt it... 'Cause I tried. Yeah. I'm gonna be upfront. I tried. 35:48 I'm gonna put it, "Well, that's wrong. That's not right." Right. You spend more time correcting what AI was saying. The only purpose AI should have had was I'm gonna talk it out. Mm. 35:59 Hey, should I say it like this, or should I say it like this? Is this too much? Mm-hmm. Is this not enough? Um, or what's a better word- Mm-hmm... for what I wanna say? I've said this word 12 times. 36:11 I'd like to not say that word a 13th time. Right. Um, so the, the whole idea that AI can write your story- Mm... isn't true. Definitely. And, and if it does, it's not your story. It's not. And you know, it- It's not... 36:24 that, that was a, a work of fiction. AI can write a work of fiction. Mm-hmm. AI can hallucinate and just create a whole thing for you if you want to. That's true. 36:32 But if you are true to yourself and reading that back- Mm-hmm... you're not gonna let that go. No. I real- I really don't think a lot of people are using AI to write their memoirs. [laughs] No. 36:40 I was thinking more in lines of, like, you just, um, stream a consciousness, say everything you wanna say about your book- Mm-hmm... and then get AI to ask you questions. Ooh. To kind of flesh it out. Yes, yes. 36:51 See what I'm saying? So. Hindsight. [laughs] Oh, why didn't I ask? Right? Right? And then, uh, the more question it asks you, the more it'll write down for you automatically- Uh-huh... right? 37:00 And then eventually you'll have at least some type of format, and then you can get it to start, you know, separating it based off chapters, and then from the chapters, you can flesh it out a little more. Yes. 37:10 And I think it's- I like that... it's definitely a, a tool, right? Uh-huh. It's not gonna do the work for you, but it's a great tool, and I actually use it, another shameless plug, with my creative agency- [laughs]... 37:19 where I help people with their social media. And I'm been using AI to, you know, create content from that, so it's, it's been a huge help, too. Yes. 37:27 Because, um, yeah, like you said before, it's not gonna do the work for you. You have to still have the idea. Mm-hmm. And it's the idea, and, and it's so funny because I keep... 37:37 uh, interact with AI every day, and I feel like it's making me smarter [laughs] Sometimes. That is great. But then other times I'm like, "Am I using it as a crutch?" Yeah, you always wanna kinda find that balance. 37:46 But honestly, my productivity has gotten so much better because of AI, so I, I have to be like, maybe it is making me think in a different way, too. Yes. You know? 37:56 And, uh, and I love how almost every single interview I've had, it's always been something around AI, because it's, that's how prevalent it is. Yeah. 38:04 And with, um, the, the current state of just our affairs and what we're doing in today, and how we're doing work- Mm-hmm... 38:10 how we're doing play, AI is, is in somehow, shape or form, into it, and I think it's just gonna grow larger. 38:16 And so I think that's another great question: how often do you use AI, and are, is that, uh, I guess more helpful in your business or in your nonprofit? Or I'm just curious about- Yes... 38:26 how you utilize with it No, I totally, I use AI. Cool. [laughs] Um, but I think being an herbalist- Mm-hmm... you learn to triple check everything. Yeah. 38:35 Um, I don't, I, 'cause I don't even go by what I read in a book when I'm creating an herb- Yeah... because that book could be old and the information could be old. 38:45 Um, and m- and most the time, there are really, if the book is more than five years old, how useful is that information- Mm... if you're getting it from a book? Right. 38:53 So you wanna get updated information, and where do you go? You go to the internet. Mm. I'm sorry, folks, it's AI. [laughs] It's always been AI. Mm. It's been AI since tw- well, early 2000s. Oh, yeah. 39:04 It's been automated intelligence. Mm-hmm. Okay? Artificial intelligence. Mm-hmm. You know, and, and, and that is, when we hear the argument about, "Don't use AI," data centers and all that. Mm-hmm. 39:17 I promise I'm hearing it. I am. Mm. Um, but I also feel like it's too little too late. Mm. It's, so we're already well past that point- Mm-hmm... 39:28 of like if it, that should've been a point of contention at the beginning- I know... of AI, not now. Mm. Like, it's like, I think 20 years too late. Yeah. To, and, and it, it's like global warming. [laughs] Right. Yeah. 39:41 [laughs] Right. Seriously. You know, we still, we need to be cautious and we need to be mindful, and there are things that we can do to help. Mm-hmm. Um, but we, technology must advance so that we advance. Mm-hmm. 39:54 And that's part of it. Mm. That's my two pennies, my [laughs] of- S-... AI... do you think we should integrate with AI or, like, in the future, just think, like, chips in the future? Ooh. 40:07 Like, what are you- I don't know... like, what's kind of your dystopian [laughs] outlook of AI and- Listen... 40:14 how it's growing, because- When the AI overlords take over, they're gonna be able to look at my history and know that I was not against them. [laughs] Okay. All right. [laughs] Um, and aren't we kind of already? 40:25 We have pacemakers. We have- That's true... um, uh, now, uh, prosthetics- Mm-hmm... that are able to do more for you, like with the hands. The hand prosthetics are just getting more advanced. Mm. 40:36 That's artificial intelligence. You know? It's, it's science, it's mechanics, it's all of that, but you know, it's all help. I use artif- AI to, um, be w- my person that I talk to at 3:00 in the morning. Yeah. 40:49 When I wake up at 3:00 in the morning, I'm not gonna wake somebody else up, "Hey, I had this crazy idea," at 3:00 in the morning. But I a- I've also set my AI to check me. Mm. 40:57 I'd, I tell my AI I don't want it to blindly agree with me. Okay. Um, and, and I want it to calm me down. I, I've set the tone- Mm-hmm... almost like a relationship. Wow. You know? 41:09 Like, these are the expectations I have of my husband. These are the expectations. 'Cause friendsh- uh, uh, relationships should have expectations, even friendships. Mm-hmm. 41:16 Like, hey, I'll tell people, "Okay, well, what Melissa do you want? Do you want the fix-it Melissa? Do you want the scorched-earth Melissa? Or do you just want me to listen quietly?" Sure. 41:25 Like, um, and it's same thing for AI. I just tell it what I need. Yeah. I got a lot of people. I got a lot of support. I don't need... So my AI is to check me. Mm-hmm. All the time. Yeah. 41:36 To the point that I have to say, "Okay, fine. I heard you." [laughs] Right. Right. Yeah. Um, yeah, I think, yeah, AI is definitely prevalent- Mm-hmm... and it's just gonna be increasing as the years go by, too. 41:50 But I think it's more of like, as long as it's a helpmate, doesn't take over your life- Yes... and you don't fully have to rely on it to survive, that's, that's something I don't wanna go towards. Mm-hmm. 42:01 As long as it's there to help and it doesn't, like, control you, too- Yes... right? [laughs] I'm just thinking, like, Matrix, you know? Mm-hmm. Like, it's gonna get to the point, and I'm like, oh my gosh. Yes. 42:10 Like, I just, I, I just want it to, to help make my life more efficient, right? Yes. And more, um, more enjoyable, too, so I can do the things I wanna be doing, like doing interviews like this with real people. Uh-huh. 42:23 Um, and it's just something that I've kind of fought with as well. I'm like, it's just gonna do my computer stuff so I can do more out in the world stuff, you know? Love that. 42:32 Go, go on my runs more, go, uh, enjoy nature more, you know? Take some of that time back that I, it seems to be disappearing as I grow older. You know, I actually made this post on, uh, Twitter the other day. 42:43 I was like, "Why does it feel like as, you know, as you grow older, time s- seems to be slipping by faster?" Mm-hmm. You know? You ever ask yourself that? 42:52 My grandmother used, my grandmother used to tell me, she goes, "When you get older, you'll see time's just gonna fly." Yeah. Time's gonna fly. Why is that, Melissa? Tell me. Like- 'Cause we're doing too much. 42:59 Doing too much. Yeah, we're just doing too much. We're- So we should be doing less. We, I, I, I think we should be doing less, I really do. You got it. 43:05 And unless, uh, and that, that, that brings, when you were talking about how you use AI and you want it to help you- Yeah... you're not the only one that thinks that. Mm-hmm. 43:13 And it's because there's something that's missing. Mm. And that's what AI is doing. It's filling this hole. Right. 43:19 And the, and people will tell you, "Oh, well, get out in nature, or go talk to friends, and get out in the community." Mm-hmm. But imagine you're the person that does all that. Mm-hmm. 43:26 And it's still, there's something missing. Mm-hmm. You know? And we have to figure out what that is. Mm. I don't know what it is. I don't have the answer. But I do know that there i- that that's the issue. Mm-hmm. 43:37 And I think naming the issue... is going to, is the first step to figuring it out. Um, and then maybe people won't be so afraid of AI- Mm... 43:45 or understand its purpose, um, when they too understand that there's just a piece that's missing, and it's filling this, this hole, this piece. Um, and then once we figure out what that is, then we can move accordingly. 43:57 Mm-hmm. No, I like that mindset. [laughs] That makes sense. It definitely does. And I feel like that missing piece is probably due to some, like, massive major events that happened. Last year's COVID too- Mm-hmm... 44:09 you know? And it's just, um, it's, it's like that next, next step maybe in our evolution as well, if you think about it, so. No, COVID taught us, please don't ever have a zombie apocalypse. Right. 44:22 Because, um, we w- we were, we were so divisive- Mm, oh, yeah... during that time. The whole mask thing. Uh, I mean, already in general. [laughs] You know? And we made it so political too. 44:32 [laughs] You know, and it was like, dude, just wear the mask. Like- [laughs]... like, I, it, it's, it... I didn't understand it. Mm. It w- don't tell me what to do, and that's what it was. It was a, a, what- Choice... 44:42 opposition defiance disorder First Amendment right or something. [laughs] Yeah, it was like, "Don't tell me what to do," and I'm like, "Nobody's telling you. We're just saying, 'Hey- Be safe, yeah... 44:50 if you do this, maybe-" Mm-hmm. You know, try to do everything to not get sick. That's all. Right. And to not make other people sick. Right. And then there was the whole herd immunity. Mm-hmm. Oh, God. 45:00 Uh, that one drove me crazy. We're not in the same herds. Right. Do you k- like, just herd immunity is for your herd. Mm-hmm. We're not in the same herds, so we, that's not gonna work. [laughs] I don't know. 45:12 I think there was just so much misinformation going on- It was... during that part. Mm-hmm. And it really didn't help the situation either. Yeah. And yeah, it's, I don't know. 45:20 I was in Seattle at the time, I remember that, and that was tough. That was really hard. Um, but I'm just, I'm glad it's over, but I feel like as we move forward- Mm... in time, [laughs] 45:33 we seem to be always, you know, there, there's always something going on. Which I guess is good- Yeah... good and bad at the same time. 45:40 But at the same time, we just have to realize that especially with technology growing too of, like, how to, how to utilize it, but in some way, shape, or form, how to just, like, uh, be better- Mm-hmm... 45:51 you know, as just human beings. Yeah. And, and really in response to it of just, like, using it in a way, like I s- mentioned before, that's helpful, but in a way that, like, gives value back to others. 46:02 Um, and I feel like we're not doing enough of that too- Yeah... is just giving that value. And, and going back to your nonprofit of giving value- [laughs]... 46:09 because this is really important just to kinda tie it all together, um, I think what you're doing is really, really important. Thank you. And it's a value within the community, and it's a value that a lot of people need. 46:19 We eat every day- Mm-hmm... honestly, and some of us, we just don't have a lot of money to buy the, the foods that we wanna buy, and you're there as a resource. Yes. 46:28 You know, as a support, and I wish more people were like that and that support and that resource. And, um, how long have you been running the nonprofit? Seven months. Seven. We're just in our seventh month. 46:38 Oh, my God, okay. [laughs] We're a baby nonprofit. I, okay. I, I assumed it was longer. I don't know why. I know. That's crazy. 'Cause we, I, I have to give us all the cr- Okay... all the props- Yeah, I was gonna say... 46:48 because in seven months we have done some beautiful things already. Yeah. Um, and I, and I hope to do more, and I hope- Mm-hmm... that it, that we can continue it. Yeah. Let me tell you, it's a headache. Sure. 46:58 I love it, but it is an, it is a 24/7 job. Yeah. Um- That's what it sounds like. Yeah, and we're only open three days a week. Mm-hmm. 47:05 But we also, when the Colorado fire, when the Aspen fires happened, we were like, "Round it up." Yeah. There was, uh, Kaylee Wheatley, I believe her name is. Okay. She's got the big Aspen fires- Okay... 47:15 thing on Facebook, and so- Yeah... you know, she was reaching out. I connected with her- Okay... so we can get some, um, supplies to the people who were evacuated. Sure. Um, and- Okay... 47:28 that's one of the, like, uh, how we can pivot. Mm-hmm. It isn't, sometimes it's the Bundles of Blessing, sometimes it's the Aspen fires. Okay. Sometimes it's somebody who needs some medicine. Right. You know? 47:38 It isn't, it's... And that's how we need to show up for our community- Mm... in the way that they need it. I love that. Like, even when we were talking about- I love that... we're gonna do backpacks. Yeah. 47:45 We're like, "Yeah, we're gonna do backpacks and school supplies," but as I was hearing it more, that's not what people wanted. Mm-hmm. They wanted shoes. Yeah. 47:52 So that's our ne- next biggest in- initiative, is we wanna get a new pair of shoes and a new outfit for the first day of school. Okay. To, so the kids can start their first day clean as a whistle. 48:01 [laughs] Oh, I love that. No, that's amazing. Yeah. Yeah. And I was just gonna ask you, yeah, what's the future of your nonprofit? Who do you wanna help more? 48:10 I love that you're doing more than just food, so that's amazing too. We try. Yeah. Uh, and that's the thing, is it's hard, I think, [sighs] because I do, I, it's always gonna be food. Yeah. 48:22 Food's gonna always gonna be the, like we're doing the Be a Summer Hero. Sure. That's what we're doing for the summer. That, but as that wraps up, now we're gonna do the end of the year. Mm-hmm. 48:30 Um, and the holidays are the hardest time- Mm... for, uh, parents and, and kids. Mm-hmm. Um, so we're gonna, you know, give them the frivolous things. Yeah. You know? The, the gifts for their kids. 48:43 Then, the people, a lot of people actually think that that's frivolous- Mm-hmm... because it's not food. It's not a, a utility bill. It's not. But it's peace of mind. Mm-hmm. It's dignity. 48:53 It's I was able to provide for my family. And we do it in a way that, um, the kids don't have to come and see that their parents were getting help. Okay. It's, "Hey, come get these gifts for your kids." Yeah. 49:05 "So that way you can put something under the tree." They don't gotta know where it came from. Mm-hmm. 'Cause as parents, we're always making that hustle and that change and that pivot- Right... 49:12 to, like, they, they, they don't know the work that goes into p- keeping the lights on. [laughs] No, most kids really don't. [laughs] Yeah. I love that. I love that. 49:23 And, um, man, it's, it's amazing how much you've done over a short span of time. Yes. And, uh, what advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own nonprofit within their community? 49:34 Be prepared to spend your own money. Okay. Um, um, be prepared- I, I, I wanna give the good, the bad, and the ugly. Sure. So here's the ugly. Yeah. You'll have to spend your own money. Mm-hmm. 49:45 Um, people aren't gonna show up. Mm. Even the people that want to help, they're not gonna show up. And you're gonna do all the work, and they're not gonna show up. 49:54 But that's okay, because they gotta, they gotta show up when they wanna show up. Mm. It's not about you, and you have to really understand that it's not about you. Right. 50:03 And if you're in it for the accolades of, "I helped X amount of people," you know, it's gonna be short-lived for you. Mm. Uh, because it has ebbs and flows too. 50:16 Like the, the, uh, the s- the people that we serve, the missing middle, January and February and March are hard for us to find people to help- Mm, mm... because income tax comes around. Oh. 50:28 And so they have a, a, an influx of money. Sure. And so then they're not gonna use those resources, because they have money. Right. And they're, and but that's who we're serving. Mm. So that would be, just be, be my... 50:38 But the good part of it is if you are in it for the right reasons, man, does it fill your cup. Mm. I will be exhausted from a day of, 'cause we had a pancake lunch- Oh... and then we have spaghetti dinner. Yum. 50:51 And I serve them. Oh. They sit at the table, and I serve them. Yeah. They, they don't have to come and feed themselves like a buffet. They gotta, like they're going to a restaurant. They gotta wait their turn. Mm-hmm. 51:01 Like, [laughs] so I can get- Right... to everybody. But it's also about just literally serving the community. Yeah. And I'm, my feet hurt, my knees hurt, every- my back hurts. Aw. But damn, is my heart full. Yeah. 51:12 And, and for me, that's worth it every single time, that I got to feed all those people. Oh, my gosh. That sounds amazing. Yeah, it sounds like you're so passionate about it. Yes. And you keep it going. 51:22 And, and that's when you're like, "Oh, I'm fulfilling my purpose." Mm-hmm. "I'm fulfilling this, like, desire inside me." Yes. And, um, how long did it take you to get there? To what? To wanna help people or to do- No... 51:34 the nonprofit? To do the nonprofit. Um, as soon as I decided I was gonna do it. Um, but- [laughs] Le- le- let me- Great answer. [laughs] It is. Listen, that's my trauma. Oh, uh-huh. It's I gotta do it now. Mm-hmm. 51:47 Because if I don't do it now, I won't do it. Right. And I won't. 51:51 And so as we were feeding people all through November, December, January rolled around, I was like, "No, this ha- this needs to be the forever thing," and we established the nonprofit. Yeah. And, 52:04 you know, and we just did it. That's great. Now, I've been feeding people- Yeah... my whole life. Right, right. You know, as soon as I, you know, that's my first thing I do- Yeah... 52:13 um, is I wanna feed you in any capacity. Mm-hmm. And, um, so I feel like it was always gonna happen. Yeah. Um, my daughter actually said it. "Mom, we've always been nonprofit. We might as well be a nonprofit." 52:24 And I was like, "You're right." [laughs] Right. Right. And we can accept donations. Yes. [laughs] Yes. Well, that's another thing we do too. Yeah. Uh, another way that we're different. Mm. We do a donation-based meal. 52:35 Okay. Be- not because we need the donations. We always appreciate the donations. [laughs] Um, but because there's that mindset of- Mm-hmm... I don't wanna owe you. Mm-hmm. 52:46 Don't think that I owe you because you gave me this meal. Right. So give me a dollar- Yeah... if that may, if that, if that's what you wanna give me- Mm-hmm... to make it feel better for you to take this meal. Mm. 52:56 And I understand that. It's a w- I call it the, the invisible ledger. Mm-hmm. Like keeping score. Right. Uh, the bread of shame is what, uh, Miriam calls it. Hmm. 53:05 Um, and if, if they just give a dollar, or they give 50 cents, or they give, or they bring a box of spaghetti, if they give anything, then that takes that off the table- Yeah... 53:17 'cause that's not what I'm trying to serve. Right. You know? Right. Mm-hmm. And I think that's a little different too. Yeah. 53:22 Um, just because I, I want to, I give, because I've been hungry, and I've, and I've been in those places- Yeah... I have not accepted help- Right... because I don't want anybody to think that I... 53:34 What, what are you gonna want from me later? Mm. What's the buy-in- Right... to this? Right. Yeah, I could see that. [laughs] I could see that. Is there anything else that you wanna talk about that we didn't talk about? 53:46 Anything that you wanna share with everyone- Oh, God... that, any kinda promotions going on maybe? Actually, let's talk a little mo-, uh, more about your bazaar real quick- Mm... because I was really curious. 53:57 So it sounds like you have the bougie honey going on here. [laughs] I got bougie honey, yes. Do you go to the farmer's market, and you promote that? Or, like, I'm curious. No. Why not? 54:06 I, I go to, I don't go to the farmer's market- Okay... because when you go to the farmer's market- Yeah... they want honey, raw honey. Just that. That's it. You know? Oh, they have qualifications. 54:14 And that, that's what you go. But I do go. Oh. No, I just think that that's the mindset. Right. That's, it might, and I could be wrong. You could change the mindset. I could change the mindset. [laughs] Um- I just-... 54:23 but they're like, "Do they, do they, I want it raw-" Yeah... unfiltered, unbothered." Okay. And there's plenty that go have that. Yeah. Um, but w- when we go to markets, just regular vendor events- Oh... we do very well. 54:34 Okay, I was gonna say. Yeah, because we put it in beautiful, like- Mm-hmm... um, what, Miriam calls it the couscous bottles, uh- Couscous... from- Oh, okay... do you know what I'm talking about? Yeah, the glass bottles. 54:45 Yes. Like, they're glass, but they're, like, fancy. But they look like potion bottles, and they're fancy, and they're embossed. Oh, okay. But, uh, couscous from the Devil's New... 54:53 not devil's, the King's, Emperor's New Clothes. Oh, okay. Got you. Emperor- It's a potion bottle... Emperor's New Groove, right? That one. That one, yeah. That one. Thank you. 55:00 That's a great- Thank you for getting me to that point... great movie. Yep, no worries. [laughs] But they're gorgeous bottles too. Okay. So we make, we make them a, a beautiful- Got you. Got you... experience. 55:08 I love that. The bougie honey. The bougie. That's, that's it. I'm ke- [laughs] I'm stealing that. Do it. Do it. You heard it here first. I love it. The bougie... 55:13 [laughs] Because I was just fi- I'm like, I feel like those would be huge sellers. Like, if you can market it in such a way- Mm-hmm... even online. Yeah. 55:21 I could see you could- And we, and, and we don't, we don't lie about it. We don't say this is raw, infused. We, we try to- Yeah... we do try to get local honey though. Right. We, so we do, it is local honey. Yes. 55:30 But it is burnt beyond [laughs]... Right, right. It's not burnt. It's warmed. Warmed, okay. And it's warmed past the point that makes it, that it has all the things that you want from honey. Mm-hmm. Allegedly. 55:40 I don't know. From, the story behind that, I should let, you know what? You're gonna have to interview Miriam next. [laughs] Yeah, totally. 'Cause- Totally... it's her s- 'cause she's the one that does the honey. 55:48 Oh, that's right. And the reason why she created it was because our granddaughter, um, has a physical malformation. Oh, okay. Sometimes it messed with her mouth- Okay... and honey was the only thing that helped that. Oh. 56:01 And it wasn't raw, unfiltered honey. Mm. It was just honey. [laughs] Sure. Just honey. It was just honey, and then you get too much honey, and then what happens? I don't even want honey anymore. See? 56:14 So what do we do to make it? We've gotta, we gotta zhoosh it up and we gotta bougie it up. We gotta bougie it up, exactly. But there's a story behind everything. There is. There is, Melissa. [laughs] Oh my gosh. 56:23 Where can people find you? Here. They want to connect with you, and to maybe get some of your honey. Please follow us on Facebook. [laughs] Yes. Um, Beezzar's B-B-E-E, bizarre, B-Z-Z-A-A-R. 56:35 Uh, we're at 1287 Lake Plaza Drive, Suite 30. We're downstairs. There's no elevator, but it's worth the steps. [laughs] It's only one flight of steps down. It's not too bad. [laughs] It's not too bad. Yeah. 56:48 C- wide steps, too. Yes. [laughs] Well, what do you do with the handicapped that wanna come down and visit? We do curb alert. Okay. Not curb alert. We'll meet you at the, we'll come- Oh, okay... 56:57 we'll come up and give it to you. That's nice of you. Yeah. Yeah. Awesome. Awesome. And then you have a TikTok as well- Yes... and Instagram and all that stuff? Just TikTok. Okay. We d- I, we might have an Instagram. 57:06 My daughter does the Instagram. Okay. Yes. Perfect. Awesome. We have TikTok, Instagram. Facebook is the only one that I do. Oh, okay. TikTok was mine first. Mm-hmm. But now I have to integrate the two, and it's hard. 57:19 It is hard, yeah, but I think you- So I'm running three businesses with three different pages. Right. You should just combine them all together somehow. [laughs] I need to. This is it, guys. Figure it out. 57:29 We're The Blessed Bee. Come on. [laughs] There you go. Well, thank you again, Melissa, for your time. Thank you. This was a wonderful interview. Can I share something with you? Of course. You're my first podcast- Really? 57:39 [laughs]... where I was the guest. Okay. I've partnered with a bunch of podcasts- Okay... but I've never been the guest. Aw. Well, you definitely need to be more of the guest- [laughs]... for sure. 57:48 You're an amazing guest- Thank you... and I really appreciate just how vulnerable you are. Stella was so chill the whole time. 57:53 And oh my gosh, this is the first time I've had Stella here, guys, and she's been really great the whole time, so I'm gonna have to turn off the camera now, but we're gonna, we're gonna take our first walk. 58:04 Maybe I'll give you to Melissa here. Yes. All right. We'll see you later, guys. [laughs] Awesome.
